Claire's Prayer by Yvonne Cloete Read Free Book Online Page B

closer, Seth whispered in her ear, “Look, Claire. Do you see him? That’s a kudu bull.”
    Even as Seth spoke, and the hair on Claire’s neck prickled, the large kudu walked majestically out from the cover of the trees. Claire held her breath as, for timeless seconds, animal and man regarded each other. Unconsciously, her hand had gripped Seth’s muscled forearm. Then, as if given a silent signal, the kudu sprang away and disappeared into the thick bush.
    Realising that she was gripping Seth’s arm, Claire hastily let him go and rushed into speech. “Oh, Seth – I’ve never seen anything so stunning. I wish I’d had my camera out. Wasn’t he absolutely magnificent?” Claire’s bright, dilated eyes met Seth’s, only inches away.
    Moving back to his own side of the car, Seth shrugged off the feeling of electric tension he had felt growing between them. “Yes, he was an excellent specimen. But I assure you, Claire, you’ll see many more. Impunzi is well stocked with wildlife. Look, here we are.”
    She had been so wrapped up in the kudu bull, and in the surprise of the intense chemistry she had felt with Seth, that Claire had not noticed they were now driving over a grid with huge white pillars either side. The high wire fence, which ran off further than the eye could see, did not distract from the beauty of the main house’s setting. On entering the fenced area, Claire’s eyes quickly took in the signboard displaying a message of welcome to visitors and guests, the elegant whitewashed ranch house behind it, and the seemingly endless expanse of rolling green lawn that surrounded her. Colourful flowerbeds broke up the carpet of green, and well-kept shrubs added shape to the garden.
    Seth’s deep, rich voice and gentle touch broke the spell she had fallen under. “Claire, welcome to my home. Welcome to Impunzi.”

Chapter Four
    As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.
    (Proverbs 27:19)
    Impunzi, Zimbabwe
    Naomi sat on the dry ground under the thorn trees, trying to get some relief from the scorching sun. Tipping back her head, she closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to wander. A smile curved her full lips as she remembered Seth’s reservations when she’d started showing an interest in their ranch manager. As brothers went, he was very protective of her. All of his protestations had not dampened her attraction to Tony – or his to her. She knew before Seth had started his campaign that Tony was seven years her senior, that he’d lost his wife and child too recently… and Seth had gone on and on. But since her parents’ deaths, she’d felt confused and unsure of her relationship with Tony. Sighing deeply, Naomi acknowledged that she now understood the enormity of what he had lost. And now, for the first time, she was plagued with her own doubts. Could he ever love any woman as much as he had loved his wife? That was a question she could never ask him, although she sought an answer to it in his every glance.
    Opening her eyes to the sunlight, Naomi brushed her worries away. Today they just couldn’t drag her down, she felt so restless and energised. Seth would be arriving any time now with their guest for the winter. Naomi had never lost the excitement she’d felt since she and Seth had built Impunzi back up in all its former glory and more – from the ground, it had often seemed to her. The crowning moment, the moment she’d known they would really make it, was the day the boma, an enclosure for wild game, had been completed. She replayed that golden hour in her head: she remembered the labourers taking the opportunity to escape the heat, sitting under the trees just as she was doing now. Tony had propped himself up in a shady spot, too, his shirt off and his skin glistening with sweat. Even in her anticipation for the game trucks’ arrival, Naomi had not been able to help but admire his sun-browned physique. At that point they were almost three years into their