Another Chance (36 page)

"Probably, but what about the corporal?" she asked
.

"There will be another time for the corporal
."

Sarah
heard the regret in Wolf's voice, but decided against commenting since if she and Little Turtle weren’t here, he could pursue his enemy.

"Tell me what happened
." Wolf surveyed them closely.

Sarah
looked at the boy. He stared at her.

Obviously, Wolf saw their glances
. "Let's all sit and get comfortable."

She sat on one side of the boy and Wolf on the other
. Needing to keep her hands busy and her eyes away from Wolf, she removed the pad from Little Turtle's bump and squeezed water from the flask onto the cloth.

"I want the truth
." Wolf emphasized each word.

"Thee first, Little Turtle
." Sarah reapplied the moist handkerchief to the boy's head. This time, he did not cringe. She held the make-shift bandage in place.

The child told the story concisely and accurately
. When he mentioned leaving the camp, his father frowned, but did not interrupt the tale.

"Have you anything to add?" Wolf asked
Sarah.

"No
. But I have a question. The corporal mentioned he had visited my father's tavern recently." She swallowed hard as worry for Benjamin surfaced in full force.

Wolf saw the concern clearly on her face and wanted to pull her into his arms and chase away her fear
. Then he remembered his discussion with Little Turtle about Sarah leaving once the British soldiers had been caught. With considerable effort, he restrained his impulse.

"Doeth
thee know if he has been back since the last time when he beat my father?" Her eyes penetrated his soul.

Touching her shoulder, he said, "If he had, we would hear
. When we return, I will send a messenger to make sure Benjamin Stone is well."

"I must
go and see for myself how he fares."

Trepidation for what might happen to her on the trip rippled through Wolf's gut
. "As you saw today, you are safe only at Long Meadow."

"If thee will escort me, I will be safe
." Her words and tone pleaded with him. "I have not seen my father for many days. Please, let me reassure myself of his health."

His fear for
Sarah made him want to deny her request. Yet he understood her wanting to see for herself. Needing a few moments alone, he rose and walked a short distance down the path. Having both Sarah and Little Turtle in danger had crystallized Wolf's feelings. As much as he wanted to deny the attraction for this woman building inside him, he would not lie to himself. He wanted her to be with him …always. The idea of her ever leaving filled him with such deep remorse that he momentarily wished that the corporal might never be apprehended.

If anything
happens to either one of them, my life would be as the heavens without the stars--dark and lonely. As long as she stays at Long Meadow, she is safe. Outside, danger threatens.
Yet, Wolf could no more wrap Sarah in a cocoon than his grandfather could still the wagging tongues that helped kill his wife.

Making a decision, although one he did not favor, Wolf strode back
. "I will take you tomorrow."

"Thank you
." Her face lightened.

He had expected a stronger reaction from her
. Since he had agreed to take her, why did she not seem as pleased as he expected. Wolf eyed her carefully, but could not penetrate her expression.

"Let's go home," he said
. Picking up Little Turtle, Wolf placed him on his shoulders.
Amen-apush
followed behind his master.

"
E--e!
  You haven't put me up here for a long time."

"Like the view?"
Sarah smiled at Wolf, but only with her lips, before glancing at the boy.

"Not as good as the tree, but it will do," his son said honestly
.

They all laughed, yet Wolf heard total joy only in his child's voice
.

              * * * *

Once back at Long Meadow,
Sarah bathed and changed her clothes. Wolf had told her he would find his grandfather and tell him what had occurred. Uncharacteristically, Little Turtle had fallen asleep while eating, so Bowl Woman had put him to bed.

As she dressed, she thought about her impending visit to the Inn and a never before qualm filled her
. She wanted to see Benjamin, to verify that he was well, yet misgivings about returning seized her just as they had while she sat nursing Wolf's son. Would the door open and take her back to her own century? Since she had no say about arriving, why would her departure be any different? Yes, she missed her friends, but she had a chance to create her own friends and even a family at Long Meadow. She shook her head at the difference a few weeks could make.

As she finished brushing her hair and prepared to leave the room,
Sarah remembered Benjamin as he lay on his bed. Whatever happened, she must see the man she called father. Perhaps, if she did not stay overnight, she would be safe. Safe. How strange, only a short while ago, she had wanted nothing so much as to go back.

After stopping in the kitchen, she set off to visit Quick Rabbit
. The answers to Sarah's questions would only be found at the tavern. She had no choice but to go there. Tonight, she must fulfill her promise to visit her other concern, Quick Rabbit.

When
Sarah arrived at the village, the Lenape woman still sat on the stoop, yet her face appeared to have more color, more life. "I brought thee sweetened plums. Bowl Woman assured me thou enjoys them."

Sarah
sat on the wooden step next to Quick Rabbit and pulled the wooden stopper from the jar. As she spooned the syrup and fruit, Sarah talked about the ambush, careful to leave out any reference to the British corporal

Quick Rabbit ate well and appeared interested in the story, but her eyes stared off in the distance
. Still, her limited response pleased Sarah. "Tomorrow, I will visit my father. I am not sure when I shall return, but, if I get back before dark, I will come visit thee."

The Lenape woman looked at
Sarah.

"Oh, Quick Rabbit!
Thou is hearing and understanding me." Sarah wanted to drop the bowl and squeeze her, but hesitated. What would Quick Rabbit reaction be to someone hugging her? Could someone's arms surrounding her cause Quick Rabbit to relive the rape? Although the other Lenape women helped Quick Rabbit to stand and walk and relief herself, and Sarah had brushed Quick Rabbit's hair, encircling someone's body with thine arms called for trust. Did that exist between them? Sarah waited for an additional response.

Slowly, the Lenape woman inclined her head, as if nodding, and the action reminded
Sarah of a rusted coil moving.

After placing the jar on the ground,
Sarah eased her fingers over Quick Rabbit's hands. The woman remained still. Gently, Sarah squeezed. "Thou has survived much. I have never experienced what was forced upon thee, but I admire thy strength."

Moisture showed in Quick Rabbit's eyes, but no tears fell
.

"How pleased I am that thou hears me
. That thou understands what I have said." Sarah leaned back, but kept her hand on Quick Rabbit. "Thou is getting better."

The Lenape woman blinked her eyes, as if in agreement
.

Keeping her fingers over Quick Rabbit's,
Sarah said, "I am so happy."

Quick Rabbit closed her lids
.

Sarah
feared that she had lost contact. "Doeth thou want anything?"

"Long Knife
." The quiet words sounded scratchy. A single tear slipped down the side of her face.

Covering both Quick Rabbit's hands with one of hers,
Sarah wiped the moisture away with the tip of her thumb.
What can I say?  What should I say?
Her heart faltered. She could never tell Quick Rabbit that her son had volunteered for the army. Unwilling to show her apprehension, Sarah said, "He is away, but we will send a message and have him return as quickly as possible."

Suddenly, fear filled Quick Rabbit's face
.

"What is wrong?"
What have I said?
Sarah wondered, confused by the quick reversal.

The Lenape woman stared straight ahead, a blank expression covered the woman's face
. A sense of frustration filled Sarah.
She has slipped away from me.

Trying to recapture their earlier moments together,
Sarah asked, "Is there anything else? Food, a blanket, anything?" She hoped for a response.

No change registered on Quick Rabbit's face
.

Unable to do more tonight,
Sarah gathered the dishes and said, "I will be back tomorrow, if I can. I will ask Wolf to send someone to find thy son. It may take a little time, so don't worry. He will come."

She received no response
. Had Quick Rabbit heard her?

As
Sarah prepared to go, she tried to reassure the quiet, somber woman. "He will come."

Quick Rabbit remained still and mute
.

With a heavy heart,
Sarah stepped away. Quick Rabbit appeared not to notice. If anything, she appeared even more remote

             
CHAPTER SIXTEEN

With an uneasy heart, Sarah headed toward the farmhouse. She'd had such hope when Quick Rabbit had spoken, yet only moments afterwards the woman appeared to retreat into her suit of armor. Had Sarah expected too much or had the temporary break been a normal part of Quick Rabbit's mental problem. Oh, how Sarah wished she had some expertise to draw on. Well, no matter why something had happened, she would continue to keep trying. Before she reached the barnyard, strong arms gently encircled her from behind. "Wolf!" The fresh smell of pine soap had given him away.

He nuzzled the side of her neck
.

She shivered with pleasure at his touch
. Although she wanted to stay lock securely in his arms, her meeting with Quick Rabbit competed with her personal desire. "I have news."

Whirling her around, he stared deeply into her eyes
. She beheld a look on his starkly handsome face that she had never seen before. Passion and desire showed, but another emotion, one she had not perceived before, overlaid them. Her heart beat hard, and a blanket of warmth covered her.
Is he beginning to feel what I have only recently acknowledged? Did he  love her as she loved him? Is that what had caused this softer countenance?
She sincerely hoped so.

"What is your news?"
He kept his arms securely around her waist.

The sense of confusion she had experienced when she left Quick Rabbit returned
. She touched the side of Wolf's jaw, needing his strength. Briefly, he nuzzled her hand against the side of his shoulder. "Quick Rabbit blinked her eyes." His own mirrored the pleasure Sarah experienced. "When I asked her if she wished anything she mumbled, 'Long Knife'."

"That is wonderful!"
His countenance sparkled with pleasure.

"At first, I thought so, too
." Sarah searched his face, noting his strong, handsome air. His silence encouraged her. "When I told her he was not here, her face went blank. Nothing I said afterwards changed the frigid-like expression."

"You have made the first contact
. I'm sure she will improve." He spoke with confidence. Sarah wished she felt as sure.

Sliding his hands to her shoulders, he went on, "When did this happen?"

Although he held her, she could not shake off her melancholy. "Just now."

"Then why are you so sad?"  Wolf massaged her gently
.

"After she spoke Long Knife's name, a single tear fell from her eye,
and then I thought I saw fear in them." Sarah relived the scene in her mind, trying to remember every detail. "When I tried to get her to talk again, she shut me, and I believe everything around her, out, retreating into her personal shell."

Sarah
shook her head as if the motion might clarify the reversal in Quick Rabbit. "I may be wrong, but I think we should send a message to Long Knife." She stared deeply into his ebony eyes. "Can thee do this?"

"If he hadn't left to fulfill a foolish dream, he would be here now," Wolf said
.

Remembering Wolf's anger at her when Long Knife joined the scouts,
Sarah experienced two totally different emotions. She, too, wished the boy were here, but she recognized that is leaving was something he had to do. So she said, "But he did go. We must abide by his decision. Surely, Long Knife can be found and given leave to visit his mother."