Wind Rider

by Connie Mason

  Hannah flushed and looked away. “I’m sorry; that’s all I can tell you.”

  Zach still had questions ... and doubts. But they were left unspoken when Lieutenant Gilmore walked through the door. For the space of a heartbeat Hannah panicked; then her green eyes widened in sudden inspiration. Plunging her hand inside her bodice, she withdrew her indenture document and shoved it into Zach’s hand.

  “Take this,” she hissed, trying to convey her urgent message in the short amount of time allotted to her. The dimly lit room served her well. She knew Gilmore couldn’t see what she had done, for her back was to him and he was still halfway across the room.

  “What the. ..” Zach stared at the paper in his hand and then at Hannah.

  “Don’t argue, please. Just take it and follow my lead. If you want to help Ryder, it’s imperative that you do exactly as I say.”

  Zach had no idea what was going on, but he decided to go along with the woman Ryder loved. There was more here than met the eye, and he intended to get to the bottom of it. He placed the document in his vest pocket.

  “Are you all right, Hannah? I had some spare time and thought I’d drop by and check on you.” He sent Zach a piercing look. “Is this your new owner?”

  “Yes, yes it is,” Hannah said quickly. “Zach Mercer, this is Lieutenant Trent Gilmore.”

  Zach extended a hand, immediately recognizing the name. Ryder had told him it was Gilmore who had taken Hannah from Red Cloud’s camp and ordered Ryder imprisoned.

  “Zach Mercer,” Gilmore repeated thoughtfully. “Funny; I don’t recall Harley mentioning your name before. In fact, I’m surprised he sold Hannah’s articles of indenture at all. He seemed reluctant to discuss it when I approached him.”

  “You wanted to buy Miss McLin’s articles of indenture?” Zach said, arching a thick blond brow.

  Suddenly Gilmore realized how that sounded, since he was an unmarried man. “Well, yes, but only in order to free her of her obligation, you understand. Hannah and I have an... um . .. understanding. I’d hoped to make her my wife.”

  Hannah started violently. Wife? Trent had made it clear that she was to be his mistress. “That’s not possible, Trent. I told you I was married to Ryder.”

  “That heathen ceremony wasn’t legal,

  Hannah. But all that aside, I’d like to see Hannah’s articles of indenture, Mr. Mercer, if you have them.”

  “Of course,” Zach murmured, removing the document from his vest pocket, and realizing now what Hannah was about. It didn’t even matter to him that Hannah had stolen the document. He spread it out for Gilmore to peruse.

  “When did this sale take place? Why haven’t I seen you in the inn? Lord knows I’ve been here often enough. Do you have a bill of sale?”

  Zach’s mind worked furiously, “I purchased them over a month ago, when Harley learned that Hannah was safe at Fort Laramie and would be brought back when an escort became available. I’d been looking for a hired girl to help my wife with our new baby and learned of Miss McLin one day when I stopped by the inn to confer with Mr. Harley about a freighting contract. I asked him then if he’d consider selling her articles of indenture to me. He was reluctant at first, but his business had fallen off lately and he was strapped for cash. When I offered to pay the reward for Miss McLin’s safe return as well as purchase her indenture he agreed.”

  Gilmore eyed him narrowly. “You waited long enough to claim your property.”

  “Yes, well, Harley asked me to wait until he found someone to take her place.” Lord, he hoped it sounded plausible.

  “Assuming you have one, you still haven’t shown me the bill of sale.”

  Hannah groaned inwardly. She hadn’t con-sidered a bill of sale. She’d thought that merely having her articles of indenture in his possession would be proof enough of Zach Mercer’s ownership.

  Zach cleared his throat, silently cursing his brother-in-law for getting him into this kind of predicament. Not only had he lied, but if he was found out he could be charged with stealing. How in the hell was he going to come up with a bill of sale?

  “What’s this about a bill of sale?” Sheriff Douglas strode through the door in time to hear Gilmore ask for one. His face broke into a grin when he saw Zach. “Zach Mercer; well, I’ll be damned! You’re the last person in the world I’d expect to buy an indentured servant. That is, I assume you’re Miss McLin’s new owner.”

  “You know this man, Sheriff?” Gilmore asked. He still wasn’t convinced of the legality of the deal.

  “Of course, Lieutenant. Surely you’ve heard of Mercer Freighting.” Gilmore had. “Mercer’s wagons carry just about all the goods reaching Denver from the East these days.”

  “Hello, Sheriff Douglas. Good to see you again. As you’ve just heard, I’ve come to claim my property. Too bad about Harley. Nasty accident.”

  “Accidents do happen.” He spied the indenture document. “I see you have Miss McLin’s articles of indenture in your possession.”

  “He has the document but no bill of sale,” Gilmore said. He was still highly doubtful that a deal had taken place.

  “It was a gentleman’s agreement. I required no bill of sale,” Zach said.

  “Sounds phony to me,” Gilmore returned shortly. His anger was barely contained.

  “The word of Zach Mercer is good enough for me,” Douglas said, sending Gilmore a censuring glance. “He has the document in his possession; that’s all the proof I need.”

  “I still think . ..”

  “Lieutenant Gilmore,” Douglas began, in a tone that clearly displayed his annoyance. “Civil law is my jurisdiction. Please confine yourself to military matters. I’m sure there are plenty of Indians for you to chase without involving yourself in something that is none of your business.”

  Douglas’s speech stole the wind out of Gilmore’s sails. Without making a nuisance of himself, there was nothing more he could do, no matter how suspicious he was of a fictitious sale to Zach Mercer. Something smelled fishy, and one way or other he’d learn what it was.

  “Of course, Sheriff. I certainly don’t want to interfere in your jurisdiction.”

  Douglas nodded and turned to Zach. “You and Miss McLin are free to leave any time you wish.”

  “Thank you, Sheriff. Abby will be grateful for Miss McLin’s help. We’ve been needing a hired girl around the place for a long time.”

  Both Gilmore and Douglas took their leave. They had no sooner closed the door behind them than Hannah’s knees buckled. Zach caught her and helped her to a chair. She sat down gratefully.

  “Now, will you please tell me what in blazes that was all about?”

  Hannah nodded, waiting for the furious beating of her heart to slow to a normal cadence. “I was afraid Lieutenant Gilmore would purchase my articles of indenture, so I stole them. I had no idea what I was going to do with them until you walked through the door. Trent Gilmore had been negotiating with Mr. Harley since we arrived in Denver, or so he led me to believe. He wanted to install me in a house he had rented and. . .” Her face turned fiery red, unable to continue. But Zach got the picture.

  ”A few minutes ago he said he wanted to marry you.”

  “He was lying. He wanted me to sign a deposition accusing Ryder of rape. When I refused he said I wasn’t good enough to become his wife.”

  “The bastard,” Zach hissed from between clenched teeth. “Tell me about Harley. How did he really die? Was Ryder involved?”

  “Indirectly. Harley found us together in my room. He made some remarks that enraged Ryder. Ryder lunged at Harley, and the coward turned to flee down the stairs. He tripped and fell the entire length. When Ryder went to check on him Harley was dead. A few minutes later the sheriff arrived, having heard a commotion while he was making his nightly rounds.”

  “So Ryder fled,” Zach surmised. “Why in blazes didn’t he take you with him?”

  Hannah’s lashes lowered, unable to look Zach in the eye. How could she tell him that Ryder believed s
he and Trent were lovers? Despite the fact that she’d deliberately lied to Ryder to save him from being sent to prison, it wasn’t something she was proud of.

  “I insisted that Ryder leave without me. I told him I’d be blamed for killing Harley if I ran away.”

  Zach sent her a searching look. “Are you sure that’s all there is to it? It just doesn’t sound like something Ryder would do. Leaving you alone to face the consequences isn’t his style. I know he cares for you.”

  Hannah flushed. “Yes, but we argued. Please don’t ask me what about.”

  “You have no idea where Ryder is now?” Zach queried.

  Hannah shook her head, her eyes sad. “None. I expected him to return, but...”

  “Don’t worry,” Zach said, patting her shoulder awkwardly. “Pack your things. I’ll take you to the farm. Abby is looking forward to meeting you.”

  Hannah looked down at the drab brown dress she wore and wrinkled her nose. “There’s nothing to pack. Except for one or two personal items I brought from Ireland, everything I own is on my back.”

  “Get them,” Zach directed. “We’ll stop by the general store and buy you something decent to wear; then well be on our way/’

  “Mr. Mercer.. .”

  “Zach.”

  “Zach, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  Zach’s expression softened, and Hannah thought him almost as handsome as Ryder. No wonder Ryder’s sister had fallen in love with him. “You owe me nothing. You don’t remember, but I witnessed firsthand how Harley abused you. Neither Abby nor I have forgotten that day. What I am about to do gives me great pleasure.”

  Hannah watched in stunned silence as Zach found a sulfur match in his pocket, struck it against the rough surface of a nearby table, and set fire to the indenture document. He held it between two fingers as it burned down to a tiny square of paper. Then he let it flutter to the floor to burn itself out.

  “As of this moment, you’re free, Hannah McLin. But I hope you’ll be our guest at the farm until you decide what you want to do with your life.”

  Too grateful to speak, Hannah burst into tears.

  Stripped to breechclout and moccasins, Ryder knelt on a ledge near the crest of a tree-covered hill, facing east. He had been fasting, praying, and chanting for three days, ever since he had left Hannah at the inn. His life no longer as simple as it once had been, he had gone into seclusion, hoping for a sign from the Great Spirit. He had offered tobacco and pollen. He had offered his blood three times, but still no sign came. Was it because the Great Spirit wanted him to find the answers within his own heart? he wondered despondently. Should he go back to the People where he had been happy, as Hannah had suggested? Or should he try to fashion himself after the whites he’d always held in contempt? Should he go back and fight for Hannah’s love? Or leave her to her lover? He’d never run from anything in his life; should he do so now?

  His mind wandered from his chanting and he found himself repeating one word over and over. Hannah. Hannah. Hannah. Was she all right? Was she with her lover now? Was that why she’d wanted him to leave? It wasn’t difficult to imagine why Hannah preferred the blue coat to him. The blue coat could give her things he could not. The blue coat knew who he was, while he, Ryder, couldn’t decide whether he was white or Indian. He was both and he was neither. He was a curiosity to be pitied. He had tried to be white, but his own kind had rejected him. They had confined him in a room with bars and would have left him there for the remainder of his days.

  Raising his eyes to the brilliant sun, Ryder stared at the blazing ball until a blinding white light exploded in his brain. And he waited for a sign. “Tell me, Heammawihio,” he cried aloud, nearly desperate now for a vision, “tell me what to do.”

  Silence. Thick and portentous.

  Suddenly the sun seemed to rip apart, sending fiery balls flying to earth. Girding himself, Ryder did not evade the blazing onslaught. His senses told him that something of great importance was about to be revealed to him. When one of the fiery balls hurtled directly toward him he stared unflinchingly into the luminous white-hot center. As it hovered before his eyes, a vision took shape within its core.

  Hannah. She was standing slightly to the right. He stared intently as a faint image began to form behind her. Lieutenant Gilmore. As Gilmore stepped forward to stand beside her, she recoiled in terror. Ryder didn’t understand. Why was Hannah so frightened of her lover? Slowly the image faded, replaced by the faces of Abby and her husband Zach. Abby seemed to be looking directly at him, her expression one of strong disapproval. Even Zach appeared annoyed with him.

  “Why are you displeased?” Ryder cried out.

  The vision receded. The fireballs danced away to merge with the sun. Ryder closed his eyes. When he opened them he could not see. Staring into the sun so long had blinded him.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hannah liked Abby from the moment of their first meeting. Except for her blond hair, she was like Ryder in many ways. They both had those distinctive silver-gray eyes that looked deeply into one’s soul. Obviously Abby and Zach were devoted to one another, and their five-month-old son was an adorable replica of his father. Both Abby and Zach made her welcome, treating her as if she were truly Ryder’s beloved wife. They had given her a pleasant room in the sprawling home that had once been a small cabin.

  In the two days she’d been with the Mercers Hannah had tried to be as helpful as possible. She was greatly appreciative of Zach’s kindness toward her. He didn’t have to get involved in her life, but he had done so willingly. He had even destroyed her articles of indenture, giving her the freedom she’d only dreamed about since her arrival in America.

  “What can I do to help?” Hannah asked as she walked into the large kitchen where Abby was preparing the evening meal.

  Abby turned and smiled at her, and once again Hannah was struck by the serene beauty of Ryder’s sister. According to Ryder, Abby hadn’t always been so serene. She and Zach had been at odds a great deal of the time before they realized they loved one another. If only she could look forward to the same happy life Abby and Zach now shared. But Hannah knew she’d probably never enjoy that kind of happiness with Ryder. More than likely, she’d never see Ryder again.

  “You can peel potatoes and carrots, if you’d like,” Abby replied. “Zach wants to hire a cook, but I really don’t mind cooking. Although with a baby to care for, it is becoming a chore to have meals on the table on time.”

  “As long as I’m here, I’ll be glad to help in any way I can,” Hannah offered. “But I can’t impose on you forever.” Suddenly, an idea occurred to her, one that solved both their problems. “I’d be glad to hire on as your cook, or work in any capacity you’d like. In addition to room and board, I’d only require a small salary. I’m hoping to save enough money to send for some of my brothers and sisters.”

  Abby stared at her, aghast. “But Hannah, you’re my sister-in-law and our guest. I couldn’t ask you to become a servant to the family.”

  “You know as well as I that my marriage to Ryder isn’t legal in white society. Besides, by now Ryder is with Red Cloud. I doubt I’ll ever see him again.”

  “That’s not true, Hannah. Ryder promised Zach he’d come to see me and his nephew, and I refuse to believe he’d lie about something so important to me. I am disappointed in him for staying away so long, but I truly believe he’ll show up one day soon. I know Ryder. He thinks of himself as Cheyenne. When he joined with you it was for life. And, according to Zach, Ryder cares for you deeply.”

  “He might have once,” Hannah admitted sadly. “But I killed those feelings when I told him Lieutenant Gilmore and I were lovers.”

  Abby looked startled.

  “I had to, Abby!” Hannah cried. “It was for his own good.”

  “It’s not true, is it?”

  “No! Of course not. Trent has evidence against Ryder. He threatened to return Ryder to prison if I didn’t. .. didn’t...”

  “I see,” Abby sai
d, wishing she could get her hands on the despicable Gilmore. “I’m sure Ryder realizes the truth.”

  “If he did, he would be here now, instead of God-only-knows where. Now he’ll never know the truth.”

  After her talk with Hannah Abby turned to Zach for help. “I know something terrible has happened to Ryder. Please, Zach, find him for me. You know how close we are. My heart tells me that something is desperately wrong.”

  “Perhaps you’re right, sweetheart,” Zach concurred. “I don’t think Ryder would return to Powder River country without coming first to see you and our son. But I don’t think I’ll find him in Denver. He’s unaccustomed to cities. I might have to travel to the Black Hills to find him, but rest assured I’ll do my best to bring him home.”

  The only way Ryder could tell in which direction he rode was by the warmth of the sun on his face. He rode west; he was of no use to the People now that he was blind, and could not return to them. He had no idea if his affliction was permanent, but he sincerely believed that the Great Spirit had struck him blind for abandoning Hannah when she needed him.

  Perhaps the blue coat was her lover and perhaps he wasn’t, but Hannah was still his wife, and he had left her unprotected. Pride had made him insensitive to her feelings, and against his better judgment he’d believed that nonsense about her being Gilmore’s lover. In his vision he had seen her anguish and felt the bitter weight of his sister’s disappointment.

  As long as he was blind, he was no good to anyone. Hannah was better off with the blue coat, he decided. After making peace with his family he’d travel by himself deep into the mountains and commune with the earth and the sun and the heavens until the Great Spirit saw fit to lift the burden of blindness from him. His sense of direction, even though he was blind, was acute. He was aware as never before of his surroundings. Each sound told a story all its own. Attuned as he was to Mother Earth, Grandfather Sun, and the sky above, Ryder felt at one with the elements. He felt confident the Great Spirit would guide him.

  Zach rode east toward the Black Hills. He hadn’t realized the almost impossible task he’d set for himself until the immense prairie stretched out before him. After two days of steady riding he missed Abby and his son terribly and almost turned back. Only his promise to Abby, and the fragile hope visible in Hannah’s green eyes, kept him going. He was riding along a ridge now, where he could look down into the valley below. He was so stunned to see another rider crossing the desolate valley that he stopped and stared hard at the tiny dot gradually growing larger at it approached.