LeClerc 01 - Autumn Ecstasy by Pamela K Forrest Read Free Book Online Page B

deepened. His Shawnee family would shake their heads sadly when they found his frozen body. They would wonder where they had failed and why he had not learned the simple lessons they had shared with him.
    As darkness descended the storm intensified. The snow began to fall so thickly Luc could see only a few feet in front of him. Knowing that the cabin was just a short distance away, he determinedly continued, hoping that he had not strayed off the path in the blinding storm.
    Watching as he put one foot in front of the other, he almost missed the cabin. It was only when he ran into the side of the structure that he realized he was home.
    Using his hand as a guide along the outside wall, Luc walked to the door, pulling on the rope that released the guard bar inside. He stumbled into the room, discovering it was nearly as cold as the outside had been, but the promise of warmth beckoned.
    Luc knelt wearily at the fireplace. In the gloom he saw the haphazardly stacked wood. Instantly alert, he reached for a small log with one hand and grabbed for the knife at his hip with the other. Moving in a blur of speed, Luc rose, turned and pulled the knife free. Fully prepared to face an unfriendly intruder, his alert gaze wandered around the room. There was no one in sight and no place large enough for a man to hide. When he was satisfied that there was no danger, he replaced the knife and turned again to the fire.
    Sweeping aside the large logs, Luc replaced them with kindling. His only concern once more was the warmth now within his reach. A small spark turned to a golden blaze, and he added the larger logs slowly. He was careful to keep his frozen hands from the fire, knowing if he warmed them too quickly he risked losing them.
    When the fire was burning brightly, he removed his heavy, ice-coated deerhide coat. The stew he had made before he left still hung on the hook beside the fireplace, and he moved the pot and its frozen contents toward the heat. His body cried out for sleep while his belly complained of hunger. He would wait until the food was warm, eat and then sleep until the storm abated.
    As he stood near the fire, Luc realized he had carried the animal carcasses inside with him. He knew he should take the time to clean them, but his tired body refused to make any unnecessary movements. Picking them up from the floor where he had dropped them, he carried them to the door and placed them outside the cabin. More than likely some animal would find them before he woke, but at the moment he did not begrudge losing them. The fight to get home had consumed his considerable strength to a point that he wanted only to rest.
    The stew came to a bubbling boil, its aroma filling the cabin. When he found his cup and plate on the table instead of the shelf, he filled them, but his gaze continuously scanned the room. Someone had been in his cabin during his absence, someone who either did not know how to start a fire or had waited until the ashes were almost dead before adding more wood. It was not unusual for a traveler to seek shelter in someone else’s cabin. It was unusual for that person to have moved on during a blizzard.
    When his stomach was pleasantly full, he carefully added more logs to the blazing fire and turned toward the bed and its tumble of furs and blankets. The far side of the cabin lay in shadowed darkness, but already the heat was beginning to warm it. The ice coating his clothing began to melt, making the garments wet and heavy. Chilled by the dampness, he removed them as he crossed the room, falling nude into the bed. The furs warmed his body, the heat radiating from his shoulders to the tips of his toes.
    With a contented sigh, grateful to have survived in spite of his own stupidity, Luc rolled from his side to his back. His hand lay on something in the bed beside him … something soft, warm.
    Something alive.
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
     
    Run! Run! He’s getting closer. Ground’s uneven, mustn’t fall. Tripping. A