Wind Rider

by Connie Mason

  Somehow Hannah managed to roll from behind the boulder and sit up, where she could see more clearly. Both men were bleeding from several small cuts, none of them serious. But the fight was becoming more intense, more fiercely combative as both men lashed out viciously at one another. It worried her that Ryder seemed to be favoring his right side, where the bruises on his ribs were the most prominent. Cut Nose also became aware of Ryder’s weakness and took advantage of it by striking most often at the injured ribs. That was when Hannah’s Irish temper drove her over the edge. It was up to her to help the man she loved.

  Her wrists were tied behind her but with great effort she maneuvered around, bringing her legs through the loop of her arms until her arms were stretched in front of her. Then she struggled with the rope binding her ankles until the knots came free. But that still left her wrists tightly bound together. Searching frantically for a way to free herself, Hannah spied a jagged rock lying on the ground near the boulder. Stretching her wrists over the jagged edge of the rock, she sawed them back and forth, ignoring the pain. But after several frustrating minutes she realized that her efforts were getting her nowhere. The tough rawhide rope refused to part.

  Glancing toward the combatants, Hannah could see that Ryder was tiring. Cut Nose wasn’t in any better shape. Both were bleeding from numerous wounds, both still determined to win. She cried out in dismay when Ryder stepped backward to escape a brutal frontal attack and stumbled into a gopher hole. Taking advantage of Ryder’s momentary confusion, Cut Nose lunged, sending Ryder crashing to the dusty ground. Before Ryder could gain his feet, Cut Nose fell on top of him, the point of his knife pressed to Ryder’s throat.

  Hannah did not waste precious time bemoaning Ryder’s wretched bad luck; she acted instead. Grasping the jagged rock in her bound hands, she levered herself to her feet. Despite her numb legs, she raced toward Ryder, reaching him just as Cut Nose’s blade pierced the flesh of Ryder’s neck. A thin line of blood trickled down his chest.

  “Noooo!” Hannah’s anguished cry momentarily distracted Cut Nose as he poised himself for a fatal thrust. Shock registered on his face when he saw Hannah looming over him, preparing to crush his skull with a jagged rock.

  The brief lapse was all Ryder needed to marshal his strength and toss Cut Nose backward off of him. Cut Nose flew through the air and landed on his stomach. He grunted and went still.

  “Get out of the way, Hannah!” Ryder cried as he flung himself atop Cut Nose. He knew Cut Nose was sly and often resorted to trickery. Hannah stepped back, still ready to come to Ryder’s defense.

  When nothing happened Ryder grasped Cut Nose by the hair and pulled his head back. When he received no response he levered himself off Cut Nose and turned him over.

  “Be careful,” Hannah called out as Ryder bent over the wily Indian. “I don’t trust him.”

  “He’s dead.” Ryder’s voice was devoid of emotion. “He fell on his knife. It pierced his heart and he died instantly.”

  The rock Hannah still held in her hands hit the ground with a thud. “Thank God.” It wasn’t so much that she wished for a man’s death but that she wanted Ryder alive.

  Ryder heard the exhaustion in her voice, sensed her profound relief, and went to her immediately. “Are you all right, Little Sparrow?

  Did Cut Nose harm you?” His hand splayed across her stomach. “Is our child safe?”

  Hannah allowed Ryder to support her as she collapsed against him, dragging in long steadying draughts of air. “I am tired but otherwise unharmed, and our child rests easily beneath my heart. Your son or daughter is strong, Ryder/1

  “No, Hannah, you’re the strong one. Here, hold out your hands so I can untie them,” When he saw the bruises on Hannah’s wrists and face he was so enraged he was sorry he hadn’t killed Cut Nose with his own hands.

  “I was so frightened for you,” she breathed shakily.

  “Even though you were bound hand and foot you managed to come to my aid. If you hadn’t distracted Cut Nose, he would have slain me. I owe you my life.”

  “You’ve saved my life many times,” Hannah returned softly. “It is only right that I should save yours.”

  He kissed her then, moving his mouth over hers in a long, slow affirmation of love. Hannah felt his love flowing over her, felt his strength absorbing her, and knew a peace she’d never expected in this life. When he broke off the kiss he lifted her into his arms and carried her to his pony.

  “It is time to go home, my love. Woman-Who-Waddles is waiting for us at our last campsite.”

  “Home,” Hannah sighed wistfully. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a real home.”

  “It may be a while before our own home is built, but Abby and Zach’s home will be ours while they are visiting Boston. Zach wants Abby to meet his family. I’ve promised to keep an eye on the farm until their return next year.”

  “We’ll be a real family,” Hannah said happily, recalling with fondness the large family she had left behind in Ireland.

  Ryder’s face assumed a faraway look. ”A real family,” he repeated. “The only thing that would make me happier is to learn that my sister Sierra is alive and well. I often think of her, you know. She was the sweetest little thing, with hair the rich color of Mother Earth and eyes as silver as mine and Abby’s. I pray that she is happy wherever she is.”

  Suddenly his reminiscence came to an end and he smiled that heartstopping smile Hannah loved so well. “I may never know Sierra’s fate, but as long as I have you, I am content. You’re everything to me, Hannah. Will you be my wife?”

  “I am already your wife, Ryder, and I love you beyond reason. Even if you don’t find Sierra, she will live in your heart. Let’s go home. I need you to make love to me.”

  Suddenly his face grew reflective. “The Great Spirit always meant for us to be together. That is why he placed the small bird on my shoulder in my vision. You are truly my personal talisman. Your medicine was strong enough to give my life meaning. If not for you, I would have walked the Spirit Path. I shall always need you. Forever,” he added on a sigh of happiness.

  “Forever,” Hannah repeated, melting into his arms.

  Epilogue

  May 1866

  As far as houses went, this one wasn’t large, but Hannah thought it quite grand. Facing the river and sheltered from winter winds by a bluff, the house, built entirely of logs, was finally ready for occupancy. And just in time, too. Abby and Zach were due to return from Boston this month.

  After she and Ryder had returned from Red Cloud’s camp they had found a church and a priest in Denver and had their marriage blessed. Both Abby and Zach had witnessed the brief ceremony before they left for the East with their son. During the exceptionally cold fall Ryder had argued and fought for adequate quantities of food and warm blankets for the Indians who had moved to reservations for the winter.

  When Ryder heard that the army was going ahead with the building of Fort Phil Kearney on a branch of the Powder River he feared more bloodshed and worked tirelessly to see that peaceful Indians were not cheated by unscrupulous agents. By careful planning he’d managed to be home when their daughter Lacy was born. The tiny bundle of joy had come into the world during a fierce snowstorm, squalling like a banshee. Already she had her father wound around her little finger.

  Hannah smiled in pleasure at the wildflowers blooming on the hillside outside the window. In her estimation the home-site Zach had given them as a wedding gift was the choicest spot in the entire valley. They owed a lot to Abby and Zach, a debt that Ryder had repaid by keeping watch on the farm during their absence. Fortunately, Zach had hired an excellent overseer who needed little supervision.

  “Daydreaming, Little Sparrow?”

  Hannah turned and grinned at Ryder. After all this time he still preferred the Indian name he had given her so long ago. There were even times when she called him Wind Rider.

  “I was just thinking how very fortunate I am to have found you.”

  “If I
recall correctly, I was the one who found you. At the time I thought you quite plain. If I hadn’t been in pain, I would have seen your beauty through all that dirt and grime. You have to admit, though, that you were a skinny little thing, all bones and angles.”

  “And you were an arrogant bully who wanted to make me his slave.”

  “Instead you made me yours.”

  He moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “Having a wife and family is something I never expected to experience. You’ve changed the course of my entire life, Hannah. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be living and working with white eyes.”

  Hannah turned in his arms, gazing intently into the silver depths of his eyes. “Are you sorry?”

  Sliding her arms about his neck, she pulled his head down and stood on tiptoe so she could reach his lips. The attraction she felt for this special man would never wane. He was her life, her love, her very existence. And part of that attraction was what he was. It didn’t matter whether he considered himself Indian or white, he was uniquely himself, a product of two cultures.

  Ryder needed no special invitation to taste his wife’s sweetness as he covered her lips with his in a lingering kiss that expressed all the words he was too tongue-tied to say.

  “Sony that I have you and a wonderful daughter?” he answered after he broke off the kiss. “Never! What bothers me is that I’m still having difficulty discovering myself. It’s impossible not to hate whites after being raised by Indians and experiencing firsthand the injustices done to them. I loved White Feather and Gray Dove. I wanted no other life until you came along. My greatest fear is that you will regret having married me/’

  “Do I act like I’m sorry?” Hannah asked impudently as she rubbed herself against him in a most suggestive manner.

  “No, thank God. Is Lacy sleeping?” He looked pointedly toward their bedroom. He never knowingly passed up an opportunity to make love to his wife.

  Hannah laughed. “Unfortunately, the little imp will be wanting her dinner soon.”

  Ryder sighed in pained resignation. “Well, if there’s no hope of having you to myself for a little while, I might as well tell you my news.”

  “News?” She grew excited. “You’ve learned something about Sierra!” Hannah was aware that Ryder and Abby had hired a detective to find their younger sister.

  “We’ve learned the name of the family who picked up Sierra after our wagon was attacked by Crow raiders. Holly and Lester Alden were passing by on their way to California. They stayed in Denver only a short time while they made their report to the authorities before traveling on.”

  “California; that’s a very large territory.”

  Undaunted, Ryder nodded. “I’m convinced we’ll find each other one day. Meanwhile, how long do you think we’d have before our daughter demands her dinner? An hour perhaps?”

  The gleam in his eyes hinted at a languorous hour of splendid pleasure, lying in his arms, sharing his passion.

  “At least an hour,” Hannah replied with a twinkle. He had already ignited a flame within her that would need at least that long to burn itself out.

  Having overheard the exchange between Hannah and Ryder, Woman-Who-Waddles, who was bringing Lacy to her mother to be fed, turned and walked back into the kitchen, chuckling to herself.

  “Come, little one, I will give you a sugar teat to satisfy your hunger while your parents satisfy theirs.”

  Gurgling happily, the dimpled darling seemed quite unperturbed, accustomed by now to her thoroughly unconventional parents.

  Author’s Note

  This is the second book of my Trails West trilogy. Tears Like Rain was the first. I hope you enjoyed both of them. I tried to keep the events in order chronologically, but you may find I have changed some of the dates of specific battles to fit the story.

  Sierra is the title I’ve given the third book of the trilogy. The series concludes with the story of the youngest sister, Sierra, and the trials and tribulations she encounters as she searches for her siblings. Besides the incorrigible, spoiled darling of rich adoptive parents, you will also meet Ramsey Hunter, the reluctant hero who accompanies Sierra on her journey from California to Colorado. Handsome and outrageously arrogant, Ram Hunter is a man with a secret past. I hope you enjoy my fast-paced, rip-roaring tales of the Old West.

  About the Author

  Connie is the bestselling author of 60 books and novellas and counting. Her tales of passion and adventure are set in exotic as well as in American locales. Connie has won awards from Romantic Times and has been listed in Who's Who of American Women for several years. Connie makes her home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

  Connie is a world traveler. She has visited every country in Western and Eastern Europe, Greece, Asia and Northern Africa. Also, countless islands in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. Connie enjoys spending time with her three children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Visit her Website and www.conniemason.com.