A Convict's Lover by Kayla Trautman (best ebook reader for surface pro txt) 📖

became aware of Jacob's prescence as he went over to sit on the bed next to her. She sat up and placed her hand on her head. She felt the bandage that was on her wound. "How did I get here?" "Are you alright, Julie?" He asked.

She looked up at him, "I'll be fine. Just a headache. How did I get here? Where is he?" Before he could answer the door opened and Bertly came in. Hasn't he ever heard of knocking first? But she had no time to say anything about it because Jacob stood and confronted him, "You should've knocked first. Just because my sister is being forced to marry you doesn't mean you get to disrespect her when she's in her room."

Bertly looked at her, "My apologies, Miss. Julie. I was just coming to see how you were doing and wasn't thinking. I was simply worried about my future wife." "Of course you were." She smiled brightly at him. Her smile was sarcastic. Julie turned to Jacob, "Jake. What's happened to that man?"

"He was beaten." At the sound of Bertly's voice her head swung over to look at him. He smiled slightly, "And now he's being hung. Fair punishment for kidnapping you and fondling you. Not to mention the reason you were unconscious when he brought you here."

Julie exclaimed, "What?! He didn't ..." She groaned and threw the blankets off of her and stood. She ignored Jacob's protest and ran out of the room. She ignored the pain and ran down the stairs and outside. She saw the group of people down at the hangman's noose stand. They were so far away. She hoped that she wasn't too late.

She ran to the stables and climbed on Bunny's back with the help of one of the servents. She didn't even wait for him to saddle him up. She kicked his sides and he went running. The thundering sound of his hooves hitting the ground were going as fast as her heart beat, if not faster.

Soon she was able to see everyone clearly. There was a man standing on the platform with the noose around his neck. They didn't drop him yet. The reverend was still speaking. Her father was standing there watching. She sped up. She gasped as she saw her father's arm go up in the air, hold for a few seconds and then drop back down. That was when the hangman pulled the lever and the man was dropped.

She went faster and soon people could hear her. There were more hooves hitting the ground behind her; probably Bertly and Jacob but she had no time to find out. Everyone moved out of the way and she rode to the platform. She stopped and stepped on the platform as if it were ground level, thanks to being on her horse.

Julie grabbed the sword from the handman's belt and looked at the man. His face was a beat red and was heading to purple. His muscles convulsed in the strain. She groaned and swung the sword. As soon as it was cut the man fell to the ground beneath the platform, choking. She dropped to her knees and blew her breath out. Her head was aching.

She just realized that she was in her nightgown. She looked down the square and asked, breathless, "Are you alright?" He coughed and then sat up, sighing, "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you alright, little lady?"

Julie rolled her eyes, "Nothing a little rest won't cure." "Julie! What in god's name are you running out here in your nightgown and cutting him loose?!" It was her father who yelled at her. Julie looked at her father and then saw Jacob and Bertly dismounting their horses.

The man got out from under the platform and as soon as he was standing and was around front, Julie cut his hands free and he turned around. He grabbed her waist and lifted her off of the platform. She stiffened and the fear shown on her face. He set her down on the ground and that's when Bertly pushed him back against the platform and pressed a knife to his throat, "Keep your filthy hands off of my fiance! You won't touch her in any way again!"

Julie grabbed his arm, "Bertly! Stop! He didn't touch me!" "Then what happened, woman?" Louis walked up to her and grabbed her arms. "If he didn't touch you then why was your skirt ripped?" She looked at the man and met his eyes. He frowned at her, "Just tell them." "Shut up, you bastard!" The man now turned to glare at Bertly.

Louis shook her lightly, "If it weren't for your injury I'd slap you out of your day dreaming so get on with it girl!" Julie sighed, "I ... was running away. I got attacked by two bandits. My skirt ripped when they caught me and that's when he came out of the forest and saved me. I was pushed to the ground in the process of their fight. I fell unconscious. He saved me. He didn't hurt me and he didn't deserve to be beaten or hung."

Bertly growled at the man, "Was that the way of it, boy?" The man looked at Julie and then back at him, "Yes. It was. You don't believe your own fiance?" Bertly took the knife away and punched him in the face. Julie shrugged out of her father's hold and went over to him, "Bertly! Stop it! Please!"

Her head started to hurt and she lost her balance. The man caught her as she started to fall to the ground, "Little lady?" "Give her to me." Bertly growled and took me from the man's arms. He picked me up and headed back to his horse. "Here. Give her to me. It'll be hard for you to get her up on your horse and then get up there yourself. She can't hold her weight up." Jacob was on his horse.

Julie shook her head and tried to get out of his arms, "I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy, is all." Bertly held her tighter, "Enough, Miss. Julie. You're exhausted." Bertly lifted her up and Jacob took her. He held her in his arms as he turned the horse and headed for home, "You are one crazy woman, Julie. I would've helped you get to safety if it was so bad that you had to run away."

When they were away from listeners Julie looked up at him, "I went for a ride with Mr. Bertly. He asked me to go. We stopped just on the outskirts of the forest. We got off of the horses and he kissed me. I kissed him back to get the first kiss out of the way. He was awful. Tasted horribly too. Enough to get one sick.

"But he tried to go further. I stopped him but he was persistant. Told me that he was allowed to since we were to be wed. I pushed him back and slapped him. He got angry and told me that in the future I'd be wise to not test his temper and that I'd learn not to disobey him or to lay a hand on him again. He left me there. I knew my way back but I knew for sure then that my marriage to him wouldn't be a toleratable one. I'm marrying a man who is controlling; I always knew he was, and now I doubt that he'd think twice about smacking me around."

Jacob glared at the road ahead, "I'm going to kill him if Papa doesn't kill him first. He won't touch you. And you're not marrying him." She grabbed his shirt frantically, "No! You mustn't tell Papa! He wouldn't believe it and then he'd whip me for making up such stories. As is, I'm already in it deep for trying to run away."

He looked down at her, "But you can't marry him." She swallowed, "I have to and I will. I don't have a choice. I'll make do. I won't get him angry. I'll just do what he says. After we're married, of course." He frowned and looked ahead, "I don't like this. I don't like this at all." He held her tighter to him. "Neither do I, Jake." She closed her eyes, "You have to make sure that they don't harm him, Jake. I don't even know his name and he saved my life." After he tried to kill me

, she thought.


***

The next day Julie went to her father's office to find him doing his paper work. He looked up at her and asked, "What is it you wanted?" She took a deep breath and closed the door, "I'm feeling as good as new and I wanted to apologize for running away. It was foolish of me and it won't happen again."

"That's very good of you to apologize to me but I believe that your betrothed deserves your apology more than I do. You're lucky I don't have your backside for it. But it seems that the bandits handled the job for me." Louis stated.

Julie frowned, "Papa. What are you going to do about the man?" "That man's name is Daniel Horminion. I sent for the authorities. They'll be here to pick him up at the end of the week to throw him in jail."

"Papa! He saved me! You can't let them take him!" She yelled. "Don't you dare raise your tone with me! You got out of one spanking but you won't get out of this one if you keep it up!" She stepped up to his desk and yelled, "Papa! Please! I won't marry Mr. Bertly if you do this!"

He stood and slapped her across her face making her screech, "Yes you will and I'll make sure of it!" Julie looked at him and held her cheek, "If you want me marrying him then you better make sure that Mr. Horminion isn't thrown in jail. At the very least, let him work here for the time being." She turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Chapter 5

Julie went out to the stables where she was told Mr. Horminion was being held. She walked to the back, past the horses. she found him laying on his back and he seemed to be fast asleep. His face was relaxed and she could get a real good look at his features. She remember his eyes being a muddy brown and he had this look in them that she swore saw deep into her soul. They always seemed to be focusing on her whenever he looked at her.

His dark brown hair was long; almost as long as hers. His shirt was open and hid nothing but his shoulders and arms. The hair on his chest that seemed as black as night glistened from the heat. His trouser outlined the muscles in his long legs. He was much taller than she was. He was very attractive. Daniel Horminion. The name fit him well. His boots were put aside and his ankle was chained to the wall, it had some length to it.

"Well are you going to say something or just stand there staring at me?" He announced making her aware that he was