Free A Reluctant Bride by Kathleen Fuller Page A

have her. Any man would.
    Aden ground his back teeth. His father, and now his brother, were both deciding her future. Did they even have the right to do this?
    Then again, who dared defy Bishop Troyer?
    Before Sol could say anything else, Aden fled the room. He had to warn Sadie. He had no idea what he would say, but he couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
    He couldn’t allow Sadie’s worst nightmare to come true.

    Sol’s head pounded as he pulled on his trousers, barely noticing as Aden ran out the door. Marriage to Sadie Schrock. He had to let that sink into his hangover-addled brain. He was having a hard time comprehending it. He had liked her at one time—a lot, more than he’d liked any girl in their district. She had a unique beauty that he’d found irresistible when he was eighteen. Yet anytime he tried to show her the slightest bit of friendliness, she’d barely acknowledged him. When she did, she always cut him with irritated glances and caustic frowns. He could have any girl he wanted, and more than a couple had definitely let him know they were willing. But unlike those other girls, Sadie had acted like she was above him. Like his existence on earth annoyed her.
    He’d wanted to teach her a lesson that day in the cornfield. He’d been drinking that afternoon too. Homemade beer, which had been easy to get from his friend Jalon, whose father had been making his own beer for years. When he saw Sadie walking on the side of the road, alone, he reacted. He had only wanted a kiss, but once his lips had touched hers, something shifted in his mind and body, and he suddenly wanted more.
    He’d sensed her repulsion as he kissed her. Felt her fighting against him. She didn’t want him even though he was the bishop’s son. She looked down on him like he was horse manure on the sole of her shoe. And when she kneed him and left him curled up in agony on the ground, any romantic interest in her disappeared.
    He shook his aching head at the irony that his father thought marriage between him and Sadie Schrock was a good idea. The only person who would benefit would be Daed . He knew exactly what his father’s true reasons were for arranging a marriage with Sadie. He was the only one who knew.
    Sol let out a long breath. This wasn’t what he’d envisioned for his future. Then again, his future had been bleak for so long, he didn’t dare look very far ahead. Getting through each day was an accomplishment.
    A thought occurred to him, making him pause in the middle of slipping on a black sock. Marrying Sadie meant he would be free . At least somewhat free—until his father got what he wanted out of the arrangement. Even after that he would still owe loyalty to his father, but as a member of the congregation. Not as a son trapped in a situation—in a family—he was desperate to escape.
    He finished putting on his socks as he heard his father’s approaching footsteps on the stairs. He couldn’t afford to think about Sadie except as a means to an end—and he refused to feel guilty about it. When the door opened, he stood and met his father’s steady gaze, ignoring the pulsing throb in his head. He smoothed his hands over his hair and tried to look presentable and not like he’d been on a night-long bender and slept part of it off in a grassy field.
    â€œSolomon,” his father said as he entered the room. He closed the door and faced him, his nose wrinkling as he took an audible breath. His look traveled from Sol’s head down to his feet, then back up again.
    He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. Sol could see every thought in his eyes. The disappointment. The derision. The repulsion. What he’d never seen from his father was caring, or compassion, or love. He used to crave that from him and would do anything Daed asked to try to gain it—even if it meant destroying his relationship with his brother. But