She thought of her father and how proud he would be of the backbone and bravery she’d showed at a time in her life when only she could make things right again.
And then she thought of someone else.
Eagle Wolf.
If only she could see him again. If only he cared enough to search for her.
Could it be that he had decided not to accept her disappearance in his life and was out there even now searching for her? But no, he would surely be in his home, sitting leisurely beside his lodge fire, possibly having already eaten a delicious meal of whatever the Navaho ate. No doubt his mind was on anything but her.
Probably when he had awakened the other morning and found her gone, it was the last time he’d ever thought of her.
He had surely accepted that if she had fled from him in such a way, she wanted nothing more to do with him.
As she rode through another stand of aspens, Nicole welcomed the glimmer of their yellow leaves in the night as the moon fell upon them. There was a peace that came with the rustling of their leaves.
The breeze picked up, and then she could scarcely see them because dark clouds suddenly covered the moon.
But she could still hear the leaves rustling, and suddenly did not feel so alone as she rode in the company of the trees and their lovely murmuring.
She closed her eyes for a moment and thought of times back home when she and her mother had walked hand in hand in a forest of cottonwood trees in the autumn. They, too, made the same sound, like a whisper of music.
Thinking of her sweet, precious mother brought a horrible ache to Nicole’s heart. She was missing her mother so much at this moment, she could hardly stand it.
If only she could see her one more time.
If only she could hear her soft laughter.
She opened her eyes and felt suddenly faint when a horse came out of the shadows at her. The moon was still hidden, so she could not see who was on the horse.
But the man’s voice, so deep and masculine, and oh, so wonderfully friendly and caring, revealed who the man was.
“Eagle Wolf!” she cried as the clouds slid away from the moon and suddenly revealed his sculpted, handsome face to her.
Never in her life had she been so relieved, so happy, to see anyone as she was to see Eagle Wolf.
Eagle Wolf, however, was not at all surprised to see her there on her horse. As soon as she had got free of the Mormon compound, he had trailed her, separating himself from his warriors and giving them the freedom to return to their homes and families tonight.
He no longer needed anyone to help him save the woman he loved.
He had waited to approach her because he was not certain how to come upon her in the night without giving her a terrible fright. But now that they were together, and he saw the relief on her face, he knew that he had done the right thing to search out this white woman, whose heart belonged to him, even though she might not yet realize it.
“How did you know where I was?” Nicole asked, searching his eyes.
“I saw you leaving the Mormon village,” Eagle Wolf said, stopping his horse directly beside hers so that he could reach out and touch her.
But he waited to be sure she would accept such a touch. He must remember that she had chosen to flee him as he lay asleep beside the campfire.
“You…saw…me?” Nicole asked.
With his horse right next to her own, she found it hard to concentrate, much less carry on a normal conversation.
If he knew the effect that he had on her, he would understand how glad she was to see him. He would know that she loved him although they had not yet even shared a kiss.
“When I discovered that you had left while I slept, I was not certain what I should do,” he explained. “I did not know why you had left. I wrestled with my feelings about whether or not to go after you. I decided to let you do what your heart had led you to do. I went to my home and tried to forget you. But…”
What he was actually confessing to Nicole made her almost melt in her saddle, for she now knew just how much this man loved her.
Oh, Lord, he felt the same way she did about him!