“I guess I should have started by asking if you had a boyfriend before I took the liberties I already have. I shouldn’t be this close to you, touching you, or holding your hand if your heart belongs to someone else.” I’m confident that is not the case, but I want to see her reaction.
She stares at me, mouth open.
“Well?”
Finally, she shakes her head. “I don’t have a boyfriend, Adam. You, your brothers, and the men working on your property are the only people I’ve seen in two years, unless you count my dad and sometimes his gross friends.”
I swallow hard. I’m going to learn things about Rebekah’s life that I’m not going to like. But I need to know. “You don’t go into town, sweetheart?”
She shakes her head again.
“Why not?”
“My dad doesn’t let me.”
“He doesn’t let you go anywhere?”
“No,” she whispers. “He says…” Her voice trails off.
“He says what?” I ask, stiffening.
She looks down again. I hate it when she does that. As if she’s embarrassed to admit things. I don’t ever want her to be embarrassed to share anything with me. Finally, she continues, “He says Hannah is a harlot for running off. It’s not appropriate for girls to gallivant around with men. He says if I go into town now that I’m grown, I’ll end up a harlot like my sister.”
I grit my teeth, trying to control my emotions. “Do you even know what a harlot is, sweetheart?”
She shrugs. “A woman who lets men use her for sex.”
Well, she’s not ignorant about the subject. I lift her chin again. “I will never use you, Rebekah, and if anyone else ever tries to, I will kill them with my bare hands.”
She flinches, staring at me. Tears well up in the corners of her eyes. She lifts her arms and wraps them around my neck. She sniffles as she buries her head against my shoulder. “I don’t care if you’re lying to me. That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
Fuck. This woman needs some kindness in her life.
I slide my palms around to her back and pull her close. “Let it out, sweetheart. Cry if you need to. I’m right here.”
A sob escapes her, but she sucks it back. I can tell she’s struggling not to cry. She’s emotional. Understandable. I’ve piled a lot on her plate.
Suddenly, she jerks up, her back going straight, her gaze flitting to the windows. “I have to go.”
I hold on to her tighter when she squirms in my arms. “Slow down, firecracker. What’s the rush?”
“My dad. He’ll be home soon. If I’m not there…”
I grab her chin gently, making her look at me. “What happens if you’re not there, Rebekah?”
“He’ll punish me.”
“How?” My jaw is tight. I don’t like this. There’s not a chance in the world I’m going to take this woman home to an abusive situation. I thought I could let her go and court her for a while. It was probably ludicrous. I’m not sure I really could have done it. But now all bets are off. Just the thought of her father disciplining her makes my skin crawl.
She wiggles in my embrace. “Please, Adam. I need to go.”
I bring my hands to her bottom and hold her. “Answer my question, sweetheart. How does he punish you?”
“Adam…”
“I’m not going to let you go, Rebekah. Not a chance. You’re freaking me out. Answer me, please.”
She lifts her gaze to mine. “Trust me. You don’t want answers. You’re not from my world. You had parents who were kind and loving. I bet they never spanked you even as a toddler. I bet they didn’t slap you across the face if you didn’t say the right things. I bet they didn’t lock you in the cellar for days because you didn’t do the dishes quickly enough or dinner wasn’t on time. I bet they didn’t scream at you and threaten to sell you to one of their nasty, dirty, disgusting friends if you didn’t toe the line. You don’t understand.”
