by Merry Farmer
Katie had never been interested in cooking in all her years, although she could do it when called on. Her mam had taught her as much as any mother, but Mam never had to use stones to grind corn and rarely had to cook over an open fire using only the most primitive utensils. Still, as Two Spots showed her how to crush the berries that some of the women had foraged the day before and to mix them with pounded buffalo meat, she decided there was a certain degree of satisfaction to be had in banging food with stones. The food wasn’t what she really wanted to hit with the stone in her hand, though.
From her spot around the corner of the fire pit, Magpie Woman grunted and slapped at Katie’s hand. She’d given up trying to actually speak to Katie an hour ago, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make herself understood. She grabbed Katie’s wrist to stop her pounding, then let go when Katie winced. Whether she genuinely cared about sore wrists or not, she spoke a quick word then went back to mixing the berries and meat on her own stone.
“She’s showing you how it’s supposed to be done,” Two Spots explained.
It took all of Katie’s willpower not to snap at either Magpie Woman or Two Spots. “I can see that,” she said with surprising calm. She imitated the older woman’s actions, mashing rather than banging the concoction that was supposed to pass for a delicacy.
It was pointless, so pointless that Katie could feel the tears deep at the back of her throat. One short day ago, she had been excited about going to a dance. She had been irritated with Aiden, brushing off his roguish advances as though a stolen kiss was the biggest problem she had. Now she was attempting to stay awake after a mostly sleepless night, learning foreign ways from a woman who had no understanding and no sympathy for what she’d been through. It was so unreal that it felt like a dream.
“No, you need to use your wrist,” Two Spots corrected her as Magpie Woman scowled at the both of them.
“I’m trying to use my wrists, but they still hurt from where her vicious son tied me up,” Katie snapped.
Two Spots lowered her head. Her cheeks went bring pink. Guilt gripped Katie’s stomach.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, not because she had said anything wrong, but because she liked Two Spots. “I know you think he’s some sort of a hero, but—”
Her apology was cut off as a girl with a bird beaded on the front of her tunic came running up to them. She spoke in a fast, loud voice, gesturing toward the center of the camp. Magpie Woman dropped the stone she was working with and stood, alarm and disbelief in her eyes. Two Spots straightened, her jaw dropping.
“What?” Katie asked, setting aside her stone. “What’s happening?”
“A magic man,” Two Spots explained. “She says a magic man with a box that sings has been sent to the village. A white man.”
Katie’s hands and feet went numb, and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. “Aiden?”
She and Two Spots stood. All around them, the women who had been working put down their tasks and hurried toward the center of the village to see what was happening. With a short glance to her new friend, Katie stepped around the spot where they worked and followed.
Magpie Woman shouted and lashed out to grab Katie’s wrist before she could go more than a few steps. Katie cried out as pain shot up her arm, but it was quickly forgotten. If there was any chance at all that Aiden had followed her and found her, then she needed to see him. The description of a box that sang was as good as proof that he had come. Magpie Woman was as curious as the next person, and even though she held fast to Katie’s wrist, she too headed toward the center of the village. Katie was content to go with her.
As they reached the large fire pit where she had been presented to the elders only a few short hours ago, Katie was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the village. Many of them hadn’t started their day yet when she was brought in, but it was nearly noon now, and everyone was up and about. She stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck to see over the shoulders of taller people. It was little comfort that Magpie Woman had to do the same. The women kept her grip on Katie’s wrist as tight as ever.
A few of the Cheyenne who hadn’t seen Katie earlier or hadn’t heard about her presence saw her now. They backed away from her, murmuring and whispering to each other. The unintended effect was that a space opened up between her and the scene that was unfolding at the central fire pit. Katie could see it all.
A large cluster of people moved through the winding path between tipis toward the fire pit. In its center, crowded and constricted by at least two braves, was Aiden. His black hair matched the Cheyenne, but his pale Irish skin stood out like the moon.
“Aiden,” Katie shouted from the bottom of her lungs. “Aiden!”
Aiden’s head snapped up, his blue eyes wide. He struggled against the men holding him as he thrashed this way and that, looking for her. “Katie,” he yelled, still searching.
“Aiden.” Katie broke away from Magpie Woman with one painful jerk and dashed through the people who had parted at the sight of her. She only made it a few yards before someone snatched her around the waist and lifted her off her feet. It was enough, though. Aiden’s struggle stopped as he spotted her.
For a heartbeat, his pale face burst into a smile. “Katie. Thank God above, I’ve found you.”
Disbelief and relief hit Katie so hard that she burst into tears in spite of herself. All she could manage to say was, “Aiden.” She wanted to run to him, throw herself into his arms and never let go. He could tease her and call her a ghrá all he wanted. At that moment, she would have gladly been his love for all eternity.
The moment was shattered by the sharp command of the man who had snatched her up and now held her in a tight hug—Sky Bear. The familiar sound of his voice had Katie gasping for breath and twisting to either get out of his grasp or look at his face. Across the space that had opened when the Cheyenne realized they knew each other, Aiden was being wrestled to his knees by the braves that held him. They were both brought to the center of the gathering, to the fire pit and the elders.
The people stood, hushed and expectant, as Grandfather stood from his spot beside the fire. He asked the men holding Aiden something. Even Aiden stilled at the question. One of the men holding him let go and stepped back, head lowered in respect. The other one stayed right where he was, his hand clamped on Aiden’s arm. Katie caught a glimpse of two women standing near Aiden, one holding his fiddle and another his bow, and a small boy holding his fiddle case.
“Grandfather asked Sharp Arrow and Wolf Walking Alone what they have found.”
Katie gasped at the sound of Two Spots’ voice right beside her. She felt Sky Bear tense as well. He exchanged a longing look with Two Spots, and Two Spots’ face flushed pink. The exchange sparked sudden curiosity in Katie, but there wasn’t time to entertain it. Grandfather and the men who had Aiden were speaking.
“Wolf Walking Alone says he found the white man spying on the village from the hill,” Two Spots explained. “He says the white man is dangerous.”
The woman who held Aiden’s fiddle spoke up passionately.
“Long Hair says he is not. She says he makes music,” Two Spots whispered.
The brave who still held Aiden, Wolf Walking Alone, argued with the woman. He shook Aiden’s arm, and Aiden winced. Katie gasped and surged toward him, but Sky Bear tightened his hold. Aiden must have seen it. He turned his head to look right at Katie, but there was nothing either of them could do. Wolf Walking Alone cuffed Aiden upside the head.
As soon as he did, several of the Cheyenne who were part of Aiden’s group protested. So did Grandfather.
“They are angry that Wolf Walking Alone would strike a man with no weapons,” Two Spots explained. As she spoke, Wolf Walking Alone shouted at them and pushed Aiden to his hands and knees. The women protested again, one of them speaking at length. “Wolf Walking Alone says he may have weapons hidden. Long Hair says he does not. Grandfather says to take off his clothes and see.”
“Take off his�
�.” Katie felt an odd rush, completely out of place with the danger both she and Aiden were in. The braves surrounding Aiden hoisted him to his feet and began stripping him. They yanked his shirt up over his head and tugged his trousers down, leaving him in nothing but his skivvies. A grin tweaked Katie’s lips before she could stop herself. Aiden Murphy certainly had nothing to be ashamed of when it came to showing off the fine form under his clothes. By the looks a few of the Cheyenne woman sent his way, they could see it too. She even heard a woman somewhere behind her mutter something that was clearly appreciation, no matter the language.
The woman with the fiddle, Long Hair, said something that clearly meant, “I told you so.” Aiden was unarmed, and now he was all but naked. Wolf Walking Alone and his friends didn’t seem at all pleased.
For his part, Aiden seemed to suddenly be full of the confidence that had always irritated Katie so much. He let the crowd look at him. “I’ve got no weapons,” he said, holding his arms to his sides.
With all the danger he was in, the daft pillock had the nerve to turn toward Katie and wink. Katie heated from head to toe, more so when the woman who had made the appreciative comment behind her laughed. She said something saucy and poked Katie in the arm.
Whether it was the woman’s intention or not, Sky Bear let Katie go. He stood to the side and stared at her, eyes narrowed. Then he glanced across the gap to Aiden. Aiden’s grin melted when he met Sky Bear’s stare. A chill swirled down Katie’s spine. It didn’t take words for two men to know when they had something to fight about.
That storm would have to wait until later.
“I have seen this thing of yours before,” Grandfather spoke to Aiden in English.
Aiden’s face lit up with the same relief that Katie had felt when she realized someone could speak her language, and he pivoted to face Grandfather. “Thing?” he asked.
“This box of music.” Grandfather stepped around the fire and over to the woman who held the fiddle. She offered it up to him as if it was a precious object. Grandfather looked it over, then held it out to Aiden. “Will you make music for me?”
“I....” For a moment, Aiden’s mouth hung open. He blinked and took the fiddle. “I need the bow,” he said, turning to the woman who held it.
She rushed forward to give it to him, running her eyes over his broad chest, with its firm muscles and dusting of black hair, as she did. She giggled as Aiden took the bow from her. He even winked at her. Katie growled in disapproval before she could stop herself. Aiden had no business flirting with strange women when his life, when her life was in danger. What did he think he was doing?
Another voice inside of Katie told her he knew exactly what he was doing, what he had always done. He was endearing himself to people, this time so they wouldn’t kill him. Aiden was charming their captors. She had picked a fight. She clenched her jaw and hugged herself, wondering if she could set things right.
It took Aiden a few tense seconds to pluck the strings and turn the tuning pegs to get his fiddle back in tune. The watching Cheyenne pulsed with impatience and expectation. When Aiden finally raised the fiddle to his chin and brought the bow down over the strings in the first long, stirring notes of a ballad, the crowd let out an awed murmur. Whether it was deliberate, to win the people, or just the way Aiden was with his fiddle, his expression filled with emotion that matched the song. Katie watched as more than one of the women swayed toward him, stars in their eyes.
Then Aiden transitioned from the ballad to a jig. He started slowly, but with every bar he sped up and sped up until the people gasped and laughed at the lively tune. The children within earshot even began to dance, though Katie had never seen that kind of dance set to an Irish jig. Even one of the old men tried out a few rocking steps of one of the Cheyenne dances to the spritely tune. His friends laughed at his efforts.
Katie’s heart beat harder at what she saw: the old man dancing, the children cavorting, the women gazing at Aiden’s body. Even the majority of the braves watched either Aiden or their friends and family with neutral expressions. They could have been furious that two Irishmen had infiltrated their village, but they weren’t. As Aiden played on, Katie was filled with the unsettling feeling that she was safe, that none of these people would hurt her now, that she and Aiden were considered novelties of some sort and not threatening white men, like the white men they had encountered in the past.
Her sense of safety was underscored when Aiden finished his jig and stopped playing. There wasn’t actually a round of applause, but the people voiced their approval and some of the elders tapped the walking sticks they held on the ground. Grandfather said something by way of a pronouncement that many people agreed with. He then turned to Aiden and said in English, “Your medicine is powerful. Your skin may be white, but I think the Wise One Above has sent you to us. You are welcome to our village.”
Katie let out a breath heavy with relief. Aiden glanced to her across the gap between them. He smiled and nodded with a confidence that reassured her. It also made her heart swell with a longing that was warm and almost uncomfortable, like something raw and new. No, on second thought, she had the suspicion she’d been feeling that longing for years, but had never been given the chance to grasp it with Aiden crowding her so. Heat flooded her face at the thought. Did that make her a complete fool?
“Thank you.” Aiden nodded respectfully to Grandfather, to the other elders, men and women. As fit and powerful as his physique was, no one seemed wary around him. One of the braves even thumped him on the shoulder and said a few steady words—though whether the brave was befriending him or testing Aiden’s strength Katie didn’t know. Aiden smiled in response all the same.
How did he know just what to say and how to act around people? Katie shook her head at the thought. He had always known how to charm just about anyone. She had always considered it a roguish trait, but it had just saved both of their skins and won Aiden valuable friends. Had he always been that smart? Had he always been so brave?
Sky Bear said something beside her in a cold voice, at odds with the scene in front of them. Katie tensed from head to toe, more so when she realized he was looking and talking at her. He was shirtless as well, and his chest was just as broad and muscled as Aiden’s, but the sight was threatening instead of tempting. Even more so when Two Spots said, “Sky Bear tells you to go back to his mother’s tipi. He does not want his future wife looking at this white man.”
Katie swallowed hard. “I don’t want to be his wife,” she said in a ragged whisper.
Two Spots met her eyes with mournful camaraderie. She didn’t want Katie to be his wife either. Neither of them could do anything. Sky Bear barked his command again and pointed in the direction of his mother’s tipi. Magpie Woman said something to him that sounded to Katie’s ears like “Oh, I’ll take care of this one, all right.” She motioned for Katie to come away as well.
Two Spots took Katie’s hand, and they edged their way through the crowd and away from Aiden. With a heavy heart, Katie twisted to glance over her shoulder, searching for Aiden as if she could somehow explain where she was going and why. The crowd had closed the gap, blocking her view of him. Instead she saw Sky Bear, standing firm and tall with his arms crossed over his powerful chest, a self-satisfied expression on his unyielding face.
Katie’s illusion of safety vanished. She may not be in danger of being killed, but there were worse things waiting for her.
Chapter Ten
Magpie Woman had even less patience with Katie after the midday meal than she had had in the morning. The village was busy and all hands were needed to work. Katie was dragged from one task to another, mostly chores that involved preparing food. Magpie Woman barked orders at her that she couldn’t understand—especially when Two Spots was called away. Her new friend had to help an old woman, who she explained to Katie was her aunt and her only family left alive. Katie thought she was doing everything that Magpie Woman told her to do correctly, but every time she tried, the older wo
man shouted at her, grabbed her hands, and made her do things a different way.
It took all of Katie’s willpower not to lash out. She wanted to grab hold of one of Magpie Woman’s plaits and tug it out of her head or scratch the sneer right off her face every time she was corrected, but she didn’t. Aiden had won people with charm. She would try to do the same. But Aiden didn’t have to deal with Magpie Woman.
What had happened to Aiden? For the dozenth time while grinding corn for cakes, Katie stopped her work and stood to search for him. She had been kept so busy since his arrival that she hadn’t had time to go look for him, and he hadn’t come looking for her. Was he in trouble?
Probably not, she thought with a weary sigh, exhausted down to her bones. Aiden was never in trouble, even when he was. He had talked himself out of more situations than she could recall. He had an amazing ability to leap out of the way of falling stones or avoid broken glass or duck before any man fighting him could land a punch. He was strong and clever that way. He hadn’t heaved up his dinner once on the entire Atlantic crossing.
The memory of the way he had held her on the ship when she had been so sick bubbled up, leaving Katie close to tears for the thousandth time that day. She hugged herself to match Aiden’s arms as she remembered them. What was wrong with her? She was supposed to be the brave one. She was supposed to be the one that craved adventure and was ready to face any challenge. She had been kidnapped, but it was Aiden who jumped into action and came after her, risking his own neck. Her heart ached for just one look at him, for just one look at the man who had been by her side whenever she needed him for her whole life. It didn’t seem like such a burden to always have him there now. She needed sleep desperately if her thoughts were bending in that direction.