Obadiah had considered her fear a prize. Not Hawk. There had been pain in his blue-gray eyes when she cringed. She’d hurt him.

And so, she’d found her courage.

She couldn’t blame herself for being frightened of any man, really. But Hawk…talk about intimidating.

He had dark blond hair, cut short, and a trim beard outlined his lean, hard jawline. He moved like…like he was ready for a fight at any moment, and he’d obviously been in a few. The reddish tan of his fair skin contrasted with a long white scar across his forehead and one on his neck. Another scar ran down his cheek into his mustache and was deep enough it pulled his top lip up into a slight sneer.

Rolled-up shirtsleeves had exposed his tattooed forearms. And was it bad that she kind of wanted to look at the tats that were different shades of brown? To see what he’d chosen. There’d been a plane on one forearm and…

Snoopy much, Kit?

She had to laugh because…yes? Maybe she was quieter than her bestie, but people were interesting. However, unlike Frankie, she preferred them in ones or twos rather than a crowd.

And she preferred a fair amount of alone time.

Smiling slightly, she moved around the bedroom, savoring that she had a place for her and Aric. She’d never realized how wonderful privacy could be until the months of living in the PZ women’s barracks. During the days, she’d worked in the fields and gardens, cleaned Obadiah’s small house, and joined the women in cooking.

In the evenings, after slaking his needs on her body, her husband would send her back to the barracks since Reverend Parrish denounced letting a female get too close. Heaven forbid a man should love his wife or show her any tenderness. She was put on the earth solely to serve his needs and bear his children.

In her head, the counselor’s voice whispered, “Is that what you believe, Kit?”

“No,” Kit whispered back. No, it’s not.

She’d been a fool.

Or maybe misguided would be more accurate. Her parents had loved her and each other. It was their example she needed to follow.

Not the example of her aunt and uncle who’d taken her in after Mom and Dad died. Uncle Duane would’ve joined the PZs in a heartbeat. They’d been a cold, mean-spirited couple.

Now she knew that while trying to win their love and approval, she’d opened herself up to their belief that a woman wasn’t complete without a man.

She sure didn’t believe their idiocy any longer…because she’d learned she was far, far better off without a man.

The sliding groan of his bedroom door snapped Hawk out of sleep. Silently, he put his hand under his pillow and…found nothing.