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Wolf Hawk had noticed his absence even before she did. He ran from the cabin and she could hear him shouting out orders to go and find the escaped prisoner.
She grimaced when she then heard the thundering of horse’s hooves. The warriors were in pursuit of Tiny.
She closed her eyes so that she would not envision what might happen to him for attempting this escape. She believed he would pay dearly for trying to best these red men of the forest!
They knew the forest much better than he and would soon find him.
Wolf Hawk came back inside the cabin. “He will not have gotten far,” he said. He helped Mia by picking up her travel bag and holding it open so she could drop what she wanted inside.
She smiled weakly at him as a way to thank him for helping her. So much had happened, she was beginning to feel numb.
She put what clothes she could in the bag, along with her hairbrush, her mama’s Bible, and then something of her father’s…a book of poetry that he had read oft times while relaxing on the first leg of the journey, before things began going wrong for them.
After her mother’s burial, her father had never been the same. He had spent most of his time alone, smoking his pipe.
And now even his pipe was gone. It had fallen into the river when her father had had one of his spells.
Oh, if only she at least had that piece of him, it would bring him close to her on those nights when she would miss him so much. The poetry book might help, but in truth, she knew she wo
uld never get used to not having him around.
“We should go now,” Wolf Hawk said when he saw that she was no longer placing things in her bag. “We shall go to my village. Those who are searching for the tiny man will return once they have recaptured him.”
Mia took one last look at the empty birdcage, then walked from the cabin.
She went to her father’s grave. She needed one last moment with him. It just did not seem real to be leaving her father there all alone in the ground as she had been made to leave her mother.
Suddenly a terrible feeling of loneliness gripped her. She swayed and felt as though she might faint.
But a mighty, strong hand on her shoulder reminded her that she was not alone. Although this man was her enemy, she did not believe he would allow any true harm to come to her. The look in his eyes as she gazed into them showed too much gentleness.
She held her chin high and walked from the grave with him.
She then saw a travois attached to one of the warriors’ horses. She was amazed at how many pelts were on it, piled high and secured with a rope.
She could only guess their value. She had been at trading posts with her parents as they bought supplies while roaming the rivers. She had seen the coins and supplies that were exchanged for such pelts.
A shiver ran down her spine when she thought of the trappers and the loss they must be feeling at having to abandon this prime catch.
She had to believe they would not give it up so easily.
Surely they would return to retrieve the pelts. What would they do when they found them gone?
When they reached Wolf Hawk’s horse, Mia stood back as he secured her travel bag on it. She sucked in a wild breath of fear when Wolf Hawk then lifted her onto the saddle and mounted behind her.
But soon her fear changed to something surprising. She could not help feeling a sensual thrill when Wolf Hawk reached his arm around her and held her in place against his hard body as he rode into the forest.
She fought these feelings, for she knew that she should hate this man. He was a savage and he was blaming her for something she had not done.
She couldn’t believe that Tiny was so cowardly he had left her alone to fend for herself with these Indians.
As they continued on through the forest, Mia realized that she was entering a new phase in her life and wondered just where it might take her. She no longer felt like the same Mia.
She thought of her papa and mama together in the heavens. They were surely holding hands and smiling as they looked down at her, proud of her courage!
Chapter Thirteen
It well maybe that, in a difficult hour
