Hello Fans of IR Romance! This is a copy of a post from one of member/ authors. Check it out!
"This is a scene from my book after the main characters in Murder Along Burley Creek kill their owner and escape. I Believe it shows love, determination, and fear. Enjoy
As we ran into the forest I swore I could hear the sounds of dogs barking from a distance and I sprinkled and few pinches of pepper along the ground. Scared and determined we pushed on for days which soon turned into weeks and the nights became colder. With the temperature starting to change we needed thicker clothes and shelter because the fury of Mother Nature was becoming cold and abusive. Along with the freezing temperatures and a poor diet the terrain was also much more traitorous. No matter where we went there was some sort of hill or mountain that showed us no mercy and slowed down our progress. I was somewhat used to the ware and tare but Ernestine was not, and the constant exposure to the elements took its toll and her body. At first it was just a cough, but it quickly turned into a fever. Despite an apparent illness she was stubborn and pigheaded and kept moving forward without the proper rest. She had been raised in the house, but Ernestine was clearly a fighter until she finally collapsed. The outside temperatures had to be in the 30’s, but her skin was like fire. Not knowing what to do I picked her up and placed her along a tree and since I wasn’t a doctor all I could do was make sure she was comfortable as I recited the Lord’s Prayer until my jaws became frozen and my teeth chattered. With each passing moment fear and doubt started to creep further into my mind. I needed to think of a plan to get us out of this, but I was so worried and cold I couldn’t concentrate. After burning up for several hours the sweat on Ernestine’s body was starting to freeze, so I held her even tighter until she stopped shivering. Throughout the day I picked up her icy hands, and cuffed them inside of mine and doused them with the warm air from my lungs. She had lost so much weight that her ring easily fell off. Delirious and losing her faculties Ernestine no longer had control of her bladder and was mumbling to herself as I rocked her back and forth. Covered in urine and starving, I was willing to accept death along with my bride to be as I leaned my head up against the tree and looked towards the heavens. After praying for forgiveness I looked down at Ernestine and kissed her forehead like I always did before I snuggled my back against the massive oak tree. When Ernestine stopped breathing I was going to take my own life by cutting my wrist, so we would always be together. That night death couldn’t come fast enough as the cold howling winds kept punching me in the face. Tired of the invisible assault I wiggled our bodies to the south side of the tree, but the wind was persistent and continued its abuse. Trying to stay calm I stared at Ernestine’s ring and wished for one more opportunity to save her life and mine when I suddenly dropped it. As I picked the ring up the hairs inside of my nose were tickled by something familiar. With both my nostrils I inhaled once again and could smell the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread. With our lives on the line I placed Ernestine’s left arm around my neck and with all of my might along with the power of God, I picked her up and started walking. For nearly a mile I carried Earnestine in my arms with the wind beating down on me until I reached a small wooden cabin. I carefully placed Ernestine down so I could take a closer look. As I peered through the trees I could see a small boy in the front yard chopping wood with an ax that was clearly too big for him. Not only was the ax heavy and awkward, but the blade was also dull. Except for my trips into town I knew very little about the outside world, but I was smart enough to know that chopping wood in weather like this was way too difficult for a child who couldn’t be more than ten years old. While watching the boy I noticed a woman caring for the animals and wondered what kind of man would force their wife and son to tend to the land unless there was no man at all. After watching from a distance I decided to grab the boy and hold him hostage. As long as I had control of the boy I would have control over his mother. With no time to waste I quietly moved closer to the boy. Each time the ax came down I used the echoes of the wood to mask the sounds of my footsteps. Cold, tired and frustrated the sandy haired boy had no idea that I was only a couple of steps behind him and in a few seconds he would be in my grasp. As I got within 10 feet a cough from the brush startled him and forced him to turn around. “Shhh, I’m not going to hurt you,” I said as I placed my finger across my lips, but instead of being quiet he broke into a high piercing scream that sounded more like a women then a little boy. Instinctively and right fully so he began swinging the ax until his tiny arms could no longer handle the weight. With one last heave he threw it in my direction and ran towards his mother who was already running towards him. Once in her arms she pulled out a pistol that was cleverly concealed underneath her skirt. With the confidence of a trained killer and the motivation of a scared mother she quickly cocked the hammer of the Navy Colt that stopped me dead in my tracks. “I don’t mean you any harm, but my wife is sick,” I said with both of my hands up in the air. “I don’t see any woman,” she replied with the pistol still focused on my chest. “Shoot him Mommy, shoot him,” screamed the boy who wanted to be the judge and jury and his mother the executioner. “You hush,” she shouted back. She clearly loved her little boy, but this was not the time or place for his constant jibber jabber, and she needed to concentrate. He was old enough to cut wood, but too young to understand the complexity of the situation and what killing a man really meant. “I can go get her,” I said because I was desperate for help, and I didn’t have time to argue or fight. I could also tell by her facial expression that she just wanted me off of her land, and didn’t want to share in my burdens. But she could hear the urgency in my voice and the panic in my eyes. “If you do anything stupid I swear to God I will blow your head off,” she said with an evil stare. Believing it was not the first time she held a gun in her hand, and by the looks of her old warn out shoes and clothing she was no stranger to manual labor. With the gun still pointed at my back I quickly ran into the brush and grabbed Ernestine. As I made my way back onto the property the boy and his mother were gone. Feeling tired and betrayed I dropped to me knees, and started to cry because I had no more strength to move on or take care of the woman I loved. As the tiny droplets fell from my eyes I had forgotten how salty they were and couldn’t remember the last time they had flowed so freely. When all hope seemed lost the front door reopened, and the woman and her son walked out. “Let’s bring her inside,” said the woman who was now taking pity on us. Unable to pick Ernestine up I grabbed both of her arms and dragged her inside."
"This is a scene from my book after the main characters in Murder Along Burley Creek kill their owner and escape. I Believe it shows love, determination, and fear. Enjoy
As we ran into the forest I swore I could hear the sounds of dogs barking from a distance and I sprinkled and few pinches of pepper along the ground. Scared and determined we pushed on for days which soon turned into weeks and the nights became colder.
With the temperature starting to change we needed thicker clothes and shelter because the fury of Mother Nature was becoming cold and abusive. Along with the freezing temperatures and a poor diet the terrain was also much more traitorous. No matter where we went there was some sort of hill or mountain that showed us no mercy and slowed down our progress. I was somewhat used to the ware and tare but Ernestine was not, and the constant exposure to the elements took its toll and her body.
At first it was just a cough, but it quickly turned into a fever. Despite an apparent illness she was stubborn and pigheaded and kept moving forward without the proper rest. She had been raised in the house, but Ernestine was clearly a fighter until she finally collapsed. The outside temperatures had to be in the 30’s, but her skin was like fire. Not knowing what to do I picked her up and placed her along a tree and since I wasn’t a doctor all I could do was make sure she was comfortable as I recited the Lord’s Prayer until my jaws became frozen and my teeth chattered.
With each passing moment fear and doubt started to creep further into my mind. I needed to think of a plan to get us out of this, but I was so worried and cold I couldn’t concentrate. After burning up for several hours the sweat on Ernestine’s body was starting to freeze, so I held her even tighter until she stopped shivering. Throughout the day I picked up her icy hands, and cuffed them inside of mine and doused them with the warm air from my lungs. She had lost so much weight that her ring easily fell off.
Delirious and losing her faculties Ernestine no longer had control of her bladder and was mumbling to herself as I rocked her back and forth. Covered in urine and starving, I was willing to accept death along with my bride to be as I leaned my head up against the tree and looked towards the heavens. After praying for forgiveness I looked down at Ernestine and kissed her forehead like I always did before I snuggled my back against the massive oak tree.
When Ernestine stopped breathing I was going to take my own life by cutting my wrist, so we would always be together. That night death couldn’t come fast enough as the cold howling winds kept punching me in the face.
Tired of the invisible assault I wiggled our bodies to the south side of the tree, but the wind was persistent and continued its abuse. Trying to stay calm I stared at Ernestine’s ring and wished for one more opportunity to save her life and mine when I suddenly dropped it. As I picked the ring up the hairs inside of my nose were tickled by something familiar. With both my nostrils I inhaled once again and could smell the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread.
With our lives on the line I placed Ernestine’s left arm around my neck and with all of my might along with the power of God, I picked her up and started walking. For nearly a mile I carried Earnestine in my arms with the wind beating down on me until I reached a small wooden cabin. I carefully placed Ernestine down so I could take a closer look. As I peered through the trees I could see a small boy in the front yard chopping wood with an ax that was clearly too big for him. Not only was the ax heavy and awkward, but the blade was also dull.
Except for my trips into town I knew very little about the outside world, but I was smart enough to know that chopping wood in weather like this was way too difficult for a child who couldn’t be more than ten years old. While watching the boy I noticed a woman caring for the animals and wondered what kind of man would force their wife and son to tend to the land unless there was no man at all.
After watching from a distance I decided to grab the boy and hold him hostage. As long as I had control of the boy I would have control over his mother. With no time to waste I quietly moved closer to the boy. Each time the ax came down I used the echoes of the wood to mask the sounds of my footsteps. Cold, tired and frustrated the sandy haired boy had no idea that I was only a couple of steps behind him and in a few seconds he would be in my grasp. As I got within 10 feet a cough from the brush startled him and forced him to turn around.
“Shhh, I’m not going to hurt you,” I said as I placed my finger across my lips, but instead of being quiet he broke into a high piercing scream that sounded more like a women then a little boy. Instinctively and right fully so he began swinging the ax until his tiny arms could no longer handle the weight. With one last heave he threw it in my direction and ran towards his mother who was already running towards him.
Once in her arms she pulled out a pistol that was cleverly concealed underneath her skirt. With the confidence of a trained killer and the motivation of a scared mother she quickly cocked the hammer of the Navy Colt that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“I don’t mean you any harm, but my wife is sick,” I said with both of my hands up in the air.
“I don’t see any woman,” she replied with the pistol still focused on my chest.
“Shoot him Mommy, shoot him,” screamed the boy who wanted to be the judge and jury and his mother the executioner.
“You hush,” she shouted back. She clearly loved her little boy, but this was not the time or place for his constant jibber jabber, and she needed to concentrate. He was old enough to cut wood, but too young to understand the complexity of the situation and what killing a man really meant.
“I can go get her,” I said because I was desperate for help, and I didn’t have time to argue or fight. I could also tell by her facial expression that she just wanted me off of her land, and didn’t want to share in my burdens. But she could hear the urgency in my voice and the panic in my eyes.
“If you do anything stupid I swear to God I will blow your head off,” she said with an evil stare. Believing it was not the first time she held a gun in her hand, and by the looks of her old warn out shoes and clothing she was no stranger to manual labor. With the gun still pointed at my back I quickly ran into the brush and grabbed Ernestine.
As I made my way back onto the property the boy and his mother were gone. Feeling tired and betrayed I dropped to me knees, and started to cry because I had no more strength to move on or take care of the woman I loved. As the tiny droplets fell from my eyes I had forgotten how salty they were and couldn’t remember the last time they had flowed so freely. When all hope seemed lost the front door reopened, and the woman and her son walked out.
“Let’s bring her inside,” said the woman who was now taking pity on us. Unable to pick Ernestine up I grabbed both of her arms and dragged her inside."