Romance: Luther's Property (8 page)

Emma woke with a
start.
 
There was a loud banging against
what sounded like metal outside the woodshed door.
 
She wasn’t sure how many days had passed
since she had been locked away in the shed, the Madame only fed her once every
few days so it was hard to keep track.
 
When the shed door opened up to reveal the bright light of the sun it
stung her eyes, forcing Emma to crawl backwards until she was encased in
darkness in the far corner of the shed.

“Emma?”

It was the sound of
her sister’s voice echoing through the shed.
 
Emma didn’t believe what she was hearing or seeing was real, she curled
up into a ball and began to chant go away.

“Is she in there?”

This time it was
Isaac’s voice, proving that she must still be dreaming, or the cold had finally
taken her life and she was in the afterlife of heaven or hell, she wasn’t sure
which she was destined to go to after what she had done with Isaac.

“Emma, oh my dear
Emma!”

Ellen rushed into
the wood shed and found Emma in her corner.
 
She wrapped Emma up in her arms and squeezed her tight, resting her warm
cheek against Emma’s frozen one.

“Emma it’s me.
 
It’s going to be ok, I’m here now.”

Ellen began to cry
as Emma continued to rock in her small ball, chanting for Ellen to go away.

“Isaac, something is
wrong with her.”

Isaac walked into
the wood shed and knelt down beside Ellen, trying to get a good look at Emma to
see what could be wrong.

“I think she’s in
shock.
 
Too cold for too long.
 
We have to get her out of here.”

“I can’t leave, the
Madame will notice.”

“I can take her, but
I’ll need your help.”

Ellen nodded and
squeezed her sister tightly again.

“What do I need to
do?”

“Go pack a few
things for her, and meet me at the back of the house.
 
Wait till everyone is asleep, including the
Madame.”

Ellen nodded and
rose to her feet, running out of the shed and back towards the house to the
bedrooms.
 
Ellen tossed a few belongings
of Emma’s into a tiny satchel and hid it under her pillow, then she returned to
her chores, hoping the Isaac knew what he was doing and could help her poor
sister return to her.
 
Back at the shed
Isaac had closed the door, returning the entire room to darkness.
 
He wrapped Emma up in his arms and softly
hummed for her, kissing the top of her head over and over again, reassuring her
that everything was going to be ok.

“Is this heaven, or
hell?”

“This isn’t heaven
or hell, this is here and now.
 
You are
alive Emma, not dead.”

“That can’t be
right.
 
Go away, don’t torture me
anymore.”

“Torture you?”

Isaac was confused
how his presence could be torturing her.
 
He let out a deep sigh and continued to rock her, hoping that she didn’t
continue to feel tortured as he tried to warm her body up and bring her back to
a clear state of mind.
 
He watched the
small crack underneath the door and waited till the sun had long been set
before rising to his feet.
 
He picked up
Emma and carried her in his arms, taking her out of the shed into the moon
light night.
 
Emma looked up at the sky
confused, she stared at the moon for a long moment before turning her gaze to
Isaac.

“Isaac?”

“There you are.”

“What…What are you
doing?
 
How am I out of the shed?”

“I should have guessed
it would be the moon and the air to bring you back.”

“Bring me back?”

Isaac nodded and
smiled at Emma, continuing to carry her as he walked to the very back of the
house to wait for Ellen.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m rescuing you…or
kidnapping you.
 
One of those.”

Isaac chuckled and
Emma looked even more confused.

“I’ve been trying to
see you for weeks.
 
I only just was able
to talk to your sister without the Madame catching us.”

“Me?
 
Why me?”

“Because you are my
choice sweet Emma, I wish to marry you.”

Emma shook her head
in disbelief.

“No, nobody ever
chooses me.
 
Everyone wants Ellen.”

“Except me.
 
I never should have done what I did with
her.”

“Or with me…”

“No.
 
With you I did exactly what I should
have.
 
I gave my wife exactly what she
asked for.”

“Wife?”

“Soon enough, that’s
exactly what you will be.”

“But…but why
me?Because we…please don’t stick yourself with me because of that.”

Emma began to cry,
causing Isaac to drop her down to her feet and grabbed both sides of her face
with his hands, pulling her eyes up to meet his.

“Emma.
 
I loved you from the moment I saw you, from
the moment I caressed your scar and saw you blush.
 
I want to marry you, and only you.”

Emma gasped and bit
down on her lip, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Now, if only your
sister would hurry up.”

“I’m right here.”

Isaac turned to see
Ellen walking up to meet them, a tiny satchel in her hands.

“I packed what I
could, the Madame is a very nosey woman.”

“Ellen?
 
What is going on?”

Ellen smiled and
hugged her sister tightly, kissing each of her cheeks before pulling away.

“I love you Emma,
you deserve to be happy and in love.”

“Can you please tell
me what is going on!”

“We are freeing you
from the shed, so you can run away with Isaac.
 
I thought that would be obvious by now.”

Ellen grinned at
Emma and nudged her towards Isaac.

“Truly?”

Emma still couldn’t
believe her ears or eyes.

“Truly sister, he
came back for you and now you two are leaving together.”

Isaac nodded towards
Ellen.

“Thank you.”

“Just take care of
my sister.”

“Always.”

Emma started to cry
again and hugged her sister tightly.

“I love you Ellen, I
hope you finally meet a man worthy of you.”

“I will, don’t worry
about me.
 
I have to get back though,
before Madame wakes to find me missing.”

Emma nodded and
hugged her sister one last time, whispering a goodbye against her ear before
watching Ellen run off around the house back to her bed.
 
Emma turned to Isaac and smiled softly.

“Do you really love
me?”

“Absolutely.
 
Now let’s get you home before Madame notices
we’ve escaped that horrible shed.”

Isaac smiled and
laced his fingers in between Emma’s, leading her around the house and down the
dirt road.
 
The walked for miles in
silence, while Emma looked up and stared at the stars, trusting Isaac not to
let her wander off of the road.
 
When
they finally stopped pulling her she looked down to find a small farm in front
of them, filled with animals and a small garden of crops.

“Where are we?”

“Home.”

Isaac spun Emma
around and picked her up into his arms, carrying her the rest of the way to the
house and dropping her back down to her feet once he was over the doorway.

“Home?”

“Yes, Emma. Our
home.
 
This is where we are going to live
out our lives, happy and together.”

Emma could only
smile, lost for words as she spun around to take in the small but wonderful
house that was now her home.
 
She let out
a soft, content sigh once she stopped spinning.

 
“Tonight, we shall get you cleaned up and in
bed.
 
Tomorrow I am going to make an
honest woman out of you.”

Emma jumped up and
kissed him soft but deep.
 
Isaac moaned
against her lips and pulled away.

“You keep that up
woman and you won’t be rested at all for the wedding tomorrow!”

Emma smiled back and
grinned mischievously for the first time in her entire life.

“I think I’ll be
just fine.”

Isaac shook his head
and grinned, picking her back up into his arms and carrying her off to the
bedroom.

By: Erin Walsh

The Billionaire
Cowboy’s Last Hope

© SteamyReads4U, 2015 – All rights reserved

Published by Steamy Reads4U

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
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or reviews.

This is a work of fiction.
 
Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either
the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.
 
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
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Warning

This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+
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It had already been two years since Paul passed away.
 
I can still remember the day that Ethan ran
inside form the corn fields, his face flushed with worry, his cheeks streaked
with tears.
 
He told me that Paul had
fell over on the combine harvester, and that he couldn’t get him up.
 
By the time the emergency vehicle had arrived
at the farm, Paul was already gone.
 
He
had suffered a heart attack.
 
I stared
out the window, watching as the corn stalks danced in the breeze, and I
wondered if I’d ever feel normal again.

“You have a good day at school, now, Ethan.”
 
I handed Ethan a paper bag stuffed with a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a container of pear wedges, and a slice of my
homemade apple pie.
 
He grinned and then
gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Mom.
 
I’ll
see you later.”
 
He slung his backpack
over his shoulder and then hustled out the back door, letting the screen door
slam behind him even though he was always told to close it gently.
 
I affectionately rolled my eyes and then
locked the door behind him, watching as he jumped inside Danny’s red Ford pick-up,
and then sighing as they rolled off down the dusty, lonesome dirt road.

I looked at the tiny red clock hanging on the wall beside
the refrigerator.
 
Paul had given it to
me as an anniversary gift, and I felt guilty thinking about how much it was worth,
but I did, anyway.
 
I took it off the
hook, and read the inscription on the back:
 
To the love of my life- Emma.
 
You make all my gray skies blue.
 
I love you.
 
Paul.
 
I felt a tear come to
my eye and I took a deep breath.

“Not today, Emma.
 
Not
today.”
 
I had to do a lot of self-talk
to get me through the hours while Ethan was away at school.
 
I didn’t have many close friends that lived
nearby, and the house seemed to echo with sadness when I spent hours inside it
alone.
 
I knew that I should be out, trying
to keep myself preoccupied, but it was hard for me to meet new people, and my
heart simply ached from the loss.
 
I
wandered down the creaking cellar steps and loaded wet clothes into a sagging
wicker basket, then trudged back up to hang it all on the clothesline outside.

Honk!
 
I heard the
distinct bellow of Jake’s horn as soon as I reached the yard.
 
A series of large cumulous clouds had settled
over the valley, and I wondered if we were about to get socked with rain.
 

“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
 
Jake hopped out of the driver’s seat, his
face ruddy and tanned from hours in the fields.
 
I shook my head and picked up one of Ethan’s shirts, then hung it on the
line.
 

“Nope.
 
I’m just
getting some of this laundry dried.
 
What
are you doing over here today?”
 
I was
used to Jake popping in unexpectedly, but he usually spent Mondays over in Sun
Valley so that he could get supplies for his business.
 

“Well, I was hoping that we could chat for a bit.
 
You got a few minutes?”
 
Jake gave me a hopeful smile and looked
around the yard.
 
“Looks like hell back
here, Emma.
 
Is that boy of yours helping
with anything?”
 
Jake frowned and I shook
my head.

“Come on, Jake.
 
He’s
only fifteen.
 
He does what he can.”
 
I eyed Jake with a wry grin and then grabbed
a few more pieces of laundry to hang.
 
The sky grew darker and the air got cool.
 
“He can’t do what Paul could do.
 
I mean, he’s okay with a hammer, but I can’t
expect him to fix that entire shed, or re-wire the chicken coop.”
 
I sighed and shook my head, trying not to
look at all of the obvious signs of disrepair on our property.

“This is all the more reason to come inside and take a
break.
 
I want to talk with you about
something.
 
I think you’re going to like
what I have to share.”
 
Jake raised his
eyebrows and then tipped back his cowboy hat.
 
I reached for a pair of Ethan’s pants and hung them on the line, then
slapped my hands on my thighs and straightened up.
 

“Okay, then.
 
Let’s go
inside.”
 
I set the laundry basket aside
and then opened the screen door, being careful not to slam it after Jake made
his way inside.
 
I walked to the sink and
washed my hands, then poured two glasses of water from the glass pitcher that
sat on the counter.
 
Jake looked around
the kitchen, assessing all of the signs of neglect, I was sure.

“Listen, Emma.
 
We’re
worried about you.
 
Me and Sue, Harvey
and Bess.
 
We all think that you should
be…”
 
He paused and then bit his
lip.
 
“I don’t know.
 
I guess we all think that maybe you should be
trying to get out more, maybe even thinking of selling this place.”
 
He lowered his head when he said the last
words.
 
I eyed him with offense.

“Who are you to decide what I should and should not be
doing, Jake?
 
Do you think it’s easy to
just snap your fingers and go back to normal after you lose a spouse?”
 
I looked away and a tear rolled down my
face.
 
Jake sighed and shook his head.

“I knew you were going to take this the wrong way.”
 
Jake leaned forward and took a sip of his
water.
 
“That’s not what we meant.
 
We’re just worried, Emma.
 
We want to see you happy again.”
 
Jake looked through me with his icy blue
eyes.
 

“And you have some sort of plan for how to get happy again,
I suppose?”
 
I leaned back and folded my
arms, wondering what Jake had up his sleeve.
 

“I do, Emma.
 
And I
think it could change your entire life.”
 
A smile broke out on his face, and some of the tension disappeared from
my shoulders.
 
I narrowed my eyes and
stared at his face, just as the rain drips started to fall.