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maintained than this. The mayor of Kearney and his council took good care of their town and its people. The mayor and council of Ellsworth, she decided acidly, should use any money they made from the Bride Fights to repair their town.
    The men in the streets shouted things so sexually explicit Ellie’s face felt as though it was frozen in a horrified mask. No one had ever said those kinds of things to her. Where was Taye? He would kill any man who dared to insult her. She searched for his dark head on every street and found nothing but crude strangers.
    “Anyone else feel like a prime heifer being led out for auction?” Sara quipped darkly.
    “You mean slaughter?” Mel quipped back. “See your cousin, El?” she added.
    “No, not yet.” The oatmeal sat in Ellie’s stomach like lead. But she knew Taye would come. It was only a matter of time before he came for her. But, with each street they passed with no sign of Taye, her spirits flagged until she felt as though she was moving through a dream. Or perhaps a nightmare. They returned to the house for the second half of the day’s festivities.
    In the house, lamps were lit in the living room and three chairs placed in different corners, one for each of the women. Ellie stood quietly in front of the empty fireplace, wishing she could wake from this nightmare. How could this be happening to her? What was Connor doing right now? Playing with Tommy? Crying for her? The need to hold him was a physical pain.
    The lead councilman was there, still beaming at them like some demented version of Santa Claus. “Now, you all sit down. We’re going to let men come in three at a time. Each man will get two minutes to talk to you then rotate to the next lady. That way they’ll get a chance to know you, to see if they want to fight for you. You just have a nice visit with these men. Now see, you’ll be safe with us to guard you, so don’t be nervous.”
    Nervous? Ellie was afraid she’d throw up. Her shyness was hard to overcome at the best of times. Being forced to make small talk with strangers for two whole minutes was like torture. The minutes were precisely timed, and in three hours, Ellie had met more than two hundred men. Her hands were clenched so tightly in her lap that the knuckles were bone white. That strange dream-like feeling wouldn’t lift, leaving Ellie numb. But under the numbness, fury and panic danced an energetic polka.
    None of the men was Taye. Some of the men were handsome, some ugly. Most were young; a few were old. Some seemed shy, others braggarts. None of them stood out for Ellie except three darkly handsome men. She noticed them not because they were handsome but because Mel was furious when she saw them.
    “Oh, hell no!” Mel’s voice rose over the low babble in the room. “They are not letting you fight!”
    “Oh, hell yes they are,” said a man’s low voice. “One of us is going to win, and we’ll see to it you get the treatment you deserve.”
    Finally the line of men stopped, and the women were allowed to go up to a bedroom to sleep. The room was crammed full with three twin beds, and at least the sheets looked fresh. But Mel didn’t appear to notice the room. Her face was still fiery red with rage.
    Sara tapped her arm. “Who were those guys?”
    Mel sputtered a string of angry curses, ending with, “Fosses!”
    “Oh. Relations?”
    Mel swung around to pace the crowded room with short furious steps. “My husband’s brothers.”
    “Oh,” said Sara again in a tone full of understanding. “The husband you shot?”
    Mel shot her an annoyed glance. “He’s the only one I’ve had.”
    “And these guys are pissed off about that?”
    Sara’s tone didn’t quite make it a question.
    “Just a bit.” Sarcasm rose and crashed into impotent fury. “If they win me, they’ll torture me. Kill me.”
    Sara exchanged a look with Ellie. “Well, they won’t win,” the teenager said briskly. “Ellie’s cousin is going to come and fix