Authors: Kitty Margo
The rain continued even heavier than before. Lynna passed the morning lounging in her room and reading to Bethany
Breanne
. After lunch
,
she stitched needlepoint with the other ladies
,
huddled close to the fire.
Well, a
ll of the ladies except Suzanne, who remained closeted in her room. Lynna enjoyed the peaceful day
,
and by nightfall was pleasantly tired, quickly drifting off to a dream
-
laced sleep with visions of a swarthy, raven-haired sea captain.
Two days later
,
the rain still fell. The river rose rapidly, swelling out of its banks and flooding the lowlands, causing a sizable loss in profits. That was one of the risks taken when planting in the rich fertile soil abutting the river. Just before dark
,
the men were returning from the stables, drenched, when Joshua galloped up on his magnificent black stallion. The ladies rushed to the verandah
,
fearful
that
only bad news would bring him out in such inclement weather.
“Two fools tried to cross the river!” he shouted
, trying
to be heard abo
ve
the pouring rain, tipping his hat at Lynna
,
and not so much as noticing Suzanne. “The ferry broke loose from its mooring. I strongly doubt they survived, but we should
form a
search
party, nonethe
less.”
Samuel and Daniel immediately mounted and followed Joshua, all the while realizing the chances of the men being found alive were slim
,
indeed.
Lynna wondered what could have been important enough to risk crossing the swollen river. It was suicide
,
and as they feared, they were unable to rescue the runaway slaves
,
who treasured their freedom more than their lives. Ike Forrest, who ran the ferry on daily trips across the river, had tied it up and spent the rainy days inland. He never knew two courageous souls had attempted to brave the raging water until it was too late to warn them.
The rain finally stopped three days later and the bodies of the men were found far downriver. The two men were interred at the bottom of the hill, since the superstition prevailed that where
ver
a drowning victim was laid to rest, water would eventually cover his grave.
After a day of warm sunshine
and a steady breeze,
the ground was dry enough for Lynna to venture outside. Vowing she
could not
have stood one more day of being cooped up in the house with
the insufferable
Suzanne, she skipped down the steps in search of Daniel
,
hoping to persuade him to go riding. She would gladly face his pressuring questions of matrimony this morning in exchange for an opportunity to get
away from Suzanne’s veiled barbs
.
But, u
nfortunately, the many days of forced confinement had left Samuel's chores backed up and Daniel had volunteered to help with his brother’s tasks.
Before Lynna could ride off on her own, which she would have dearly loved, Suzanne came traipsing out of the house, elegant in a midnight blue velvet riding habit. She had a matching sunbonnet tied under her chin with three feet of streaming satin, and the brim pulled low over her face. “Are you two going riding?”
“Lynna is,” Daniel replied. “I was just coming to find you so the two of you could go together. I promised to help Samuel today and I prefer she not go riding alone.”
“Daniel, honestly,
I am
quite capable of riding without a chaperone
tagging along, for heaven’s sake
,” Lynna admonished,
unknowingly
striking a most alluring pose with her hands on her hips and eyes flashing. Daniel had successfully sent her
pleasant day to hell in a hand
basket.
“
Do not
be a goose, Lynna! I shall accompany you.” Suzanne scurried by Lynna into the stables and returned leading two chestnut mares. “If I have to remain inside that house another
second I shall simply go stark
raving mad.”
It would be a short trip, Lynna thought sourly. But she
did not
question Suzanne’s sudden mood change. At least she
would
be out of the hous
e and enjoying the glorious
sunshine.
Saddled up, they cantered down the path behind the house at a leisurely pace. Lynna held her face to the sun, soaking up the rays as a warm breeze fanned her hair behind her. Feeling lighthearted and wanting to fee
l the wind
, she
glanced over at Suzanne, who refused to allow her horse to move at a pace above a trot, lest an errant breeze muss her elaborately styled coiffeur. Throwing caution aside, Lynna
raced with the wind, leaving a preoccupied Suzanne far behind. She was some distance ahead
, racing at a speed most would consider risky on a sidesaddle,
laughing gaily
,
when she spotted a lone figure watching her from the shadows of a sycamor
e tree. She immediately recognized
the black
hair and broad shoulders. Must he be at every turn
?
Her first impulse was to turn and rejoin Suzanne, but he was already galloping toward her.
“Hello, Lynna
.” His eyes moved over her slowly and appreciatively
, pausing often at points of interest
. “You look enc
hanting this morning, as usual. And how fortuitous it is for me that you should show up this morning just when I was thinking of you.
When she ignored his compliment
,
he continued, “
I have
been wanting a private moment with you. Would you care for some company?” His eyes pleaded with her to be agreeable. “We could ride down by the river
.
”
The man’s arrogance knew no bounds.
“Captain Jordan
,
it would seem you either suffer from hearing loss, dementia, or a
sad
combination of both
,
as I have told you in every way I know how
to speak, in two languages in fact,
that I do not wish to have any private moments with you ever again. I made a huge mistake
once, but I have
put it behind me. Now, I would be eternally grateful if you would do the same.”
“Ah…but what would it hurt, my sweet?” He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. “Or are you perhaps afraid to be alone with me? Afraid you would not be able to…”
“To do what, Captain Jordan? Resist your irresistible charm?”
“Those were your words, not mine,” he chuckled. “But yes, something alone those lines.”
“Then you, sir, are sadly mistaken. I would be perfectly content to never lay eyes on you again. In fact, it was a rather marvelous day, until you rode up. Now, I ask only to be left alone.”
“And what if I choose
not to do as you ask?” His dancing eyes dimmed as they
flickered only briefly over Suzanne as she appeared from behind a thicket of trees.
“You have no choice
in the matter whatsoever, sir
.
” She answered with a definite tilt of her pert nose.
“
The decision has already been made.”
Suzanne positively glowed upon seeing Joshua and snatched off her bonnet
, yanking pins haphazardly from her hair to shake it
loose in what she hoped was a provocative gesture. “Why Joshua, I certainly
did not
expect to see you this morning. What a pleasant surprise.”
“I was assessing the damage to the crops when the r
iver left its banks.” He smiled
lazily
, lighting a cheroot and sending smoke circling around his head
. “I was just asking L
ynna if she cared to accompany…
”
Suzanne interrupted
him
,
having no qualms with either including
he
rself in the invitation or answering
for both of them. “Why, we
would
love to, Joshua. How very considerate of you to ask. I fea
red I might take leave of my sanity
being
shut up in that dreary house with that noisy
and bothersome
child.
It simply baffles me why children feel the incessant need to prattle on and on about such inconsequential things.
” Suzanne
surreptitiously
steered her horse next to Joshua’s
. “Why
,
I might become as famous as Mr. Eli Whitney and his cotton gin were I to invent a muzzle for little girls,” she laughed gaily,
totally dominating the conversation and leaving Lynna to follow behind
,
which suited her fine. From this angle
,
she could observe Joshua at her leisure without him ever knowing, and hopefully not get caught in the act this time.
Joshua knew he was being watched when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He smiled broadly, leaving Suzanne with the mistaken impression
that
h
e truly delighted in her inane chatter
.
The land was fresh and green after the rain, the fields a gay riot of wildflowers. Joshua nudged his horse off the main path onto a narrow trail that led through the woods. The damp leaves muffled the sound of the horse’s hooves, with the only noise being the flapping of wings as frightened birds left the trees in droves.
“Ouch!” Lynna cried as a limb in front of her that was bent back by Suzanne, whether intentional or not, slapped her sharply across the face. Rubbing her stinging cheek
,
she could already feel an ugly, red welt rising. Clenching her teeth and muttering under her breath
,
she drew back and allowed them to proceed some distance ahead of her. Suza
nne could be a royal pain in the
derriere, especially when she was jealous
, and the green-eyed monster was perched high on her shoulder today
.
A short while later
,
they left the forest and entered a clearing dazzled by iridescent sunlight glittering off a sparkling pond. Lynna was about to dismount when
, much to her dismay — yet still, not as much as Suzanne’s —
strong, deeply tanned hands gently lifted her from the saddle.
She glanced toward Suzanne and noticed her mouth forming a perfect O of outrage. However, caring little for Suzanne’s infuriated stance, i
nstead
of releasing her immediately, Joshua’s
hands remained tightly clasped around her tiny waist.
The pressure of his hands brought back such passionate memories, that i
n complete bewilderment
,
Lynna had to struggle with the urge to brush her lips against his as he lowered her to the ground. Why did this man affect her so? The feeling was so strong
it was
almost impossible to deny. She could a
lmost taste his
lips on hers. Thank God Suzanne was only a few feet away or she might have succumbed to the unrelenting urge.
“What about me?” Suzanne whined, sounding on the verge of a childish temper tantrum. “Would you have me break my neck taking leave of this huge beast unassisted?”
The high color in her cheeks was the only sign of the fury mounting inside her.
Ever the gentleman, but with great reluctance, Joshua released Lynna, noticing the vivid red welt rising on her cheek. Guessing correctly that Suzanne was to blame for marring her porcelain skin
,
he wrested her rather unceremoniously from her steed.
“Well!” she hissed,
smoothing her skirt.
“I would have been better off falling from the blasted thing!”