by Linda Bridey
Marcus laughed at her surprise and took her hand. “Come with me.”
Claire went willingly, enjoying the feel of his hand wrapped around hers. “Where are we going?”
“I want to show you something,” he said.
“What is it?”
“Claire, shut up and wait,” he said, but there was no bite to his words.
They walked down a trail that went down a gradual slope. Marcus made sure she didn’t trip. He guided her over branches and rocks. Claire couldn’t figure out how he saw so well in the dark. All at once, the woods fell away and they came out onto a huge rock ledge that looked over a river. The moonlight danced on the surface of the water, moving in ripples as the current changed.
Claire looked at how far up they were from the river and grabbed on to Marcus as a wave of vertigo washed over her. Marcus said, “Claire, back away a little. It can be pretty overwhelming if you’re not used to it.”
She nodded and looked up at him. “Yes. I can see that.”
He gazed out over the water and said, “This is my favorite place in the whole world. I come here to think a lot.”
Claire felt honored that he would show her his special spot. “It’s beautiful.”
Marcus looked down at her and she saw that fire in his eyes again. “Yes. Beautiful.”
His arms came around her and his palms pressed her closer to him. His mouth curved up and he said, “You remember your kissing lesson from earlier today?”
Claire just looked at his mouth and nodded.
“Good,” he said, and dipped his head to brush his mouth against hers.
Claire sighed and Marcus captured her lips in a harder kiss. Her arms encircled his neck of their own accord and she gave herself up to him.
Marcus couldn’t believe that this was the same Claire that had pissed him off so much over the last three years; the same woman who had never backed down from an argument and had challenged him at every turn. She was warm, willing, and sexy even in her innocence, and he wanted more. The longer they kissed the more passionate things, became until their breathing became ragged.
Marcus ended their kissing and he held her close. His chest rose and fell and he couldn’t ever remember a woman exciting him the way Claire did.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “That’s the problem. We better head back.”
“Why?” she said, and looked into his eyes.
“Claire, um, let me put it this way; if we stay here kissing like that much longer, things are gonna happen. Baby-making things.”
“Oh!” Claire said, and moved away from him a little. “I understand.”
Marcus laughed and caught her face in his hands. “How is it that you’ve driven me crazy the last few years but I suddenly want you so much?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just talented,” she said.
“Yes, you are. And the point goes to the lady,” Marcus teased her, and kissed her again. He decided to throw caution to the wind, as he often did. “You’re opinionated, exasperating, too smart for your own good, and obstinate. That’s how I used to see you and I still do, but I also now see that you’re kind, beautiful, brave, and funny. I know this is not the ideal situation, but sometimes you just have to deal with things as they come. Claire, I-don’t-know-your-middle-name, Fawn, O’Connor, will you marry me?”
She didn’t mean to, but she laughed.
Marcus simply looked at her. “Is that a yes or no?”
Claire couldn’t talk at first, so she nodded vigorously. She found her voice and said, “I’m so sorry, but that must be the most touching and funny proposal that has ever been uttered in the history of the world.”
Marcus then saw the humor in what he’d said and chuckled.
Claire said, “I especially liked the ‘I-don’t-know-your-middle-name’ part.”
“Yeah, that was kind of inspired, wasn’t it?” he said.
He reached into his pocket and then Claire saw something glimmer in the moonlight. She held her breath as Marcus took her left hand and slid a ring on her third finger.
“This was Ma’s engagement ring and she left it to me with a note that told me to give it to a very special woman. You’re that special woman, Claire.”
In the moonlight, Claire could tell that it was an emerald instead of the traditional diamond. The setting was beautiful and the craftsmanship was excellent.
“Marcus, it’s extraordinary. I’ll cherish it and I’m honored that you would give me your mother’s ring,” Claire said, and looked up at him.
He gave her a bashful half-smile and then said, “I’m glad you like it.”
She nodded and he kissed her again. He would have released her quickly, but Claire didn’t want him to stop and ran her hands up his hard chest. She wanted to feel his skin and pulled his shirt from his pants. Claire traced her fingers along his ribs and felt him chuckle.
“That tickles,” he said. “Claire, what did I tell you before my touching and funny proposal?”
“That if we stayed here, baby-making things would happen.”
“That’s right. What you’re doing now isn’t helping that from not happening,” Marcus said as fire spread its way through his body.
“Would that be so bad?” Claire asked.
Marcus closed his eyes and took hold of her wrists. “No. It wouldn’t be for me, but would you regret it later on?”
Claire thought about that and then said, “No.”
“I want you, Claire. Lord knows I do, but your sisters would kill me, not to mention your parents,” Marcus said.
Claire frowned. “Who but us would know?”
Marcus said, “They would know. There’s something about the way a woman acts afterwards that isn’t really describable. Plus, they would know by the way I look at you. Think about how Tessa and Dean, and Seth and Maddie look at each other.”
“I see what you mean,” Claire said. “I don’t care what they think.”
Marcus groaned. “I do. It’s not like I’m in their good graces at the moment and I may never be again. Imagine how they would act if they thought I’d corrupted you somehow.”
Claire started laughing at that and Marcus frowned down at her. “What’s so funny?”
“Marcus, I ran away on your horse with you tonight. They already think that we’re romantically involved. What do you think is going through their minds?”
He saw the wisdom in what she was saying, but wasn’t willing to concede the point. “Very well, but do you really want your first time to be out in the woods?”
Claire looked around her and saw what he meant. She leaned her forehead against his chest and let out of groan of her own that gave Marcus her answer.
He laughed and gathered her close again. “We’re a mess, aren’t we? Come on, fiancée, let’s go back to camp.”
Chapter Twelve
Seth came running when he heard a loud crash and screaming. He’d been out on the back porch of his house, thinking about what he’d just read. His long legs carried him rapidly around the house and across the drive. He stopped as he saw Marcus’ horse trotting away. Seth let him go and went into Dean and Tessa’s place. He hadn’t seen Claire running after his brother.
He stepped into the kitchen and almost slipped and fell as his booted feet came down on pieces of dishes. Seth skidded to a stop and looked around the room. Tessa stood back against a wall. Dean stood by the stove in the midst of more broken dishes and other kitchen items on the floor. The murderous gleam in his eyes told Seth that something very bad had happened.
“Tessa, you go on to bed. I’ll take care of this,” Seth said.
Tessa knew he was talking about Dean and not the mess. She threw Dean a look full of reproach and anger and left the kitchen. They heard their bedroom door shut and lock.
Seth had never seen Dean like this and wasn’t quite sure what to expect. “Dean, what happened?” he asked softly.
Dean’s jaw worked and his hands grip
ped the back of a kitchen chair. His knuckles turned white with the intense pressure with which he squeezed the wood. After several minutes, he raised his head and tears trickled down his face.
“He has kept all of this from us since he was sixteen. Sixteen! Thirteen years Marcus has known about what happened to our mother and that his, that, animal raped her!” Dean said.
Seth said, “I’m not happy about it either. I’m going to kill that monster.”
“You can’t. He’s dead. Marcus said he was killed a few years after he was born. Would you like to know how he knows this?” Dean asked.
Seth nodded. “I would.”
“His brothers told him! His Indian brothers!” Dean practically screamed.
“Hey! Keep your voice down. Your kids are sleeping,” Seth warned. Then he thought about what Dean just said. “He has other brothers?”
Dean sneered at him. “Yeah. You left before he told us all of this. And get this; they know about us. They’ve known for years!”
That didn’t sit well with Seth, either. He couldn’t believe that Marcus had been keeping so many secrets from them for so long.
“Oh, and he also has a sister and all kinds of nieces and nephews,” Dean said. “And now a half-breed daughter.”
Seth thought of the chubby little baby with Marcus’ eyes and smiled. “You gotta admit that she’s a cute little thing. What’s her name?”
“Aiyana, I think. I’m not sure if I’m pronouncing it right. That’s not important right now,” Dean said. “What are we gonna do?”
“I think we oughta find out some more about all this. I have a lot of questions, don’t you?” Seth responded.
“I just can’t,” Dean said.
“Just can’t what?” Seth asked.
“Deal with this. It’s too much,” Dean answered.
Something occurred to Seth. “Where’s Claire?”
Dean’s expression was blank for a moment. “I’m not sure. I think she ran out after Marcus.”
“Did she go with him?” Seth asked.
“I don’t know!”
“What happened here?” Seth asked pointing at the floor.
Dean looked around at the mess as if seeing it for the first time. “I lost it. All I remember is being seeing red and telling Marcus to leave.”
Seth made a sarcastic noise. “You didn’t just tell him, you screamed at him. I heard you all the way out back of our house.”
Exhaustion coursed through Dean and sapped his strength. He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Do you think Pa knew?”
Seth saw their mother’s journal on the floor and said, “I don’t know, but maybe the answer is in this.” He bent and picked it up. He joined Dean at the table and opened the journal, making sure to flip past the place he’d stopped. Leaning back in his chair, he settled in to read.
*****
Marcus and Claire rejoined his tribe. Claire saw many of the people staring at her curiously and smiled at them. Some of them smiled back, but not all. She wondered what they all thought of her. They did greet Marcus, however. He stopped to talk to several of them and though Claire had no idea what he was discussing with them, she could tell that these people fully accepted Marcus.
They arrived back at Wind Spirit and Black Fox’s tipi and found Wind Spirit holding Aiyana. “She has been fed and changed,” she said, handing her to Marcus.
“Thank you,” Marcus said. “Are you ready for bed, little one?” he asked. Aiyana yawned as if in response.
Claire laughed. “I’d take that as a yes.”
“Me, too. It’s late. We’ll just stay here tonight,” Marcus said.
“We’re going to stay here?” Claire said. “Where?”
“In my tipi,” Marcus said.
Claire’s shock showed plainly on her pretty face. “You have a tipi?”
Marcus said, “Quit repeating everything I say, Claire. Yes, I have a tipi. I stay here a lot.”
“But what about your house?”
“I use that during the winter, but I’m here so much during the summer that I have my own tipi,” he replied.
“Where?” Claire said, and started looking around. “Which one?”
“Follow me. Good night, Wind Spirit, Black Fox,” Marcus said to his family members.
Claire bid them goodnight as well and then followed Marcus as he carried Aiyana towards their destination. Marcus’ tipi wasn’t too far from Black Fox’s. It was smaller, though, and Claire surmised that it was probably because Marcus didn’t have a wife or children. He wouldn’t need so much space.
As they entered Claire looked all around, curious to see how Marcus would decorate his tipi. She saw a lot of bags hanging from the support poles. “What are in all these? You have a lot more than Wind Spirit and Black Fox.”
“Ah, Wind Spirit thinks of everything,” Marcus said.
“What?” Claire said, and then realized that he wasn’t responding to her.
Marcus had seen a cradle that was already prepared. He kissed Aiyana and laid her in it. Then he stood up straight and stretched. Yawning, he began unbuttoning his shirt.
Claire watched as his tanned skin was revealed to her and felt her pulse rise. She decided to repeat her question. “What are all these bags?”
Marcus threw his shirt on the ground, not caring where it went. He yawned again and said, “Medicine, mainly. There’s some tea and spices, but mostly medicine.”
When he started undoing his pants, Claire said, “Marcus!”
Marcus stopped at her sharp tone. “What?”
She arched a brow at him and he got her meaning. He gave her an annoyed look and unbuckled his belt and threw it next to his shirt. He kept the pants on, however. “A half hour ago you were all for seeing me naked and now of a sudden you’re shy about it? Jeez, Claire, make up your mind. You’re gonna have to get used to it.”
“Used to what?”
“My sleeping naked.”
“What?” she said loudly.
His dark brows drew down. “Shh! Not so loud. You’ll wake up Aiyana.”
“I’m sorry,” she said in hushed tones. “You sleep naked?”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah. I hate wearing clothes to bed. They just get all bunched up and shirts strangle me.” He sat on one of the two sleeping pallets on the floor and removed his boots and socks. “Oh, that’s better.”
“Your feet stink,” Claire said.
“If you wore boots for as many hours a day as I do, your feet would stink, too,” Marcus said, in response to her critical tone.
He tossed the boots and socks out of the way.
Claire said, “You’re not very neat, are you?”
Marcus said, “Well, I’ve lived alone since I was eighteen, so I haven’t had to worry about keeping my house spotless.” He turned to look at her. “I guess that’ll have to change.”
Claire looked down at her beautiful ring. “I can’t believe you gave me your mother’s ring and that you’re still intent on marrying me.”
Marcus lay down on his back. “Yep. Still intent on marrying you. That’s what the ring is for.”
“I know, but earlier today I was afraid you would change your mind,” she said.
“Nope.”
“About these bags?” Claire couldn’t help her curiosity and it would help distract her from the sight of his muscular torso.
“What about them?”
She found a small pebble and threw it at him. It bounced off his forehead and Marcus laughed. Then he rolled and pinned her down so fast it left her breathless. “What about them?”
“Um, uh,” Claire fumbled as she looked in his eyes. “Why do you have them?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
She gave him an annoyed look. “I think I’ve already proven that I can.”
“So you have,” Marcus said. “I’m sort of a part-time doctor.”
Claire drew back from him in surprise. “A doctor?”
“Or medicine man, if you will,” he said. “W
aphiya.”
“You’re a doctor?”
“I think we’ve already established that. Not a traditional doctor, maybe, but a doctor nonetheless,” Marcus said. “I became interested in medicine when I was younger and Doc Turner would come to treat us for some kind of ailment. He started teaching me and I really liked it. Then when I found out about my heritage and came here, I started learning from Wild Hare, the shaman at the time. I started blending white man’s medicine with Lakota medicine, so it’s kind of the best of both worlds.”
“Do you treat our family?” Claire asked.
“Yeah. I helped Tessa get through her morning sickness with this baby. I made her an elixir that calms the stomach. I make them for headaches and poultices for wounds and all kinds of things,” Marcus said. “I didn’t start using any of it around them until a few years ago because I didn’t want questions asked that I couldn’t answer.”
“That’s amazing,” Claire said.
Marcus shrugged. “It’s something I want do because I can’t stand seeing people suffer and because it keeps my brain sharp.”
Claire said, “It seems to be working. You seem to get through my books very quickly.”
“Yeah, about that; nice of you to make fun of me because I can’t go to college,” he said.
Claire said, “I’m sorry, but sometimes you made me so angry with the things you’d say in your letters.”
“Me? You started it all,” Marcus said.
Claire started giggling. “I still remember that day in the barn when I got you in trouble with Seth.”
He squeezed her bare knee and she yelped because it tickled. “I could have killed you that day. He was so mad at me and I hadn’t done anything wrong.”
She laughed harder and Marcus said, “Shut up, Claire. Stop laughing at me.”
It only made her laugh more and eventually he laughed along with her. “You sure have him wrapped around your finger. It’s because you cut up his food all the time.”
“Don’t you make fun of me about that. Papa started it and I can’t help it,” Claire said, and poked a finger into his chest.
“When we get married, will you cut up my food?” Marcus teased.
Claire said, “Probably. So you might as well get used to it.”