Tykota's Woman (Historical Romance)

by Constance O'Banyon

  "No, I don't."

  "I believe Ty needs you now more than ever. He has made some difficult choices, and I know he is feeling very alone."

  Makinna stared into Hannah Silverhorn's soft eyes. "I can't give him what he needs."

  By now, Adelaide had joined them, and she happily greeted Tykota's mother.

  Hannah gestured to the door. "Let's get inside where it's cooler. John, you can get one of the men to help you with the trunks."

  Makinna caught her sister's gaze and shrugged. Then they both followed their hostess into the house.

  The house was quiet. John had left earlier after enjoying a good meal with the ladies. Adelaide had gone up to bed, and Makinna and Hannah sat in the parlor.

  At last Hannah broke the silence. "Word came to me that Tykota left the Perdenelas and made his brother, Coloradous, chief."

  "How can that be?" Makinna stood and walked around the room, tears blinding her. "I never wanted him to make such a sacrifice."

  Hannah patted the settee. "Makinna, sit beside me."

  Makinna did as she asked. "That's why I left, Mrs. Silverhorn. I didn't want to interfere with his life."

  "Makinna, I don't think that's solely why he passed rule to his brother, although it may have played a big part in his decision. I truly believe he thought it was for the best of the tribe. I know my son; he must be feeling devastated at the moment. I am sure he feels he failed both you and his people."

  "He must go back." Makinna closed her eyes to settle her thoughts. "Where is he? I will make him go back."

  Hannah gave a helpless gesture with her hands. "I don't know where he is." Her eyes were swimming with tears. "You should have seen him when he read your letter, Makinna. I have never seen him so distraught."

  "It wasn't meant to bring him pain. I had intended only to set him free to live his life as he wished to."

  Suddenly, there was a banging on the door, and Hannah hurried to answer it. Makinna heard her speaking to one of the ranch hands.

  When Hannah reentered the room, her face was white, and she looked terrified. "Mangas just rode in. He's been wounded and is asking to see me."

  "Mangas. Wouldn't he be with Tykota?"

  "Yes. That old Indian never stirs from my son's side. Something is terribly wrong."

  Makinna grasped Hannah's hand. "May I speak to him?"

  "They have put him in his cabin. Let us hurry!"

  Makinna held the lamp for Hannah while she removed the bullet from the old Indian's chest. Mangas met Makinna's gaze and moved his mouth. She grasped his hand, knowing he was in pain.

  "She has the bullet out now," Makinna told him. "She has only to clean and bandage the wound."

  He blinked his eyes, and she would have sworn his mouth curved into a smile. "I have had worse wounds and lived."

  "And I've taken worse bullets out of you, you old Indian," Hannah said with affection. "I think you will live this time, too."

  Suddenly Mangas's grip tightened on Makinna's with a strength that startled her. "Tykota. He is in trouble. He needs help."

  Makinna held her breath while Hannah spoke to Mangas. "What has happened to my son?"

  "After I was shot, Tykota was too, or he never would have left me. I saw the blood, and I saw Santo's dead body. There were hoofprints. I believe Tykota has gone to the sacred caverns, and I do not know where they are. No one knows but Tykota and perhaps Coloradous."

  "I know!" Makinna cried. "At least I was there. I'm not sure if I could find them again on my own. But if someone could take me to the mesa where the Apaches held me captive, I believe I could find the cave from there."

  Mangas rose up, his eyes bright. "Send John Kincaid to me. I will tell him how to find the mesa. You must hurry!"

  Hannah took Makinna's arm. "You are my son's only hope. I would go with you, but I would only slow you down. I will prepare food and everything you will need if you find him wounded."

  Makinna felt fear for the man she loved. What if she never found him, or found him too late? "Pray for me that I might find him alive."

  Makinna rode away from Biquera just before sunup. John Kincaid and two heavily armed ranch hands galloped at her side. One of the men led a packhorse. Makinna wished she was riding an Indian pony so she could simply race across the desert to Tykota.

  On the third day out, they were in sight of the wide mesa. Makinna halted her mount and studied the lay of the land. She looked to the south. She remembered Tykota telling her that the cave was two days' ride south of this mesa.

  "In the morning we ride south," she told John.

  He nodded and prepared to make camp with the ranch hands.

  "John, wait. I have to tell you something, and I don't know if you will understand."

  "I will try, Miss Hillyard."

  "Tomorrow we will ride for a day and a half. Then I must ride on alone."

  He looked worried. "It could be dangerous for a woman alone."

  "That's the way it has to be, John. You and the others can't come with me."

  "This cave Mangas and you were talking about-could it be the sacred cave of the legendary Perdenelas?"

  "I don't know. It could be."

  "And Tykota took you there?"

  "I saw nothing of value there. But I know Tykota has strong feelings about that place. And if there is the slightest chance that it is the sacred cave, I can't take you or anyone else there." She looked into his clear, honest eyes and knew she could trust him. "Do you understand, John?"

  "I do. And I surely don't want those two"-he nodded to the cowhands, who were drinking coffee from tin cups-"to learn about the cave."

  "Neither do I." She was quiet for a moment. "I ride the last few miles alone."

  "Yes. But what will you do if Tykota is injured?"

  "I'll have to manage. I promised him I would not share the secret of the cave with anyone, and I cannot break that promise."

  "Miss Hillyard, I do believe you'll accomplish whatever you set your mind to do."

  She nodded, though she felt utterly inadequate to the task at hand. "I can." She straightened her shoulders. "I can do anything if it will help Tykota."

  When they had ridden for the appointed time, Makinna told John that they would make camp, and that she would go on the next morning alone.

  As dawn broke, Makinna was ready to ride. She turned back to John, who had been loading the packhorse for her, as he finished securing the supplies. "Tell me the truth, and I will know it if you lie. Do you think he's alive?"

  John smiled at her. "I can tell you that Tykota is a stubborn man and one hard Indian to kill."

  "Yes." She let out the breath she'd been holding, feeling a glimmer of hope. "He is stubborn."

  Makinna had been riding for hours, and she was becoming frantic. Where was the cave? Tykota had told her it was in this direction. She would recognize the mountain if she saw it.

  She halted her mount and uncapped her canteen, taking small sips as Tykota had taught her. Somewhere out there he might be severely wounded, and she had to find him.

  What if she never found the cavern? What if she wandered aimlessly and was lost in the vast desert?

  It was almost sundown when she spotted the mountain looming out of the sand. Urging her horse forward, she began laughing and crying at the same time.

  She had found the cave!

  Tykota woke slowly to the sound of the water spilling into the pool. He groaned and tried to sit up, but pain seemed to pin him to the ground. He licked his dry lips, wondering how long he'd been there. He had no sense of the passage of time.

  He closed his eyes, wondering if Coloradous would come in time to save him. No, probably not. His thoughts turned to Makinna. Makinna laughing. Makinna angry. Makinna soft and loving in his arms.

  If he was going to die, his last thoughts would be of her.

  Tykota heard her calling his name, and he smiled. He felt her soft touch on his burning forehead. He felt her near him, bending over him.

  Ye
s, he thought wistfully, let the memory of her essence walk with me into the shadow of death.

  Makinna placed a hand on Tykota's forehead. He was feverish. She saw the rise and fall of his chest and called out his name.

  He was alive!

  She saw the angry wound in his shoulder where he'd been shot. "Tykota, open your eyes. Talk to me!"

  He listened to her voice as if in a dream.

  "Tykota! Open your eyes!"

  It took great effort to raise his eyelids. Yes, there she was, looking frantic. She was as perfect in his imaginings as she had been in person.

  "Tykota, I need to ask you something."

  He blinked. Her hand on his skin felt so real. "Are you a dream?" he whispered through dry, cracked lips.

  "No, I am here, Tykota. I need to know if the bullet is still in your shoulder."

  He tried to concentrate on what she was saying. "I... was shot." He tried to rise, but he was too weak. "Santo... killed Mangas."

  "Tykota, listen to me. Mangas is not dead. He is the one who told me I would find you here."

  "I was coming to you," he said, closing his eyes. "I just had... one more thing to do before we could be together."

  "We are together now."

  "You left me."

  Tears gathered in her eyes, and she bent to kiss his lips. "I will never leave you again unless you ask me to."

  Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he gripped her arm. "Makinna, you are not a dream?"

  She gently touched his face. "No, I am not a dream." She pushed his dark hair away from his face and smiled through her tears. "Tykota, is the bullet still in you?"

  He licked his dry lips, feeling joy spread through him. If she was a dream, he didn't want to awaken. "The bullet is still there."

  She sat back on her heels, gathering her thoughts. She had watched Hannah dig the bullet out of Mangas. But could she do the same? Yes, if it meant saving Tykota's life. She could do anything.

  "Tykota, I have supplies at the bottom of the mountain. I am going to get them. I will be right back."

  His hand tightened on hers. "You said you would not leave me."

  She placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Only long enough to get what I need to remove the bullet."

  She hurried out of the cave, unwilling to dwell on the difficult task ahead of her. She prayed that God would give her a steady hand and a strong will.

  When she reached the bottom of the hill, she gave the horses water from a waterskin, unsaddled hers, and took the supplies from the packhorse.

  All the while she was praying silently that she could save Tykota.

  Makinna placed a blanket beneath Tykota's head, then turned to the fire she had built. She gripped the handle of his knife and thrust the blade into the flame. Gathering her courage, she turned back to Tykota to find him watching her. His dark eyes were liquid, and she saw the love shining there.

  "Tykota, I have never done this before. I don't want to hurt you."

  His lips formed a smile. "You are too stubborn to let a little thing like a bullet stop you."

  She nodded, feeling her stomach tighten in dread.

  "Just do it, Makinna," he urged.

  "I think your wound may be infected."

  "That is because I did not have the strength to remove the bullet. You must do it for me."

  He watched her swallow hard and nod.

  Makinna's hand was shaking, and she felt sick inside. She avoided Tykota's eyes as she called on all her strength.

  "Just do it, Makinna."

  She knew in that moment that this was the hardest thing she'd ever been called on to docause him pain.

  When the blade touched his wound, he flinched. "No," he said between clenched teeth. "You are not a dream. This is all too real."

  Makinna knew she had to do it quickly, so she wouldn't prolong his agony.

  With a downward probe she felt the bullet against the blade of the knife. She became dizzy but would not give in to weakness. She probed deeper and felt him go limp.

  Tykota had passed out.

  She had to get the bullet out before he regained consciousness. She dug deeper and was finally rewarded for her efforts when she felt the bullet move. Slowly, painstakingly, she glided the offending object out. Then she eased away from Tykota, blotting the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

  She saturated the wound with alcohol and washed most of the blood away. Then she bandaged his shoulder and arm. Now she could do no more than wait. Her hands were shaking so violently that she had to clasp them together to still them.

  She went to the pool and washed her hands and face, then wet a cloth and placed it on Tykota's forehead because he still had a fever. When she made him as comfortable as possible, she prepared him something to eat. Hannah had thought of everything-her basket was overflowing with biscuits, dried meat, apples, and cheese. Tykota probably hadn't eaten in days.

  Makinna sat quietly watching Tykota. He could be unconscious, but he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Her gaze ran the length of him, his masculine perfection. He was lean yet beautifully muscled and undeniably handsome. His thick, dark hair fell to his shoulders, and she wanted badly to touch his bronzed cheek.

  Sitting there in the waning light, she knew that she would never love anyone the way she loved Tykota. He was a man of honor, in his commitment to the Perdenelas, in his love for her. She didn't know exactly why God had brought her back into Tykota's life, but she was glad He had.

  She reached forward to touch his cheek. She wasn't sure, but it felt a bit cooler. She rewet the cloth, washed his face and chest, wet the cloth again, then reapplied it to his forehead. It was so difficult to just wait.

  Makinna stood and walked to the outer cavern. She moved to the entrance and stood on the ledge as she had done when she and Tykota had been here before.

  The sunset bathed the desert in golden light, and she closed her eyes, absorbing the beauty of this land that now called to her and it gave sustenance to her spirit. She was not the same person she had been when she first came to this land.

  Fearing that Tykota would wake up and need her, she went back to the inner cavern. He had not moved, so she sat down beside him and braced her back against the wall. Laying a hand on his, she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

  Makinna felt a presence and opened her eyes. From a darkened corner, an Indian emerged, and at first, she thought it was Tykota. But a quick glance showed her that Tykota was still sleeping.

  She scrambled to her feet and hugged the wall. Then she saw it was Coloradous!

  "What are you doing here, white woman?" he asked in a cold voice.

  "I... Tykota was wounded, and I... took the bullet out."

  "How did you know of this place?"

  "I... Tykota brought me here."

  Coloradous bent down and laid a hand on his brother's chest. "How bad is he?"

  "I don't know."

  "How did this happen to him?"

  "Mangas told me that Santo did it."

  Coloradous nodded. "Yes, Santo would have done this." He rose to his full height, and she was struck, as she had been before, by how much he looked like Tykota.

  "I don't know how bad his wound is. He has not regained consciousness since I removed the bullet," she said.

  "His breathing is very shallow."

  "Is that bad?"

  "It could be." His dark gaze settled on her. "You removed the bullet and bandaged him?"

  She nodded.

  "You did well. But I will look to my brother now. You may leave."

  "I can't leave without knowing if he is going to live."

  "You do not belong here. I will take care of him, and when he is well enough to travel, I will take him to the healing woman, Huara."

  "He must not be moved," she argued. "It could kill him."

  He took her arm and led her to the narrow passage. "I will do all I can for him. He is my brother, and I would give my life if it would save him."

  Makinna had no cho
ice but to do as Coloradous said. "Will you send word of him to Biquera?"

  His voice was kinder now. "I will do that. Assure my brother's white mother that Tykota is strong and has the blood of chief's in his veins."

  She raised her gaze to his headband. "You now wear the symbol of the chief."

  "I do."

  She glanced back at Tykota. "When he wakes, will you tell him that-"

  He seemed impatient to have her gone. "I will tell him you were here, and what you did for him."

  Makinna nodded. Her footsteps were heavy as she moved down the passageway and out of the cave. It was difficult to leave Tykota, but Coloradous would know better how to help his brother than she did. She saddled her horse and mounted, turning to the north.

  Five days later a very fatigued Makinna rode through the gate of Biquera Ranch. Her sister, Hannah Silverhorn, and a surprisingly spry Mangas rushed toward the corral to greet the returning travelers.

  Adelaide was the first to reach her. "Are you all right, Makinna? Did you find Tykota?"

  Makinna looked at Hannah. "I found Tykota. He had been shot, but I took the bullet out of him. When I left him, he was still unconscious but alive."

  "Why did you leave him?" Hannah asked, her hand at her throat.

  "His brother, Coloradous, came to the cave. He asked me to leave and said he would take care of Tykota." Her gaze sought the old Indian's. "He will help him, won't he, Mangas?"

  Mangas nodded. "Coloradous will do well by Tykota." He studied the ground before he looked back at Makinna. "Was he wearing the chiefs headband?"

  "Yes."

  The old man walked off murmuring to himself, and Hannah hustled Makinna toward the house. You can bathe and eat, then I want you to get some rest. You look done in."

  Makinna turned to John and the other men. "Thank you. I could never have found Tykota without your help."

  John touched his hat, and then his eyes went to Adelaide. "You Hillyard sisters have hidden strengths. You look so fragile, but you aren't."

  Makinna smiled and turned toward the house.

  Later Makinna slipped out of the house and hurried toward the barn. She closed the wide door behind her and walked purposefully toward the tack room, where she stood in the doorway, staring at the cot, remembering Tykota. She walked around, touching the splintery wall, then a leather bridle that hung on a rusted hook. Silence surrounded her until she heard a horse nicker and stomp.