Untamed

by Sharon Ihle

  Aware that jealousy was creeping into her heart again, Josie shook off those covetous thoughts and filled a fairly clean kettle with water. Not long after Sissy cleaned her face and hands, and soaked her frozen feel in the warns water, Long Belly returned from the barn. Dusted again with the snow that was still falling, he shook himself like the dog that he was, turning the dirt near the threshold into a puddle of mud. Then he stripped off his coat and boots and plodded barefoot over to Daniel's bed, where he still sat working the piece of deerskin.

  "So, my friend," Long Belly said. "Before I punish your foolish woman, I must ask—how well does this perfect gift warm your bed these cold nights?"

  Daniel glanced at Josie, who was holding her breath, then hesitated just long enough to rob himself of an answer.

  "It is as I thought," surmised Long Belly. "She is no good for pleasure either. For this, I am sorry, brother. Perhaps you will accept my gift of Buffalo Hair in your bed tonight."

  "Ah, thanks... but no thanks."

  "But you must," Long Belly insisted. "My woman knows much about the pleasure of men. I will take this worthless female to my own bed and show her what it means to please a man."

  Josie gasped, terrified to think that Daniel might encourage such an arrangement. And why wouldn't he? Sissy was a much better bargain in a man's bed than Josie was or could ever be.

  "I should have beaten this worthless female before I left on my journey," Long Belly continued, his features set like stone. "I will beat her now and send her to my loft."

  "You do," she said, not crouching, but backing up, "and I'll kill you. I swear I will."

  "Hold it right there." Daniel came to her rescue again, as before, on the late side. "Don't I have anything to say about who sleeps in my bed?"

  The savage turned away from Josie. "Of course, but I know you will prefer my woman to yours. She will make you very happy. I owe you this and more."

  "Dammit, Long Belly, you owe me nothing, you bear? Nothing." Daniel glanced at Josie, making tip his mind about something, then turned back to the Cheyenne. "As to your offer of Buffalo Hair, I really can't accept. If there's one thing my perfect little gift knows how to do, it's take the chill out of a man's blanket. Besides that, she cooks up a mean batch of flapjacks. Leave her with me."

  Before then, Josie had felt a distinct separation from the other three, a sense of isolation that she hadn't even felt when her stepfather dumped her at the pleasure palace. Until that moment of awareness, she hadn't realized how truly alone she was in the world. Now she figured that Daniel must care a little about her, no matter how deeply those sentiments were rooted in his own behalf, his own comfort. There was something more to his feelings, she just knew there was, some little piece of sympathy for her or her situation. Maybe both.

  If she were to survive this nightmare—and suddenly, Josie wanted nothing more than that—she would have to figure a way to nurture those sympathetic feelings in Daniel. To gain or keep this man as an ally, she had to do something to ensure his loyalty, to build on that tiny base until he was willing to see things her way. At least until he could find it in himself to make Long Belly take her back to civilization. Besides, she still didn't know very much about this business between men and women. Maybe Daniel wasn't such a bad way to learn. He wasn't handsome in the usual sense, but sensual in a kind of uncivilized way, a man who made promises with his eyes she thought he might keep. Cheyenne blood aside, he promised to be an improvement over the fumbling, inept Henry.

  For the first time since her abduction, Josie not only felt as if she could live through the experience, but take it into her own hands and control it. Besides which, she finally had a plan, one she intended to put into motion tonight—the very minute she and Daniel were alone.

  After a meal that turned out a whole lot better than Josie had expected it to be, an exhausted Long Belly stoked the fire for the night. Then he and Sissy went directly to the loft. Daniel eyed the pile of dirty plates and pans on the counter and smiled at Josie as if to suggest that she ought to wash them. While she intended to become more genial around him, she had no plans to turn into anyone's housemaid, ever again. If the dishes got washed, someone besides her in this bizarre little quartet would be getting the chapped hands.

  Ignoring his hints, Josie looked down at the dress she'd worn and slept in since the savage kidnapped her, a gown that wasn't merely wrinkled, but covered in soot thanks to Daniel's dreadful stove. As long as she was going to be relaxing her standards in other ways, she figured it couldn't hurt to ease them in regards to modesty as well. After setting a clean bucket of water on the table and dropping the robe Sissy had brought along from Lola's onto the chair beside it, she blew out the lantern and proceeded to wash up in the dark.

  "Hey," Daniel called from his bed. "Why'd you douse the light? I'm still working on this deerskin."

  Her face as clean as it was going to get under these circumstances, Josie patted her skin dry with a rag she'd washed just for that purpose, then said, "I prefer to tend to my toilet in private. If you must have the light, I'll bring the lantern over when I come to bed."

  She heard Daniel's sigh echoing in the darkness. "Never mind," he muttered. "I guess I'm about ready to turn in myself."

  In the silence that followed, save for the howling wind, Josie washed out her dress, then draped it over the antlers next to Daniel's coat. Still wearing her chemise, drawers, and stockings, she slipped into the red satin robe and hurried across the frigid room to the warmth of the bed.

  Josie had barely settled into her spot at the far edge of the mattress when Daniel's voice came to her on a whisper.

  "I've been cutting a pattern in that piece of deerskin to make some high boots for you. With the weather the way it is, it looks like you'll probably be here at least another week. I figured you could use your own pair."

  Josie was so surprised and touched, at first she didn't know how to respond. She didn't want to appear to be too grateful, thereby losing the upper hand, and yet she could hardly brush off such a thoughtful gesture.

  "Why, thank you," she finally said, settling for something in between. "I appreciate your going to the trouble. When will they be done?"

  Josie felt him shrug against the mattress. "Depends on how long it takes you to sew them up. You do sew, don't you?"

  "Well... no."

  "God almighty, woman, what can you do?"

  It wasn't easy, but somehow Josie managed to keep from laughing as she said, "Muck out the stalls?"

  He sighed. "All right. I'll sew them up good and tight, but if you want beads or other decorations, you'll just have to learn how to sew well enough to put them on yourself."

  "It's a deal," Josie inched a little closer to Daniel, hungry for his warmth and something she couldn't define so easily. "I expect I ought to thank you for keeping your crazy brother in-law away from me earlier. I think he might have killed me if we'd come to blows."

  Before answering, Daniel rolled to his side, facing her, He was so close, their noses were practically touching as he said, "Long Belly wouldn't really have beaten you. He just wanted to put a scare in you, He's got it in his head that all women should behave the way his own mother and the other female members of his tribe do. He figures threats will frighten you into doing what he thinks you should do."

  Knowing the relationship between the two men, Josie's best move would have been to swallow her hatred and keep her thoughts to herself. Somehow it didn't work out that way.

  "Long Belly makes threats because he's nothing but a no-account, bloodthirsty savage."

  She said it with a sneer that must have been audible. Until then, the air around Josie had felt cold. Now it seemed as frozen as Daniel's voice when he finally replied.

  "You don't much like Indians, do you?"

  "I loathe them," she said, unable to stop the torrent of hatred. "You would too if your father and brother were murdered by savages like Long Belly during an attack on your wagon train."

  Again h
e was quiet a long moment before answering.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't know," Daniel said softly. "I'm not saying this is the same thing as what happened to you, but as an army scout, I saw soldiers murdering Indian women and babies. I could feel much the way you do after witnessing such brutality, but I don't hate all whites just because of the acts of a few."

  Pausing to think over Daniel's rationale, Josie couldn't argue the point. She did manage come up with another case against Long Belly.

  "All right," she said easily. "I agree that hating all Indians doesn't make much sense, but I think I have good reason to loathe your no-account brother-in-law. He kidnapped me, remember?"

  "That's right," he admitted. "You also know damn good and well that's not what he set out to do. He still believes that he bought you as a gift—and so far, you haven't been much of a bargain."

  Daniel slipped his arm around Josie's waist then, catching her off guard. Surprising her even more, he pulled her fully into his arms and kissed her. It wasn't a sudden smashing of lips, the way he'd done their first morning together, but a more gentle embrace, almost a caress. She allowed the kiss, and even met it with a decided burst of enthusiasm, figuring this might be a good time to add a little show of appreciation to her plan.

  Daniel pulled away from her lips briefly, gasping as he said, "Heaven's above, Josie. I think we've finally found something you can do."

  Her cheeks were burning, and strangely enough she wanted another of Daniel's kisses, but she made herself say, "Thanks, and good night."

  "Good night?" Instead of letting go of her, Daniel tightened his grip on her waist. "But I though... hell, woman, the way you just kissed me and all, I thought you were finally ready to be a little more friendly in bed."

  "I don't know why you would think that. I told you once that I don't consider this cabin a brothel, and therefore—"

  "I know, I know," he grumbled. "You're not on duty."

  "That's right. I'm trying to think of this unfortunate incident as a vacation of sorts."

  "Well, so am I, lady, so am I." He pulled her closer, snuggling her breasts up tight against his chest. "What's so wrong with the two of us having a little fun together? Your friend in the loft doesn't seem to mind the arrangement."

  Daniel kissed her again, growing bolder in both touch and manner, enough anyway to take Josie's breath away and fog up her mind a little. It occurred to her, and none too soon, that maybe she didn't have quite as much control of him, the situation, or even herself as she assumed she would have. When she realized that she'd actually wrapped one of her legs across his hip and was pressing her intimate self against his knee, panic set in. Afraid of what she might do next, Josie called on one of the complaints she'd overheard from the working girls at Lola's, hoping that would convince Daniel to leave her alone.

  "I guess I should have told you before now," she blurted out the next time his lips left hers. "I'm afraid I've gone and caught a pox from one of my customers."

  This worked so well, Daniel all but left his fingers behind in his haste to get as far away from Josie as he could. In fact, he clung so closely to the edge of the mattress throughout the night, she worried that he would fall out of bed and re-injure his leg.

  * * *

  The following morning, Josie crept out from under the covers while Daniel was still sleeping and tiptoed over to check on her dress. Not only was it still damp, but even in the vague light she could see that all she'd done while trying to wash it was grind the soot into a great dark cloud that covered up most of the bodice. She was too cold to parade around the cabin in nothing but her underwear and the satin robe, attire that was too revealing to wear around the men anyway.

  Left with no alternative, she slipped into Daniel's heavy coat, and then reached for his high boots. Josie was just pulling on the second moccasin when she heard the ladder squeaking behind her. In the next second, Long Belly stood over her.

  "I will put wood in the stove," he said quietly. "You will make coffee."

  The boots firmly in place for the time being, Josie clung to the hope that Daniel's claims about the savage were true. Then she rose to her full height, still several inches shorter than Long Belly, and said, "Maybe later. Right now I'm on my way out to the barn."

  "What concerns do you have in the barn?"

  "I thought I'd feed the animals, milk the cow, and collect some eggs. All right?" Dismissing him, she turned toward the door and reached for the latch.

  Long Belly's hand suddenly trapped Josie's between him and the rough pine planks. "I will tend to the animals as I always do," he said doggedly. "You will make coffee and clean our dishes."

  "I don't think so."

  The Indian looked as if he'd been gut-punched. Josie used his paralysis to her advantage by pushing on the latch and freeing the door. As she stepped over the threshold, Long Belly was suddenly himself again. He leapt up beside her and used his arm as a barricade to lock their two bodies into the confines of the door frame,

  "You will do as you are told," he said, loud and demanding. Josie struggled, trying to pop free of the brute. "I'm going to the barn. Now get out of my way."

  "What the hell is going on?" said Daniel from behind them. "Shut the damn door. It's already cold enough in here to freeze a witch's ass without inviting the storm inside, too,"

  Giving into the Cheyenne's superior strength as well as Daniel's request, Josie backed into the room, complaining loudly. "I'm trying to go out to the barn and take care of the livestock, but Long Belly won't let me pass."

  The Cheyenne pulled the door shut, and then shocked Josie by grabbing her arm and dragging her over to the stove. "You belong here, cooking and cleaning. Here you will stay."

  "Let go of me," she warned, kicking the savage in the shins.

  Long Belly hollered, but tightened his grip.

  "Dammit all, you two." Exasperated, Daniel reached for his crutches and climbed out of bed. "What do I have to do? Dump a pail of ice water on your heads to get you to calm down?"

  Ignoring Daniel, Josie brought her heel down hard on the Indian's toes. Long Belly immediately released her, and then lit into her with a string of Cheyenne curses.

  By now Daniel, who was clad only in his drawers, had hobbled over to where they stood. "Now what?"

  Long Belly, paying about as much attention to him as Josie had, reached into the pile of dirty pots and pans, grabbed a plate crusted with grease and who knew what, and thrust it into Josie's hand.

  "When I return from the barn," he said. "You will have coffee made and these dishes clean."

  Intent on only one thing, refusing to be a slave for either of these men, she let the plate slip through her fingers and shatter against the plank floor.

  "Come on, Josie," said Daniel. "Anyone can wash dishes. At least give it a try."

  He then made the mistake of reaching into the pile and handing her a second plate. Like the first, she let it fall through her fingers and smash against the floor.

  "Josie—what the hell is wrong with you?"

  "I will not be your slave," she said defiantly. "I'll never be anyone's slave again." With that, she ran past the two men and headlong into the storm.

  After closing the door behind her, Long Belly cast a long glance Daniel's way and said, "Broken Dishes. I think we should name your woman Broken Dishes."

  Daniel regarded the shattered crockery at his feet. "That sounds about right. Broken Dishes, it is."

  "Forgive my bad judgment, brother." Long Belly limped to the counter, his leg dragging. "This gift has been worse than no gift at all. If it takes the rest of my life, l must—"

  "Don't say it, you red-skinned son of a bitch. If you say that you owe me one more time, I swear, I'll throttle you till your eyeballs pop out."

  Long Belly just smiled, promising nothing beyond the moment.

  Hearing a familiar squeak, Daniel glanced up to see Sissy climbing down the stairs.

  "What's all the commotion?" she asked, joining them near the s
tove.

  Grumbling to himself, Daniel said, "Long Belly here was trying to teach Josie how to wash the dishes. She didn't take too kindly to the job."

  "I don't mind washing no dishes." Glancing at the mess on the floor, Sissy dropped to her hands and knees and began picking up the fragments.

  "You will not do this," said Long Belly. "And you will not wash dishes. You will think only of finding the buffalo's sleeping place again."

  "I didn't find no sleeping place." Sissy sat back on her heels. "All's I did was fall in a hole."

  Long Belly refused to believe this. "The buffalo spirit led you there."

  She shook her great tumbleweed of hair. "If anything led me there, it was them big boots you gave me. That's why I tripped and fell in the first place."

  "You are the keeper of the buffalo spirit," he stubbornly insisted.

  In exasperation, Sissy looked to Daniel.

  He leaned forward, resting more heavily on his crutches, and said to his brother-in-law, "If Buffalo Hair wants to wash the dishes, let her. I don't see how that can defile the precious spirit inside her anymore than you do when you take her to your bed."

  Long Belly bristled. "That is different."

  "Oh?" It wasn't often that Daniel actually backed the man into a corner. He rather relished the opportunity. "How do you figure that? If I remember correctly, the Cheyenne set a high store on keeping their women chaste outside of marriage."

  "Buffalo Hair was not chaste when she first came to me, and she was not chaste with me before I realized she had the spirit in her." Proud of his logic, Long Belly went on to say, "If I do not touch this woman again, she will not become chaste again, so why should I deny myself her pleasure?"

  Daniel laughed, impressed with his rapid rationalization of the situation.

  Encouraged, Long Belly added yet another bit of logic. "Besides, Buffalo Hair is not a Cheyenne woman. She does not have to follow our customs."