Lunch was always served outdoors, fixed by the Indian girls as part of their schooling. The boys, along with Wolf and Rook, usually hunted the meat for their meals. Today though, he suspected the meal would once more consist of bear. He’d seen the meat hanging to dry, and he’d also watched Dove, along with several of the older girls, dealing with the hide.
Refusing to allow his good mood to be dampened, he moved around the kitchen, his movements economical and efficient as he prepared the twins’ meal. He joined Dove at the table where Sam and Sarah each sat in a chair. Both held spoons and started feeding themselves as soon as Jeremy put the bowls of cooled stew before them.
Knowing from experience that if left to their own devices, the twins would end up with more food on their persons or on the walls than in their bellies, Jeremy grabbed another spoon and helped Sam eat. When the boy swallowed the final bite, he smiled. “Thatta boy.” With quick, practiced strokes, he cleaned the toddler’s face and hands and removed the towel tied around the boy’s neck to catch spilled food and milk.
Setting Sam down, Jeremy took the bowl over and left it in the wooden tub that served as the sink. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that Sarah was still playing with her food, ignoring Dove’s attempts to feed her.
Dove stood. “I think she’s done.” But when she took the bowl away, Sarah let out a scream of protest. Dove set it back down. Sarah reached in with her fingers for a bit but just played with the chopped bits of meat and vegetable. When she tried to mash a bite of meat into her hair, Dove grabbed the tiny hand, which brought forth an angry cry.
“Here, let me. Sam needs changing.” Dove made a face but vacated her seat. He grinned. Changing nappies wasn’t Dove’s cup of tea and he took every opportunity to make her do it. Picking up Sarah’s sticky spoon, he coaxed, “Come on, sweetie, how about another bite for your Uncle Jeremy?”
With an innocent look at her aunt, tears spiking her long, black lashes, Sarah grinned and opened her mouth. His niece’s obvious devotion to him boosted Jeremy’s ego.
“Traitor,” Dove said to Sarah without any rancor.
“Uh, Dove?” When she arched her brow at him, Jeremy pointed into the next room.
With a cry, she ran to grab Sam who was two rungs up the ladder leading to her sleeping area.
While she dealt with Sam, Jeremy finished feeding Sarah, cleaned her as well, then handed her over to Dove, who’d just finished changing Sam. The boy toddled away, his diaper drooping, then falling off, all to the child’s delight.
Holding in his laughter, he smirked at Dove. “Try again.”
The girl glanced up at him. “Don’t you dare laugh,” she said.
He shook his head when Sarah fell with a wail. Her diaper had so much thickness between her legs, she couldn’t walk, and Sam, cornered by his aunt, continued to struggle against his aunt’s attempts to replace his diaper. Dove narrowed her pale blue eyes at him. Sam took advantage of her distraction and made a dash for freedom. Unfortunately, his diaper fell to his knees and he, too, fell.
Twin howls made Jeremy wince.
“You are truly hopeless, you know. The mighty White Dove, huntress and warrior, cannot handle a simple diaper.” He crossed the wooden floor and knelt on the round carpet made of material scraps. It didn’t take him long to secure each of the twins’ cotton diapers. He handed Sam to Dove, picked up Sarah and sat in a large, overstuffed chair and started humming softly.
Scowling, Dove settled herself in a padded rocker. She cuddled Sam close. The twins each stuck their thumbs in their mouths and closed their eyes. Dove glanced over at Jeremy. “Our women don’t use such crude methods.”
Jeremy lifted a brow. “Moss packed in the bottom of a backboard isn’t crude?” Silence fell between them, broken only by the occasional murmur of child or adult. As he rocked Sarah, Jeremy took the opportunity to watch Dove.
As she bent her head over Sam, the baby reached up and grabbed one of her thick braids. The boy’s thumb and forefinger rubbed the dark end as if it were silk, reminding Jeremy of how her hair looked whenever she left it loose, hanging to her waist in flowing ripples from being braided. He usually found an excuse to tug playfully at her hair, like a bratty brother, which made her mad, but it was more than worth it to feel that soft silk against his fingers. Too bad she wore her hair in braids most of the time.
She leaned her head back, closing her eyes, which gave him the chance to gaze upon her beauty. Dove was the most fascinating woman he’d ever met or seen. Her small oval face framed pale blue eyes, dark brows, long lashes and a delicately sloped nose that gave the impression of frailty. However, one look at her full lips, high cheekbones and strong jaw dispelled that notion. There was nothing weak about Dove.
Her strength drew him and frustrated him. He didn’t want a weak, clinging woman, yet a man needed to be respected and admired. Dove felt neither toward him.
He glanced down at the sleeping girl in his arms. How could he ever hope to win Dove’s heart when he had nothing to offer? She didn’t need him to provide food for her. She didn’t need his money, his share of the farm he and his siblings had sold to emigrate to Oregon. And out here in the Nebraskan wilderness, her knowledge surpassed his. Hell, she didn’t even need him to protect her—her skill with the bow against a bear had proven that.
Depression settled over him. Soon, she’d leave to find her “great warrior.” By the end of summer, she’d be married. The thought of her kissing another man, admiring another, making love to another made him feel sick.
He eyed Dove, watched her with Sam. He couldn’t see her with another man’s child. He wanted her to hold his. A son with brown hair and blue eyes. Or a daughter who looked a lot like Sarah, with Jeremy’s own dark curls and green eyes. He wanted her to hold their child. One conceived in love.
Unable to face the thought of losing her, he stood and carried Sarah to her crib. When he returned, Dove was attempting to rise without waking Sam. He went to her, halting her with a quick shake to his head.
“Wait,” he ordered softly. “Let me. You’ll wake him.” Without pausing for her agreement, he scooped the boy from her arms, amused that when it came to the babies, she was all thumbs. Unfortunately, being good with babies wasn’t high on the list of ways to impress Dove.
Aware that she watched him from the doorway, Jeremy tucked Sam in, then rubbed Sarah’s back when she whimpered. Moments later, the twins were both sound asleep. Straightening, he caught Dove watching him with a wistful expression that sent hope rocketing through him.
“What?” he asked.
She shook her head and backed out of the room. He followed, caught her wrist and turned her to face him. “Tell me. What were you thinking?”
Please, he thought, let her warm to me just a little. Working and living in such close quarters, spending much of the day with her, increased his feelings for her, but until she’d returned his kiss yesterday, she’d not once given him even the tiniest ray of hope that she might feel something. He stared at her mouth, remembering how she’d tasted, the feel of her lips. He pulled her closer.
She hung back and refused to look at him. “Just watching the babies. You are very good with them.” She stopped, as if afraid she’d said more than she’d planned.
“A compliment? From you?” He put his hand to his heart and rocked back on his heels. “I’ll treasure it forever, dear.” And despite his carelessly said words, he would. She gave so few compliments that when she did deem to bestow one on him, he felt tall and proud.
She spun around and busied herself by picking up the children’s toys and tossing them into a wooden chest. Though he stood in the center of the room, she ignored him.
He wasn’t fooled, though. If he hadn’t known her so well, he might truly have believed she didn’t know he was standing there, watching her. But the stiffness of her back, her set shoulders and
careful avoidance of his gaze gave her away. Not to mention her tactic of trying to distract him.
Intrigued, he leaned against the stone fireplace. “When are you gonna admit you’re attracted to me?” As sure as they were talking, he suddenly knew she was. And after yesterday’s kiss and this morning in the barn, he’d be damned if he allowed her to deny it.
Dove ducked beneath his arm and walked into the kitchen.
He followed. Damn, she was stubborn. He grinned foolishly. She must be hot and bothered if she was trying to avoid him; Dove never backed away from anything. “Come on, Dove, just admit it. You like me.”
That brought her head up. She arched a brow and ran a dismissive glance down his body. “You are brother to my new sister. We are family.” She shrugged. “Family must like one another.”
He blanched as though she’d kicked him in the gut. What he felt for her was definitely not the way a brother felt about his sister. Frustrated, not knowing how to proceed with wooing her, knowing he was running out of time, that the others were due back any time, Jeremy stalked across the room.
“I’ve got news for you, Dove. Brothers and sisters don’t kiss like we did yesterday.”
This time she paled, but her eyes flashed, warning him that he was pushing. But he didn’t care. Anger and heated emotion were preferable to cool indifference. Besides, what did he have to lose?
“That was a mistake,” she said. “It shouldn’t have happened, and if I hadn’t been so relieved that none of us had been killed, it never would have.”
Jeremy believed her. But he also believed that without some sort of feeling deep down, that kiss would never have affected either of them. Listening to her dismiss it brought his temper to the surface. “That’s it! What’s wrong with me, anyway? And don’t give me any more crap about not being a warrior.”
He stalked from one side of the kitchen to the other. “I helped your brother drive his cattle two thousand miles from Westport to Oregon. I helped my brothers build two log cabins and before that, I worked our family farm. No one has ever accused me of slacking off. I’ve always done my fair share—including now, helping Wolf and Jessie with their school.”
In the eyes of most men—and women—he was more than man enough. During his brief stay in Oregon, every mother within fifty miles had made sure he knew she had marriageable daughters. Girls as young as twelve had been paraded before him, and women as old as twenty-five had tried to entice him into marriage. Their nearest neighbors, the Robersons, had five daughters, all of whom had trudged over through thick drifts of snow to bring him some sort of baked treat. And while he’d been tempted on some levels, none of them had been White Dove.
Jeremy leaned against the counter, determined to break through the wall she kept erected between them. How could she ignore the sparks that were so obviously there? To his surprise, upon meeting again after nearly three years, that flame of attraction had still been as hot as ever.
She banged the bowls as she washed them. “I never said you did not work hard.”
He watched her fingers crinkle the towel she used to dry the dishes she’d just washed. Taking her uncertainty as a good sign, he jabbed a finger at her. “Damn right. Hell, I’m even better with your niece and nephew than you. Who ever heard of a woman who couldn’t pin a diaper on a baby? You aren’t Miss Perfection, so why are you so down on me?”
Dove looked torn—for about two seconds—before she tossed the towel down and gave him a wry look. “Lakota men are warriors, not housemaids.”
Jeremy advanced. “So you are saying I’m not man enough for you.”
A wicked gleam in Dove’s eyes gave him his answer even though her gaze rested briefly on his mouth. “You are not a warrior.” She shoved past him.
“No, I’m not. But I’m still man enough for you, Dove.” He grabbed her arm, stopping her and, before she knew his intention, he bent his head and kissed her.
Startled, she parted her lips. Jeremy groaned. He hadn’t planned on kissing her again, or now. He’d wanted to woo her, win her favorable attentions, make her want him first, but the minute his lips touched hers, he couldn’t stop.
Her taste, her feel, drove him. One hand went to the back of her neck. She leaned into him, her body flush with his, her head supported by his fingers. A wave of fire swept through his loins when her lips moved with his. Her breathy moans mingled with his, and joy tangled with desire as passion exploded over them.
Feeling smug, he broke the kiss and stared down into her eyes. Not once, but twice he’d caused desire to cloud her eyes. He traced her slightly parted, swollen lips with his finger, dipping the tip between them. Once more, he pressed his mouth to hers and whispered, “Has any Lakota warrior made you feel like this?”
Instantly, her soft lips hardened and she jerked away. The soft hint of desire fled her eyes. “This is what you call lust. Nothing more. The warrior I marry will be great. He will be the bravest. He will be strong. No one will defeat him. And he will make me feel things no other can. This I know to be true. It was spoken by my grandmother.” With her head held proudly, she stalked out.
As she left, Jeremy’s hopes died. “Damn. How do you compete with that?” The warrior Dove claimed she had to marry couldn’t possibly exist. He’d have to be perfect.
Feeling far from that himself, Jeremy refilled the two bottles for the cubs, then headed out to the barn where their cries could still be heard. He ignored the snickers from the older boys who were getting ready to go hunt with Wolf.
Echoing loud and clear in his head, he only heard Dove’s scornful implication:
Lakota warriors do not tend babies.
Chapter Four
Tendrils of curling, cold air slipped between cracks into the schoolroom where Jeremy sat on the floor behind Runs Slowly. His arms encircled the boy, his hands guiding the boy’s. “Like this.” Using a small piece of chalk, Jeremy moved the boy’s hands as he drew the letter R on the slate. “Now you do it.”
Runs Slowly stuck his tongue out and concentrated as he traced the letter. On the second pass, his hand fell away as his attention wandered to the windows and the swaying trees beyond. “Play, Jer-m-ee.”
Runs Slowly stood and shuffled to the window. Knowing the boy had a short attention span, Jeremy let him go. He walked around the room as Jessie was doing, checking on the other children’s progress. Some sat at the small tables and chairs Wolf and Rook had made, others sprawled on the hard ground, preferring to lie on their bellies to read or work. With the exception of Runs Slowly, all could write their numbers, pen their names and read simple English words. Their natural quickness in learning to read and converse in English astounded him.
While speaking their own Lakota had never been forbidden, the children were eager to learn English and therefore practiced as much as they could.
“They come. They come!” Runs Slowly shouted and pointed outside.
The children rushed over to crowd him. Jeremy glanced over their heads and saw several warriors emerging from the shelter of trees.
“Can we go?” a young girl asked Jeremy.
“You must ask your teacher,” he answered, giving her braids a gentle tug. He watched the children run to Jessie.
She smiled at him from across the room before she waved the excited children away. “Yes, you may all go. There’s no point in trying to finish lessons. Put your supplies away first, though.”
Shouts of happiness rose as the Lakota youths tidied their desks, then ran for the door, bursting out into the yard as though propelled by an invisible wind. Jeremy shivered when the full force of the actual wind outside burst into the room. He shut the door and leaned back against it. “Guess that’s it.”
Jessie glanced around her empty classroom. “Yeah. I’m going to miss them.” Her voice caught as she bent down to pick up Runs Slowly’s slate.
&n
bsp; Rolling his eyes, Jeremy pulled her into his arms. “Come on, Jess. They’ll be back next winter,” he reminded. “You and Wolf did it. Your school was a success—” He started when he felt a small jab on his hip. It came from Jessie’s rounded belly.
He chuckled. “And somehow I think you’ll have your hands full in a few months.” He still found it amazing that his baby sister had taken to motherhood like she’d been born to it. Of course, he’d never even pictured her married, let alone a mother. He recalled the days when she’d scoffed at the very idea of being wed and tied to a husband, house and children. She’d wanted adventure. Still, somehow it shouldn’t have surprised him that she’d gotten it all.
Jessie gave a wry grin broken by a yawn. “Lordy, this babe is active, much more so than the twins. Kept me up most of the night.”
Moving her to the door, he opened it. “Go nap. I’ll finish up in here and keep an eye on the kids. You need your rest.”
“You sound just like Wolf,” Jessie complained, glancing around. “Come on. This can wait. Let’s go see what’s going on.”
The two left the schoolroom. Outside, Wolf met them. Jeremy glanced around but didn’t see the warriors. “Where are they? Did your people only send three?”
Wolf pulled Jessie into his arm and led the way to the house. “Those were scouts. They’ve returned to the others. The rest of my people will arrive in the morning.” He frowned when Jessie failed to stifle another yawn. “You, my wife, are going to go lie down.” Scooping her up into his arms, he headed toward the house, ignoring her protests.
Jeremy grinned when Wolf set his sister down on the porch and kissed her. Hand in hand, the two entered their cabin. Left standing alone in the midst of the wind-blown yard, Jeremy watched as Sofia and Rook left the cabin by the kitchen door and headed for their own dwelling. Across the yard, the sound of laughter floated on the wind. Dove and the children were in the barn.
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