Murder Stalks by Sara York Page A

should have been a boy. She knew she
was different from the other boys in town and that’s why her
parents kept her home. Her father had beaten her harshly for
defying his edict. She would dress like a boy or else.
    The rules were the rules and she knew the
reason. Before birth the nurse giving the ultrasound proclaimed
that ‘this one’s a boy’. Her father was enthralled. He had always
wanted a boy. Everything was decorated in blue. No sissy colors for
the boy.
    The day Ally was born there had been a
snowstorm. No traffic to or from the hospital. The birth
certificate was never filed. Ally’s dad couldn’t bear the truth.
She was all girl. Her father wouldn’t hear of it. Ally was raised
as a son.
    After suffering the humiliation of the
beating she wanted to sleep in the barn with the new colt born the
day after Ally turned eight. Her mother disagreed but her father’s
voice came back to her, still crystal clear in her memory, “It’ll
toughen the boy up. Let him sleep in the barn, Mavis.” Ally’s
mother relented, but she kept a lamp lit, just in case.
    The sharp crackle of the fire had woken Ally
from a deep sleep. She watched as the snow melted around the house.
The screams from inside halted when an explosion rocked the
farm.
    Neighbors raced to help, but nothing could
be done to save Ally’s mother or father. Nothing remained.
Everything that was the house and all of its contents were burned
beyond recognition.
    She had heard the neighbors debating about
who should take the boy, but Ally didn’t want to live with the
neighbors. What if they found out about her secret?
    Finally, it was decided the boys’ home would
take Ally. She had a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and snotty
little brats to bait her, making her life even more miserable than
it had been at home.
    She never revealed her ‘problem’. Keeping it
hidden from everyone wasn’t too hard. She bathed in private, and
she timed her bathroom visits to be alone. A girl, hidden in plain
sight. No one would figure it out.
    Then the doctor came. He made each boy strip
naked. Ally had refused. She ran from the building, crossing the
grounds and hopping a fence before the headmaster caught up with
her. She screamed and cried all the way back, kicking him with her
bare feet, trying anything to get away. That was her last day at
the boys’ home.
    With renewed anger, Ally plunged her hands
into the water. Her body ached, but that wouldn’t stop her. She
always pushed to the limit, searching for the end of her female
strength. The weakness that had made her so detestable to her own
father wouldn’t slow her down.
    Damn it, why hadn’t Michael come by? Fear
gripped her chest. Maybe she was totally unlovable. That weakness,
the female type, always got in her way.
    Life as a boy had been painful, but life as
a woman was unbearable. Her hormones drove her to the edge of
reason, making her do stupid things. Like giggling when Michael had
smiled down at her. Just the memory of his muscular body sent
Ally’s hormones into overdrive. She should have ignored him. Her
silly female need had won out. She’d made an ass out of herself,
succumbing to his charms. Hell, she liked herself better when she
was a man.
    “ Damn it,” Ally swore,
slapping her hands against the wall at the end of the lane. She
ripped the goggles off her head, and plunged under. She shot out of
the water, her hair plastered against her head.
    “ Hey there, beautiful, I
didn’t know you swam.”
    Ally opened her eyes, blinking away the
chlorinated water. Michael Rains was leaning over the starting
block at the end of her lane. Heaviness settled over her, making
her feel tired and used.
    “ You know, I’ve been
trying to get a hold of you,” Michael said, his mouth curving into
a sexy smile. Ally noticed the way his shirt pulled over his chest
muscles. His biceps bulged under the cloth, making her want to
reach out and rub his flesh.
    “ Really?” Ally said,
unconvinced. Could this man