Caden's Vow by Sarah McCarty

Author:Sarah McCarty [McCarty, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HQN
Published: 2012-11-20T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MADDIE WAITED FOR the answer that didn’t come. On one level she had to respect a man who wouldn’t make a promise he couldn’t keep. On the other, she wanted to hate him for bringing alive that hope she’d tried so hard to kill. One day she was truly going to learn to stop loving Caden Miller.

“That’s what I thought.”

Maddie scrambled out of Caden’s arms, pushed to her feet, stumbling as the soft bottom sucked at her feet. He reached out but she shook off his hand and slogged to the bank, ignoring his call of her name. Who did he think he was? Blowing hot and cold, promising not to hurt her when he’d already hurt her so much. She’d never forget the way he said whore that time, the same way that other men did with such contempt. And now he wanted her to forget, because he felt guilty. But that would only last until he got mad again. She might not know husbands, but she did know men. They always got mad. She heard him behind her. She walked faster.

Yes, she’d been a whore. She’d never had a chance to be anything else, but she did now and she was going to be better than what they all thought she could be. She was going to be who she wanted to be.

Caden caught up to her as soon as she got up on the bank. She stood there dripping and reached for her petticoats. He took them away from her. She grabbed them back.

“I’ll wear what I want.”

“It’s too damn hot, Maddie.”

She held out her hand. “It’s not proper.”

If he made one smart comment about that, she was going to slap him. She couldn’t ever remember feeling this angry. Who did he think he was, trying to make her vulnerable by acting so nice? In the end, she let him have his way, not because she was giving in but because she wasn’t up to struggling into layers and layers of wet cotton.

When she reached for her dress, his hand was there first. When she grabbed it, his finger went under her chin.

“What the hell are you so mad at?”

She turned away. “You.”

She could feel the call of the pond, not this pond but her pond, her sanctuary, and she pushed that away, too. It used to be easy to slip away, but now it was easier to stay because goddamn it, as completely messed up as it was, she was going to have a life. Turning away, she struggled to stay calm.

He grabbed her arm and swung her back.

“Why?”

How dare he ask her that? After all he’d done. “Because this is just a game to you, but it’s my life.”

“I’m your husband.”

The truth lay flat between them.

“Not for much longer if you’re to be believed.”

Just another thing to hold against him. Caden let go of her arm and ran his hand through his hair. She stepped into her dress and turned her back, yanking it on.

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