Page 70 of Just Imagine
For a moment he gazed down; then he squatted beside her. With a few deft motions, the cords she’d struggled to untie came loose. As he released her wrists, she sagged against the wagon wheel.
He tossed her the canteen he’d brought with him, then opened the bundle he’d taken from his saddlebags. Inside was a soft roll, a chunk of cheese, and a slab of cold ham. “Eat,” he said roughly.
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Do it anyway.”
Her body had a more pressing demand than food. “I need some privacy.”
He pulled a cheroot from his pocket and lit it. The blaze of the match cast a jagged, blood-red shadow across his face. The match went out. There was only the glowing ember at the tip and the ruthless slash of his mouth.
He jerked his head toward a clump of bushes barely six feet away. “Right there. No farther.”
It was too close for privacy, but she’d lost the luxury of freedom when she’d piled the sawdust around the supporting post at the mill.
Her legs were stiff. She climbed awkwardly to her feet and stumbled toward the bushes. She prayed he’d move farther away, but he stayed where he was, and she added humiliation to all the other painful emotions she was feeling.
When she was done, she returned to the wagon and the food he’d brought. She had a hard time forcing it down, and she ate slowly. He made no attempt to hurry her, but leaned against the trunk as if he had all the time in the world.
It was dark when she was done. All she could see of him was the massive outline of his body and the burning tip of the cheroot.
He walked toward his horse. The moon came out from behind a cloud and washed them in silver light. It glittered on his brass belt buckle as he turned back to her. “Climb up. You and I have an appointment.”
The flat, deadly tone of his voice chilled her. “What kind of appointment?”
“With a minister. We’re getting married.”
The world came to a thundering stop. “Married! Have you lost your mind?”
“You might say.”
“I’d marry the devil first.”
“We’re one and the same. But then, you’ll find that out.”
The night was warm, but the cold certainty in his voice made her blood chill.
“You burned down my mill,” he said, “and now you’re going to pay to rebuild it. Parsell isn’t the only one who’ll marry you for the money in your trust.”
“You’re insane. I won’t do it.”
“You’re not going to have any choice. Mount up. Cogdell’s waiting for us.”
Kit’s knees went weak with relief. Reverend Cogdell was a friend. Once she told him what Cain had in mind, he’d never go along with this. She walked over to Vandal and began to mount.
“In front of me,” he growled. “I’ve learned the hard way not to turn my back on you.”
He swung her up, then mounted himself. He didn’t speak until they’d left the clearing behind. “You’ll get no help from Cogdell, if that’s what you’re hoping. I confirmed all his worst fears, and nothing will keep him from marrying us now.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What fears are you talking about?”
“I told him you were pregnant with my child.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I’ll deny it! You’ll never get away with this. “
“You can deny it all you want. I already told him you would. I explained everything to him. Since you found out you were pregnant, you haven’t been acting rationally. You even tried to kill yourself last night in the fire. That’s why I couldn’t let you have your way any longer.”
“No.”
