Enchanted Ecstasy

by Constance O'Banyon

  Maleaha clutched the buffalo robe about her, and looked up at Kane, who still gripped her by the shoulder. "Mangas wants to see us right away."

  Kane nodded and released his hold on her. Turning his back to her, he walked over to the opening and peered outside, allowing Maleaha time to dress. His anger had cooled but little as he watched a group of young Indian boys run around in circles playing some game that resembled tag. He turned to Maleaha, who was now sitting on the buffalo robe lacing her moccasins. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up. After tying the leather strap of her moccasin she stood up.

  "Major, I really am grateful to you for last night. I know at best it was an awkward situation. I had no right to become angry with you, as you only did what I asked of you."

  The muscle in his jaw twitched. Grateful, damn! Again his anger ignited. He did not want her gratitude. Why couldn't she see that what had happened between them last night was special. He was afraid she would be able to read his expression, so his mask fell into place once more.

  "As I told you before, it was my pleasure. If you are ready, let's see what Mangas wants."

  He held the tent flap open for her to pass through in front of him. She avoided his eyes as she stepped outside. Her feelings were still too raw, and the tears were too near the surface. Today there was a deep ache inside her body, but, if she could just hold up until this ordeal was over, then later there would be time for tears.

  At Mangas's teepee the flap was pushed aside by a fierce-looking warrior. "Mangas awaits within," he told Maleaha.

  Mangas motioned for Kane and Maleaha to be seated on the buffalo robe across from him.

  Maleaha's eyes were drawn by his dark glance. There was no recrimination in his eyes, only a deep sadness. He gave her just the slightest smile before he turned to Kane.

  "White man, I have decided to help you find the Arapaho. I would not usually help a white man against my Indian brothers, but I like the Arapaho even less than I do the white race."

  Mangas had taken Kane completely by surprise. After last night he expected anything but the offer of help Mangas had just given him.

  "I am pleased that you offer your help, Mangas. You will not find the United States Army ungrateful."

  Mangas's dark eyes rested on Maleaha, "I do not do it for the army. I do it because Maleaha asked it of me. She is a Jojoba princess, therefore I want to honor her wishes."

  "I thought perhaps that was the reason," Kane told him.

  Maleaha smiled brightly at Mangas. "I am so pleased that you will help drive the Arapaho from our land."

  Mangas fastened his dark gaze on Kane once more. "You will deliver to me, at a designated spot, fifty horses and fifty head of beef, is that understood?"

  Kane nodded. "It will be done."

  "You do not haggle, white man. Perhaps I set my price too low."

  "I would not insult your intelligence by haggling with you. It is a fair price."

  Mangas looked at Kane suspiciously. ' 'Can I trust your word? Maleaha seems to think so."

  "Yes, I will see to it at once. If you like, Maleaha can go with me to see Colonel Johnson. I know you trust her."

  "Yes, I trust Maleaha to do this, but you will not be going with her. If I am to help you with the Arapaho, there will be no time for you to return to the fort. Is this acceptable to you?"

  "Yes, I will do whatever you think is best," Kane told him.

  Mangas turned to Maleaha. "Go and say good-bye to your aunt, Little Flower, then I want you and Lamas to leave right away. Do not fear that you will encounter the Arapaho, for they are to the east of the direction you will be traveling."

  "I will write her a note to take to Colonel Johnson," Kane said standing up. "Are you sure she will be in no danger?"

  "I would not send her otherwise," Mangas told him.

  "I will go to my aunt now, Kane. That will give you time to write to Colonel Johnson," Maleaha said, sweeping out of the teepee.

  "You are a very fortunate man, major. Maleaha is what every man seeks in a wife," Mangas said, fixing Kane with a dark gaze.

  "Yes," Kane admitted. "There is no other like her."

  Each man sized the other up, and then Mangas turned away. "Write your letter, major. It may be the last time you will see your wife. The Arapaho are a fierce enemy. Many will not return from the battle we go into. They are more than a hundred strong. I know you have only twenty-five men, and I will take forty warriors with me. We will be outnumbered. Does this bother you?"

  "I will ride at your side, Mangas. I have no fear."

  Word had spread throughout the Jojoba village that Maleaha had married the white man, and she received many good wishes. Maleaha knew that many of the young Indian maidens were happy that she was married, because they could now hope that Mangas would choose among them for a bride.

  After Maleaha bade her aunt farewell, she found Lamas had already saddled her horse and was mounted, waiting for her. She saw Kane standing beside her mount. He handed her the note for Colonel Johnson. She took it and swung herself into the saddle.

  Kane grabbed her horse's reins. "Maleaha, when this is all over we need to talk."

  Her eyes gleamed brightly as she looked at him. "I have nothing to say to you, now or in the future. I would like it if you would not seek me out, nor will I ever trouble you again. Last night is better forgotten." She jerked the reins from his hand and whirled her mount around and raced out of the camp in a cloud of dust.

  Had she looked back, she would have seen the look of pain on Kane's handsome face. But she did not look back. It was Lamas who witnessed the pain in the silver eyes that stared after Maleaha.

  Maleaha let the tears flow freely. Kane was going into battle, and he could die. She wanted to ride back to him and beg him to be careful, but she didn't dare. She would pray for his safety, for she knew she could not stand it should anything happen to him.

  13

  After Maleaha had delivered the message from Kane to his men, she and Lamas rode hard across country, knowing if they hurried they could reach the fort in two days' time.

  That night as Maleaha lay beneath the stars, she thought of the previous night when she had lain in Kane's arms. Her body felt feverish, and she tossed and turned. She would never be the same after last night. She was a woman now with a woman's desires. But those desires were for one man. In her heart she felt Kane was her husband, even if he did not share her feelings. Perhaps it was because her mother and father had been married by the laws of the Jojoba that she felt bound by their laws. How was it possible to love a man and feel contempt for him at the same time? Why could it not have been Mangas she loved, or any of the dozens of men who would have loved her in return? She tried to channel her thoughts in a different direction.

  "Lamas, why do you suppose Mangas agreed to help the army fight the Arapaho?"

  "He is crafty. The army will be helping him get rid of an old enemy, and pay him at the same time. I believe he will one day be a great chief.''

  "Do you think me foolish for not accepting Mangas as my husband?"

  "You are more white than Indian. It is easy enough for you to go to the Jojoba village for short visits, but you would not be happy living there for very long."

  "I would have done it, had I loved Mangas."

  "You are the wife of the white man."

  "He does not think of me as his wife. I don't even like him."

  Lamas smiled to himself. "Have no fear. I am told that the Arapaho will outnumber the white men and the Jojoba. Perhaps your husband will not return."

  Maleaha sat up and looked at Lamas with fear in her eyes. "How do you know this?"

  "Mangas told me."

  "Oh, Lamas, I could not stand it if anything happened to Kane. Why did you not tell me this before?"

  "What does it matter, you said you did not like the white man."

  Maleaha closed her eyes. "I don't like him, Lamas, but I love him."

  "Go to sleep, Maleaha. I'm an old man, and I need m
y rest." Lamas smiled to himself. The white man would know many sleepless nights before he won Maleaha. He would ask the Great Spirit to keep him safe. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maleaha kneeling, her head bowed in prayer. She was asking the white God to look after her husband, he thought. He felt the hard ground beneath him and thought of his comfortable bed at Deveraux Ranch. He had grown too accustomed to the white man's comforts.

  Two days later, just as Maleaha had predicted, they rode into the fort, where she delivered Kane's message to Colonel Johnson. Then she and Lamas rode for Deveraux Ranch.

  Kane had stretched out on his bedroll, thankful not to feel a moving horse beneath him. Mangas and his Jojoba warriors rode at a killing pace. Each night they would not stop to camp until long after dark, and more often than not, they would be mounted long before daybreak. Kane's body was sore, and his need for sleep was great.

  He had not heard Mangas come up beside him, and he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard him speak: "Kane," Mangas said, calling him by his name rather than his military title. "How would you like to pay a little visit to the Arapaho tonight?"

  Kane sat up quickly, and the tiredness seemed to slip away from him.

  "What do you mean, Mangas?"

  Mangas tossed a pair of moccasins at him. "The Arapaho are camped less than an hour's ride from here. I thought you might enjoy a little night prowling/'

  "You bet I would," Kane said, not bothering to disguise the excitement in his voice.

  "Put on the moccasins. Those boots you wear would alert every Arapaho within hearing distance of our coming, and for now we have the advantage of surprise."

  Kane had come to respect the chief of the Jojoba over the last ten days as they had pursued the elusive enemy. Manga's fierce warriors obeyed his slightest command without question. Kane had come to know the man, and had been surprised to find that Mangas had a sense of humor. This was demonstrated one night, when, after riding hard all day, they had stopped to make camp. Kane had just dismounted when Mangas appeared at his side.

  "Kane, I wonder if you would allow me to mount your horse? I have often seen the white man's saddle, and have wondered what it would feel like to ride as you do."

  Kane handed him the reins, and Mangas looked the horse over, first walking to one side and then to the other. He tested the stirrup by standing up in it, and then he swung his leg over the horse's back. Blue-clad soldiers and fierce-looking Indians watched as the mighty chief urged the horse to a walk. Building up confidence, he nudged the horse forward at a lope, then he galloped at a full run. When he returned to the group, he said something to his warriors that the white men could not understand, but the warriors seemed to find whatever he said funny, and they laughed. He dismounted and handed the reins to Kane.

  "I do not like your saddle, Kane. It is uncomfortable and I like to feel the horse under me."

  "What did you say to your warriors that they found so funny just now, Mangas?" Kane asked curiously.

  The Indian chief smiled. "I told them that riding a horse with a saddle was like making love to a woman with all your clothes on."

  Kane had laughed, amused by Mangas's observation.

  Kane removed his boots and slipped into the moccasins, lacing them up his legs. Then the two of them rode off into the night. They had not been riding long when Mangas held up his hand to halt. Kane secured his mount since Mangas had told him they would be going the rest of the way on foot.

  "Try to walk like an Indian, Kane. The white man walks as if he uses the ground to push himself along. The Indian rests his foot on the ground as if he were caressing a beautiful woman."

  "Lead on, Mangas. I will try to walk silently."

  Kane followed Mangas up the steep incline, grateful he did not disgrace himself by starting a rockslide. When they reached the top, Mangas dropped to his knees, and Kane followed his lead.

  Kane saw the Arapaho below them. They had apparently bedded down for the night. There were a few guards posted, but their campfire gave witness that they were not trying to keep their presence a secret.

  Kane frowned and looked at Mangas. "Why do you think they have taken no precautions? They must be aware by now that we are following them."

  "If they are so brazen, it can only mean one thing. They do not fear us, and if they do not fear us they must have something in mind, but I do not yet know what it is," Mangas said.

  "I count somewhere around fifty men," Kane observed. "You said there were over a hundred. Where are the others?"

  "I think the others hide from us. I wonder why?" Mangas said.

  "What if we were intended to follow this group of warriors? Then the others could come up behind us and have us sandwiched between them?" Kane said thoughtfully. "What would happen, if instead of following this group, we swung around and took on the main body?"

  Mangas looked at Kane with renewed respect. "Careful, Kane, you are beginning to think like an Indian," he said smiling.

  "Have you any ideas where the main body is hiding, Mangas?" Kane asked.

  "No, but I will before morning."

  Kane and Mangas did not stay any longer. They had found out what they needed to know.

  After they returned to camp Mangas sent out three groups of warriors in different directions, to try and locate the other Arapaho. Kane and Mangas sat beside the campfire, waiting for the men to return.

  "You were right when you said we would be outnumbered, Mangas."

  "Yes, but do not let the numbers mislead you. A Jojoba warrior is worth three Arapaho."

  "I don't doubt that, Mangas. Perhaps the Arapaho did us a favor by splitting their forces." Kane studied Man-gas's face. His English was very good, and Kane wondered how he had learned the language so well.

  "Mangas, how is it that you speak English?"

  Mangas took a deep breath and looked overhead at the branches of the tall pine trees they were resting beneath. "Maleaha's grandfather wanted me to learn the white man's tongue, so he sent me to one of the mission schools when I was very young. Each summer I would go to the school, and I hated it," he smiled. "I believe I was a trial that the teachers had to endure. Then one summer when I came back to camp I lost my heart to a young Indian maiden, and I thought to please her I would study the white man's language until I could speak it well."

  "You speak of Maleaha, do you not?" Kane said, realizing for the first time the extent of Mangas's love for Maleaha.

  Mangas's eyes grew sad as he looked at Kane. "Yes, I have loved her since she was thirteen years old. I waited for her to grow up so I could tell her of my love. I would sometimes ride to Deveraux Ranch just on the slim chance that I would get a glimpse of her. Her father sent her away, and she was gone for two years." Mangas stood up and turned his back to Kane. "You know the rest. I would sooner see her happy with you, so deep is my love for her."

  "Mangas, I am sorry, I never realized until this moment how you really felt about Maleaha." Kane felt new admiration for the powerful Indian chief. He doubted that he himself would have been willing to be so self-sacrificing.

  "Let us never speak of this again, except I will tell you this: If you ever hurt Maleaha, I may one day have to kill you." The threat was uttered so softly Kane was not sure he had heard correctly.

  "I think it will most probably be Maleaha who will hurt me, Mangas."

  Mangas turned and looked at him. "Why do you say this?"

  "I have never loved a woman before, and it is very painful to me."

  "Why should that be, Kane?"

  Kane knew he could not tell Mangas that Maleaha did not love him but had used him to thwart Mangas's plans for her. "I am never sure where I stand with Maleaha."

  "It is not important. Maleaha is your wife, she will do as you ask her to."

  Kane could not tell Mangas that she never wanted to see him again. "I have made many mistakes with Maleaha, and she is angry with me much of the time."

  "It is good when a man thinks about his mistakes, Kane, it means he i
s ready to change."

  "Yes, I believe this is true."

  They both lapsed into silence, each lost in his own thoughts. Suddenly Mangas sat down again beside Kane.

  ''Act normally, we are being observed by the Arapaho.''

  "How do you know this?"

  "Naman just gave me a signal. Look slowly to your right, yes, behind the large tree with the broken branch."

  "Will they attack tonight?"

  "No, just as we observed them earlier, they now watch us."

  At that moment, the scouts Mangas had sent out to find the main band of Arapaho rode into camp. They spoke quietly to their chief, and when they finished their report Mangas turned to Kane.

  "My warriors have found the Arapaho. They are to the east of us. They do not light a campfire, and are trying to go undetected. I believe you were right about their intentions, Kane."

  Kane picked up a stick and began drawing in the sand.

  "I have a plan I think may work."

  Mangas watched him and waited for him to continue.

  "We could separate our forces into two groups sending some of our men after the first group, then you and I, along with the rest of our men, could hit the main party before first light in the morning, thus hopefully catching them off guard. What do you think, Mangas?"

  Mangas smiled. "Once again you think like an Indian. It is a good plan. Once we overcome the main party we can ride to the aid of our other group."

  "There is one flaw in the plan, Mangas. If our plan is discovered, we will have cut our forces in half and left ourselves open and hopelessly outnumbered."

  "I think we should go with your plan and hope we are not found out."

  The next morning Kane found that their plan worked even better than he had hoped. It was an unprepared and unaware band of Arapaho that the Jojobas and the United States Cavalry swooped down on, taking them completely by surprise.

  Mangas and his warriors were the first to strike, knowing they could creep up on the Arapaho silently. Kane and his men followed shortly after the first assault, and in no time at all the Arapaho were either dead or fleeing for their lives. When Kane saw that Mangas had the situation in hand, he ordered his men to ride with all possible speed to the aid of the men they had sent after the smaller group of Arapaho, leaving Mangas to deal with the already defeated enemy.