“She knew,” Silla said softly. “A woman knows when she is loved. You’re a good man, Gabriel. Abigail was lucky to have you in her life.”
Gabriel pulled himself together, as though embarrassed he’d shown so much emotion. “I was the lucky one. Abigail was so sweet, so good. I know she was unhappy here in the wilderness, all alone, but she never complained.”
“A woman in love finds her happiness with her man,” Silla replied, “no matter where she lives.”
A tug on her skirt drew Silla’s attention. Salai held up her arms, not knowing what was happening but wanting to be part of the moment. Silla picked her up, and Salai reached out to pat Gabriel’s cheek.
He took the child from her. “Even in the midst of sorrow you can make me smile,” he whispered, holding Salai close. She hugged him and then reached out to hug Silla, anxious to have her little family happy again. Once she assured herself that all was well, she started wiggling in his arms.
“All right, little one. I know that means you’re ready to assert your independence.” Gabriel set Salai on her feet, and she toddled away.
“Abigail would tell me it’s time to let her go, to let joy back into my life. Sometimes I wonder if she looked down at me from Heaven, saw my solitary life, and sent you and Salai to bring me back to the world.”
He gazed into her eyes. Silla moved toward him, wanting only to bring him a moment of happiness. She buried her hands in his hair and drew his head close to hers.
Before her lips met his, a huge commotion outside near the barn made them spring apart. Crashing and growling noises, accompanied by unearthly howls of pain, sounded like they were coming closer. Gabriel grabbed the long-barreled rifle hanging over the fireplace.
“Bar the door!” he shouted. “No matter what happens, stay inside.”
Yanking it open, he disappeared into the darkness.
Chapter Nine
By the faint light of the moon, Gabriel could see a huge shape silhouetted on the outside wall of the barn. The smell of blood was overpowering. He heard bones crunching, along with grunts and snorts.
Gabriel knew black bears lived in the woods, but they seldom came near his farm. His mind raced as his hands went through the familiar task of getting his rifle ready to fire.
His father had given him the gun on his ninth birthday. Back then, it was as tall as he was, and he could barely keep the long barrel steady enough to aim. Now he could load the rifle in the dark and reload on a dead run if necessary. Pulling out the priming horn his papa made from the tip of a deer antler, he filled the flash pan on the rifle. He glanced back at the huge shadow and added a double measure of the black powder he’d ground to a fine texture with a stone mortar and pestle.
The forest held plenty of wild game. Gabriel figured soldiers combing the woods must have driven the bear from his usual hunting grounds. Hungry and on the move, he’d been lured to the barn by the scent of the cow and chickens.
It was too dark to use the buckhorn sight mounted on the barrel. Gabriel aimed his rifle at the center of the dark mass and pulled the trigger. Blinded by the flash of gunpowder, he heard a deafening roar, followed by the sound of the bear crashing through the split rail fence in front of the barn as he ran away.
“It’s all right,” he called out. “He’s gone.”
Knowing the bear could come charging back any minute, Gabriel immediately reloaded his rifle. He poured coarse black powder into the barrel then took a lead ball and a scrap of ticking from his pouch. Wrapping the cloth around the ball, he shoved it into the mouth of the barrel. A swipe of the knife at his waist trimmed away bits of fabric sticking out. He drove the lead ball deep into the barrel with his ramrod, seating it firmly on the powder.
Gun loaded and ready to fire, Gabriel went back to the cabin for a lantern. After assuring Silla that he’d driven the beast away, he headed for the barn to survey the damage. The remains of several hens littered the yard, feathers and bones and blood everywhere. Inside, his sole milk cow stood shivering with fear in the far corner of her stall. He couldn’t find a mark on her. It looked as though the hungry bear went straight for the chickens.
He heard a sound behind him and whirled, dropping the lantern and raising the rifle to his shoulder.
Silla stood before him, her eyes wide with fear as she stared down the barrel of the gun.
“Did I not tell you to stay inside?” he shouted. “I could have killed you!”
Silla took one hesitant step toward him, and he exploded. He dropped the rifle and grabbed her by the arm. Sinking down on a hay bale, he yanked her over his lap and pulled her skirt up, only to find himself staring at the lush cheeks of her bare bottom.
“Why aren’t you wearing your drawers? Damnation, woman, will you never do as you are told?” he yelled. His callused palm came down on her backside.
* * *
Silla laid unmoving, despite the burning sting that grew each time his palm connected with her backside. Gabriel was a man unaccustomed to expressing his feelings. She understood the punishment was his way of dealing with the wide range of emotions he’d just experienced. He spanked her roughly, pouring out fear and anger, guilt and desire with every wallop.
“It is my duty to keep you safe,” he ranted. “If that bear was still around, he could have charged you, torn you limb from limb. As it was, I almost shot you myself. I told you to stay inside. But you have to be stubborn and willful, doing as you please, ignoring my rules. Now here I am, forced to lay my hand on your bare bottom again, to see your nakedness and be tormented by my desires, all because you won’t do as you’re told and wear drawers under your gown like any decent woman would…like Abigail always did.”
He stopped suddenly, appalled at what he’d said. “I…I didn’t mean…you aren’t a decent woman,” he stammered.
Silla slid to her knees in front of him, pulling off her dress. The moonlight glinted off the lush curves of her breasts, illuminated the dark patch of curls between her legs. “I know you are only trying to do what is right. But you don’t have to be tormented any longer. The Great Mother in all Her wisdom has given us the gift of pleasure. She means for us to enjoy her gift, not deny our desires. I want you. And I know you want me, Gabriel. Take me.”