Again, she felt her face flush and splashed water on herself. Only then did she note how much the sun had darkened her exposed skin the last several days while her breasts and belly were still creamy white.
“Why, my skin is as brown as Redbird’s,” she thought aloud. “With my hair in braids, I could probably pass for an Indian myself.”
She remembered then that her long-dead mother had been from the Dupree family; French Cajun and perhaps a trace of Seminole or Creek Indian. She barely remembered her mother, and her father never wanted to discuss her.
Glory submerged her body in the water, washing herself with the pounded yucca root Moccasin Woman had given her. She even washed her hair. “White women don’t know what they’re missing,” she said, as she rinsed the soap out and began to dive and play in the water. She wasn’t much of a swimmer, but the water wasn’t very deep.
Glory thought she heard excited voices in the camp, but paid it little heed. She went under the water and came up, laughing aloud, standing in the hip-deep water.
She heard a slight noise and glanced toward the bank. Two Arrows stood there, staring at her without speaking. Glory looked down, abruptly aware that she was naked, the water only hip deep. Immediately, she squatted so that the water came up around her bare shoulders. “How dare you spy on me!”
“I wasn’t spying,” he said matter-of-factly, but he was still staring, his eyes dark and intense. “Moccasin Woman told me you were here. I came to tell you we killed two deer. The women are cooking them now.”
Roasted deer. That sounded good. “All right, you’ve told me, now go back to camp until I get something on.”
His brow wrinkled. “You aren’t going to put on that bloody—”
“No, Moccasin Woman gave me a beautiful dress. I’ll put it on when you go away.”
“It’s a good thing Broken Blade never saw you naked.” Two Arrows seemed to be thinking aloud. “I would have had to kill him to keep him away from you.”
The thought of Broken Blade possessing her made her shudder. “Where is he?”
“Up at the camp—I think.” He must have seen the expression on her face because he added, “Don’t worry, I’ll watch out for you. That water looks inviting.”
“You aren’t coming in now, are you?” She backed up, her hands covering her breasts.
He shook his head. “If I did, I don’t think I could keep myself from ... never mind. I’ll be down around the bend washing if you need me.”
She watched him walk along the bank with long, easy strides and disappear into the bushes. Glory stayed sunk in the water up to her shoulders until she heard the definite sound of splashing from farther down. Only then did she wade out, stand a long moment, letting the breeze dry her skin, before she put on the moccasins and the fine dress. It was a perfect fit, Glory thought. Whoever this dress had been made for was just about Glory’s size, and the beadwork and fancy elk teeth were beautiful. Too bad she didn’t have any under garments, but hidden by the doeskin, who would know? She slipped on the little moccasins, and last of all, the bracelet the small girl had given her.
Glory leaned over the bank and looked at her reflection with wonder. In this dress and with her skin tanned by the September sun, all she would have to do to pass for Cheyenne was braid her long black hair. At the very least, maybe Moccasin Woman could help Glory comb out the tangles.
She paused, listening. No longer did she hear splashing from around the bend. Had Two Arrows sneaked up to watch her swim? The thought embarrassed and angered her. If she caught him doing that, she’d see that he paid for his impudence when the army finally captured him. She crept quietly through the brush and blundered out onto the riverbank and almost bumped into Two Arrows, who was just tying his breechcloth.
He froze and stared back at her, water streaming down his powerful, almost bare body. “If you wanted to see me naked, you came a little too late.”
“I beg your pardon!” She felt an angry flush and looked away. “I’m returning to camp and thought I’d tell you.”
“What an obedient captive. Next thing I know, you’ll be learning to say please and beg when you want something.”
“That’ll be a cold day in hell when I beg a man for anything!” she snapped. “I’m too proud for that.”
“Don’t I know it!”
She seemed rooted to the spot as he took a step toward her. She ought to turn and run for the camp, but to do so might make him think she was afraid. But this time, his attention was on the dress. “Where’d you get that?” he demanded. “Did you steal it from Moccasin Woman?”
“How dare you! I don’t steal.” She was overwhelmed by how close this wet, almost naked man stood to her. “She gave it to me.” She looked up into his eyes, wondering what he knew about this dress.
His big hands came up to clasp Glory’s shoulders. “You have been paid a great compliment,” he whispered gently. “She must like you very much.”
His fingers seemed to burn through the doeskin of the dress, and she couldn’t make herself pull away. She glanced down, then back up at him. “There’s something special about this dress, isn’t there I knew it the moment I saw it that it’s no ordinary—”
“Glory,” he whispered, “it’s one of the finest dresses among all the Cheyenne. When our people see you in it, they will know Moccasin Woman loves and respects you. It was her dead daughter’s wedding garment.”
“Oh my God.” The tears welled up then and filled her eyes, realizing what a great compliment she had been paid.
“Don’t cry, Glory, I’m sure Gentle Rain would have wanted you to have it.” Slowly, he pulled her close, bent his head, and kissed her lips. It was a tender kiss, almost a caress across her mouth.
For a moment, she was too surprised to move. Then, though she didn’t mean to, she reacted instinctively, her arms going up around his neck as she kissed him in return. At this encouragement, he pulled her hard against him, his arms embracing her, holding her so close that she felt the heat of his wet, powerful body and the swell of his manhood against her while his tongue teased her lips into opening for him to kiss her deeply, thoroughly.
She didn’t think, she only reacted, clinging to him, pressing against him, returning his passion with her own. No man had ever kissed her like this, and she had never responded with the fire she now felt deep in her very soul. The passion blazed higher, consuming her, and his big, muscular body seemed to envelop her, his heart pounding hard against her breast.
Somewhere in the distance, she heard little Grasshopper calling, “Two Arrows, Proud One, where are you? We have meat ready; plenty of meat!”
They jerked apart abruptly, Glory both appalled and stunned that she had returned his kiss with such ardor.
“No wonder the lieutenant wants you back,” Two Arrows whispered. “A man would move heaven and earth to keep you!”
“I—I must be losing my mind!” She pulled away from him, turned, and ran for the camp. She didn’t look back, horrified that she had done such a thing. What kind of a woman was she to go into some savage’s arms, especially this savage’s arms—her kidnapper. Again she remembered the bloody knife fight where they had struggled and he had held her down, ravaging her mouth with his own; the unfamiliar feelings that blazed in her when he had kissed and fondled her breasts. This time, she wasn’t a prisoner of his strength, and she had returned his fiery passion with her own.
She ran all the way back to the camp, recalling the desire burning in Two Arrows’s dark eyes that had ignited a spark she had not known existed. Something primitive and intense in her own soul had responded eagerly; no, more than eagerly—with abandon. She must be insane from the stress of captivity!
She resolved that she would keep her mind on her rescue. David would lead the soldiers to free her soon, and he must never suspect that she had reacted this way to the Indian scout. Certainly he would be as shocked as she was herself. Two Arrows’s dark eyes told her he ached for her with a passion more intense than sh
e had ever seen in David’s blue ones. The longer she stayed among the Cheyenne, the more danger she was in from starvation, the coming cold weather, Broken Blade, or being accidentally shot by some attacking soldier. She couldn’t just wait to be rescued anymore; she must escape and make her way back to the advancing soldiers!
Glory smiled as she walked into camp because she had just made a decision. She wanted to escape; her captor wanted her body. Was it possible that Two Arrows could be bribed into letting her go? Bribed with what?
She only had one thing to offer in trade. Once the thought would have horrified her, but David need never know. Desperate situations called for desperate solutions. Tonight, or the first chance she got, she would offer to make love to the dog soldier. She would exchange a passionate night in Two Arrows’s arms for her freedom!
Twelve
Lieutenant Krueger stood at attention, saluting smartly.
“At ease,” Captain Rendlebrock said to the handful of officers and noncoms gathered under the lone tree on the vast stretch of prairie. “Men, that courier who rode in just now brought a message from headquarters. We’ve reached the limits of our jurisdiction, so this outbreak is no longer our responsibility.”
David blinked in disbelief. “You—you don’t mean, sir, that we’re returning to Fort Reno?”
“That’s just what I mean,” the other responded. “After all, no one knows exactly where the renegades are, somewhere in Kansas or even western Colorado, and—”
“But they’ve got Glory Halstead!” David blurted, realizing as he did so that he had just interrupted his superior officer, but he was too distressed to care. “We can ride a little faster and harder, catch up to them—”
“Lieutenant Krueger”—the captain favored him with a sympathetic smile—“I understand your distress, knowing about the lady, but we must be realistic; orders are orders. Troops from Fort Dodge, Kansas, under Major Lewis, are on the lookout for the renegades, and I hear Tip Thornburgh is being brought in, too.”
David saluted. “In that case, sir, may I request permission for a temporary assignment with the Kansas unit?”
The other pulled at his mustache. “They don’t need you, the Kansans can handle this.”
David managed to keep his voice level and calm, although his nerves were taut with frustration and anger. “You don’t understand, sir. One of the ringleaders, and the one who kidnapped Mrs. Halstead, is one of my former scouts, Two Arrows.”
“Oh yes,” the captain mused, pulling at his mustache. “Insolent devil, as I recall, and drank too much.”
“That’s the one,” David said. “Never would salute me; arrogant and disrespectful. I want to be there for the kill!”
“He might be captured, not killed,” the officer reminded him.
“If I’m there, he’ll be killed.” David’s tone was a promise, not a threat.
“All right, since you feel so strongly, I’ll take care of the paperwork when I get back to the fort.”
“Thank you, sir.” David saluted.
“Hmm.” The captain pulled at his mustache again. “A little unusual, but we can all appreciate your feelings. However, Lieutenant, you ought to face reality.”
“Sir?”
“These Cheyenne have been moving at an incredible pace, staying ahead of our cavalry.”
David nodded. What was the man’s point? “All the troopers know that, sir. We’ve seen the evidence: worn-out horses dead along the way; old people who died and were left along the road without taking time for proper burials. Much as I hate to admit it, we’ve all begun to admire their spirit and their fighting skills.”
“The point I’m making, Krueger, is that these desperate people are setting a killing pace, one most white women couldn’t survive.”
David realized with horror what the captain hinted at. “No,” he said, “not Glory. She’s feisty and spirited; a survivor, sir. She’s alive out there somewhere, knowing I’ll come rescue her. I hope to marry her, sir.”
“Umm.” He chewed his lip. “Lieutenant, there’s something else you might not have thought about.”
“Sir?”
“She might have killed herself by now, as any self-respecting white woman would if those savages have—well, if the brutes have . . .” Captain Rendlebrock cleared his throat awkwardly and flushed red, “may have had their way with her. Under those circumstances—”
“Glory is not the type to kill herself, sir.” David’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. He was considered a calm, dependable officer, but right now, it was all he could do to keep from screaming at the man and attacking him. “She won’t be dead, sir, and I want to marry her, no matter what she’s endured. I love her more than any man possibly could.”
The others looked at the ground, avoiding his earnest gaze. David tried not to think of the arrogant scout mating with Glory, enjoying her body as David never had. “I want to be the one to catch Two Arrows; it’s a personal thing.”
It was a personal thing, all right. David almost smiled as he imagined putting a pistol to the scout’s head, blowing his brains out without mercy.
“All right, Lieutenant, permission granted.”
The big Irishman stepped forward and saluted smartly. “Permission to speak, sir?”
The captain nodded. “Go ahead, Muldoon.”
“Requesting permission to accompany Lieutenant Krueger on his special assignment.”
The captain frowned. “Are you sure you want to do that, Corporal?”
“Aye, sir. The lieutenant and I have been together a long time. I share his concerns.”
“Permission granted. The rest of the troop will make ready to mount up and return to Fort Reno. Troops from Fort Dodge will be taking up the chase soon. Dismissed!”
“Thank you, sir.” David and Muldoon saluted smartly and the group broke up, the others walking toward their horses. Most of the troop looked back, and David saw pity in many eyes as the troops mounted, before the order was given and the column started south.
David watched them ride out, addressed the other. “I appreciate the gesture, Muldoon, but you didn’t need to come along. You could have been back at the fort enjoying a warm bunk and some hot food.”
“Aye, lad, but I’ve gotten sort of used to your company.” The corporal turned to look toward the north, where the skies had turned gray and the wind had picked up across the prairie. He rubbed his gnarled hands together. “Me rheumatiz is hurtin’ again; must be colder weather ahead.”
David sighed as he swung up on the fine chestnut stallion. “That means more hardships for Glory. I’ll see that damned scout pays for his insolence!”
The other didn’t answer as he swung up on the fat buckskin, but David saw the expression on the weathered, ruddy face. Muldoon thought she was probably already dead, too. He was coming along out of loyalty to David.
“Let’s move out,” David said, and nudged Chance forward, “so we can join up with those Kansas troops. I won’t quit until I rescue her.” He gritted his teeth as he urged his mount into a lope. “And when I catch that Two Arrows, I’ll kill him without mercy!”
Relentlessly, the Cheyenne moved on northward. Sometimes Glory saw just the shadow of the big lobo running ahead of the weary riders and sometimes she began to imagine that she heard him singing to the sky. The Cheyenne lookouts spread across a thirty-mile front, always on the alert for fresh horses. As a horse wore out and died, the starving Indians ate it. In desperation, when they passed a ranch, warriors raided, taking what they needed to survive and kept moving. If cowboys or settlers resisted, the Cheyenne killed them. Dull Knife had given orders not to kill any whites, but sometimes they had to, knowing all the while that the raiding only increased the number of armed ranchers and renegade whites joining the soldiers to hunt down and kill the escaping Cheyenne.
It seemed to Glory that they were always on the move, as the people crossed into southern Kansas. Often, Two Arrows cut the telegraph wires that stretched across the prairie
skies. It sometime delayed the military messages, but the wires could be repaired, and besides, who could miss the hundreds of footprints and hoof marks on the dusty prairie?
During one rest period, old Moccasin Woman had combed Glory’s hair with a porcupine brush and braided it. When Two Arrows saw Glory, his sharp intake of breath told her what he thought. “You could pass for a Cheyenne girl now,” he said, and there was admiration in his voice.
“You’re right,” Glory said. “The hot sun has browned my skin.”
Two Arrows frowned, staring up at the scudding gray clouds blowing in on a chill wind from the north. “There will soon be times you would be pleased to feel a hot sun.”
She looked to the south, wondering how far behind them the soldiers were? It was beginning to seem as if the soldiers were not going to catch them. In that case, it was up to her to save herself; but how?
Two Arrows seemed lost in thought.
“What’s the matter?”
“Up ahead lies Dodge City,” he said. “We’ve got to get past it without all those whites spotting us.”
This was going to be her chance to escape, Glory thought. “How do you intend to do that?”
“I just don’t know. Some are saying it’s impossible; we should send a peace party to Dodge and surrender.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” she said before she thought. “The other warriors admire you now. I have seen the way they come to ask your counsel.”
“It is a weighty responsibility, this being given another chance.” He ran his tongue across his lips.
“Do you ever think about whiskey?”
He laughed without mirth. “I would be lying, Proud One, if I said I didn’t, but what I have in exchange, respect, a return to my people’s confidence; that makes it worth it.”
A camp crier rode through the weary people, shouting and pointing north.
“Are you ready to move on?” he asked. “It is time.”
“Two Arrows, your leaders can’t keep driving the people this way; the old ones and the young need rest. We’re losing some every day.”
Cheyenne Song Page 17