chest, was her captor.
“I want Mama’s quilt,” she declared.
* * *
FOR a brief moment, Adahya wondered if she were losing her senses. She just stared at him, her expression unreadable. He had spent the night only a few yards from her sight. The night of seduction he had allowed himself to hope for had been a disaster.
He had spent the night wondering what to do. He and Katherine would probably never get along, he realized now, and he would be fooling himself to think otherwise. Perhaps he should take her back to Knox. He should do it today before he changed his mind. He could take her as far as German Flats and leave her with a trader’s wife. Someone there would see to it she got home safely.
Something similar to grief filled his heart. He did not know when he had grown accustomed to this foul tempered, outspoken woman, and he wondered if her absence would hurt more than Song’s rejection had.
Wearing a lethal expression, Katherine took hold of the tomahawk’s handle tried to remove it from the stump.
“Do not touch that!”
She struggled with the hatchet until she was struggling for breath.
“Katherine, leave it alone.” His voice boomed with an air of desperation. “It is not yours.”
No longer struggling, she looked down at the weapon and then at Adahya. “It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“Not anymore.”
“You made this.” She stepped closer to him. “Why?”
The smell of black powder filled the air and smoke clouded the forest.
Someone shouted, “Indian!”
“I got him!” another voice echoed. “Henry, I think I got him!”
* * *
IT was then that Katherine realized Adahya had hit ground beside her.
She dropped to her knees and scanned the area, but saw no one. With her eyes burning from acrid smoke, she crawled to Adahya. “Are you hurt?”
He pulled her down and covered her body with his. “Shh!”
She tried to turn to look at him, but he held her immobile. Footsteps moved past them.
“Where is he?” a man asked.
“It’s too quiet, Henry. There’s more of them. I can feel them watchin’ us.”
“Let’s get out of here!”
Running. Footsteps fading into the brush.
After several moments, Adahya stood and helped her up.
She made a complete circle, but the men were nowhere in sight. “Who were they?”
“Trappers, most likely.”
Katherine looked in the direction the men had run. They had tried to kill Adahya because he was an Indian. They had not even known she was with him.
If they had, they surely would have helped her escape.
All she had to do was scream. They could not have gone far. They would hear her and come back for her. Then take her back to the mission.
She took a step in their direction.
“How are you so certain they will not harm you?” he called to her.
She stopped and pondered what to do.
Adahya stormed toward her and yanked her by the arm.
“Let go of me!” she cried.
“I am tired of your games.” He jerked her back toward the meadow. “If you wish to whore with trappers, I can just as easily pass you around my own village for entertainment.”
“You’ve been shot,” she said, seeing the blood on his shoulder.
He kept walking.
“Adahya, stop. You’re bleeding.”
“What do you care?”
What did she care? Katherine pondered his question. She should not care. After what he had just said to her, she should not care at all.
She glanced back toward the direction of the trappers. All she had to do was yell. It would be so simple. They would take her back to the mission, and she could forget this whole nightmare.
By now Adahya had released her and slowly walked away from her. Blood seeped from his shoulder.
What did she care?
She ran toward Adahya. “You have to sit
“I want Mama’s quilt,” she declared.
* * *
FOR a brief moment, Adahya wondered if she were losing her senses. She just stared at him, her expression unreadable. He had spent the night only a few yards from her sight. The night of seduction he had allowed himself to hope for had been a disaster.
He had spent the night wondering what to do. He and Katherine would probably never get along, he realized now, and he would be fooling himself to think otherwise. Perhaps he should take her back to Knox. He should do it today before he changed his mind. He could take her as far as German Flats and leave her with a trader’s wife. Someone there would see to it she got home safely.
Something similar to grief filled his heart. He did not know when he had grown accustomed to this foul tempered, outspoken woman, and he wondered if her absence would hurt more than Song’s rejection had.
Wearing a lethal expression, Katherine took hold of the tomahawk’s handle tried to remove it from the stump.
“Do not touch that!”
She struggled with the hatchet until she was struggling for breath.
“Katherine, leave it alone.” His voice boomed with an air of desperation. “It is not yours.”
No longer struggling, she looked down at the weapon and then at Adahya. “It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“Not anymore.”
“You made this.” She stepped closer to him. “Why?”
The smell of black powder filled the air and smoke clouded the forest.
Someone shouted, “Indian!”
“I got him!” another voice echoed. “Henry, I think I got him!”
* * *
IT was then that Katherine realized Adahya had hit ground beside her.
She dropped to her knees and scanned the area, but saw no one. With her eyes burning from acrid smoke, she crawled to Adahya. “Are you hurt?”
He pulled her down and covered her body with his. “Shh!”
She tried to turn to look at him, but he held her immobile. Footsteps moved past them.
“Where is he?” a man asked.
“It’s too quiet, Henry. There’s more of them. I can feel them watchin’ us.”
“Let’s get out of here!”
Running. Footsteps fading into the brush.
After several moments, Adahya stood and helped her up.
She made a complete circle, but the men were nowhere in sight. “Who were they?”
“Trappers, most likely.”
Katherine looked in the direction the men had run. They had tried to kill Adahya because he was an Indian. They had not even known she was with him.
If they had, they surely would have helped her escape.
All she had to do was scream. They could not have gone far. They would hear her and come back for her. Then take her back to the mission.
She took a step in their direction.
“How are you so certain they will not harm you?” he called to her.
She stopped and pondered what to do.
Adahya stormed toward her and yanked her by the arm.
“Let go of me!” she cried.
“I am tired of your games.” He jerked her back toward the meadow. “If you wish to whore with trappers, I can just as easily pass you around my own village for entertainment.”
“You’ve been shot,” she said, seeing the blood on his shoulder.
He kept walking.
“Adahya, stop. You’re bleeding.”
“What do you care?”
What did she care? Katherine pondered his question. She should not care. After what he had just said to her, she should not care at all.
She glanced back toward the direction of the trappers. All she had to do was yell. It would be so simple. They would take her back to the mission, and she could forget this whole nightmare.
By now Adahya had released her and slowly walked away from her. Blood seeped from his shoulder.
What did she care?
She ran toward Adahya. “You have to sit
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