The thin cord that kept Sharon's hands tied behind her back dug deeper into her flesh with every jolt of the wagon on the dirt road. She moaned, the sock that had been stuffed into her mouth by the animal that held her captive against her will, muffling her cry.

After her father had conceded to the condition for the cancellation of his debt, she had been hefted -kicking and screaming- like a bag of sack on the man's shoulder, and kicking and thrown into the back of the wagon. But that wasn't enough to keep Sharon still or quiet. And so, in order to restrain and silence her, she had been gagged, and her hands had been tied behind her back.

He was most likely taking her to his home where she would be held captive until the next morning before dragging her to the court house, where they would be pronounced man and wife.

Groaning in frustration, she hit her forehead against the wagon. It would be over her dead body before she is forced to marry him, she thought, slamming her forehead yet again on the wagon. She ignored the pain that reverberated in her skull and kept hitting the wagon until tears blurred her vision, and darkness threatened her body. She would die before she is married to him! She would be buried alive before she is made the wife of a drunken bastard.

"Hey, stop that in there!" He hit the wagon from his position in front.

Ignoring his command, she slammed her head against the wagon yet again -harder this time. The sound of her skin tearing filled her ears as blood began to trickle down her eyes.

"Stop it!" The sound of a whip slicing through the air was immediately followed by the wagon slowing down, before it was pulled to a halt.

She heard him jump down the side of the wagon, his boots crushing rocks underneath as he made his way to the back of the wagon where she laid, barely conscious.

He pushed the curtains that covered the wagon aside, and hissed -most likely at the sight of the blood on her face. "Little whore!"

He reached for her, but she leaned back instead. Begging for death to claim her, before she is claimed by him, she turned to the metal part of the wagon -just as he was about to grab her- and in a show of utter desperation, pulled her eyelids shut, and slammed her head against it.

The last thing she remembered was the sound of her skull cracking, and his angry cursing, before the darkness finally claimed her.

~*~

Matthew frowned, his eyes scanning his father's missive once more. He clenched his teeth once he had finished reading it, and tried not to slam his fist against the table, or any other furniture for that matter.

Surely his father was joking, for that was the only explanation for his silly demands; marriage! In exchange for his share in his grandfather's property, his grandfather had provided in his will that Matthew be married. But Matthew found that part of his grandfather's will quite hard to believe; his grandfather had not been one to give conditions for anything. His father however, was the one who was known to toy with people; to manipulate them into doing what pleased him.

Matthew clamped down on his bottom lip, afraid he'd curse in frustration. His father was toying with him; he was using whatever means possible to withhold Matthew's inheritance, simply because he wanted to maintain control of Matthew. It was a slap to his father's over-the-top ego that he would decide he wanted nothing to do with the family's dairy factory. It was upsetting to his father to think that his son would choose life on a farm, far away from home.

But Matthew needed to leave San Francisco. He needed to leave the home of his controlling father, and to start his own life with the woman of his dreams. He had chosen to leave all of that wealth behind, and to ask the love of his life to marry him, and move to Ferndale with him. Only, the love of his life had wanted his money more than she wanted him. And, knowing she wouldn't be getting the life of luxury she had expected due to his decision to walk away from his father, she had turned down his proposal.

Rising to his feet, Matthew ran his fingers through his hair. He did not want to dwell on thoughts of Gretchen, or his father. For all he knew, Gretchen was now happily married somewhere. Perhaps she found a wealthy business man to be with? It was certainly better than being with a nearly bankrupt farmer.

Matthew knew he could plead with his father for some money, but he also knew that was exactly what his father wanted; his father wanted him to crawl back to San Francisco on his hands and knees and beg. It was either that, or conceding to his grandfather's request of finding a wife before coming into his inheritance.

Unfortunately for him however, he had just one week to get the money. He owed his farmhands hundreds of dollars in wages and fearing they would desert him, had promised to pay them within a week. He had only been foolish enough to make such a promise because at the time, he believed he could fall back on his inheritance. The unfortunate turn of events meant that he had only a week to find a wife.

He was stuck between the devil -his controlling father- and the deep, fiery sea -his grandfather's will.

Still, as he considered it, he thought the fiery sea held more hope of his escape. If he gave in to his grandfather's request and found a wife in a week, perhaps he would actually learn to love his new bride? Going on his knees and begging his father for help was not an option Matthew was willing to consider. Yet, he could not afford to lose his farmhands; the farm was on the verge of death, and they had already lost the entire harvest the year before to pests. He needed the money for the new planting season, and he needed the extra help as well.

Deciding to marry, Matthew slumped back on the chair in his study, and ran his hands down his face, knowing full well that he had no idea where he was going to find a woman willing to marry a near broke farmer before the end of the week.