Authors: Lady Keisha
Frightened, Penelope ran to the small room she'd stayed in and packed what little belongings and clothes she had. She'd had a tiny bit of money saved up, but it wouldn't be enough to get her home. Frantic, she wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she had to get out of here first before something bad happened. She'd go from there.
Leaving the house, crying, she walked outside and realized it was starting to snow. Her jacket was threadbare and she shivered in the cold. She knew that to survive the night she had to make it down town to the local inn and hope they'd rent her a room for the night while she tried to figure out what to do. She knew the smart thing to do was give them the baby, but as she put her hand over her belly she knew she couldn't. She'd do anything to keep her child, and they proved with their devious plans that they didn't care who they hurt to get a child.
That was not the kind of parents she'd want raising her child, and trying to force her into a situation where her survival depended upon their generosity, and then force her to give the child to them was cruel and malicious as far as she was concerned.
Penelope would take her chances on her own.
Chapter 2
Lugging her bags outside and shivering in the cold, Penelope felt a tear fall down her cheek. She tried to figure out how she was going to haul her belongings to the nearby inn before she froze to death. The light snowfall had turned into a much heavier downpour and it was now getting dark. The temperature was dropping quickly.
Her Mistress had tried to convince her to change her mind while she'd packed her bags, but she wasn't giving up her child. In a fit, Lucille threatened to make sure she never got a good referral, or any help from anyone in town. Penelope was broken hearted. She'd come to love these two people she'd worked for, and felt like they'd stabbed her in the back.
Penelope knew they had a lot of sway, but she hoped that she could at least get out of here before that caused a problem for her.
Her toes were freezing and she was struggling to get her luggage unstuck from the mud as she tried to get it across the road to the side where there was some grass so she could pull it easier.
Hearing a horse approach, she looked up and saw the local Sherriff riding in. He stopped when he saw her and tipped his hat, watching her struggle with her bags.
"Greetings, Sheriff," Penelope addressed him, trying to be polite. Almost falling backwards, she managed to catch herself before she landed and embarrassed herself in front of him.
Dave Locktine was a golden boy, White with blond hair, and muscles that had women swooning over him. He was a good old fashioned country boy. He had a small plot of land on the edge of town, and he spent most of his time working as the Sherriff. He had a couple of others helping him and they took turns working the night shift. It must be his night if he was riding the roads at dusk.
"Do you need some help?" he asked, watching her with a raised brow.
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Penelope told him hopefully. Maybe things would be okay. Sighing in relief that he didn't just abandon her on the road she felt thankful, more than he'd know.
"Going to your house, or away from it?" he asked quietly, surprising her with his attention to detail.
Penelope dropped her gaze, hoping if she told him the truth he wouldn't abandon her to freeze to death. "Away. I quit, sort of. Or they fired me, I'm not sure exactly which way it went, but either way I can no longer stay there."
"Do you have money for the inn?" Dave asked her, and then asked a question that made her cringe. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
Penelope hesitated long enough that when he jumped off his horse to pick up her luggage and hitch it to his horse for her, he put his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. She never got a chance to give him a real answer, when he moved on and realized she needed more help than it appeared at first.
"How about instead of the inn, you stay in my spare bedroom? I'm working tonight and we can talk in the morning and maybe I can help you out?" he offered, kind enough that Penelope almost started to cry when it sunk in what he was giving her as her way out. Like a knight in shining armor.
Penelope stared at him in shock. She'd never have expected such generosity, and nodded before she could consider the consequences. He got back on his horse after he secured her bags and grabbed her hand, helping her sit in front of him. Leaning against his chest, she almost fell asleep as the horse lulled her into a deeply relaxed state. She could hear his heartbeat and felt the warmth of his arms. For a small while, she felt like she was really safe.
When they had approached his house, he tied his house to a pole outside on the side after helping her down. Unhooking her luggage, he took her inside his house and started a fire for her.
"I have to get back to town, but you're welcome to help yourself to any food or drink in the house. The spare bedroom is right there. The outhouse is directly behind the house off the kitchen, you should be able to see it easy enough. It's on the right side of the barn," Dave told her, and then he tipped his hat to her as he grabbed his gloves back off the coffee table where he'd put them.
"Thank you Sherriff, I appreciate this more than you know," she told him, hugging her arms around herself. Shivering from the cold she couldn't even feel her toes anymore and wanted to get out of her boots.
"Not a problem, we can talk more in the morning. I hate to see such a pretty lady struggling and sad looking. I don't know what your story is, but if you need someone to listen, I'd like to hear it." With that he tipped his hat to her again and went back outside to go finish his job for the night.
Penelope realized how soft and cozy his house was. It may not be as large as the house she'd just come from, but this actually had a lived-in feel. It made her feel comfortable and like she wouldn't be in trouble if she slept. Going to the bedroom she unpinned her hair and took off her outer winter clothes. Hanging them up on the hooks that were on the wall, she appreciated the bed. It was quite comfortable, and feeling safe, she drifted off quickly.
She awoke in the morning to the sound of banging in the kitchen and the smell of coffee being brewed. With her mouth watering, she went into the kitchen to see if she could help with anything.
"I brought some bread from the local baker for breakfast, my cold room has some cheese and butter in it if you'd like me to grab a chunk to go with it," Dave offered as he set the pot of coffee and two cups on the wood table in the kitchen.
When Penelope nodded, he grabbed the butter and some cheese and set it on the table with a dull knife. Sitting down, he poured the coffee for them and she felt odd having someone else taking care of her instead of her being the one to serve him.
"So, why were you wandering the snowy roads last night? You could have frozen to death." He grabbed a hunk of bread and ripped it off and put a piece in his mouth. He chewed slowly, watching her, waiting for a response.
"It's a long story, but I guess if you really want to hear it." Penelope sighed and shrugged. "I'd worked with that family for over two years. When you don't have a lot of options to survive, you do whatever they ask. The Master got me pregnant in order to force me to give the baby to his wife since they couldn't have children together. When I refused he kicked me out. promising to have me shunned. I was going to go to the local inn and then try to find a way to get enough money to go back east to my mother."
"You're pregnant and they made you leave alone? When it was getting dark and snowing?" He looked outraged on her behalf and then the rest of what she said sunk in. "That is completely wrong that he took advantage of your position in their household. What a cad."
"It's not uncommon. Servants are sometimes required to do things they dislike to keep their positions and jobs. I just didn't realize that his attention had a specific purpose for his wife. I will be shunned if I stay here. He will make sure of it, and either try to take my baby from me, or make sure I starve to death because no one will give me work. I don't have many options. Women in my position don't."
There was silence as Penelope ate some of the nice, fresh bread. Normally she was used to stale bread, the Master’s leftovers, and having it fresh was a special treat.
"What if I can offer you a job?" Dave asked her, watching her intently.
"You would risk them trying to jeopardize your job as Sheriff?" Penelope was shocked.
"I don't tell many people this, but I have quite a bit of money. My being the Sheriff is because I want to help keep the town safe. When my family died, I sold our family ranch to a neighbor who wanted to expand his holdings. I am set for life as long as I don't waste all my money on nonsense." Dave grinned at her. "I would even go so far to say that I have more money than he does and he's not a threat to me."
"You don't live like you have a lot of money," Penelope said in surprise, then realized how rude that sounded and dipped her head down. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. I apologize for my rudeness."
"Don't. I know what you meant, and I live this way on purpose. I buy what I need. Occasionally I indulge in something special, like a new book or fresh bread, but I'm a simple man with simple needs. I can afford to pay you a monthly salary to help me around here, if you're interested." Dave offered her. "I'd feel better knowing someone was here to keep an eye on the animals while I'm gone. I've had coyotes steal some of my chickens lately, and having someone able to take a shot at them would make a difference."
"I've never fired a gun before," Penelope admitted, but she was interested. Dave was a handsome man, who seemed to be as beautiful and handsome on the inside as he was on the outside, and she knew that it felt like the offer was too good to be true. The thing was, she trusted him. Her gut trusted him, and the desire to be free and survive on her own without going all the way back home made her want to say yes.
"I can teach you. I'll have simple requirements. Keep the room you're staying in clean, help with the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and the animals. I work, and sometimes the hours make it so I kind of need to hire someone just to stay at the house to protect them. Especially with the rustling of cattle that's been going on lately. My house would be a target if no one's here at night to keep it from being broken into. Now, I don't think it would happen, but having a fire going here and someone to keep an eye on it would keep my property much safer."
"If you seriously want to offer me a job, and you'll teach me how to shoot a gun, I won't say no. I can also read and write. So if you need help with anything of that nature, I can also provide services," Penelope told him, and for the first time in days she took a deep breath and let herself truly relax and feel safe. She hadn't realized how scared she'd been until he'd offered her a solution and a way out in the middle of all her angst.
"Deal," Dave told her.
Penelope realized there was one slight problem. "What about my pregnancy? If I'm living here with you as hired help, and when I give birth in a few months, people will think it's yours. I don't want to tarnish your reputation."
"You let me worry about that," Dave told her and put his hand out over hers.
Penelope looked down at where his large hand rested over her smaller one and was surprised at how nice the touch felt. She felt her face flame with attraction for him and was grateful her skin was dark so he couldn't tell. Dropping her gaze to her lap she realized that this is what got her into this mess, and that the last thing she needed now was to get involved emotionally or physically with another man. No matter how tempting he might be.
Smiling at him she pulled her hand back and finished eating, then offered to clean the dishes.
"I'm going to hit the sack for a few hours to get some rest. The animals need to be watered. You'll find the buckets in the barn, and my water spout off the back. There's hay in the storage loft along with grain for the chickens. The cows are out in the field with a few of the sheep I own, but I wouldn't go out there. My dog doesn't like strangers and may attack you. He pretty much lives with them full time. I throw food out for him a few times a week."
Dave stood up with a stretch and a yawn. "When I wake up, we can discuss more details about how our arrangement will work. If you don't want people to know you're here, we can keep it a secret. But you'll need to see a doctor when you get more pregnant. I know I can count on Doc Sanders to keep his mouth shut about you. He's a good man."
Penelope nodded and cleared the dishes, appreciating the breakfast and coffee. Watching him leave the room to go rest, she wondered if this situation was a good idea or not.
In the heat of the moment, it felt like the answer to her prayers, but living in such close quarters to a man she knew she would clearly respect and be attracted to, she wondered if she'd end up with a broken heart in the long run. She felt like this had the potential to blow up in her face if she wasn't careful, and she would need to keep him at arm’s length at all times for this to work.
Putting her hand on her belly, she wondered what he would do once the baby was born. When he woke up, she would need to talk to him about the realities of having a baby around or if the job offer was temporary, and once she had the baby, she would need to leave.
Feeling overwhelmed she sat down at the table and cried.