“Enough.” He pushed her away and sat up. “How did you learn to respond like that?”
“My….my husband made me learn how…. how to pleasure him.”
“Well, he obviously taught you well.” Gabe had a horrible thought. It sickened him so much he could barely get the words out. “What sexual tricks did you learn from the Indians?”
“None. They never touched me.”
“Don’t lie to me.” He took her by the shoulders and shook her.
“It’s the truth, my pa and Chief Straight Arrow were friends. He protected me.”
Gabe breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you want to be my woman?”
She thought for a moment. If she were Gabe’s woman he would look after her, and she was halfway to being in love with him already. She had few options. Most decent men wouldn’t want to associate with a fallen woman like her.
“Yes. I want to be your woman?”
“Good. There are conditions. I’m a wealthy man and I can be generous to those who please me, you will never want for anything. BUT. You will obey me in all things. I am a demanding lover and a jealous one.”
“I still want to be your woman. I will do anything you ask of me, except have um, relations with other men.”
He drew in a loud, shocked breath. “If any man so much as touches you, I’ll kill him. Rip him apart with my bare hands.” He stood and reached down for his clothes. “Wrap yourself in the blanket then go to the hut. I’ll build the fire up. We’ll need the heat later. By mid-afternoon it will be cold. The clouds are building up so it could be raining as well.”
Sophie picked up her dress and with the towel clutched around her trembling body scuttled toward the cabin. Without the heat of Gabe’s body infusing hers with warmth, it was cold.
A dull dinginess cloaked the hut inside as there were no windows, just the open door to let in light. The earthen floor appeared dry, with drifts of twigs and leaves; obviously no-one had been here in years. She laid the blanket down on the floor and slipped into her dress. It felt strangely rough against her now sensitized skin.
Sitting on the floor, she drew her legs up and wrapped her arms around her knees, then rocked backward and forward. Rather than starve, she had agreed to be Gabe’s woman. Better a handsome man like him than a lying pig like Max, the surly Carl, or even worse, she could be forced to go with men like the depraved monsters who had captured her and the other girls.
Thinking about the fate of her friends, brought tears to her eyes, although she could not allow them to fall.
“Brr, it’s getting cold out there.” Gabe strode into the hut, carrying a canvas sack and another blanket. “I’ve got the coffee pot ready and will heat up some beans. We need to get ourselves set up in here before the rain comes.”
Sophie jumped to her feet. “I could find roots and berries for us to eat.”
“No need, the beans will suffice. Maybe we can catch a fish or two for breakfast. Anyway, it’s not food I’m hungry for.”
˜*˜
Gabe didn’t know how long he slept. The moment he woke he eased himself away from Sophie, stood up and quietly dressed. He would let her sleep until their food was ready.
It was cold outside, drizzling with rain, the fire spluttered a little, although being so well built up it would take a heavy downpour to extinguish it. He put the coffee pot on the fire, likewise a pan of beans. He strode over to the side of the cabin to relieve his bladder. Sophie was the most responsive woman he could ever remember having. He would not be letting her out of his sight from now on. She was his woman and he would fight any man to the death for her.
Sophie woke up and gazed around the dingy little room. She was alone - naked. The fire burned brightly, she could see it through the doorway. Gabe squatted beside it, poking at the flames with a stick.
She desperately needed to relieve herself. Standing up, she reached for her dress then stumbled outside and squatted behind a bush.
She knew he had enjoyed their lovemaking as much as her, no man could pretend that well. If she wanted to stay with him, she would have to be sexually inventive so he would not become bored and banish her. Men liked sexual variety Max had drilled this into her and she had been a quick learner because she thought this was expected of a good wife. As it turned out she wasn’t his wife, only his mistress, or worse still, his whore.
“Good evening.” Gabe grinned. “Our supper is ready. Go back inside the cabin, I’ll bring our food in, no point both of us getting wet.”
They shared strong black coffee, beans and bread. It was the best meal she could ever remember having. It wasn’t the food, it was the man sharing it with her. The feelings she had for Gabe, especially after knowing him such a short time, were so powerful they frightened her. She knew nothing about the man.
After they had eaten their fill, they sat side by side without speaking.
“How long did you live with the Indians?” he suddenly asked.
“I virtually grew up with them.” She gave him a shortened version of her life, leaving out most of what had happened with Max. It was too humiliating
“You were lucky to have survived all of that. Don’t worry.” He took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’ll have a good life with me.”
“Thank you for saving me. I know your friend didn’t want me to come with you. He hates Indians, doesn’t he?”
“He has good reasons for the way he feels. No more talking.” He drew her into his arms. He edged them backward until they reached the darkened area where the blankets were spread out ready for them.
˜*˜
“Why did you do it?” Gabe cried out, his body twitching. “You left us to die.”
She sat up and pulled his head on to her lap. “It’s all right,” she soothed, brushing the damp hair away from his face. “You were having a nasty dream.” She didn’t know whether it was her murmured words of comfort or the gentle pressure of her fingers caressing his forehead, which comforted him so he could sleep.
Gently she placed his head back down on the blanket and curled up beside him pulling the other blanket over them for warmth.
Next morning, in the light of day, Sophie didn’t know whether to mention to Gabe about his nightmare. If he said nothing, neither would she. During the night, he had woken her twice, and on each occasion passion had instantly flared between them. White hot it seared them together.
Once she slipped the dress over her shoulders, she ran her fingers through her tangled hair to tidy it up. The soft cleanliness felt good and she hoped Gabe would be pleased with her appearance.
Thud, thud, several times in quick succession she heard the sound. Gabe’s back was to her as she gingerly stepped away from the cabin. Shock stopped her in her tracks. He was hurling knives with deadly accuracy at a large knot in a nearby tree. The sky was grey and sullen although the rain had stopped.
He swung around and grinned cheerfully as she hurried toward the fire. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”
“Good morning, Gabe. I’m feeling good.”
“Like some breakfast?”
“Yes, thank you. If you could sharpen a stick for me I could spear us some fish.”
I’ve already caught two, using this beauty.” He waved a slim, long bladed knife around.
“You were able to get fish with that?” she exclaimed. It would take great speed and accuracy to perform such a feat.
“Yes, knife throwing is my passion. I practice every day.”
As she peered into the fire and held her hands to the flames Sophie realized the fish were indeed cooking. He had skewered them on long sticks and the flames licked at the outside skin.
˜*˜
Mid-morning, Carl strode into camp. “Morning Gabe.” He stared at Sophie and surprise registered in his eyes. He inclined his head before turning his back on her. “Are you ready to help me load up?”
“I’ll go and gather our things.” Sophie darted over to the cabin.
Gabe strode over to the fire and pr
oceeded to extinguish it.
“You had a good time last night?” Carl asked.
Gabe laughed. “None of your business.”
As they walked off Gabe said. “She’s white, her father was friends with a Lakota chief.”
“Sonofabitch. Living with those black savages, makes her one of them.”
Their voices faded as they strode off.
Why did Carl hate the Indians so much? And it was hatred he felt for them and her. She sent up a silent prayer that he wouldn’t persuade Gabe to drop her off at the church mission. She desperately wanted to be Gabe’s woman now.
She folded the blankets and pushed them into the canvas bag and checked nothing was left behind in the cabin. As she walked down the track, she shivered in the cold, damp air now there were no warm red flames.
After about five minutes she spotted Gabe passing crates to Carl who loaded them into the wagon. She watched silently, clutching the canvas bag in her hand, not knowing what else to do.
“Put the bag under the seat,” Gabe said. “Where are the clothes you brought Carl?”
“In the back,” he growled.
“Thank you.” Her reply snapped his head back and he stared at her. From the top of her head his gaze wandered to her moccasin clad feet.
He snatched the bag out of her hand and tossed it under the seat of the wagon. She edged her way around to the back and retrieved the rolled-up gown and shook it out. It was made of a coarse cotton material, a washed out blue in color. It was creased and damp because he had not bothered to wrap it up.
She ducked behind a clump of bushes to change out of her buckskins and slip the gown over her shoulders. It was loose and a couple of inches too long. It felt strange to be wearing white women’s clothing after so many months.
Running a finger through her hair, she tidied it up as best she could.
Gabe glanced up from passing a barrel to Carl and the breath caught in his throat. Sophie moved slowly, almost regally and though it was faded and too large for her, the gown emphasized her femininity. Her copper colored hair swung softly over her shoulders before tumbling down to rest at her waist. What a beauty, and she belonged to him now. He had never in his whole life done anything this rash - ask a woman he had only just met to share his life.
He watched a shocked expression pass over his friend’s face when Sophie reappeared. “I told you she was white.”
“She’s lived with savages, which makes her one of them in my eyes.” Carl turned to Sophie. “You sit in the back,” he growled, depositing the last barrel with a thump.
She did not argue, merely climbed up on to the wagon and sat between the barrels and crates. Pulling her knees up, she wrapped her arms around them and stared straight ahead. The whip cracked, and with a grating groan and a crunching of wheels on crushed rock, the wagon slowly moved off.
On and on the bullocks plodded, and as the cold seeped through the thin material of the gown, she wrapped the discarded buckskin around her to keep warm. The wagon dipped and swayed as the bullocks strained to pull it over the winding mountain road. The crack of the whip broke the silence as its echo bounced off the mountains. Huge trees lined the road, the branches forming a canopy in places and the hair stood up on the back of her neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it to flat ground.
˜*˜
Gabe’s hotel stood at the cross roads near the edge of a town called Black Rock. It was a neat building painted in white. Directly behind the hotel stood a large double storied house, white washed also. A short fat man waddled out to greet them.
“Ah, you finally got back Gabe? Got yourself a woman I hear.”
“Yes, George, and she belongs to me so keep your lecherous eyes off her.”
“I’ll leave you to organize the unloading,” Carl said. “I’ve got business to attend to.”
Carl climbed down from the wagon and hurried off, leaving Gabe to help Sophie down.
The man called George stared at her intently. This is Sophie, she’ll be staying with me from now on.”
“Howdy, Miss.”
“Hello, George.”
“Will you be right to unload and see to the bullocks,” Gabe asked.
“Yes, I’ll get the boy to help. Billy,” he yelled.
A youth rushed up. “Yeah, Pa.”
“Start unloading these barrels and crates, and don’t drop any of them.”
Gabe draped his arm across Sophie’s shoulders as he guided her inside. “This is the drinking area,” he said. “You won’t be coming out here. My quarters are at the back.”
The drinking area was quite large, with wooden tables and chairs. The long bar was of dark polished wood with a brass foot rail and several matching spittoons. Everything was clean and tidy, she noticed. “George serves meals in here.”
“That door there leads out into an alleyway, giving direct access to patrons who want to guard their privacy when they visit Carl’s brothel.”
“The brothel belongs to Carl?”
“Yes. He has private rooms there, although he spends a lot of time at his ranch, a couple of hours ride from here.”
Gabe opened a door at the side of the room and stepped back to let her enter. “My private quarters. You will be free to roam around in here; don’t attempt to go outside without me. And the bar area is forbidden to you. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“Your duties will be to keep the place tidy for me, and um, other womanly duties as required.” He grinned.
˜*˜
George brought them lunch, juicy beef steaks, an assortment of vegetables and crusty, freshly baked bread. They ate from white plates, sitting at a small table in his parlor. It was well furnished, if slightly cluttered. Everything was of good quality but dull and dark. This place had obviously never known a woman’s touch. It was a blank canvas for her to work on. She wondered why this pleased her.
˜*˜
The next day a Chinese dressmaker arrived to measure her up for new gowns. “Mr. Carl say Thi come.”
“I asked him to send you over here,” Gabe said.
“You don’t need to do this for me, a shop bought gown would suffice.”
“I want something special for you.” He smiled and her heart fluttered like a caged bird. With every passing hour, she was falling deeper in love with this man. She had quickly fallen in love with Max too, only to be betrayed in the cruelest way. She was a fool to give her heart so freely, yet it had a mind of its own. Please God, don’t let Gabe treat me like Max did.
He strode out of the room and left her to Thi’s administrations.
Sophie slipped out of the faded gown and stood naked before the smiling woman.
She covered her pubic areas with her hands until Thi gently moved them to one side. “I see plenty pussy. You velly pretty Missie. Mr. Carl say Mr. Gabe likee.”
She took out a measuring tape and Sophie could do nothing except stand there and follow the instructions to lift her arms in the air. “Velly nice titties,” Thi said as she measured her bust line.
˜*˜
The next day Thi returned with the first gown, a grey satin affair trimmed with a pink flounce on the bodice. A bunched up, wedge shaped piece of pink material was inserted into the center of the skirt, just below the waist. It was beautiful.
Gabe walked in on them and smiled his approval.
“Thank you, it’s beautiful.”
“No, it’s you who are beautiful. Thank you Thi. Could you have the other gowns ready by the end of the week?”
“Yessie, Mr. Gabe.”
He thrust a pile of money into the woman’s hand, and with a bow she left them.
Today he wore black trousers. A matching coat covered his white shirt.
“We can take a stroll over to the general store. I heard they received a new consignment of bonnets. You can choose something you like.”
“Please, you’ve bought me enough.”
“I want to spoil you, to let you know how much I app
reciate you agreeing to be my woman.”
As she stepped out of a side door on to a cobbled porch, she sniffed appreciably at the fresh air. It was the first time she had ventured outside since her arrival. The sky was grey, with a weak sun struggling to shine from a small patch of blue.
Gabe linked arms with her as they strolled across the road and around the corner to the main street. Numerous buggies and horses travelled the road, a couple of women stood around gossiping, a few other women hurried by. Black Rock was obviously a prosperous town.
The general store was large, separated into different sections, foodstuffs in one area, men’s clothing in another. The women’s clothing, millinery and haberdashery took up the whole of one wall.
Gabe led her up to the counter. “Frank, we’d like to check out those new bonnets. Oh, and a matching parasol or two.”
“You don’t have to buy me all these things.”
“Yes, I do. You deserve to be spoilt and I’m the man to do it. A small price to repay you for the pleasure you’ve given me.” His eyes burned with a passion that promised much once they were alone.
The store owner returned with several boxes already opened.
“This is a pretty one.” Gabe pulled out a pale pink bonnet trimmed with deeper pink flowers. “Try it on,” he urged.
With Frank watching, Gabe turned her around. She put the bonnet on and it fit perfectly.
“You like the pink bonnet, don’t you, my dear?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful.”
“Do you have a matching parasol? Gabe asked.
“Yes.” Frank scurried off and returned with a pretty pink parasol and handed it to her.
“Put it all on my account, Frank, and could you have them delivered to the hotel?”
“Certainly, certainly,” he gushed.
Gabe slipped his arm through hers and they left.
Chapter Five
The weeks passed, the passion between them intensified. Gabe spent a lot of time with her, and Sophie’s feelings for him grew.
Carl was a regular visitor. His attitude toward her did not soften. He was cold and distant, and she avoided him as much as possible. Gabe still had an occasional nightmare, although they were lessening in frequency and intensity. Each day he spent time throwing his knives at a mounted circular target in a back room. He was quick, and deadly accurate.
Sophie Page 4