Based on what she had just told him, Hawk had a clear picture of what she had been through. He had no idea where the two men might be now, on this side of the river, or the other, how far behind her they might be, or how strong their determination to find her was. Without knowing any of this, it was difficult to decide what to do. So, he decided to do nothing. “You’ll have to trust me,” he told her. “I’ll take you home to your village, but first, we’ll stay right here and see if they figured out where you went. I’ve got a blanket in my bedroll. You can go back in the bushes there and get out of that wet buckskin dress and leggings and we’ll dry ’em out by the fire. I’ll keep watch while you change. Then you can drink some of this coffee to warm you up a little.” She looked at him as if astonished. He guessed that she expected him to quickly pack up his things and gallop away on his horse with her behind him. “Trust me,” he repeated. “I promise I won’t let them take you, if they find us.”

Feeling that he might not understand how dangerous the two men were, she was not sure if he was making the right decision or if maybe he was with them. But at this point, her options were limited, so she decided to trust the man called Hawk. From what she had heard in her village, Hawk was a man to be trusted. She nodded obediently when he handed her his blanket, then took it and went behind the closest patch of bushes from the fire. “Whatever you want,” she answered when he asked if she wanted deer meat or bacon.

“We’ll have some deer jerky,” he announced. Then thinking he had plenty of provisions, he said, “And some bacon, too.” He doubted that she had been given anything to eat by the two men who had captured her.

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2