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A look of shock passed over Jack Renault’s face upon hearing Olivia’s words. All of the fire went out of him, and his face and eyes softened. “Rawlings? Are you Mae’s boy?”
“Yes, sir,” he mumbled, not wanting to associate himself with his Mama in such dishonorable circumstances. Mae Rawlings was an honest, God fearing woman who had never stolen a thing in her life. Hunter hated dragging Mama down into the mud with him.
Jack Renault looked thoughtful as he ran his fingers along his grizzled chin and studied the boy in front of him. “Run along home now, Hunter. And take the ham with you. No sense making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” whispered Olivia as she gently squeezed her father’s hand.
“Don’t hesitate to come calling if you or your family ever needs anything, Hunter. There are always plenty of hams to be had around here,” Jack said with an easy smile.
Charity! That’s what Jack Renault was talking about. Nothing more than charity for the poor Rawlings family! Hunter felt his face flush with a mixture of embarrassment and anger as the Renault’s looked at him with barely disguised pity.
It was a look that he'd gotten used to in Savannah, particularly in the weeks and months following his Daddy’s passing. Pity! Shame! Disgrace!
“I don’t need no stinking ham,” Hunter said defiantly as he flung the ham to the ground.
Olivia’s pretty pink mouth hung open in shock as she watched the ham soar into the air, landing in the dirt with a solid plunk.
Jack Renault shook his head at Hunter. “Pride goeth before a fall, young man. Go on and git home before you worry your Mama,” Renault instructed as he took his daughter’s hand and walked away from Hunter towards his elegant, stately home.
Although Hunter’s pride had forced him to fling the ham into the dirt, his love for his family caused him to salvage the meat as soon as he was certain that the Renault’s were inside the house. Although the young man wasn’t above picking up the soiled ham, he surely didn’t want the Renault’s to see him looking like a beggar.
“Someday I’m going to have as many hams as I please,” Hunter screamed into the darkness. “And someday I’m going own this town, lock, stock and barrel.”
***
He smirked at the memory of who he used to be – the hungry, rebellious, pint-sized know it all who'd raged at the world and stolen a ham to sustain his family. In some ways he was still that little kid on the inside – hungry, hard-headed and determined to rule the world. Although he hadn't made good on his promise to own Savannah, he'd recently taken major steps to make an indelible mark, a move that would cause shock waves to reverberate through town. And when it was all said and done, the gnawing hole in his gut would be filled up by the culmination of a childhood dream. One day soon, he vowed, his journey would come full circle.
“Rascal, come back here! You’re soaking wet!” The soft, honeyed voice floated to him from across the yard, immediately causing a handful of goose bumps to pop up on his arms. Hunter’s gut tightened painfully as the familiar voice caressed his senses. Olivia! Hunter turned towards the sound of her voice, a rush of joy enveloping him as he watched the one that got away walk right back into his life.
