I was spared having to go to Atlana the next day when Rob was unexpectedly called overseas to attend to business, but before he left, he made sure I wouldn't forget him any time soon, and I was very sore when I got up. My face hurt like fury, and I was positive he'd torn something, but though I hissed in pain as the hot water of my morning shower hit my skin, I was smugly triumphant. Rob had not gotten the emotional response he'd wanted while he'd been raping me, and he'd slapped me viciously several times, yelling at me to stop "cheating emotionally". I'd told him that he'd never win my heart, and he'd called me several very unsavoury names before reaching his climax. He had had the good sense to wear protection, which had been a surprise to me; I'd half expected him to put a further claim on me by trying to get me pregnant, but he'd told me quite coldly that he didn't want any child of ours born out of wedlock until the wedding ring was on my finger.
As for the engagement ring, I'd tossed it in the drawer when Rob left, and Bess glared at me when she saw my ringless hand at the breakfast table. "You really are a stupid piece of work," she said crossly. 33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vDnpI9oiy
"So are you," I snapped back, wincing as I made my usual toast. "And so is Rob, by the way. Neither of you get it; I don't want this."
"You're getting it, like it or not," Bess said firmly. "And you're going to like this, even if I have to sit on you every time he has sex with you! Which reminds me; you get pregnant from Jesse, and I'll reach into and rip the damn baby out myself!"
"Well, you can thank your lucky stars Jesse only shoots blanks," I said, too heartsore to even ask how she'd known Jesse and I had had sex the day before; Rob had probably told her of his suspicions of such, and she'd latched onto it. 33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVjbBKz5Ey
Bess sniffed. "Lucky for you," she said. "I'm surprised Rob didn't discard you as used goods; he treated you far kinder than you deserve. Now clear off. Jesse was packed off this morning, so you needn't try looking for him. And Big Sam has his orders; he sees Jesse, he shoots first and asks questions later."
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Big Sam had no intentions of shooting first and asking questions later. All the workers were loyal to me, not to Bess, and Big Sam told me as such as we worked our way through the fields that morning. "Missus is a ... well, a crude word for a lady's genitalia," he said. "None of us like her, with her snooty ways."
I sighed in relief. "Where's Jesse gone?"
"He ain't gone, not yet," Big Sam told me. "Got a lady friend who's got him hidden in her cabin. The man he's sold to is on our side as well; come sundown we'll let you two see each other. Billy Bob's on the clock, though; Missus is coming this afternoon to check that Jesse's gone, so it'll be a quick meetin'. But don't you worry none; we'll cover for y'all, and we're all very good at bullshitting our way into and out of trouble."33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU4ZMuMFMr
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Big Sam was as good as his word; when Bess came down that afternoon, Jesse's cabin was empty, and Billy Bob himself "vouched" that Jesse was on his way to Virginia. "He ain't coming back any time soon," he said, nodding respectfully. "I made sure of that."33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qDzO7Nh51
"Sweep the woods," Bess said sharply to Big Sam. "I want to be sure he's gone. Check the stations as well."
"Already done all that," Billy Bob said, smoothly intervening. "Got the confirmation texts and everything, and each station is callin' me to tell me he's still on that train and ain't budged. You can trust me, Missus, I promise. My word's as good as my bond."33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqBgaV0jEQ
Bess sniffed. "Neither are very good," she said coldly, but much to my relief, she let it go. "I'm going to have patrols along the fenceline tonight. And the dogs are ready to hunt down any prey, whether it be four legged or two legged." She gave me a vicious smile. "No sense having the damaged goods be damaged any further."
I glared at her back as she started making her way up the hill. "I hate her," I muttered.
Billy Bob put a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "You're not the only one," he said softly, pitching his voice low so Bess couldn't hear him. "Sam, get the thing done, and fast."
Big Sam nodded and took my arm. The workers diligently kept to their tasks, but there was a subtle shift in the way they moved, and I knew they were screening Sam and I as we made our way through the woods. I was very tense the whole while, praying that Bess wouldn't look back, but no shouts or angry demands broke the silent passage, and for the first time since yesterday, I felt my confidence come back just a little.
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Sam's lady friend was blessed with a shallow lake, and mercifully, it was just deep enough to hide Jesse and I as we kissed on the sandy bottom. He'd practically crash tackled me into the lake upon seeing me, and while I'd been overwhelmed with joy, I was all too soon equally overwhelmed with a desperate need to breathe. We'd gone under with practically no air at all, and all too soon, we had to sit up to get some air. "Got carried away," Jesse murmured as he pulled me into his lap, holding me close. I hugged him tightly around the waist, savouring the sensations of the cool water and the warm body pressed tightly against mine, a sensation I hadn't thought I'd feel again, keenly concious of how little time we had before Jesse had to go away for good. 33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDtVxc4ojp
"She sold Potato too," I said, biting back fresh tears. "God only knows where she's sold him too; probably to the knacker's."
"She gets the spud hurt, I'll hurt her," Jesse said angrily, tightening his grip on me to the point of near pain. But I savoured the almost bruising grip he had, storing up the sensations to go over later. "I love that little horse almost as much as I love you, and that's saying something."33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0cXJ7k7KV
"He does that to people," I said, giggling. A warning call from the shore told us we had little time left, and I pulled back just enough to look up at Jesse, feeling fresh tears fill my eyes. "One more kiss for the road?"33Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoJunG0mIo
"One more kiss for the road," Jesse said, and my heart broke when I saw the tears in his eyes. "And I'll even let us get a good breath this time."
True to his word, he did just that, and I clung to him as we went under again, digging my nails into his back as we shared one last, desperate kiss, holding on tightly to each other until we ran out of air. I tightened my grip just as Jesse was about to let go, and, sensing how much I wanted to savour this last moment, he stayed where he was, even though we now needed to breathe. It was only when the urge became too strong that we sat up, and as we made our way back to shore, hand in hand, I vowed that one day, we'd be together, and no angry sister or vengeful fiance would ever come between us again.
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