A Ransomed Heart by Alex Taylor Wolfe Page B

floor, she picked it up and tossed it onto Logan’s bed.  Next she walked over and closed the window, then removed the remaining petticoats.  Her shoes had been discarded earlier so she poured some water into the porcelain wash basin and splashed the cool water on her face in hopes to extinguish some of her feelings. Next she dipped her toes into the chilly water.  It was cold and she hurried to dry them.  She would discard the water in the morning.
    Hesitantly she walked back over to Logan’s bed and looked around the room self-consciously.  It was ridiculous to think someone may be watching, and what did it matter? Calmly she pulled back the covers on Kit’s bed and slid between the cotton sheets. Next she trimmed the wick on the oil lamp and closed her eyes to sleep. But sleep didn’t come and she knew no matter how she tried only one thing would give her rest. Throwing back the warm covers she grabbed her dress and pulled it to the floor, then in one swift movement she pulled down the bed covers and slipped into Logan’s bed. 
    Annabelle laid very still, her heart pounding in her chest.  It was as if her whole world had been consumed by his being.  The sheets smelled even more like him than she had figured they would.  There was a strange and exciting thrill which coursed through her veins making her head swim in euphoria. She was lying in his bed! A giggle erupted from deep within her as she realized how ridiculous she was acting.  He had been nothing but horrible to her. Other than keeping her from falling off the horse, he had tried to kill her by chasing down the stagecoach.  He had spoken unkindly to her, yelled at her, threw her out of the bath tub, and tackled her like she had been a common steer at a branding party, not to mention the inappropriate spanking he had given her.  So why did she feel this way; why was the very idea of him in this same bed so thrilling to her? 
    The n it hit her, she was attracted to him.  It was such a stunning idea because she had never in her life experienced attraction. It horrified and elated her.  One, because she was to marry Mr. Sevier in just a few weeks, and two, because  if she felt this way about Logan, then how would she feel about Mr. Sevier? Her brows furrowed and she pondered on the subject until she fell into a delightful dream about her captor.
    Kit had taken his coffee then went to meet with a couple of friends for a round or two of poker.  Mama didn’t worry because no one in this town was rich enough to bet anything.  Instead they played for coffee beans, and with any luck her stock would be added to by morning.  Logan was the one who she wanted to talk to anyway.  She had made some pretty interesting observations this evening, about both him and Annabelle, and she thought it would be best if she brought them to light. Logan only growled at her and went on grooming his horse.
    “Logan , do you want to tell me what is going on?”
    “No ,” he spat, and moved around to the other side of his horse.
    “What did she say that frustrated you so much?”
    “Mama, I don’t want to talk about it.” He was being unkind but he was frustrated.
    “Listen here, young man,” she scolded, “I don’t know what is eating at you, but you better knock it off. That little girl in there has more to her than what you’re seeing.”
    “Like what, more of her fancy dresses and polite manners ? Believe you me, she is playing us all for dumb.”
    “Why do you say , because her father is Mr. Sevier’s business partner?  Surely they can’t all be bad.”
    Logan turned and rested against the stable fence. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at her. “Don’t you remember, Mama, I know this man and the kind of men who work with him. They’re all bad.” He was frustrated and stomped over to the tack shelf, replacing the curry brush he had been using.
    “And her, what did she do?” Mama asked gently, trying to soothe the situation.
    He was