Northern Star Read Free

abandoned. She sat beside the stranger, trying to understand why she felt somehow tied to him. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, about the same age as her brother. His tan was deep and the tiny wrinkles around his eyes indicated he spent a great deal of time in the sun. Judging from his sun-bleached hair, it seemed he’d done so without a hat. The whisker stubble and dirt couldn’t conceal the fact that he was by far the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
    The warmth of the stranger’s body drew her close. His breathing had a slow, regular rhythm. One determined ray of sun splashed planes of light and shadow across his face. Her eyes drifted past his strong chin to the bandages Noma had wrapped around his shoulder.
    Something glimmered at his neck, twinkling in a momentof sun like a slender gold cord. Curiosity forced her to tug at the fine yellow rope. A round gold disk appeared from behind his neck and slid lazily along the chain into Perry’s fingers. She turned it slowly from side to side, examining the disk in the dingy light. One side bore a crest unlike any Perry had ever seen. On the other side it was engraved, simply, Hunter Kirkland.
    Perry smiled to herself. She now knew the injured man’s name. Hunter. He was no longer an unknown soldier. Filling the only cup with water, she knelt by his head and whispered, “Hunter.” She waited. “Hunter, swallow a little water. Please!”
    Hunter didn’t respond. Perry removed her bulky hat and coat. Kneeling beside him once again, she cradled his head in her arms. “Hunter, please swallow.” Water trickled down his chin, but again no response came.
    Perry wiped the spilled water from his face with her sleeve. He has to drink, she thought, or he’ll never live. She cradled his head close to her, holding him in a gentle vise between her breast and arm while she tried to force his mouth open. Again water trickled down his lips.
    “Hunter, please swallow!” Again and again she begged. The water in the cup was half gone, and Perry’s arm ached from supporting the soldier’s head. Putting her finger into the cup, she touched Hunter’s eyes lightly with the cool water. His eyelashes seemed longer and darker when wet. The tips of her fingers touched his cheek and traveled to his lips. His short growth of beard tickled her fingertips as she stroked his face. She marveled at the softness of his lips.
    “Hunter, please drink,” she whispered. This time, to her surprise, his eyes opened. Piercing gray eyes looked directly at her. A touch of alarm and an ounce of uncertainty blended in the smoky depths of his riveting gaze.
    He stared at her, searching her face as though looking into her very soul. The gray intensity seemed to hold her frozen for a moment. Suddenly an invisible rumbling ofpain twisted his face, forcing his eyes closed. Torment echoed through her as she watched his agony.
    A determined note rang in her voice as she said, “Hunter, drink this.”
    Nodding slightly, he swallowed the remaining water in the cup. As though the effort were too much for him, he fell back, collapsing into sleep once more, his head still resting in her arms. She cradled him gently to her and felt a sense of accomplishment. She’d won the first battle with death but the war was not over. He was still very weak, and blood continued to seep from his shoulder. She lay his head down lovingly, as a mother puts a sleeping newborn to rest. Covering him with the blanket, she slid beside him once more.
    Yet as she curled around him, Perry found it impossible to relax. She couldn’t erase his gray eyes from her mind. Their boldness and honesty had touched her, whirling her insides like a speeding merry-go-round.
    As before, Hunter reached in his sleep to pull her near. His arm encircled her. His hand moved in the slow, familiar strokes of one who’d held her in his dreams all his life.
    Perry was wide-awake now and totally aware that they were alone. She responded to his touch,