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She sat on her blanket beside the fire, her rifle resting on her lap. She had gathered berries for her supper, but she was not looking forward to eating them. She had eaten so many these past days just to have something in her stomach.
She closed her eyes and thought of Eagle Wolf and how wonderful it would be to still be with him.
With her belly growling from hunger, she thought about the rabbit that he had cooked over the campfire. She had never eaten anything so delicious.
Thinking of Eagle Wolf caused a strange sort of ache in Nicole’s heart, worse even than the ache in her belly from hunger.
Although they had been together for such a short time, it was long enough for him to speak to her heart in every way possible.
She looked toward the shadows of the aspen trees behind her, at the path that worked its way through them. If she were to follow that path, would she eventually find the Navaho stronghold?
Oh, how she missed Eagle Wolf.
She wondered how he had felt when he had awakened and found her gone. Had he attempted to find her? Or had he gone on to his stronghold, feeling better off without her, a white woman?
Emptying her skirt pocket of the berries, laying them on the blanket before her, she eyed them, shivering at the thought of eating even one more.
She wasn’t sure how many more days she could survive without more substantial food. She needed strength to travel onward and find someone who would take mercy upon her and invite her into their dwelling.
Oh, but just to have one night in a cabin, with a family and a delicious home-cooked meal!
It would be like a dream. Strange, how only a few weeks ago, she had never thought to be day-dreaming about such things.
Her world had been perfect. Her parents had been alive, and she was about to embark on her new teaching career, something she had wanted since she’d been a student herself.
She had noticed how those children who seemed not to care about learning suddenly took interest. It was the teacher’s encouragement that caused the change in their attitude.
She had wanted to be one of those special teachers, and maybe she would still be able to reach that goal.
But first, she had to stay alive. She had to get back to civilization.
She would have to put the deaths of her parents behind her. She would even have to learn how to forget Eagle Wolf, even though she knew he had etched a place inside her heart, like leaves fossilized into stone.
She must do everything within her power to survive this horrible ordeal, and that meant eating berries when there was nothing else to eat.
She reached for a berry and thrust it into her mouth. She almost choked on the juice as she heard the sound of horses approaching from somewhere to her right side.
She quickly swallowed, grabbed her rifle, then stood up and aimed it at the hidden riders.
It was so dark now. It was almost impossible to see beyond the campfire.
She wanted to cry out and ask who was there, yet her voice seemed stuck in her throat where the sweet berry taste lingered.
But it wasn’t the taste of berries that had stolen her ability to speak. It was fear.
She was afraid that at any moment she would see Sam Partain.
She was tempted to fire blindly at those who were approaching. Oh, surely it was Sam Partain and his murdering scoundrel friends. Her campfire must have drawn them right to her.
They would surely rape her before they killed her. Would he and his men use her as their “toy” for days upon end, before tiring of her and murdering her?
Her legs almost buckled beneath her with relief when she was finally able to see the lead rider. It was Jeremiah Schrock, mounted upon a fine horse, with several other bearded men following his lead.
“Jeremiah!” Nicole cried, quickly lowering her rifle to her side. “Oh, Lordy be, Jeremiah! I was so afraid it was…”
“I’m sorry if we frightened you,” Jeremiah said, close enough now to dismount.
The others stopped and dismounted, too, one of them taking Jeremiah’s
