Claiming Charity
Lacey Thorn
It's your world...unlaced
It's your world...unlaced
Copyright © Lacey Thorn, 2009
All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Total-E-Bound.
Excerpt from: Claiming Charity
Charity glanced out the cabin window at the growing darkness and prayed for a
miracle. Her older sisters Faith and Hope had both received one so surely God
wouldn’t forget her. But then they had been granted a better chance at escape then
she was. No he wasn’t taking any chances this time around. She had been moved
to the cabin and would soon meet her new roommate, a man that her father had
actually helped to hire. This man was being paid to make sure that she stuck
around until the wedding date. She hoped with all her heart that she would escape
despite the ends they had gone to.
Charity was the middle of the five sisters with Faith and Hope the oldest and
Prudence and Destiny the youngest. Being the middle daughter had been both a
blessing and a curse. She’d been given more free time but she’d often been
overlooked as well. Of course now she would give anything for some actual free
time. And heaven knew that she would love it if her fiancé would overlook her, if
everyone would just forget that she even existed.
Charity walked away from the window back towards the dining table and sat with an
exaggerated sigh on one of the four chairs. Faith had managed to disappear the
night before her wedding. They had heard from her when she was far enough away
to ensure that no one would be coming after her. Faith was happy now with Jake
Daniels. He had fallen for her on one of his many visits to town and then came back
for her when he heard she was to be married. It was so romantic that it made
Charity long for someone like that in her life. It would be fantastic to have someone
just come in and sweep her off her feet. But she had no lost love, no suitor she had
exchanged shy glances with while strolling through town. So there would be no
rescue for her.
Hope had used the festival as a means to escape. She was happy now too though
Charity had no idea where her older sister was. She knew only that she was
travelling with two men who she had met onboard a boat. They were detectives of
some sort and Hope was having the time of her life with them. But Charity saw no
means such as those on her horizon. For one, there was no festival for months to
come. For another, her newly hired roommate was employed to make sure that
such a thing didn’t occur.
Both of her older sisters were happy. Both had escaped the trap that had been laid
for them and found a different life for themselves out in the world. Charity wanted
that for herself as well. She wanted to just be able to go, to leave this small Texas
town behind and not look back. But could she do it? Could she leave her two
younger sisters to experience a similar fate when she couldn’t do it herself? What
could have possibly happened in their lives to bring them all to this place, this
event, this horrible twist of fate? What had she done in her life to deserve this?
She threw her hands out and pounded on the table top. She hated her father for the
situation he had placed her in. It was his doing that had her about to marry a man
way too old for her, a man that repulsed her in every way possible. He was fat and
bald, which wasn’t even the worst of it. No, the worst was his personality, what
there was of it. He reminded her of the toad mother from the tale of Thumbelina.
She hadn’t thought of that childhood story in a long time. Maybe she should pray for
fairy wings and to be the size of a thimble. Maybe she should just finish going crazy
and call it a day. She leaned her head down on her arms and wanted to cry, wanted
to laugh but was far too angry to do either.
So she did the only other thing she could think of. She lifted her head high, arched
her neck and opened her mouth on a piercing shriek that helped relieve some of
the tension she felt. She beat her fisted hands on the table and kicked her feet on
the floor.
“Wow, never really been greeted that way before.”
Charity cut the scream off midstream, stopped flailing around like a mad woman
and turned her head towards the door. There was a rather large man standing in the
cabin doorway. She hadn’t even heard the door open, hadn’t heard the sound of a
vehicle approaching the cabin at all. Perhaps she should have been paying more
attention to her surroundings and a little less energy venting.
He was tall with broad shoulders. His black hair was short on his neck but thick and
full on his head, the lush locks just begging for her to run her fingers through them.
He smiled and there were twin dimples on each side of his very kissable looking
mouth. But it was his eyes that drew her to him. Thick black lashes curved around
the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. His eyes were so bright that she could see
them from where she sat at the table and they were absolutely beautiful. As was
the gorgeous specimen of mankind that stood before her. Maybe God smiled on her
after all. Surely this man was sent to save her, not jail her.
All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Total-E-Bound.
Excerpt from: Claiming Charity
Charity glanced out the cabin window at the growing darkness and prayed for a
miracle. Her older sisters Faith and Hope had both received one so surely God
wouldn’t forget her. But then they had been granted a better chance at escape then
she was. No he wasn’t taking any chances this time around. She had been moved
to the cabin and would soon meet her new roommate, a man that her father had
actually helped to hire. This man was being paid to make sure that she stuck
around until the wedding date. She hoped with all her heart that she would escape
despite the ends they had gone to.
Charity was the middle of the five sisters with Faith and Hope the oldest and
Prudence and Destiny the youngest. Being the middle daughter had been both a
blessing and a curse. She’d been given more free time but she’d often been
overlooked as well. Of course now she would give anything for some actual free
time. And heaven knew that she would love it if her fiancé would overlook her, if
everyone would just forget that she even existed.
Charity walked away from the window back towards the dining table and sat with an
exaggerated sigh on one of the four chairs. Faith had managed to disappear the
night before her wedding. They had heard from her when she was far enough away
to ensure that no one would be coming after her. Faith was happy now with Jake
Daniels. He had fallen for her on one of his many visits to town and then came back
for her when he heard she was to be married. It was so romantic that it made
Charity long for someone like that in her life. It would be fantastic to have someone
just come in and sweep her off her feet. But she had no lost love, no suitor she had
exchanged shy glances with while strolling through town. So there would be no
rescue for her.
Hope had used the festival as a means to escape. She was happy now too though
Charity had no idea where her older sister was. She knew only that she was
travelling with two men who she had met onboard a boat. They were detectives of
some sort and Hope was having the time of her life with them. But Charity saw no
means such as those on her horizon. For one, there was no festival for months to
come. For another, her newly hired roommate was employed to make sure that
such a thing didn’t occur.
Both of her older sisters were happy. Both had escaped the trap that had been laid
for them and found a different life for themselves out in the world. Charity wanted
that for herself as well. She wanted to just be able to go, to leave this small Texas
town behind and not look back. But could she do it? Could she leave her two
younger sisters to experience a similar fate when she couldn’t do it herself? What
could have possibly happened in their lives to bring them all to this place, this
event, this horrible twist of fate? What had she done in her life to deserve this?
She threw her hands out and pounded on the table top. She hated her father for the
situation he had placed her in. It was his doing that had her about to marry a man
way too old for her, a man that repulsed her in every way possible. He was fat and
bald, which wasn’t even the worst of it. No, the worst was his personality, what
there was of it. He reminded her of the toad mother from the tale of Thumbelina.
She hadn’t thought of that childhood story in a long time. Maybe she should pray for
fairy wings and to be the size of a thimble. Maybe she should just finish going crazy
and call it a day. She leaned her head down on her arms and wanted to cry, wanted
to laugh but was far too angry to do either.
So she did the only other thing she could think of. She lifted her head high, arched
her neck and opened her mouth on a piercing shriek that helped relieve some of
the tension she felt. She beat her fisted hands on the table and kicked her feet on
the floor.
“Wow, never really been greeted that way before.”
Charity cut the scream off midstream, stopped flailing around like a mad woman
and turned her head towards the door. There was a rather large man standing in the
cabin doorway. She hadn’t even heard the door open, hadn’t heard the sound of a
vehicle approaching the cabin at all. Perhaps she should have been paying more
attention to her surroundings and a little less energy venting.
He was tall with broad shoulders. His black hair was short on his neck but thick and
full on his head, the lush locks just begging for her to run her fingers through them.
He smiled and there were twin dimples on each side of his very kissable looking
mouth. But it was his eyes that drew her to him. Thick black lashes curved around
the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. His eyes were so bright that she could see
them from where she sat at the table and they were absolutely beautiful. As was
the gorgeous specimen of mankind that stood before her. Maybe God smiled on her
after all. Surely this man was sent to save her, not jail her.