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sounded so fragile and helpless.

Charlie slowly came around the bed and leaned down next to

Stacy. She knew he was there but never took her eyes or her hands off

of her best friend Anna.

Charlie watched as Stacy caressed Anna’s leg.

“They’re gonna kill me. I have to escape!” Anna shook with fear.

Whatever had happened to her she was obviously re-experiencing it in

her dream. The pain, the upset…everything. Charlie had to do

something. His heart ached at the sound.

He got down on his knees in the small space on the floor and

gently took Anna’s hand into his own.

“It’s Charlie, Anna. Stacy’s friend, the doctor, honey…wake up,

please. Come on, baby, you’re safe here.” His tone was gentle and

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43

caring as he caressed her skin. The sight of her curled up in a ball,

clammy and crying, tore at his heart and soul. He worried about her

injuries and the position her body was in.

“Stacy, let me pick her up and see if we can get her to wake,” he

whispered. Stacy looked at him. He saw the pain she was in and how

upset she was getting seeing her friend like this.

Charlie saw Max help Stacy up and pull her into his arms.

Charlie slowly wrapped his arms around Anna, whispering and

caressing her as he gently pulled her into his arms.

Her breathing was rapid, her chest blotchy and red as she cried her

heart out.

“I’ve got you, baby, you’re safe here with me. No one is going to

hurt you ever again, doll,” he whispered, holding her against his chest.

She was light and fragile in his arms, like a wounded animal, he

took care of her and swore he would protect her as long as she was

with him. She seemed to be calming down as she held his shirt in a

death grip and snuggled closer.

She continued to moan and cry more softly when, suddenly, her

eyes began to flutter open. “He doesn’t love me. He never loved me.”

The words tore through the room. Charlie caught the response

from her words as he scanned everyone’s eyes. Then he held Anna’s

gaze. He saw the fear, felt her cringe and try to pull away, but he

wouldn’t have it.

“Shhh now, baby doll. I’m here, and I’m not going to leave you.”

“Anna, I love you, honey. Please let Charlie take care of you.”

Stacy caressed Anna’s arms as she cried.

“Don’t cry, Stacy. I’m sorry…I…I didn’t mean for this to

happen,” Anna whispered, her voice barely audible to everyone’s

ears.

Charlie pulled her closer against his chest.

* * * *

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Anna was relieved that she wasn’t still a captive of the bad men

back in New York. The nightmare was so real, she was embarrassed

to find she obviously woke the whole house. It felt good to be in

Charlie’s arms. She felt safe, yet she was scared. The fact that she

only had a bra on and a skimpy pair of shorts had her trying to wiggle

free and cover herself. He had taken care of her earlier. She felt the

bandage against her ribs and knew Charlie must have felt that she

needed them wrapped. She was very tired as her eyes felt heavy, and

she began to give in to Stacy’s request that Charlie help her.

Charlie held her tighter, then sat on the bed, cradling her in his

arms. Stacy placed a blanket over her body at Charlie’s request.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered one last time before closing her eyes.

Her head hurt, and her body throbbed. The dizziness overtook her.

She felt hot. Really hot. She couldn’t help but think Charlie holding

her was the culprit. No man ever held her. She never got this close to

one and forgot about her father.

The thought caused a deep sob to escape her lips. Charlie pulled

her closer against his chest and lay on the bed with her. “You’re safe,

Anna. Close your eyes, darling, and get some sleep.”

* * * *

Anna awoke feeling warm, content, and very safe. Her face was

wedged up against something big and solid that smelled like men’s

aftershave. The fear filled her immediately as she opened her eyes.

Charlie
.

He had stayed with her last night just like he promised. The feel of

his hand pressed against her backside and the fact that her leg was

wedged in between his should have made her try to escape and get

away. She was afraid and had never been this close to a man before,

let alone a man as big as Charlie.

She took in the sight of him, and her heart pounded against her

chest. He was handsome in a John Cusack kind of way. His hair was

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45

sandy brown and a little long, but it did him justice. She remembered

his eyes were light brown, like extra light brown sugar, not the dark

kind. And his body, his body was muscular and large. She felt like a

small child in his arms, yet her body was filled with lust like a wanton

woman.

She released an exasperated breath, and he stirred. She stilled in

his arms and closed her eyes.

“Oh, God,” she heard him state as he slowly removed his hand

from her backside and gently pulled her leg from between his.

She played possum for a few seconds while he gathered himself,

cursing under his breath and pulling his arms away from her so that he

wouldn’t be touching her body so intimately.

She had to submerge the giggle and giddiness she felt. That was

immediately replaced by loss. Slowly, she opened her eyes. His smile

lit up her heart.

“Good morning,” he whispered. She scooted away from him.

He touched her hip, gently stopping her from moving farther

across the bed.

“No, please stay where you are. I promise nothing happened. I

didn’t try anything,” he stated.

“You didn’t?” she asked, raising her eyebrows in challenge.

“No. I held you in my arms all night. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

He touched her forehead, and she closed her eyes. The feel of his

skin against her skin warmed her heart. He was caring and

compassionate the way a man should be to a woman.

She felt her body tense, and he immediately rose from the bed.

“Your fever broke.”

She stared at him and pulled the covers to her chest as the cool

morning air replaced his warm body.

“I swear I didn’t touch you, Anna. I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know,” she whispered, but something told her that he didn’t

feel the same attraction that she did. She was inexperienced and

insecure. He looked at her like he wanted to get as far away from her

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

as possible. He was a doctor, and staying there with her was just him

having a good bedside manner.

“I’m gonna head out. I need a shower and to check on the animals.

My brother Wyatt is going to call Doc Jones. I want those ribs of

yours x-rayed to make sure they’re not broken and him to check you

over.”

“Who’s Wyatt?” she asked.

“The sheriff, and my brother.”

She nearly missed the “my brother” part because of the sheriff

title.

She pulled the sheets tighter against her chest, shaking her head.

“No sheriff. No police.”

Charlie walked back over to the bed and stared down at her.

“We need to get you checked out so I can help you. My brother

will protect you just like the rest of us.”

“I won’t talk about what happened. You can’t make me.”

He sighed, then placed his hands in his pockets as if the

conversation was too uncomfortable for him.

She closed her eyes.

“He’ll be here by ten. I’ll have Stacy help you, and she can go

with you, too.”

Anna wouldn’t look at him, and as she closed her eyes tighter, she

heard him exit the room.

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47

Chapter 5

Taking a shower had been hell. Stacy had filled her in on the night

she’d had, and Anna was utterly embarrassed. Thank god no one was

in the kitchen by the time she and Stacy came down for breakfast. She

made Stacy call Wyatt and tell him that she would bring Anna to the

doctor. It took some convincing but worked.

They made their way out to the truck, and Anna quickly put the

large sunglasses on to cover her bruises. Stepping up and into the

truck took a great deal of effort due to the pain in her ribs. She prayed

they weren’t broken. She just wanted to heal and forget.

The ride was quiet and peaceful. Stacy didn’t push more just

drove into town.

When they arrived at the doctor’s office, it wasn’t crowded, so Dr.

Jones saw her right away.

“Do you want me to come in with you?” Stacy asked.

Anna shook her head. She was a grown woman. She handled

every obstacle and sucky thing that had occurred in her life because

she was strong not weak. She wasn’t going to be weak now.

She put on the yellow examination gown, surprised at the bright,

nontraditional color. When she finally met Dr. Jones, he was cheerful

and friendly just like the color of the gown and the decorations in the

room. She was in a room with tropical colors and images of a beach

scene. It was relaxing.

“Hello, Anna, I’m Dr. Jones.”

Anna shook his hand as he took in the sight of her bruises. He

smiled kindly, and Anna got the sense that he was a nice man. He

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

talked to her about the town and the upcoming events in the months to

come. It calmed her for the moment.

“I’m going to ask you some questions, Anna, and I want you to be

completely honest with me so I can treat you. If you don’t tell me

everything, then I can’t help you.”

She locked gazes with him. She got a funny feeling in her

stomach. Did he expect her to tell him what had happened?

She nodded in agreement.

“So, it’s obvious someone roughed you up. There are bruises with

the shape of hands and finger marks across your body, your face, and

jaw, as well as your legs.”

Anna swallowed hard as the tears filled her eyes.

“Honey, you’re safe here. No one is going to hurt you. The

Cantrells are very well known and very good men. They will surely

keep you safe. Charlie has already done a great job.” He smiled, and

she felt a little more at ease.

He asked a few more questions, and with each response, she told

him bits and pieces of the incident.

“Was it one man?” he asked.

“Three,” she replied, and she saw a flash of anger in his eyes, but

it was quickly replaced by tenderness.

“Honey, I know this is tough. You don’t have to talk about it in

detail, but I need to know so I can determine the extent of this exam.

Did these men force themselves on you?”

She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head in

denial. All she saw were flashes of the men hitting her and then her

father selling her like trash and hitting her himself.

Dr. Jones stood beside her and caressed her shoulder.

“Are you sure, Anna?” he asked again.

She wiped her eyes and locked gazes with him.

“I escaped…through the window and fire escape before…before

they could.” The thought that they would have raped her and forced

her to prostitute had her sobbing again.

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49

Dr. Jones consoled her, and before long, she was telling him what

had happened. Including what her father said and did.

“The lousy bastard,” he whispered, and she chuckled between

sobs.

“Thanks for that.”

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. It was fatherly and

comforting.

As he pulled away, he held her shoulders and locked gazes with

her.

“You are a very strong and very brave young woman. You are

sweet and kind, I can tell these things, I’ve been around forever. I

didn’t get these gray hairs from doing nothing.” He winked.

“If you ever need to talk or need anything, you don’t hesitate to

call me. In the meantime, know that the Cantrells will protect you and

care for you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Now, about Sheriff Cantrell.”

Anna shook her head.

“Anna, these men were going to kill you and your father for

money. They were going to take you and turn you into a prostitute to

pay off the debt. They could come looking for you here.”

Anna felt the tears stream down her cheeks.

“Then I’ll leave here as soon as I can travel.”

He shook his head.

“That’s not an option, and you know it. You have Stacy and the

Cantrells. You would be safest here. But with help from the sheriff, he

can make some inquiries and ensure that these men don’t come to

Pearl to get you.”

Anna thought about Stacy. She didn’t want to bring trouble to her

doorstep. They all had been nothing but nice and caring.

Anna lifted her chin toward the doctor. “I’ll think about it.” He

released a sigh, then smiled.

“Deal.” He smiled.

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

“Now, let’s get the X-rays done and see where we stand there.”

“Do you think they’re broken?”

“We’ll have to see. With the size of the men you described, plus

your petite size, it’s very possible.”