Claire's Prayer (5 page)

Helping him, Claire answered, “I have my own line of children’s books that I’m expanding on. I create characters, try to include a moral, and illustrate my books myself.”

Having taken the rug from her, Seth was shaking it out. He couldn’t hide his surprise. “You do all that? Impressive. How long have your books been in the book stores?”

“Oh, it’s no big thing,” Claire answered, modestly; “I’ve always loved writing. I’m just glad my hobby paid off! This way I do something I really love – and get paid for it, too. My editor’s waiting impatiently for some new material. He thinks Africa will inspire me. I guess I’m just lucky I can get away – that I don’t have to worry too much about my finances now my parents left everything to me.” Claire came to a halt. “I miss them so much.” She sniffed softly and gazed off into the trees, embarrassed by her show of emotion.

The pair of them slid into the car. Starting it, Seth stated, “Not long now, Claire. In just over an hour we’ll be there.” Claire noted that Seth’s voice was filled with satisfaction. “Naomi should be there to meet us. I think you two’ll get on brilliantly.”

Naomi
, thought Claire. Seth had mentioned her name several times. Was Naomi Seth’s secretary, his aged aunt – or his wife? For some reason, Claire could not bring herself to ask. She’d find out soon enough, anyway. As Impunzi came ever closer, Claire’s excitement mounted. This place was, at the moment, only a name to her, but she knew somewhere deep inside that Impunzi was special, and would in some way affect her life. Little did Claire know with what poignancy this premonition would come true.

Finally slowing down as the car approached their turning ahead, Seth half-turned to Claire. “You are an excellent travelling companion, Claire. Your reward, one pot of steaming-hot tea, will be presented to you in about fifteen minutes.”

Realising how close to Impunzi they must be, Claire sat up and looked intently around her. She noticed a large, ochre-coloured signboard, swaying in the wind, supported by two long poles. Her breath caught expectantly as she read the bold, slanting words painted on it: ‘Impunzi Game Viewing and Fishing Resort.’ The BMW left the tar road, and Claire watched as billows of dust flew out behind them. She noticed a new denseness in the bush veldt.

Suddenly, Seth slowed right down, and cautioned Claire to silence by putting a finger on his lips. Slowly, he leaned towards her and pointed out of the window at something he had spotted. Claire’s untrained eyes could not see the animal, whatever it was, so well was it camouflaged. For a long moment, Claire was no longer quite so interested in seeing an animal in the wild, her overriding reason for having travelled to Zimbabwe, as in the radiating heat and wild, male smell of Seth. One of his arms rested against the back of Claire’s seat, and the other stretched out in front of her with pointed finger. Then, she did see the magnificent antelope, standing motionless beneath a thorn tree. Leaning closer, Seth whispered in her ear, “Look, Claire. Do you see him? That’s a kudu bull.”

Even as Seth spoke, and the hair on Claire’s neck prickled, the large kudu walked majestically out from the cover of the trees. Claire held her breath as, for timeless seconds, animal and man regarded each other. Unconsciously, her hand had gripped Seth’s muscled forearm. Then, as if given a silent signal, the kudu sprang away and disappeared into the thick bush.

Realising that she was gripping Seth’s arm, Claire hastily let him go and rushed into speech. “Oh, Seth – I’ve never seen anything so stunning. I wish I’d had my camera out. Wasn’t he absolutely magnificent?” Claire’s bright, dilated eyes met Seth’s, only inches away.

Moving back to his own side of the car, Seth shrugged off the feeling of electric tension he had felt growing between them. “Yes, he was an excellent specimen. But I assure you, Claire, you’ll see many more. Impunzi is well stocked with wildlife. Look, here we are.”

She had been so wrapped up in the kudu bull, and in the surprise of the intense chemistry she had felt with Seth, that Claire had not noticed they were now driving over a grid with huge white pillars either side. The high wire fence, which ran off further than the eye could see, did not distract from the beauty of the main house’s setting. On entering the fenced area, Claire’s eyes quickly took in the signboard displaying a message of welcome to visitors and guests, the elegant whitewashed ranch house behind it, and the seemingly endless expanse of rolling green lawn that surrounded her. Colourful flowerbeds broke up the carpet of green, and well-kept shrubs added shape to the garden.

Seth’s deep, rich voice and gentle touch broke the spell she had fallen under. “Claire, welcome to my home. Welcome to Impunzi.”

Chapter Four

As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.

(Proverbs 27:19)

Impunzi, Zimbabwe

Naomi sat on the dry ground under the thorn trees, trying to get some relief from the scorching sun. Tipping back her head, she closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to wander. A smile curved her full lips as she remembered Seth’s reservations when she’d started showing an interest in their ranch manager. As brothers went, he was very protective of her. All of his protestations had not dampened her attraction to Tony – or his to her. She knew before Seth had started his campaign that Tony was seven years her senior, that he’d lost his wife and child too recently… and Seth had gone on and on. But since her parents’ deaths, she’d felt confused and unsure of her relationship with Tony. Sighing deeply, Naomi acknowledged that she now understood the enormity of what he had lost. And now, for the first time, she was plagued with her own doubts. Could he ever love any woman as much as he had loved his wife? That was a question she could never ask him, although she sought an answer to it in his every glance.

Opening her eyes to the sunlight, Naomi brushed her worries away. Today they just couldn’t drag her down, she felt so restless and energised. Seth would be arriving any time now with their guest for the winter. Naomi had never lost the excitement she’d felt since she and Seth had built Impunzi back up in all its former glory and more – from the ground, it had often seemed to her. The crowning moment, the moment she’d known they would really make it, was the day the boma, an enclosure for wild game, had been completed. She replayed that golden hour in her head: she remembered the labourers taking the opportunity to escape the heat, sitting under the trees just as she was doing now. Tony had propped himself up in a shady spot, too, his shirt off and his skin glistening with sweat. Even in her anticipation for the game trucks’ arrival, Naomi had not been able to help but admire his sun-browned physique. At that point they were almost three years into their togetherness, she had mused, and still she wondered if her intense awareness of his physical beauty would ever fade. Naomi had snapped out of her daydream as she’d heard the rumble of engines in the distance.

Then the trucks had arrived and, over the course of that October afternoon, Naomi’d watched as the antelope were off-loaded and guided into the boma. As the sun hung low on the horizon, she’d joined Seth and Tony at the enclosure’s wooden rails. Each section held a different type of antelope. After the long truck ride, they would all spend a few days here, and then be released into the bush. In the quiet after the labourers had gone home and the trucks had left, a gentle breeze had brushed across Naomi’s flushed face, Tony’s arm had wrapped itself firmly around her waist, and they’d stared in fascination at the magnificent kudu, eland and sable. The antelope were skittish after the long journey, but they would soon become accustomed to their new territory. In pure happiness, Naomi had given her brother’s hand a squeeze. Their dream was becoming a reality. Slowly, truck-load by truck-load, they were restocking their land with game. The back-breaking labour of the past two years had been worth it.
If only Dad and Mom had lived to see this day
, she’d thought.

It had taken a while for joy to return to Impunzi, but Naomi had never stopped loving the ranch. Even on her first day back after the tragedy, she had stood outside it with her eyes closed, absorbing the smells and sounds that were home. At her request, Seth and Tony had unwillingly left her to re-enter the house alone. Opening her eyes, arms flung wide, Naomi had spun slowly around. How she loved this place, and how she had missed it.

Naomi wandered slowly through the house; everything seemed pretty much the same. Taking a deep breath, she walked into her parents’ room. It looked cold – every trace of them was gone. She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to capture the scent of her mother’s perfume. Nothing. There was no lingering presence here. Feeling a deep sadness invade her heart, Naomi hugged herself tightly and let the tears trickle freely down her cheeks. Falling to her knees in grief she collapsed against the bed her parents had shared and sobbed brokenly.
This is too hard to bear
, she thought. Then, seemingly from nowhere, strong arms lifted her up. She curled into Tony’s warm, vital body and clung there as her grief played out.

Tony held her close, tears in his own eyes as he realized that he couldn’t make this better for her. Hurt like this needed to run its course, this he knew from bitter experience. From the corner of his eye, he saw Seth hesitating in the doorway, his eyes bright with unshed tears and his fists clenched in helpless frustration. Tony gathered Naomi closer and silently nodded to Seth. Turning away from them, Seth stalked off.

After a long while, Naomi calmed. Tony poured her a cup of strong, sweet tea; then they opened the front door and walked slowly around the garden. For the first time, Naomi noticed that the sandbags were gone from in front of the windows, the only evidence of their existence the brown, dead patches of lawn that had been left in their wake. It was good to have the sun shining into the house again.

Naomi had, from then on, kept herself occupied with ranch business. Her newly-completed design qualifications were put to immediate use as she spent many hours going over Seth’s plans for his vision of turning Impunzi into the big game viewing and fishing resort it now was, trying to imagine how their home could look. His excitement was contagious, and together they had formed a picture of their future.

Now those plans were a reality, and Impunzi had gone from strength to strength since the day the antelope had come.
With only one guest to care for
, Naomi thought,
this winter will be idyllic
. Then she looked around and, almost bursting with joy, saw Seth’s sleek BMW pull into the ranch grounds and crunch to a halt.

Claire stepped out of the car and stretched herself. She was still gazing at Impunzi’s rolling lawns, and was smiling ear to ear. Seth began to follow Claire as she started towards the house.

“Let’s see about getting you that tea…” he began. Before the sentence was finished, though, Claire came to a halt, causing Seth to bump firmly into her.

Running up the pathway towards them was a beautiful, vivacious young woman. Her dark eyes sparkled and her chestnut hair rippled behind her in the breeze, until she came to a sudden stop, right in front of Claire. Even though, at first glance, Claire judged them to be about the same age, this girl had a worldliness and independence about her that set them years apart. Claire’s heart sank – but, before Seth or Naomi could utter a word, she extended her hand.

In what she hoped was a friendly tone, Claire said, “Hello, Mrs Henderson; I’m Claire.” Letting her eyes roam again over the beauty of the setting, she continued, “I think you have the loveliest home.”

Taking Claire’s extended hand, Naomi grinned. “Hi, Claire – it’s such a pleasure to meet you.” She glanced at Seth, and suppressed a giggle. “But I don’t have the dubious honour of being Seth’s wife. Being his little sister is bad enough. I’m Naomi, and I’m glad you like the ranch.”

Claire seemed to have caught Naomi’s contagious grin as the brunette rushed on past her, and threw her arms around Seth’s neck.

“Hi to you too, big brother. How was the trip? Did you collect my parcels in town?”

Lifting his hands in mock surrender, Seth pushed past both of them. “Slow down, Naomi! Could Claire and I have a drink before you bombard us with questions?”

Naomi stuck out her tongue at Seth, but practically skipped back towards the ranch house to start making them a pot of tea.

Claire, unaware that Seth was watching her, finally had the chance to take in her surroundings fully. The actual house was very large and built right up against a rocky outcrop. Huge boulders balanced precariously on top of each other, seeming as if they could topple over at any moment. As Claire drew closer to it across the lawn, she noticed that paved pathways had been laid, leading up into the massive granite display. Behind it, trees of magnificent height and proportion swayed in time to the silent melody of the breeze. The natural beauty of the place took her breath away and, for long moments after Naomi had run inside, she stood in silence just drinking in the beauty of her surroundings. Lifting her eyes to the cloudless blue sky, she softly thanked God for picturesque beauty of his creation. Claire found herself forgetting that she was not alone.

Throughout her silent communion with nature, Seth stood unmoving, watching every emotion flit across Claire’s lovely, expressive face. He found himself strangely captivated by this sad Irish girl he had known for such a short time. Trying to make out the words she was mouthing to herself, Seth caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. Wanting to protect Claire somehow, from what he was not sure, Seth touched her shoulder gently. Then he turned and noticed two familiar members of his select summer staff, Moses and Josiah, hurrying to the car.

Turning to face Seth, Claire felt the warmth of his hand and saw something else in his fathomless brown eyes – something she did not understand. Wide-eyed, all she said was, “Seth, it really is lovely.”

Introducing Claire warmly to Moses and Josiah as the most capable of handymen, Seth asked the two colleagues quiet questions about the welfare of the ranch. Smiling as they lifted Claire’s bags, Moses, Josiah and Seth guided Claire towards the house. On the porch, Claire met Tony just as Naomi bounced back out, followed closely by a white-clad man pushing a tea trolley.

“Claire, this is the last member of our extended family, Joseph,” Seth said. “He pretty much runs the household! He heads up all of the house and lodge staff when we have a full house, so he’s acting head chef now – and general behind-the-scenes miracle-worker. Any problems you have, Joseph will know how to fix them.” Seth winked at Joseph, who handed Claire a teacup with a wry smile. “And he’ll admire your appetite as much as I do!”

Claire swiped at Seth playfully, but couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.

Linking her arm through Claire’s, Naomi muttered something about domineering older brothers and proceeded literally to drag Claire into the cool interior of the entrance hall. Claire went willingly, deciding that she already liked Naomi – her enthusiasm was hard not to emulate. The women stopped and Claire took in the tastefully unusual décor of the entrance hall. A zebra skin dominated one wall, and a large, bronzed milk urn filled with dried grasses sat in the corner. A massive wall hanging made up of random oranges, greens and browns blended beautifully with the other autumn tones in the room.

As her eyes darted around, trying to take in everything at once, Claire continued slowly to follow Naomi. To her left, a sign indicated that a closed door led to the office and reception area. Naomi went on ahead, and Claire followed her and Seth into the lounge. The far wall was, she now saw, the outside edge of one of the huge granite boulders she had seen as they arrived. Colourful rugs were scattered on the polished wooden floor, and large windows allowed a fantastic view of the garden, its trees and the massive ferns that grew amongst the boulders. Again, the colour tones were both warm and calming: muted golds, browns and oranges. An impressive television and video set stood on a wooden cabinet containing a veritable library of VHS, dominating one corner. In the other, a welcome fire blazed. Claire sensed that this house had been decorated with thoughtfulness and love.

Seth handed Claire back her cup of tea, and said, “Have a seat, Claire – no need to stand on ceremony here. For tonight, you’ll sleep in the main house with us. Tomorrow, we’ll settle you into a lodge.”

“We hope you’ll feel at home here,” added Naomi gently, her voice sounding unusually hesitant.

“I already do,” Claire beamed.