They'd stopped at Otskai's village the night before, and he'd been hoping against hope the others would still be there. But according to the chief, they'd all gone on to the northern village a day farther. Even Otskai and her son had accompanied the group.
Now, the lodges of that town stood like welcoming beacons in the late afternoon light. What would the others think of Colette? Maybe he should have told them about her. Their surprise might make her think he’d not missed her enough to speak of her.
In fact, the opposite was true. He'd have to make sure she understood. He never wanted her to question his love for her. And he'd happily spend the rest of his life showing it.
When they drew about twenty strides from the outer lodges, a small figure toddled from the edge of camp. A boy, but surely not…
Had Otskai's son escaped again? He shot a glance at the river. Thankfully, it flowed on the other side of the town. The lad had a penchant for landing in water, no matter how dangerous.
But a much larger figure strode around the side of the lodge, his long legs covering the same distance as five of the lad’s strides. Caleb bent low and swept up the boy, then in the same motion, lifted him high in the air above his head. Giggles filled the air as the boy writhed. Caleb held him up for another moment, then lowered him to perch on his arm.
Then Caleb turned their direction.
A smile hovered on French's lips as he waited for the man to recognize him. The moment awareness settled, Caleb's expression formed a wide grin, and he strode with that same long step toward them.
French slipped off his horse and moved forward on foot, meeting his friend with a firm shake.
"It's about time you showed up.” Caleb’s deep voice rumbled. “We were about to come looking for you."
French gave the man a backslap, then stepped back, settling into the camaraderie in a way he hadn't in so long. "I thought maybe you’d give up on me. Decide I wasn't coming back."
Caleb met his gaze, his voice turning serious. "We wouldn't give up on you. We’re family. If you’re up against a battle and need reinforcements, we’ll come after you every time. Don't think otherwise."
The words pressed through him, striking a chord of familiarity. Wasn't that exactly how he felt about Colette? Exactly the way God felt toward him? God had placed these brothers—this unlikely family—in his life to reinforce his understanding of unconditional love.
French nodded. "Thank you." The words seemed paltry, but he meant them from the core of his being.
Caleb shifted his gaze past French. "Now you can introduce me to your friends."
The grin surged forward again as French turned and motioned to Colette. "Colette, I’m pleased to introduce my good friend, Caleb Jackson."
He turned to Caleb. Maybe he wouldn't say everything during this first introduction, but he could start the story. "Colette and I were childhood playmates."
Caleb nodded, a knowing glint settling in his eyes. "She's the one you've been pining after all this time."
The shock of his words splashed through French, and his first instinct was to deny them. But Caleb seemed so sure of himself, maybe French hadn't been as good at hiding his emotions as he thought. Besides, if he planned to show Colette what she really meant to him, this would be a good start.
He turned back to Colette with a grin and a wink. "She's the one."
A throat cleared behind her, and Hugh rode forward.
French pressed his lips together to hide a smile. Maybe he shouldn’t be quite as blatant in front of her brothers-in-law.
French motioned toward both men. "This is Hugh Charpentier and his brother, Louis. They’re…family of Colette. I told them there would be plenty of room for all." A glance at Colette showed a softness in her expression. Yes, he needed to do better to honor these men who cared enough about her and their unborn niece or nephew to chase her across the mountain wilderness.
Turning back to Caleb, he raised his brows. "You are all here?"
Caleb turned, and they began the final steps to reach the village. "We’re all here. Otskai and this fellow decided to come along too."
French slid a glance toward him. "So we heard when we stopped at her uncle’s village. You're married then?"
A grin stretched Caleb's cheeks, and his ears turned pink. He kept facing forward though. "Just waiting until you get here for that."
A weight pressed in French’s chest. Caleb had been waiting for him? That possibility had never entered his thoughts. He’d been so wrapped up in his own thoughts and worries.
He dropped his voice. "I’m sorry I made you wait. You’re a better brother to me than I am in return."
Caleb sent him a look. "That's not the way it works." He straightened and nodded toward the village. "There's someone else here you know."
French raised his brows at the man. There weren't many they knew who weren't also part of their group.
"Telipe." Something in Caleb's manner, and his weighty tone, pressed like a hand to French's chest. Telipe was Meksem’s sister, the one they'd rescued from the Blackfoot war party a few months ago.
He searched Caleb's eyes. "She's here? Her baby must be coming soon. Why did she leave her husband and village so close to her time?"
Sadness entered Caleb's gaze. “Her husband died. Apparently, not long after we left her in the Salish village. She's moved here permanently, living with her brother's family. You're right about the baby. She looks big enough to birth twins."
That hand pressed harder on French’s chest, and his gaze shifted back to Colette. Telipe’s situation bore an uncanny similarity to Colette's. They were both with child, both the babes’ fathers deceased. The difference was, he would be there for Colette in every way possible. She wasn't alone, not like Telipe probably felt.
Colette's gaze glistened, probably comprehending more about the situation than most would after hearing Caleb's brief summary. Her eyes said she would help this Indian woman she didn't even know. That she would be a friend, a sister, as they both navigated the path of new motherhood.
A fresh wave of love for this woman surged through him. The little girl he'd known all those years ago had matured into so much more than he'd imagined. He couldn’t wait to see what adventures their life together would hold.
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And here’s a peek at the next book in the series (remember Telipe, Meksem’s little sister who the group rescued form the Blackfoot kidnapping party?), Honor in the Mountain Refuge:
Chapter One
Summer, 1831
Clearwater River Valley, Future Idaho Territory
* * *
The fine hairs along Telípe’s neck stood on end, and she turned to scan the woods around her—not an easy feat with the babe weighing down her belly.
Was there an animal watching her? Or could there be a person scouting out there, unseen?
She peered through the summer leaves covering the trees, but all appeared still. Maybe the sensation had only come from sweat trickling down her neck.
Turning back to the fruit bushes, she pushed aside the branches and reached for a cluster of chokecherries. At least the trees offered shade and a bit of a breeze, unlike the hot, smoky lodge she’d escaped. With all her family lounging or milling about the place, she could barely breathe, much less think.
Of course, she couldn't breathe well anyway, as the baby filled every empty space inside her. She slipped a hand under her belly to better support the mass at her middle, then reached for another cluster of cherries.
She'd never expected her final days before confinement to look like this. The home she’d thought would be hers to tend for the rest of her l
ife, gone. Just when she’d finally found a measure of fulfillment caring for her new husband, he’d been taken away too.
Now, she’d returned to the lodge of her family. Actually, her eldest brother’s home now, for when their parents died, he'd taken over as the principle man of the family. Thankfully, he’d married, bringing his new wife and her grandmother to live with them. Both women were kind and generous. Ámtiz willingly took over care for Telípe and Síkem’s two younger brothers, and the young woman’s patience with the boys never ended. They’d all taken to calling the older woman simply the grandmother, and the entire group had found a comfortable rhythm.
One that Telípe wasn’t quite part of. Since she’d returned, she seemed to be more in the way than anything.
She used the back of her wrist to swipe the sweat trickling into her eyes, then waved off a mosquito and reached for another cluster of cherries. After pushing a branch aside, she studied what remained of the fruit. All green. Better to wait for them to ripen.
Turning to slip out of the thick brush, her sleeve caught on a limb. She elbowed the branch aside, then waddled forward, grabbing a tree to help her up the hill.
Every move took more effort with the babe so large in her belly. She couldn't possibly get any bigger in the final few days. There was no room. Once she pulled herself out of the hollow, she paused to catch her breath, leaning against a trunk for support.
Her gaze wandered through the woods around her. In the past, the leafy growth had been a sign of new life. But she couldn't summon the strength to feel hopeful now.
A movement snagged her focus, and she narrowed her attention to that spot. Perhaps only a squirrel, but all kinds of animals roamed these trees. Big predatory creatures.
And predatory men.
The movement stilled, but something didn't appear right among the limbs overhead. Thick leaves covered much of the area, but something showed between the green.
Leather? Was that the brown of buckskins? She gripped a tree as she strained to make out what she was seeing.
Then another movement flashed. A face appeared between leaves. Not a bear or a wildcat. A man.
Her heart thundered in her chest. Not a man. Not again.
She turned to flee, though the futility of the act swept through her as she faced thick tree growth that would only slow her down. In her condition, she could barely toddle, much less run. She was more likely to fall down the wooded hill than to outrun an able-bodied man.
But she couldn't let herself be caught again. She may not fare so well this time.
Grabbing her belly to support its weight, she reached for a tree to push off from. Yet she'd barely taken two steps before a voice sounded from behind.
“Tayógosa.” Wait.
He'd spoken the word in her tongue. Did that mean he wasn't part of another Blackfoot war party come to take captives as slaves for their people? Maybe he was only one of the braves from a neighboring town out hunting.
But she still felt the urge to flee. She paused and made herself turn to face him.
He'd come down from the tree and now stood beside the trunk. Definitely a full-grown man, taller than most with broad shoulders. A flash of memory slipped through her. She knew another brave with wide shoulders like that.
But she didn’t allow her mind to form his shape or his handsome features.
Instead, she honed her gaze on this man’s face. A jolt coursed through her. It couldn’t be. Was this a vision? Surely...
He took a step nearer, moving into a patch of sunlight. A gasp slipped out even as her heart raced into her throat.
Hope and panic warred through her, and she stepped back, though her feet were too frozen to the ground to turn and run. Had he returned to recapture her? Maybe he’d realized he shouldn’t have been so kind the last time, shouldn’t have protected her from the other warriors when his band had kidnapped her before.
Had they sent him on a quest to retake the captive himself in order to keep his place among them?
Fear overtook every other emotion, and she spun away from him. Grasping for first one trunk, then the next, she scrambled through the trees. Down the hill.
“Amkakáiz.”
The word he barked only slowed her down a tiny bit. Surely he wasn’t saying that he came in peace. Did he even know what that idea meant? His people prided themselves on how many captives they took of her tribe. And how did he know so much of her Nimiipuu tongue? He’d spoken only a couple words the last time she’d seen him.
She kept running, sliding down the slope, nearly seated and gripping the trees to keep from tumbling.
“Telípe!”
Her name on his lips slowed her more than anything else. Something in his tone reminded her of his kindness before. He’d been so careful with her, especially after he learned of the baby, always making sure she had enough food and furs to keep warm through the snows.
She finally let herself stop, struggling to take in breaths. The need to run away fought against her exhausted limbs. She craned to look back at him, though her bulky body couldn’t turn with the awkward position she was in.
Chogan took another step forward, his hand outstretched as though to calm a flighty horse. “Amkakáiz.” This time he accompanied the word with the sign for peace. Did he really mean it?
She stared at his face for signs of his true intentions. Though he looked every bit the strong warrior he had before, his eyes held kindness. And also something more, a shadow they hadn’t possessed before. Maybe the distance between them caused the expression.
He motioned for her to stand. “I will not hurt you.”
She’d trusted him before, but only because she had to. She and the four other captives had been at the mercy of him and his Blackfoot comrades. He’d never showed anything but kindness, though he could have been as cruel as he wanted.
In truth, his companions had goaded and jeered at him for his gentle actions. Weak, they’d called him. Though nothing about this man appeared weak. His height, the breadth of his shoulders tapering to a lean waist, all wrapped in sinewy muscles. The buckskin tunic and leggings he wore disguised none of his strength.
No, the man wasn’t weak.
But could he be trusted? As before, she was at his mercy now. Though she could try to run, her cumbersome body wouldn’t take her far if he really tried to catch her. Better she stand and face him like a woman of strength.
Grasping trunks on both sides of her, she did her best to pull herself up with more grace than she could usually manage these days. The weight of her belly tugged her, and she braced her feet as she turned to face the man.
She was downhill from him now, at least a dozen steps away. With him positioned so much higher than she, he looked as large as a grizzly standing on its back legs, pawing the air.
Maybe he realized the fear his position might plant in her, for he started walking downhill. Not directly to her, but a little sideways. When he reached the same level as her, he came to a stop with about five steps separating them.
She could see his face well now, the earnest expression marking his handsome features. He looked almost…worried.
He motioned toward her belly. “Are you well?” His brows rose in question.
She cradled the swell, her hand finding its usual place to support the babe. Even before, he’d seemed worried about the child inside her, taking extra care with her and stepping in when the others grew rough in their treatment. His gentleness hadn’t won him any favors with the other braves, and she’d been so grateful for his kindness. Grateful enough to ensure her sister and the others spared his life when they came to rescue her.
In answer to his questioning gaze, she nodded. “The babe is well. It will be coming soon.” Did Chogan understand her? He’d spoken four times now in her language, so maybe he’d learned more than he knew before. His eyes showed understanding.
If so, it was time he answer a question for her. She lifted her chin. “Why have you come?”
His gaze narro
wed, not in animosity but as if he were trying to decide something. Maybe deciphering her words in his mind. Just in case, she asked the question again using the common language of signs all the tribes understood.
He still hesitated. Trying to decide what to say? Or attempting to find Nimiipuu words to speak it? Would he tell the truth? Did he have reason to lie? That would depend on his motive.
At last, he leveled his chin, holding her gaze with directness in his own. “My people have sent me away. I’ve journeyed a full moon through the mountains, asking the great spirit to show me my purpose. I did not realize how far I’d come. But I now see he’s led me to you.”
She worked to take in his words. Though he stumbled through some of them, he spoke her language. Had he known it all along? Why had he hidden his understanding from her before? Maybe that was how he’d known she was with child, even though she’d taken pains to wear clothing that wouldn’t reveal her condition. But perhaps he’d overheard her speaking to the other captives of the babe. She’d assumed it was the one time she’d rested her hand on her belly that gave her away. He’d been watching and had given her a look of full understanding. But maybe he’d known before that.
Forcing her focus back to the present, she studied him as she mulled through his words. “Why did your people send you away?” Surely it didn’t have to do with his kindness during their kidnapping.
The sadness that had cloaked his gaze before grew thicker now, confirming her fear. She gripped the tree harder as words tumbled out of her. “Because of me? Us?”
He shook his head once. “I have never agreed with my people’s desire for war. That campaign was my last chance to be the man of bloodshed my father would have me be. I will not go against how I feel here.” He pressed a fist to his chest. “I do not regret helping you.” He lifted his chin. “I know my place is not with people of war. I have been following the great spirit’s leading to show me what he would have me do.”
Faith in the Mountain Valley Page 21