Accepting His Love

Accepting His Love: Chapter Fifteen

Abigail woke up when a piercing scream ripped from her throat. Another nightmare.

She pushed her unruly curls from her sweat dampened face and worked on catching her breath. She really needed to stop having nightmares about that horrible day. She would much rather dream about happier times with her younger sister, but apparently her brain thought it would be better to torment her with that sickening gruesome scene of the last time she had seen Susahnna.

Not even a minute later had Abigail heard footsteps on the ground outside. Already knowing who it was, she wasn't the least bit surprised when the wagon cover was pushed aside and her gaze suddenly connected with the worried and concerned bright blue eyes of Derek.

"Abigail, are you okay?" he asked, frowning and causing a crease between his golden eyebrows.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm just fine."

"You sure? I heard you scream just a minute ago. Are you hurt?" His blue eyes began to examine her and she blushed when she realized just how unkempt she must've looked at the moment. She was only in her underclothes and she hadn't bothered to plait her hair the night before. Curls were sticking in every which direction and she more than likely looked like a royal mess. She pulled her covers to her chest, hoping at least to hide the state of her undress.

"I'm alright, Derek. Nothing happened but a nightmare is all."

He looked at her intently for a few seconds more, probably trying to assess if what she had just told was the truth, before giving a low sigh. "Well...if you say so...Can I get you anything then? A cup of coffee, maybe?" he offered. "I've got some oats boiling if you want some of that too."

Her stomach took that opportune moment to grumble and Abigail felt her face heat in embarrassment when he chuckled at her reaction. "I guess your stomach just answered that question for me," he said, his lips curling up in a warm smile. "You can get...um...dressed and I'll bring you some food in a little bit."

Derek flashed her one last grin before he left and Abigail belatedly realized that he had shaved. That was how he had looked when they first met and had to admit that he was even more handsome without the beard. She could see the smooth but sharp lines of his jaw and his firm lips, along with the deep dimples that appeared along his cheeks when he smiled. Some women would swoon around that type of handsome.

Abigail felt the walls around her heart begin to crack. It was getting harder and harder for her to deny Derek each day. Ever since that day that he'd told her that he loved her, he had started being ten times more attentive than before.

He was always greeting her in the mornings with a warm hug and at night with a kiss to the forehead. Derek made her breakfast, lunch and Abigail now had to sternly put her foot down when he tried to make dinner.

It was becoming more than she could bear. She was starting to become dependent on him...heck, she was dependent on him, and that was something Abigail couldn't do. She came out here to be independent, not to end up letting a man do every single last piece of menial work for her.

But she just couldn't bring herself to say no even to the little things he did for her each day.

She got up and set about getting dressed for the day. Judging by the streaming sunshine through the crevices of the wagon, she surmised that it was going to be a good day. She pulled on a bright red skirt and donned a buttery yellow blouse before pinning her curls to the back of her head.

Her throat was parched, but when Abigail pulled off the lid to her barrel of water and peered inside, she frowned. This wasn't good. Winter was fast approaching and she was now completely out of water.