Lakota Legacy: Wolf DreamerCowboy Days and Indian NightsSeven Days

by Madeline Baker

  Rebecca nodded. “Thank you for your help.”

  With a curt nod, Summer Moon Rising clucked to her horse.

  Rebecca watched the Indian woman ride away until she was out of sight, torn by the knowledge that Summer Moon Rising would soon be with Wolf Dreamer. Would he take her as his wife? The thought of another woman sharing his lodge, sharing his bed, was like a knife in her heart

  She told herself it was foolish to be jealous, that she had left him of her own free will and should not be jealous if another woman desired him, but she couldn’t help it.

  She looked back up the mountain. Could she find her way back to the village?

  With a shake of her head, she touched her heels to her horse’s flanks. She hadn’t come this far to turn back. She was going home, where she belonged.

  But she couldn’t block out the little voice in the back of her mind that whispered she belonged here, with the tall, copper-skinned man she had seen in her dreams.

  She rode for an hour, stopped to rest her horse and drink from the river, then moved on. The surrounding countryside was lush and green and beautiful. The sound of the water tumbling over rocks filled the air. Birds flitted from tree to tree. She saw a bushy-tailed squirrel looking down at her from a low branch.

  She rode until dusk, and it was only then that a sense of unease began to creep over her. She had lived alone after Gideon passed on, but she hadn’t been out in the open like this.

  She found a place a short distance away from the river to bed down for the night. She watered her horse, then slipped a rope around its neck and tied it to a nearby tree. Summer Moon Rising had given her a blanket and she spread it on a flat stretch of ground. Summer Moon Rising had also provided her with enough food to last three days.

  Now, sitting on the blanket eating a hunk of dried venison, she listened to the sounds of the night. She had never been afraid of the dark before, never realized how dark dark really was until she found herself alone in the midst of the prairie. She was suddenly glad for the company of her horse. At least she wasn’t totally alone.

  She started at every strange sound, heard danger in the rustling of the leaves overhead. What was she doing out here? What had made her think she could make it all the way back east on her own? For the first time, it occurred to her that she was in danger not only from wild animals, but from other Indians, as well. The Lakota were not the only tribe on the Plains.

  The full consequence of her foolishness struck her like a blow. She had only the word of Summer Moon Rising that there was a settlement ahead. What would she do if there was no settlement there? Or worse, what if there was an enemy camp? She lacked the knowledge and the skills to survive in the wilderness alone. She could die out here, and no one would ever know what had become of her.

  Her parents had been against her marriage to Gideon Hathaway from the start. Her father had told her bluntly that she was making a mistake, that she would never be happy living in some rough-hewn cabin in the middle of the untamed west, but she’d been young and restless and eager for a little excitement and Gideon had seemed like the answer to a prayer. He had made it all sound so wonderful, the journey west, nights under the stars, helping to settle a new land.

  In some ways, her father had been right. She had been unaccustomed to hard work, and it had been difficult, those first days and months as they built a house and planted a garden, but there had also been a strong sense of satisfaction in the work. She loved the wild beauty of the land, the vaulted skies, the endless prairies….

  She stared into the distance. The land did not seem so beautiful now, not when she was alone in the dark.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she murmured. And so saying, she wrapped up in the blanket and closed her eyes. The sooner she got to sleep, the sooner morning would come.

  She woke to the sun in her face and the sound of birds singing. Staring up at the sky, it took her a moment to remember where she was.

  Rising, she walked down to the river, washed her hands and face, combed her fingers through her hair. She saddled her horse, then rolled her blanket into a cylinder and lashed it behind the saddle, together with the parfleche of supplies.

  She would eat later, she decided, since she really wasn’t hungry now.

  Riding along the river gave her plenty of time to think…about her mother and father, about Gideon, about the baby she had lost, about going home, about what she wanted in the future.

  About Wolf Dreamer.

  His image sprang quickly to mind, a tall copper-skinned man with long black hair, golden-brown eyes that could warm her with a look, a voice that made her shiver inside.

  Wolf Dreamer. He had said he had watched her for years, that he was drawn to her, that she was his destiny.

  Thinking back, she realized there had been times when she had felt she wasn’t alone, when she’d looked up from weeding the garden or doing the laundry, fully expecting to find someone standing behind her. Had she known, on some unconscious level, that he had been there?

  Thoughts of him, of all they had shared in the past weeks, filled her mind while she rode, when she stopped to eat and rest her horse. She was so preoccupied with reliving the time she had spent with Wolf Dreamer that she was somewhat surprised to look up and see the settlement Summer Moon Rising had promised laid out before her.

  She glanced down at her Lakota tunic and moccasins. She wished she had her own clothes to wear, but there was no help for it. Smoothing a hand over her hair, she urged her horse into a trot.

  The settlement had a transient air about it, as if it might be blown away by the first winter winds. There was a combination general store and saloon, a hotel, a small restaurant, a stable and a stagecoach depot. She was relieved to see a telegraph office, though she had no money to send a wire. Perhaps they would send her message on credit.

  Men turned to stare at her as she rode down the dusty street. Most were only curious; a few looked at her in ways that made her blush. It took her a minute to realize there were no other women to be seen.

  She stopped in front of the restaurant. Dismounting, she tied her horse to the hitch rack, smoothed a hand over her tunic, and entered the building. She felt a rush of relief when she saw a woman wiping off a table.

  “Hi, honey,” the woman said, looking up. “What can I get for ya?”

  “I … I need a job.”

  “Some man run out on ya?”

  “No, no, nothing like that. I…”

  “That’s all right, honey, no need to explain. I reckon I could use some help in the evenings. I suppose you need a place to stay, too?”

  Rebecca nodded.

  “Well, there’s a cot in the storage room out back. You can stay there, if you like.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Here,” the woman said, pulling out a chair. “Sit down and I’ll see what I can find for you to eat in the kitchen.”

  “I can’t pay…”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m Minerva Shellcroft, but everyone calls me Shelly.”

  “Rebecca Hathaway.”

  “Welcome to River Bend.”

  Rebecca waited tables that night, something she had never done before. Shelly had lent her a dress to wear and assured her that although the men might flirt and make outrageous propositions, most of them were harmless.

  Rebecca ignored their ribald remarks as best she could. They were a rowdy lot, rough of dress and speech and though they did flirt shamelessly, they treated her with respect when she politely declined their suggestions.

  Later, lying on the cot in the storage room, she let the tears fall. She didn’t want to be here. She didn’t want to go home.

  She wanted Wolf Dreamer, even if it meant being an outsider for the rest of her life.

  Chapter 13

  “Not here?” Wolf Dreamer exclaimed. “What do you mean, she is not here?”

  Summer Moon Rising shrugged innocently. “I saw her leave the village soon after you did. She never returned.”

/>   “Why did you not stop her?”

  She made no reply, only looked at him through wide, dark eyes.

  Wolf Dreamer paced the floor of his lodge. Where would she go? Had she gone back to the homestead? Surely she knew it was too dangerous for her to go back there. She had said she wanted to go home, back east…

  He turned to Summer Moon Rising. “Where did she go?”

  “How should I…”

  “Do not lie to me, woman! What have you done with her?”

  “I did nothing! Only what she wished.”

  “Where is she?” His voice was low and filled with menace.

  “I took her down the mountain,” Summer Moon Rising replied defiantly. “She is gone, and you will never see her again!” She cringed as he raised his hand, frightened by the anger in his eyes.

  Wolf Dreamer took a deep breath and slowly lowered his arm. “Where was she going?”

  “I told her to go south. I could have killed her, but I did not.” She took a step forward, one hand outstretched. “We can be together now.”

  “Get out.”

  She stared at him in disbelief, then ran out of the lodge.

  He threw some pemmican and a change of clothes into his saddlebags, then hurried outside to saddle a horse, determined to find her before it was too late, before she boarded a stagecoach and rode out of his life forever.

  The settlement rose up from the floor of the prairie, a handful of weathered buildings that crouched like animals sleeping in the sun.

  Wolf Dreamer reined his horse to a halt a good distance from the town. He could not ride in and look for Rebecca, not now. He would wait until dark. She would not be hard to find.

  Staring down the road, he saw a faint plume of dust that signaled a rider coming his way. Not wanting to be seen, he reined his horse into the cover of the trees.

  “Rebecca.” He whispered her name as he recognized the woman riding toward him. Never had he seen anything more welcome, or anyone more beautiful.

  A wave of longing swept through him as he urged his horse onto the trail.

  Rebecca drew up, startled, when a man rode out of the trees. For a moment, she simply stared at him, not believing her eyes.

  “Wolf Dreamer!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask the same of you.”

  “I asked you first.”

  “I was coming after you,” he replied. “Why else would I be here?”

  “And I was coming back to you,” she confessed, feeling suddenly shy.

  Wolf Dreamer glanced down the road, all too aware of the nearness of the wasichu settlement ahead.

  “Come,” he said, and led the way into the trees, out of the sight of the town and anyone who might happen by.

  Rebecca followed him, her heart beating wildly. He had come for her.

  When he found a place he considered safe, Wolf Dreamer dismounted, then lifted Rebecca from the back of her horse.

  “Were you coming to take me back?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  He shook his head. “I could not face my life without you. If you will not live in my world, then I will live in yours.”

  She stared at him, unable to believe her ears. “You were going to go back east with me?”

  He nodded.

  “Oh, Wolf Dreamer, I love you so much!”

  “Is that why you left?”

  “No. I was just being foolish and afraid. I was on my way back to you.”

  “Were you?” he asked, disbelief strong in his voice. “I thought you wanted nothing more than to go back east to be with your people.”

  She didn’t miss the heavy emphasis on the words your people.

  “You are my people,” she said. “There’s nothing for me back there. Everything I want is right here.”

  He opened his arms and she moved into his embrace, feeling truly at home for the first time in her life.

  Epilogue

  Rebecca sat outside her lodge cradling her infant son in her arms. How handsome he was, her little warrior, with his dusky skin and thick black hair. For the first few days after his birth, she had been afraid to let him out of her sight, out of her arms, for fear she would lose him, but he was a strong healthy child.

  Looking at him made her heart swell with love for him and for his father. She had married Wolf Dreamer the day after they returned to his people. Summer Moon Rising had left the village the following day.

  Rebecca had come to love living in a hide lodge. The Lakota lodge was a sacred place. The floor of the tipi represented Mother Earth, the sides, rising upward, symbolized the heavens. The tipi’s round shape was a reminder that life was a circle with no beginning and no end. Sweet sage or sweet grass burned on the small altar behind the firepit. The lodge was sturdy enough to withstand winter winds and storms, yet light enough that she could put it up or take it down in minutes.

  White Deer Woman had become Rebecca’s good friend. She had helped Rebecca learn the Lakota language and customs, introduced her to her friends, made her feel welcome. She had been at Rebecca’s side when she labored to bring her son into the world.

  White Deer Woman had made an object that Rebecca had found rather curious. It was a beaded turtle amulet decorated with feathers and horsehair. White Deer Woman had explained that the Lakota revered the turtle because it lived long and was difficult to kill. Thus it was that the Lakota sought the protective power of the turtle for their children. When her son had been born, the umbilical cord had been cut, packed in herbs, and placed inside the turtle.

  In the four months since then, Rebecca had found her place within the tribe. Her marriage to Wolf Dreamer had brought her a measure of acceptance. He was their shaman, the spiritual leader and healer of the People. He had told them the white woman was his destiny and none dared deny it.

  She was in awe of her husband’s powers. She had seen him do miraculous things. Truly, he had been blessed by the Great Spirit.

  Looking up, she saw Wolf Dreamer walking toward her. As always, the sight of him filled her with a rush of love.

  He smiled as he stopped in front of her, his golden brown eyes filled with love as he looked at her and then their son. “How is the little one?”

  “He is well.” Rebecca glanced at the large cloth-covered bundle in his arms. “What have you there?”

  He removed the cloth and she saw that it was a cradleboard. The outside was covered with white doeskin and beaded in colors of blue, yellow, red, white and black in a geometric design. The inside was stuffed with cattail fluff.

  “Oh, Wolf,” she murmured, “it’s lovely. Wherever did you get it?”

  “White Deer Woman made it,” he replied. “For our little one. He will rest comfortably inside.”

  Rebecca nodded. Lakota babies spent much of their first year inside a cradleboard. Mothers sometimes hung the boards from a tree branch, where leaves shaded them and summer breezes gently rocked them, lulling babies to sleep.

  Her heart filled with love for Wolf Dreamer as she placed their son inside the cradleboard. Rising, she slipped her arm around her husband’s waist, marveling at the twist of fate that had brought her to this man, this place.

  He smiled down at her as he drew her into his embrace. “So, wastelakapi,” he said, a teasing glint in his eye. “Do you believe in dreams now?”

  “Oh, yes,” she murmured. “And you’ve made them all come true.”

  Dear Reader,

  I was thrilled when I was asked to be a part of this anthology. Kathleen Eagle has long been one of my idols, and sharing a book with her, and Ruth, is a dream come true.

  As some of you may know, I’m always working on more than one story at a time because my Muse isn’t always reliable. Sometimes she takes a vacation, and sometimes she insists on doing things Her way! That’s what happened with Wolf Dreamer. Originally, this story was going to be a fantasy set in the mountains of a distant planet. However, my Muse didn’t like that idea and the n
ext thing I knew, my hero was no longer a wizard but a warrior. But, as they say, all’s well that ends well.

  Thanks to all of you who wrote to tell me how much you enjoyed Dude Ranch Bride, my very first Silhouette Romance. Thanks to my wonderful agent, that was another dream come true. My second Silhouette Romance, West Texas Bride, will be out in November.

  Best,

  Madeline

  www.madelinebaker.net

  COWBOY DAYS

  AND INDIAN NIGHTS

  Kathleen Eagle

  For my son, David,

  and for my first grandchild, Piper Sky Eagle.

  Dear Reader,

  I’ve always loved Westerns, be they TV shows, movies or books, but when I was growing up, I thought cowboys and Indians stood on opposite sides of the fence. As a young woman, I discovered that some of the best cowboys are also Indians. In fact, I’ve been married to an Indian cowboy for thirty-three years. Little wonder that the hero of my very first Silhouette Special Edition novel was a rodeo cowboy who was part Lakota. I can’t believe it’s been nineteen years since that book, Someday Soon, was first published!

  Leslie Wainger was the editor for that book and every one I’ve written for Silhouette since. When she invited me to contribute to Lakota Legacy, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to write a story about a cowboy who plays a special role, both in the rodeo arena and in one woman’s newly emptied nest and lonely heart. And I loved the idea of discovering human connections through the history of a cherished heirloom. Thank you for taking this journey with us!

  Sincerely,

  Chapter 1

  Meredith would not have opened the door to the trail-worn stranger on her porch if it hadn’t been for the dog. The rawboned black mutt had already connected with her through the window. Head tipped to one side, tail swishing, black eyes brimming with hope, he clearly wanted to assure her that the man in the dusty jeans and threadbare plaid shirt really was a decent guy. Because he reminded her of someone she missed very much—the dog, not the man—Meredith took the risk.