Page 25 of Small Town Hunter

But Crash’s hair is black, not red, and curly. And he doesn’t have freckles.

Crash looks up when I enter the room. “You alright?”

“I don’t know if I’m dreaming or not,” I confess.

“You’re not dreaming.” He takes the coke. “Thank you. I think you ought to rest some more. Your eyes have this haggard look.”

“Haggard?”

He turns back to his computer; I get into bed and close my eyes. I am tired. I barely slept for the past week.

Reverend Wilson had two wives before me. The first one died before I was born, but I knew the second. Her name was Annabel.

There were dark nights I would be up late, my mind all in a tangle about the wedding. I would just feel this terror take holdof me when I pictured it. Why should I feel that way when I was living in a fairytale?

He wasReverend Wilson.A local legend. The most famous man in town, who inspired millions with Precious Blessings TV. I’d watched him every Saturday morning on TV since we joined his church. And then I watched him on Sundays, in person, at the stadium.

His second wife Annabel dropped out of my school to marry the Reverend. It was a private wedding, nothing like mine was supposed to be.

I’d see her in church after that looking nervous and dazed. The rest of the Reverend’s family completely ignored her. She got so thin I swore she’d disappear.

And then a year later, she literally did. Poof. Gone in the night with Deacon Smith. Annabel didn’t seem like the type to run off, but what did you expect from a Jenkins, everybody said. Of course she had shamed the Reverend, who in his infinite goodness had married one of her caliber when he had the pick of every woman in town. She was such a young thing anyway, she had not the sense God gave a clam, and the Reverend was better off getting a wife from a moreesteemedfamily.

After Annabel went missing, they found her brother near the train tracks with a bullet in his head.

The whole family left town after that.

When Reverend Wilson started courting me officially, I was the queen of Tippalonga. Everybody wanted my input on the bake sale. The charity walk. The T-shirts. I even got to lead the choir when Mrs. Patty suddenly resigned. But instead of loving all the attention, I dreaded it. It was like a switch flipped inside me.

The Reverend would come over and stay late talking to me about scripture, but his eyes were never still. He started getting closer, touching me. Touching me through my clothes.

“You don’t have to wear these long dresses when you’re with me,” he said once, smiling. “Wear something more…your age. Something to show the beautiful form God gave you.”

I started having dreams of Annabel. She wouldn’t say nothing in the dreams, just follow me around holding her throat. That was terrifying.

Everybody told me it was a sin to question the will of God. But I knew deep down Reverend Wilson was merely buying me like a fatted hog, and my parents were happy to sell me for thirty pieces of silver. God had nothing to do with it.

The thought makes me sad. I look over at Crash, focusing on something out the window. Men have always scared me, but I’m not afraid of him.

Maybe he’s not from God. Maybe he’s just a normal man you dragged into your problem.

He doesn’t want to be responsible for me. I get that. I don’t have the right to ask him for anything.

Nonetheless, there’s no one else for a thousand miles who can help me. If he can’t help me, I have to go back.

I’d rather die.

He sets the map down and sighs, rubbing his eyes. He runs a hand through his chocolate brown hair, gets up and stretches.

I close my eyes. I was raised to honor myself and my body, to never let my delicate rose become tarnished before my husband could sample its fullest bloom, but I can admit that Crash is a very sexy man.

Why couldn’t God have sent a woman?

As I’m drifting off to sleep, he approaches the bed. I lay still and wait on a held breath to see what he’ll do. I am well and truly defenseless. He could ravish me and my delicate rose any way he wants.

Between my legs throb. Do Iwantthat to happen?

He throws a blanket over me and goes back to his desk.

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