LeClerc 03 - Wild Savage Heart Read Online Free PDF Page B

animals, bringing a smile to his stern expression.
    And she never failed to thank the animal spirit for its sacrifice.
    Adam also learned everything Hawk could teach him. And he no longer argued against Molly’s learning some of the more unpleasant aspects of frontier living. He acknowledged that their very existence might someday depend on her knowledge.
    For Molly it was one long, glorious adventure. She maintained a distance from Hawk, still infatuated by his beauty and repelled by the savage intensity that increased the further they moved away from civilization.
    As she had anticipated, the morning came when Hawk no longer curbed his hair with a thong. It hung to his shoulders, a glossy blue-black proclamation of his heritage, held back from his facfe by a band of red cotton fabric around his forehead.
    If the days were a glorious adventure, the nights were unsurpassed in sensual bliss. Adam spent hours teaching her the pleasures of making love. Molly would have been mortified to the tips of her toes if she had known that Hawk slept far away from them each night, not because of a desire to give them privacy, but rather because he couldn’t tolerate hearing Adam’s sounds of satisfaction.
    The flat land of the coast quickly turned into rolling hills. Thick pine trees gave way to huge oak, birch and chestnut trees that blocked the sky from view. In the far distance the smoky blue mountains reigned supreme on the horizon. Their destination was within sight, still separated from them by weeks of hard travel.
    Soon after lunch Hawk called a halt. The farther they travelled the rougher the trail became. As he had known would happen, the spring rains made holes, then hid them in harmless-looking puddles. After falling into a particularly deep hole, one of the wheels on the wagon needed some work. They made camp in a spot surrounded by giant trees more beautiful than any Molly had ever seen before.
    Deciding to take advantage of the stop and the warm sunshine overhead, Molly gathered up some of their dirty clothes. They’d had nearly constant rain for the last week, which had made it impossible for her to wash anything and get it dry. She hoped there might be enough daylight left to dry most of the things, and the few that remained damp could be spread out in the morning to dry inside the wagon.
    As usual they camped within walking distance of a stream. It was crystal clear, deeper in the middle than on the banks. Humming cheerfully, Molly washed the shirts, skirts and pants she had carried to the river with her.
    After she finished with the last piece of clothing and draped it over a bush to dry, Molly sighed with tired satisfaction. Pushing her hair from her damp forehead, she looked at the water that enticingly invited her to cool off in its silver depths.
    She looked back toward camp and knew that she was out of sight of the two men working on the wagon. No longer resisting the siren call of the rippling current, Molly stripped to her drawers and chemise. She would have liked to remove all of her clothes but without the protection of walls she couldn’t overcome her innate modesty. She pulled the pins from her hair, shaking her head and letting the honey-colored mass fall to her waist.
    Molly slipped into the stream until she was waistdeep. The water enfolded her in its promised coolness. She ducked beneath the surface and wished she had soap to wash her hair. It hadn’t felt or looked clean since they had left Charleston.
    Surfacing, she wiped the moisture from her eyes. And froze. A water snake glided on the smooth surface not more than a foot from her. Its body was nearly as big around as her forearm and its mouth was open, showing her the cottony interior that gave it its name. Beady eyes looked unblinkingly into hers as it turned its head back and forth, its tongue tasting her scent on the wind. Inch-long fangs dangled threateningly.
    Too terrified to move or to even scream for help, Molly stood and watched as it