STAIN (Dark gothic romance) by Alexx Andria

Author:Alexx Andria [Andria, Alexx]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alexx Andria
Published: 2023-05-29T04:00:00+00:00

I ran into my old house, the familiar smell of scuffed up floors, generations of dust, and a flood of memories, creating a rush of emotion that nearly dropped me to my knees.

I never realized how much I’d miss this falling down stack of timber until it’d been taken from me.

Killy squealed and jumped into my arms, crying and babbling at the same time while Abby hung back with tears in her eyes.

“You’re back?” Killy exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with relief and joy. I hated to be the one to snuff that happy light, but I didn’t see the point in lying.

I disentangled myself reluctantly to answer, “Sorry, not to stay but I can be here every day to help out before I have to return to the ranch at night. That’s something, right?”

“What’s happening?” Abby asked, the fear in her voice cutting at my heart. “That mean old man is keeping you there? I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Abby was probably traumatized by her visit to the ranch. I could only hope and pray those bastards had kept their hands to themselves, but the haunted look in Abby’s eyes worried me.

“Everything is going to be all right,” I assured them, but my words tasted hollow. “I don’t know how yet but I’ll figure something out.”

Our small ranch was old and shabby by most standards, but it seemed to have gotten worse since I left. Dishes piled up in the sink, and an inch of dust had settled on every flat surface.

I’d always done my best to keep the ranch tidy even though it was nothing as fancy as Heartbreak. I always told the girls, just because we were poor didn’t mean we lacked pride.

I smoothed Killy’s wild hair from her face, chuckling when my fingers ran into multiple knots. “I see someone’s still not bathing regular. Killy, you have to wash your hair and brush the tangles out at least a few times a week or else your head turns into a rat’s nest.”

Killy rolled her eyes. “You’re still acting like Mama. Ain’t nobody cares what my hair looks like. Besides, maybe if my hair’s a mess, ain’t nobody gonna snatch me up neither, like they did you.”

Tears tickled my eyeballs. How could I make sense of this situation without revealing too much? I didn’t want to burden the girls with what I was going through, but I had to share a little bit if I was going to get them to cooperate.

Routine was the key to getting through a difficult spot. I snapped into the mode I was most familiar with. “I been gone for a few days and already nobody’s doing their part. Abby, strip the bedding and start the wash. Killy, go get the eggs from the hen house before they’re no good to no one.” I grabbed a dust cloth from the linen drawer in the armoire, saying, “And good Lord almighty, I could plant potatoes in this here dust. Let’s get this place cleaned up.

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