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Sarah heard her gasp.
 Oh, my God. Faith gently put Sarah s leg down, sat back on
her heels, and dropped her shaking hands into her lap. Sarah s eyes
flew open, and the two sat staring at each other. Faith s lips moved,
and then she spoke.  You re Bren Cordell. At first, I was struck with
how familiar you and Scott both seemed. But you skirted my
questions, and I began to think the idea preposterous. It s been a long
time, and you look and sound very different from the Bren Cordell I
remember. But you re Bren.
 Don t be ridiculous. Sarah struggled to sound haughty, but she
was having such a hard time speaking that her voice was raspy.  Just
because I have an old leg injury, you think I m someone you knew?
She reached up to the banister and pulled herself erect.
Faith slowly stood, too.  No, that s not it. I know who you are
because you have a heart-shaped mole right next to your old wound. I
dreamed about that leg for months. I couldn t possibly forget it.
 All right. I ll not deny it. I m Bren Cordell. So what? Sarah s
emotions plummeted from fever hot to ice cold in a matter of
seconds, and she shivered.
 So what happened to you? I tried for months to find out where
the soldiers had taken you. No one knew anything. You could have
dropped off the face of the earth.
 In a manner of speaking, I did. Bitterness drenched Sarah s
words.  What did you care?
 I was worried about you.
186
THE WAR BETWEEN THE HEARTS
Sarah limped forward two steps until she stood face-to-face with
Faith. Her words slashed out like rapiers.  Maybe you should have
thought of that before you betrayed me.
 Betrayed you? Faith s eyes widened and clouded.  But I
didn t  A stinging slap snapped her head back, and a spot of blood
showed on her bottom lip.
 Don t lie to me! Sarah shook with fury.  The soldiers said it
was you.
Faith raised her hands, palms-outward, as if to ward off another
blow.  They made a mistake. I never told anyone. I swear it.
 You knew I was there, Benjamin knew, and the doctor knew.
Faith flinched as Sarah reached up and grabbed several of her curls.
 They said  the redhead told them. Which one of you three has red
hair? Sarah winced as she saw resignation come into Faith s face. In
her heart, she had hoped she was wrong. This seeming
acknowledgement was additional proof of Faith s treachery, and it
enraged her.
She let go of the hair and stepped closer, crowding Faith toward
the wall.  Do you know what you betrayed me into? Why you
couldn t find out anything about me? Faith took a step back and
stopped, but Sarah kept coming. She bumped Faith against the wall
with her body as her voice pitched lower and thickened.  Those
bastards hauled me into the woods, stripped me naked, and tied me to
the ground. Oh, and don t let me forget, their leader kicked my
broken leg the one with the heart-shaped mole and it has never
healed properly. She bumped Faith again, hard.  All three of them
forced themselves on me. Forced themselves on me! She saw Faith s
face blanch with shock and tears well in her eyes.
Hoarse now, Sarah breathed hard as her voice hammered at
Faith.  You see these scars? She grabbed Faith s hand and rubbed
the palm across the rippled skin on her face. Grimacing, she shoved it
up to the depression in the side of her forehead where she had been
struck by the bullet.  Feel them? They re also a legacy from you.
When they finished with me, the bastards put a musket to my head
and shot me. They left me for dead.
When Sarah released her grasp, Faith s hand still rested on her
face. Tears ran freely down Faith s cheeks.  Oh, Sarah, I had no idea
such terrible things had happened to you. I am so, so sorry. I wouldn t
have hurt you for the world. Her hand caressed Sarah s ravaged face,
her fingers gently touching the scars.
187
NANN DUNNE
The chance to voice her torment to the woman responsible had
some cathartic value to Sarah, purging some of her bitterness, but not
all. She knew Faith hadn t intended for such evil to befall her. That
part she could forgive. What she balked at forgiving was the act of
betrayal, which robbed her of ever being able to trust Faith again.
Eventually, the bitterness would dissolve, but that lack of trust would
never disappear.
As her torrent of accusations came to a halt, Sarah suddenly
became very conscious that her body was pushed up against Faith s.
As though a dam had given way, a strong wave of desire flooded
through her. Her knees weakened, and she put her hands on Faith s
waist to keep from falling. In the light from the kitchen, she saw
Faith s eyes darken and her lips part. Sarah couldn t keep her head
from lowering toward such temptation, but she hesitated as a terrible
truth shrieked through her mind. She s going to marry Phillip!
Once again, the other woman s response staggered her.
Faith s hand slid from Sarah s temple toward the back of her
head. At the same time, Faith lifted her lower arm and encircled
Sarah s neck. With a tug, she pulled herself up toward Sarah s
descending lips. The movement burned through Sarah s thin
nightshift like a tinder strike on dry twigs, setting both women afire.
Sarah wrapped her arms around Faith s waist and splayed her
fingers across Faith s hips as their mouths met in a hard, demanding
fusion of need. Sarah s arms jerked, slamming their hips together, and
both women moaned. Sarah tasted the blood her blow had drawn
from Faith s lip, and its presence was like a slap to her own face. She
broke off the kiss and looked down at the woman she held in her
arms, the woman she had dreamed about for so long with no real hope
of ever holding her. The woman who was promised to Phillip.
Promised to Phillip. Sarah closed her eyes. She couldn t fight the
tears any longer. She let them come.
Faith loosened her arms and ran her fingers up the back of
Sarah s head. When Sarah s eyes closed, Faith pulled her head down
and kissed the tears from her cheeks. She very gently kissed Sarah s
lips . . . again . . . and again, until Sarah responded, and they fell into
a sweet, heart-clenching exploration. Emotions unleashed, Sarah
couldn t fight any longer. She surrendered to the sensations tumbling
through her. Finally, she and Faith ended the kiss and stood there for
a while with their arms clasped around one another, each lost in her
own thoughts.
188
THE WAR BETWEEN THE HEARTS
Sounds of the front door opening and voices raised in happy
chatter alerted them that the others had returned. Sarah took a
shuddering breath and let her arms drop. As Faith released her hold,
Sarah stepped back and said,  I have to go. She turned to start up the
steps.
 We need to talk, Sarah, Faith said in a low voice. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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