Her eyes flew open and she saw something over Wolf Dancer’s shoulder that terrified her.
“An alligator!” she screamed, just as the beast moved quickly through the water toward them.
Wolf Dancer relived another time, another alligator, another woman that he had loved with all his heart but hadn’t been able to save. He couldn’t allow it to happen again.
Lavinia felt frozen to the ground as she watched Wolf Dancer leap up and grab a large, thick, sharp stick that lay close by. He put himself between Lavinia and the alligator, and just as the beast charged out of the water, its mouth wide open, Wolf Dancer ran toward it and rammed the stick down its throat. The alligator quickly sank into the water, and was soon dead.
Wolf Dancer hurried back to Lavinia. He grabbed her up into his arms. “I am sorry for having put you in harm’s way when I have vowed so often to keep you safe,” he said, holding her close.
She was still so stunned by his bravery, she couldn’t speak. When she was finally able to findwords, she clung to him and thanked him over and over again.
“No thanks are ever necessary when I do things for you,” Wolf Dancer said fervently. “But I would truly like to kiss you again.”
She smiled sweetly at him, twined her arms around his neck, then kissed him.
When he returned the kiss, she felt as though she were floating above herself, it was so beautiful and sweet.
She had finally, truly found her place in this world, and she would never let anything or anyone stand in the way of this newfound happiness.
Especially not Hiram Price.
Yet she could not help wondering what Hiram was thinking now that he knew she was gone, and of her own free will.
She would do all that she could to make certain he had no opportunity to find her and destroy her world all over again.
Chapter Twenty-five
My soul thirsteth for thee,
My flesh longeth for thee.
—Old Testament, Psalms 63:1
The stench of rum was heavy in the air of his study as Hiram paced the floor, an almost empty bottle clutched tightly in his right hand.
He had spent a good portion of the night drinking and trying to make decisions that seemed to elude him.
It was morning now and he could hear the remaining slaves already dutifully in the field, humming and singing as though there wasn’t anything wrong.
But Hiram knew that there was plenty wrong. His whole world had been turned upside down, and all because of his crazy doings. When he had killed his brother, he had expected everything to finally go his way, but nothing had turned out right.
Lavinia had fled with her daughter and Twila to parts unknown. Although she had thought she was being clever by pretending to be ill after her husband’s death, Hiram had known all along that she had stayed in her room to avoid coming face-to-face with him.
He had hoped she would accept Hiram as part of her life and forget her ill feelings toward him.
But he knew now that he’d only been fooling himself when he’d thought she might actually marry him after her husband was gone. Instead, she had gone to great lengths to avoid him.
He now knew that it was more important to her to escape him than to live in a beautiful mansion with all the luxuries she would ever desire. She had fled without claiming any of this as hers.
He expected that she was even now at her favorite aunt’s house outside Atlanta. She had spoken fondly of this aunt often.
Hiram thought he could go to Atlanta and plead with Lavinia to return home, and promise not to broach the idea of marriage. He could say she could run the house as she saw fit. He could tell her he just didn’t want to live alone.
But he had his pride and would not beg that woman for anything.
He smiled wickedly.
Yes, he would have all of this to himself, and be happy for it.