Penny giggled. "Yeah, I'm sick! Look at you. You were a heifer before, now you're a full fledged fat fucking cow!"
"Shut the fuck up bitch!" Don't you dare talk to her like that you fucking miserable ugly bitch!" Quinn suddenly snapped. "You could never be the woman she is. Look at you! Everything about you is ugly. You don't even deserve to be in the same room with her."
His hands closed on Penny's shoulders and he slammed her hard against the wall. "I could fucking kill you. I could snap your neck right here!"
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Randy put his hand on Quinn's arm. "Quinn, don't.
It's not worth it."
Quinn's large hand curled and tightened around the girl's neck.
Mayree touched his shoulder. "Quinn, don't. No more trouble, please? I love you."
He turned his face toward her, and despite the rage in his eyes he released his grip from Penny's throat. His face softened as Mayree ran her hand through his long hair.
"I love you Mayree," he said softly.
Penny tossed her head and sputtered for a moment, then started to cry. "I can't believe this. I can't fucking believe this!"
"Get the fuck out of my house," Quinn said, his voice was calm and low.
"Quinn. No. Please talk to me," Penny said. "I love you so much."
"Get the fuck out," he repeated, sounding far less calm this time.
"Randy, I…"
"You heard him," Randy said, cutting her off.
Penny was sobbing as she ran out the door.
For a few moments no one spoke. Finally Randy shook his head.
"I think I just figured out what she was going to ask me."
Quinn sighed heavily. "What?"
"Well I drove her here. She probably wanted a ride. I guess she can walk back to the bar and get the new car her Daddy bought her."
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CHAPTER 11
His shirt collar and tie strangled him, and the shirt's sleeves were too short and tight. Beneath the itchy wool suit jacket one of the seams in the sleeve had split up the arm by his bicep. It was a relief. At least now his arm didn't feel like it was trapped in a blood pressure cuff.
He hadn't worn this suit for six years, and he'd been a slightly smaller man then. Funny that the last time he had worn it, it had been right here, at this same magistrate's office. The occasion had been one much less festive. What was it he had been charged with? Oh, it was retail theft. He remembered the charge only because when he was arrested it was the one time he was sure it was a mistake. He hadn't shoplifted from anywhere. He hadn't known at the time they were handcuffing him that stealing gasoline was considered retail theft. Someone at the gas station had seen his license plate.
It probably would only have been a fine for a guy with no criminal record but he ended up serving some time.
He hadn't been one of those guys with no criminal record for a long time.
It was a small consolation to him, as he sweltered in his suit, that his younger brother looked equally as miserable in his. Randy continually tugged at the crotch of a pair of dark gray dress pants.
"Man, you're going to wear that thing out," Quinn told him.
"I wish that was what the hell I was doing," his brother replied, smiling.
"These pants were made for someone with nothing between their legs."
Quinn laughed.
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Randy's face grew serious. "I like Mayree. She's a nice girl." He looked Quinn in the face. "I love you, Quinn.
You know, what happened … it wasn't your fault. Not with Donna, and not with Jack either. Jack wanted to go. He was so excited that we said he could. It wasn't your fault Quinn."
"I know," Quinn said. "It took me a while, but I know.
If that crazy bitch Penny hadn't said what she did I'd still be thinking Donna killed herself because of me."
"You didn't blame me?"
"No. But I felt like you blamed me. Hell, I felt like everybody blamed me. All I ever did was go to work and come home. I just couldn't ever tell her I loved her, but I thought I was good to her."
"You were. You're different with Mayree. You're different than you were before I left. If I didn't know better I'd say she tamed you."
"I love Mayree. I never loved a woman other than Mom, until Mayree."
Randy smiled. "I bet you are hoping for a boy?"
Quinn shrugged. "Mayree knows. They told her when she had the ultrasound. I didn't want to know."
"Really?"
"Well, I think I changed my mind now, it doesn't matter either way, but since Mayree knows I guess I might as well. That way maybe me and her can agree on a name before the baby's born."
Mayree came up the hall, and for a moment time stood still. She was beautiful, exquisite, and in only a matter of minutes she'd be his wife.
The pale pink lace dress clung to her pregnant belly, and she pulled at the fabric. Quinn laughed. "Let's get this the hell over with so everyone can change their clothes. My tie's choking me, Randy's pulling his crotch, and you're not looking too happy either."
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"I'm happy," Mayree replied, and judging from the expression on her face it was the truth.
Standing in front of a small podium holding her hand, Quinn tried hard to follow all the things the magistrate said, but he was too distracted as he stared at Mayree.
His wife. He remembered when he saw that scared girl leaning against the stone wall in the cellar then that first kiss. When he kissed her down by the pond. When he tasted on her lips all the good things he wasn't.
He was careful when he repeated his vows, not wanting to make a mistake. This wedding, this marriage, this life were too important to fuck up. Already too many mistakes had been made. That was before, and it wasn't going to happen again.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the magistrate said in his bored monotone voice. "You may kiss the bride."
Quinn took immediate advantage of that opportunity, bending to taste the lips of the woman before him. He lost himself in the flavor of his wife's mouth. Could it really be possible that Mayree tasted even sweeter now?
The whole ceremony took about ten minutes. It seemed like such a short time considering it would change the rest of his life.
Quinn helped Mayree into the pick-up and he stripped off the suit jacket and the pale blue dress shirt he was wearing. They were carelessly tossed into the bed of the truck. Let them blow out if they were going to, he was done with them. As he slammed the truck door Mayree's hand touched his chest through the thin ribbed fabric of his white undershirt.
"Now you look like you again."
"I feel a lot better. Now let's get you home and get you out of that dress." She tilted her face up to him and kissed him, her hand was beneath his thick dark hair, 172
pulling, urging him to her mouth. He kissed her now like the first time he. Hard and demanding, wanting to devour all of her. Mayree finally pulled away breathless.
Quinn started the truck. "We need to get home girl.
One more kiss like that and that dress is going to be off you right here."
Mayree laid her head against his arm. With one arm on the wheel and the other around her shoulders Quinn drove toward home trying to decide if his baby in her belly was a boy or a girl. He was going to ask her, but he wanted to take a guess first.
At the bottom of the hill before the driveway he saw a strange black cloud in the sky. It appeared to be moving quickly toward the house.
Quinn pulled the truck in the driveway and looked up.
"I'll be damned. How's this for timing, huh?"
"What? Mayree asked.
"There's your geese, honey!" He pointed to the sky.
"Just like you, they're coming home."
"Can we go down to the pond and watch them fly in?"
"That's where we're going."
"In the truck?"
"We won't get there in time for you to see them land if you have to walk down. Besides, we have four wheel drive."
The pond was soon clearly in view through the windshield. Some of the geese were already landing. It was an impressive sight to see them hit the water and literally run on top of it until they came to a stop. He'd never really watched them before. Maybe he didn't hate the geese so bad after all.
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Quinn pulled near the bank of the pond and shut off the truck. He went around to her side and opened the door to help her out.
Sounds of honking and splashing filled the air. Quinn took Mayree's hand and they walked to the big weeping willow tree where his brother Jack was buried.
Quinn stood behind her and put his hands beneath her belly.
"I know I said I wanted it to be a surprise, but the more I think about it the more I want to know if our baby is a boy or a girl."
"You want me to tell you?"
"Yes, just because I want us to decide on a name together."
"I don't think we'll have any problems deciding on a name," Mayree said sweetly.
"How can you be so sure?"
She turned and faced him, there were tears in her eyes, but she smiled as bright as the sun.
"Because I think we should call him Jack."
THE END
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
Stolen Property: The Abduction of Mayree Jacobs Page 16
