Say You Love Me by Patricia Hagan

Author:Patricia Hagan [Patricia Hagan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2011-06-08T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Jacie's first thought on waking was that she had been deserted. Luke was nowhere to be seen. The campfire was a pit of cold black ashes. Her pony was still tethered nearby, but not the stallion. Suddenly she felt more helpless than when she had escaped Black Serpent. At least then she could hope to eventually stumble onto the river and follow it back, but now she had no idea where she was.

Wilderness surrounded with sandy ridges and rock formations amidst clumps of sagebrush, cactus, and stretches of saw grass, some of it knee-high. It was early morning, with not a cloud in the dazzling blue sky, which meant the heat would be unbearable by midday. She wondered which direction to take, all the while fearing the same thing would happen—she would succumb to exhaustion and faint, only this time there might not be anyone to find her before the vultures did. She also had nothing in which to carry a supply of water, no canteen, as Luke had.

The more she aimlessly walked about stewing over her plight, the angrier she became. If he had planned to desert her, why had he brought her so far from where he found her? Why didn't he just leave her be? He could claim to be civilized all he wanted, but to forsake a woman in the wilderness was cold and remorseless.

"Savage," she muttered, pounding the air with clenched fists as she circled about the clearing. "No better than a wild animal. Dirty, rotten savage. I hope the vultures get him."

"They won't."

She whirled about to see him crouched on a rock above her, dark eyes twinkling, his face spread in a wide grin of amusement.

"Unlike some people I know, I don't get lost." He dropped to land flat-footed in front of her.

Flustered, Jacie covered her embarrassment with indignity. "You scared me to death. I thought..." She trailed off as she realized he was no longer dressed in army trousers and boots. Instead, he wore the garment known as a breechclout and nothing else. His legs were bare and so were his buttocks, and the sight of his hard, corded thighs and the firm, sculpted flesh of his hips made her ill at ease. "You... you changed clothes," she managed to say, instinctively retreating a step. She had never seen a man so nearly naked.

"I'm more comfortable this way when I'm hunting bison."

"Bison?" she echoed. "Around here?"

"Or buffalo. Whichever you want to call them, and yes, around here. My people rely on them, not only for food but for other essentials, like clothing, weapons, tools, tepees. Normally a hunt is a big task, with a lot of men involved, but then buffalo usually travel in large herds, around fifty in number. I was out scouting for some food this morning and saw only a few grazing together. I came back to change and get ready to go after them."

"That sounds dangerous," she said uneasily.

"I don't have any choice. I couldn't find any other game or berries.

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