The last five years had brought Susannah more happiness than she had ever dreamed possible. Shortly after Black Wind decided to stay in the present, they had moved to Hehaka Luta’s ranch in South Dakota. They had completely remodeled the old house, putting on a new roof, modernizing the kitchen, adding on a new master bedroom with a built-in fireplace and a walk-in closet, and a new bathroom. They had built a new barn and replaced the old corrals, planted trees and flowers. Young Daniel and his friends often spent the night in the Lakota lodge in the backyard. A favorite game was cowboys and Indians; of course, it was hard to find someone willing to play the part of the cowboys. It went without saying that the Indians always won.
Susannah smoothed back a wisp of her daughter’s hair. Somehow, amidst all the confusion of the move and the remodeling and childbirth, she had managed to write three historical romances; the last one, loosely based on her adventures in the past, had made the New York Times bestseller list.
Between them, Black Wind and Hehaka Luta had managed to bring hope and a small measure of prosperity to some of the families on the reservation. With the help of men from Pine Ridge, they raised cattle and horses, as well as a few head of buffalo for old times’ sake. The cattle provided a steady supply of beef for the reservation, the horses were sold, with the profits being equally divided amongst the ranch hands. She loved to watch Black Wind work with the wild ones, watch him gentle them with his hands and his voice. He rode with an innate grace and skill that was beautiful to watch, never breaking a colt’s spirit, never losing his temper, never rushing a horse into something it wasn’t ready for.
Every Saturday morning, boys and girls from the reservation came out to the ranch to spend the day. In the summer, Black Wind and Hehaka Luta often took the kids fishing or backpacking. Sometimes they put on a rodeo or went for picnics in the meadow. Black Wind had become a surrogate father to several fatherless boys who usually spent their summers and weekends at the ranch. They were in the process of adopting a three-year-old girl whose parents had been killed in a drunk-driving accident. They had taken in a teenage runaway who had sought shelter at the ranch for a night and never went home.
Once Black Wind had decided to stay in the future, he had adapted to the twentieth century with astonishing speed. They had been married in a private ceremony before they left L.A. so there would be no question later about Daniel’s parentage or legitimacy. Susannah had taught Black Wind to read and write, and in his spare time, he was writing the history of his people as it had been told to him. He had picked up on local slang; she had learned to speak Lakota. Their oldest son spoke both languages fluently.
Black Wind had learned to drive a car, although he much preferred driving the big black four-by-four she had bought for him last Christmas. He could whip up a gourmet meal in the microwave, change a diaper and, if necessary, do a load or two of wash when she had a deadline to meet.
Susannah felt a familiar tingle of happiness bubble up within her as Black Wind left the group and walked toward her. He was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. More than one teenage girl on the reservation thought herself madly in love with him. Susannah couldn’t blame them. Impossible as it seemed, she loved him more deeply with every passing day. He was a loving husband and a wonderful father, ever patient with her, with their children, never too tired or too busy to answer their questions.
He worked tirelessly to make things better for his people, never turning anyone away, never refusing to give aid when it was asked. The young men looked to him for guidance. He counseled them about everything from school work to their love lives and had helped more than one rebellious teenager get his life straightened out.
Susannah lifted her face for her husband’s kiss, felt her heart swell with love as he caressed their daughter’s cheek with infinite tenderness.
“Hehaka Luta is going to take the boys down to the river to swim,” Black Wind remarked.
He leaned back against the porch rail, his ankles crossed, his arms folded over his chest, and she thought again how handsome he was with his black hat pulled low and a smile hovering over his lips.
“You keep an eye on our boys,” Susannah said. Young Daniel could swim like a fish, but she still worried about Jason.
Black Wind raised one brow, silently rebuking her for thinking he would let anything happen to his sons. “Do you think you could put together about twenty sandwiches for us?”
“Oh I’m sure that can be arranged. It’ll cost you though.”
Black Wind nodded. It was an old and familiar game they played. “How much?”
“Oh I don’t know. I’ll think of something. You can give me another kiss now, sort of like a down payment, and I’ll figure out the rest later.”
Grinning, Black Wind dropped to one knee in front of her. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her long and hard, his tongue sliding over her lower lip. Heat spiraled through her, hotter and brighter than the South Dakota sun.
“Think you could throw in some apples and chocolate chip cookies?” he asked, his eyes glinting with merriment.
“I think so,” Susannah replied, breathless from his kiss, “but it’s gonna cost you something extra.”
“Another kiss?” Black Wind asked with a roguish grin.
“I was thinking of something a little more intimate,” Susannah said, struggling to keep from laughing out loud. “Like a candle-lit bubble bath after the kids are in bed and the lights are out.”
“I’m willing to pay the price,” Black Wind said with mock resignation. “No sacrifice is too great to make my boys happy.”
“My hero,” Susannah murmured. And knew that no truer words had ever been spoken.
The End
About Madeline Baker
Madeline Baker started writing simply for the fun of it. Now she is the award-winning author of more than thirty historical romance books and one of the most popular writers of Native American romance. She lives in California, where she was born and raised.
Feather in the Wind Copyright © 2014, 2016 Madeline Baker
Published by Butterfly Kisses Press
Cover design by Roseanna White Designs
Cover photos from Shutterstock.com and © Adrianhillman | Dreamstime.com
Feather in the Wind Page 29