Pounding harder, he wrung out promise after promise, feeling her body jerk and arch, Charlie screaming when he snarled his release and pulsed thick inside her.
Chapter 9
Slowly pouring sugar into the still, Matthew pursed his lips around a toothpick, concentrating until the measure was complete. Wiping his face, he glanced to Nathaniel. “I’m gonna marry Charlotte.”
His older brother smacked his lips and gave a taunting grin. “Well now, little brother, look who finally grew some hair on his balls and scrounged up the nerve to ask her.” Batting his eyelashes, Nathaniel cooed, “How’d you do it? Down on one knee with a fist full of posies?”
Matthew checked the fittings on the still, almost smirking. “Not exactly.”
Looking plum shocked to see Matthew with even a hint of a grin, Nathaniel leaned back and waited.
Shifting the toothpick to the other side of his mouth, Matthew shrugged. “She was being difficult, so I put her over my knee and tanned her hide until she said yes.”
Nathaniel fell flat on his ass. Red-faced and slapping the ground, he laughed until it hurt. Even Matthew joined in, two rich voices echoing off the rafters of their shanty in the woods.
Not ten miles away Ruth and Charlotte baked the weekly bread for the grill, Charlie trying to ignore the uncovered, angry red seam on her forearm.
The afternoon before, the good county doctor had nodded and clucked his tongue, pulling out itchy stitches and claiming she’d healed nicely. Then the old coot gave her a peppermint, his rascally grin unmistakable. Even Matthew had given her a look as if to say she had it coming after all her fussing. Eager to get even, Charlie popped the candy in her mouth, thoughts turning a very different direction.
Years ago, she’d heard the Chicago boys jaw about a popular local whore who’d sucked peppermint candy and then used her tongue to chill the skin. She’d pick some up at the general store, then Charlie would see who got the last laugh.
“I keep seeing that look on your face, Charlie.” Ruth cocked her chin, a playful leer on her lips. “Looking all dreamy and smiling to yourself. You gonna tell me why or should I just take a guess?”
Blushing at being caught thinking dirty thoughts, Charlie muttered something not nearly as salacious as what she’d been imagining, “Matthew asked me to marry him.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Ruth singsonged, kneading her dough. “Was it real romantic?”
“Ummm, not exactly…” Maybe she should not have said anything. “He uhhh…”
Grinning like a loon, Ruth cocked a brow. “He uhhh what?”
“Well, I said no.”
Her friend shrank, smile gone. “Why on earth would you say no? That man is crazy about you. Wait,” green eyes narrowed, “you’re still smiling. What happened?”
“Well he, uhhh…” Charlie was not sure if she should tell her, worried Eli might find out and then she’d never hear the end of it.
“Yeah, we already covered that part.” Ruth rolled her eyes. “Spit it out. Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna tell Eli.”
Charlie bit her lip, pulled her hands from the dough and admitted, “I said no… then Matthew spanked me until I said yes.”
You could have knocked Ruth over with a feather—her jaw was just about on the floor. Next thing you know, the girl was laughing so hard she was crying.
Charlie joined in, shaking her head at the sheer ridiculousness of the whole thing.
“I can’t…” Ruth was breathless, trying to form words, “I just…”
Charlie wiped a tear and just kept on laughing. “I know…”
After almost ten solid minutes of cracking up, Ruth sat back in a kitchen chair and looked at her dear friend. “That just might be the funniest thing I have ever heard… and gosh do I wish I hadn’t promised to not tell Eli.”
“Don’t you dare tell a soul!”
They finished up their baking, Ruth snickering every time their eyes met. Before Charlie returned home, she drove into Gap Mills, rushed through the late winter chill and set the small bell chiming above the general store door.
“Good afternoon, Miss Elliot.” The shopkeeper, Mrs. Fletcher, sent her a warm smile. “I’m glad to see you all healed up. Whole town was in an uproar at what was done at Devil’s Hollow.”
Mortified, Charlie froze. The thought she might be the latest local gossip hadn’t occurred to her. Embarrassed, she found the few other customers gawking, a few nodding a greeting as if they were familiar.