Reading Online Novel

Awakening Veronica(Divine Creek Ranch 17)(108)



Hank stood up to her. “You know what? You go for it. Blog about it. Stage protests. Bring it on! Here’s your scoop, lady. I love Veronica Benedict, and so does my best friend, Travis McDaniel. You do with that whatever you want. And Veronica is not a pornographer. She’s a reputable author. By turns, you’ve terrorized and bored my friends and constituents with your gossip and hatred and we’re all tired of it.” Several people made noises of affirmation and patted him on the back.

“Well get ready for more, sinner, because I’ll cry it to the heavens until this town rids itself of the polyamorous perfidy that pollutes its people!”

Charity scoffed. “Nice tagline. Did you come up with that yourself?”

Tabitha turned to the crowd. “Good people, we must stand up for what is right, and stamp out what is wrong in this community!” She shrieked over the din of voices, ignoring the growing crowd of citizens and city and county leaders who formed ranks around Hank, Travis, and Veronica.

Jerry Batson, who also served on the town council, yelled, “Go home, Tabitha!”

“I will never give up!” Suddenly she broke out in song. “Stand up, stand up for—”

Woody Porter stood up to her, nose to nose, and said, “Don’t you dare sing ‘Stand Up for Jesus,’ you self-righteous harridan! I’ll stand up for the Jesus that challenged the Pharisees to cast the first stone. Go home, Miss Lester!”

Tabitha frowned at Woody, and Travis thought it was an amazing impression of Grumpy Cat. “I will not—”

“Go home!” Joe Warner called out.

“Go home! Go home!”

Soon, the chant spread through the fringes of the crowd and then suddenly, a deep voice shouted. “Tabby Cat!”



* * * *



The hellfire and brimstone was burning in Tabitha’s gut when the voice crossed the gathering, as surely as if it had crossed the years.

No! After all this time? No!

In her wild youth, when she’d lived on her own in Austin, she’d become enamored with a leather-wearing biker. She’d fallen hopelessly in love with Stubby Joe. She’d spent every spare moment with him. And then one day his two friends, Black Mike and Big Dick had shown up in town. Tabitha had taken an immediate liking to his friends. When they’d said they were hoping to hook up with the two of them, Tabitha hadn’t understood. But Stubby Joe had quietly explained to her that they didn’t mean going out to supper. Once she was over her shock and she’d gotten to know them a bit, wicked temptation had visited her. Then she’d discovered that Black Mike and Big Dick liked each other as well as Stubby Joe. And Stubby Joe loved all of them, including her.

They wanted her to join their polyamorous group, which had included one other woman who evidently had a liking for Stubby Joe. Tabitha hadn’t been too sure about that woman but she’d tried. God forgive her, she’d tried to be with them, but she’d been disgusted by their actions and she’d been furious because the other woman had done subtle little things to make her feel left out, pushing her aside and claiming all of their attention without the men realizing it. Tabitha wasn’t the one in the middle like she’d fantasized about. To top it off, the other woman had gloated about how good Stubby Joe was in the sack, meaning that she’d had him before. Tabitha had decided that if Stubby Joe was so good to her she could just keep him. Without explanation, she’d run away from their campsite during the night and never returned. It’s shattered her heart permanently, the way that woman had stolen her men from her. She gone home to her mother—

“Tabby! Tabby!” the voice hollered again, getting closer, then echoed by two other deep voices.

“Tabby Cat!”

“Kitten!”

Her resolve to stand up to the gathering of polyamorous pervert lovers suddenly shriveled as she was met face-to-face with her sinful past. She spun, took one look at the gutless followers cowering behind her, darted through the crowd, and broke into a run as the crowd began to snicker and laugh.

“Kitten!”

Tabby Cat!”

“Pussy girl! Come back! We still looooooove you!”

“We love you! We’ll take better care of you this time, just the three of us! We’re sooorrryyyy!”

Stubby Joe, who was anything but stubby anywhere on his body. Black Mike, with hair like a raven’s wing and a big and many-times-broken nose. And Big Dick, who—well—his name was appropriate if her memory was accurate.

She glanced back and gaped when she saw the now gray-bearded bikers break through the crowd, spot her, and pursue her down Main Street at a dead run. Oh, they’d catch her for sure now! She tossed the picket sign in the air and ran as fast as she could around the corner.