Suffice it to say, my asshole husband Roger is an abuser. The beatings started after Maggie was born. The usual pattern, violence followed by profound apologies and promises to never do it again. As a nurse, I should have known better.
Miranda stopped reading and turned to the lawyer, who was watching her from behind his antique lawyer’s desk, with his bony hands tented in front of his mouth. “The assault and battery that landed Roger in jail this last time . . . was it for beating Cassie?”
He nodded. “Broke an arm, cracked several ribs, and knocked out a tooth. He also hit Maggie so hard with a belt that it broke the skin on her back.” Mr. Allison glared at her, as if Miranda should have done something to stop the abuse. “Thankfully, we have a judge here in Ohio who has a low tolerance for wife abusers, and even less for men who hit children. He gave Roger Jessup the maximum of five years. With good behavior, Roger might be out in a year or so. You can see why the issue of the children needs to be settled before that.”
“No one ever told me,” she said defensively. “Cassie could have come to me at any time, and I would have helped.”
Mr. Allison arched his unruly white brows at her in silent recrimination. Like now? he seemed to be saying.
Miranda returned to the letter.
Even knowing that I have cancer, Roger’s rages haven’t let up. In fact, they seem to be getting worse. For the first time, last month I called the police and had him put in jail. Aside from hitting me, he also lashed out at Maggie when she tried to intervene. He beat her with a belt. Can you imagine? The poor girl has scars. And he locked the twins—all four of them—in a closet. I fear the direction his rages might take in my absence if he did this when I was around. That is a travesty I will never allow. I should have stopped this horrible pattern long ago, for my children’s sake, if not my own.
The cancer will probably get me before Roger is released from prison. And so, dear cousin, I am asking you to please, please take care of my precious children. I know what a huge favor I am asking of you. An imposition of the highest order to your single lifestyle! Do it for love of me, please.
Your cousin,
Cassandra Hart Jessup
Single lifestyle? Did Cassie even remotely think I am so selfish as to choose my “single lifestyle,” whatever that is, over helping her? Miranda had tears in her eyes when she turned back to the lawyer.
“Where do I sign?” she asked.
For the first time, the lawyer smiled at her. “You’ll never regret this decision, my dear.”
Miranda wasn’t so sure about that.
About the Author
SANDRA HILL is a graduate of Penn State and worked for more than ten years as a features writer and education editor for publications in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Writing about serious issues taught her the merits of seeking the lighter side of even the darkest stories.
Please visit her on the web at www.sandrahill.net.
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Outstanding Praise for
New York Times Bestselling Author
Sandra Hill
and her novels
“Wildly inventive and laugh-out-loud fabulous.”
New York Times bestselling author Christina Skye
“A singular blend of humor and romance, this breezy read will appeal to fans of Viking romances as well as mainstream historicals.”
Publishers Weekly
“Fun and fast-paced . . .”
Barnes and Noble Heart to Heart Reviews
“Smart, sexy, laugh-out-loud action.”
New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan
Romances by Sandra Hill
The Pirate Bride
Kiss of Temptation
Kiss of Surrender
Kiss of Pride
The Norse King’s Daughter
The Viking Takes a Knight
Viking in Love
Hot & Heavy
Wet & Wild
A Tale of Two Vikings
The Very Virile Viking
The Viking’s Captive (formerly My Fair Viking)
The Blue Viking
Truly, Madly Viking
The Love Potion
The Bewitched Viking
The Last Viking
Sweeter Savage Love
Desperado
Frankly, My Dear
The Tarnished Lady
The Outlaw Viking
The Reluctant Viking
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Excerpt from Kiss of Wrath copyright © 2014 by Sandra Hill
THE PIRATE BRIDE. Copyright © 2013 by Sandra Hill. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition DECEMBER 2013 ISBN: 9780062210456
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-221044-9
FIRST EDITION
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