Ruby’s polite smile wavered. Oh no. This one was definitely a wife beater.

“I … see,” she answered, carefully.

Anything she said from here could paint a target on her. Now how did she feign interest enough to lure him into a false sense of security and run …?

“Some women just need a tougher touch,” she laughed, throat constricted. “So, how long are you hoping for the courtship to go?”

In her part of town, it was until someone got pregnant or felt too guilty about the possibility.