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    Bare Christmas
    Bare Christmas
    Bare Christmas
    Ebook93 pages1 hour

    Bare Christmas

    By N Kuhn

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Penny's husband was abusive. She's trying to retake her life while dealing with the fact that she murdered him. Dodge is a strong silent Texas Ranger who wants to save her. Now someone is threatening to get her back for what happened to her husband though she was cleared of charges. Can Dodge help Penny over come her fear of men? Can he protect and love her enough that she can move on with her life? How can a battered wife trust again? Catch up with Mitch and Kelli and follow Dodge's story in Bare Christmas.

    *Please note, this story contains domestic violence which may not be suitable for some readers. Half of the proceeds from this book will be donated to my local Domestic Violence agencies. For more information on domestic violence or if you know someone being abused, you can check out this website for ways to help. http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth.php

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherN Kuhn
    Release dateNov 9, 2014
    ISBN9781502272898
    Bare Christmas
    Author

    N Kuhn

    N Kuhn grew up in a small town in Western New York. Having spent her afternoons outside or with a book, she grew up with a love of reading and writing. Her mother and grandmother fully encouraged this in her. Many years later, after a husband and children, she made a promise to her dying grandmother to fulfill her dream of being an author. Her grandmother lived to see N's name in print. This was a turning moment for her. Driven by ambition and a promise made, she has since published several titles including the Mohawk Trilogy, Tucked In, Buffalo Rocker and the Tricks series. N Kuhn has several other books that will be out later this year. When she's not writing, she is in college for a Business degree, runs her blog, bartends and promotes for other authors. Family and coffee are her two staples in life.

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      Book preview

      Bare Christmas - N Kuhn

      Chapter 1 – Penny

      Holly Decoration by wirelizard - A holly leaf & berries, stylized, for Christmas/holiday decoration. Based off of an old letterpress printer's decoration seen on the internet.

      Gravel flies, kicking up to hit the mailbox as I hear his tires squeal to a stop in our driveway. The pinging rocks usually indicate he’s been drinking. The door bangs open thirty seconds later. He’s drunk. I just know it. I keep trying to cut up the chicken, hoping to get dinner underway to avoid a fight.

      It smells like a man in here Pen. Who have you been fucking in my house? Shaking, I almost cut my finger.

      Donnie, baby, I’m making dinner. It’s your favorite, Chicken Alfredo. I’ve been here all day decorating for Christmas. I can only hope that explaining my day to him will calm his temper, if it doesn’t work then this night won’t end well. His heavy footsteps echo throughout the house as he comes into the kitchen. He presses his pelvis into my back, and grinds his erection into me. Bile rises in my stomach. There used to be a time when that turned me on. Now it just raised the level of fear I feel. His hand wraps around my arm, spinning me to face him. His fist slams into my stomach and I bend over gasping for air.

      I know you had someone in here. I can smell him all over you, he screams in my face, spittle landing on my face. Donnie came home drunk again and I’m his favorite punching bag. The same cycle for the last year. Nights like these, I wish that Kelli Smith had never existed. If she never lived in Concan, Mitch Calhoun would have been dating me, not her and I wouldn’t be dealing with this life.

      Donald Williams was not my choice; he was picked by my father. The ever esteemed Mayor Miller decided he knew who would be the best husband for me. At the time, I thought I was in love. I felt like Donnie completed me. We were inseparable. For a year, things were good. Things were great until Donnie’s brother Lyle started spending time with him. As soon as he was voted onto the Council, Lyle latched on to his brother. Then came the drinking and the drugs and the beatings. Before the drugs, Donnie would have never treated me this way.  I don’t know what he’s taking, but I know he won’t give them up and at this point I don’t think it would matter anyways. Unfortunately my dear father picked an asshole. When I tried to tell him what Donald does to me, he chastised me and told me not to create a scandal. My mother told me that a good Politician’s wife just keeps quiet and deals with their indiscretions. Just because Donald is on the city council, doesn’t make him a real politician. It’s my father who’s afraid of scandal because he endorsed Donald.

      The water on the stove begins boiling over, but Donnie ignores it. I slowly straighten back up and toss my short blonde hair out of my eyes. I miss my long locks, but I don’t miss being dragged around by them. Not that my short hair stops him, it’s just less painful. There are only a few days left before Christmas and I spent the day decorating and trying to prepare dinner.  I hoped it would make him happy, apparently he thought I was up to more than cooking. His eyes are almost entirely black, gone is the bright blue I fell in love with. His mouth snarls, teeth bared. His face looks more like a monster than a human. His cheeks redden with anger, the brown hair that’s normally neatly gelled into place is falling over his eyes. I have to wonder what besides alcohol he has in his system. He takes another swing and catches me in the face. Pain explodes as I feel the sickening crunch of cartilage in my nose. Blood immediately drips down my face. I learned long ago to not cry, it only makes him angrier. The taste of blood fills my mouth. I try to scramble away, pushing past him. As I run towards the door, his fingers latch onto my hair, pulling me backwards. I land flat on my back on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.

      ––––––––

      I can’t live like this anymore. If I can only get outside, get to the neighbors, I can call for help. The Sheriff, he has to believe me. I’m covered in blood, my nose is broken. A few punches here and there were bad, but this is worse than what Donnie normally does. This is bad. All I can keep thinking is that if I can’t get out of this house, I’m going to die. He straddles me, wrapping his meaty fingers around my throat. He shakes me so hard that my head bounces off the floor. My vision starts to blur.

      Please, Donnie, I beg, my voice raspy, Please don’t kill me. I’m sorry. I’ll be better.

      I told you to stop fucking men in my house while I’m out working. I can smell the cigarettes in the air. I pay the bills around here. You’re nothing without me. You think your daddy will have you back? Telling him that he was the one smoking in here does nothing, and normally I wouldn’t try. He’ll just ignore me and it makes it worse. He stands up and pulls me to my feet. Donnie shoves me flying into the kitchen counter.

      If I survive this I’m done, I can’t do this anymore. I’ve been taking measures to run for a while now. I’ve been working secretly online doing customer service for the phone company, it’s easy because I can do it while he’s at work and still be home. I’ve been stashing my money and clothes away where he can’t find them. Donnie grabs my cell phone from the counter near the sink and smashes it to pieces on the floor.

      Can’t call your boyfriend now, huh? He smiles at me wickedly and it turns my stomach. Thankfully I have a second phone he doesn’t know about. I shake my head, trying to get him to understand I’m not screwing anyone. The rage is all over his face. My blood is covering his white button down shirt. As he raises his arms to hit me again, buttons pop off, exposing his chest. Donnie has always been muscular. But the more drugs he’s done, the thinner and more defined he’s become. He’s transformed into a monster.

      My voice is shaky with fear, but I need to

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