Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) (4 page)

She noticed a lovely needlepoint pillow, resting in an upholstered chair. She read the words so obviously stitched with love into the fabric. ‘Bright be thy path sweet babe.’ Kelly suddenly found herself near tears at the simple beauty of a mother’s wish for her child.

Instead of joining the children, Wolfe’s mother Patricia, and their energetic housekeeper Mrs. Hudson, in the kitchen, Kelly spun around and hurried up the stairs to her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. Now the tears came. Again. She wiped them away, only to have them instantly replaced by more. What was making her so sad? Did the words on the pillow make her miss her mother? Yes, yes, that was it. Her own mother had died five years ago and she not only lost her mother, but her closest friend. Her only friend. Now, William was her only friend.

As much as she missed her mother, it wasn’t that.

Whatever it was, it was eating away at her, little by little. Soon there would be little left of her.

Nervously, she bit her lip. Maybe it was all her fault. Did she cause those men to rape her? Was it the way she dressed? Her clothes had been too tight that day, but that was because she hadn’t had a new dress in five years, since before her mother died. Even though she was slim, she had filled out between fourteen and eighteen. It wasn’t her fault that the dress could no longer hide that she had turned into a woman.

Or maybe those men realized just how lonely she was. Maybe she gave them the impression that she needed attention and affection. But that wasn’t affection. Far from it. She curled her fist into a tight ball and pulsed it against her lips. If only she’d been strong enough to fight them. She hadn’t been.

“Kelly, dear, are you all right? Come down and join us for some tea and cookies,” Patricia called from behind the door.

“No, thank you. I have just had refreshments at Sheriff Wyllie’s swearing in ceremony. I’ll be down momentarily,” Kelly answered, trying to make her voice sound as normal as possible.

“No need, dear. My son and I are taking the children to buy new shoes. Every one of them is wearing shoes too tight. We will see you later this evening. Mrs. Hudson is coming with us. Goodbye.”

Kelly heard the click of Mrs. Wolfe’s heels as she descended the wooden stairs.

Kelly sat down on her soft feather bed, running her fingers across the smooth surface of her bed covering. She was living in luxury she had never known before. She should be happy.

But she wasn’t.

She brought her hand up to her mouth, while the fingers of her other hand slowly encircled her wrist and shame encircled her heart. The weight of it sapped her energy, leaving her feeling leaden and weary. Her eyelids closed as she laid back on her bed. She would sleep for just a little while…

Her struggles only seemed to arouse Ben Jack more. Kelly shrieked and writhed beneath the man’s crushing weight. His pounding thrusts against the resistance of her maidenhead became rapid and relentless. He shoved his hips still harder, his breaths hot against her face.

Futilely, she tugged against the taut ropes that tied her hands and feet to her small bed.

It wouldn’t take much more and then he would have her virginity.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

Kelly screamed louder and then louder still, her voice scraping against her raw tightened throat. She twisted her body away from Ben Jack. He was heavy and his bulk pinned her against her tattered blanket. She had to get away. Frustration swept over her and she flung her head from side to side. But it only allowed her hot tears to wet the feather pillow. Hoping to stop him, she pleaded, “No, please, no.”

“Yes,” Ben Jack avowed.

Her agony swelled beyond tears and anger trumped her fear. She tried to bite his face, but Ben Jack pulled away with a smirk before her teeth could connect with his skin. Her throat ached with defeat.

He placed his palms against the bed on either side of her head, propping his body up above her like a beast about to devour prey. He leered at her exposed breasts as they rose and fell under her labored breathing.

“No, no, stop!” she yelled, even knowing that her pleas were useless.

Ben Jack’s brother Grover put one hand over her mouth, smothering her screams. It didn’t matter. Only God could hear her in these lonely hills.

God please help me!

Breathing through her nose, she panted rapid breaths against his dirty hand and shuddered as Grover’s other hand roughly mauled one of her breasts. It was the first time a man’s hand had touched her breast. It was the first time for all of it.

“You next little brother,” Ben Jack said, his breathing hard. “Almost, almost…”

Kelly sobbed, feeling a deep, unaccustomed pain, as her body and heart ripped apart. Her eyes flew open and she howled in impotent anger, impaled by the man’s spear, as he shoved deeper into her.

“No!”

Kelly sat straight up in the bed, breathing hard, her lashes wet with tears, still caught between the dream’s terror and coming awake. It was only a bad dream.

Yet it wasn’t. It happened.

After shaking more hands than William thought a town the size of Boonesborough could contain, he finally allowed himself to leave the fort. Mounting his dappled grey stallion, he had a sudden urge to see Kelly again. The short time they spent together earlier had just stoked his desire to be with her all the more. Sam had a long list of supplies he had to buy and Bear was doing the same for Stephen and Jane. They would both be tied up until later this evening.

Perhaps, since Wolfe had given her the afternoon off, she would have some time to visit with him. Giving Smoke a nudge with his heels, he set off at a trot for Wolfe’s home on the other side of town. Greeting the passing horseback men, families in covered wagons, and others driving wagons loaded with skins, lumber, and crops, he found himself tipping his tricorne so many times his elbow was beginning to tire. Becoming sheriff had certainly increased his familiarity with the townspeople.

He was confused about what was happening to Kelly. He grew
more attracted to her by the day, but she seemed to be withdrawing from him in equal measure. More often than not, she was lively, but today she acted more reserved, not nearly as spirited as she normally was. And she also appeared wary, as though she were worried about something. Although she was still just as beautiful as ever, her disposition had changed. The Kelly that had joined his family’s group just a few months earlier had been much more comfortable around people. She had never been edgy and uneasy.

He decided to just ask her what was bothering her. No doubt, it was some woman’s thing, and he would do his best to understand. Or maybe she just needed to talk to someone. Her life had changed dramatically over the last few months. Perhaps she was finding it difficult to adjust.

Within a few minutes, a dog barked at him as he tied his stallion outside Oxmoor House under a large elm and took the steps up to the porch two at a time. He knocked hard three times, but heard nothing, except the rhythmic panting of the dog, now sprawled out under the front steps. Strange, perhaps the entire family went back to town.

“Kelly!” William called. She had said her bedroom was upstairs, so he took a step back and glanced up. “Kelly,” he called again.

This time the window curtains parted and she peeked down.

He soon heard her footsteps coming down a staircase and the door opening.

“What are you doing here William?” she asked. “Mister Wolfe has left with his mother and children to do some shopping.” Her hair a little disarrayed and her eyes puffy, she looked like she had just woken from a nap.

William hesitated. Should he tell her the truth? How would she react to the truth? “I…I…well I’m not here to see Mister Wolfe. I just thought that since you had the afternoon off you might come take a look at the cabin Colonel Boone gave me,” he finally managed to say.

Kelly stared at him with wide eyes and her mouth hanging slightly open.

It made him want to kiss her and kiss her deeply. “Boone gave me the deed and directions to find it. It’s not far. It’s a lovely afternoon and I thought you might enjoy the scenery and seeing the old cabin of Boonesborough’s most famous citizen.”

Kelly’s face suddenly brightened. “You know, that does sound like a splendid idea. Will you saddle my mare while I change into my riding clothes and boots? Then I’ll pack up a small meal for us.”

At the mention of her changing her clothes, William had to fight to keep his imagination from running wild. “I would be delighted to mount your saddle,” he said. His eyes widened and his cheeks became warm. With extreme embarrassment, he quickly corrected himself. “I mean saddle your mount.”

Thankfully, Kelly appeared not to have noticed his ridiculous blunder and just said, “Thank you,” before she turned toward the stairs.

“Bring your cloak. These October evenings can get chilly,” he called after her before he closed the door. His cheeks still burned with humiliation. He would have to be more careful and keep his thoughts where they belonged.

He pivoted smartly and headed for the barn behind the house. He knew her horse Ginger well. The beautiful sorrel mare, which
had belonged to Sam’s wife Catherine before she gave it to Kelly, stood in a pen with her head hanging over a grey wooden fence.

“Hello beautiful!” William said, offering his hand to Ginger to smell.

As he saddled the handsome mare, William thought about Kelly’s reaction to his invitation. Her sad eyes had immediately brightened and he could hear eagerness in her voice. Perhaps she shared similar feelings for him as he did for her. He hoped she did.

Kelly soon came bouncing out the home’s back door. “I left a note for Mrs. Wolfe, so they won’t be worried about me.”

“Remember when you left a note for your father—the day you left your cabin and came with us?” he asked as he took the sack of food from her.

“I’ll never forget that day,” Kelly said, wistfully.

“I’m surprised he has never shown up here in Boonesborough and come after you,” William said.

“I’m not. He cared little for me.”

William started to help Kelly mount her mare and as he put his hand against her to support her back, he felt her muscles tense beneath her riding habit. With a jerk, she quickly hauled herself into the saddle.

He threw his leg over the saddle and urged Smoke toward the road. Heading away from town, he soon took a trail heading northwest with Kelly riding close beside him. She had learned to ride well on their journey here, often opting to ride horseback instead of in Catherine’s wagon. He could tell she enjoyed riding as much as he did and she appeared far more comfortable now than she had at the social earlier that day.

They passed tall stands of loblolly pines and hardwoods shedding their leaves with each rustle of the breeze. The forest glowed with colors of every shade in God’s fall palette, including the lively yellow of the beech trees and the crimson red leaves of the maple.

This would be his first winter in Kentucky, but he was sure it would be relatively mild compared to the harsh winters of his native New Hampshire. He would not miss those winds whipping off the White Mountains.

“It’s beautiful here, don’t you think?” he asked Kelly.

“These woods are lovely. But they are also deep and hide dark things,” Kelly said, looking around warily.

That didn’t sound at all like the Kelly he knew.

“Sometimes, there’s beauty in the darkness too,” he said, smiling at her.

CHAPTER 4

I
n less than thirty minutes, they neared the area Boone had described as Whispering Hills. Rolling tree-covered hills rose on either side of a small valley speckled with a smattering of limestone boulders and rocky outcrops. A small stream flowed through the bottom of the ravine.

“Why do you suppose it’s called Whispering Hills?” Kelly asked.

“I asked Boone that very question,” Williams answered, “he said that the wind that echoes through this canyon whispers some of the most beautiful melodies and wisest words you will ever hear.”

“I’m anxious to hear it,” Kelly said, sounding almost excited.

“There it is!” William called out, pointing to the cabin on the top of the next rise.