WARRIOR'S BRIDE

by Nina Bruhns

  Cole sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands. "Happens to us all the time. The Indian Child Welfare Act was enacted to make it possible for tribal councils to find foster or adoptive parents within the child's own tribe. But all too often, it was ignored."

  "There was no ICWA passed when they took you." Lanie shook her head. "I'd tried my best. I quit school and went to work as a house cleaner. It was against the rules, but I took you with me to the houses where no one was home. I couldn't rely on Mom to be sober enough to remember to feed you."

  He looked up in surprise. "But I thought… How old was I when…?"

  "Nine months. One of the rich lawyers I cleaned house for came home unexpectedly while I was there with you. He felt it was his duty to report it. I lost my job, and Social Services stepped in."

  Cole's chest tightened as he watched his mother struggle to continue speaking.

  "They didn't care that I had aunts and cousins who would help me out. They were determined to put you in foster care." She swallowed several times. "I'd seen firsthand what happened to kids who went through that system, and I couldn't bear for it to happen to you. Someone suggested I call a private adoption agency to help me find a decent home where you could grow up with a real family. It seemed like the only way to keep you safe."

  Her hands came up to cover her face. A single sob escaped, then she wiped her cheeks with her palms. "I'll never forget the day they came to take you away.

  "Dad had gone to some dog race somewhere. Mom was drunk as usual. The social worker turned up her nose and wouldn't even come in the house. I cried and begged and pleaded to keep you. Nothing helped."

  Cole glanced over and saw a tear trickle down Rini's face. She reached out and took Chance from him, then rocked him back and forth, her cheek to his head, leaving a pool of wetness on his soft, black hair.

  Cole didn't feel all that in control himself.

  He grabbed for his tie and rose to pace to the window. "Nine months. I can't believe they never told me I was that old. No wonder I felt abandoned." He turned, desperately fighting the vicious, bitter demon that threatened to eat his insides.

  "You had an old silk quilt I'd picked up at the Goodwill and cut down for you. Purple silk. Must have had some history." She chuckled through her tears, walking slowly to the quilt on the floor. "But you refused to sleep without it. Cried like a pup when it was in the wash."

  Her smile faded as she picked up the worn purple quilt and clasped it to her breast. "They wouldn't take it. Said it was inappropriate for a child."

  He looked down, realizing he was still clutching his tie in his fist, frantically smoothing the fabric with his thumb. When she approached him with the outlandish little quilt and offered it to him, he lost it.

  Grabbing the quilt in one arm and her in the other, he crushed them both to him, not bothering to stem the tears that leaked from behind his tightly squeezed lids. "Oh, Mother," he choked out, "I'm so sorry."

  She sobbed in his embrace, her arms wound around his waist. For a long time they stood swaying back and forth, comforting each other in their misery and elation.

  When he was able, his eyes sought Rini. She smiled at him, her red-rimmed eyes shining with joy. He extended a hand toward her in invitation. Wiping her flushed cheeks free of moisture, she got up with Chance, and all four of them joined in a big hug.

  "Oh, C-Cole," she stammered.

  Lanie pulled away slightly, her watery smile radiating the peace of having a great burden lifted. "Does this mean I'm not fired?" she asked with a hiccup.

  "I guess it does." They laughed and hugged again, and Cole savored the moment as he had seldom before in his lifetime. His happiness was complete as he basked in the embrace of his beloved family. He kissed each one in turn, starting with his mother, then Chance, and ending with Rini.

  His mouth sought the warmth of hers, lingering over its moist, soothing heat. Her lips responded lovingly, surprising him with their intimate caress.

  Rini suddenly disentangled herself and put her fingers to her lips. "This is so wonderful. I'm so happy," she murmured.

  But she didn't look happy. In fact, the expression on her face was miserable, a portrait of longing and sadness. Cole was instantly alarmed.

  She took a step back, gnawing on her lip. "I, um…" She backed up another step. "I…"

  His heart went into double-time. His mother looked almost as worried as he felt. "What is it?" Oh, God. "Rini, my heart can't take too much more excitement today, so if this is bad news, can it wait about a hundred years?"

  She smiled bleakly. "No, I just … I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, and I, uh, promised Tanya…" She took another step backward. "So, I'll just be going…"

  Like hell. He'd just gotten his mother back, and he realized with blinding certainty he wanted his wife back, too, even if it meant getting down on his knees and begging. She was the one woman who made his world complete and perfect, the one who made his life worth living. Without her, nothing else mattered.

  In a single step he closed the distance she had created between them. "Over my dead body."

  She had a death grip on the baby, so he took Chance from her and handed him to his mother, along with the quilt he still held.

  Rini looked at him uncertainly. "Cole—"

  "You're not going anywhere."

  She blinked and tears glistened on her lashes. She looked so lost his heart ached. "I'm not?"

  "No." He took her hand, so small and delicate, but strong enough to work miracles, and cradled it between his. He took a deep breath. "I want you back."

  Her mouth opened in disbelief.

  He knit his brows together, feeling more vulnerable than he'd ever felt in his life. "I knew before. But now, today, with my mother, the way you forced me to listen to her, to see how stupid and stubborn I was being, well, it just made me all the more certain."

  Rini stared at him, her eyes filling with hope and wonder. "What are you saying?"

  "Please, Rini, come back to me." He pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Fire Eyes, I love you. You and Chance are my life. I love you so very much. I was a prize moron for not telling you every single day, but I'll make up for it for the rest of my life if you'll let me."

  If he had to, he'd plead and implore her to return. Tell her over and over how much he loved her. Beg her forgiveness for being such an unbelievable fool.

  He kissed her eyes, her damp cheeks, her parted, trembling lips. "I love you more than life itself. Marry me all over again, Rini, really marry me. Rini? Say something, please."

  She burst out in tears, but this time he could see they were tears of joy. "Oh, Cole! Do you mean it? Do you really mean it?"

  "With all my heart."

  She threw her arms around his neck. "I love you, Colton Lonetree. So very much. And yes, I'll marry you again."

  Relief pouring through him, he grinned happily. "This time we'll do it right. With a dress and bridesmaids, the works. Would you like that?"

  "Yes. Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

  "And I want a dozen more children."

  Her eyes popped open as wide as her happy smile. "A dozen?"

  "Okay, two," he said, laughing and swinging her around.

  "Deal." She kissed him, long and lovingly.

  "Hey, Mom!" Cole heard his half brother's voice call out as the screen door was flung open behind him. "What's for— Cole!"

  Turning, he grinned at Billy's obvious stupefaction at seeing him in his mother's house, smiling. "Hey, bro! Come in and join the celebration."

  "But—but…"

  "Relax, Billy. Lanie and I were just…" He glanced inquiringly at his mother, who stood happily next to his brother, beaming like a summer day, Chance snuggled in her arms. "Can I call you Lanie? Mom's sort of taken, and…"

  She smiled broadly. "Lanie's just fine." She turned to Billy and said, "Cole and Rini are going to be married. Isn't that wonderful?"

  Billy shook himself out of his shock and clapped Cole on the shoulder, a loopy sm
ile on his face. "You bet! Wonderful! But I thought they were already… Oh, never mind. This is great! Cole, I … aw, heck." Billy threw an arm around his neck and gave him an embarrassed but heartfelt hug. "Welcome back, bro. We've missed you. All of us."

  Cole squeezed him back and parried the mock punches his brother threw at him in an attempt to keep his face from crumbling. "Hell of a way of showing it, Bill," he laughed, grabbing him for another hug.

  There were more embraces all around, and Billy finally flung himself onto the couch, pleased as a sultan surveying his domain. "This is great. First I get a son, and now a whole family! With a mom and kids and grandkids and everything. This is great!"

  Billy's words jolted through Cole. It was true. This was exactly what he'd been looking for all along, too. Somewhere to belong. Really belong. Down to the roots of his ancestors.

  He grabbed Rini by the arms. "I can't take you back to Pasadena with me."

  She opened her mouth in bewilderment. "But—"

  "I know how much you love your new job. I can't ask you to leave it."

  "But I don't—"

  "And I'd really like to cut down on my lawyering a bit. I've got a bank account full of money saved, and my portfolio should keep us going for a while. I'd like to teach dancing again, work more on crafting regalia. Stay home with Chance, like I was doing before."

  "What are you saying?"

  "Here, Rini. I want to live here, at Rincon. Is your house big enough for all of us?"

  "I don't—"

  "It doesn't matter, we can get another one. A giant house, with lots of room. For those two dozen kids you promised me."

  Rini slapped a hand over her mouth and gasped, choking on laughter. "Two dozen?"

  "What do you say?"

  "To the two dozen kids or the house?"

  "Making our home here."

  She smiled, her pretty fire eyes radiating so much love he thought his knees might buckle. "You mean it's my choice?"

  "Yep."

  "Then I choose to be with you, Cole. Wherever you are, for the rest of my life, I choose to be there, too."

  * * *

  Epilogue

  « ^

  "You've got to be kidding."

  Hiking her heavy silk wedding gown up off the dirt path, Katarina burst out in a gale of laughter at the accommodations Cole was pointing to.

  He looked offended. If he could possibly look anything but wildly sexy in his black tuxedo and starched pleated shirt. "I'm perfectly serious. If it was good enough for my ancestors, it's good enough for me. And you, too, woman."

  She fought a losing battle to look stern. "I know for a fact Luiseños didn't use tepees, Cole. You told me so yourself."

  When he'd suggested moving back to the rez, this wasn't quite what Katarina'd had in mind. Still, she couldn't help but giggle at the miffed expression on his face.

  "Lodges. Besides, it's just for one night."

  "Our wedding night," she reminded him with an exaggerated pout that threatened to dissolve into mirth.

  "Well, what was I supposed to do? Throw your mother and Frazer out on their noses?"

  She chuckled. "You could have made them sleep in the tepee—"

  "Lodge."

  "All right, lodge, and they'd have thanked you for the intense cultural experience. I've never seen anyone charm my mother quite as quickly and thoroughly as you managed to do. It was an amazing thing to behold."

  He flashed her the old pirate smile, wiggling his eyebrows. "Darlin', you think that was amazing, just wait."

  He reached for her and she demurred, ducking away quickly. He put his hands on his hips and watched her retreat with a feral gaze. "And what about Alex? You'd make your pregnant sister sleep in some sleazy motel?"

  She stopped in her tracks, aghast at what he was suggesting. "Of course not!" A smile spread over her whole being when she thought about Brad's announcement at the reception that evening. Alex was finally carrying the baby she so longed for, and she'd made it through the first trimester. It was all too perfect.

  Including their primitive honeymoon suite. It brought back wonderful memories of a certain day in May… But of course, she wasn't going to let Cole know that. Just yet.

  "That would be beastly. A pregnant woman!"

  "All right then. Stop complaining and come here."

  He looked at her hungrily. It was that same look he'd been giving her since she'd walked down the grass aisle in Tanya's backyard earlier, on the arm of his best man, Renegade Santangelo. Like he would eat her up in a single bite if she let him come too close.

  He came closer.

  She scampered away. She wanted him tied up in knots by the time they reached his lodge. Judging by the sizzling looks he was sending her, it appeared to be working.

  She flashed him her most flirtatious smile. "Renegade looked particularly handsome today."

  Cole grunted, stalking her steadily.

  She sighed provokingly. "Black leather pants and frilly shirt. Very sexy. And that hair…"

  "RaeAnne seemed to like it."

  "They make a nice couple. Speaking of nice couples, who was that hunk Tanya was with? Someone new?"

  "That's it. I won't have my wife talking about every other man at—"

  "Why, Cole! Are you jealous?"

  "Damn straight!"

  Sucking on a fingertip, she tilted her head coquettishly. "Good. I wouldn't have wanted this expensive silk gown to go to waste."

  "Come here, before I have to come get you." Lifting her skirts scandalously high in the air, she fled. He groaned. "I suppose the stockings are silk, too," he called after her, agony in his voice.

  Pausing in her flight, she rounded a tree and peered at him coyly. "Why, yes, as a matter of fact." Among a few other interesting bits and pieces he'd soon discover.

  The late summer sun had set awhile ago, leaving a magical twilight dimness in its wake. The stars overhead were just peeking out of the murky blanket of sky, the sliver of moon a pearly luminescence above the trees.

  Breathing in a lungful of sultry, spice-scented air, she continued to stroll in the direction of the beautifully painted lodge in which they would spend their first night together after renewing their vows and affirming their love.

  Cole sauntered toward her, obviously attempting to look casual in his pursuit.

  She stooped to pick a wildflower, letting him come within a few yards before waltzing off. "Billy and Jeff were having a good time at the reception," she said.

  "Yeah. They get along well. They've been really good for each other."

  "He makes a terrific father," she said thoughtfully, temporarily forgetting about eluding Cole. "And your mother is in heaven."

  "Don't I know it." He stuck his hands in his pockets and inched toward her. "Both mothers. They're turning out to be quite the buddies. Conspiring over who to fix Billy up with." He smirked. "What a pair."

  She giggled. "Well, I think it's cute."

  "You would."

  He lunged and she squealed in delighted terror when he almost caught her. With a rustle of silk petticoats, she scurried off, skipping and sliding over the uneven ground in her formerly white slippers.

  "You're going to pay for this, woman," he growled, a menacing expression on his face.

  Her blood stirred heavily at the thought of what the price would be. "Why, for what, darling?" She turned and gave him a guileless look.

  His eyes raked over her thoughtfully, systematically, artfully. Thoroughly. A frisson of anticipation shivered down her body. Oh, yes. She was getting nervous now. She took a step backward.

  "You'll pay for making me chase you." He followed. "And for that gorgeous silk gown. And for each and every one of those lacy silk petticoats. But you'll especially pay for the stockings."

  Another step back. "Oh, dear. I suppose I'll be wickedly punished for the rest, too." She peeked up from under fanned lashes.

  He looked momentarily stricken. "The rest?"

  She nodded solemnly. "Y
ou know. The rest."

  He pulled his chin up, unsticking his collar from his neck. His gaze fastened on the décolletage peeking tantalizingly through her gown's sheer upper bodice. "Like, for instance?"

  "Oh, well, like, um, the other—" she gestured up and down her torso "—lacy, frilly, silky things. Underneath."

  His lids drooped to half-mast and he actually licked his lips. He was hot. She could practically see the smoke rising from his broad, muscular shoulders. Pure electricity shot through her body, starting at the tips of her breasts and streaking directly to the junction of her thighs.

  "Oh, yeah. You'll definitely pay for those." He took another step forward.

  She was more than tempted to let him punish her right there and then.

  "You bring your war paint, warrior?" she asked, a seductive curve to her lips.

  He grinned lasciviously, pulling a small tube from his tux pocket. "Right here, wife. And I want you to put it on me."

  She whirled on a toe and took off. His arm snaked out, his fingers grazing her wrist. She shrieked and ran for her life.

  He was after her like a shot, his footfalls pounding in the dust right behind her. Five steps and he hauled her in. She screamed in excitement, thrilling to the feel of his strong hands capturing her.

  Throwing his head back, he roared victoriously, lifting her, sweeping her into his strong arms. There was silk everywhere, petticoats flying, her gown floating and billowing on the breeze as he strode down the path with her flailing and wiggling and laughing.

  He kicked the door flaps open and whisked her into his lodge. Wide-eyed, Katarina gasped at the sight that met her misty gaze, the laughter dying on her lips.

  A huge mattress lay in the middle of the floor, draped luxuriously in white satin linens and pillows. Scattered everywhere were handfuls of sweet smelling gardenia petals. Soft music wafted from somewhere on the other side of the tepee. A low table held a feast of succulent delights—grapes, strawberries, aromatic cheeses, caviar and a magnum of Kristal champagne. Finally, her awe-filled gaze halted on the biggest flask of her favorite aromatic oil she'd ever seen.

  "Oh, Cole." She sighed his name, turning in his arms, touching his cheek with her fingers. She wound her arms around his neck and gazed adoringly into the eyes of her husband, her soul filled to bursting for this man who had given her so much. His name, a home, her son. His heart.