Love Lasts Forever by Dominiqua Douglas Page A

couldn’t help but be concerned for his safety and curious about his experiences.
    When he looked at her, tingling sensations rippled throughout her body. Nothing had ever sent her in such a tailspin. Most definitely if he was not there last night, she wouldn’t have been distracted. The lantern would not have been left on the porch all night, and the runaways wouldn’t have seen it.
    Willow swallowed hard, digesting Eva’s comments as well as her racing thoughts. Her friend spoke the honest truth! Pining over Thor would only lead to heartache and more mistakes. She’d best keep her thoughts free of him and her mind focused on her goal of freedom for her people.
    * * *
    “Relax,” Thor instructed the children under his breath.
    The word was just barely out of his mouth when a dirty, grizzled white man stepped from behind one of the dogwoods. A rifle rested idly in his hands, but his body language was on alert. A tattered brown hat rode low on his forehead, and the man pushed it back with his large paw of a hand. He chewed steadily. He spat tobacco juice from the corner of his mouth. “Well, looky here.”
    “Hello,” Thor replied as his hand tightened its grip on the branch. “Whereabouts you headed? There’s some good fishing down by the river.”
    “Ain’t out here for no fishin’.” He spat again, wiping his mouth and dark beard with the back of his hand. “I’m huntin’.”
    Thor shrugged even though he understood the stranger’s double meaning. The man’s beady eyes glazed over as he stared at the children, especially when he looked at young Charity. Thor crossed over until he was a buffer between them and the bounty hunter.
    Deliberately misunderstanding the man, he said, “No good game been in these parts in a long while. Wolf packs tryin’ to take over and run off the deer and such. If I were you, I’d head back toward the Etowah. The river might lead you to better prospects. You’ll find none here, friend. You can believe that.”
    “Better prospects down by the river, you say?” The man grunted. He tried to look past Thor, but each time he moved, Thor blocked his view.
    The stranger spat more juice onto the ground and glared at Thor. Moving the rifle to his other hand, he cocked his head to the side. “I ain’t huntin’ for no game, friend . Runaways bring a good price per head. Word’s out that they hide up in these foothills, and I mean to find me some.”
    Thor worked hard to maintain an even temper. A muscle quivered angrily at his jaw, but other than that, his control didn’t waver. Returning the bounty hunter’s stare, his lips twisted into a cold smile. “Well, the day’s passin’, and I have things to do. Good day.”
    Thor gestured with a quick jerk of his head for the children to move ahead of him. They complied while he stood still, keeping his eyes trained on the other man. “There’s some Cherokee who still live up this way. I’ve heard some tales about them and the hunts they’ve been on. Unlucky white men out here alone have disappeared in these foothills. I keep those younguns close by for protection. Be careful some old chief don’t mark you as easy pickings.”
    Color drained from the bounty hunter’s face. He pulled his gaze from Thor to dart suspiciously at the woods. His brows pulled together. “You ain’t funnin’, is you? I don’t cotton to Injuns, and I ain’t ever heard nothin’ about some still hidin’ up in these woods.”
    “Then you’re not from around here, are you?” Thor asked quietly. “You can heed my words or ignore ’em. The choice is yours.”
    “I’m quick enough with a rifle. I ain’t scared of no Injuns—”
    “Hey.” Thor raised his hand in mock defense, silencing the other man. “Your rifle probably can take care of one of them. If there’s only one, you more than likely won’t have a thing to worry about. I heard some birdcalls that sounded a might suspicious a while back. Maybe it wasn’t the old chief and his