The Baby Bargain by Dallas Schulze

herself. But it was still a vastly unequal struggle.
    In a matter of moments he had her stilled. One arm wrapped around her holding her arms down to her sides, the other hand pressed her face into his shoulder. Gently crowded backward until she was trapped between his hard frame and the wall, Kelly gave one last convulsive jerk before stilling her body.
    "I'm not going to hurt you. No one's ever going to hurt you again." He murmured the words over and over again, his hands gentle on her, offering more comfort than restraint.
    Whether the words finally got through or she had simply exhausted her thin store of strength, Dan didn't know. Whichever it was, she suddenly went lax against him.
    "It's okay. I'll never let anyone hurt you again." He stroked her hair, using both touch and voice to reassure her. She shuddered convulsively and Dan tensed, wondering if the struggle was about to begin all over again. But the only struggle going on was an internal one.
    The sob that burst from her seemed to have worked its way up from the very depth of her soul. Dan's arms tightened around her as the storm of emotion finally broke loose. Holding her, feeling the force of her sobbing, he wondered how long she'd been holding this inside. Months? Years?
    He was helpless to do anything more than hold her, offering her what comfort he could. He stroked her hair, cradling her in his arms and whispering wordless sounds of comfort.
    The very force of the outburst dictated that it be brief. The wild weeping subsided into quieter sobs and then at last stilled, except for an occasional shaky breath.
    Kelly lay against Dan, her eyes closed. She hadn't cried like that even when her mother died. She felt limp and drained, tired deep in her soul. Beneath her cheek she could hear the steady beat of Dan's heart. There was something reassuring in the sound, something solid in the feel of him.
    He had said he would never hurt her, that he'd never let anyone else hurt her. The words, only half heard during her wild weeping, came back to her now. They lay over her soul like a soothing balm. He'd meant it. And she had known it without him having to say the words. It was just that when Dan had come toward her, she'd seen her father's face distorted with a terrible rage, his fist raised.
    It was the first time he'd struck her with his bare hand. She'd thought nothing could be more terrible than the beatings, nothing could be more frightening than the sound of his belt striking her skin. But this had been worse. Always before, she'd almost believed that he thought he was doing what was best for her immortal soul, that there was an element of caring—however twisted—behind his actions.
    This time she'd had none of that feeling. He'd been driven by rage, pure and simple. What a fool she'd been to think that she could keep her pregnancy from him, even for a few days. In the tiny trailer, there was no way to hide the fact that she was ill in the mornings.
    He hadn't known about Dan before. He'd thought that her New Year's Eve excursion hadn't gone beyond a drink and a little dancing. He'd beaten her for that and then made her pray for forgiveness until her knees ached.
    But she hadn't been able to hide the morning sickness, and it hadn't taken her father long to put two and two together. He'd confronted her this morning and read the answer to his question in her eyes.
    Kelly shivered, remembering his rage, the way he'd come at her as if crazed. She'd thought he would surely kill her, so terrible had been his anger.
    "It's all right. You're safe now. I'll take care of you," Dan murmured in her ear. The nightmare images receded a bit. She was safe now. Dan wouldn't let anyone hurt her. He'd promised. He'd promised to take care of her.
    His arms were gentle but strong about her. If she just kept her eyes closed and imagined that this was another time and place, she could feel protected. Loved But she had to remember that his concern wasn't for her. It was for the child