Walking down the aisle, she wished her mother was here, but at least she'd gotten a letter from her mom about the wedding before it took place. She was still small enough with her pregnancy that the dress with a princess empire cut was able to hide her growing belly.
Feeling blessed and assured that today would go without a hitch, she held her head high and went to meet her husband.
She should have realized that the family she used to work for would cause a scene, but she didn't think they'd do it at the wedding, or in front of the Sheriff.
When she got downstairs and put her hand in Dave's, he smiled big at her, happy to see her.
"You look beautiful," he whispered to her, just loud enough that only she could hear.
They turned to the pastor and when he asked if anyone had any issues with the wedding or forever hold their peace her old Master stood up and protested.
Dark storm clouds passed over Dave’s face.
"She's nothing more than a servant,” her old Master shouted. “You have no business marrying her."
"I'm free to marry who I want. If you don't like it, leave the church," Dave told him. The people sitting in the pews were whispering loudly.
"She's pregnant with our child, and won't give it to us," Mistress announced loudly, trying to humiliate her. She glared at Penelope.
Penelope was shaking in embarrassment and wished she'd realized that they might have created a scene to get back at her for denying them the baby.
Dave leaned over and spoke to one of the deputy's and asked them to escort them from the church if they wouldn't leave willingly. Nodding, Travis went to do as Dave asked.
"No, you don't understand. She is having our baby. It's mine, she has to give it to me!" the woman protested and started to cry. The sympathetic looks that were tossed her way full of pity and realizing that she was falling apart in front of the entire town.
Travis forced them to leave and then stood guard at the church entrance to make sure they couldn't come back in. The pastor was waiting for the scene to be over and then cleared his throat.
"Does anyone else want to protest, or can I get on with the wedding now?" he asked loudly and waited a moment. "Okay, good."
"Thank you," Penelope mouthed to him. The pastor gave her a gentle smile as he started his sermon.
When it was over and Dave had kissed Penelope, the crowd cheered for them. The church had a buffet style of food that was setup in the other room for the reception after the ceremony. Dave escorted Penelope there and kissed her temple, telling her he was happy she was his wife.
"I'm sorry they caused a scene," Penelope whispered to him. It was a moment she'd never forget and it's not how she pictured her wedding day.
"Don't be sorry. You're not the one who chose to make a fool of yourself at someone else’s wedding. They brought this on themselves and there's a good chance that they will be shunned by many of the townsfolk after this. People don't like drama, and she's showing signs of brain sickness."
"I could almost feel bad for her, if she wasn't so aggressive about the pregnancy. I understand wanting a child. I even understand wanting her husband's child. But you can't just take someone's baby," Penelope told him quietly and slipped her hand in his as they walked into the reception room.
"She'll get over it. I plan to go have a long talk with her and her husband later about knocking this off. We deserve to have a good life, and I won't let them interfere with it anymore," Dave told her and then let the women pull Penelope away from him to socialize and visit before they headed home for their wedding night.
"Are you really pregnant?" The innkeeper asked her. She was a round lady, but she was usually sweet. Her name was Melly, and Penelope and she had chatted a few times in the past.
"Yes," Penelope admitted.
"Is that why you quit working for them and left to be with Dave?" Melly whispered to her, wanting the latest gossip firsthand from Penelope.
"It's complicated, and I really don't want to talk about it at my wedding." Penelope disengaged from the conversation as politely as she could and then searched the room to find her husband. He was standing over with two deputies that were at the wedding and she made her way to him.
"I think I've about had it. Their scene at the wedding is making everyone ask me questions that I don't want to answer," Penelope told him and gave him a pleading look to get her out of here.
"We can do that. Let me just tie up a few loose ends first and we'll go home," he told her and brought her hand up to his mouth to kiss it before doing what he promised.
Penelope made her way outside to the back where their wagon and horse waited for them. Lucille was waiting for her and had a big stick in her hand. Penelope hadn't been prepared for her to be there, and she didn't have her gun with her. Backing up slowly she ran into Marvin's chest and he grabbed her arms hard and then put his hand over her mouth before she could cry out for help.
"You broke Lucille's heart," Marvin whispered hatefully in her ear. "Now she's going to break yours."
Lucille came at her with the stick as if she was going to hit her and Penelope struggled hard in Marvin's arms, trying to get away from them. Her intention clear as Lucille stared at her belly and went to swing the stick at her.
A shot fired out, in the air and both Travis and Dave stood there. Travis had a rifle pointed directly at Lucille and Dave was glaring at Marvin.
"Let go of my wife, or I will shoot you both," Dave growled at them. The look on his face would have traumatized Penelope if she knew it was directed at her, but in her defense it had her sighing in relief. His timing couldn't have been any better.
"She deserves this," Lucille screamed and lunged at Penelope to attack her. Dave fired and shot her in the shoulder, making her drop the stick. She fell to the ground whimpering, holding her shoulder.
"Marvin, let go of my wife, or I will shoot you," Dave said threateningly.
Marvin let her go with a look of disgust on his face and stepped back from Penelope. He didn't immediately attend to his wife on the ground, he was too busy glaring at Dave and Travis.
"You are both under arrest," Dave told them and nodded to Travis who slung the rifle on his back and grabbed some rope out of his pouch on his belt. Tying both their hands up he made Lucille get to her feet.
"It's a superficial wound. I'll have the doc come around at the jail to dig out the bullet and sew you up. You're lucky Dave didn't do worse to you," Travis hissed at Lucille when she whined that it hurt.
"I'm taking my wife home now. I don't care what you have to do but make sure they stay in jail, and when you talk to the judge, I want them out of my town for good. They can't be trusted here," Dave told Travis and then wrapped his arms protectively around Penelope.
Watching Travis get his horse and force her former employers to walk behind it with tied wrists to the jail downtown, Penelope wanted to feel bad for them, but she couldn't.
"Thank you. You saved my life and most likely, our baby," Penelope whispered when he helped her up into the carriage.
"I would do anything to keep you safe Penelope. I hope you never doubt that." He leaned over and kissed her passionately. If there was any doubt about his feelings before, she didn't doubt it now, even if he hadn't said the words yet.
"Are you ready to start the rest of our life together?" Dave asked her quietly when they pulled into their yard and started unhitching the horses to put them away.
"I couldn't think of anything I'd like more," Penelope told him and put her hand on his arm for a moment. "I love you Dave. I'll be inside waiting for you."
Dave smiled at her and nodded, watching her walk to the house.
Penelope went inside and worked on getting out of her dress. She laid on the bed and waited for him. This wasn't exactly how she pictured the start of her marriage beginning, but with Dave at her side, she could handle anything.
THE END
Possessed by my Navy SEAL Stepbrother
Chapter One
A
fter one more wrong turn, Diane Foster figured she was officially lost. Her chest tightened as her GPS cut off and she had no idea where she was. She knew Arlington but not this part. This part of town was super scary. Dingy. She thought it was super ironic that she was on her way to a self-defense class in a neighborhood that screamed out the need for self-defense.
She pulled her tiny little convertible under the security light that brightened the darkness of the alleyway. The light was so strong that it washed out the letters on the yellow brick. She was in the right place after all. Diane grabbed her gym bag and got out of the car.
She couldn’t quite figure out which side of the building the entrance was on. She jogged to the street front to try the front door. As she ran, she could hear another set of footfalls. Someone was running after her.
“Help!” she called. “Hey-elp!”
She cursed her spike heels as she tried to cover distance on sloping pavement. Her heart jumped to her throat as a dark figure stepped out in her path at the street side. Now Diane was boxed in.
On impulse, she flung off her spikes. She wedged her fists into them with a plan to stab whichever of her pursuers she met up with first, with her shoe. But the charging figure pushed her aside and stood between her and the person behind her.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded of Diane’s pursuer.
“Nothing, Cuz. I was just making my way to the street,” came the reply.
Diane almost felt sorry for the man who had been behind her. He was a little wiry fellow with not much apparently going for him. He was no match for the huge man who had all but knocked Diane aside.
Now, that guy was enormous. The power in his body, even in the shadows, was obvious. He was as solid as the buildings they were standing between. He had to have a good foot on the little guy, and possible a hundred pounds. His booming voice was all that was needed to get his point across.
He was merciful, letting the little guy off with a scolding and a glare, staring him down as the shrimp walked to the street, with his head hung low, occasionally looking over his shoulder.
“Don’t let me catch you here again,” boomed the big guy.
“Rob Zingg,” the big guy introduced himself to Diane with a scowl on his face.
Diane was entranced, unable to keep from staring at him.
“Helloooo?” Rob demanded impatiently. “Who are you and what are you doing in a sketchy alley after dark?”
“I’ve come for the self-defense class,” she replied. “I am Diane Foster.”
“Well Miss Foster,” he said narrowing the gap between them. “Into the dojo with you. It’s time to teach you a lesson.”
Chapter Two
She was early to the class, despite getting turned around and having that mishap outside. And that was a good thing. Far more than the incident outside, it was Rob Zingg’s energy that disturbed her most. He had an aura or something, a presence that almost upset her stomach. Diane kind of felt sick, his effect on her was so strong.
But he walked by her as she sat in a folding chair, and put a large, powerful hand on her shoulder. It was just a simple touch. He walked towards a cluster of students already dressed for class. He himself had changed into an all-black gi.
His contact with her on her shoulder grounded her. It released the sick-to-her-stomach tension, just flushing it from her. Diane drew in a deep breath and was restored. It was so, so strange. It was like he had a sixth sense that she had been out in the alley in danger when she didn’t even know it. And now it was like he walked by her and knew she was upset and with a touch and no words, gave her just the medicine she needed.
He broke from the class and approached her.
“Come on back with me. I’ll get your sign up finalized and get you a uniform,” he said.
Standing directly behind him as he led her to his office, Diane could not help but think about how tall he was. Rob Zingg was an enormous man but she didn’t think he had an ounce of fat on him. He was like a mountain peak.
“Have a seat,” he said, closing the door to the office behind them.
Diane did as she was told. Finally, as he sat across the desk from her, she got a chance to see how incredibly good looking he was. He had sandy hair, a spray of freckles across the bridge of his nose, chiseled cheeks. He reminded her of Los Angeles, her home, and all the blond surfer dudes. Rob would make the perfect poster child for a surf ad. He had pulled her file and was reviewing it now.
“Hermosa Beach, huh?” he noted with a chuckle.
“Why is that funny?” she asked nervously. “It’s where I went to high school but I don’t know why you ask that on a karate class app.”
“Mixed Martial Arts. If you think you’re getting a karate class, you’re in the wrong place,” he said firmly but politely.
“Oh,” she remarked. “Self-defense?”
He nodded. “Yes,” he said. “That you’ll get. I was asking because I knew some people in Hermosa. I lived there for a short while before my parents got divorced. Don’t meet too many from there.”
“Oh,” she said. “I’ve lived there all my life. I just moved up here to the bay area six months ago.”
“For a job?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied. “I am about to go overseas and the company would like us to have some basics.”
“When do you leave?” he asked.
“In three weeks, I think. If all goes well with the VISA,” she replied.
“Well I’ll be honest with you,” he said gravely. “Three weeks isn’t going to do anything for you. I mean it’s a start and we all start somewhere. But I would say in six months, you’ll be able to show me something.”
Diane slunk back in her chair.
“I didn’t mean to bum you out but I don’t want to take your money if it’s not going to keep you safe. I hate it when companies do that. I wished they would contact me directly and say, hey I have got x number of people coming over because we are leaving next week for war-torn wherever. I would save you the travel time,” he said.
“Are you turning me away?” she asked very disappointedly.
A look of sympathy came across his face. He was struggling with his decision, she could tell.
“I tell you what. You stay in class tonight. I’ll tell your boss what I told you. You are welcome to stay but I make no guarantees. However, if your boss agrees, I will work with you in a concentrated class and we’ll get you in pretty good shape in three weeks’ time. How’s that?” he asked.
“That’s better,” she said.
“You can change in my office,” he said. “I think the bathroom is full with people doing the same.”
“When does the class actually start?” she asked.
“You have about twenty minutes,” he replied.
And with that, Rob left Diane alone in his office.
Chapter Three
Diane made sure that the blinds were drawn tight and that the door was absolutely locked before she shed her clothes. She wore a skimpy thong and she wasn’t in the mood to be showing her gluteus maximus, as her gym teacher used to call it, to just anyone.
But as she was stripping down to her underwear, she became enthralled in the pictures on the wall. The office was covered with them. Pictures of Rob in the Navy as a Seal – Diane was thoroughly impressed. Her stepfather had been in the Navy but she had no recollection of that.
Her own father had died and then her mother briefly remarried but it didn’t work out. Diane had no memory of any of it but she did recall her mom saying he was a Navy guy.
If her stepfather had looked like Rob did in his pictures, Diane was certain the marriage wouldn’t have failed. Her MMA instructor was drop dead gorgeous.
Diane was wakened from her daydreaming with an assertive rap on the door.
“Let’s go,” said Rob.
“Okay,” said Diane, embarrassed she was still standing in his office in her underwear snooping.
She quickly stepped into her uniform and sc
urried out to the rest of the class.
“Ahem,” said Rob, directing her attention with his eyes.
With one hand, he reached to her uniform which gaped at the chest and with the other he unpinned a safety pin from the hem of his own uniform.
“I have these only for the first day of class,” he lectured.
He untied and re-tied her belt. His knuckles brushed her breasts accidentally when he tugged.
“From now on, you will come prepared," he lectured.
Diane felt like he was giving her a spanking. But surely she could not be the only person in class who didn’t quite know how to put on the uniform.
“Step in line,” he said, positioning by the guidance of firm hands.
Diane tried to listen to his instruction. Her eyes were glued on his form as is meandered through rows of seasoned students and newbies. She figured it out that the good students were in the front rows and as the rows progressed backwards, so did the skill level. Diane was dead last in the class.
Before she realized it, Rob was behind her, like a shadow. A magnetic shadow that pulled and stirred her. She didn’t know whether to weep or moan. He had her turned on like no one else. Rob Zingg was the devil for sure.
With his bare feet, he corrected her stance by widening her feet.
“Kick your heels out,” he murmured. “You weren’t paying attention to what I just said, were you?”
“No, Rob. Sorry, I—” she replied.
“Sensei,” he corrected and then he said for the benefit of the class. “You got that? I am not Rob. I am Mister Zingg or Sensei. And because you were honest just now, I won’t make you drop and give me twenty,” he said to her, and then he whispered, “but next time I will.”
Eventually the clean white belts got to sit down and observe as the higher belts continued with their class. Each time the practice became tougher, the lesser belts took a seat until all that was left were the black belts.
Taken By The Forbidden Highlander (Scottish Highlander Romance) Page 68
