Free Stranded On Christmas by Rachel Burns Page A

pant my name into my ear. But
otherwise, she hadn't called me by name since last week. We just
weren't comfortable with each other yet.
    I
helped her up onto the tractor again. She was a bit afraid of the
tractor. I could tell. She held on tight the whole way. We lived the
furthest out, so it took us awhile to get home. I left the tractor on
and jumped down.
    “ Jessie,
come here.” I held my arms out wide for her. She shook her head.
She was still holding onto the seat. Was she playing some sort of
game?
    I
let my arms drop and went to open the barn door.
    I
climbed back up to her and drove the tractor into the barn and
parked. Once the tractor was turned off, she let go and hurried to my
side. I jumped down and opened my arms wide again. I caught her when
she moved towards me.
    She
was trying to show good will. I carefully set her down. “Go start
working on lunch.”
    She
took right off.
    I
had to grin. She was a silly city girl. My brave Jessie was too
afraid to move when the tractor was on.
    I
could make allowances for things like that.

Jessica
    I
hurried in and went right to work. First, I lighted the wood in the
oven. This was something that I didn't excel at. Gideon could do it
in a matter of seconds. I needed at least ten minutes.
    I
started peeling potatoes and carrots. He wanted a roast every Sunday.
He had lists for things like this.
    Tomorrow,
I would make a soup with the left over meat and vegetables. I was
getting better at all of this farmwife stuff, slowly but surely. I
guessed that I wouldn't be getting away from him.
    When
the meat was in the oven, I went to the sink to wash my hands. When I
turned to dry them, I saw Gideon standing behind me. I jumped
surprised and let out a small scream. Then I covered up my mouth. I
never knew how he would react.
    I
tried to be quiet and not bug him, but after what happened last week,
everything I did annoyed him.
    He
went to the drawer with the cutting boards. He pulled out one that
was thin and then got thicker towards the handle. Because it had a
handle, I guessed right away what he wanted to do with it. I really
wanted to run, but I had tried that trick on Tuesday and gotten the
worst spanking ever.
    “ Over
the table now.”
    I
lifted up my skirt and pulled down my underwear before I lay over the
table.
    “ I’ll
make this memorable. You will never embarrass me in church again.
Grab onto the edge of the table and don't let go.”
    I
wrapped my finger around the edge and held on tight. He paddled hard
and fast. It didn't take long, and I was stomping my foot on the
floor. I was bucking wildly, but I didn't let go. I was basically
standing next to the table. I tried to lie back down, but he never
took a break, so I couldn't.
    He
was still really going at me. He scolded me, but I couldn't
understand him over my own noises. I wasn't able to take this
quietly.
    I
felt his hand on my shoulder. He was pushing me down. I was shaking
so bad that it hurt. It felt like a seizure.
    Once
he had me lying down, my body slowly started to relax even though I
was sure that he would start in again.
    I
really hated that cutting board, and I would enjoy chopping up the
leftover vegetables on it.
    “ Calm
down, baby. It's okay. Just breathe.” His hand was still on my
shoulder and my panting was slowing down.
    He
was a monster. How I could have ever trusted him and thought that he
was a great guy was impossible to piece together now.
    “ When
you can, see to our lunch.” His hand moved away from my shoulder. I
heard the door and wondered if this was some sort of trick.
    Was
he really finished? What about corner time?
    Why
didn't he just let me go? We just didn't match well together. I would
never be a good homemaker. I was a businesswoman through and through.
    When
I could, I got up and straighten myself up. I saw that I was really
alone in the kitchen. I lifted the heavy pot out of the oven even
though I felt like I was going to pass out. I removed the lid and
basted the meat