The Lady and the Lawman Read Free Page A

for her life, raking he r
fingernails down
his face.
    He
shouted, his hands lifting to his cheeks for protection. “Damned
bitch!”
    Viselike
grip gone, she stumbled away, scrambled, almost falling in her haste,
catching her balance and running. Her heartbeat raced as fast as she
did. Closer and closer she came to the men's horse, her chance at
freedom. The animals’ heads were lowered, grazing on the new spring
grass as if nothing were amiss.
    She
heard footfall behind her. He could easily catch her, but she kept
running, lungs burning. She couldn’t give up...give in.
    Her
legs and long skirts were no match for the strong man. He caught up
to her just before she’d reached the closest animal, not-so-gently
hauling her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Struggling with
all her might, she kneed him in the belly hard enough to elicit a
loud grunt, but she wasn’t strong enough to stop him.
    She
squealed when he smacked her across her bottom with a loud thwack and fought once again in earnest, a whirling dervish high above the
ground. The man gained control of her flailing legs, his arm clamping
down across the back of her thighs. Trying another tactical approach,
she pretended to faint, sagging against the man, hoping her dead
weight would be a nuisance.
    After
being tossed to the ground like a side of beef, she tried to catch
her breath. Quick as a rabbit, the man leaped on top of her, his face
pressed to her breasts, which had popped free from the top of her
corset, her nipples exposed. The blue sky was all she could see as
she fought him off...to no avail. One hand, rough with callouses,
worked up her skirts, the hot breeze caressed her calves then thighs
as the material went higher. She felt his whiskers against her
breasts. The thought of his foul mouth touching her made her sick.
    She
screamed and shifted, wriggling beneath his weight as his hand
reached higher, tugging at her pantalettes. Unseeingly, she lifted
her knee and made contact with her captor’s groin. Hard. He fell on
top of her like a dead tree in the forest with a loud groan. His dead
weight pinned her to the ground. This time, no matter how hard she
tried, struggled, she couldn’t escape.
    Tobacco
Chewer wheezed above her as he tried to recuperate from her blow.
When he could catch his breath, he let out a litany of profanity so
severe it made Margaret blush. When some of his strength returned, he
slapped her across the cheek so hard, she tasted blood.
    “ Fuckin’
whore!”
    Really?
That was definitely one thing she was not. She may have given herself
to William, but the alternative had been grim.
    “ Please,”
she begged. “Don’t rape me.”
    “ How
the hell do you expect me to do that now?” he hissed. “Damn
woman, my balls won’t come out of hidin’ for at least a day.”
    She
had no idea what he was talking about or what kind of ball he was
referring to. But she didn’t care. It sounded to her that these
“balls” were needed to rape a woman and she’d taken care of
that. Thank the good Lord.
    “ What...what
are you going to do with me, then?”
    His
face was just above hers, she could see the pain still etched in his
features. He spit his tobacco wad to the right of her head, saliva
trailing down his chin.
    “ You’re
no fuckin’ good to me now. I’m going to sell you, that’s what
I’m gonna do.”
    Sell
her? Did it mean what she thought it meant?
    Kneeling,
then standing, although somewhat hunched over, he pointed his gun at
her.
    “ I’ll
kill you dead if you so much as think of escaping.” The evil look
he gave her backed up the deadly weapon.
    Nodding,
she remained quiet. She had a choice, she could submit to this man
now and save herself when she had the chance, or die. As she pulled
her ripped dress together and settled her skirts about her, he
stumbled to his horse and pulled a rope from his saddlebag. Returning
to her, he tied her wrists together a bit too tightly for comfort.
She was reminded of the