Love, Surprising

Chapter 9: Caroline

May 1786

North Carolina

Timothy hurried away from me, and into the woods, a trail of water in his wake. I stumbled back down the shore to our packs. Shivering, I dug into mine and removed a clean, dry dress. I ducked behind a tree and removed my sopping wet dress and equally wet undergarments. I replaced the soggy garments with fresh, dry linens. Ahh, much better, I sighed, then shivered. I hope Timothy hurries up with that firewood! I'm freezing! The bright sunny day, suddenly turned cloudy and a chilly wind picked up. I crouched to sit on a large stone, and my wet braid flopped over my shoulder. Sigh. "I should brush out my hair." Standing back up, I grabbed a brush from my bag, then returned to my seat. I studied the engraving on the handle of the brush.

To my daughter, on her twelfth birthday. With love, Mother

Tears welled up in my eyes. Oh Mother, I miss you so much. I wish I was still at home. I wish things were back to the way they used to be. Before all of this mess. Tears spilled down my cheeks. I roughly brushed them away. "No sense in crying. I must go through with this. I'll see my parents again." I said to cheer myself. "Now, time to deal with my hair." Setting my brush down beside me, I undid my dripping braid, attempting to dry it out some. Water splattered on my skirt. I shook it off, then set to work brushing my hair. My brush stuck fast, tangled in my hair after only a few strokes. I tugged, attempting to pry it loose. That just made it worse. There was now a tangle of locks at the nape of my neck. I gave an unladylike grunt. "I just want to brush my hair!" I cried out.

Timothy appeared from the woods, a stack of sticks in his arms. He noticed my plight and strode over. "Here, let me help." He moved behind me and deftly untangled the brush from my hair. Timothy proceeded to tame my hair, with gentle, smooth strokes. I closed my eyes.

This feels nice, I sighed. Just like Maybelle or Mother brushing my hair. I paused. But it's not. A man is brushing my hair. This feels oddly...intimate. His strong hands carefully handled my damp hair. Occasionally, his fingers swept across my neck. I shivered each time it happened. He's so kind. The thought suddenly popped into my head. To do all of this for me, and he is incredibly handsome...but no. No. I mustn't become distracted. The goal is to reach Aunt and Uncles house. Nothing else. I pulled away from Timothy's brushing. "Thank you. I can take it from here." I excused him from his task. Timothy nodded and went to start a fire. He piled up the sticks, and soon there was a roaring blaze. While Timothy worked on the fire, I braided my hair, and observed he was still wearing his wet clothes. "You should change too. Don't want you getting sick." I instructed him.

"Yes, ma'am." Timothy grinned, saluting me. "I'll only be one minute." He picked up his satchel and plunged into the trees for privacy. I sighed. Why must he be so charming? Shaking my head, I busied myself by laying out my wet clothes to dry. The river to my left continued to churn, the waters looking dark and ferocious. Overhead, the sky became more overcast, dark storm clouds moving in. Drops of rain sprinkled down, pattering on the ground.

"Oh no. Not rain. We just dried off!" Protesting, I gathered up my clothes, and raced into the cover of the trees. I looked back and the fire slowly sizzled out. "So much for the fire." The woods were dark and eerie. A shiver traveled down my body. "Timothy!" I called, searching. "Where are you?...Timothy?" Bushes rustled behind me. My dream, I remembered with panic. A figure stepped out. I screamed. "Don't hurt me! Please! Don't hurt me!" I begged, near tears.

"Caroline! Caroline. It's just me!" Timothy reassured me, hands up, moving closer. He touched my arm.

"Thank God! I thought I'd lost you." I fell into his arms. If Timothy was surprised by my display of emotion, he didn't show it. He just held me for a moment, allowing me to calm down. Feeling embarrassed, I pulled away. "I'm apologize. I was merely worried about my dream."