THE SKY WAS reflected in the crystal clear lake. Rebecca Boone drew in a deep breath of crisp mountain air. The sun was high in the sky, but a light, cool breeze lifted the hair that framed her face. She turned toward her husband, a smile spreading across her features.
"Pretty?" He asked before she could speak.
"A mite." She grinned at him, repeating his most often used description.
"I reckoned you might enjoy it." He moved closer to her, and reaching out squeezed her shoulder. "Come along this way." He said, moving past her, and leading her nearer the beautiful lake.
***DB***
Just one day earlier, they had stood side-by-side on the dusty streets of Salem watching as Mingo checked the lashings on the wagon that he and Daniel had loaded. The wagon was tightly and expertly packed.
"I've got one more small package for you." Daniel told him. "You plan to leave soon?"
"I was hoping to leave before noon." Mingo replied. "I'm hoping to crest the ridge before nightfall."
"Well, then Becky can just say her goodbyes to you and I'll walk her back to the hotel I'll be back with the package within the hour."
"How very mysterious." Mingo said raising an eyebrow at Rebecca. "A secret package?"
"Not that secret," Rebecca said laughing. "It is time for Rebecca Boone to disappear, and Daniel Boone's trapper wife to return. We were hoping you could carry my new dress home."
"Ah!" He smiled in surprise. "You should have talked to me before you left Boonesborough. I could've brought you the dress of a Cherokee woman - it is much better made for travel and battle."
"I don't need clothes for battle." Rebecca told him. "I'm hoping none of us ever do." She reached out and squeezed Mingo's shoulder. "You travel carefully. I am not feeling very settled over you traveling so far alone."
"Oh, he ain't alone." A voice spoke, startling her, and they all turned.
"Yadkin!" She shouted in surprise. "But what on earth . . .? How did you . . .? I thought you had resigned yourself to marry the widow Olsen?"
"I had, but when we arrived, every single one of her children were there to greet us." He grinned up into the surprised faces of Mingo, Daniel and Rebecca.
"And they didn't cotton to their Ma bringing home a new husband?" Daniel asked.
"No." Yadkin continued. "There were NINE of them! NINE! Can you imagine?"
"Last we spoke, you said love could overcome any obstacle." Mingo pointed out.
"Love is one thing," Yadkin responded. "And that woman misrepresented herself. She led me to believe she was loaded with riches, but it turns out she counted that brood as her wealth."
"Are you on your way to Boonesborough then?" Rebecca asked.
"I thought I'd at least stop by home, and see how things have changed. I might stay around a bit and see how things are. And it appears I've come none too soon. This one here," He thumbed in the direction of Mingo, "can't manage his way home with all of this by hisself."
"If you are offering your esteemed company for the trip home, I accept." Mingo bowed gallantly.
"I told you he wasn't going to marry." Daniel told his wife. "You owe me two pies!" He clapped Yadkin on the back. "Carolina Yadkin, I am right pleased to see you again, and happier still to know you are headed back to Boonesborough. The place ain't seemed right since you left."
"You bet against my matrimony?" Yadkin responded surprised.
"Well, not exactly." Daniel said. "I just made a prediction based on past experiences."
"I was on your side." Rebecca said kissing Yadkin on his cheek. "We are so happy to have you back with us, even if it is with a broken heart."
"Well," He sputtered blushing. "All this fuss. Ain't you ready to go just yet?" He turned toward Mingo.
"Oh, yes." Mingo grinned, winking at Daniel as he spoke. "I'm just waiting for Rebecca to give me her dress."
Yadkin's eyes grew wide with shock, as they all laughed.
***DB***
They had set up their camp beneath a grove of beautiful pine trees on a small ridge that overlooked the lake. Rebecca sat on a fallen log, her long legs stretched out in front of her. It was such an unusual luxury to simply sit with no chores or work to do.
"I see you thinking, Mrs. Boone." Daniel told her from where he set the small supply of wood that he had gathered. "That lake is icy cold."
"Well," She mused. "You are planning on building a good fire, aren't you?"
"You've got some strange habits." He shook his head at her. "I had no idea you had this love for lakes."
"Aye. I love the water. There was this little pond just at the edge of the village where I grew up, and I used to dash off every chance I got. I loved to plunge under the water and pretend I were a water faerie. My ma used to have to drag me out." She looked up at her husband who stood in front of her. She rarely spoke of her early life, and he stood frozen not wanting to break the spell. "My Pa had told me that water faeries lived just below the surface and I so wanted to meet one. I thought they could take me to where he was." She smiled shyly. "It was silly."
"No, it weren't." He moved to sit beside her.
"It is." She sighed. "I had forgotten about it. And that pond was nothing like this beautiful lake."
"What was it like?" He asked her. "I can't imagine how far you've travelled."
"The hills remind me of it sometimes, but home was green. It was green everywhere you looked. It was beautiful, but it was . . ." She considered thoughtfully. "I just wanted to leave and get away. After Ma . . . then it was only sad." They sat in silence a long moment, until finally breaking the silence, Daniel stood.
"Come on, ah grah." He held a hand out toward her.
"Where?" She asked him, puzzled.
"Let's swim in that icy lake, and see if we can't find us some water faeries."
"I thought you didn't like the water." She said taking his hand and rising.
"Yes, but I love you." He said kissing her cheek. "So, a swim doesn't seem terrible at all."
Almost as soon as he climbed into the icy water, Daniel was scrambling back to the shore. At first he sat beside the lake watching Rebecca swim, but when the cold got the better of him, he decided to return to the their camp and build up the fire.
"I'm going to get the fire up, darlin'." He called out to her. "Ain't you cold all through?"
"Just about." She said laughing. "I'll be right behind you."
"No, chuman. Let me build up the fire, and then I'll come back down to you with a blanket. No sense you freezing just to walk to our camp."
The sky was bright blue, and Rebecca floated on her back looking up at it. She was lost somewhere between her utter contentment to be alone with Daniel, and the carefree memory of the days when her mother still walked the earth, and so she was unaware of anything around her. If she had been travelling in her dress, she would be swimming in her petticoat, but as she had been wearing breeches, she was instead wearing only the thinnest shirt that fell to just above her knees. It was lightweight, and she was grateful they were alone for the water made it nearly completely see-through, something Daniel didn't mind one bit.
"Well, hello there." A sharp voice startled her, and she shrunk down so that she was underwater up to her chin. A rough looking man stood on the shore.
"These can't be yours." He said holding up the breeches that lay in the soft grass.
"Wh. . . wh . . . who are you?" She sputtered.
"Oh! I recognize you! We meet again! I guess you ain't found the rest of your party yet."
"Ye . . . yes we did. They aren't far off, so . . ."
He laughed loudly at this, cutting her off. "Oh! You are such a terrible liar! There's only you." He glanced around. "Where is that giant you was travelling with?" He took a step into the edge of the water, moving toward her but she swam away from him.
"Oh, you can't stay out there forever. Your lips are blue already."
She swam further away from him, and climbed out on the far side of the lake. She stood shivering on the shore for the briefest of moments, calculating the distance from him and the distance to Daniel. She drew in a brief, and then began to sprint toward their camp.
"Daniel!" She called out. "Dan!" From where she stood on the shore, she couldn't see up beyond the trees where the camp lay. Her clothes lay on the opposite bank, and she was well aware that she was nearly naked, but all thoughts of modesty were abandoned as she determined to get away from the stranger who was coming toward her in rapid strides. Turning she moved to run toward their camp, up the steep hill they'd come down earlier. The ground near the lake was marshy and she struggled not fall, but did anyway. As she threw out her hands to catch herself, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder, and spinning round found herself looking up into unfamiliar dark eyes.
"Well, ain't you a pretty lass." He said menacingly. He was stronger than her, and above her but she knew she wasn't completely defenseless. Balling her fist she slammed him hard, just between the legs, as Daniel had once told her to do. He immediately doubled-over, cursing at her as he did. She understood she would only have seconds before enraged he would come after her again, so she rose up, her feet slipping in the mud as she began to propel herself forward and away from him.
"When I'm through with you, I'm gonna kill you." He hissed, and she could hear him rising and rushing toward her, but she didn't look back for fear it would slow her pace.
"Daniel!" She screamed again, and this time she saw a familiar tall figure above her on the rise of the hill. He lifted his rifle a little strangely, taking careful aim.
"Becca, get low!" He hollered down to her, and she threw herself flat against the earth, trusting completely in her husband's ability to hit any target. The retort of the gun rumbled like thunder over her head, and she heard a distant thudding sound as her attacker fell just a step behind her. She rose up from where she lay face down in the dirt and mud, and turned sitting to find that the man's arm was just a few inches from her ankle. Shuddering from fear and cold, she pulled her legs up against her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. She could hear, as though very far away, Daniel's voice high and panicked. She watched him as he ran in tumbling awkward steps toward her, and even when he knelt in front of her his words sounded muted.
" . . .put his hands on you? Are you hurt? Rebecca! Rebecca Anne!" His voice came into focus and she turned to meet his green eyes which were wide with fear and panic.
"Nn . . nnn . . . no," She managed, finding her voice at last. "I . . . I . . . I was coming up out of the water and he . . . he . . . he . . ." Here she turned and pointed to where he lay just a step away from them.
"That's alright, love. Hush, now." She was numb with cold so that it took her a minute to actually feel the warmth of his arms encircling her, but as she did, she found herself clinging to him frantically. "It's alright, now Becca." His voice was even and calm, but carried a strange hint of strain to it - as if he thought the danger had not passed. He lifted her up and made his way back up the incline, setting her down close to the fire he had built. He tried to let go of her to fetch her a blanket but she cried out, clinging to him.
"Becca, you are cold as a snow bank. I'm gonna get ya a blanket. I'll be back in a wink." He untangled himself from her, and she watched him, as he disappeared into the makeshift tent they'd built, returning with a blanket in his hands. Glancing to his left, she could just make out the shape of a man lying in the grass beside the tent, and looking around her suddenly realized that their camp had been overturned, as if a violent struggle had taken place.
"What . . . what happened?" She asked, as Daniel wrapped the blanket around her.
"Don't fret, love. Let's get you warm first. Your clothes are still down by the lake?"
She nodded her head shivering. "I could . . .couldn't gra. . . grab 'em."
"I'm just gonna go back down for a second to get your clothes." She immediately began to reach out for him in protest. "No, love. It's just down the hill there. I'll leave Tick'licker right here beside you." Here he patted the familiar trusty rifle. "It might seem like a long time, but darlin' I'm just a few steps away and I'm coming right back."
Her eyes pooled with sudden tears and she had to bite at her lip. "Dan . . ."
"Just a few steps away. You are freezing, Becca. I need to get your clothes. Just wait. You are the bravest woman I know, so you can do this. You only have to brave for just a few minutes." He was leaning close to her, his hands holding her face. She could feel the warmth of his fingers thawing her icy skin. His lips brushed hers, and then he was gone.
It seemed an eternity, and she began to shake violently - whether from fear or cold she wasn't entirely sure. Every sound of the woods around her felt like a threat. She kept hearing what sounded like footsteps and she was far too terrified to turn her head to see if the dead man lying in the grass had risen up to come after her. She closed her eyes chiding herself for behaving like a child, but she was too scared to see anymore. Eventually, she did hear footsteps and in her terrified state she prayed aloud that they were Daniel's and not the men who had disturbed their peaceful afternoon.
"I'm right, here." Daniel's familiar voice gave her the courage she needed to open her eyes, and she saw him then, holding her clothes in his hands. "Let's get you out of those wet things, darlin'."
"Your face!" She said, able to focus on him at last. "Dan! You are hurt!"
"We had a tussle, but I'm fine Rebecca. Come on, now. Let's get you into dry clothes, and then I give you permission to fuss over me, to your heart's content."
He helped her into her clothes and the warmth of them against her skin felt warm as blanket and yet she could not stop shaking from the cold which seemed to have reach deep down inside her. He wrapped her up again in the blanket, but not before removing his own jacket and wrapping her in it. She looked up at him, as he stoked the fire, seeing that he moved stiffly and at odd angles.
"Your rib is broken," She said throwing back the blanket to go to him.
"'Friad so." He agreed, wrapping the blanket back around her, grimacing as he did. "But you and I both know there isn't too much you can do about it, so stay put."
"What else?" She asked, looking up at him, her chin resting on her knees which were close against her body, the blanket wrapped around her tightly.
"Just a few scratches and bumps. Nothing to fret over." He moved stiffly and lowered himself beside her. "I don't think I did my ankle any favors, either. And what of you?"
"I'm. . . I'm just cold, I think."
He reached out with his long fingers brushing her cheek, "You got a scratch on your face, and few more on your arms, and a pretty dark bruise on your hip. I imagine it you will feel the sting of it once you get warmed up. He didn't put his hands on you?"
"No." She answered firmly. "He stood on the shore, and spoke to me, so I swam to the other side and tried to make a run for it, but I slipped and fell. I must've landed on a rock or something." She ducked her head, feeling a rising panic as she remembered, but Daniel moved closer wrapping his long arms around her.
"It'll be dark soon," He sighed. "Do you remember, how many men were there? I think it was seven or so. Can you recall?"
"I just saw him standing on the shore," And then suddenly she recognized him. "They are the men we saw before?" Her eyes grew wide. "But why would they . . ." She felt herself begin to shake again.
"Never mind, sweetheart. Forget about it for now." He pulled her tighter against his body. "We will be safe here for the night and if you are up to it, we will move out at dawn."
"There were eight, I think." She said trying hard to picture them all standing around her when she'd first burst into their camp. "No, nine." She looked up at Daniel. "We don't have to wait for dawn. I can travel."
He laughed out loud at this, and kissed her forehead. "Of course you can." He winced. "I might need to rest though, ah chuman. I'm a little worse for wear and seeing him coming after you like that might have aged me fifty years."
"We should put a poultice on your ribs. It must ache something awful."
"Some things hurt much worse than a broken rib." His voice caught in his throat. "I'm sorry I left you alone, 'Becca. I didn't . . .".
"I'm fine. He just . . . frightened me, is all. I'm alright." She untangled an arm from her blanket cocoon and pulled his face toward hers. "Look at me. See. I'm safe. See. I'm right here."
He said nothing in response, other than to pull her into a close hug, burying his face in her shoulder. His breath warmed her skin, and she found herself fighting tears again. "Do you think they'll come after us?" She asked, her voice breaking as she did.
"I have a bad feeling about it." His voice was muffled against his shoulder. "I don't know. I know we can't head out just this minute. My legs are too wobbly, and you are still cold as a winter night. They might not. I don't know."
"Alright. We'll just stay here for a bit longer, and then when you think it's best we can head out, but Daniel, let's make a pact that we won't split up."
"Aye, love." He squeezed her tighter, gasping in pain even as he did. "No more lakes, neither. I'm afraid you'll have to wear that mud home, sweetheart." He released her enough so that he could look into her face, and he wiped at her tears with his thumbs before kissing her again. "I'll get you home safe. Don't fret, 'Becca. We can figure our way out of this."
"I'm not worried." She sniffed. "Who said anything about worry." She nestled into his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. "We can head out when you feel ready, but keep your arms tight around me until then."
"Yes, ma'am." He rested his cheek against the top of her head. "We won't need to take much. Just the rifles and shot. If we leave everything as it is, they might think we are close by, and waste time looking for us here - if they come."
"We could head back to Salem." She suggested. "Isn't it closer? And we could get you to a doctor."
"I don't need a doctor. You can doctor me just fine." He paused thoughtfully. "I think that maybe they are cutting folks off at the road out of Salem - robbing them as they leave town. I think it might be safer to just head back home. We didn't meet up with them until we were almost to Salem, so they probably don't wander to far from there. Not everyone can manage the woods beyond that mountain."
"Aye, that's the truth, that is. Good thing Boone's are built strong for troubled days." She responded.
"Good thing indeed." He kissed her again. "Whatever, comes our way, I'm grateful you are beside me darlin'. Although, I regret with all my heart dragging you so far off course just to see a lake."
"The lake is beautiful, Daniel. No blame falls on your shoulders. At least this time, I will know why you have bruises, instead of having to guess at it when you get home. And imagine the gossip that will run through Boonesborough when I arrive covered in mud and wearing breeches. The pastor might just have to sit us down for a chat."
"He might, at that."
***DB***
They made their way through the darkness of the woods with just the moon and stars to guide them. She could feel the sting of her fall now that her body had warmed some, and she tried not to show any signs of pain. Daniel was limping and she could tell by his expression and by his sweaty brow that he was in a great deal of pain. He made his way along the path, one hand holding onto hers. He was dressed in just his shirt sleeves, as he had refused to take his jacket back. His only concession to her instance that he need to keep warm too was that he agree to wear his own hat which at first he'd demanded she wear.
"It'll keep your head warm." He explained trying to set it on her head.
"I have the blanket and your jacket. You will freeze, Dan. You need to at least wear your hat."
"You've never like this hat." He told her but grinning kissed her and then put the hat on his own head.
He was right of course. She didn't like the hat. She had tried on many occasions to "misplace" it, but he always found it. It wasn't just that it was big and bushy - it smelled too. He'd once told her that he had made it when he was a boy, and her response of, "Yes, I can tell." had hurt his feelings.
She was grateful for it now. It was keeping him warm, and seeing him wearing it made things feel ordinary and safe. In the moments of her struggle she had felt nothing more than a powerful desire to get away from the man, and to find Daniel and safety. It was only now, afterwards, that she felt fear. She longed to be back at home, inside the safety of their own cabin, with friends and neighbors not too far away. She was filled with worry, too, knowing that whatever injuries Daniel had suffered, he would most surely keep them to himself. She had a feeling that he was hurt far worse than he was letting on.
He paused under the branches of a pine tree. "Rest a minute, Becky."
She stood beside him, under a bright blanket of stars, and he reached out brushing his hand over her cheek. "You look better." He told her. "Your cheeks are pink again. Your skin was white as could be earlier."
"Walking is heating me back up. Although, I can't say I'll be sorry to be in front of the warm hearth again."
"You'll get no complaints from me." He agreed, leaning in and kissing her forehead, brushing back a mud-encrusted lock of hair as he did. "I like your hair down." He said softly.
"Even muddy?" She asked him. Her hair had come undone in her struggle to get to shore, and she didn't pause to take the time to put it up before they'd left. It hung loose to her waist and was still dirty from the mud she'd fallen into.
"Even muddy." He ran his fingers through her long hair. They were so intent on one another, and so relieved to be making their slow way homeward that they hadn't noticed anything around them. They didn't realize that they were being followed until looking up from him, she saw two sets of eyes, glittering at them in the darkness.
***DB***
Author's Note:
If you are still reading this story, you deserve an award in patience. I promise to try and update with greater frequency, but life sometimes prevents us from keeping the promises we make. I promise to do my best. Reviews are appreciated.