A Promised Heart (Book Four of the Dream Catcher Series)

by Rita Hestand

  "Mama, why are you smiling?" her son asked.

  At first she didn't answer, couldn't. How could this feeling swamp her so? It lingered, she indulged it for a second longer. For happiness was a vague reality that seldom came to this valley. Then her eyes flew open and she stared down into Matthew's quizzical face.

  "It's a beautiful morning…" She smiled at her son.

  "Good fishin' weather…" He smiled back.

  Eve knew her son well. She knew what he was up to. She wiped the ring from her daughter's mouth and whisked them from the table so she could clean it.

  "Can I go fishing, Ma?" Matthew asked, as he turned to look at his mother.

  "I'd rather you wouldn't…" Eve said hesitantly.

  "But why, I'll be careful…" Matthew insisted swiping the white blond hair from his eyes.

  Matthew took after her with her blond hair and blue eyes. He always swiped the hair from his eyes, as it seemed to blind him at times. Eve knew that Matthew was a very good fisherman and that the river was something he'd been educated in for some time, but she had a feeling climbing up her back that she couldn't explain when it came to her children leaving her site. She knew with Matthew she had to be careful not to coddle too much, and yet not to give him so much leave way that he did as he pleased.

  Matthew sullied up and frowned, pushing his hair out of his eyes once more.

  She took one look at her son's pitiful face and took pity, "Oh…all right, but just until the sun is over the tree tops, and then you come home, you understand?"

  "Oh boy…" A reckless smile broke across his face and his blue eyes twinkled.

  "I wanna go…" Jane Ann cried.

  "Oh no you don't, you are too little yet. Actually, Matthew is too, but I know how much he loves it. Besides, he's always been extra careful, and usually manages to bring back some fish for supper. You my dear must have a tea party with me later…"

  "Yeah…" Jane Ann cried, clapping her hands together.

  Matthew got his gear and small shovel.

  "Get some big worms so you can catch a big fish for supper…and be careful, and just until the sun is up over the tree tops, you hear me?" Eve cried.

  "Yes Mama…." He turned to look at her and Jane Ann. "I'll be back with enough for supper." He cried.

  Eve nodded with a smile, "Sounds good."

  When she finished most of the chores, she turned to Jane Ann and smiled. "Okay, let's get the tea set…"

  Jane Ann went to a small trunk and pulled out a miniature tea set that had belonged to Eve as a child. Jane Ann was extra careful of all the dishes, brought them to the table proudly, and set it royally for her Mama. Eve watched fascinated that she had taught her daughter something to play at such a young age. However, Jane Ann was precocious for her age just as Matthew was. She blamed it on the fact that Harold had never fathered them. They were too much trouble. It was her job to take care of them.

  Jane Ann went to dig her only rag doll out of the trunk and set her in the chair that Matthew usually occupied.

  "Good Mama?" she asked.

  "Very good, you've learned fast how to set the table for tea. We must have a cookie with our tea, today…." She smiled.

  "Oh goodie, a cookie…" Jane Ann waited till her mother brought two cookies to the table.

  They were just sitting down to eat when the door flew open and a painted Indian grabbed at her. Eve nearly screamed, realizing quickly that the war paint meant he was an enemy. Panic constricted her throat. She reached for Jane Ann's hand immediately, but it was too late.

  They grabbed Jane Ann and she gasped and trying to reach for her daughter, but another Indian came in and took Jane Ann. Eve screamed then for her daughter.

  They pulled at her hair, tightening it and she gasped again.

  "You will be silent woman, if you want to live."

  She nodded, as fear struck at her.

  The Indians made some noises in their throat and ransacked the small cabin, then drug her out of the cabin by the hair. Eve prayed for the man on the ridge that he had not been killed and that he might save her. However, there was no sign of him. He was gone!

  Noises echoed throughout the forest as the Indians seemed to drag her for miles and her head began to pound. She winced from the pain as she tried to keep Jane Ann in her sites. Where were they taking her? Would they kill her and Jane Ann?

  "Where are you taking me…what do you want…" she cried out.

  The Indian jerked her by the arm now and made her walk. Tied by the neck with a rope, she walked between the two of them. Jane Ann was just ahead of her and screaming for her. Eve felt tears run down her cheek but she didn't speak, terrified they might suddenly decide to kill her or her child.

  When they had walked miles and Eve could hardly stand any longer, they stopped and made camp along the river. She didn't dare look at her feet; they were probably bleeding, as she had stepped on every rock in her path.

  Suddenly Eve stiffened and cried out. "Oh my God…Matthew?"

  Taken by surprise as she had been, she had somehow blocked him out of her mind. Had they killed him, or had he escaped. Tears ran down her cheeks and she cried aloud now.

  Jane Ann was given back to her as they made their supper.

  The tears wouldn't stop. She couldn't lose Matthew! Eve held Jane Ann trying to comfort her, but Jane Ann was terrified and she cried in her mother's arms.

  "We must be quiet now darling…we must try to stay calm. Will you try to be a big girl for Mama?" she asked.

  Jane Ann's bottom lip trembled. She nodded.

  "Good girl…." Eve sighed wearily as she saw the blood on her feet. She covered them with the hem of her dress. One day and they were bleeding. If the Indians hadn't knocked her shoes off her feet, she might get through this. She had no idea where they were taking her.

  Rocking Jane Ann to sleep, she prayed someone would rescue her, for surely her fate was sealed, if they didn't. Hers and her child. They would die; she was sure of it, and what of Matthew? Her heart beat quickened.

  No telling what might have happened to Matthew.

  Worry filled her as she clutched her daughter tightly to her.

  Chapter Two

  Matthew caught two catfish and making a stringer he placed them in the river and continued to fish for supper. However, he'd forgotten the time. The fishing had been good and he knew his mother would be proud of him. Thoughts of his mother brought his head up. The sun was way over the tops of the trees. He needed to leave now. He was about to pack it in when a hand reached over his mouth and covered it.

  He tried to scream but it was useless.

  "Be silent my young friend…" A deep voice from behind him whispered in his ear.

  Matthew nodded.

  "Good, you are wise for one so young," The man behind him released him and turned him to look at him.

  "Who—who are you?" Matthew asked, his eyes going over the man with curious intent, and yet almost recognizing him. "I know…you're the man that watches over us…from the ridge…."

  "That's right, my name is Red Hawk." He said and smiled at the boy.

  "Red Hawk? Kind of a strange name." Matthew's face screwed up into a frown.

  "You may call me Hawk, that's easier. I've come to keep you safe and find your mother and baby sister."

  "Find them? They are at home!"

  Matthew glanced at his clothes and the big knife tucked into a scabbard at his waist, the bow and arrows on his shoulder, the breechcloth at his waist and the vest he wore open, with many beads and feathers around his neck.

  He swallowed hard. "You're an Indian? Aren't you?"

  "Yes…"

  "How come you speak such good English?" Matthew asked. "I mean…you look like an Indian…"

  "I went to mission school many years." The man answered. "I am Arapaho. And I have lived among the white's for many years. I worked for the blue coats."

  "Gee, never knew a real Indian before. And especially not one that went to school…"
/>   "Your mother…and sister…have been captured….by Indians." He said finally watching Matthew's face.

  "Captured. By your tribe?" Matthew asked, his shoulders squaring and his face screwed up very seriously.

  "No…not by my tribe….My tribe is much further to the north. The Comanche captured them. They have burned your home, and taken your mother and sister, and we must follow and rescue them…"

  "Are they hurt?" Matthew's eyes widened.

  "I don't think so…but they could be, if we don't get to them first. Will you help me hunt them down?" Hawk inquired.

  "Yes…..I shouldn't have stayed out so long. I promised my Mama I wouldn't…." Matthew frowned, "It's all my fault."

  Hawk shook his head and smiled sadly. "No little friend it is not your fault. However, we must hurry. Bring your fish; we will eat it along the way…."

  "Eat it…along the way? Without cooking it?" Matthew turned his head in question.

  "Raw…it is better that way…." Hawk assured him. "Better for you too."

  Matthew considered his words and shrugged. "Why do you always watch us?" Matthew asked as he got his gear and followed behind Hawk, stepping in Hawk's vague moccasin prints.

  "You are alone in the wilderness with no man to protect you. Your mother…has suffered much, I have seen. Now that your father is gone…I will protect her…and her children…you too!"

  "But why?" Matthew continued to prod him.

  "You ask too many questions my friend…" Hawk scolded lightly.

  "I'm sorry…my Mama says you are a good person and that you protect us from the bad around here." Matthew reasoned. "Do you?"

  "I try…yes…today, I had hunted for meat and my eyes were not on your cabin…the others came…and took them away. They have burned your home." Ben explained. "Now we will track them…"

  "How do you know all this?" Matthew shouted in terror.

  "When I came back from my hunt, I smelled smoke and looked upon the cabin, it had burned. So I went down and checked to see if anyone was there. I saw tracks, Indian and tracks by your mother and your sister."

  "Burned my home! But…."

  "You can rebuild a home, but you cannot rebuild a dead body. We must hurry."

  "Will you teach me to track…?" Matthew asked innocently. "I mean…I am pretty good, but not like an Indian."

  "Yes…I am teaching…look." Eve had obviously been dragged. "Indians walk without feet, but the whites leave trails…."

  "How come we can't see where the Indians walked?" Matthew observed.

  "Because they walk softly and wear no shoes. They wear moccasins. And when there are trails, they erase them."

  "But you know how to track them anyway?" Matthew stared up at him as he paused to look at him.

  "Yes, I know how to track them anyway." He answered patiently.

  "Are they far ahead of us?"

  "They are, but I know where they are going, and it would seem your mother has left a few markings to follow too." He smiled when he saw a small piece of her dress.

  "How do you know she did it?" Matthew asked.

  "She obviously leaned into a bush with thorns, to intentionally tear her dress. She is a brave woman; it is strange that no one has caught her at it. For she would pay for such an act."

  "Why would she leave a trail? I mean how does she know we are behind them?"

  Hawk smiled back at the boy. "She knows I track her."

  Matthew's head twisted in question. "Does my mother know you?"

  "She knows of me. She knows I look out for her and for you. Yes, she knows."

  "How come, I have never seen you talk to her before?"

  "We talk without words."

  Matthew didn't seem to understand but it kept him silent a while. Hawk figured he was trying to understand that statement. It was good that the boy knew how to think for himself.

  "Why do you watch over us?" Matthew quizzed him.

  Hawk was silent. He wasn't ignoring Matthew; he was trying to figure out how to explain it to a child. The child was smart, alert and learning as they went. Hawk liked him, but he didn't know how to answer his question. "You talk too much!"

  "Sorry."

  "Look, your mother's footsteps are deeper now, she carries your sister on her hip, see how one side is deeper than the other." Hawk pointed out. He began cutting the fish up and handing Matthew small pieces to eat.

  Matthew looked at it, and then copied Hawk as he ate the raw fish. The first taste of it raw made him shiver a bit, but it was nourishing and he kept eating.

  Surprised by its taste, he reasoned it wasn't too unpleasant.

  "Yeah…gee, you figured that out on your own?"

  "It is not hard to figure. It is being logical. You must learn to use logic, and you will be a good tracker, Matthew."

  Matthew grew quiet again. The land they traveled was full of tall grasses, and bushes and trees that had fallen from storms. The earth was soft as it rained yesterday. Matthew kept up with Hawk easily enough, but he wondered how he could read the signs so well and move so quickly at the same time.

  "I hope they are alright. Jane Ann is still pretty little."

  "Yes," Hawk answered, his mind wandering to the baby girl. She would not be able to keep up with them on her own, and it was possible they would kill her or leave her on the trail. Still, Hawk couldn't tell Matthew that. He had to reach them before anything bad happened.

  They stopped for a minute to drink water from a canteen that Hawk had tied to the top of his knife.

  "You sure carry a lot of stuff, don't you?"

  "I carry what is necessary." Hawk answered.

  "How do you know where they are taking them?" Matthew asked, looking at the man. He was a big man, with arms that knew hard work. Nevertheless, his voice was not harsh and Matthew liked him for some reason he couldn't understand.

  "Again logic. To their camp, in the high hills. Hurry, we must follow them. When we get there, you will stay behind and keep the camp, and I will go and fetch your mother and sister."

  Matthew screwed up his face. "Why can't I go?"

  "You are too young, and you are white, they would take you prisoner before I could help your mother. It may take a couple of days to bring her and your sister back, so you must be patient and brave. A man who has patience has everything."

  "I got patience. You have to have patience to catch fish." Matthew cast him a knowing smile. "But…I'm a little scared for Ma and especially Jane Ann. She doesn't walk very fast."

  Hawk smiled for the first time and Matthew smiled back. "You are wise for one so young. A man that is not afraid is a fool."

  "When my Pa died, I became the man of the house." Matthew announced proudly. "Sometimes it's hard to be brave."

  "You are young to take such a place…" Hawk nodded. "Come, we must hurry now. The sun will go down soon and we must find a good campsite."

  Matthew nodded.

  "As we get closer, we must be very quiet so they do not know we are about." Hawk instructed.

  "Why don't Indians wear many clothes?" Matthew asked, staring at Hawk.

  Hawk turned to look at him. "When it is warm and we are hunting, we wear breechcloths, and sometimes leggings. When winter comes, we wear leggings and sometimes skins to keep us warm. We hunt, we run, we climb, we wear only what is needed to do so. We carry only enough food and water to fill us."

  They trekked over rocks and hills and for what seemed like miles. Matthew didn't complain, although Hawk could see he was becoming tired.

  "Can you use that bow and arrow?" Matthew asked curiously. He was beginning to wear down, but he couldn't complain. He wanted to find his mother and sister.

  "Yes, can you use that shotgun?" Hawk glanced at the gun Matthew carried.

  "Yes sir."

  "Good. Now we must camp here, it is just enough space to sleep and tomorrow we will catch up to your mother and sister." Hawk assured him.

  "What will they do to my Ma and sister?" Matthew prodded.

&nb
sp; "Sometimes they are ransomed to the whites; sometimes they are treated as captive slaves. Often times a young girl is kept so long that when she grows up she marries a warrior and has children with them." Hawk answered as though he were talking to an adult.

  Matthew blinked hard. "You mean my sister would have to marry an Indian?"

  Hawk glanced at him, considering his tone of voice when he said Indian. However, he could not expect the child to understand everything. He would learn as time went by.

  "No, that will not happen. We will rescue them, and leave…" Hawk told him. But he stared at him a long while.

  "What will you do with us?"

  "I do not know. I have not thought that far ahead yet. I can take you to Ft. Davis or Ft. Concho even to some town so you can go back east. If you want to. But you must not be left alone in this part of the country."

  "Why not?"

  "Comanche. They raid all up and down this land."

  Matthew studied Hawk as he built a fire and he helped him gather wood.

  "Is it safe to have a fire? I mean, won't they see it?"

  "No, they are looking forward, not backward. They do not know we follow. It is safe for now. Nevertheless, tomorrow, you cannot have a fire, even when it gets dark. Will you be afraid?"

  "No sir…I mean, not much."

  "Put a rope around your bed and if wild animals come, climb a tree, and sleep there."

  "Can the animals climb trees?"

  Hawk smiled. "Some can, but usually the only company you will find in a tree is birds, and squirrels. A cat can climb, but you can usually hear a cat from a long ways off. Cougars climb rocks and sometimes-small trees; you must climb high if a cat comes. If you get to the tree before he sees you, he might not even try to climb. Bears are not around this area much. A wild boar can sneak up on you, but as I said, the safest place is up a tree. If it's a big enough tree, you can sleep in it. Caves are good too, if you can find one and if it isn't inhabited at the time."

  "How come you know so much?"

  "Because I'm Indian and we live in the wilds most of the time."

  "Don't you live with your folks?" Matthew reasoned.

  "My folks are up north. I came south to work for the Army."