by Linda Bridey
Will and Rachel learned many things about each other, such as that Will also enjoyed the classical music that Jake’s wife, Rebecca, and her brother, Ben, played at the Watering Hole. Will learned that Rachel loved cats, but only wanted a black one. This made Will keep teasing her about being a witch, and he bought her a decorative broomstick that he told her she could ride on Halloween. She, in turn, told him where he could shove said broomstick, but put it on the front door of her new apartment, nonetheless.
She’d moved out of Mitch and Sammi’s not just because of the continued strained relations between her and Mason, but just because she wanted more privacy than the Taylor residence afforded her. Will and Rachel were popular dinner guests. They were often invited to Pricilla’s, where Rachel constantly marveled at the way Raven not only conned the older lady into making him treats, but also coaxed her into better behavior.
Rachel and Zoe became friends and the two of them and Sadie liked to have lunch or tea on Saturday afternoons. Tucker and Sadie started going to the Watering Hole with Will and Rachel on Fridays to dance. Will loved holding Rachel in his arms and he would have been a liar if he’d said that he didn’t want to become more intimate with her.
Though Rachel was just as attracted to him and seemed to be more so every day, she didn’t want to step over that line. She’d done that with Brendon and she didn’t want to repeat the mistake. It was hard to resist the temptation, but resist it she did. She knew that Will respected her decision even though it wasn’t easy for him, and she appreciated his patience.
There were changes in their lives. Will was approved for a loan so he bought the old saddle shop and worked on repairing the roof. Tucker was only too happy to help his little brother, even though he complained about having to soon find a replacement for him at the feed mill. Jack and Shawn helped with the repairs and renovations, too, and the work moved along fairly fast. At the rate they were moving, Will figured he’d be able to open by the first week in November.
Rachel worked right along with Will on the new store and had a lot of good ideas. They had fun along the way and grew closer through their shared interest in the project. They spent many evenings drawing up ideas for furniture or for something they wanted to change about the store. Will respected Rachel’s intelligence and appreciated her artistic talents. Their shared interest in this area was another thing that deepened their relationship.
On a cold October night, Will and Rachel were working late at the new store. They were putting the final touches on the showroom. Furniture was rearranged and positioned to display it in the best possible light, and to make the most impact on customers as soon as they entered the shop. When they were finished, they stood looking around at everything to make sure there was nothing else that needed to be adjusted.
Will swung his gaze from a small table and chairs to Rachel. The light from the lamps they had lit bathed her in a warm glow and he was struck by her beauty. Her hair was gilded in gold and the pretty green calico dress she wore accentuated her lovely figure. Will could feel his heart swelling with an intense emotion and he knew in that moment that he’d fallen in love with her.
As Will moved to stand in front of her, Rachel looked up into his gorgeous green eyes and felt her breath catch when she saw the powerful emotions reflected in them.
“What is it?” she asked, as he put his arms around her.
“Do you know what an extraordinary woman you are?”
“Stop it,” she said smiling.
“No. I mean it,” Will said with a serious expression. “You’ve been in this with me from the beginning and it’s as much yours as it is mine. But more than that, you’ve supported me, encouraged me, and have shown me in so many ways how much you care about me. I couldn’t have done this without you.
“You’re beautiful, smart, and fun. I can’t tell you how much I’ve come to look forward to seeing you every day and that you’re always on my mind whenever I’m not with you.” He took her face in his hands. “Rachel, I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Tears made her eyes sparkle in the light and Will was mesmerized by the smile she gave him. “You love me?”
“Yes. I am hopelessly and completely in love with you,” Will said, and kissed her then.
It was a soft kiss that spoke of his tender feelings for her, a promise of things to come, and, yet, let her know that he regarded her as his. The excitement that flared between them was even stronger than usual and she couldn’t help kissing him back ardently. Her rapid, strong response to him elicited a groan from Will and he felt feverish as he pressed her closer against his body.
Rachel let Will sweep her up in a whirlwind of desire as his mouth left hers and he nibbled her neck. His strong shoulders flexed under her hands as she caressed his back and she didn’t know how much longer she could resist the intense primal feelings he brought out in her. Brendon had been a good lover, but the connection she had with Will made her realize that his lovemaking would be even more potent. There was a very sensual side to Will that she didn’t think others could readily see. It was an undercurrent between them until he chose to unleash it and then it captured her in its mighty grip, a hold from which she really didn’t want to escape.
Rachel was so caught up in him that when he suddenly pulled away from her and created space between them, she felt as though she’d been flying high above the ground and had suddenly plunged to the ground below.
She looked at him in shaky surprise and saw how his eyes had darkened with the force of his desire for her. Unsure of what to do, Rachel just looked at him, her eyes wide. Then he ran a hand through his hair, which had gotten longer over the last several weeks. A section fell over his forehead.
He smiled and said, “Sorry. I can’t help getting carried away where you’re concerned, Rachel. I apologize if I went too far.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m no better, really.” She stepped closer to him. “It’s not easy for me either, especially after what you just told me. No one has told me he loved me in a long time.” Rachel smiled softly at him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve come to mean so much to me, Will. I know it’s not fair of me, but I’m asking that you be patient with me a little while longer.”
Will fought the disappointment he felt that she didn’t return his sentiments. Not everyone fell in love at the same time, he knew. That Rachel hadn’t told him she loved him, too, wasn’t going to deter him, he found. No, he was going to keep showing her how much he loved her each and every day.
Will knew that she was scared to move too fast because of what had happened with the idiot she’d been involved with previously. Brendon’s deception and poor treatment of Rachel angered Will and he vowed to never do anything like that to hurt her. Her feelings meant more to him than physical gratification and he decided that the right thing to do was to wait until they were married before being intimate. He wasn’t sure how he was going to pull that off, but he would do it somehow.
He put his arms loosely around her waist and smiled at her. “Rachel, I have an abundance of patience and I’m not rushing you into anything. I also don’t intend to become intimate with you before we are married. So even though things may become, um, rather passionate between us sometimes, I don’t want to go beyond a certain point.”
His words created dual feelings of respect and disappointment inside her and she wasn’t sure how to respond to that at first. Will was right, of course. Marriage should come before there was any physical consummation of their relationship.
She kissed his check and said, “I am so lucky to have a man like you, Will. I’m glad you feel that way. Not that I don’t enjoy our passionate moments. Please don’t ever think that.”
“Oh, I can tell you do, believe me,” he said with a laugh. “It makes me happy that you seem to enjoy them as much as I do. It’s late. Let’s finish up and get out of here.”
When Will kissed her goodnight at the door to her apartment, he told her again t
hat he loved her and though Rachel wanted to say it back to him, she was just not sure if what she felt for him was enough to call love… yet. Will didn’t mind that she didn’t say it. When and if she ever said it, he wanted it to be genuine and from the heart, not said because she wanted to please him. That she wanted him in her life was enough for now.
*****
Will and Rachel’s lives weren’t the only ones changing. Sammi and Mitch were surprised by the change in their youngest son and knew it was due, in large part, to a certain tall Indian. Black Fox’s attentions seemed to be getting through to the young man, and, for that, the Taylors were grateful.
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Mason rode out to the camp with Aiyana and though they were alone on the way to and from the camp, he never did more than give her a quick kiss. He’d given the chief his word and he wasn’t going to go back on it. Aiyana was a little disappointed, but didn’t complain because at least she was able to be near Mason for several hours a week.
Mason had a lot of fun in camp. He was expected to work on homework when he was there, at which he had initially balked. Black Fox had calmly told the boy that if he didn’t like the rules, he was welcome to walk home. Mason had reluctantly began studying, even though he grumbled about it in his mind.
Black Fox was amused by Mason’s fiery personality and admired him for not being afraid to argue with Raven or Reckless about things, despite his smaller stature. Mason reminded him of Sammi and he could see her influence on the boy. While this was mostly a positive thing, Black Fox sought to teach Mason where to draw the line with his anger and channel it into something productive.
Much in the same way he would have accomplished this with any Lakota child, so did Black Fox use these methods on Mason. To get Mason more interested in his schoolwork, the chief sat with him and asked questions. Sometimes, he purposely pretended not to understand something so Mason had to repeat the answer to him, thus making sure the correct information was embedded in Mason’s mind.
Black Fox enjoyed learning new things, which was one reason he’d caught onto English so quickly when Marcus had first started teaching it to him many years ago. In return, Black Fox had worked hard in teaching his little brother Lakota. Black Fox had accepted Marcus as his brother right away but had known that others in the tribe did not. He felt that if Marcus knew how to speak Lakota well, this would increase his chances of gaining respect within the tribe. It had worked.
So when Mason had new subjects on which to work, Black Fox learned right along with him. He even took to reading some of the books Claire assigned to Mason. Though he might not like a book, he nevertheless finished reading it just so he and Mason could complain about it together. Black Fox even convinced Raven to read several. Reckless outright refused to read them. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how, he just didn’t have any interest in reading more than he had to.
Raven, however, was highly competitive. Black Fox dared him that he couldn’t read a book as fast as he could and Raven couldn’t resist the urge to best his father. Since his recent head trauma and subsequent recovery from amnesia, Raven’s memory wasn’t always quite reliable and he sometimes had to reread something to remember it. He’d grown used to having to do this and it didn’t frustrate him as much as it had at first.
In return for improving his study habits, Black Fox let Mason and Aiyana spend short times alone out on the rock ledge. The rewards were having a very positive effect on Mason and he found himself feeling better about himself as a student. He didn’t feel quite as stupid as he’d thought himself to be, and this boosted his self-confidence. All of this resulted in an improved attitude at home and in school, which pleased everyone concerned.
Though his temper was still strong, Mason learned to control it. Instead, he used it to drive himself to come up with ways of winning arguments, an activity at which he excelled. One day he actually won an argument with Sammi. Instead of becoming angry with Mason, she was amused and told him he should become a lawyer since he was good at arguing.
A seed was planted in his mind and he asked Claire exactly what a lawyer did. Claire began giving him whatever law books she could get ahold of and Mason began reading them. He didn’t understand all of it, but enough so that he got the gist of what they said.
One day while Joe was in camp, Mason remarked to everyone that he wished he could talk to a lawyer who could answer questions he had about some things he was reading. Joe had set up a meeting with his own lawyer, Sam Hewitt, and Mason had come away from the meeting convinced that he should become an attorney.
He was also excited because Sam had informed him that just the previous year, Northwestern University in Chicago had opened a law school on its campus. This meant that when Aiyana began attending medical school at nearby Chicago Medical School, they would be able to be together. They were in camp when Mason informed her of this and she had become so excited that she hugged and kissed him right in front of her uncle. Mason had been terrified of Black Fox’s reaction, but Black Fox just laughed about it.
The chief wondered if he’d been wrong about the strength of the young people’s feelings for each other and said as much to Aiyana’s parents. Having enjoyed a loving and lasting marriage, Black Fox was a romantic person and was pulling for the young couple. In true Lakota fashion, he stuck up for the teenagers anytime someone chastised them about something. At last, Marcus understood his brother Dean’s frustration whenever he or Owl interfered when Dean was correcting his children. Mitch and Sammi also got a taste of this, but none of them could fault the chief’s logic most of the time.
The problem was that they were dealing with a man who had been leading people for much of his life and though he’d never attended any kind of formal educational institution, Black Fox had been taught from a very young age by his grandfather, Brown Stag, about human nature and how to deal with difficult people and situations. Black Fox had grown up watching Brown Stag, who was chief for many years, effectively lead their people, whether it be in battle or in settling personal disputes.
Black Fox had followed his grandfather’s example in trying to find peaceful solutions if at all possible. This was how he knew how to deal with Mason’s temperamental personality. At first, he had scared him and then he became the boy’s friend and mentor. Mason took to visiting camp even when Aiyana wasn’t around and learned how to race ponies, wrestle, and even became fairly good at cooking the way Lakota women did.
The Lakota men teased him about it, but the women actually enjoyed teaching him. Traditionally, cooking was considered women’s work and most men knew not to interfere with the duties of women. Lakota women were the bosses of the home and woe to the man who crossed them concerning anything domestic. However, Mason had shown such fascination with the process that when he respectfully asked if they would show him how to do it, Wind Spirit had given in and began instructing him.
Black Fox had made the mistake of speaking negatively about it to his wife and she had kicked him out of the tipi for the day, refusing to feed him. Everyone stayed out of the chief’s way that day. Mason picked up Lakota fairly well, but like Ben Walker, he signed it better than he spoke it. The young man was dismayed at the way Marcus still kept him at arm’s length and decided to meet the problem head-on.
Mason was nervous when he knocked on the door of Aiyana’s home, but he steeled himself for the conversation ahead of him. The good doctor himself opened the door and a brief look of annoyance crossed his face at the sight of Mason on the landing.
“Hi, Mason. Aiyana isn’t home,” Marcus said.
Mason chose to ignore Marcus’ slightly cool tone. “That’s ok. I didn’t come to talk to her. I’d like to talk to you, sir.”
That made Marcus’ eyebrows raise a little. “What about?”
“About your daughter.”
Marcus opened the door wider and waved Mason inside.
Mason signed, “May we speak in private?”
Marcus had no idea that Mason had learned I
ndian sign language. His expression was surprised as he signed back, “Follow me.”
He led the young man into his study and shut the door. They sat down and Marcus waited.
“Sir, I want to apologize to you about what happened a couple of months ago. I shouldn’t have been sneakin’ around with Aiyana like that, but I knew that Mrs. Samuels didn’t like me all that much and I figured that the only way I could see her was in secret. It was wrong of me and I’m sorry about it,” Mason said.
Marcus was further surprised by Mason’s straightforward attitude. “You’re right. It was wrong of you. Aiyana is too young to be courted yet and she has a bright future ahead of her. I don’t want her to get distracted from it.”
Mason nodded. “I understand, sir. I won’t distract her, but I’m not gonna stop seeing her, either.”
“You will if I say you will,” Marcus said, his temper beginning to simmer.
“You’d better talk to your brother about that then. He told me that if I hurt Aiyana that he would hurt me and if I were to break up with her, it would hurt her. Just because we’re young doesn’t mean we can’t be in love. Look at your brother, Dean. Him and his first wife were only about our age when they started courtin’. Sadie and Tucker were young too, but they’re still together and happy.”
Marcus could have throttled Black Fox for interfering yet again. “Those are both very good cases, I’ll give you that, but none of those people were going to medical school. I don’t want anything to prevent her from attending college. She’s not going to want to leave you to go to college.”
Mason cocked his head a little. “She won’t have to, sir.”
“What do you mean?” Marcus frowned in puzzlement.
“Maybe Mrs. Samuels hasn’t told you, but I’m gonna work on getting a scholarship to Northwestern in Chicago. They have a new law program and I want to be a lawyer,” Mason informed him.