Quickly she pulled the note he had left her from the envelope.
Dear Wife,
I will be away for several days on business. I trust that you have learned your lesson for your earlier disobedience and I have decided to allow you to once again have free roam of the home and property. The guards are under orders to keep an eye on you and any further disregard for the rules will result in severe punishment.
Your Loving Husband
Temperance nearly gagged at his ending words but the rest of the letter made her nearly leap for joy--or she may have leaped had her body been in the shape to allow such movements.
Four days of no rape. Four days of no Trevor! Four days of being able to leave this room!
Quickly she gobbled up her breakfast and then raced from the room, eager to feel the sunlight upon her face.
***
Tanner stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night, having arrived back to the plantation only an hour before dawn. He’d barely managed to hop in bed and feign sleep before his brother had come in and announced that he was leaving on business and would be gone for four days.
Tanner had been working hard to keep his brother in the dark about his knowledge of his evilness and the determination that Tanner had to stop him. He wanted and needed for Trevor to believe he was still the same weak minded man he’d always been. But now, Trevor was gone and it was time to gain a few allies, or at least do away with Trevor’s.
Tanner knew that Trevor had taken four of the hired guns with him leaving only six here. Those six were lounging against the porch and leering at the servant girls as they hung clothes on the line. Tanner’s gaze went to the working women and instantly landed on Temperance as she worked right alongside the others. Her red and gold hair glistened in the sunlight and the gingham dress gently accented the curves of her body.
Beneath those bruises and welts she was a beautiful woman. There was so little beauty that existed in the world and to see what Trevor had done to this woman made Tanner’s blood boil. Temperance’s life had been too hard and Tanner was going to do what he had to in order to ensure it got a whole lot better from here on out.
He adjusted the gun belt he’d gotten from the attic and let his hand settle on the handle of the Colt revolver resting there. He’d bought the gun in town after waking the lawyer in the dead of the night to claim his rights, and his money, back.
Tanner walked up to the men on the porch and six sets of eyes turned to look at him with varying degrees of curiosity. “What can we do for ya, soldier boy?”
Tanner grinned at the sharp-eyed man’s obvious show of disrespect when he spit on the stone at Tanner’s feet, “I’ll have to ask you not to go around spitting on my property, friend. Unless of course, you want to be down there scrubbing it clean.”
The men shared looks and chuckles. “Friend? We aren’t your friends. And this property belongs to Trevor, the man who pays us quite nicely to maintain it for him.”
“I see.” Tanner squinted as he let his gaze go out over the fields. Most of these men were older than him by a good ten years. At twenty-five he was considered a young-pup in their eyes and yet he’d seen things that would probably have them pissing their pants and scurrying home to their mamas. He had done things to survive that would have them wailing while they did their scurrying.
“You should get back in and rest,” the man grinned. “You don’t look real healthy.”
“Don’t you go worrying about me,” Tanner turned back to them and shrugged, “I reckon I’m tougher than I look.”
“So what brings you out here telling us what to do?” another of the men asked.
Tanner reached in his pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper that was signed and notarized declaring him alive. “This plantation is mine by rights,” Tanner informed them. “And so is that money that Trevor is paying you so well with to keep the place maintained.”
All six men stiffened and Tanner clicked his tongue. He knew he had the attention of all the workers within hearing distance, including Temperance. “You won’t want to be getting into a gun fight just now,” he warned when two of the men reached for their weapons. “I’m not as slow as I look and I might not be able to get all of you, but I’d get a couple… any of you willing to take the chance that the couple I hit’ll be you?”
“We work for Trevor,” the first man countered. “And he already warned us that we aren’t to let you cause any trouble.”
“And who says I want trouble?” Tanner walked to the white rocking chair and sat down upon it, folding his hands over his thin stomach. “I’m here with a business proposition.”
A red-haired man with dark freckles snorted and ran his tongue over the gap in his front teeth. “What kinda business?”
“Am I right when I say that you men are business men? That you are making a living and serve whoever has the money?” Tanner inquired.
“Now you’re making us sound cheap…” the first man accused.
“Wouldn’t dream of that. How much is my brother paying you to protect his assets?”
“Fifty a month, a bit more when times get tough.”
Tanner didn’t ask what kinds of things occurred when times got tough. “And are you loyal to him or could you be swayed?”
“If the price is right, I can be talked into just about anything,” the obvious leader of the group stated and the others nodded in agreement.
“My brother no longer has any money of his own to keep paying you fine gentleman. I’d be happy to pay each of you seven hundred and fifty dollars in cash if you’ll pack up today, be out of here by sundown and never come back.”
The six men looked at one another with wide-eyes. They formed a huddle and spoke quietly. Finally, the lead man turned to meet Tanner’s gaze, “You have a deal.”
“You’re not going to take my money and then turn around and work for my brother again?” Tanner asked, his eyes narrowing. “Because I take a man’s word to mean something.”
Something shifted in their eyes and Tanner knew the next words out of their mouths were lies. “Yeah, of course.”
He nodded. “Alright then. Go to the bunkhouse and get your gear. I’ll get you one more warm meal, get your money, and have you out of here before dark.”
Tanner watched the men walk away and he was about to go in and tell Wilma to prepare them a meal when he was aware of footsteps approaching him from behind.
Whirling quickly, Tanner found himself looking at Temperance. “Please don’t walk up behind me like that,” he stated with a tilt of his head. “It makes me jumpy.”
“Sorry.” Temperance pointed at the retreating men’s backs, “Do you really think they’ll leave and stay gone?”
Tanner nodded. “Sure. I’m paying them enough to.”
“That seemed too easy,” Temperance countered, her green eyes narrowing.
Tanner grunted. “Four thousand five hundred dollars is hardly easy.” He reached out and touched her face gently, unable to stop himself. She was such a soft beauty, such a change to the harsh realities of life--even covered in bruises and welts as she was. “Don’t worry, Temperance. I told you I was going to right what wrongs I could.”
“Tanner, he’ll be back with four more men…”
“And the US Marshall should be here by then to help deal with things. If he’s not then I’ll make them the same offer I made these men.” Tanner let his hand drop. “Now I have to see to that meal I promised them before going out and having a talk with the workers. I’m going to let them know they are free to leave or they can stay and have a salary of twenty dollars a month. We’ll fix up their living quarters and they’ll get three warm meals a day…”
“Are you certain that Trevor is your brother?” Temperance asked suddenly, her eyes filling with uncertainty.
Tanner nodded. “I’m sure.”
“I didn’t know men could be so very different.”
“I’m not my brother, Tempe
rance. I will protect those that deserve to be protected.” He offered her a smile, though it felt awkward on his face seeing as how he hadn’t smiled in a long, long while. “Don’t you worry. I’m going to be making some big changes around here. This plantation will be like a haven soon instead of a prison.”
Lord knew Tanner had had enough of prisons in his life.
He rushed away from Temperance then. He had a lot to see to and he knew that tomorrow he would be exhausted… After the look that had been in those men’s eyes as they had lied to him, Tanner knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight either.
Chapter Twenty-One
Temperance had been attempting to sleep for hours but it simply wouldn’t come. She was back in her old bedroom and happy to be away from Trevor’s bed, though this bed held memories equally as horrible.
Temperance sighed with defeat as she simply lay and stared upward, wishing morning would come and put an end to the quiet.
Night was always a terrible time. Sleep often eluded her and when it did come it was plagued with nightmares and scenes of horror. Temperance tossed her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. She walked to the pitcher of water on the side table and poured herself a small glass.
As she sipped, she walked to the French doors, opened them and stepped out on the veranda. The night was warm and the sky was brightly lit by a full moon and countless shimmering stars.
Temperance knew that dawn would be coming in just a few short hours and she had yet to sleep at all. She’d be paying for that tomorrow, but right now her mind was whirring.
Tanner was making changes. Good changes. He was getting rid of the hired thugs that Trevor had kept here. That would mean the women who worked here would no longer have to worry about being raped as they went about their jobs. And Tanner seemed sure that the US Marshal was on his way and would deal with Trevor. As far as the other four men that worked with Trevor, Tanner didn’t think they’d be a problem once offered money…
Was life truly going to get better? Temperance was afraid to believe… she was afraid to even think the thought too loudly for fear that it would disappear on the wind like a puff of smoke. So many times in the last year she had had hope and that hope had proved futile.
Movement in the distance pulled Temperance from her thoughts and she squinted into the night to realize that someone was riding it. A lone silhouette approached the plantation and Temperance felt her heart fill with fear.
Was it one of the men who Tanner had paid to leave? Was he coming back to hurt Tanner?
Temperance instantly dashed back inside and then rushed out to the hall. She went to Tanner’s door and knocked several times, but he didn’t answer.
“Tanner?” she whispered harshly. “Tanner, wake up… someone is here…”
Temperance tried the door and it swung open. She stepped into the moonlit room and stilled when she realized it was empty. The bed was untouched and Tanner was nowhere to be seen.
Where was he?
Temperance turned quickly and then let out a scream and swung her fist when she realized there was a man standing behind her. Her fist caught his jaw and she attempted to slip around him to run out the door, but his hand caught her upper arm in a firm, but gentle embrace.
“Temperance, calm down.”
Instantly, Temperance felt herself relaxing when she realized it was Tanner. She bit her lip and looked up at his shadowed face. “I punched you.”
“Yeah,” Tanner rubbed at his jaw, “And it hurt. What has you running around here so frightened?”
“I saw a man!” Temperance pointed outside. “He was riding in and I…”
“That was me.” Tanner hand began to rub gently up and down her bruised arm. Temperance trembled and wondered why her stomach seemed to be filling with nerves as her heart danced wildly against her ribs. “It was only me riding in, Temp.”
Him saying her name in such a way caused Temperance to think of her sisters. They hadn’t crossed her mind in a long time but suddenly she was hearing their little voices in her head calling her Tempy. Tears filled her eyes. Quickly, she blinked them away.
“Why were you riding in this late? Where had you been?”
“Taking care of something,” Tanner replied vaguely.
Temperance frowned and her gaze dropped from his face to land on his chest and she saw the dark stain covering the front of his shirt. “Is that blood?!” she demanded, suddenly terrified that the man had been badly injured somehow.
Tanner nodded, “Yeah…” Before he could say anything else Temperance began running her hands over him, checking for what injury could have left so much blood behind. Tanner grunted. “It’s not mine,” he assured her, grabbing her hands to still their wandering.
Temperance froze. “Then whose blood is it?”
Tanner’s eyes were dull as he stared at the wall behind her. “They took my money and then they were going to ride back here tonight and kill me while I slept, take you, take whatever they wanted and be gone before Trevor got home.”
Temperance swallowed hard. “They said that?”
“Yes.”
Temperance took several steps back and leaned against the bed post. “You killed them all?”
“Yes.”
“In the dark? By yourself?”
“Yes. It wasn’t hard.”
Silence filled the bedroom. Finally, Tanner sighed. “What are you thinking?”
“That I wanted to kill them for so long… They were mean, cruel, and just as evil as Trevor.” Temperance realized his gaze had come back to her. “The war did a good job teaching you how to kill,” she whispered.
Tanner shook his head and sat down in the arm chair. “The war taught me some. The prison camp taught me more.”
“Prison camp?”
Tanner nodded, “The Union soldiers captured me and I was locked up there for three years. Starved, beaten, tortured… I learned how to do what I had to do in order to survive, even kill.”
Temperance stared up at the man. It seemed that horror had been experienced by both sides of that bloody feud between the north and south. Tanner was not evil simply because he had fought for the Confederacy. Quite the opposite; he was a gift sent straight from God. He was going to save her from Trevor… he was going to save her from more pain and more suffering.
Life sparked inside Temperance. She suddenly realized that she wasn’t as dead inside as she had once believed. She could believe in Tanner. She was a strong woman and would fight right alongside him but she hadn’t had the strength of mind or body to defeat Trevor herself. With Tanner’s help, with a true ally beside her, Trevor would soon be nothing but a terrible memory.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Temperance stretched and yawned as she slowly came awake. The moment she realized it was the day before Trevor was scheduled to come back her stomach tied in knots.
While she had faith that together she and Tanner could handle things, it didn’t stop that fear--that slight edging of doubt--to creep into her mind. And that doubt was enough to do away with the positive energy she had tried to surround herself with the last few days.
Working side by side with the other employees on the plantation, she and Tanner had been repairing the slave quarters and fixing things up. Each and every former slave had agreed to stay on at the plantation because they cared for Temperance and respected Tanner so deeply.
Temperance was amazed more each day by Tanner. He was so different from the other men she’d met recently. She reminded him of her father, her brothers and of Robert…
He was strong and yet gentle. He was brave and yet quiet. He didn’t yell, boast, or brag. He didn’t use harshness or coercion to get his way. She knew he had killed men, lots of men, but somehow those murders seemed less important because they were things that, quite simply, had to be done.
Temperance wanted to open up to him more than she had yet had found herself unable to. There was still a wall between them and neither seemed to have the courage or t
he notion to bust it down. It was slowly driving Temperance mad but she knew that now was not the time to deal with the issue.
Trevor would be back soon and he and those men had to be dealt with before she could figure out what might possibly exist between her and Tanner.
“You’re in love with him, aren’t ya, child?”
Wilma’s voice broke through her thoughts and Temperance sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes flying to the woman who stood in the doorway with a tray of breakfast and a knowing look in her soft brown eyes.
“Who?” Temperance demanded, laying her hand over her heart, which was still threatening to beat out of her chest.
“Tanner of course, child. That’s what has your head so lost in thought this morning.”
“No,” Temperance replied honestly. “I don’t love him. Love is… Love isn’t real, Wilma. There can’t be something as pure as love in a world like this, at least not romantic love. That is simply a silly notion put into the minds of children.”
“I’m sorry ya think that, child,” Wilma lamented as she sat the tray of food at the foot of the bed. “Though given what you’ve been through with Trevor, I can understand…”
Temperance nodded and simply stared down at the oatmeal, sausage and peaches. She hadn’t ever opened up to anyone about the time she had spent before Trevor. She didn’t want anyone knowing exactly how foolish and naïve she had once been… she didn’t want them knowing how dirty and used up she truly was.
“Tanner is a good man,” Wilma continued. “You could do much worse.”
“I’m still technically a married woman,” Temperance reminded her pointedly. “I have very little hope that anyone will grant me a divorce or annulment.”
“Ya have to live with hope,” Wilma scolded gently as she sat down beside Temperance. “You are the one who has been preaching to us about hope and a better life; are ya saying that those were lies?”
Against Her Will Page 10
