part of the establishment. As if I give a fuck. "I understand, Pastor. I really don't mind. I did a bad thing. I know that in time, the ankle monitor will be removed."
Pastor Jack Kenny gave him another shoulder clap, and then they both turned as the door opened and two guards, followed by a technician, entered the room.
George had every faith that given a bit of time he would be able to remove this stupid ankle monitor himself. He'd figure it out, and then wear it until the time was right to rid himself of it.
It suited George to let everyone believe he'd been cowed. He'd spent the last ten years behind bars, because he'd been pushed to his limit by that faithless Jezebel. Carolyn was his, given to him by God. No one had a right to take her away from him, or to deny his dominion over her - not even the woman herself.
When she'd run away, he'd lost control of his temper, and in a moment's rage, imagined that whore, the one who lived next door, was his Carolyn. He'd taken her the way a master takes a slave, the way a man takes his woman, his property.
He hadn't killed the whore. He'd only used her. He still really didn't understand why he'd had to stay in prison for so long a time just for that. Oh, he played the role of penitent to the hilt, but of course he hadn't meant it. As far as he was concerned, what he'd done was nothing worthy of punishment.
He'd learned some valuable lessons in the process, however, and he couldn't wait to put what he'd learned into practice.
He'd be away from this prison, finally, in just a few more minutes. He would continue with his charade and then, when the door to the pathetic room he'd been assigned was closed, he would begin his search.
Once he found her, once he understood where she was and what she was doing, he would act.
He would punish Carolyn for leaving him, punish her until she was pure again. And then he would teach her the proper way to honor her husband.
* * * *
Carrie stretched, her body moving in concert with the woman on her television screen, as she tried to assume the yoga positions being taught by that way-too-perfect-looking instructor.
Reminding herself that exercise was important for the ongoing health of body, mind, and soul wasn't doing it for her this time. Hell, the perky blonde bimbo who looked double-jointed in every joint sure wasn't proving very inspirational for her at the moment, either.
Carrie reached over and, with disgust, stopped the DVD and turned off the television. Maybe she'd take up jogging. She already knew there were some folks in town who liked to get in a run a few times a week.
One of them, Jillian Gillespie, who was engaged to the younger Drs. Jessop, worked right over at the clinic, and came into the restaurant a couple times a week.
Nodding her head, she decided she'd talk to Jillian at the very next opportunity. She was definitely sick of televised yoga and Pilates lessons.
She should shower and dress, and then head out to the ranch. It was Monday, one of her two days off, and the first shipment of furniture was due to arrive that day.
They'd already emptied the parlor and the dining room, and between her and the cowboys had gotten the rooms repainted. Well, they had eventually.
Carrie giggled just thinking about all the different ways those men had gone out of their way to touch her and tease her, to kiss her and hold her.
Hold me. Yeah, they certainly had made sure that happened every time they'd been together. She didn't waste too much time thinking about the very real fact that she had seen Chase and Brian just about every day for the last two weeks. Instead, she put her thoughts back on the redecorating of their ranch house.
The walls in the parlor were now a nice eggshell color. Carrie had worked hard to scrape and sand the door and window frames. The wood she'd found underneath all the layers of paint had turned out to be a beautiful mahogany. These she'd simply scraped free of paint and coated with varnish.
The result made the room look much, well, roomier than it had before. The men certainly seemed pleased with the results.
Over the past two weeks Carrie had spent a lot of her spare time at the ranch. This