Gray Skies

Chapter Nineteen: Cherish

Chapter Nineteen:

                Deniah stared into the river as she stood beside the flowing current and became completely lost in her thoughts. The sound of water rushing over the waterfall filled her ears as she chewed her lip and fought back the rising emotions in her chest.

                It was early morning and after she and Gray Skies had done their prayers he had gone off to gather food. Deniah had wanted to go with him but he had insisted she stay by the cave. Honestly she was growing tired of the cave and the way he kept insisting she needed rest! His protective nature had become overbearing as the days went on.

                She wanted him to realize that she was strong and capable but he treated her as if she were a delicate flower that needed sheltering. She wanted to feel his touch, his kiss and have him help to ease the fire that burned inside of her for him. She had no idea what her body was wanting but it wanted something. And that something was a thing that only Gray Skies could give her.  

                She groaned in frustration, picked up a rock and flicked her wrist, sending the smooth stone skipping across the flat surface of the wide pool of water. Watching that stone skip reminded her of the day that Matthew had taught her to skip stones.

                She had been seven and he had been eleven. It hadn’t been often that her older brother had deemed her worthy to play with back then and so she had been beside herself with excitement when he had taken her into the woods.

                They gone to a bend in the river and spent the whole day together. Matthew had laughed with her and been the brother she’d remembered. He’d taught her how to skip rocks and teased her each time she’d failed to do it right; though he had cheered for her when her rock finally hopped twice.

                That had been the most fun she could ever remember having with her older brother and she had felt more special and precious than anything in the world, knowing that he had taken time away from everything else to spend that time with her.

                When they had left the cabin their pa was gone to town and when they returned it was clear that he had been home for a while. Deniah had instantly noticed the change in Matthew when he saw the wagon though she hadn’t understood what had caused it.  He had shooed Deniah into the house to help mama with supper and he had gone to the barn where papa was seeing to the horses.

                She smiled as she thought back on that day but then her smile nearly turned to tears as she remembered the way he had laughed while he’d grabbed her arm and jerked her around mere weeks ago. The way he’d found amusement in tripping her and causing her to fall and hurt herself. The way he had so cold-heartedly chuckled after shooting Gray Skies brother…..

                A pair of strong arms slid around her waist from behind and Deniah leaned into Gray Skies embrace. “What has you troubled?” he asked softly.

                Deniah wondered how the man always seemed to know when something was wrong with her and how he always managed to show up at those times when she needed him. “I was thinking.”