The woman led Nikki to another wigewa a short distance away. “This is the wigewa of Mona Kahwee, Silver Thorn. Here you will find mats and blankets and all you need. If you require anything more, you need only ask and it will be provided for you.” She gestured inside the bark-covered structure. “Please. You are weary and must rest or you will sicken and not be fit to tend your husband when he wants you. After a while, I will bring you food, but first you must rest.”
She turned to leave, and Nikki called after her, “Wait. I would like to wash first.”
The woman nodded. “I will bring water and cloths. Tomorrow, you may bathe more better in the river, but for now just a fast rub, yes?”
Nikki offered her an exhausted smile. “Yes, thank you . . .” She paused, not knowing the woman’s name. “My name is Nikki, or Neeake, as Silver Thorn says it.”
“I am called Konah Wiskeelotha, Snow Bird,” the woman supplied. Before Nikki could respond, she was gone.
Nikki stared after her, all but paralyzed with shock. Now she knew why the woman seemed so familiar to her, although she knew they’d never before met. Konah was the spitting image of Nikki’s Grandma Swan in her younger days. Nikki had seen photos of her grandmother as a young woman and had marvelled over how pretty she was. She recalled how Grandma had laughed and told Nikki that her own grandmother had claimed that Grandma favored their Shawnee ancestress, a woman by the name of Kona Whiskey Lota, as near as they could pronounce it.
Kona Whiskey Lota? Konah Wiskeelotha? It was simply too much of a coincidence to ignore! Turning, Nikki stumbled into the wigewa on rubbery legs and fumbled her way to a bench. For long minutes, she sat there in a daze, contemplating the idea that she’d just been introduced to her own great grandmother, seven generations removed! A grandmother who couldn’t be more than thirty-five if she were a day! Who was slim and lovely and a mere five years or so older than Nikki!
And if Nikki were stunned, how would Konah react if Nikki were to present this bizarre theory to her? But how could she? How did one find the words to explain? After all, you just couldn’t say, “Oh, by the way, I’m your great, great, great, great, great granddaughter,” and expect the woman to believe you were anything but a nutcase!
Oh, but it was tempting to try! If only in order to feel connected to someone else in this historic era. Someone other than Silver Thorn. Someone of her own flesh and blood. To have a sense of family again, of roots, of belonging and caring and sharing that went beyond sex and that man-woman kind of love. Maybe then she wouldn’t miss her twentieth century family so badly. Wouldn’t feel quite so lost in this world so removed from her own.
Three days later, Nikki still hadn’t worked up the nerve to say anything to Konah about their relationship. Konah and the other women of the tribe had readily accepted her into their midst, though it was plain they considered Nikki incredibly ignorant about ordinary, everyday affairs— everything from wifely duties to general day-to-day living. They excused her ignorance for the most part, however—since it was apparent from her unusual violet eyes that Nikki was at least partially white—and tried to instruct her in their way of doing things.
By now, she could at least start a fire and bake those little cornpone cakes that Silver Thorn had made for her that first night they’d met. Of course, when no one was looking, Nikki cheated and used her cigarette lighter to ignite the pine chips; but for a gal who normally nuked her meals in a microwave, she wasn’t faring too badly.
Another blessing was the local bathing pool, which had been formed by damming a small offshoot of the river. Nikki’s hair, her body, and her clothing were now clean of grit and grime. She was especially grateful for something the women called a soap plant, which served as a remarkably effective shampoo and creme rinse. For the first time in days, her hair was free of tangles, hanging shiny and smooth down her back. Konah had even trimmed the ends for her, marveling over Nikki’s cuticle scissors.
It was particularly hard for Nikki to hold her tongue concerning the link in their lineage when she met the rest of Konah’s immediate family. Konah was married and had three small children, two boys and a girl, one of whom had to be a main branch of Nikki’s family tree. Konah’s mother lived with another tribe, further north, as did her older sister and brother, but her younger sister, Melassa, also resided in Wapak. Melassa, whose name meant sugar or molasses, also had a husband, a son, and was pregnant with her second child.
After meeting them all and feeling an instantaneous affinity toward them, Nikki yearned to disclose their mutual kinship. Only her certainty that they would think she was insane and no doubt reject her and her equally crazy notion kept her silent.
Meanwhile, when she wasn’t spending time with Konah, Nikki was now permitted to sit at Silver Thorn’s bedside in the medicine lodge. Though he was still unconscious, his fever had finally broken after raging for three nights and days. He slept peacefully now, no longer thrashing and ranting deliriously, and could wake at any moment. Nikki wanted to be there when he did.
His wound had been cleaned and treated for infection, and the bullet removed. With the dressing changed every few hours and fresh medicines applied, it was beginning to show signs that it would heal with no serious complications. For this alone, Nikki was eternally thankful. Her greatest fear had been that gangrene would set in, or some equally fatal contamination.
It occurred to Nikki, as she sat praying fervently for Silver Thorn’s recovery, that her feelings for this man had changed immensely in the past few days. What had begun as antagonism had quickly metamorphosed into much more affectionate emotions. Now her feelings ran more toward respect, admiration, genuine liking and concern, not to mention lust and a few others she wasn’t sure she could categorize.
By the end of their first day together, she’d known she needn’t fear him, which was fortunate since she’d fallen into his arms like a sex-starved spinster. The handsome devil certainly had more than his fair share of charisma! By the end of the second day, she’d accepted that he wasn’t a delusional lunatic, that he really had zapped her into 1813. But what she felt now was more than mere desire, more than feeling safe with him. And it wasn’t just awe over the strange and mysterious powers he possessed. Or the knowledge, and hence the apprehension, that he might be the only person capable of transporting her back into her own time—that if he should die, she’d be stuck here alone.
Thinking back, Nikki wondered if her emotions had begun a turnaround when he’d so bluntly announced that she’d conceived his child. Though she had yet to develop any physical signs or symptoms of pregnancy, other than that blue design on her belly that still wouldn’t wash off, she found herself believing him. Mostly because he was so sincere in his declaration. Or maybe because she wanted to believe it so badly. A child of her own would be such a wondrous gift, her dearest wish come true. Especially his child.
If she’d deliberately set out to find the perfect father, she couldn’t have selected a man with finer attributes than Silver Thorn’s. Sure he was stubborn to a fault, with a wide vein of arrogance and a formidable temper when he wished to display it, but he was also one of the kindest, most honest men she’d ever met. He possessed a strength that went beyond bone and muscle to the depths of his inner being. Intertwined with that strength was an ingrained tenderness that Nikki couldn’t help but admire. Many of the men she’d met previously had been so intent on proving their machismo that they considered any exhibition of tenderness a sign of weakness. Those few of her acquaintance who had shown a gentler side, had also been somewhat wimpy.
But Silver Thorn—well, Silver Thorn had it all, everything Nikki had always wanted to find in a mate. He was strong enough to be tender. He was intelligent, patient for the most part, caring, forthright, protective, extremely handsome, and had a marvelously wicked sense of humor. All admirable qualities. Furthermore, he found her equally attractive, which certainly added bonus points to his side of the scoreboard. Not only didn’t he mind her being a little plump, he tru
ly seemed to find it appealing. Additionally, he admired her mind as well as her body. A rare and wise man, indeed, one who commanded respect.
Beyond and above all that, he’d rescued her when she’d been lost in the cave and had been ready to forfeit his own safety for hers when the soldiers had been chasing them. If that weren’t chivalry at its highest, Nikki didn’t know what was. Loyalty on that level was hard to come by these days . . . or those days . . . or whatever.
That wasn’t to say the man was perfect or that she wasn’t still a tad miffed at him for setting her down in the middle of this mind-boggling mess; but after having come to better know and appreciate him this past week, she’d found that his assets far outweighed his liabilities. Who could help but like a man who gave you wildflowers and compared them to the color of your eyes? Or to adore him when he was down on his knees removing a splinter from your hand with such gentleness?
In the past week, Nikki had shared more of herself with Silver Thorn—her needs, her opinions, her aspirations, her whole mind and body—than she had with any man she’d known, including her ex-husband, her father, and her brothers. In fast order, he’d become her lover, her protector, her husband, and her friend. He’d made her laugh, cry, and scream with exasperation. He’d also shown her a passion she’d never dreamed existed.
Now he was lying here, unconscious and battling infection. Her wounded hero. And here she sat, praying for his recovery and trying to judge just how deeply she cared for him. No doubt they were beyond the “casual-lovers” stage, or that age-old marriage-of-convenience thing. The question was, did all this caring, this sharing, add up to more than she’d bargained for?
Had she, somewhere along the route from animosity to friendship, actually gone and fallen in love with him? Was that why the worry that he might die had filled her with such terror? Why, after such short acquaintance, she was already so comfortable with him—and yet more excited just to be near him that she could recall ever being with anyone else? Why the thought of sharing his life and bearing his children made her dizzy with delight? Was this giddy, butterflies-in-her-stomach, all-consuming yearning actually love? The kind of love she’d searched for and been missing until now?
Nikki couldn’t help but laugh, at herself and at the hand Fate had dealt her. “My timing always did leave something to be desired, but this is downright ludicrous!” she muttered, shaking her head at the irony of it all.
“What amuses you so, my wife?” Silver Thorn had at last emerged from his sleep and was gazing at her with curious silver eyes.
Nikki leaned forward to place her hand gently over his heart, all her newly acknowledged emotions spilling out amid joyous tears. “Nothing all that monumental, my darling. Just that I’m the only woman I know who had to travel two centuries, and an entire civilization away, to fall in love with her own husband.”
Chapter Eleven
Silver Thorn, though tremendously elated, took Nikki’s declaration of love much more calmly than he did the revelation that she’d met her great grandmother of seven generations past. The look on his face when she related that Konah was her great-great-great-great-great grandmother was so stunned, so absolutely priceless, that Nikki regretted not having the foresight to dig her camera out of her backpack and capture his expression on film.
“I know,” she told her dumbfounded mate. “It’s enough to blow your mind, isn’t it? Not everybody gets a chance to meet a long-deceased ancestor face to face and in the flesh.”
“I never would have thought it possible,” he declared, profoundly staggered by her tidings. “When I thought of bringing someone from the future, I contemplated only what information I could gleam from him. Never did I conceive the prospect that he and his forbearers would encounter each another. Neeake, this must be very strange for you. I am sorry if it has caused you any distress, for truly the idea of this happening never came into my mind.”
“I know that,” she allowed. “You had higher goals than instigating a family reunion. It’s been eerier than anything, meeting Konah and seeing her as only a few years older than I am—and even spookier being introduced to her children. I’m the great granddaughter, several lifetimes into the future, of one of those kids. But here and now I’m older than they are and expecting a baby of my own, yet another offspring of the old family tree. I’m telling you, Thorn, this is getting deep!”
“We must speak to Black Hoof about this matter and seek his advice on whether you should tell Konah of this,” Silver Thorn proposed. “He is Konah’s uncle, and will know what is best.”
Nikki gaped at him. “Thorn, if we tell the chief about my relationship to Konah, we’ll have to tell him the rest of this bizarre tale as well. How you summoned me from my time to yours. The whole ball of wax.”
Silver Thorn nodded. “It has always been my intention to do so, Neeake. Black Hoof is a very wise and respected leader. He has lived nearly ninety winters and seen much that cannot be explained by reason but must be accepted by faith. I suspect that our account will be no great shock, though it will be of interest to him.”
“All right, it’s your game. Play it the way you see fit,” she replied with a shrug. Then something else Silver Thorn had said finally registered. “Wait. You said Black Hoof is Konah’s uncle. Do you mean he’s her actual uncle or is he just a close friend of the family? I swear, the way you people use familial terms so loosely is awfully confusing. As I understand it, when you say brother, you can mean anyone from your real brother to a cousin to a comrade. Sisters are nieces and grandmothers are any old woman . . .”
Nikki paused, then let loose a wry laugh. “And who the hell am I to talk? Before this is all over, I’ll probably be my own daughter, twice reincarnated! Just tell me one thing. Are you related to Black Hoof in any way? Because I’d like to know if I’m married to my own cousin or nephew or whatever. Of course, it probably doesn’t matter at this point. The bloodlines are so thinned out, or were when I was born in 1966 anyway, that our children stand a fair chance of being normal. I think.”
Silver Thorn just shook his head and laughed at her. “Set your muddled mind at ease, Neeake. You and I are not bound by any blood except by that of our son. However, our union is just as sacred and our bonds to each other are those of mutual faith and love.”
At that, hope blossomed in Nikki’s heart. “You said mutual love. Can I take that to mean that you love me, too?”
A gentle smile lit his eyes and curved his lips. “Of course, Neeake. I have loved you since that moment when you first begged me not to kill you and then had the courage to give me your hand in trust. I knew then that we were meant to be mated. It was writ . . . .”
“I know,” she interrupted, her face radiant with joy. “It was written in the stars. Fate. Destiny. Kismet.”
“Kiss your et?” he queried confusedly.
She giggled, her eyes dancing with glee. “Sweetheart, you’ll kiss a lot more than that in the next fifty years or more, so you’d better rest up while you can. Once you’re well again, I intend to wear you out.”
Meeting Black Hoof was akin to greeting royalty, at least in Nikki’s book. For all his advanced years, the elderly Shawnee chief had a regal bearing about him. Tall and thin, with the lines of age and experience etched into his face, he held himself erect and proud. In mind as well as body, he was as fit as a much younger man.
Alone in Black Hoof’s wigewa, Silver Thorn and Nikki recounted their adventures to him. Then they sat silent before him, awaiting the chief’s response. After mulling it over for several long, tense minutes, Black Hoof speared them with a censuring look, one directed primarily toward Silver Thorn, as the instigator of the fiasco.
“This comes as no great surprise. I knew it would come to this one day,” Black Hoof said. “You and your two brothers have ever courted disaster with your chicanery; and though you commenced this latest scheme with noble motives, you have now wreaked havoc on this young woman’s life. We can only hope you have not also disrupted the delica
te balance of her world and of ours with your impulsiveness.”
Black Hoof raised his hands before him, palms up, then dropped them again to his knees with a sigh. “Ah, but what is done is done, for better or worse. Now we must consider those things we can control. Perhaps, as you have suggested, this, too, was meant to happen for some reason beyond our understanding. The Spirits may be trying to guide us through you and your young wife.”
The elderly chief turned to Nikki. “What have you to say of all this? Are you content to remain here as Silver Thorn’s mate?”
“Yes, sir, though I must admit that I miss the many conveniences of my life in the twentieth century. And I miss my family and friends. My parents and brothers, most of all.”
Black Hoof nodded. “It would be strange if you did not; but from what you two have told me, it would appear that you have family here also. Konah, her husband and children, Melassa, and me. As well as this young buck,” he added, gesturing toward Silver Thorn, “and the child you have conceived.”
Nikki’s eyes went wide, and not merely at hearing her middle-aged husband described as a young buck. “You?” she exclaimed softly. “I’m related to you, too?”
Black Hoof nodded once more. “If you are of Konah’s blood, then you are of mine as well. You may call me Grandfather—or Uncle, if you prefer.”
“Thank you. I’m honored,” she declared sincerely. She shook her head in wonder. “I am still having trouble crediting all this. Yet you believed it instantly and don’t seem at all incredulous.”
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