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Chapter 7
Aiden leaned his elbows on the bar at the gentleman’s club while he fondled his glass of whiskey. The amber liquid swirled around the inside the intricately cut crystal while thoughts, simultaneously, swirled around the inside of his head. How could he have been so foolish? He should have grabbed that little vixen at the creek side, tossed her onto his horse in front of him, and paraded her back to her parents’ house to face the consequences of their actions. Instead, he had to one-up her with insults and leave her hanging as to what he’d do when she asked him about their getting married.
Now, it looked like the game was on. He should have guessed she’d want to get back at him. Spoiled little rich girls were all alike. He’d been around plenty of them back in Ireland, and a few since he’d come to America. Why should she be any different? Hadn’t she tried to trick him into deflowering her
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Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 8
Pauline was nervous. She was so devastated by Aiden’s rejection that she didn’t take the time to really plan her escape. Upon Mary Anne’s suggestion, they were headed for St. Martin Parish. What neither woman considered was the fact that the train didn’t go to St. Martin Parish. They were forced to de-board at Lafayette and take a stage coach the rest of the way.The fact that, although they were relatives of Mary Anne, she’d never set eyes on them -nor did she have their exact address- was also a factor she hadn’t considered until she’d suffered the uncomfortable seats in the crowded smoke-filled railcar for a few hours.She found being ogled by the two unkempt and smelly men that were ogling her from the opposite seat in the stage coach unsettling. She did her best to look relaxed and unaware of their stares, but it was difficult. When one of them pulled out a whiskey flask and offered her a drin
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 9
Aiden opened the note the desk clerk handed him as he and Angus entered the lobby. It was from Dennis O’Malley.My dear Mr. Kennedy,It is with deep regret that I write this.When Pauline did not return home from her hat shopping excursion, we assumed she went to visit a friend as she has been known to do on more than one occasion. Since her maid was accompanying her, we did not worry. It was not until her phaeton was returned to us by a hired man in the dark of night that we realized something was amiss. After making inquiries as discreetly as possible at the homes of all of her friends and our acquaintances, we can only conclude that our Pauline has met with misfortune. We can think of no one better to turn to for assistance in finding our Pauline and pray you will see your way clear to coming to our aid.Respectfully,
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 10
Pauline couldn’t remember ever being as hot as she was at that moment. If she thought her senses were being assaulted during the stagecoach ride, it was nothing compared to what she had to endure while being trussed up in the back of a covered wagon with twenty other women. A few roamed freely, while making snide and taunting remarks to the ones that were tied up. They were the professional prostitutes who willingly signed on with Jessie. The majority of the young women were there against their will and from a background that didn’t include prostitution.Pauline’s leg and hip pained her. She’d been so outraged by Jessie’s very bold and very public forced inspection of her womanhood that she kicked out just as soon as Harold and Tom loosened their grip enough for her strong legs to break free. The heel of her traveling boot caught Jesse in the left breast, knocking the wind from her. Her toe assailed Tom’s manho
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 11
Aiden was exhausted. He could only imagine how tired Angus must be. He’d caught a few hours of sleep on the train to Lafayette, but that was almost twenty hours ago. He was too wound up to follow Angus’ example and get a little sleep on the train, although he tried. His mind wouldn’t stop going over scenarios of what could have happened to Pauline. He’d hoped she was safely tucked away in Mary Anne’s family’s home, but something in his gut told him that she wasn’t.When they finally found Mary Anne’s family and asked to speak to Mary Anne alone, she confessed that she and Pauline were separated at the way station between Lafayette and St. Martin Parish. She claimed the station master was in on the ruse that separated vulnerable, pretty girls from their companions so that they could be taken and sold to brothels out west.Mary Anne claimed she wanted to return to New Orleans and warn the O’Mal
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 12
Eliza couldn’t believe her good fortune. It was years since she’d seen her boarding house filled to capacity. Her only hope was that it remained so for as long as possible. She was almost done paying off her late husband’s gambling debt to that scum of humanity, Ed Stark. Just a few hundred dollars more and her boarding house would no longer be at risk of becoming Ed Stark’s bordello. Of course, he’d offered to let her stay on as proprietress to give the place a better ambiance, but she wouldn’t hear of it. It was bad enough that his gunslinger brought one of his girls here for the doctor to tend to. At least he had the decency to keep her hidden in his room instead of parading her in front of her other guests. The prostitute broke her hip when her horse threw her and required bed rest. This meant that the room would be occupied for at least another month. She could overlook the unsavory
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 13
Ed Stark leaned back in the chair and put his feet on the top of Sheriff Thompkins desk. The white-haired sheriff scowled, but said nothing. Ed owned most of Brightonville and was working on obtaining the little he didn’t own. Ed was also responsible for his salary. He was far too old to go looking for a new job. If it meant overlooking disrespectful habits such as the arrogant ass putting his filthy boots on his desk to keep his job then, so be it.“We haven’t seen you over at Julie’s lately,” Ed said as he picked at his fingernails with a pocket knife.“You need to send doc over there to check out Savannah,” the sheriff grumbled. “I think she gave me the clap.”“My girls are clean,” Ed snarled.“I got puss coming out of me and it hurts when I piss,” the sheriff complained.“Did you see the doc?” Ed asked.“He’s treating m
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 14
Pauline shifted her body so that the bed-tray could rest across her lap. The doctor just left. She remembered when a horse fell on her stable master. It broke his hip. She mimicked his symptoms to the best of her memory and managed to trick the doc into believing Tom’s weight was more than her hip could stand. It was lucky for her that he’d met Tom and knew that his body was double her slender, petite form. It was equally lucky that his medical expertise was in venereal diseases and not orthopedics.She watched Mrs. Peterson’s slender form fuss around the room without looking her way. Not even once. This was a daily occurrence that she’d gotten used to over the past week, but it didn’t mean she liked it. Sadly, she could do nothing about it. Adam warned her vehemently that he knew where she came from and if she mentioned one word about being kidnapped to Mrs. Peterson, he’d go to N
Love at Wolf Creek Chapter 15
Angus sat in his favorite rocker on the porch and sipped the freshly made lemonade Mrs. Peterson provided. He’d returned, empty handed, the night before from his search for Pauline. He expected Aiden to be back from his own quest to find his fiancé any time now. He hoped he’d had better luck.Sheriff Thompkins lazily climbed the steps of the boarding house porch and greeted Angus with a friendly smile. The jail was next to the telegraph office so when he learned that Angus received a telegraph he offered to deliver it.Angus thanked the sheriff for his kindness as he accepted the message. It was from Maggie. He was eager to read it, but didn’t want to be rude while the sheriff was still there sharing pleasantries.“Tell you what,” Sheriff Thompkins said with a knowing tone. “I’ll go see if I can convince Mrs. Peterson to spare another glass of lemonade while you read your wired message.”
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