LeClerc 03 - Wild Savage Heart Read Online Free PDF

on some hot coals to boil.
    She watched as Hawk poured some corn meal into the dutch oven then added wild onion and enough water to make a smooth batter. He placed the heavy pan in a bed of coals and covered the lid with hot ashes.
    Earlier in the day Hawk had found and picked some mushrooms and wild mustard. He combined them with more onions and put them on the fire to cook. He instructed Molly on how to watch the food so that it didn’t burn, then he left her to finish their meai.
    From the corner of her vision Molly watched as Hawk unrolled the rabbit fur. He made a frame from four pieces of wood then stretched the fur on the frame. Rather than being repelled, as he had thought she’d be, she was watching with fascination as he sat in the light of the fire and began the long cleaning process. His movements were surprisingly graceful as he freed the remaining flesh from the hide.
    When Hawk realized she was truly interested he explained the process of tanning a hide to her. Her nose wrinkled femininely at the mention of some of the steps, particularly when he talked about making a mixture of brains and urine.
    Hawk watched for her reaction and for the first time he smiled at Molly. His black eyes twinkled, his white teeth sparkled and dimples appeared as deep creases beside his mouth.
    Molly caught her breath at the male beauty in his face. She instantly saw the reason why so many women were fascinated by him. The smile changed his face from controlled ruthlessness to savage magnetism. He was the epitome of male beauty and perfection.
    Molly forced her eyes away from him, feeling swamped by her attraction to him. She looked at Adam, and her guilt escalated. She was newly married to a man she loved and adored and yet she was attracted to her husband’s friend.
    Molly was too young and inexperienced to know that marriage did not create blindness to the physical attractiveness of other men. She had yet to learn that there was nothing immoral in appreciating that beauty and so she suffered an unnecessary guilt.
    “I’ll show you how to make beaver-tail soup one night,” Hawk commented casually. “The meat of the beaver isn’t to my liking, but the tail is sweet and tender.”
    “Uck!” was her only comment. Checking the cooking food, Molly decided it was ready and she called both men to eat. Still not sure that she was hungry, Molly placed small helpings of each item on her tin plate. She closed her eyes and forced herself not to remember the soft, furry body as she bit into the rabbit.
    “It’s good!” she exclaimed in surprise. She took another bite. She met Adam’s gaze and smiled with pride. “Someday, I’ll do this all by myself. But as much as I hate to admit it, I think we do need the instruction Mr. Hawk is willing to give us.”
    Her eyes twinkled as she thought of the lessons her husband had taught her last night. Later she would tell Adam that there was definitely one place where he needed no instruction.
     
     
    The journey west became a series of everyday lessons for both Molly and Adam. Hawk was evervigilant in his determination to teach both of them as much as possible as quickly as possible. He deliberately avoided passing through towns or stopping at way stations. Not only was he trying to outwit Charles Gallagher, but he knew Molly and Adam both needed as much time as he could give them to learn the hardships of frontier life. Nearly everything they did was a lesson, and his opinion of Molly slowly changed.
    In the weeks of travel he had never heard her express one word of complaint. She handled her share of the chores and even laughed at herself and at her lack of expertise. But he noticed that once she was shown how to do something, Molly worked diligently until that particular chore became natural.
    He brought in different game each night — deer, quail, even the promised beaver tail — and showed her the different methods to clean and cook them. Her nose still wrinkled as she gutted the