Lessons of the Heart Read online

  He ate the berry from her hand. The warm juice burst onto his tongue and trickled down his throat. Yes, sweet. All the sweeter because she had fed him.

  “Another?” Her fingers, stained purple from the berries, touched his lips. They were warm and smooth, like the smoothest hide after tanning.

  “Good.” She grabbed his hand and dropped the remaining berries into it. “But you’ll have to feed yourself now. I can’t let your wound fester any longer. It needs cleaning.” She turned to his thigh. “The bleeding has stopped, which is good. It doesn’t appear to be too deep. But still we need to watch for infection.” She reached into her basket and withdrew a pocketknife. “I’ll need to cut the leg of your buckskins off. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s…fine.” The first words he had spoken since she entered the dugout.

  He winced, hoping she knew how to use the knife. He knew little about white women, but he did know that they did not usually work with knives such as this one. Ella proved agile with the blade, however, and soon the leather of his buckskin sat crumpled in the corner of the dugout, his bare leg exposed.

  Ella closed her eyes, clearly uncomfortable with his nakedness. Although his lower body was still mostly covered, his chest was bare. He silently thanked the Great Spirit the bear had not attacked him there.

  Ella opened her eyes and let out a shallow sigh. She took a cloth out of her basket, wet it in the water, and gently cleansed his wound. The ache in his thigh had dulled, but the soft cloth stirred the sharp pain again. He sucked in a breath and groaned.

  “I’m so sorry,” Ella said. “I know it hurts. But I must cleanse it.”

  “I am…fine.”

  She looked at him and then darted her gaze away. “Eat your blackberries. It will give you something to focus on while I do this.”

  His stomach rumbled, and he stuffed the remaining blackberries into his mouth. Ella looked up as juice trickled down his chin.

  “Goodness, there’s no need to make a hog of yourself. I’ll bring you more berries tomorrow.” She finished cleaning the wound and covered it in a sharp-smelling salve.

  “What is that?” he asked.

  “Beeswax. With a little oil of peppermint. It will help stave off infection and keep the air out of the wound while it heals. I’m sorry if the smell bothers you.”

  “Does not…bother me. Just different.”

  “Yes, well, I suppose it is. What do you use for healing in your…culture?”

  “Herbs and flowers. I do not know the white man names. My mother is…a medicine woman.”

  “Oh. Well, she likely knows more than I do. But this salve has healed many a wound in its day.” Her gaze rose to his lips. She grabbed a fresh cloth from the basket, wet it, and gently cleansed his face of the sweat and grime that had built up since the attack. She chuckled when she came to his chin. “My, you’re like a child with that purple chin. You do love your berries, don’t you?”

  “Just…hungry.”

  “Then eat your bread.”

  But he couldn’t, not while she was touching him. She picked up the salve and twirled her finger in the small tin.

  “Your lips are parched. This will help.” She touched her finger to his mouth and rubbed the salve into his lips.

  His skin heated and he hardened instantly. Before he could stop himself, he grabbed her wrist and pressed his lips to her fingers in a soft kiss.

  * * *

  Continue Daughters of the Prairie with Book Three: Song of the Raven

  Message from Helen Hardt

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Lessons of the Heart. If you want to find out about my current backlist and future releases, please like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelenHardt and join my mailing list: http://helenhardt.com/signup/. I often do giveaways. If you’re a fan and would like to join my street team to help spread the word about my books, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hardtandsoul/. I regularly do awesome giveaways for my street team members.

  If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to leave a review on a site like Amazon or Goodreads. I welcome all feedback.

  I wish you all the best, and keep reading!

  Helen

  Also by Helen Hardt

  Sex and the Season:

  Lily and the Duke

  Rose in Bloom

  Lady Alexandra’s Lover

  Sophie’s Voice

  The Perils of Patricia (coming soon)

  * * *

  The Temptation Saga:

  Tempting Dusty

  Teasing Annie

  Taking Catie

  Taming Angelina

  Treasuring Amber

  Trusting Sydney

  Tantalizing Maria (coming soon)

  * * *

  Daughters of the Prairie:

  The Outlaw’s Angel

  Lessons of the Heart

  Song of the Raven

  * * *

  Steel Brothers Saga:

  Craving

  Obsession (coming soon)

  Possession (coming soon)

  * * *

  Collections:

  Destination Desire

  Her Two Lovers

  * * *

  Non-Fiction:

  got style?

  Acknowledgments

  The Daughters of the Prairie novella series grew out of my childhood love for Laura Ingalls Wilder and her books. I still rabidly devour any new book that surfaces about LIW, and one of the trips on my bucket list is to visit the LIW Museum in Mansfield, Missouri. Of course, Daughters of the Prairie are romances, not children’s literature, but Naomi, Ruth, and Ella all share the pioneering spirit of LIW.

  Thank you to Paty Jager and The Wild Rose Press for giving life to the series, to Viola Estrella for the beautiful covers, and to Waterhouse Press for publishing these new versions. The books are rich in history and romance, and I hope you enjoy them!

  About the Author

  Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance and erotica, she’s a mother, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.

  http://www.helenhardt.com

  http://www.helenhardt.blogspot.com