Savage Summer

by Constance O'Banyon

  Joanna was married to Windhawk, chief of the Blood Blackfoot. He had long ago won her heart and given her happiness beyond her wildest dream. She had borne him a son and a daughter. That alone should give her the right to feel she was as much a Blackfoot as one who had been born into the tribe.

  She didn’t hear the soft footsteps that came up behind her. When a hand went about her waist, she leaned back against a hard muscled body. Looking up into the face she loved so well she was struck by his handsomeness. His long ebony hair hung loosely about his shoulders, encircled with a plain leather headband. He was tall with broad shoulders and narrow hips. A man born to command others.

  Joanna laid her head against Windhawk’s shoulder. They were both silent for a long time. A wisp of red-gold hair blew across Windhawk’s face and he glanced down at the woman in his arms. How Napi had smiled on him by giving this woman into his keeping. She had been his wife for many summers, but still he never grew tired of looking upon her lovely face. She had brought about a change in the chief. He no longer walked in the ways of war—she had gentled him, if not changed him completely.

  “What were you thinking, my husband?” Joanna asked, turning around and putting her arms about his neck.

  He smiled slightly. “I was thinking that with you I have found peace and contentment. You keep my lodge, tend my children…you fill my heart. What man could ask for more.”

  She placed a kiss on his bronzed cheek. Looking up into his dark eyes, she saw a softness that she knew he reserved for her alone. “We do have a good life together, my husband. My one and only regret is that I have been unable to give you more children.”

  His hand tightened about her waist and he looked into her deep blue eyes—eyes that he had often seen flash with fire, or soften with desire. “We do not need other children, Joanna. With you beside me, I fall asleep each night with joy in my heart. I cannot wait for each new day to come, knowing you will walk beside me.”

  “You have made me very happy, my husband. If the whole world had what we share, there would be no more war. I feel blessed among all women that I was chosen as the wife of the mighty Windhawk.”

  He watched her eyes cloud over with sadness. He knew she was worried about their daughter, and he wanted to comfort her. Cupping her face in his hands, he gave her a look that melted her heart. “You are still worried about sending Sky Dancer to Philadelphia?”

  “Yes. I know it has been planned for years that we would take Tag’s daughter, Danielle, and my brother would take Sky Dancer for a summer. With our son in Europe with my father and Sky Dancer going away, it will seem very strange. I wish there weren’t this Civil War going on.”

  “I have heard that the war may be over. It will be good for our daughter to see the world her mother comes from. You must know your brother will take care of Sky Dancer. As for Little Hawk, we both agreed this journey over the big water will be good for him.”

  “I know. I am just being selfish, I suppose.”

  “Not you, my wife. Your heart is filled with love for the whole world. It is only right that a mother would want to keep her young near her.”

  Joanna knew Windhawk was every bit as troubled as she was about sending their daughter so far away, yet he was trying to comfort her. “Was it a mistake, this bargain we made with Tag when the girls were but babies, Windhawk?”

  “This I cannot tell you, Joanna. My heart is also heavy that our daughter must travel so far away from home, but I am also gladdened that we can come to know my dead sister’s child.”

  Joanna shook her head, causing her red-gold hair to swirl away from her face. “You can hardly call them children, my husband. Both Sky Dancer and Danielle are in their nineteenth summer.”

  Windhawk smiled slightly and she could see the love dancing in his eyes. “The years have passed quickly, since I took you as my wife. When I look at you, I know you are even more beautiful now than you were as a young girl. How well I remember the day I first saw you. Your beauty warmed my heart and I knew you must have been meant for me. I will never forget that you gave up your world to live in mine.”

  She rested her cheek against his broad chest, knowing how gladly she had taken his way of life. She couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone but Windhawk. “I made my choice long ago, my husband. But is it right to force Sky Dancer to leave her home and go to a world she has only read about in books?”

  “We will give our daughter and Danielle a chance to know both worlds. The path they choose to walk will then be up to them.”

  “You are very wise, my husband. I will put my worry aside. I know that we are doing what is best for both girls.” Her eyes drifted down to the river once more. “I do wish you could come to St. Louis with me, Windhawk. I don’t like to leave you here.”

  Windhawk’s eyes followed hers. He knew what she was feeling, but deep inside she knew he must wait for her to return. “You know this is the best way, Joanna. I cannot go with you to this white man’s town. I will be here for you when you come back—then we will journey back to our village with Danielle.”

  Joanna pushed a lock of ebony hair out of his face. “Sky Dancer and I will leave for St. Louis tomorrow morning. I know Tag will want us all to get together before we go our separate ways, so I will see you in a few days.” She paused and looked at him with troubled eyes. “I suppose the summer will pass soon enough.”

  “Yes, it will pass, Joanna.”

  “Did you know that Farley rode into camp today?”

  Windhawk raised a dark eyebrow. “That old man would follow you wherever you went. He has been the only burden I have been forced to bear because of you.”

  “You like Farley and you know it.”

  “How can I not like someone who looks after you like a watchdog? I know you are safe when he is on guard.”

  “He is like part of the family.”

  Windhawk’s mouth quirked briefly. “The hour grows late. Let us not spend our last hours together talking about Farley. I want to hold you in my arms tonight,” Windhawk told her, leading her away from the river.

  Joanna could feel Windhawk’s unrest. She knew he was wondering if she would want to stay in the white world. Would she never be able to convince him that her life was with him? As they reached the tipi, he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her red-gold hair.

  “I will always return to you, my husband,” she whispered. “As long as I live, I will never want to be anywhere that I cannot reach out and touch you.”

  He crushed her in his arms and breathed her name over and over. “Time is the enemy, Joanna. Let it pass quickly until you return to me.”

  Taggart James smiled at his wife Alexandria, who was turning down the covers of the bed. “Not exactly what you would call luxury, is it?”

  She tossed her mink-colored hair and looked up at him with her unusual golden eyes. “I don’t mind the discomfort of this hotel. You can hold me in your arms and I would be comfortable anywhere.”

  “Is Danielle sleeping?” Tag asked with a worried frown on his face.

  “I think so, at least she didn’t answer when I went into her room a moment ago. She isn’t happy in the least, Tag. I hate to see her upset.”

  “She will get over it,” he stated stubbornly. “This summer will be good for her. I think perhaps we have spoiled her by always allowing her to have her way. She may learn humility by being with the Blackfoot people. The Blackfoot respect a person for his worth and not for his social position.”

  Tag sat down in a stiff horsehair chair and pulled Alexandria into his lap. “What is the troubled frown I see on your face?” he asked.

  “It’s nothing,” she said, turning her head away. “I was just wondering if you ever miss living with the Blackfoot. I know you grew up in the Indian village. Do you ever regret returning to Philadelphia?”

  “Of course not.” He forced her to look at him. “There’s more on your mind than you are saying. Tell me what’s really troubling you.”

  “I…i
t’s just that I was wondering if you ever think about Danielle’s mother, Morning Song. We never talk about her anymore.”

  “You are wondering if I still love her?”

  “Yes, I suppose.”

  Taking Alexandria’s chin firmly in his hand, he forced her to meet his eyes. “The man who loved Morning Song no longer exists. When she was killed and I was driven by hatred to avenge her death, you helped me find my way. It was the boy in me that loved Morning Song—she was the love of my youth. You are the true love of my life, and the one I will grow old beside.”

  “But you did love her.”

  “Yes, but she is no more than a fleeting dream. I do regret, however, that Danielle never knew her mother.”

  Alexandria felt the sting of his words in the depth of her heart. She had come to think of Danielle as her own daughter, and it was hard sometimes to realize Danielle hadn’t been born of her own body. She was saddened by the fact that Tag was sending her away for the summer. Danielle had never liked to hear about her mother’s people; it was almost cruel to make her spend the summer with them.

  “Danielle is going to be very unhappy, Tag. She’s cried almost daily for weeks.”

  “Be that as it may, the plans are made and I will not back out now. You will like getting to know Sky Dancer. She is a lovely young girl. You will be astounded when you see how much she resembles Danielle.”

  Alexandria sighed unhappily, and laid her head against Tag’s shoulder. “I pray this will not end in disaster. Danielle can be very strong-minded when she wants to be.”

  He tilted her chin up again and smiled down at her. “Yes, in that she is not unlike you. The two women in my life keep me up to scratch.”

  Alexandria tugged playfully at his hair. “We have to look sharp to keep up with you, Taggart James.”

  His deep laughter was silenced as she pulled his head down to receive her kiss. He sighed contentedly as she melted against him. He had not erased her concern, but he had caused her to put it out of her mind for the moment.

  The forest was sweltering after the morning rain that had moved across the valley. It was now early afternoon and the steamy heat was almost unbearable. A noisy bluebird chattered from its perch high in the branches of a tall oak tree, scolding the young girl who had invaded its sanctuary.

  Sky Dancer was oblivious to her surroundings. She pushed a strand of ebony hair away from her face and plucked at the scarlet-colored ribbon which was laced across the bodice of her gown. Her heart felt heavy as she raised her head to gaze across the meadow at the five tipis that had been erected beneath the canopy of bright blue sky.

  This land was alien to the Indian girl. She yearned for the green valley and the high mountains of her home. She was frightened of what tomorrow would bring. She would be leaving her mother and father to travel to the hub of the white world.

  The young girl spotted an unknown variety of crimson-colored wildflowers and absentmindedly bent down to pluck one of the delicate blossoms. Raising the flower to her nose, she found it to have a pleasant aroma. Sitting down amid the tall thick blades of grass, her eyes moved over the unfamiliar countryside.

  Sky Dancer knew she was unlike the other maidens of the tribe, because she didn’t look like an Indian. Her hair was as dark as midnight, but her eyes were startlingly blue in color. Her skin was not bronzed like the other Blood Blackfoot, but instead was a soft ivory color. She was as much a child of her white mother as she was of her Indian father.

  Plucking the petals from the flower, she allowed her mind to wander. She had missed her brother and wished he was going with her to Philadelphia. Maybe if he were with her, she wouldn’t be so frightened. Shaking her head she knew Little Hawk wouldn’t be returning until after winter covered the land. It seemed this year would be filled with change for her as well as her brother. She missed Little Hawk because they had always been so close. She knew that if he were here he would understand how lost she was feeling.

  Sky Dancer caught a glimpse of movement in front of one of the tipis. There were a dozen Blackfoot warriors who had traveled with her family for protection. She saw her good friend Wolfrunner and waved to him. Sky Dancer’s father and Wolfrunner’s father had grown up together, and their families were very close. Sky Dancer loved Wolfrunner as she would a brother—she was glad he had been chosen to come with them. Her attention was drawn to the main tipi and she watched as her mother walked toward her.

  Sky Dancer felt a lump in her throat, thinking about being separated from her family. As her mother drew near, Sky Dancer could see her red-gold hair gleaming in the midday sunlight. Flaming Hair, she was called affectionately by the Blackfoot tribe. She was so lovely that Sky Dancer could easily see how her father had chosen her as his one and only wife. Many of the Blackfoot warriors had several wives, but her father wanted no one but his Flaming Hair.

  The young Indian maiden always liked to hear her mother tell about how she had met and fallen in love with Sky Dancer’s father. Flaming Hair’s white name had been Joanna James. Sometimes, when the family was alone, Sky Dancer’s father would still call her mother Joanna.

  “What a pretty picture you make nestled among the lovely wildflowers, Sky Dancer,” Joanna said, sitting down beside her daughter. She looked into the young girl’s blue eyes, catching a glimpse of sadness and uncertainty. Taking Sky Dancer’s hand in hers, Joanna squeezed it, and gave her daughter a reassuring smile.

  “There is no need to be disturbed by your visit to your Uncle Tag’s home. I promise that you will have a most enjoyable summer. Before you know it the time will pass and you will be back home.”

  Sky Dancer looked away from her mother and fixed her eyes on the distant horizon. “I am frightened of that which I do not understand. I do not think I will like the white world, my mother.”

  “Speak in English, Sky Dancer,” her mother urged gently. “Your English is very good, so you must not forget and speak in Blackfoot when you reach Philadelphia.”

  “Tell me again about Philadelphia. I have read many books and seen pictures of the town, but I cannot imagine what it will be like.”

  Joanna slipped her arm about her daughter’s shoulder, knowing what she was feeling. She would miss her, but she must think what was best for her daughter and take comfort in the fact that it would broaden her education.

  “I haven’t been back since I was seventeen, two years younger than you are now. I am sure it has changed a great deal since that time. We have talked on this before, and you will remember all that I have told you. You will be able to carry yourself well, because you have been taught the ways of the white man since you were small.”

  “Yes, but could I not go next year? I do not want to leave you and Father at this time. You have said there is unrest in the white world. Would it not be better to go when the war is ended?”

  “Your father has said the rumor is that the war is growing to a close.”

  “Do you think I will make friends in Philadelphia, my mother?”

  Joanna knew many of the young warriors of the tribe had begun to show an interest in marrying Sky Dancer. So far her daughter had shown no preference for any of the warriors who had paid her marked attention. Joanna had decided long ago that her daughter would know both the white and Indian world before she made a decision to settle down to being a wife and mother.

  “I believe everyone you meet will love you, Sky Dancer. How could they not? You are a sweet, lovely young girl. You speak English as well, if not better, than most white people.” Joanna smiled. “You have a charming accent, I might add.”

  Suddenly Sky Dancer reached for her mother’s hand and held it to her cheek. “I have never understood why you were so insistent that I learn to speak the white man’s tongue. Nor do I know why I had to learn how to act like a proper white lady. Although I am half white, I feel like a full-blood Blackfoot.”

  Joanna looked into the blue eyes of her young daughter. There were many things she couldn’t tell her daughter. Sky Dancer was
not like her friends. In many ways she was more white than Indian, though she didn’t know it yet. Joanna wanted her to be able to compare the two cultures, so she could decide where her future lay. Joanna hoped her daughter would choose the Indian world and return to her and Windhawk, but Sky Dancer had to be allowed to make that choice for herself.

  “Time has a way of passing, my daughter. If it is God’s will that you come back to your father and me, I will feel joy. If you are fated to stay in the white world, then I will understand and accept this also.”

  Sky Dancer knew that her mother’s heart was breaking at the thought of her going away. She knew how difficult it was for her mother to send her to Philadelphia. In that moment Sky Dancer decided not to cause her mother further anguish. She would go, if not with a happy heart, at least without complaining. After all, she would be back home before winter set in.

  “I will go to this place that was once your home, my mother. I will learn all that I can so you will be proud of me. But I will be home before the first snowflakes fall,” she said with conviction.

  Joanna merely nodded. “How much do you remember about the trip we took to St. Louis when you were five, Sky Dancer?”

  “I remember only that it was a big noisy place that frightened me. There were many white men there with hair on their faces like Farley.”

  “Do you remember meeting your cousin Danielle?”

  “No, but everyone said we looked very much alike, although I cannot remember her at all.”

  “That’s understandable since you were both very young the last time you met. As you know, I will be taking Danielle home with me. Like you, she is half Indian, and her father wishes her to know about her Indian heritage. I am sure she is feeling every bit as apprehensive as you at this moment.”