Read Online Sleigh Bells & Mistletoe: A Short Story (The Brides Series 1.5) by Lena Goldfinch - Free Book Online
Authors: Lena Goldfinch
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here.” Jem glanced over to see the rancher signing a paper. A marriage certificate, he guessed.
“She’ll just have to sign too,” the preacher said, turning to the young woman. She faced him with a forceful glare, and he seemed to diminish a little, as if she’d stolen his confidence.
“Now, Annie,” he said to her gently as if to a small child, “all you need to do is make a mark here. Any kind of mark.” He pointed to a line on the document. “Right here.” He held a pen out toward her.
She didn’t move.
“Please,” he said through gritted teeth. He was at her side in two strides, then briefly pressed his mouth to her ear and whispered something. Jem noticed how stiffly she held herself until he pulled away. She bowed her head for a moment, and when she looked back up her expression was beaten. What had he said—or threatened her with? Whatever it was, his words had taken all the fire out of her eyes. She took the pen and held it in an awkward grasp. The young preacher held the paper against his palm and crowded in close until she signed it. To Jem her mark looked like nothing more than a couple of rolling mountains, but he supposed it could have been an A and a couple of Ns.
“That’s good,” the preacher said, relief evident in the way his shoulders dropped slightly. “Here you go.” He blew on the ink to dry it and waved it in the air a bit before he folded it nice and neat and handed it to her buyer. A man who hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself to his bride. Like his name didn’t matter. Like she didn’t matter. He’d never once asked her name either.
Annie . That’s what the preacher had called her.
A simple name.
Jem felt sickened by the whole thing. He moved, fixing to retrieve Mae and already bracing himself for her to pitch a fit. She wouldn’t want to leave the puppy.
Don’t look at Annie , Jem told himself.
The young woman’s gaze on him was too penetrating though, and he found himself glancing at her. She sent him another pleading look.
What did she want from him? There was nothing he could do. She was married now, all legal and proper. Or whatever it was the preacher had called it.
She grunted, some tiny desperate sound that tore at him. It seemed to come from the core of her, a place of pure panic.
He wanted to reassure her, but there was nothing he could say.
The man was likely just a mite close-lipped, like a lot of men were, clueless about the greater emotional needs of women, but generally not bad .
Jem had to stop just short of Mae, because Annie’s new husband rudely brushed by him and latched a chain around the puppy’s neck. It was his dog?
“Time to go,” he said, giving the leash a tug. He seemed to direct his command both to the dog and to Annie. Little Mae looked up at the man towering over her, her eyes wide and frightened. Jem made to step around the man to get to her, but Annie had already put a reassuring hand on Mae’s shoulder. The puppy flopped onto its side, obviously not wanting to leave its new playmate.
“I said come.” The man yanked the pup forward along the ground, lifting it onto its feet. The puppy straight-legged him, but the man was stronger, pulling it along protesting, its head thrashing against the chain.
A noose tightened around Jem’s neck, just as surely as if the man had slung that leash around him.
You didn’t treat an animal that way.
Don’t get involved. You don’t know anything about the man. He could’ve suffered a bad bite as a boy. Maybe he never grew up around animals.
Any number of reasons.
“Come on, gal,” the man snapped at Annie, seeing she hadn’t moved to join him.
She looked pleadingly at Jem, and this time he saw a flash of anger in her eyes. It didn’t seem like she was mad at him though, more like frustrated. Angry at how the puppy was being treated? He wasn’t sure.
Honestly, he was so angry himself he thought his control might snap, that he might actually hit the man. So he
“She’ll just have to sign too,” the preacher said, turning to the young woman. She faced him with a forceful glare, and he seemed to diminish a little, as if she’d stolen his confidence.
“Now, Annie,” he said to her gently as if to a small child, “all you need to do is make a mark here. Any kind of mark.” He pointed to a line on the document. “Right here.” He held a pen out toward her.
She didn’t move.
“Please,” he said through gritted teeth. He was at her side in two strides, then briefly pressed his mouth to her ear and whispered something. Jem noticed how stiffly she held herself until he pulled away. She bowed her head for a moment, and when she looked back up her expression was beaten. What had he said—or threatened her with? Whatever it was, his words had taken all the fire out of her eyes. She took the pen and held it in an awkward grasp. The young preacher held the paper against his palm and crowded in close until she signed it. To Jem her mark looked like nothing more than a couple of rolling mountains, but he supposed it could have been an A and a couple of Ns.
“That’s good,” the preacher said, relief evident in the way his shoulders dropped slightly. “Here you go.” He blew on the ink to dry it and waved it in the air a bit before he folded it nice and neat and handed it to her buyer. A man who hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself to his bride. Like his name didn’t matter. Like she didn’t matter. He’d never once asked her name either.
Annie . That’s what the preacher had called her.
A simple name.
Jem felt sickened by the whole thing. He moved, fixing to retrieve Mae and already bracing himself for her to pitch a fit. She wouldn’t want to leave the puppy.
Don’t look at Annie , Jem told himself.
The young woman’s gaze on him was too penetrating though, and he found himself glancing at her. She sent him another pleading look.
What did she want from him? There was nothing he could do. She was married now, all legal and proper. Or whatever it was the preacher had called it.
She grunted, some tiny desperate sound that tore at him. It seemed to come from the core of her, a place of pure panic.
He wanted to reassure her, but there was nothing he could say.
The man was likely just a mite close-lipped, like a lot of men were, clueless about the greater emotional needs of women, but generally not bad .
Jem had to stop just short of Mae, because Annie’s new husband rudely brushed by him and latched a chain around the puppy’s neck. It was his dog?
“Time to go,” he said, giving the leash a tug. He seemed to direct his command both to the dog and to Annie. Little Mae looked up at the man towering over her, her eyes wide and frightened. Jem made to step around the man to get to her, but Annie had already put a reassuring hand on Mae’s shoulder. The puppy flopped onto its side, obviously not wanting to leave its new playmate.
“I said come.” The man yanked the pup forward along the ground, lifting it onto its feet. The puppy straight-legged him, but the man was stronger, pulling it along protesting, its head thrashing against the chain.
A noose tightened around Jem’s neck, just as surely as if the man had slung that leash around him.
You didn’t treat an animal that way.
Don’t get involved. You don’t know anything about the man. He could’ve suffered a bad bite as a boy. Maybe he never grew up around animals.
Any number of reasons.
“Come on, gal,” the man snapped at Annie, seeing she hadn’t moved to join him.
She looked pleadingly at Jem, and this time he saw a flash of anger in her eyes. It didn’t seem like she was mad at him though, more like frustrated. Angry at how the puppy was being treated? He wasn’t sure.
Honestly, he was so angry himself he thought his control might snap, that he might actually hit the man. So he
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