A Ransomed Heart by Alex Taylor Wolfe Read Free Book Online

head and he lowered his face to her neck.
    “Where were you going then? ” he whispered. Oh heavens, she smelled like strawberries and honey and his mouth watered involuntarily.
    “I was…I was…” Her voice was breathy and her little hands slipped into his. His grip had loosened and their hands fell to the side entwined together.
    It took all his willpower to not kiss the fragrant skin beneath her earlobe. “You were what?”
    Her little hands violently hit his chest breaking the spell, and she dashed past him. “I was running away from you!” she shouted as she dashed for the clump of trees. His mind reeled and he grimaced as her hand prints continued to sting on his bare skin.
    “Oh , you vixen,” he shouted and took off after her.             
    Annabelle ran as fast as she could. She hiked her skirts up as high as she dared as she leapt over clumps of sagebrush and skirted around piles of rock. If she could get to the tree she could climb up high enough he wouldn’t be able to get her down. She would stay there till she died of starvation if she had to. Her blood pounded in her veins; not only because of her mad dash across the desert, but because she could still feel Logan’s warm breath on her neck. She had never felt the way she did when he had been so close, but she knew it would be dangerous if she let him stay there any longer. She needed to get away from him as fast as she could.
    Suddenly the wind was knocked out of her as Logan slammed into her back. They both crashed to the ground. Annabelle thrashed around trying to get out from under him but he was much too big. It wasn’t until he hauled her out of the dirt that she saw how angry he was. His own blue eyes were on fire and she could see the firm line of his jaw.
    “That’s how you want to play it , then,” he growled and whirled her around, dragging her toward camp.
    “I won’t go ,” she said, digging her heels into the earth.
    “Oh , yes you will.” With that he hefted her up onto his shoulder.
    She opened her mouth to protest but he smacked her squarely on the rear. When she tried again, he did it again. Two more times she tried to cry out for help and both times his hand made contact with her bottom. Finally she gave up with her rear stung so badly she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to sit down. When they got back to camp, Logan tried to go through the front flap of the tent but it was still tied shut. He swore under his breath and Annabelle was sure he was going rip the door open; instead he swung her off his shoulder and stuffed her under the bottom of the tent. He followed closely behind.
    She stood in the middle of the tent , her hair disheveled and her skirts covered in dirt with sagebrush bits clinging to the threads. Logan slipped a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket and held them up for her to see.
    “Do I need to use these?” His voice was gruff but the anger was gone.
    Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No, I promise to stay put.”
    “I swear I will cuff you to the cot, the saddle horn, and even my belt loop if you give me so much as the smallest problem from here on out, do you understand me?”
    Annabelle dropped her eyes to the floor and nodded her head. She heard him fiddle with the ties on the tent for a moment then he turned back to face her. “Go to bed now, we’re heading out at first light.” Then he was gone.
    In one last act of rebellion she hurried back to the tent flap and securely tied the ties again. Suddenly Bella was too tired to even think and she stumbled to the bed and pulled the blankets, dress, and everything over her tired body. The last thing she remembered was Logan’s lips on her neck.

Chapter 6
     
    “Annie, Annie !” She could hear her mother calling her from outside and smell the bacon and eggs.  It had been months since they had eaten bacon, it wasn’t something they could afford. Her bed was warm, although a little lumpy, but Annabelle didn’t want