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The Journey Home

Chapter Twelve

Dangerous Liaisons

The low hum in his head roused Rhett to consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself still lying on the ground next to a large tree. It was dusk, the sky was already taking on a hazy gray and he knew it wouldn't be long until the sun was down and he would be in the dark.

He lifted his head to look at his surroundings, but the small movement sent a sharp, burning pain ripping through his body. He sucked in his breath and cursed low under his breath. He was certain at least three of his ribs were broken, maybe more. He couldn't determine whether he had any other injuries, for half of his limbs felt almost numb from lying in one place for too long. Taking several deep breaths, he slowly rolled over on his side to face the embankment he had rolled down. The pain was excruciating and threatened to send him back into unconsciousness, but Rhett knew that if he didn't try to move, he would be a dead man by morning.

Inch by tormenting inch he crept up the embankment, pulling himself up by the strength of his arms. He stopped every few minutes to breathe and to gather what little strength he could to continue on. His progress was slow and he had barely made it halfway when the darkness began to creep over the sky.

He heard the sound of horse's hooves and voices at one point and he tried to call out but he couldn't get enough air in his lungs to do it. Frustration gripped him as he struggled to move up the embankment. "I'm down here," he called out in a hoarse whisper. "I'm down here."

But, they didn't hear him and after a few minutes he heard them grow further and further away from him. He lay on the hard ground, his breaths coming in painful gasps and wanted to scream out in rage at his predicament. What was he, Rhett Butler, doing lying here beaten on the side of the road? He should be in Charleston enjoying the theatre and late night suppers, not here in this godforsaken hole left for dead.

Scarlett, his mind answered for him. Scarlett was the reason he was here. He had wanted to see her in spite of his many, many protests to the contrary although he hadn't been able to admit as much to his mother before he had left. He reasoned within himself all the way to Clayton County that once he had taken care of Wilkerson, then he could cut the ties that bind and be satisfied that his need for her was once and for all finished.

But lying here hurt, half crazed from pain he had to face certain truths and one of them was for all that she was poison to his soul, never would there be another woman like Scarlett to him. In spite of everything that had happened, it was she he dreamt about and she that he desired. She held a place in him no one could ever touch, not even death.

It was then that when he thought of his dying that he felt another surge of anger course through him. No, he would survive this, he would not die like some common piece of baggage, he refused to allow it to happen.

He lay there for a few minutes gathering his strength and then started again, pulling and pulling himself little by little up the hill. Sweat in rivulets streamed down his face at his exertions, but he pushed himself hard to reach the top. It was agonizingly painful and there was even once when he came to himself and realized that he must have passed out for a few minutes. Finally, after what seemed an eternity he reached the top and fell against the flat surface with half of his body still lying against the embankment.

In the overshadowing darkness Rhett could still see the road and he knew he had to at least make it that far. Surely someone riding by would find him and take him to Tara and to Scarlett. Clawing the ground, he half pulled, half slid the rest of the way across to the road, finally stopping from sheer exhaustion and pain.

The throbbing in his head had increased and his eyes began to blur. He weakening vision blurred further as he looked longingly down the road to that led to Tara. "Scarlett," he whispered hoarsely and reached out his hand. Too weak to fight, he dropped his arm and let the warm blanket of unconsciousness claim him once again.

A soft whinny greeted Scarlett as she entered the warm confines of the barn. She had sought out Elijah Barrett to try and persuade him once more to leave her alone. She didn't need him there regardless of what Ashley thought or anyone else for that matter. She wasn't a simpering fool like she thought about so many women she knew and that was a fact she had accepted about herself long ago. She had long given up the pretense of being needy and taken on the mantle of independence instead.

With this thought in her mind, she was determined to have him gone by the next morning with very little fanfare, she hoped. She found him in the second stall leaning back against the wall reading, a lamp hanging over his head providing the light he needed.

She stood there for a moment in the shadows looking at him, he was so engrossed in his book he hadn't even noticed her. She guessed his age to be close to her own, so in her mind he was young. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, leisurely crossed over each other and he had rolled back the sleeves of his shirt exposing his forearms.

She gave his face a closer look and saw that his eyes were a hazel color, his jawline was slightly squared and his cheekbones high. There was something about him that settled unrest in her and the sooner he was gone, the better off she'd be.

"You going stand there all night looking at me?" he asked suddenly, startling her. He hadn't even looked up from the book once.

"Y-You saw me?"

"Of course, I saw you," he answered as he turned the page. "It's not polite to stare at someone like you've been doing for the last five minutes."

"I wasn't staring at you," she snapped and stepped into the doorway.

"Really? Looked like staring to me."

She rolled her eyes. "You certainly are full of yourself. For your information, I'd just as soon stare at a horse's backside then you, Mr. Barrett."

A smile played on his lips as he finally looked up at her. "That can be arranged, you know."

Scarlett bristled at his tone and glared at him fiercely. "You're mighty uppity for someone who's trespassing on private property. I came to tell you to leave in the morning but since you're being so nasty, you can just leave now."

"I'm afraid I can't do that… now or in the morning," he countered evenly.

"Just who do you think you are? This is my land, my property, not Ashley Wilkes and I determine who stays and goes, not him."

"Just the same, I made him a promise to look for things and I always keep a promise. Is there anything else you needed?"

"Yes, I need for you to leave!"

"Sorry, ma'am, but as I said, I can't do that. You may not want to recognize the danger you're in, but that makes you even more susceptible to it. An old saying I heard once suits this situation, there are none so blind as those who refuse to see."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He considered her for a moment and then laid his book down on his lap. "It means ma'am, that your refusal to admit you're in danger makes you blind to the fact that you are… or at the very least you are at risk of harm from the man your sister is married to."

"I'm not afraid of Jonas Wilkerson," she snorted and shook her head. "His type is always full of talk and never action. He's no threat to me."

"Just the same, until I feel things are safe for you, I'm sticking around to make sure nothing happens."

"I don't need protection from the likes of Jonas Wilkerson or anyone else!" she threw her hands up, "and I don't need your protection, Mr. Barrett. I'll pay you for your troubles and you can be on your way in the morning."

He shook his head with a grin and crossed his arms over his chest. "You strike a hard bargain, but the answer is no. You may not think you need protecting, but I've never met a woman in my life that needs it more than you do. I promise, you won't know I'm around… until I want you to and then it'll be because I'm needed."

"What colossal nerve you have," she breathed angrily. "You are not wanted here and you will leave, Mr. Barrett, make no mistake about that."

"Yes ma'am, but when the time is right and only then."

Scarlett gripped her fists and nearly stomped her foot. Great balls of fire, the man was impossible! With a growl of anger, she swirled around and stomped to the door pushing it open with such force it bounced off the wall. She made her way to the back door and stormed in, slamming it behind her. She swept from the back hall and into the kitchen where a wide-eyed Dilcey stood staring at her from the pantry door.

"Laws a mercy, Miz Scahlett, you 'bout scahed me half to death," she said gripping a fruit jar in her hand. She had been stocking the shelves with the preserves she and Prissy had made that day.

Scarlett angrily paced back and forth through the kitchen. "That man is simply impossible to talk to. He won't leave, can you imagine that? He just ignored me as if this isn't my property and I'm not the one in charge here. Well, we'll just see about that," she slammed her fist into her palm.

Dilcey watched her mistress with interest, a small smile forming on her lips. Scarlett spotted her and stopped in her tracks. "What do you find so funny, Dilcey?"

"Nuthin', Miz Scahlett," she shook her head.

"God's nightgown! It's bad enough I have to deal with that man, but to have you laughing about it is more than I can stand. I'm going upstairs and don't you dare leave until you've put every jar of those preserves away. Is that clear?"

"Yes'm, Miz Scahlett," she nodded and waited until Scarlett left the room to cover her mouth in laughter. Scarlett's anger was funny to Dilcey since she had never been on the receiving end of it. She didn't know who this man was, but she hadn't seen her mistress this worked up since Mr. Rhett was around. She looked toward the door, smiled as she shook her head and stepped back into the pantry to finish her work.

Rhett's mind wandered in and out of consciousness, he was never entirely sure what was real and what wasn't. He seemed to remember voices and at one point he thought he had been lifted and carried but he didn't know for sure.

He dreamt of heat, consuming heat that threatened to burn him to nothingness. In the midst of the heat he saw Scarlett. She was reaching for him, her outstretched arms lifted out to him, but he couldn't touch her. Every time he came close, she would disappear into a vapor reappearing someplace else. He called to her over and over but she never answered.

His mind played tricks on him to the point that he was angered by it. Why didn''t Scarlett speak to him? Why did she just stand there looking at him? He reached for her, pushing himself forward only to feel the pressure of something holding him back. He fought it as hard as he could, but he couldn't withstand it for very long and finally he drifted away from her.

Suddenly a bright light shone in his eye and the pain of it caused him to flinch away. He heard distorted voices above him and then felt something cool on his head and on his dried and cracked lips. He reached out his tongue to taste the coolness of it, grateful for the brief relief it provided.

Rhett's mind was clouded with confusion, nothing came into focus for him. There was only slight blurs and movement around him He felt heavy and weak at the same time, there was nothing about him that felt normal. It was then that he sensed something was above him then he felt a prick in his arm. A seeping warmth crawled over him and at the same time a calmness overtook him. He let it carry him back to the darkness but this time, there was peace and not the chaos that tore at him.

Scarlett… Scarlett… he said over and over again as he fell deeper into the abyss, hoping against hope she would hear him this time and come to him.