“It was fun,” Shoshana said, her back still to Dancing Willow as she braided her hair. “It was exciting to see several bands of wild horses and how they galloped off with such great speed at our approach. I especially enjoyed that one time the herd headed by that superb black stallion came directly toward us, not halting until it was thirty yards from us. It was so exciting how that black stallion threw up its head, snorted, and regarded us with intense curiosity, then made a quick turn and led its herd away.”
Shoshana was suddenly aware of how quiet Dancing Willow had become. She started to turn to see what Dancing Willow was doing, but didn’t get all the way around before she heard a screech from somewhere above her in the trees and knew that the panther was near. Her heart pounding, her knees weak, Shoshana slowly bent down and picked up her rifle.
Just as she turned to search for the panther, she saw a huge snake slithering toward her. At the same time she spotted the panther right above Dancing Willow on a low limb, ready to pounce.
“Lord,” she gasped, not knowing what to do. Should she save herself from the snake, or Dancing Willow from the panther?
She prayed that the snake wasn’t a poisonous one, for she knew what she had to do. She had to save Dancing Willow from the horrible death awaiting her from the panther.
She trembled as she took steady aim and fired her rifle. At the same moment she heard another gun blast.
The snake leapt as a bullet pierced its body at the same time the panther fell from the tree, dead.
Storm came running to Shoshana.
He dropped his rifle and grabbed her in his arms, while glaring at his sister over Shoshana’s shoulder. Dancing Willow stood there, trembling, with a very uneasy look of guilt in her eyes.
Dancing Willow stepped up to Shoshana just as Storm dropped his arms from around her. He turned to face his sister, his eyes accusing her, but he did not say anything just yet. His sister seemed to want to say something to Shoshana.
“Shoshana, I cannot believe that you chose to kill the panther instead . . . instead . . . of the snake,” she said, her voice trembling. “Especially knowing that the snake could bite you and send its deadly venom into your bloodstream.”
“I couldn’t let the panther kill you,” Shoshana murmured, glancing down at first the snake, and then the panther, which lay only a few feet away.
She was so glad that the young boy long ago had allowed her to use his father’s rifle to practice her marksmanship. Yes, she was proud of the skill that had saved Storm’s sister today.
She turned back to Dancing Willow. “I’m so glad I was able to stop the panther from harming you,” she murmured.
“I will never forget this,” Dancing Willow said. “I . . . I . . . am forever in your debt, and please, oh, please forgive me for what I did.”
Shoshana’s eyes widened in wonder. “Forgive you for what?” she asked, stunned that Dancing Willow suddenly lowered her eyes, seemingly finding it hard to answer Shoshana’s question.
“I will tell you why my sister is filled with guilt,” Storm said thickly. “Shoshana, I came to warn you both that the panther had been sighted. As I approached I saw my sister chasing the snake toward you. At the same time, I saw the panther. I could not believe that my sister could still hold such hate in her heart for you, Shoshana. It is good that Dancing Willow knew that the snake was not a deadly one . . . or I would disown my sister forever.”
Stunned almost speechless, Shoshana gazed at Dancing Willow, whose head was still lowered in disgrace. Despite this show of humility Shoshana still believed she was insincere, for only moments ago hadn’t Dancing Willow talked about the snake’s venom? Although she knew that the snake was not deadly, she still wanted Shoshana to believe it was, while in the next breath, Dancing Willow pretended that she was sorry for what she had done.
Because Storm was so stunned over his sister’s behavior, he had not noticed what his sister had said. But Shoshana would continue to be wary of Dancing Willow’s every move, especially when they were alone.
It stunned Shoshana that Dancing Willow could be so vindictive, could hate her so much, when all that Shoshana had ever done was marry Dancing Willow’s brother.
When Dancing Willow came to Shoshana and embraced her, Shoshana stiffened. She knew that Dancing Willow was embracing her for only one reason . . . to make her brother believe that she was genuinely remorseful for what she had done.
Dancing Willow then stepped away from Shoshana. “I am truly, truly sorry,” she murmured. “I will never do anything against you again, Shoshana. I do thank you, ever so much, for saving my life.” She lowered her eyes, then slowly raised them. “Can you forgive me?”
Shoshana looked over Dancing Willow’s shoulder at Storm and saw the weariness in his eyes . . . the disappointment he felt in his sister. Storm had the weight of the world on his shoulders. They were strong, but they could hold only so much.
She hated doing it, but she twined her arms around Dancing Willow and gave her a gentle hug. “Yes, I forgive you,” she murmured. “Let’s put the past behind us and live for a wonderful tomorrow. Canada. Soon we will leave for Canada.”
Storm came and embraced them both. He whispered “Thank you” in Shoshana’s ear.
She smiled and nodded, then said, “Thank you for killing the snake.”
Storm stepped away from them, a smile on his face where a frown had been only moments ago. “From here on I will expect only good between you two,” he said, then took each by a hand and led them away from the dead panther and snake.
He gazed at the panther across his shoulder, then looked ahead, at the glow of the fire against the darkening sky. “I will send someone back to take the panther’s skin. It belongs to the mother who lost her two children that day when the creature attacked and killed them.”
Shoshana was so glad to hear Storm sound content that finally the panther’s killing days were over.
She went with Storm to the campsite, where all who had heard the gunfire were standing and waiting to hear the reason for it. Apparently, they had not gone to see for themselves, because they knew the women were bathing and did not want to come up on them unclothed.
Storm explained what had happened, leaving out the part about what his sister had done.
Several men left to bring back the beautiful panther pelt, while the others gathered around the fire and sat and laughed and talked.
“It is time now to catch beaver for our meal,” Storm said, rising with his rifle in hand. He smiled down at Shoshana. “Nuest-chee-shee. Come and join us. See how plentiful the beaver are in this area and how we shoot them in the moonlight. Their tails roasted in ashes make a delectable dish.”
All of this was interesting, but Shoshana had something else on her mind. She had news she wanted to share with Storm tonight after the others went to their blankets for the night.
She had purposely waited until now, while they were beneath the stars after an exciting day, to tell him that she was with child!
A sudden realization made her look quickly at Dancing Willow, who sat on the opposite side of the fire from Shoshana and Storm. If Dancing Willow had caused Shoshana to miscarry, it would be Dancing Willow who would have to look over her shoulder for the rest of her life . . . to make certain Shoshana wasn’t there to avenge the loss of a child.
Shoshana felt that God and Maheo were looking out for her and had kept her child safe in its mother’s womb.
Chapter Twenty-nine
His heart in me keeps him and me in one.
—Sir Philip Sidney
Storm had made a small shelter from saplings and brush so that he and Shoshana could have privacy for the night. The red embers of the fire glowed in a small pit just outside the entrance of the shelter. They cast a faint light upon Shoshana’s golden face, her lustrously dark eyes, and long black hair.
The moon was high in the sky. A wolf howled its mournful song somewhere in the distance.
Storm and Shoshana were some dis
tance from the others, who slept even now around the safety of the campfire.
The horses that had been captured whinnied now and then from where they were corralled in a nearby canyon.
“It’s so wonderful to be here with you,” Shoshana said, snuggling close to Storm inside the small dwelling. “The entire day was exciting. Thank you for including me. I do love horses so much.”
She snuggled even closer to him. “Thank you especially for the white stallion that you captured just for me,” she murmured as she sat up and gazed down at him. “Now I have two horses that were gifts from my husband. I shall take turns riding them both.”
“My wife, what do I see in your eyes?” Storm asked, reaching to gently touch her cheek. “Why are you sitting instead of lying beside me? Do you not want to make love? Are you too tired from the long day on the horse?”
“No, I’m not tired. Why do I look at you like this?” she said, taking his hand from her cheek and lovingly holding it. “Because I love you so much. I am so happy that you are mine and are such a wonderful husband.”
Storm slipped his hand free of hers and placed it at the hem of the robe she had donned.
Shoshana trembled and sucked in a wild breath when his hand reached the juncture of her thighs and he began stroking her there. She closed her eyes, sighed, then reached down and gently took his hand away.
“Not yet, my love. I have something even more magical than this moment to share with you,” she murmured.
Storm sat up. He placed his hands at her waist and lifted her onto his lap so that she was facing him. “What could be better than this?” he asked huskily, the fire’s glow reflecting in his gleaming eyes. “My wife, my lover, I cannot think of anything else at this moment that would please me more than holding you naked in my arms—”
She placed a gentle finger to his lips, silencing what he was about to say. She wanted what he was suggesting as much as he, but she could not hold inside herself any longer the news about being with child. She had missed her monthly flow by several days, and she was the sort who had always been regular.
She guessed that she must have gotten pregnant the very first time she and Storm had made love.
It thrilled her heart to know that she was carrying his child.
Now she was going to let him in on the secret. She had only waited this long because she wanted to be certain that she was indeed carrying his child. She did not want to tell him news that might, in the end, be wrong.
But now she was sure. There was no doubt!
“Storm, you are going to be a father,” she blurted out.
She saw the reaction in his eyes. His expression was one of wondrous happiness. She had known he would feel that way about her news.
He had told her how he had sworn never to marry, that he had not wanted to feel the same hurt his father had known when he lost each of his wives.
But once he’d met Shoshana, that vow had been impossible to keep. And now, not only was he married, but he was also going to be a father.
She was so happy to be the reason for these changes in his life. She knew these new roles were fulfilling a part of him that he had too long denied himself.
“You . . . are . . . with child?” he said, his eyes searching hers. “We are going to have a baby? I am going to be a father?”
His thoughts went back to his own father and the closeness they had shared. Storm had always wanted to be his father’s double in everything.
As a small child, he had often walked in his shadow, wanting even then to be as large, as powerful as he, and to be as loved by their Piñaleno River Band of Apache. He wanted now to be as loving a father as his had been.
“Yes, my love, I . . . we . . . are with child,” Shoshana said.
She moved into his embrace. She treasured this precious moment, one that would remain in her heart forever.
“You are going to be such a wonderful father,” she murmured. “Our child will adore you as much as I do.”
He drew her lips to his and gave her a soft, gentle kiss. Then he drew away from her slightly and gazed down at her belly.
He placed a hand there, then smiled up at her. “I have often watched the women in our village as their bellies grew large,” he said tenderly. “I always saw such radiance about those women, as though carrying a child gave them more grace, more—”
A noise at the back of their temporary lodge caused Storm’s words to trail off.
Shoshana could feel him tense up as he looked quickly over his shoulder, then gazed with concern into Shoshana’s eyes. “You heard it, too?” he asked, gently lifting her from his lap and placing her beside him.
“Yes, it sounded like someone . . . or . . . something moving around in the brush behind us,” Shoshana said, fear clutching her heart. “Oh, Storm, what if I killed a panther other than the one that stalks humans? What if—”
They heard the sound of breaking twigs again, and knew that they definitely were no longer alone.
“Who goes there?” Storm asked, hoping it might be one of his warriors who had come to tell him something.
When there was no reply, Shoshana and Storm questioned each other with their eyes.
“Perhaps it was no more than a beaver, or something of the sort, that has now passed by,” Shoshana murmured.
“Ho, perhaps . . .” Storm said, unconvinced.
He reached for his rifle. He crawled toward the entranceway, then stopped as all hell seemed to break loose. Something was breaking through the back of their makeshift lodge, the limbs cracking and breaking as they were forced apart.
“Oh, no, what if it is the panther?” Shoshana cried as Storm grabbed her by a hand and half dragged her from the small dwelling just as it collapsed.
Shoshana’s heart skipped a beat and her insides recoiled with a fear never known to her before when she beheld Mountain Jack standing amid the debris. He held a shotgun leveled at them.
“Drop the rifle,” Mountain Jack growled, standing shakily as he glared from Shoshana to Storm. “Shoshana, I gotcha again, and this time you won’t get away from Mountain Jack.”
Mountain Jack snickered as Storm carefully placed the rifle at his feet. “Kick the firearm away from you,” he said, his eyes narrowing angrily. “I’m gonna enjoy sendin’ you both to hell tonight. I’ll show you how little mercy I’ll pay you. You were wrong, Chief Storm, for not shooting me when you had the chance. You saved my life, and in return I shall take yours.”
Storm and Shoshana stood stiffly together.
Shoshana couldn’t believe this was happening. She hadn’t thought that Mountain Jack, with all of his injuries, could have gotten this far from the fort.
She felt sick inside as she gazed at the wounds that the panther had inflicted on him. They were still bloody and gory, especially those on his legs.
Tonight he wore buckskin pants that had been cut away up past his knees, surely because it hurt too much to have the garment rub against his terrible wounds.
One arm seemed to dangle from his shoulder where it had come close to being torn from the socket by the panther.
But he had enough movement left in it to help him hold the shotgun aimed at his two captives!
“How did you get away from the fort?” Shoshana blurted out. “How could you get this far? How did you know we were here?”
“Now, ain’t you jest full of questions,” Mountain Jack said. He laughed throatily. He glanced over at Storm. “And how about you? Why are you so quiet?”
Storm just glared at him, his mind working out how he could stop this man’s madness once and for all.
He now knew how wrong it had been to hand this man over to the white people. It was obvious they did not know how to deal with such criminals as Mountain Jack.
Storm was waiting for just the right moment to lunge at the man, for it was obvious it would not take much to down him. Mountain Jack’s wobbly, injured legs were barely holding him up.
“How did I get free?” Mountain Jack said, sn
ickering low. “How did I get here? First let me say that I wasn’t even looking for you. You were the furthest thing from my mind. I just wanted to get as far as I could from the fort.”
He paused, licked his lips, then continued. “I ain’t never seen such lazy soldiers as I witnessed at Fort Chance,” he said. “And dumb. I guess they thought I was too injured to even think of escaping, much less succeed. They left me in the hands of the fort doctor. They didn’t even put me behind bars.”
He laughed again. “I fooled ’em all,” he said. “I pretended to be dying. You wouldn’t believe the amount of groanin’ I did. It’s funny to think about. All who came and looked at me thought I was at death’s door. Well, seems I play a mighty good game. After everyone was asleep, even the useless sentries, I just walked out as free as a fiddle. I even stole me a firearm and knife. Even now they have no idea I’m gone. Not until daybreak, and by then, I hope to be even farther away than I am now. But first things first. I have you two to take care of, since I just happened upon your camp.”
“You don’t look like you are able to ride a horse,” Shoshana said. “Did you?”
“Yep, and it’s tethered only a short distance away,” Mountain Jack said. “A while ago, it whinnied as I was tying my reins to a limb. I thought that gave me away. But no one came to investigate. I guess everyone just thought it was one of those horses you have penned up in that corral.”
Shoshana remembered hearing the whinnying now. She had, in fact, concluded it was one of the horses they’d captured.
“Now, you two just walk quiet-like away from this camp, and then you’ll finally get your comeuppance for what you did to me,” he said tightly. “Yep, you rescued me from the panther’s den, but then handed me over to those who I thought would have hanged me by now. Seems I’m as elusive as ever, especially to that hangman’s noose.”
Just as Mountain Jack started to back away from the debris that had not long ago been Shoshana and Storm’s dwelling, a noise startled him.
He turned just long enough for Storm to grab his rifle. He used the weapon to knock the firearm from Mountain Jack’s hand.
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