LeClerc 03 - Wild Savage Heart Page 7

  “Can not!” the boys yelled back.

  Molly watched as the skunk stiffened, its beady eyes turned in their direction.

  “Children, please hush,” Molly whispered, her eyes glued to the animal that was the size of a cat.

  “Tell him that you can too throw a rock better than he can!” Wanda demanded, her voice overly loud to Molly’s ears.

  “If you three don’t stop arguing we’ll all get a lot of practice throwing. Your ma and pa will be throwing your food to you for a good long time if that skunk decides to spray us. No one will want to get any closer to you than absolutely necessary until the smell wears off.”

  It seemed to Molly that she waited forever for the skunk to move. The water, cold from the spring runoff higher in the mountains, flowed around her legs and pulled at her skirt.

  “I’m cold,” Wanda whined.

  “Me, too,” Charles agreed.

  “Me be freezin’! ” added Timmy, not wanting to be outdone by his older brother and sister.

  “I know, children.” Molly looked at her charges and saw the shivers rippling through their tiny bodies. “Maybe she’ll leave in a minute and we can get out and go home for dry clothes.”

  Timmy tried to wrap his legs higher around Molly’s body but found that his brother was impeding his progress. A fight began to brew as the two boys used their feet against each other, trying to dislodge the other one from Molly’s hold.

  “Stop it!” Molly demanded as her grasp began to slip. Neither of the boys was large but her arms soon began to ache from holding them. The water swirled around her hijps and her feet started to grow numb. At her side, Wanda began to whimper. Finally it became evident to Molly that they would have to leave the cold water, skunk or no.

  “Children, I want you to listen very carefully,” Molly said as she slowly moved toward the bank. “We’re going to try to sneak around the skunk. We won’t use the trail to get back home, we’ll make a new one.”

  “Can’t,” Wanda said with a sniff.

  “Why can’t we?” Molly again shifted the slipping boys and knew that once they were out of the river they would have to walk on their own. Her arms were too tired to struggle up the hill with them. “Pa says to stay on the trail.”

  “I’m sure this time he’ll understand if we make our own trail.”

  “Can’t,” Wanda again replied.

  “Wanda,” Molly gritted out the child’s name through clenched teeth. “We will make our own trail.”

  “Mistress Molly, Pa whips awfulsome hard,” Charles said quietly.

  “Ya,” Timmy chimed in. “Awfulsome hard!”

  ” ‘Sides, there’s snakes and rats and poison ivy and snakes and … “

  “I get your point, Wanda.“Now knee-deep in the cold water, Molly stared at the three children. She knew the only way she’d get them home was up the trail.

  On the same trail, the skunk was on the alert, feet braced, back arched, tail raised threateningly.

  Molly took the final few steps to reach dry land and slowly lowered the boys to the ground. All three children shivered uncontrollably and their blue lips covered chattering teeth. She knew she had to get them home so that they could get warm before they became ill.

  Molly picked up several small stones and threw them in the direction of the skunk. Unfortunately, Charles had been correct in his assumption that she could not throw. The stones fell far short of the animal.

  When the children saw Molly throw the stones they, too, picked some up and threw them at the skunk. Their aim was no better than hers; however, the skunk seemed to realize their intention and its posture became even more defensive.

  “Damn!” Molly whispered in frustration.

  “Damn!” Charles repeated with glee.

  “I’m gonna tell Mama!” Wanda threatened. “You’re gonna eat soap!”

  “I want Mama,”Timmy whimpered, his tiny body shaking uncontrollably.

  “Me, too.”

  “Me, too.”

  Molly tried yelling at the skunk, waving a stick and even throwing more rocks. Nothing worked. For whatever reasons, the skunk was not going to abandon her place on the trail.

  Timmy’s sudden sneeze forced Molly to make a decision. Instructing the children to stay together behind the feeble protection of her long skirt, they began the journey back up the hill. As they approached, the skunk moved backward and slightly to the side of the trail. It looked like she intended to let them pass.

  Later, Molly couldn’t explain exactly what happened. Everything had been going so well!

  They drew even with the animal, then slightly past it. Without warning, the children broke away from the protection of Molly’s skirt and climbed up the side of the hill with the agility of mountain goats.

  The skunk took exception to their exuberance and protected her kits with the efficient weapon granted to her by nature. Molly choked and gagged at the overwhelming smell as the black-and-white creature scurried down the trail toward the river.

  Molly’s arrival back at camp was announced long before she arrived. She was holding her hand over her nose and trying to breathe through her mouth, and her eyes watered so badly she could barely see to walk.

  “God in heaven, I thought the children were teasing!” Nora exclaimed as Molly stumbled to a halt.

  “I wish they were,” Molly lifted watery eyes to Nora. “Help?”

  Nora nodded. “If we were home I’d wash you in tomato juice, but Molly, I just don’t know what to use here to cut that odor.”

  “We’ve got to try.” Molly choked and began to unbutton her dress while Nora ushered the children into the tree with instructions to dry, dress and stay out of the way.

  Using buckets of water that they had carried up earlier, Molly washed repeatedly with the harsh lye soap Nora provided. She gave up trying to protect her modesty when she realized her underclothes smelled as rank as her dress. Stripping down to bare skin, Molly handed the clothing to Nora.

  “Should I try washing them?” Nora asked, holding the offending clothing away from her on the end of a stick.

  “Burn them!” Molly muttered, buried head first in a bucket of water.

  An hour and several scrubbings later, Molly’s skin burned and itched. Her dripping hair hung in snarls around her face as she sat on a stump with an old quilt wrapped around her.

  “It’s somewhat better,” Nora said from the safety of several feet away.

  “No it isn’t,” Molly moaned and pushed at her hair.

  The sun had begun to lower in the sky and the cool evening breeze drifted over her abused flesh. The children begged repeatedly to be allowed to leave the tree and the baby began to whimper for his evening meal.

  “What am I going to do?” Molly pleaded, knowing that Nora had no more answers.

  As they stared at each other they heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching. Molly moaned and buried her head in the quilt. She couldn’t bear to see the looks on the faces of the men when they returned.

  Hearing the sound of only one horse, Molly raised her head enough to peek out of the folds of the quilt. She stifled a groan when she spied Hawk.

  Hawk spoke briefly to Nora before unsaddling his horse and leading it to the makeshift corral. He rubbed it down briefly before removing the bit and letting it run freely.

  Still without acknowledging Molly, Hawk turned and walked into the woods. He returned several minutes later, his arms filled with a variety of weeds and roots. He dropped them on a cutting block and began chopping them into small pieces. Then he dumped the mess into a pot of boiling water. He again spoke to Nora before walking toward Molly.

  “Suk ahk wah, “he said with a shake of his head.

  Though his face remained stern, Molly swore she could see a glint of humor dancing in his dark eyes. Her anger began to build at the thought of him laughing at her. The blanket slid away from her head as she raised her face to his.

  “Don’t you dare laugh,” she warned.

  “You
are in no position to threaten, suk ahk wah,” he said, his dark eyes sparkling.

  “What did you call me?”

  “Suk ahk wah, “Hawk replied this time letting the smile reach the rest of his face. “Polecat.”

  Molly stood up, clutching the quilt tightly and walked toward him. He backed up with each step she took, stopping only when she did.

  “Where is Adam?” she asked with a snarl.

  “Your husband and Gary stopped to walk the land he purchased today,” Hawk supplied quietly. “If we go to work now we should be able to remove most of the smell before they return.”

  Molly’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “How?”

  Hawk nodded toward the pot of boiling gruel Nora stirred, her hand held over her nose. “The cure isn’t much better than the cause but it will wash off once it’s done the job.”

  He picked up the pot and started walking toward the river. “Come on, suk ahk wah, let’s see if we can make you smell sweeter.”

  “Don’t call me that!” Molly demanded as she reluctantly followed him.

  Hawk set the pot into the water for it to cool somewhat before they used the mixture. He turned and saw Molly standing forlornly at the edge of the stream. As a tear slowly rolled down her cheek he noticed how unnaturally red her skin was.

  “It smells as bad as the skunk,” she murmured, wrinkling her nose with distaste.

  “Trust me, it won’t burn your skin as the lye soap did,” Hawk replied reassuringly, “and I promise the smell will disappear when you rinse it off.”

  “Seems to me that I don’t have any other choice.”

  “You can always wait for the skunk smell to disappear.” Hawk grinned at her burning look. “It shouldn’t last more than a month or so.”

  Keeping the quilt wrapped firmly around her, Molly walked into the water. The afternoon sun had begun to disappear, taking with it the warmth it had offered earlier. She bit her lower lip to stifle a moan as the cold water played against her bare skin and tugged threateningly at the quilt.

  “Tell me what to do,” she said trying unsuccessfully to hide a shiver.

  “Ah, Mrs. Royse,” Hawk chuckled, “you could have waited until summer to have a run-in with a skunk. At least then the warm water would have been a pleasure instead of continuing with the punishment.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind next time.” She wanted to yell at him to get started but her eyes nearly popped out of her head when he removed his shirt and began unlacing his knee-high moccasins.

  “What … “ she had to clear her throat before she could speak when his hands reached for the lacings of his pants. “What do you think you’re doing?” Hawk pushed his pants down his long legs, revealing a breechcloth riding very low on his narrow hips. As he slowly followed her into the river, carrying the smelly pot of boiled roots and weeds, her eyes widened alarmingly.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed again.

  “I’m not about to ruin a good set of clothes by getting this mess on them.” He indicated the pot in his hands.

  “You aren’t going to wash me!”

  His eyes sparkled and strong white teeth flashed as a smile lit Hawk’s sculptured face. “Only your hair, Mrs. Royse,” he reassured her. “The rest I’ll leave to you.”

  Still unsure of his intentions, Molly nonetheless followed his instructions. She bent and wet her long hair then choked as he worked in the smelly concoction.

  Molly was amazed by his gentleness; a characteristic that seemed out of place with his appearance. His thick, sleek hair hung to his shoulders and his copper skin glistened. The modified breechcloth reached only to the tops of his thighs and hung low on his hips. A civilized savage, she thought to herself, the gentleness as much a part of him as the.

  savagery hidden just beneath the surface.

  Adam leaned against a tree watching as Hawk carefully washed Molly’s hair. He noticed that she held the quilt firmly beneath her chin and that neither of them spoke. Even from his place on the bank he could smell the combined odors of skunk and the potion Hawk was rubbing into Molly’s hair. With a grin, Adam decided that Hawk had gone far beyond the call of friendship.

  “Having fun?”

  Molly raised her head and found Adam on the river bank. She buried her face in the quilt, embarrassed and disappointed that he had returned to find her in such a situation.

  “Your wife met the business end of a skunk,” Hawk supplied unnecessarily. He pushed her head into the water and rinsed her hair several times before he was satisfied that he’d removed the herbal mixture.

  Adam couldn’t stifle the laugh he felt building in his chest. “I seem to remember her talking about skunks just the other night.”

  Molly raised her head. “This is not funny.”

  “You seemed to think skunks had some merit.” Hawk watched as a silent exchange seemed to pass between husband and wife. He was further mystified when Molly grinned.

  “So this is my fault?” she asked cheekily.

  “My mama always said to be careful what you wish for, because you might get it.”

  “This isn’t exactly the way I’d planned!” Shaking his head at their baffling conversation, Hawk slowly left the water. “She’s all yours.”

  “Yes, she is,” Adam agreed, love filling his heart for the woman who stood in the cold water, greatly resembling a drowned rat.

  Hawk handed the pot to Adam as he climbed out of the river. “Wash, repeatedly, until she can’t take the cold water any longer. This won’t get rid of the smell entirely, but at least we’ll be able to live with her until it’s gone.” He grabbed his clothes and walked up the trail.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hawk,” Molly called from the water.

  “You are most welcome, Mrs. Royse,” Hawk replied with a little bow conspicuously incongruous with his forbidding attire.

  Later that evening, Molly snuggled against Adam, her head resting on his shoulder. The odor of skunk, no longer so overpoweringly obnoxious, drifted past her nose.

  “I can sleep somewhere else,” she volunteered, resigned to many long, lonely nights alone.

  “Ah, Molly mine, would you really force me to sleep alone?”

  “But Adam, I stink!”

  He grinned and hugged her tighter, “I can’t argue with that, but sweetheart, I’ve gotten into the habit of sleeping with you. I don’t think I can sleep alone.”

  “Are you sure? Y ou’re not just saying that to make me happy?”

  “Molly,” his voice lost all signs of humor, “I plan to spend the rest of my life making you happy. I intend to surround you with love until you’ve forgotten a past life that didn’t include me.” He raised her head and kissed her gently.

  “I love you, Adam,” she whispered. “Don’t ever leave me.”

  “I couldn’t if I wanted to. You’re part of me now.”

  “Promise? Promise you’ll always love me and never leave me?”

  “I promise, Molly mine, with all my heart.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Molly rode Adam’s horse beside the wagon, careful to keep a distance between her and the men. Even though the smell had dissipated considerably with the help of Hawk’s concoction, she was still conscious of the lingering odor and she continued to be embarrassed. Earlier that morning she had insisted on taking another bath with the remaining herbal mixture. While the men waited patiently, Molly clenched her teeth against the early morning chill of the water as she washed her hair and body again.

  Promising to return for a visit, they took their leave from the Price family and headed several miles north to the land Adam had purchased the day before. Molly’s excitement was slightly diminished by the encounter with the skunk but she held her head high and waited to see where her new home was to be.

  By midafternoon they pulled the lumbering wagon to a halt, and Adam helped Molly dismount from the horse. Taking her hand in his, they walked to a natural clearing.

  “This is ours, Molly mine!” he said with a
wide grin.

  Molly looked around her with new awareness. It was truly a beautiful spot. Huge trees climbed into the sky and wild flowers waved their colorful heads in the breeze. Knee-high grass, so green it vied with the cobalt sky for supremacy, undulated with the wind like gentle waves rolling toward shore. Hidden by the forest of trees, a stream babbled to reveal its presence, and in the distance, as always, the blue mountains held majestic reign.

  “Where do you want your house, wife?” Adam asked. “Over there … or there … or how about there?” He pointed in several directions, all of which looked perfect to Molly. “There’s also at least three springs with water so cold it hurts your teeth. We’ll build a springhouse over one for you to store things that keep better in the cool.”

  “Oh, Adam, it’s perfect!”Molly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He picked her up and swung her around and around in a circle until they were both dizzy. When he set her on her feet she pulled free of his hold and stepped back several paces. Looking at each other, they began to laugh with the abandon of small children, delighted by their homesite, their enthusiasm for life and their love for each other.

  “The cabin and springhouse will have to wait for a while yet,” Hawk interrupted. “We’ll start breaking up the ground for the garden tomorrow. Today we’ll set up a temporary bush corral for the livestock.”

  The three people looked at each other, all of them understanding the amount of work that would need to be completed before winter.

  “Well, just don’t stand there,” Molly quipped, hands on hips. “Let’s get to it!”

  The temporary corral took all afternoon for them to build. Hawk selected a spot with two sides already filled with dense underbrush while Adam began cutting down massive amounts of brush. Molly’s job was to ferry the cut bushes to Hawk. He then wove them into a secure structure. He explained to her that the animals would eat the leaves from the branches, but if they were placed correctly the corral would hinder the animals from wandering off. He was emphatic that a permanent corral would be the first thing to be built once the garden was in place.

  “You have to protect and care for your animals,” he said. “Out here they aren’t easily replaced and they could mean the difference between life and death.”