Alien's Reluctant Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Mail Order Human Book 3) by Sue Lyndon, Sue Mercury Page A
Authors: Sue Lyndon, Sue Mercury
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she still held fast to the notions of love and romance she’d entertained as a child.
She didn’t have a dowry, but she had her innocence and an upstanding reputation, and she had hoped that might be enough to entice a decent man to marry her. Almost twenty, she supposed her father would announce a match for her any day, and while she wished for a say in whom she married, she trusted her father would select a good man. She was also convinced whoever the man was, they would get to know one another and fall deeply in love.
It had to happen. There wasn’t much happiness left in the world, and she simply wanted a little bit of joy for herself. A caring man and a few beautiful children. She was determined to make the best of her life on the mountain.
Once upon a time, marriages in the former States weren’t arranged. Once, women had been free to make their own choices regarding marriage. But the wars and the plagues had changed everything. Women had become a commodity, and men who wished their daughters to marry well had to set aside a dowry. She’d often wondered why her father hadn’t at least set a little money aside for this purpose, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she never asked.
She supposed she was luckier than most girls her age. Many men had sold their daughters to the Hanz gang in exchange for food, warmer shelter, and other favors. But her father hadn’t even seemed tempted when their roof had collapsed under the heavy snows last year. He’d rallied his friends to help repair the damage as quickly as possible, brushing the Hanz men off when they’d showed up to speak with him. She’d spied on them from a distance, knowing the awful men had come to make an offer for her. Her reputation as a good girl had obviously spread to the gang, making her a desirable acquisition.
Every few weeks, the Hanz men organized virgin auctions. The use of an innocent girl fetched a high price, or so she’d heard. She appreciated that her father tried to shield her from the dark underbelly of the village, but she heard the whispers clear enough. She knew times had never been so desperate for all who lived on the mountain, and likely the rest of the world as well.
Maybe dreaming about a husband and children was foolish. It certainly seemed selfish to bring a child into a world gone to shit. But there was something hopeful about love and babies and children. She couldn’t help wanting a family of her own, even though she and everyone else on the mountain likely faced a difficult future.
The frigid wind swirled down from the sky, piercing through Ally’s cloak and making her shiver. She was tired of being cold all the time. The woodstove in their house put out adequate heat, but the house wasn’t insulated very well, so unless Ally was standing right in front of it, her toes were usually numb from the cold. With the memory of last winter’s brutal duration in her thoughts, she shivered at the prospect of spending another winter freezing day after day.
She passed the village square and turned onto her street. In front of their house, her father was busy chopping firewood. Children dashed here and there, running errands for their parents. They certainly weren’t on their way to or from school, as the Hanz gang had taken over the large schoolhouse to use as their headquarters.
Guns. It was because they had all the guns. They also had grenades, and if rumors were true, a stockpile of missiles hidden in a cave somewhere outside the village. Why they needed missiles, Ally didn’t know. She suspected war was coming. Another war, anyway. She’d seen plenty of fighting as a child, when the town they’d lived in below the mountain had been attacked. Many had perished during the bombing, including her mother.
Their new home had seemed safe…until the Hanz gang showed up. They arrived under the guise of helping, and people had liked them at first. They’d brought medicine, books, food, clothing, and other
She didn’t have a dowry, but she had her innocence and an upstanding reputation, and she had hoped that might be enough to entice a decent man to marry her. Almost twenty, she supposed her father would announce a match for her any day, and while she wished for a say in whom she married, she trusted her father would select a good man. She was also convinced whoever the man was, they would get to know one another and fall deeply in love.
It had to happen. There wasn’t much happiness left in the world, and she simply wanted a little bit of joy for herself. A caring man and a few beautiful children. She was determined to make the best of her life on the mountain.
Once upon a time, marriages in the former States weren’t arranged. Once, women had been free to make their own choices regarding marriage. But the wars and the plagues had changed everything. Women had become a commodity, and men who wished their daughters to marry well had to set aside a dowry. She’d often wondered why her father hadn’t at least set a little money aside for this purpose, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so she never asked.
She supposed she was luckier than most girls her age. Many men had sold their daughters to the Hanz gang in exchange for food, warmer shelter, and other favors. But her father hadn’t even seemed tempted when their roof had collapsed under the heavy snows last year. He’d rallied his friends to help repair the damage as quickly as possible, brushing the Hanz men off when they’d showed up to speak with him. She’d spied on them from a distance, knowing the awful men had come to make an offer for her. Her reputation as a good girl had obviously spread to the gang, making her a desirable acquisition.
Every few weeks, the Hanz men organized virgin auctions. The use of an innocent girl fetched a high price, or so she’d heard. She appreciated that her father tried to shield her from the dark underbelly of the village, but she heard the whispers clear enough. She knew times had never been so desperate for all who lived on the mountain, and likely the rest of the world as well.
Maybe dreaming about a husband and children was foolish. It certainly seemed selfish to bring a child into a world gone to shit. But there was something hopeful about love and babies and children. She couldn’t help wanting a family of her own, even though she and everyone else on the mountain likely faced a difficult future.
The frigid wind swirled down from the sky, piercing through Ally’s cloak and making her shiver. She was tired of being cold all the time. The woodstove in their house put out adequate heat, but the house wasn’t insulated very well, so unless Ally was standing right in front of it, her toes were usually numb from the cold. With the memory of last winter’s brutal duration in her thoughts, she shivered at the prospect of spending another winter freezing day after day.
She passed the village square and turned onto her street. In front of their house, her father was busy chopping firewood. Children dashed here and there, running errands for their parents. They certainly weren’t on their way to or from school, as the Hanz gang had taken over the large schoolhouse to use as their headquarters.
Guns. It was because they had all the guns. They also had grenades, and if rumors were true, a stockpile of missiles hidden in a cave somewhere outside the village. Why they needed missiles, Ally didn’t know. She suspected war was coming. Another war, anyway. She’d seen plenty of fighting as a child, when the town they’d lived in below the mountain had been attacked. Many had perished during the bombing, including her mother.
Their new home had seemed safe…until the Hanz gang showed up. They arrived under the guise of helping, and people had liked them at first. They’d brought medicine, books, food, clothing, and other
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