Sweaty and dirty, Lucinda struggled from under the man's heavy arm. His bawdy laughter rung loudly in her ears when she crawled away from him. "She's all yours Henry," he said into the darkness.

A hand grabbed around her ankle, and she was dragged in another direction. When she swung and hit the man's face, he backhanded her so hard she almost passed out. The man scrambled on top of her and chuckled. "How about spending time with me now?"

Thunder boomed, and Lucinda bolted up to sit. Tears streamed down her face, and she pushed the blankets away hoping it would help her overheated body cool down and stop pulsing non-stop. It would begin to rain soon. God, how many times did the dream have to return? Why now? It had been almost a year since she'd dreamed of her capture after William was killed.

Her skin crawled, and she left the bed. She could not sleep, not tonight. At the window, she looked toward the bunkhouse. A soft light beckoned.

"Alan?" The voice penetrated through his sleep, and Alan opened his eyes. Someone was at the door.

He got up and went to open it.

In a long white gown, Lucinda stood in the doorway, her eyes reddened; she put a trembling hand out to him. "Let me sleep with you. You can have me, do what you wish, but I don't want to be alone tonight."

"Come in." He stood aside to let her enter and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted her. He could not deny it, but not this way. Not in payment for not being alone. "Here, come lay down." Alan followed her to his narrow bed.

When she began to untie her nightgown, he stopped her hands. "How about we wait on that?"

Lucinda nodded mutely and climbed onto the bed. When he lay down, she immediately snuggled against him and placed her head on his chest. With a deep release of breath, she looked up at him. "I couldn't sleep, never can on nights like this. Night life suits me. I can sleep during the day without a problem it seems."

"Bad dreams?"

"Bad memories," Lucinda whispered.

"Want to talk about it?"

She pushed away and went to get up, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her in place. "You don't have to Luciana, but it may help, you know, to get it all out."

Her body relaxed, but her voice quivered and it shocked him when she actually began to talk. "We fed them. They sat around the campfire and ate with us. They led William away, asking him to see about their horse. He was such a good man, always wanting to be of assistance. The two of them then beat him before one shot him. I don't know which it was. I was too shocked by what was happening. When my son ran towards them, they shot him too." She began to shake, and he ran his hand up and down her back. "After the men killed them, I prepared to be next. But they kept me alive. Spent the rest of the day there. They took turns taking me over and over."

Her entire body shook as she began to sob, and Alan's heart broke for her. "Oh God, they lay there...dead. My husband and my baby, while those animals ate our food and used me."

"How did you get away?"

"At dawn the next morning, I woke up to the sound of horses. They left, just left. Took all our food and provisions."

"I'm so sorry."

Lucinda lifted her face to him. "I've never told anyone about what the men did to me. I wish they would have killed me."

Alan kissed her forehead. "You were very brave Lucinda. Those bastards will pay for what they did, sooner or later, you can trust that. Did you return home then?"

She nodded. "I dragged both my son and husband to the wagon. Somehow I found the strength and loaded their bodies onto it and road back to Virginia. It took me a long time to get back, but I needed to give them a proper burial."

In the dark silence that followed, Alan held Lucinda who let out a quiet sniffle. "I meant it when I said you can have me."

"I know you did, but it's not what I want from you Lucinda."

"What could you possible want then?" The puzzled look on her pretty face made him ache for her.

"I want to court you, get to know you better. I want to fall in love with you."

Her eyes widened, but she did not reply right away. "I think you are confused Mister Murphy." There was levity in her words, and she placed her head back on his chest. "I'm going to close my eyes for just a few minutes."

When her breathing evened out, Alan finally allowed the anger for what happened to her to be release. How could men do such terrible things to a family? It was unfathomable to him. The cruelty of what she'd been forced to endure made him want to hunt the animals down and kill them. And maybe one day the opportunity would present itself. But until then he had to hold on to the belief they'd pay for their actions.

Lucinda let out a shaky breath, and he kissed the top of her soft hair before placing his cheek to it. Alan waited for sleep to claim him as well.