catch sight of you.”
Hank nodded and picked at his teeth. “What’cha want me to do when we get her alone?”
“Rough her up. Make her aware of how dangerous the frontier is. It’s no place for ladies. Let her remember how nice and safe the Old States are.” Lee put his feet back on his desk.
“Do we have your permission to use her a little bit?”
Lee considered this, looking at the map. “No, not yet. You can beat her, but no broken bones. I want her well enough to sign over the land, not too sick to move. If Miss Brooks still refuses to sell her land,” Lee spread his hands in an open gesture, a put-upon expression on his face, “why, we have no choice but to up our persuasive skills.”
“What about McGregor? He won’t like our messing with his girl.”
“Let me worry about that. I’ve got a way to make sure Miss Brooks will never want to have anything to do with McGregor again.” Lee began to remove his belt from his pants.
As Hank scuttled out of the room, Lee called to him, “Tell my bitch wife to get in here.” Hank flinched, but nodded and closed the door.
Lee stood and held his belt, smacking it against his open palm as he glared at the map on the wall.
Chapter Seven
Protective Lies
Taking a sip of the dark coffee, Paul leaned back against Estrella’s bedroom door. She sat before her mirror, a stunned expression draining all the life out of her face.
“What do you mean, you don’t want to see me anymore?”
Her accent thickened to the point where he had a hard time understanding her. In the morning sunlight, without her makeup on, she was even more beautiful. Skin the color of caramel glowed against the froth of her lacy nightgown. As stunning as she was, he no longer desired her.
“We’ve had a lot of fun together, but I think it’s time we went our separate ways.”
He had about a second’s warning before a perfume bottle came sailing from the dresser at his head and shattered against the doorframe.
“Fun together,” she shouted, throwing a shoe at him. “You spent almost every night in my bed and all you can say is we had fun together?” Her lips curled back in rage and she screamed at him and looked around for something more to throw.
Swearing, Paul grabbed her and held her to his chest. “Easy, Estrella.” She continued to struggle against him and he had to fight to pin her to the bed. “You had to know this wasn’t a forever thing.” The look on her face told him that was exactly what she thought it was. Guilt burned his stomach and he released her. “I’m sorry.” The words sounded lame even to him and he winced.
“It’s that blonde, isn’t it? That society puta whose land you want.” Estrella curled onto the bed and rested her head on her pillow, tears leaking from her dark eyes.
He bristled at Lilly being called a whore but now wasn’t the right time to defend her honor. “You’ll find someone else. Someone who deserves you. Dance-hall girls get married all the time.”
Bitter and harsh, her laugh deepened his guilt. “That’s right. Decent and honorable men marry dance-hall girls all the time. It’s the rotten bastards that use us and then throw us away like we are nothing.”
His shoulders dropped over the weight of her words. While he hated hurting her, he had to do this. Lilly would never accept him having a mistress. Once he got the land, he could return to Estrella and continue to live his life of freedom. Looking at Estrella’s grief-stricken face, he amended that plan. Maybe not Estrella. He would find some other woman who knew their relationship was strictly physical.
The thought of sending Lilly away brought on a feeling of near-panic, but he tried to ignore it. This was for the best. She didn’t belong out here. Things could never work between them. He hammered these thoughts into his head until they became truth. He hoped his heart was listening.
“Get out,” Estrella’s low and dull voice snapped him out of his
Hank nodded and picked at his teeth. “What’cha want me to do when we get her alone?”
“Rough her up. Make her aware of how dangerous the frontier is. It’s no place for ladies. Let her remember how nice and safe the Old States are.” Lee put his feet back on his desk.
“Do we have your permission to use her a little bit?”
Lee considered this, looking at the map. “No, not yet. You can beat her, but no broken bones. I want her well enough to sign over the land, not too sick to move. If Miss Brooks still refuses to sell her land,” Lee spread his hands in an open gesture, a put-upon expression on his face, “why, we have no choice but to up our persuasive skills.”
“What about McGregor? He won’t like our messing with his girl.”
“Let me worry about that. I’ve got a way to make sure Miss Brooks will never want to have anything to do with McGregor again.” Lee began to remove his belt from his pants.
As Hank scuttled out of the room, Lee called to him, “Tell my bitch wife to get in here.” Hank flinched, but nodded and closed the door.
Lee stood and held his belt, smacking it against his open palm as he glared at the map on the wall.
Chapter Seven
Protective Lies
Taking a sip of the dark coffee, Paul leaned back against Estrella’s bedroom door. She sat before her mirror, a stunned expression draining all the life out of her face.
“What do you mean, you don’t want to see me anymore?”
Her accent thickened to the point where he had a hard time understanding her. In the morning sunlight, without her makeup on, she was even more beautiful. Skin the color of caramel glowed against the froth of her lacy nightgown. As stunning as she was, he no longer desired her.
“We’ve had a lot of fun together, but I think it’s time we went our separate ways.”
He had about a second’s warning before a perfume bottle came sailing from the dresser at his head and shattered against the doorframe.
“Fun together,” she shouted, throwing a shoe at him. “You spent almost every night in my bed and all you can say is we had fun together?” Her lips curled back in rage and she screamed at him and looked around for something more to throw.
Swearing, Paul grabbed her and held her to his chest. “Easy, Estrella.” She continued to struggle against him and he had to fight to pin her to the bed. “You had to know this wasn’t a forever thing.” The look on her face told him that was exactly what she thought it was. Guilt burned his stomach and he released her. “I’m sorry.” The words sounded lame even to him and he winced.
“It’s that blonde, isn’t it? That society puta whose land you want.” Estrella curled onto the bed and rested her head on her pillow, tears leaking from her dark eyes.
He bristled at Lilly being called a whore but now wasn’t the right time to defend her honor. “You’ll find someone else. Someone who deserves you. Dance-hall girls get married all the time.”
Bitter and harsh, her laugh deepened his guilt. “That’s right. Decent and honorable men marry dance-hall girls all the time. It’s the rotten bastards that use us and then throw us away like we are nothing.”
His shoulders dropped over the weight of her words. While he hated hurting her, he had to do this. Lilly would never accept him having a mistress. Once he got the land, he could return to Estrella and continue to live his life of freedom. Looking at Estrella’s grief-stricken face, he amended that plan. Maybe not Estrella. He would find some other woman who knew their relationship was strictly physical.
The thought of sending Lilly away brought on a feeling of near-panic, but he tried to ignore it. This was for the best. She didn’t belong out here. Things could never work between them. He hammered these thoughts into his head until they became truth. He hoped his heart was listening.
“Get out,” Estrella’s low and dull voice snapped him out of his
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