LEAP OF FAITH Read Free

gut wrenching pained moan erupting from her lips as she brought the axe down. Her aim was accurate but incredibly weak and there was no doubt in his mind the woman was going to kill herself, either from exhaustion or when she dropped the axe. He shuddered to think how he would inform her father.  I know I was supposed to watch over her, Mr. Travis, but you see…the axe fell on her head!  
    Yeah, that was going to go over real well. Jack took the steps down from his balcony and headed for the path to the Travis cabin. The brush around the path was thick and it occurred to him that Abby would undoubtedly think a herd of elephants was barreling towards her, but he shrugged it off. It didn’t really matter what she thought as long as he got there before the poor brainless city girl hacked off a body part.
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    Abby hoisted the axe over her head and then paused, her arms trembling from the effort.  What was that gawd awful racket? Her eyes migrated towards a small path leading uphill that was nearly obscured with overgrowth. Something was crashing through the foliage, something big, and it was coming straight for her! She didn’t have a shot in hell of making it to the house before the creature got to her, not when her legs were as wobbly as her arms. Her only option was to stand her ground and hope it wasn’t as large as it sounded.
    She held the axe high, nostrils flaring, eyes wide with fear, breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Her heart thumped furiously in her chest.  This is it , she thought, I’m going to get mauled to death by a bear on my first day here.  Abby held her breath as the foliage moved not four feet from where the clearing in front of her began. Squeezing her eyes shut, she heaved the axe at the attacking beast with what little strength she had left. 
    “Geezus, lady,” a man’s deep voice roared, “you damn near killed me!”
    Abby’s eyes snapped open. She was right about the animal being big; she just hadn’t considered that it would be human. The man was every bit as muscular as her brothers and maybe a little taller, with a full beard and mustache and jet black hair.  Good God , she thought, he looks like a grizzly; a huge, angry one.  He glanced down at the axe lying near his feet before turning his steely gaze on Abby and skewering her with a furious flash of sky-blue eyes.
    “What the hell were you thinking?” 
    Abby let out a frightened squeak when he took a menacing step toward her, certain he meant to throttle her with his bare hands. If there was any chance at all her unsteady legs would carry her, she would have bolted for the cabin and locked herself inside. As it was, the only thing she seemed capable of doing was trembling as he stooped to pick up the axe, still scowling and muttering oaths under his breath. A deep frown began to form as he examined the handle, tentatively running his fingers over the moisture clinging to the spot where Abby had gripped it.
    “It…it’s just sweat, mister,” she said, giving her lips a nervous flick with her tongue. I’m sorry for throwing the axe at you, but I…uh…thought you were a crazed bear or something.”
    Abby shrank away from him when he dropped the axe and closed the distance between them, issuing another startled squeak when he grabbed her by the wrist. The struggle to wrestle her hand back was short lived; the man had the grip of a steel vice. With a look of disgust, he turned her palm up, shaking his head after a brief examination. 
    “Good God, woman, don’t you have the sense to stop swinging when your hands are bleeding all over the handle?”  
    Following his gaze to her palm, she was alarmed to discover it was smeared with blood. She attempted to lift the other hand, but her arms simply lacked the strength to do so. Abby made a half-hearted attempt to smile as she looked up