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"I am neither sick nor dying. He does when he barely knew her. When she died so heroically, and he never got to know her well. To thank her for what she did. My mother was a great woman, she took an arrow for my father she loved him so much. It killed her. Love is a powerful thing," He glanced at her once more, then looked away. "It can take or give. And her death nearly killed my father because of it. Their love was so great, so powerful. That is the kind of love I seek, and yet, she died, and I do not wish this for my wife."
Lissa mouth flew open. "Oh my God. How very sad."
"Yes, my father grieved for her for many moons. I was a small boy. I can hardly remember what she looks like now. But I have missed her my entire life. Many times, I tried to conjure her in my mind. How she must have loved my father so. That is the kind of love that all men should seek. Sometimes I see a flash of her in my dreams, but I never know if it is real or simply imagined."
"I'm sorry. I just assumed."
He smiled. "I told you I would never lie to you. The girl I spoke of was the girl I was to marry. But there was much lacking in that relationship. I think secretly she loved another. It is best it did not work out."
She hung her head, "I'm sorry for that, too. But you told me you loved a lady and I thought… "
"Get some sleep," he told her.
There it was again, "Get some sleep." Whenever a conversation got to intense, he would say that to her. Especially when he wanted her to shut up. She nodded. She went back to her blanket and she heard the rattler before she saw it. She froze. "Oh God!" It was a whisper, not a call for help.
Fear spewed from Lissa mouth, sweat and tears ran down her cheek as she stared at the rattler knowing one move and she'd be dead. She stood there stiff as a board, staring down at her blanket. She knew she couldn't move, that the snake would strike if she did. Out here in the middle of nowhere, there was no way she could get to a doctor fast enough. She'd die if that snake bit her, and she knew it. She'd seen Mary McCluskey die at a church social of a rattler's bite. The doctor had been on call to a pregnant woman's labor, Mary only suffered about two hours and she was dead. Right in front of all her family.
Moon saw Lissa, stared, then heard her and then saw the coil of the snake.
"Do not move." He told her.
"I don't think I could move…" she cried.
He grabbed his knife and came toward her, in a flash he had killed the snake, but blood splattered everywhere. He quickly took the knife and threw the dead snake far into the bushes.
He saw the blood on her chin when he turned around to look at her, and he reached to wipe it away, when their eyes met.
"I will not let anything hurt you," he told her softly. "Do not be afraid," he told her as he came closer.
She swallowed.
Their gazes connected and held as he stared into her eyes. "Get some sleep. I should have saved him, they make a tasty meal. But you have already had snake. But somehow I don't think I could swallow him after he scared you to death." He said and headed toward his bed. When he turned to look at her, he saw her lying on the ground, she'd fainted.
He picked her up and moved her bed closer to him and laid her down. He feather kissed her lips and put the blanket around her. "Sweet one, so beautiful, so brave."
Later that night he held her in his arms. He stared down into her face, so serene in sleep, so beautiful. His lips grazed her temple as he pulled her ever closer to him. For some reason it felt right to have her in his arms. How could that be?
When she woke, her head was curled just under his chin. She didn't move, she couldn't. She'd never felt so safe in her life as she felt now. Strong arms held her possessively. Wrapped in his arms, she knew nothing would harm her as long as he was with her. It was a strange and wonderful feeling that assailed her.
It felt so right being there. But she was sure he wouldn't agree. She scooted away and he came awake.
"Good morning, feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes, of course, why wouldn’t I?" she asked.
"You fainted after the snake." He smiled.
"Oh," she nearly made a huge mistake. She thought he held her because he wanted her, but he held her to take care of her. What a fool she was.
Not even an Indian could love her.
"I didn't realize." She tried to smile. She glanced at him. "How are you feeling?"'
"Stiff, but fine. I think we should travel on now."
She nodded, handed him some jerky and they were on their way.
They saw all sorts of wildlife that day, some deer as they were leaving the forest edge and getting into more rocky country. They saw squirrels and rabbit and even a mountain goat.
