Free Mountain Devil by Sue Lyndon

father had regarded her with suspicion for most of the night, especially after she’d insisted she didn’t know the full name of her rescuer. “His first name was Steve, but he never told me his last name,” she’d said.
    Calling off the wedding now would only expose her lies. And the only job she had lined up would put her in contact with Brandon and his family on a daily basis. Marrying Brandon seemed like the only option, short of running away again.
    As she drifted to sleep, Ella thought of Ed Peters.
    Besides missing him terribly, her heart was broken beyond repair at his hands.
    His hands…
    She thought of his hands and the conflicting emotions that each spanking had conjured. Though she’d been initially outraged that a stranger would do such a thing, the idea was no longer angering. If Ed was here right now, he would punish her for each lie, absolving her sins and giving her the forgiveness she longed to feel.
    Dreading Saturday and each day to come after that, Ella tossed and turned through the long night.
    The next morning, Brandon was waiting downstairs, looking as smug as ever.

    “Your parents went into the office for a few hours,” he said, pouring her a cup of coffee.
    Ella nodded and buried her face behind the large cup, wishing she could just disappear. If only she’d never accepted Brandon Andrews’s marriage proposal in the first place. Why hadn’t she been strong enough to say no ?
    “I was thinking we could head up to Deep Creek today,” he said, crossing his legs.
    “OK, sounds good.” Their parents owned cabins on the lake there, built side by side ten years ago after a particularly lucrative business deal.
    “We can take the boat out all day,” he said, standing to reach the newspaper. Ella noticed her face on the front page under the title, “Emerson-Andrews Wedding Rescheduled.” She cringed and felt like throwing up.
    “I’ll go get ready,” she said, her heart pounding.
    Ed Peters didn’t live far from the Deep Creek area.
    Ella had been blindfolded on the way there, but not on the way back. They’d passed the exit to the cabins on the way to Catoctin. Being even thirty minutes away from Ed Peters was too close, but Ella couldn’t let Brandon know that.
    The next few days would pass slowly and painfully, and Ed Peters would fade in the memory of Mrs. Andrews. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe the memory of him would remain a raw wound in her heart forever. Ella took another sip of coffee, and wished she was someone else.

    * * *

    “Boss, I heard you didn’t take the reward. The newspaper was pretty vague and said the man who found Ella Emerson was named Steve ,” said Randy.
    Ed’s hand tightened over the phone. “No, I didn’t take the reward. But I do appreciate all the help you gave me this weekend, Randy.”
    “Something wrong, boss?”
    “No, things are fine, Randy,” Ed lied. “I’ll call you in a few days. I’m sure there will be something I need your help with by then.”
    Ed hung up, but beat the phone against the wall repeatedly before tossing the receiver across the room. Just minutes ago, he’d read the newspaper article. Emerson-Andrews Wedding Rescheduled . Ella had lied about running away and now she was going to marry Brandon Andrews anyway.
    The dossier about her fiancé was still on Ed’s desk. Brandon had a record with serious charges, all of them dropped or expunged. Ed hadn’t spoken of the dossier to Ella, so whether she knew about his crimes was an unknown.
    She had to know and he had to tell her. Even if she wasn’t with him, she couldn’t marry Brandon Andrews. Her life would be ruined.
    Retrieving the phone, Ed dialed the Emerson home, picturing Ella inside the beautiful brick mansion. He hung up immediately after a man answered. Then Ed dialed Ella’s cell phone number, as found in Randy’s dossier. To his surprise, she answered.
    “Hello?” Ella’s voice was a breath of fresh air, despite her sad tone.
    “Ella, this is