A week, then two went by without incident. Rob released Shandi from afternoon duties in the stable, knowing that it was far more important for her to paint than to tend to the horses. Shandi threw herself into her painting, fervently working every night and patiently waiting for her nightly kiss. The intensity of the kisses had progressed and Rob was finding it harder and harder to walk away from Shandi's bedside, especially when she was always waiting naked under a single sheet.
Monday morning of the third week, Shandi's fourth week at The Manor House, an unwanted visitor showed up. She was cleaning Tinkerbelle's stall when Milo came to collect her, taking her into the main house and escorting her into a room where Rob, George and the visitors waited. Seeing Donnie for the first time in four weeks had a strange effect on her. Part of her wanted to run into his arms and apologize but the other part, a larger part that had been nurtured by Rob and the victim classes that she'd been taking, knew that it would only happen again, if she let it.
"Hi, baby."
Slick as a snake.
Rob fought the urge to vomit as she watched the handsome attorney arise, his arms outstretched. Her eyes went to Shandi and she held her breath, wondering how the young woman would react. To her credit, she didn't show her surprise at seeing her husband and strode over to George's side.
"Hello, Donnie."
"I've come to take you home, if you're ready."
"Who said I wanted to leave?"
Her tone of voice caused Colvin to laugh nervously to cover his slowly building anger and frustration. "No one, actually. I just thought ... "
"Why are you here, Donnie?"
Again, her brusque manner threw him off and he looked to his attorney for help. The man at his left tossed a sheaf of papers to her, which George intercepted, adjusting his glasses as he began to read the documents. "A settlement."
"A settlement?"
