Page 414 of Conveniently Wed
“That area was perfect for swimming because the water pooled into a deep eddy, and it was private, with the trees and rock formations at the mouth of the cave.”
His chest ached at the memories, desperation welling in him anew. “I remember. I could hear your cries but couldn’t see where you were. I had to work my way down the ravine.”
“I believed it was safe to lose a few layers and swim like men do all the time. It irked me that a girl didn’t have the right clothing or opportunity to learn how to swim. I always had anextra set of underclothing in my haversack to change into, the cave being the perfect spot.”
He had to ask. “Where were your brothers?”
She swept the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I’d become too comfortable with our little hideaway,” she admitted. “When my brothers didn’t want to swim that day, I told them I was more than capable of finding my way home. That was not the first time they had left me to my stubborn ways.”
The tears slid down her cheeks again, and he ached to brush them away. But he didn’t dare move.
“I was too sure of myself. I was careless. If you hadn’t come along—” A sob broke free. “What a fool I was.” She hiccuped and buried her face in his chest. Her hair concealing her from him. “I’m so embarrassed remembering how you found me.”
Her pain cut all the way through him. “Shh, my dear. We’ve all made mistakes.” He lifted his hand and smoothed the hair from her cheeks. “It will help to finally get this out.”Lord, please soothe away her pain.
A deep shiver ran up her body, which he felt against his skin.
“Tommy and the gang must have followed us that day, because it wasn’t long after my brothers left, that the group of them emerged out of the trees. I was floating on my back, my eyes closed, when I heard my name.”
“There was more than one?”
She started shaking, and he held her tighter, wrapped her close. “You’re safe now. Trust me.” He smoothed his hand up and down her back. “Let it out.”
“I stayed under the water because I didn’t want them to see me. You know how wet fabric sticks to the body, and I didn’t have much on to begin with. My pile of clothes and my gun lay on the bank, but I couldn’t figure out how to get there before one of them did.”
Her trembling increased. “I can still hear their disgusting words, their leering looks. They dragged me out of the water, and each one took their turn at groping and slobbering all over me. I thought I was going to die. They said…they said they were going to start with a kiss, and then the high and mighty Katie Williams was going to give them a whole lot more.”
Josiah worked hard to stay put as a spike of rage rose up his spine. His hands fisted.
“I fought. I screamed. But I was so weak against the pack of them. Tommy was already on top of me. His hands…the evil in their eyes… Had you not fired your gun from a distance they would’ve…” The tears coursed down her face as she gulped back a sob and tucked into a tight ball.
Wrath churned inside him. How dare they try to take what she did not want to give? What kind of animals would do that to a helpless woman—tohiswoman. He wanted to find them. Hurt them. Make them beg for mercy and then not give it.
He pulled in a deep breath. “I don’t know what to say right now.” She must have heard the anger in his voice, for she sat up.
“I’m sorry.” She pulled the blankets up to cover her nightclothes, to hide herself from him as she turned away. “I was such a fool. You have every right to be mad.”
“I’m not angry with you.” He touched her chin, forcing his fingers to be gentle as they urged her to face him. When she did, he met her gaze. “Please don’t think that.”
After a moment, she rested against him again.
He inhaled a steadying breath. “But I wish I had done more. Had I known there was more than one, had I known what they intended, I would’ve used my gun for a whole lot more than a warning.”
He’d been working his way down the ravine after hearing a woman scream. He’d fired his gun in hopes that whatever was going on would be stopped. That had happened, but it had alsoallowed them time to scatter. He’d caught only one, and when the young man had said they were just having a little fun, he had let him go.
“Fun, that’s what he called it.” He bit out the words. “I viewed the whole thing from different eyes. Two young people with too much freedom on a hot summer’s day, and the young man got carried away. If I’d known there was a gang of them trying to…” He ground his teeth, not able to voice the words. And the way he had barked at her to get dressed and told her she should know better than meeting a boy alone, he hated himself for those words. Yet she had said nothing. He took in another breath. “Why didn’t you tell me what had happened back then?”
“I was so ashamed.” Her words were so soft, he barely made them out. “I couldn’t tell you there had been more than one.” But then her voice seemed to gain strength. “Somehow you believed me when I told you I had not planned to meet him.” She pulled up from his chest to look at him. “I still don’t understand why.”
“At first glance, I noticed your neatly piled clothes and assumed you had willingly undressed. But one look into your eyes convinced me you spoke truth.”
“And when I begged you not to tell my parents?”
“Everything inside me balked. I wanted to make sure you’d never swim alone again.” He’d questioned his decision for months afterward. Years even.
“But you trusted what I promised.”
“Yes.” His mind was whirling with the information, though he tried to present a calm front. No wonder she could barely handle a man’s touch. He couldn’t believe she was allowing his nearness right now.
