Chapter 19

The sound of carriage wheels crushing snow could be heard from inside the cabin. Lucy looked up from her place at Boone's small wooden table and turned her head towards the door, waiting to see who was going to come in. Before anybody knocked, Boone unlocked the door and walked outside. Lucy stood up from her seat, ready to greet whoever was about to come in. Boone came in, with two sutcases in hand, and a woman followed behind him. Lucy looked at the woman who's head was looking out the window next to the fireplace. Blue looked up at the woman from in front of the fireplace, and then laid his head back down.

"Cora!" Boone said, getting the woman's attention."

"Yes, honey?" She snapped her head away from the window and looked at him.

"Whatcha lookin' at? Ain't nothin' out there that you can see at this time o' night."

"I know. I was lookin' at the fireplace, wonderin' why we need a fireplace and wood stove. Do you want the house to be a blazin' hell?" The woman asked.

"Now, don't you start this mess wit' me again, woman. I done told you that the fireplace is for dryin' clothes and warmin' up when it's cold, and wood stove is strictly for cookin'. A wood stove can't dry clothes in winter. It was a good buy."

"It was a frivolous buy."

"You gonna stop talkin' this mess here, Coralee. We got company." Boone motioned towards the standing Lucy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart! I didn't even see you standing there. This man got so much stuff around this cabin and you're so small, you just blend right in!"

"You better watch that mouth of yours, Coralee." Boone warned. Coralee waved him off and walked over to Lucy, taking her hands in hers.

"I'm Coralee, Boone's wife. What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Lucy, ma'am." Lucy said, putting her head down and not making eye contact.

"Now, you pick your head back up and stop all that 'ma'am' nonsense, makin' me feel old. Let me take a look at you." She turned Lucy completely around. "My, you're a small thing. My dress is practically falling right off of you. But, don't worry, I'm sure that'll change real soon." Coralee winked.

Did she mean somthing by that? Lucy thought.

"Now, c'mon, sit, sit, sweetheart. Boone told me what happened to you, and you need to gain back all of your energy after almost dying. So, you can stay here for as long as you need to and eat 'til you can't move no more!"

"Thank you, Ms. Coralee." Lucy smiled, shyly.

"I'll let you slide with the 'Ms.', but just because you're so sweet and polite." Coralee smiled. "Boone, why haven't you made this child some food?"

"It's cookin', Coralee! Don't rush me, woman!"

Lucy watched the bickering couple in amusement, smiling and laughing to herself. As they bickered, she looked out the window they were standing in front of. Just as she looked, something moved. She figured it was her mind playing tricks on her and turned back to the couple, side-eyeing the window every so often.

~~~

Lucy laid on the bed, wrapped up in the quilt and mentally moaning from comfort. She could never thank Mr. Boone and Ms. Coralee enough for this. The kindness that the white couple was showing her still had her head spinning. She wasn't sure if it was genuine or just an act, but she wasn't trying to figure that out at the moment. At the present moment, she wanted to sleep.

As she laid her head down on the pillow, she looked out the window at the tree beside it. She saw something rustling in its branches and snow falling, and then a dark figure sat on its branches. She stared at it, trying to figure out what it was. She tried to convince herself it was an owl, but she knew owls were not that big. She got out of bed, tiptoed across the wooden loft floor, and peered down the ladder. She heard snores coming from below, meaning Mr. Boone and Ms. Coralee were in a deep sleep. She tiptoed over to the window and opened it, instantly flinching from the cold air hitting her bare arms. She looked over to the tree, seeing the dark figure in the same place. She tried to lean out the window to get a better look, but the figure leaped onto the roof and landed a few inches away from her. She looked back towards the ladder to make sure the thud on the roof didn't wake Mr. Boone and Ms. Coralee up. When she heard snoring, she sighed a breath of relief. She looked back at the figure and was able to make it out with the help of the moonlight.

"Koi?" Lucy asked. The figure walked crawled closer to her and verified her answer. She practically jumped out the window to wrap her arms around the man. As she laid her head in the crook of Koi's neck, she began to wonder how long it had been since she'd last seen him. A week? Two weeks? A month? She laughed in her head as she remembered it had 2 days since they last saw each other. But, it seemed so much longer.

***

Koi relished in the feelings of having his beloved back in his arms, seeing her safe and unharmed. He pulled away from the warm embrace and looked at the young woman  in front of him. He stroked her cheeks and looked over her naked body, missing her smooth chocolate skin.

"Cover up. I can feel you shake." Koi said, quietly. Lucy turned and grabbed the quilt off the bed. She wrapped it around her body and returned to the window. He leaned in and captured her lips, feeling their warmth against his cold ones. His tongue came in contact with hers and a battle pursued. When Koi won dominance, he explored her mouth for several more moments before pulling away.

"How are you, my sweet little honey bee?" He asked, holding her face in one of his hands.

"I'm fine." She leaned into his hand.

"How is our child?" His hand went to her stomach, feeling her stomach poke out slightly. "He or she is growing."

"I know. He or she's doin' good. How'd ya find me?"

"I followed your footsteps. What happened? Why did you run away? Did you see who killed Apenimon? I know you had to be scared when you saw the man sta-"

"I killed him." She mumbled, looking down.

"You? Why?"

"He kept sayin' how he wanted to be chief an' wanted a son an' he pushed me against a tree an' held a knife to my neck an' started touchin' me an'-" She could barely finish her sentence, remembering what happened and crying. "He was too strong an' I couldn't get him off, so I grabbed his knife an' stabbed him. I heard voices yellin' his name, so I ran."

"Shhh. It is not your fault. You were protecting yourself from that beast." He hugged and consoled her as her tears dampened his pelt.

"I missed you, Koi." She said, softly.

"I missed you too, little one."

"Where are we goin' to go? Your daddy wants me dead, so I can't go back there. I don't want ya to leave me, Koi."

"I will not leave you." As he held Lucy, Koi began thinking where they could go. He didn't want to ride horseback for who knows how long in this weather and in her condition. He had to do what was best for her and the baby, and then he could worry about what was best for all of them.

"I want you to stay here until I figure out something, Lucy. It is too cold for you to be out here for long, especially while you are carrying a child."

"No, Koi, I wan-"

"No, Lucy. You are going to stay here. These people are kind. It is good for you and our child. Promise me you will stay here."

With tears running down her cheeks, she nodded.

"Good. I will come see you tomorrow. Go sleep now." He pressed his lips to hers before climbing to the ground. Before he ran into the woods, he looked back up at the window at Lucy and then took off.