Savage Flames

Lavinia awakened feeling refreshed, even renewed, after her outing with Wolf Dancer the day before.

She would never forget how understanding and gentle he’d been when she told him how tired she was after hearing the Spirit Talker’s stories.

She sat up on her bed of pelts and stretched her arms lazily above her head, yawned, then smiled as she recalled how gently Wolf Dancer had tucked her in.

She knew he had sat beside her as she fell asleep. It was wonderful to know that she could trust him so much.

She had seen the need in his eyes yesterday as he gazed into hers. She had wondered if he had seen that she felt the same needs.

But neither of them had made any motion to assuage those needs. They both knew it would happen sometime.

And the fact that they had made a commitmentto one another, to be married, made her heart swim with pure joy.

Although she had been married before, to a wonderful, gentle man, this love she felt for Wolf Dancer was brand new. She felt a deep passion for Wolf Dancer, something she had never experienced before for any man.

And the knowledge that he loved her so much he wanted her to be his wife made tears of joy fill her eyes.

She had felt a connection between them from the moment they first made eye contact. At first she’d thought it might be her imagination. But now she knew that his love fo

r her was real. She wanted to shout her joy to the treetops.

This life with him would be so different from her life with Virgil. She and Wolf Dancer shared a true connection, and had passionate feelings for one another.

To be fulfilled in this way was something she had never expected in her life. But now she would belong to the most wonderful, gentle, caring, loving man in the world.

She glanced over at the basket of shells, remembering the special time spent with Wolf Dancer.

Then she noticed other things in the room that had not been there yesterday: a beautiful doeskin dress embellished with beads on the front, and a pair of new moccasins on the floor mats.

Also there was a basin of fresh water and a cloth with which to bathe herself.

She had been told that Moon Beam would bringthese things for her. It seemed that the woman felt she owed Lavinia much because her two sons had wronged Dorey.

Lavinia would correct this misconception, for the lovely woman owed Lavinia nothing except friendship, which Lavinia openly welcomed. It would be good to have a special friend among these people. She hoped to live among them for the rest of her life. She would enjoy learning the ways of the Seminole, not only from Wolf Dancer but also from this friend.

A mischievous glint appeared in Lavinia’s eyes as she looked at the lovely dress. She glanced out the window and saw that it was barely dawn. Surely Wolf Dancer would still be asleep.

She wondered what he might think if he found her at his bedside when he awakened.

If she hurried, she could wash up, put on the dress, and get into his room before he woke up.

If he found her sitting there, surely he would understand why she had come so early in the morning to his bedside.

She felt wonderful today, without an ache in her body. Her wound was feeling much better. In fact, she couldn’t feel any pain in it whatsoever.

Would Wolf Dancer think her a hussy if she approached him to make love for the first time? She didn’t think so.

“We love each other,” she whispered to herself as she rose from her bed. “It is time to share the magic wonder of our love.”

She hurried through her bath, slid the beautiful, soft dress over her head, then did the best she couldwith her long hair. She had no brush so she moved her fingers through it until she finally got the witches’ knots out and the blond strands fell gently across her shoulders and down her back.

Having never approached a man in such a way, she felt a strange knot in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed hard, closed her eyes, and took a deep, nervous breath, then left her room.

She tiptoed down the hall, even though she knew no one else was there to hear her.

Dorey had spent the night with Twila and Joshua. The house was totally hers and Wolf Dancer’s, to do as they pleased with their privacy!

Her pulse raced as she crept down the stairs. She could feel the heat of a blush rush to her cheeks.