The Vow Read Online Free Page A
him again for fear he’d pull her hair out by the roots.
“You promise to be quiet?”
“Yes.” She’d promise anything to stop the pain. Anything.
But when he flung her down on the bed and loomed above her, his clumsy hands fumbling with his trousers, terror got the better of her and she screamed.
“Damn you! I told you to be quiet!” To emphasize his point, he drew back his arm and drove his fist into her ribs.
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The Vow
Hannah gasped at the numbing pain that robbed her of breath. Instinctively she curled herself into a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest to protect herself.
Sobbing, she closed her eyes and waited for Nate to hit her again, and worse.
But the blow never came.
The attic door swung open with a soft creak. There, standing in his nightshirt and holding a candle aloft, was Uncle Ezra with Aunt Naomi peering over his shoulder.
“What’s going on here?” Ezra’s small dark eyes looked enormous by the flickering candlelight. “Heard screamin’.”
Trembling and sobbing, Hannah sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her arms still wrapped protectively around her aching ribs. “Nate tried to force himself on me,” she said, her voice rising with hysteria. “When I tried to fight him, he—he—”
“She’s lying!” Nate bellowed. “She invited me. Then she got scared and changed her mind. She started screaming and punching me.”
“He’s the one who’s lying!” Hannah jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain.
“Don’t believe him, Uncle Ezra! Nate tried to force me. He hit me. He—”
“Quiet down, both of you,” Ezra said, giving them a quelling look.
Hannah stood there trembling, the back of one hand pressed to her mouth to stifle her shuddering sobs.
Ezra looked at Nate. “That true?”
“’Course not! She’s just trying to get me in trouble. It’s like I said. She invited me, then changed her mind.” Nate cast a look of appeal to his mother. “You believe me, don’t you, Ma?”
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Lindsay Chase
“You’re my boy. Of course I do.” Aunt Naomi stepped around her husband and glared at Hannah. “If my boy says that’s what happened, then that’s what happened. The girl’s been trouble ever since she came to live with us, Ezra.”
Hannah felt her tightly wound self-control finally unravel. “Why should I invite Nate or any of your sons to my room? I think they’re all stupid and uncouth.” She curled her lip contemptuously. “I’d rather sleep with hogs.”
Hannah knew that she would live to regret her imprudent words, but the satisfaction of seeing Naomi’s gaunt cheeks turn beet red burned hot and fierce in her heart.
Naomi whirled on her husband and sputtered, “Are you going to let her talk to me that way?”
“Be still,” Ezra rasped, his inscrutable eyes still on Hannah. “Want to hear the girl’s side of it.”
Hannah took a deep breath. “As I said, I didn’t invite Nate to my room. I was sleeping and awoke to find him sitting on the side of my bed”—she blushed—
“touching me where he shouldn’t. When I screamed and tried to fight him off, he pulled my hair and hit me.” She looked Naomi straight in the eye. “If you think I’m lying, call the doctor. He’ll know that Nate hit me when he sees the bruises on my ribs.”
Ezra sighed and rubbed his jaw with his free hand. “One of you is lying.
Can’t tell which. Let’s just forget it and go to bed. It’s late. Lots of work to do tomorrow. Need our sleep.”
“I want a key to the attic door,” Hannah said. “I want to lock it in case Nate tries to force himself on me again.”
Nate swaggered over to where his mother stood, still glaring at Hannah.
“She don’t need no key, Ma. No man’d want to break in here.” His eyes skimmed over Hannah insolently. “For what?”
24
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The Vow
But Hannah knew Nate would be back. And the next time he would make sure
“You promise to be quiet?”
“Yes.” She’d promise anything to stop the pain. Anything.
But when he flung her down on the bed and loomed above her, his clumsy hands fumbling with his trousers, terror got the better of her and she screamed.
“Damn you! I told you to be quiet!” To emphasize his point, he drew back his arm and drove his fist into her ribs.
22
www.samhainpublishing.com
The Vow
Hannah gasped at the numbing pain that robbed her of breath. Instinctively she curled herself into a tight ball, hugging her knees to her chest to protect herself.
Sobbing, she closed her eyes and waited for Nate to hit her again, and worse.
But the blow never came.
The attic door swung open with a soft creak. There, standing in his nightshirt and holding a candle aloft, was Uncle Ezra with Aunt Naomi peering over his shoulder.
“What’s going on here?” Ezra’s small dark eyes looked enormous by the flickering candlelight. “Heard screamin’.”
Trembling and sobbing, Hannah sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her arms still wrapped protectively around her aching ribs. “Nate tried to force himself on me,” she said, her voice rising with hysteria. “When I tried to fight him, he—he—”
“She’s lying!” Nate bellowed. “She invited me. Then she got scared and changed her mind. She started screaming and punching me.”
“He’s the one who’s lying!” Hannah jumped to her feet, ignoring the pain.
“Don’t believe him, Uncle Ezra! Nate tried to force me. He hit me. He—”
“Quiet down, both of you,” Ezra said, giving them a quelling look.
Hannah stood there trembling, the back of one hand pressed to her mouth to stifle her shuddering sobs.
Ezra looked at Nate. “That true?”
“’Course not! She’s just trying to get me in trouble. It’s like I said. She invited me, then changed her mind.” Nate cast a look of appeal to his mother. “You believe me, don’t you, Ma?”
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23
Lindsay Chase
“You’re my boy. Of course I do.” Aunt Naomi stepped around her husband and glared at Hannah. “If my boy says that’s what happened, then that’s what happened. The girl’s been trouble ever since she came to live with us, Ezra.”
Hannah felt her tightly wound self-control finally unravel. “Why should I invite Nate or any of your sons to my room? I think they’re all stupid and uncouth.” She curled her lip contemptuously. “I’d rather sleep with hogs.”
Hannah knew that she would live to regret her imprudent words, but the satisfaction of seeing Naomi’s gaunt cheeks turn beet red burned hot and fierce in her heart.
Naomi whirled on her husband and sputtered, “Are you going to let her talk to me that way?”
“Be still,” Ezra rasped, his inscrutable eyes still on Hannah. “Want to hear the girl’s side of it.”
Hannah took a deep breath. “As I said, I didn’t invite Nate to my room. I was sleeping and awoke to find him sitting on the side of my bed”—she blushed—
“touching me where he shouldn’t. When I screamed and tried to fight him off, he pulled my hair and hit me.” She looked Naomi straight in the eye. “If you think I’m lying, call the doctor. He’ll know that Nate hit me when he sees the bruises on my ribs.”
Ezra sighed and rubbed his jaw with his free hand. “One of you is lying.
Can’t tell which. Let’s just forget it and go to bed. It’s late. Lots of work to do tomorrow. Need our sleep.”
“I want a key to the attic door,” Hannah said. “I want to lock it in case Nate tries to force himself on me again.”
Nate swaggered over to where his mother stood, still glaring at Hannah.
“She don’t need no key, Ma. No man’d want to break in here.” His eyes skimmed over Hannah insolently. “For what?”
24
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The Vow
But Hannah knew Nate would be back. And the next time he would make sure