M. Donice Byrd - The Warner Saga by No Unspoken Promises Page A

Viper’s reins and led him back to the road and by the time she returned, he was ready to get back in the saddle as well.
    “I need a leg up.”
    “This horse is too big for you,” he grumbled squatting down and clasping his hands into a step.
    “Till death do we part,” she reminded him in case he thought to suggest they switch horses.
    He hoisted her up effortlessly. “So did you find that mole? I imagine it would have been quite entertaining to watch you trying to find it with your skirts rucked up to your waist and you twisting around trying to see it.”
    When her only answer was the blush on her cheeks, Blake decided to help her out.
    “If I remember correctly, it’s just about here.”
    He reached out to touch her lower hip but her hand snaked out and grabbed his wrist, holding it inches away.
    “For your information this is a split skirt. I have to lower it not ruck it up,” she said. “I found it. It looks like I have a tick on my ass. Thank you so much for pointing it out to me.”
    He laughed heartily. “If I were a tick, I couldn’t think of a better home.”
    Dropping his wrist, she looked blankly at him trying to decide if he complimented her or insulted her again.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means you have a fine derrière .”
    Meredith suppressed a smile that threatened to reveal her pleasure at receiving a compliment from him. She clicked her tongue and nudged her horse into moving down the road.
    Blake quickly mounted and caught up. “Do you have a bonnet you can wear?”
    “My mother gave up trying to keep me in bonnets when I was four. I don’t even own one.”
    “We’ll have to get you one.”
    “I won’t wear it.”
    “I imagine that pretty strawberry-blond hair would be quite prized on some brave’s belt.”
    Meredith wondered if they’d scalped her parents and subconsciously moved closer to Blake.
    She reached out and snatched the low-crown hat off his head. “Better?”
    “You won’t be content until you’ve destroyed or stolen all my clothing.” he said more to form a token protest than to dissuade her from wearing it.
    “I’m just borrowing it. You’re the one worried about my hair.”
     
    Meredith had no way of knowing that when she said the word divorce , it was like throwing a bucket of water on the flame that fed the fire that darkened his mood. From the moment the word spewed from her mouth, he gradually began to calm, finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
     
    The sky had grown dark before Blake spoke again. “Did you mean what you said about getting a divorce or were you just saying it because I made you mad?”
    “I can’t imagine two people with less in common than you and I. Of course, an annulment would have been better but it’s a bit too late for that.”
    Blake shook his head. “Have you ever known anyone divorced?”
    “Are you saying you don’t want to be free of me?”
    “No, I do. I just don’t think you understand the first thing about it.”
    “What’s to understand? A judge releases us from our vows and we go our separate ways.”
    “Meredith, if you think our little forced wedding caused a scandal, that’s nothing compared to a divorce. There is a stigma attached to being divorced especially for a woman. Men will want to use you for their pleasure because they know you are not a virgin but they won’t offer you marriage because you’ve been with another man. If you can keep everyone from learning you’re divorced, you should probably tell people you’re a widow. It’s respectable to be a widow and it explains your lack of innocence.”
    She thought about what he said but did not comment on it. “Will you give me the money or do I need to find a job?”
    “Save your money. I could beat you within an inch of your life and most judges would not entertain a wife’s petition. I’ll have to do the divorcing. Even then, it’ll probably cost a fortune in bribes.”
    “Then it’s settled.”
    “We can