Read Online The Marshal Takes a Bride by Renee Ryan - Free Book Online

her wishes concerning Molly.
    He’d been lying to himself.
    Katherine Taylor awakened tender emotions in him he’d thought dead. She gave him a glimpse of who he used to be before anger and hatred had taken root. He wanted to teach her how to trust him, as a friend would trust another, and that all men didn’t want to use her for their own selfish desires.
    “I won’t hurt you, Katherine. Ever.”
    He meant every word, but she stiffened anyway, and then shifted away from him.
    Feeling helpless, foolish, he stepped back. Focusing on her fears helped him remember why they needed to work through this awkwardness between them. He tried another topic. “I know you and Molly shared the same mother, but you had different fathers. I also know how your sister’s father died. But, tell me, Katherine, what happened to yours?”
    Her closed, stony expression made him fear she wouldn’t answer his question, but she surprised him. “He was a town sheriff, shot in the line of duty.”
    His stomach dropped, and he felt like he’d been gut-punched. Why hadn’t Marc warned him? Now her worries for her little sister made more sense. “How old were you when he died?”
    “About Molly’s age. He left us with less than nothing.”
    “Us?”
    “Me and my mother. It’s why she turned to her scandalous profession.” The look in her eyes explained more than her words. “Momma didn’t have any skills. When the last of our money ran out, she did what she thought she had to do. Eventually, she started her own business and, well, you know the rest.”
    “You admired her.”
    Katherine started trembling, her eyes clouding over as though she was lost inside painful memories. “No. I wept for her. She was a strong woman, capable and resourceful. But because of the choices she made, she lived a bitter and lonely life.”
    He reached to her again.
    She shrugged him off. Again.
    “You escaped her legacy.”
    “Yes.” Her face took on a faraway look. “I guess she knew what would happen if I grew up in her brothel, so she sent me to school back East. But I had to leave right before graduation and care for her during her illness. It was an honor and a blessing to share those final days with her, and to see her come to know the Lord.”
    He had to swallow back his own anger at the thought of Katherine leaving the safety of school, only to have a man violate her in the most vile way possible. “You truly believe returning home was a blessing, after what happened to you?”
    “Oh, Trey.” She gave him a serene smile, the one he’d seen her use on the smaller children when they were confused. “Despite all the tragedy, I eventually found my real home. Here at Charity House.”
    Her naive response swelled a primitive need to lash out. “Good doesn’t always come out of evil. Look at Molly. Tell me, what good has come out of her loss?”
    Katherine sighed. “God never promised us a life without adversity. But He gave us the strength we need to bear up under it. Molly may have lost both her mother and father, as I did, but she’s not alone. She has me. We have each other, and we have our heavenly Father.”
    “How can you speak of God as though He cares?” Trey demanded, no longer thinking of Molly now, but of his wife.
    She’d been a woman of faith, too, just like Katherine. However, God hadn’t given Laurette the strength to face Ike Hayes and his rotten brother, Drew. Her faith had been grossly rewarded with unspeakable violence. “Look around you. God abandons those who care for Him most.”
    Katherine winced, but she didn’t challenge him. Instead, she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. “If you give it a chance, healing will come with time.”
    She was wrong. Time healed nothing. At least not for him. Not until he caught Ike Hayes.
    But maybe, maybe, the future could be different for Molly. She was just an innocent child, one who deserved peace in her life. And she’d get it, too. If he walked away