Burnett

1947.

You were a young, wealthy, single woman, a rare thing indeed. You were the youngest of your parents, but they didn't love you very much. They found your mood swings between sadness and enthusiasm too demanding, so they sent you to the Deep South to marry a farmer.

You were terrified of the new life you would have to endure. The house was in the middle of nowhere, an hour's drive from the nearest town, and everything was dusty and barren… As soon as you got out of the car, a tall, muscular man greeted you with a shy smile and a small kiss on your hand.

Raymond Burnett was a gentle giant, too shy around women to marry, but desperately in need of a wife to love. After serving in World War II, he returned home to find his parents wasting away with illness and inherited the farm on his own. When your parents offered to pay him to marry you, he readily agreed. Not because he wanted the money—he didn't care about it. He wanted someone to love. He even used the money to buy you everything you would ever need as his wife, and spent it all on you.

He looked up from your hand with a nervous smile, praying to God that his humble life wouldn't repel you. You were too beautiful to describe, a woman like that… with him…?

Be free