Johnston - I Promise by Joan Johnston

“I’ll be watching, Delia. If he tries to hurt you—”
    “He won’t. Just go!” She gave him a push and watched him urge his horse through the pasture gate and into the tall yellow grass where he had hidden it the first time she had met him there. A moment later, no sign of either him or his horse remained. But she knew he was there. She could feel his eyes on her.
    She turned to face her father, forcing back the terror she felt at his sudden appearance. Had he followed her? Had he already seen her with Marsh? What could she say to explain her presence here when he had told her to stay away?
    “Hi, Daddy,” she said as he stepped down off his horse. The animal had been ridden hard. Its legs and neck were shiny with sweat, and a salty lather covered its chest.
    “I went lookin’ for you and your friend in the south pasture. Peggy was there, but you weren’t. What are you doin’ here, Delia? Did you come here to meet that boy?”
    “No, Daddy, I—”
    He grabbed her arm and yanked her toward him. “I told you I don’t want you seein’ him.”
    “I wasn’t,” she cried. “I—”
    “Don’t lie to me!” he snarled. “I know what you’re up to, miss hot pants. Don’t think I don’t! You’ve had a taste of it, and now you want to try a different flavor. I got news for you, doll baby. Ain’t no man puttin’ himself inside what’s mine! Is that clear?”
    Delia felt physically ill. Her face bleached as the blood left it in a rush. “Daddy, I—” Her throat closed, making speech impossible.
    “Get on your god damn horse and get home!”
    Ray John gave her a shove toward her horse. She stumbled and nearly fell. When she caught her balance, she saw that Marsh had risen from his hiding place. His face was grim, his hands fisted, his body taut. She shot him a horrified look and mouthed a desperate “No!” He ducked back down as her father turned to face her again.
    “Starting right now,” Ray John said, “you’re grounded. You’re not to leave the house till school starts. You can forget about seein’ that North kid again. As far as you’re concerned, he no longer exists.
    “You’re not goin’ anywhere I can’t keep an eye on you. Get my drift?”
    She got it, all right. She was trapped. Trapped forever.
    She ran to her horse and clambered on. While her father mounted she glanced quickly toward the spot where Marsh was hiding and saw a flash of color.
    He had heard every word her father said. He must have figured out the truth by now. The blood that had left her face came back in a rush, until she felt as though her whole body was on fire. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
    Ray John slapped his reins on her gelding’s rump and the animal bolted. She leaned into the gallop, running away from Marsh as fast as she could, knowing she was leaving behind any hope she had ever had of a life beyond her father’s reach.

Chapter Six
    Delia lay huddled under the covers in her bed crying. She should be having her period. For the second time in two months, it hadn’t come. The first time she had ignored the problem, hoping it would resolve itself. This time she couldn’t. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know where to turn.
    She hadn’t seen Marsh since the incident three weeks ago with her father. Marsh had tried to contact her through Peggy, but she had refused to see him. She couldn’t bear to see him. Not after what he had heard.
    Now, when she had thought things couldn’t get worse, something worse had happened.
    She was pregnant.
    It wasn’t only the missed periods. She had been sick in the mornings, and her breasts were painfully tender. She was not so ignorant that she didn’t recognize the signs. Her senior year of high school started in two days. She would be delivering a baby, instead of a valedictory address, at graduation.
    She needed to tell someone.
    She couldn’t tell anyone.
    Oh, God, what was she going to do?
    Wretched sobs racked her body, and she muffled