16
BEN
An hour later, I had her at my house. Alone and wed. Reverend Pick was kind enough to keep our quick ceremony a secret, for the pot luck would most assuredly have turned into a wedding reception and I did not wish to spend the afternoon with the townsfolk of Collins. I wanted to spend it with Leah. Alone and in my bed.
"You know I'm scarred," Leah said to me as I held her hand and led her up the stairs and to my--our--bedroom.
I looked over my shoulder at her. Scarred? What had happened to her? She was so small in comparison to my large size that even a minor accident could harm her irreparably.
"You said he didn't beat you."
She shook her head. "Scarred on the inside. Mr. Worth--"
"Ben," I insisted. "My wife should call me Ben."
"Ben, you say you're not like Paul and I beli
