Free Harnessed Passions by Dee Jones Page A

were to approach her again?
    Too many questions and too many feelings
began to drift through her mind, all demanding her immediate
respect and attention. Images and fantasies she had not had since
she and Heather would dream of the future as children began to
emerge inside her mind. Thoughts of acts she had only heard of,
actions she wasn’t sure if she were capable of carrying through
with, all flooded around her at once. Suddenly the idea of leaving
Kentucky was no longer the first image that came to mind when she
thought of the ranch. Putting distance between her and this
handsome, seductive man was the last thing she wanted.
    The mere consideration of leaving made her
chest feel heavy and her eyes fill with unshed tears; though she
wasn’t sure why. Daniel Browning was her father’s lawyer; an
employee. Even entertaining the notion of being with him was
absurd. It would never work out, not in a million years. What would
the society gossips say? What would her father say?
    With a heavy sigh, Julia stood again on very
shaky legs, walking quietly into the house. The desire of finding
her mother to apologize was no longer conscious, as she made her
way to her pink room. Closing the door tightly she lay in the
middle of the lace surrounding her bed and closed her eyes. She
could still feel the pressure of his lips against hers, even as she
pressed a shaky finger to them. Pulling her pillow from beneath her
head, Julia pressed it against her face. If only things were
different…if only he were not her father’s lawyer.

    That night, Victor Turner drew his last
breath. He left the world peacefully, with a soft grin curving his
thin, aged lips. He had departed this life he built for himself and
his family exactly as he always said he would; with his beloved
Louise, lying beside him.

Chapter Four
    The sun shone bright through the pink pleats
covering the glass windowpanes. Julia groaned at the light, pulling
the covers over her head, burying her face deeper into her pillow.
It was barely six o'clock in the morning and already proving to be
a dreadful day. Soon her mother would knock on the hall door, just
as she had when she was late getting up as a child. The only
difference now was, she was not a child and this was not a school
day. Even the prospect of a day with Mrs. Hodgeworth would have
been preferable to what lie ahead for her.
    Slowly, she surrendered reluctantly in
defeat, throwing back the blankets and sat up. It would be best if
she were ready when her mother awoke, or at the very least dressed.
She rubbed her red swollen eyes with the heel of her palms,
swinging her legs off the side of the bed. She stretched her arms
above her head and groaned as her sore muscles pulled and tensed
across her shoulders and neck. Leaving the warmth of her bed, she
padded barefoot across the soft pink carpet to her private wash
closet.
    Bridget had been in a short time ago,
filling the tub with hot water and scented oils, laying out her
expensive lavender soap and a soft towel. Julia slipped out of her
nightgown with a shiver, more from anticipation than the morning
chill and stepped into the tub, sinking beneath the surface. The
hot water stung her tender flesh and smelled like a pool of
steaming flowers, easing her torment and anxieties to a tolerable
degree.
    She drew a deep breath, sinking beneath the
water, allowing it to momentarily engulf her in its warmth.
Memories began to filter back into her mind, threatening to take
over her serenity and awake the grief and tears that had been her
soul mate the last few days. With a shake of her head to block the
images from taking hold again, she vigorously scrubbed her legs and
arms then washed her hair and stood up out of the water, wiping the
scented moisture from her face. She stepped back into the chilly
room, squeezing the water from her long dark tresses with the thick
towel before wrapping it around her delicate frame and padding her
way back into her pink room.
    She stood in