“We don’t have to worry ’bout that one-eyed scoundrel ever again, Twila,” Joshua said. He reached out and wrapped her in his arms. “I know de young chief will allow you to stay with yore pappy and let you share dis house with me. I knows it, Twila.”
“That would be pure heaven, Pappy,” Twila said, snuggling closer to him. “Now if only we knew Dorey was somewhere safe and that Lavinia would soon be well, we’d have a reason to smile ’gain, Pappy. Wouldn’t we?”
“Yes, chil’, we’ve got plenty to smile about, thanks to de young chief,” Joshua said thickly. He softly rocked Twila in his arms. “He saved my life, and we’ve become fast friends. Now dat I know how my sweet wife died, I want to make Hiram pay for not only that crime, but, oh, so many others. Hiram Price is a man without a heart.”
“When you speak of him now, you don’ call him massa,” Twila said, gazing up into her father’s dark eyes.
“Tha’s cuz he ain’t that no mo’ to either of us, Twila,” Joshua said, gently holding her away from him. He looked her square in the eye. “We’re as free as the birds that fly in the sky, Twila. We’re free!”
Twila began crying again. “If only Mammy could be with us,” she sobbed. “I miss her so much. And Dorey. I’se so afraid for her. There are so many things in the swamp that could kill her.” She visibly shuddered. “The white panther. What if dat whitedevil pounced on our Dorey and…and killed her? So many have said how elusive it is, and surely deadlier than anything else in the Everglades, or any-wheres else, fo’ that matter.”
“Chil’, stop yore cryin’ and frettin’ and thinkin’ such thoughts,” Joshua said. He wiped the tears on her brown cheeks dry with the palms of his hands.
“Pappy, Dorey knew not to go far in her canoe when she went explorin’,” Twila said. She snuggled again in her father’s arms, relishing their strength wrapped around her. “But today mus’ have been different. She went way too far. And now she might’ve died after escapin’ the tree house those mean boys put her in.”
“Darlin’ Twila, the search for Dorey will resume tomorrow, but tonight, the main concern is Lavinia,” he said. “But I trust de shaman will make her well. He has magical powers. I know that as fact, because dat shaman used his powers to get me well. Your pappy was almost on death’s doorstep from the wound made by dat arrow. When Hiram shoved me in de river, my blood turned dat river red. Dat evil man laughed as I floated away down de river, fightin’ off unconsciousness every inch of de way. He truly thought I was a dead man.”
“I’m so glad that you are alright, Pappy,” Twila said as she stretched out on her blankets, and Joshua covered her with another one as her eyes began drifting closed. “Pappy, I’m so tired, and so glad to be with you again.”
“Sweet Twila, if you had not been in dat canoe with Lavinia, I’d have come fo’ you,” Joshua saidsoftly. He stroked her hair. “I’d ’ave nevah left you with dat tyrant for any longer than I had to. Every minute I was away from you was pure torture. One nevah knows from one minute to de next what to expect from dat one-eyed demon. How he murdered yore mammy is proof o’ dat.”
“Mammy, oh, Mammy,” Twila whispered as she fell asleep in her father’s shadow. His eyes gazed at her as she slept.
“You’ll meet your mammy again, sweet chil’, as will your pappy, too,” he whispered as he stroked his fingers through her long, black hair. “When we all go to heaven, Twila. When we all go to heaven.”
Chapter Sixteen
Alas, how love can trifle
With itself!
—William Shakespeare
Lavinia awakened slowly to faint lamplight and the glow of a fire nearby.
She soon realized how feverish she was. Her whole body felt as though it were on fire. Panic filled her at the thought of how ill she was.
Her vision was blurry, yet she could make out two Indian men sitting one on each side of where she lay.
As she slowly came out of the haze and was able to see somewhat better, she noticed that one Indian was younger than the other.
Then her heart seemed to skip several beats. She recognized the younger, more handsome Indian.
She had no doubt that he was the one she had seen resting on a limb of the old oak tree.
Wolf Dancer’s heart had pounded inside his chest when he saw Lavinia first struggling to see. Now she was gazing at him intently.
No doubt she was remembering that she had seen him more than once near her home.
Did she also recall…the white panther?
He would not think about that. All he cared about was knowing that she was on the road to recovery. He wanted her to feel comfortable with her surroundings and the people who were caring for her.
He was glad that he didn’t see fear in her eyes, but instead the same curiosity that had appeared on her face the other times she had seen him watching her. He wanted her to realize that she was most definitely with friends, and soon she would also understand that she was with a man who wanted more than friendship from her.
Yes! He wanted her to be his, so that he could protect her from all future harm.
“What…happened…?” Lavinia asked softly, struggling to remember what had brought her to this time and place…to him.