Page 51 of Small Town Beast 2: Saverin's Duet

Franklin Junior started fussing and Lorrie bounced him up and down until he quieted again. “Either you want me or you don’t,” she said.

“I want you to be my wife,” he said instantly, and with no hesitation.

She exhaled. “I don’t know if I can be your wife.”

Lorrie watched at the set of Absalom’s broad shoulders, seeing the tiny trembling of them fight his self control. But as always, he mastered himself.

“Guess I deserve that,” he said.

“It’s the way your people treat my people I can’t stand,” Lorrie said. “I’m afraid you won’t try to change it, and if that’s true then we have a problem. I don’t want you running the show up here and turning a blind eye to what your followers are doing. I hear the way they talk.” She chewed her lip. “And about yourwife…”

“That’s over with. I’ll make it right, Lorrie. I promise.”

I promise.When he said those words, he meant it. Lorrie knew that he always meant it.

BANG! The raccoon finally got the lid of the trash can open.

Absalom said, “I can’t promise I won’t ever hurt you, but I will try my damndest every single moment I breathe to love you and treat you right.”

“We’re better together,” said Lorrie.

“You’re damn right.”

“Dog!” said Franklin Junior, pointing at the raccoon. Absalom laughed, and Lorrie slipped her hand into his.

Lorrie drovea Suzuki that Absalom had picked up for her from Rebel McCall a year ago. The night before, she’d parked it at the Greasy Hog. Somehow the car had now magically found itself near the sleepy holler called Mulberry.

At five o’clock the sun was still high, but the cold front seemed to be deepening. Lorrie looked out curiously at the crooked sign declaring the name of the holler. She’d heard things about the people from Mulberry but couldn’t remember what. Her car seemed undisturbed, anyway.

“First thing I did when I left you last night was have my cousin Shadrac pick it up for you,” Absalom explained. “Nobody would trouble it in this place.”

“Does anybody live here?” Lorrie wondered.

“Not anymore.”

Lorrie rubbed her thumb over the burlap grocery bag Aunt Pearl had handed her before she left. Inside it was all manner of fruits and vegetables from their garden, plus half of a pecan pie. She would have to cut up the veggies once she got home. Put the pie in the freezer. Right now she had no appetite.

Lorrie struggled to keep her mind ahead. They passed an abandoned house with a garden gone to seed, full of weeds. But the apple tree out front was budding. Life went on in spite of everything. Hm. Her own garden at home could do with some tending. Those hornworms were wreaking havoc on her tomatoes.

“You alright?” Absalom asked.

“Fine.”

She’d left her aunt and uncle’s house with high hopes, but on the drive out here the suspicion grew that she’d just stepped right back into the old mess she’d been trying to get away from. She’d fallen for Abi’s silver tongue. Again. And now she was doing exactly whathewanted– going home, sitting tight, and waiting for him to summon her. Again.

“I need to head back,” Absalom told her as his truck climbed up the last bit of the hill. The road was terrible.

“So that’s it, then,” Lorrie said. “Now you’re leadin’ the Harvest? Now you’re in charge?”

“Something like that.”

“Good for you. Now you have everything you ever wanted.”

He watched her from the tail of his eye. “Not everything,” he said quietly.

Lorrie pursed her lips.

“I had the boys fill up your gas tank.”

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