Choices of the Heart by Laurie Alice Eakes

Author:Laurie Alice Eakes [Eakes, Laurie Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Historical, General
ISBN: 0800719867
Google: Exj5eFB7vcsC
Amazon: B00A8NUH16
Publisher: Revell
Published: 2012-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

19

Esther plunged into the trees, into the darkness, away from the crowd, all staring eyes and moving lips. All the angry notes she’d received in Seabourne raced before her mind’s eye even as her real eyes probed the blackness for a path, a clearing, a place to hide. The notes turned to faces, the words rang in her ears.

Bad woman. Scarlet woman. Go away.

She paused in a thicket and clamped her hands over her ears. “I’m . . . none of those . . . things. I’m . . . not.” Her protest emerged in panting gasps.

Yet perhaps she protested too much. Always in her heart ran the relentless fear that she was all of those things. She had been too friendly with Zach, teaching him to read, sitting beside him on the bench instead of across from him. Just because his nearness made her feel nothing didn’t mean hers didn’t affect him.

And at the same time, she flinched from Griff’s touch because she liked it too much, met his gaze with hers and thought about meeting his lips with hers. Wanton, sinful thoughts, unacceptable behavior to have danced with Zach once, let alone half a dozen times, when she had Hannah’s warning. He would make assumptions about her intentions, and rightly so. She had made the same mistake again, not considered the other person in her own pursuit of pleasure.

“I didn’t know how to say no politely,” she protested to the night.

But he and Griff looked to come to blows over Zach’s unwanted advances and Griff’s interference. Blows, a flaring up of the feud because of her.

She folded her arms across her middle and bent over, sick. As her breathing slowed, the night sounds of crickets, a distant owl, and the faint rustle of leaves brushed against her ears, calming and soothing.

Not knowing where the clearing lay was not calming and soothing. She had run. She presumed others had pursued. Yet the woods lent one a hundred directions, and she had taken one the others hadn’t, if they had left and not decided to let the scarlet woman lose herself in the woods, come face-to-face with one of those screaming mountain lions and—

She must go back. She must find her own way back. Downhill would surely lead to the river. The river would lead her back to the celebrants.

She started walking slowly, carefully, her hands out to protect her face from swinging branches. Thorns and twigs ripped at the lace on her gown. A ruffle caught on the limb of a fallen tree. She yanked the fabric and herself free. Her gown was hopelessly ruined. No matter. She would never want to wear it again. She had ruined Zach’s enjoyment. Perhaps Hannah was right and she had ruined Griff and Zach’s friendship.

If she did, then she would keep running. She would not be responsible for the feud starting up again, or live with the guilt and let it turn her ugly and bitter as it had Bethann.

Despite her efforts, she sounded like one of those black bears crashing through the underbrush.

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