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“Alright, I’ll respect that, Sam. I was terrified after all. But I gotta say this just once, I have never been kissed so thoroughly in my life.”
“Well, it took your mind off the storm, didn’t it?”
“Oh…yeah. It sure did. If that’s why it happened, then it worked.”
“Well, don’t tell anyone, but I thought we were goners when that door came off.” Sam laughed.
“I c
an’t believe you’d be scared of anything. Or that you’d admit being scared.”
“Well, nature isn’t something man can control. And if it can’t be controlled, it scares me.”
“Never thought about that, but I guess that’s true. I wouldn’t mind sayin’ I hope you get scared again, Sam.”
“Yeah, well…”
It was easy to see where the tornado had cut a path through the valley with litter, uprooted trees and land that looked as though it had a curry comb taken to it. But the earth did smell clean, Sam acknowledged.
An hour later, they came upon the horse and Sam’s mood seemed to lighten. Nodog sniffed about and whined a little, but he wasn’t favoring his leg as much now.
“What’s his name?” Riley asked as she petted the animal, glad that they had found him.
“Moonlight,” Sam replied.
“Moonlight?” Riley questioned. “That’s kinda romantic, don’t you think?”
“Naw, I don’t think. See that star of white between his eyes?” Sam asked.
“Yeah.”
“I figured it looked like a streak of moonlight on him,” Sam explained.
“Well, I guess you’re right. It does. He’s a beauty of an animal,” Riley said. “And obviously well trained if he didn’t run no further than this.”
“I guess. Lee trained him mostly, and gave him to me as a goin’ away present.”
“You talk about this Lee a lot. You must have been very close.”
“Lee was my brother-in-law. He taught me how to be a man, how to live right. I love him like a brother, as I do Chase Rivers.”
“Chase Rivers, now that’s a name. Was he an Indian?”
“Yeah, he was a breed actually. His mother was a white captive, his father a chief of the Shawnee,” Sam informed her. “And I guess he knew everything about survival.”
“And his wife?”
“Another breed. Katherine didn’t know ‘til much later in life that she was not all white. She was raised white. But when her and Chase met up, they was bound to be together.” Sam smiled, reflecting on the memory of his friends. “At least that’s how Lee tells it.”
The horse stirred and neighed when Riley pet him again. “He’s a right pretty animal, Sam.”
“He is; that’s a fact. You can ride for a while…” Sam instructed.
She nodded and waited ‘til Nodog followed.
“If we should stumble upon people along the way, Riley, I want you to react to them like a kid. A boy; can you do that?” Sam asked. “It’s for your own protection.”
“Well, I’ll try.” Riley nodded. “Daddy always said I was child-like. But I’ve never tried to act like a boy before.”
