by Linda Bridey
Will smiled. “I’ll bet. Sounds like you had a nice evening.”
“I did. You would have enjoyed it,” she said and gave him a steady look.
Will heard the note of censure in her voice, and he knew she was right to call him on it. He decided to ignore it, though.
“So what time should I pick you up tonight to go to the bar? I’m looking forward to hearing you play. I hear you were well received the other night,” Will said.
“It was so much fun. Seth has appointed himself my protector and Pricilla made Raven promise to watch over me as well. She doesn’t like the idea of me working there, but Raven put her in her place about it,” she said with a smile.
“That’s good. Both of them will keep you safe and when you’re with me, I’ll make sure no one messes with you, either,” Will assured her.
“Thank you. I guess if you pick me up about seven that should be fine,” Zoe said. “It’ll give me time to warm up and all.”
“Ok. I’d better get back. I’ll see you then,” Will said. He kissed her cheek and left the porch.
Unbeknownst to either Will or Zoe, Raven watched from up the street a little ways. He was out on patrol and wanted to go by Pricilla’s to see Zoe. Upon seeing Will, Raven had stopped his horse to see what happened between them. Will hadn’t stayed very long even though Raven knew that Will was allowed to take up to an hour for lunch if he wanted to.
Jealousy swept through Raven and he became even more determined to make Zoe see that he was the right choice for her. Raven put his horse into a trot and stopped in front of Pricilla’s.
The happy smile she gave him filled him with gladness and he grinned back at her. “Are you busy?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. How is your day going? Did you chase down any bad guys?”
Raven laughed. “No. Not today. Would you like to go for a ride?”
“Aren’t you on duty?” she asked.
“Not now. I’m on lunch,” he replied. “You look very pretty.” His eyes moved over her figure in her coat and pink paisley dress.
Zoe smiled and realized that Will hadn’t complimented her, nor had he asked to do anything with her. She stood up and came down the steps to him. “Are you sure you won’t get into trouble?”
“I’m sure.” He removed his foot from the stirrup and held out his hand to her. Zoe put her foot in the stirrup and let him swing her up in back of him.
“Ready?” he asked as she wrapped her arms around him and scooted right up against him. He let out a silent groan as desire shot through him.
“I’m ready.”
Raven put his horse into motion, travelling at a fast canter. Shortly outside of town, Raven turned down a trail that was as familiar to him as the back of his hand.
“Where are we going?” she asked as foliage closed in around them.
“To our old camp where I grew up,” Raven said as his horse followed the trail downward.
Zoe smiled. “Really?”
“Yes.”
They rode at a good speed and it wasn’t long before they broke out of the trees into a huge clearing. Raven looked around and saw that much of the trees and other vegetation was starting to come alive again. He hadn’t been there in a while. Zoe looked around at it and could tell that there had been a fire.
“What happened here?” she asked.
“The army started a wildfire to flush us out. It worked, too. They just didn’t count on Uncle Dean and our white family helping our tribe. They let all of us stay at their ranch until we found our new camp.”
Raven guided his horse to where his family’s tipi had stood. “Our tipi was right here. I can close my eyes and see our camp and hear the voices of my tribe.”
Zoe held him a little closer, but said nothing. What could she possibly say that would ease the hurt of losing his childhood home in such an awful way?
“I think Joe took pictures once or twice. He is picture happy, but sometimes it’s a good thing.” He trotted their horse down another, shorter trail and they came out on a huge rock ledge that overlooked the river.
Zoe looked out over the mountains and trees. She could hear the rushing water below. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yes. This is where Reckless dives during the summer and into the fall. He says that it’s his prayer time with Wakan Tanka, our Creator and giver of everything,” Raven explained.
“He dives into the river from up here?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s beautiful,” Raven said, “but he’s crazy for doing it. That’s why his name is Reckless. It’s his name and also what he is.”
Zoe chuckled. “I’d like to see it sometime.”
“Then you will. I’ll bring you.”
She pressed her face against Raven’s back and hugged him tighter. “You feel so good.”
His chuckle sounded under her ear. “So do you.”
The cold wind blew stronger and Zoe lifted her head, enjoying the sensation of it on her face. “I miss ice skating. Will is supposed to take me this weekend, but I don’t know if he remembered or not.”
Raven grunted and Zoe could tell it was a displeased sound.
“What did that mean?” she asked.
“I would never forget making plans with you,” Raven said.
Zoe laughed. “You really are competitive and persistent.”
“I told you so,” he said and then sighed. “I have to get back before I’m missed.”
“Ok. I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Zoe said.
“Will you come to me tonight like before?” Raven asked.
“Yes, I will,” Zoe said.
He grunted again, and she could tell that her response had pleased him. Reluctantly, Raven turned his horse back the way they’d come and rode quickly for town.
*****
The Watering Hole crowd was already boisterous when Will and Zoe arrived. Loud laughter, clinking glasses, and conversation greeted their ears. Will was surprised to see Zoe’s happy grin. It was obvious to him that she really liked the place.
“Hi, Jake!” she said loudly so he could hear her.
“Well, hello, Miss Zoe,” Jake said with a grin. “Ready to play tonight?”
She held up her banjo case as a response. “I need a shot, please.”
Jake laughed and Will gave her an odd look, but Zoe didn’t see it. Jake did, however, and thought, uh oh. There might be a problem here. He filled the shot glass and gave it to Zoe. She was very excited about playing and downed the whiskey in one swallow. Jake laughed when she coughed a little and then burped.
Will patted her on the back and asked, “Are you all right?”
“Yep. I’m fine. Just a little something for my nerves.”
“What can I get you, Will?” Jake asked.
“I’ll have a beer,” he answered.
Once they had their drinks, they chose a table near the front, so Will could see her play.
As they sat down, Will said, “Make sure Joe lets you have a little break, so I can dance with you.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure, but I’m not a good dancer. I’m clumsy, remember?”
“Don’t worry; I’ll catch you if you trip,” he replied, his green eyes filled with amusement.
Suddenly Joe came up and plunked down in the chair by Zoe. “There’s my banjo player. How’s Miss Zoe tonight?” he asked with his trademark megawatt smile.
Zoe was happy to see Joe again. “I’m good and ready to play.”
“Good girl. Ben is gonna play with us tonight. You’ll enjoy his piano playin’. He doesn’t always play, but I browbeat him into it tonight.”
“Oh, good. I haven’t met him yet,” Zoe said.
“He’s a surgeon and works with Marcus,” Joe explained.
“Marcus is so funny. I stayed in Dean’s tipi last night, and we played poker before bedtime,” Zoe said.
Joe laughed. “Sounds like you’ve been having fun since you got here.” He looked at Will and said, “I was glad that meeting
didn’t go over. It works better when you can keep George moving along and actually get business done.”
Will nodded. “I know. He seemed a little distracted last night. I hope he’s feelin’ ok.”
“I don’t,” Joe said. “God forgive me, but I’m praying for the day when the Lord takes him home. He’s been a pain in my ass for years now, and I’m sick of him.”
Zoe couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled to the surface. Joe and Will laughed with her.
Will said, “Yeah, he can be pretty tough to stomach sometimes. I thought Dean was gonna kill him last night.”
Joe nodded. “Yeah, when Dean gets a certain expression on his face, you’d better look out. I’ve seen it enough times to know.”
Zoe felt hands settle on her shoulders and yelped in surprise. She looked up to see Seth smiling down at her. “Hi there,” she said.
“Hi, sweetheart. I see you survived breakfast ok,” Seth said as he came around and joined them.
“That was so much fun. Jack is very possessive of the kitchen,” Zoe said with a laugh.
“That’s one way to put it,” Seth said. “Marcus calls him a tyrant, and I’d say that’s about right.”
“He makes great food, though,” Zoe said. “And a lot of it.”
“That’s because he’s a bottomless pit, and it takes a lot to fill him up,” Seth answered.
Zoe leaned towards Will and said, “Seth complains about Jack eating too much, but he is almost just as bad.”
Joe recognized what she was doing and burst out laughing. Being around the Lakota so much, he’d learned many of their customs and knew about avoidance relationships and how those people communicated with each other.
Seth said, “I used to like you, Zoe,” and laughed.
Joe asked, “Who taught you that?”
“Marcus did last night during poker. Seth taught me how to play. We had so much fun,” Zoe said.
Seth said, “You should have come out with her, Will. You’re a pretty good card player.”
Will said, “I didn’t know she was going out, or I probably would have.”
Joe watched the byplay between Will and Zoe and thought things didn’t seem quite right there.
“Oh,” Seth said. “Next time then.”
Raven snuck up behind Seth and kicked his chair hard, almost throwing Seth on the floor. Seth got up quickly from his chair and punched Raven’s arm in response. Both men laughed.
“Damn it, Raven! One of these days I’m gonna throttle you for doin’ that,” Seth said.
Raven laughed. “It’s a bad thing for me that you’re tall enough to do it.”
Seth said, “Jeez, I remember when you were this cute little kid running around. I’d come to camp, and you’d run right at me. Do you remember me picking you up and throwing you?”
“Yes, uncle, I do,” Raven said with laughter in his eyes. “I don’t think you want to do that now, though.”
Seth laughed. “No, I guess not.”
Zoe loved hearing about Raven’s childhood and listened intently to their conversation. Joe noticed the way Zoe was looking at Raven and stole a glance at Will, who was paying too much attention to Seth and Raven. Joe thought this was a good thing because if Will saw what he saw in Zoe’s eyes, Will wouldn’t be happy.
“Raven, will you come with me? I need to talk to you a minute. Excuse us, y’all. Bouncer stuff,” Joe said.
Raven frowned, but followed Joe. The mayor led him to Jake’s office and shut the door after them. He rounded on Raven and asked, “What the hell are you doin’?”
“What do you mean?”
“Zoe is off limits,” Joe said.
Raven didn’t bother pretending innocence. He knew that Joe saw things like this very easily compared to other people and to deny it would be useless. “No, she is not.”
“Yes, she is,” Joe insisted.
Raven’s brows knitted together in a fierce expression, and Joe was reminded of Black Fox. “No, she is not,” Raven said emphatically. “Will has not asked to court her, and he has not made much of an effort to spend time with her. I have.”
It was Joe’s turn to frown. “He hasn’t? That’s weird. I noticed that they didn’t seem especially close. I mean, I know they just met, but I remember how it was with Lacey and me. After she got here, I pretty much thought about her all the time.”
“Exactly. She knows she has a choice to make,” Raven said.
Joe asked, “So she returns your feelings?”
“Yes, but she still has to make up her mind. I have told her that if she chooses me that I want to court her with serious intentions of marriage. She understands how serious I am, and I have shown her how much I think of her by spending as much time with her as I can. Will has not,” Raven said.
Joe thought over what Raven told him. “When did you spend time with her? Out in public?”
“No. I’m not that stupid. In private, talking and getting to know each other,” Raven said. He laughed and told Joe about the night Zoe had gotten stuck in the swing.
Joe laughed along with him. “Poor girl.”
“It was that night that realized that I liked her. She was so funny and sweet,” Raven said.
Joe looked at the lopsided smile on Raven’s face and knew that Raven was smitten. “So this is serious then?”
Raven nodded.
“Do you love her? I mean, I know it’s maybe too soon to know that, but when I look back on how things were for me and Lacey, I must have been in love with her when I married her even though we were married only four days after I met her. Sometimes you just know,” Joe said.
Raven sighed. “I am trying not to let myself go … um, down that road because if she were to choose Will for some reason …”
Joe understood and smiled. “Well, call me biased, but I’m rooting for my very brave brave.” Joe clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m not gonna tell a soul about this. We never had this conversation, ok?”
“Ok. Thanks, Joe.”
“You bet.”
Chapter Eleven
Will and Zoe laughed when she tripped while they danced. He kept her on her feet and she’d be all right for a little while, and then trip again. Joe was having a hard time getting through the song they were performing because it was so funny. It reminded him of when Rick Westlake danced. The man couldn’t dance a lick, and Zoe wasn’t doing much better.
Joe watched the young couple and saw that while they were having a good time, there was no real spark there. Then his eyes found Raven and he saw that the brave’s gaze rested heavily on Zoe and Will. The jealousy on Raven’s face was visible if you looked close enough and Joe thought that Zoe had better make a choice sooner rather than later.
When the song was over, Zoe thanked Will for the dance and came back up on stage to sit by Seth. Joe was glad to see Raven relax and go on about his job.
*****
Will walked up on Pricilla’s porch with Zoe later that night when he took her home.
“I had a really good time,” Will said. “You play like you were born to it.”
“Well, I was only seven when my father taught me, so I’ve been playing a long time,” Zoe said. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“I did. But how is someone who is such a good banjo player such a bad dancer?” he teased her.
“Shut up,” she said and hit his arm. “I can’t help it.”
Will chuckled. “I didn’t say you could.”
They sobered and Will looked at her intently for a few moments. Then he took her hand and led her over to sit down on the swing.
“Zoe, this is hard for me to say, so bear with me. I like you. You’re pretty, and fun, and sweet, but … I’m not trying to hurt you, but I am just not sure that I can ever develop romantic feelings for you,” Will said.
Zoe saw regret in his eyes and how badly he felt. Then it struck her funny that they shared the same lack of feelings. She started laughing then.
Will had expected tears, not laughter a
nd he smiled a little uncertainly.
Zoe got herself under control and said, “Will, it is such a relief to hear you say it because I was going to tell you the same thing.”
“Are you kidding me?” Will asked.
“No. I’m telling you the absolute truth,” Zoe said. “I was going to tell you tonight, but you beat me to it. I really like you, but as a friend. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. We gave it a shot. We knew that it might not work out. Will you go back home?” he asked.
“No. I’m happy here. I love my job and the people in town,” Zoe said.
Will nodded. “Good. You’ll find someone here, Zoe. You’re too good a catch not to.”
“Thanks. What about you, Will?”
He sighed. “I’m disappointed, but I’m not giving up. I’ll have Marcus run the ad again and see what happens. I’m determined.”
“You’ll find someone. You’re too good of a catch not to, too,” she said with a smile.
“You’re funny. So no hard feelings?” he asked.
“None. Can we still be friends?”
“Absolutely. I’d like that,” Will replied.
Zoe nodded. “Good.”
Will kissed her cheek. “Goodnight, Zoe. Don’t be a stranger.”
“You, neither,” Zoe said.
Will descended the steps and looked back to wave at her. Zoe waved and felt a small pang of regret. Then relief pushed it aside and elation coursed through her as she realized that she was free to be with Raven. Quietly she went inside and up to her room. Looking at the clock, she saw she had two hours before Raven would be along. It felt like an eternity.
*****
When he arrived at Pricilla’s, Raven was pleasantly surprised to find Zoe waiting for him on the swing. As soon as she saw him, Zoe came down off the porch and hugged him. He squeezed her back and then she took his hand and tugged him towards the backyard. Raven went willingly, curling his fingers around her hand.
Raven had brought along a blanket. He spread it on the ground amongst the trees and they sat down.
“Kȟaŋǧí, I’ve made my choice,” Zoe said as she looked him in the eyes.