Unforgettable

by Rosanne Bittner

Allyson put on her other shoe, then tied on her bonnet, glancing over at the supply wagon. She looked up at Ethan, who still sat on his horse. “I’ll go talk to him. Thank you, Ethan.” She suspected he knew something wasn’t quite right about her and Toby, but she didn’t dare tell him now. She and Toby might not be allowed to claim their lots if people knew they had lied about their names and relationships. She stood up, avoiding his all-knowing gaze.

  “Thank you again for teaching us how to use our pistol, Ethan,” Toby said. “And for helping us with everything else. We’ll be fine from here on.”

  “Yes,” Allyson put in, seeing an opening to get rid of the man. She finally met his eyes again. “I know you’ll be terribly busy come noon tomorrow, so you just forget about us and do whatever you have to do. We’ll be all right, won’t we, Bobby?” She smiled, slipping an arm through Toby’s.

  “Sure will,” Toby answered.

  Ethan felt like shaking them until they told him the truth. This could be dangerous business for two people so young and inexperienced. The strange thing was, their inexperience seemed to apply only to how to handle horses and pitch a tent and live off the land. He couldn’t help feeling that they were not totally innocent or inexperienced when it came to other forms of survival. There was a hint of hardness about them, especially Jane, something that shone through in her dogged determination to make this work. That first day or two he’d known them, they both seemed nervous, always looking back, as though worried someone might see them. Were they running from the law? Now they seemed to want to avoid him, too, hinting that he could quit looking after them. Neither he nor the soldiers he rode with were foolish enough to think that none of these people would try to break through the lines tonight and beat the others to the best land. Did Jane Harrington have something like that in mind? He leaned down from his saddle, giving both of them a stern look.

  “You two abide by the rules. Things are going to get nasty once this thing is opened up, so keep your .38 ready. And don’t try something stupid, like trying to get a head start on someone or trying to take lots away from somebody else. Once this thing is opened up, I’ll have my hands full, so if you make trouble for yourselves, I might not be able to help you.”

  Allyson’s grip on Toby’s arm tightened as she tried to hint to him to keep a casual appearance. “We’ll do everything by the rules, Ethan. We’ll be fine.”

  Ethan glanced over at the men in suits. He had not missed the look of envy and resoluteness in Jane’s eyes when she was watching them. “And stay away from men like those over there. Remember, there’s no law out here. Men like that make their own laws. Same goes for the gamblers and con men who’ll try to move in and take what you’ve got.”

  We know all about gamblers and con men and thieves, Allyson thought. “We’ll be careful,” she said aloud.

  “Ethan!” someone shouted.

  Allyson looked past Ethan to see a man riding toward him who looked even more Indian. His long hair flew in the wind as his roan-colored horse charged up to Ethan. “Big trouble with a couple of Cheyenne over on the west end. You better come. One of them is Red Hawk, and he’s been drinkin’. You know what that means. You’re the only one who can talk to your cousin when he’s like that. He’s sayin’ the Indians shouldn’t ought to have sold this land—says he’s gonna shoot any white man who settles on it.”

  “What’s wrong, Hector? Can’t a Cherokee warrior handle a Cheyenne?” Ethan answered with a sly grin. “You always end up needing my help, don’t you?”

  “If the damn Cheyenne wasn’t so drunk and worthless most of the time, there wouldn’t be no trouble like this,” Hector answered with a quick smile. “Your people just ain’t civilized like us Cherokee.”

  “Yeah, and not as soft either,” Ethan shot back. He pulled a cheroot from a pocket on his deerskin shirt and stuck it in his mouth, then lit it.

  “Hurry!” Hector chided. “You wait much longer, that cousin of yours is gonna kill somebody and then there will be a fine mess for all of us.”

  “Red Hawk is more mouth than action, you know that.”

  “All I know is with this many whites comin’ in, the way he’s actin’ is only gonna cause big trouble. He sure as hell ain’t gonna let no Cherokee put a stop to it. It’s gonna have to be you.”

  Ethan turned to Allyson and Toby. “You two remember what I told you. If I don’t make it back by tomorrow, good luck to you.”

  “Thank you, Ethan,” Toby answered.

  Ethan glanced at Jane once more. Who are you—really, he wanted to ask. “Take care of yourselves.” He turned his horse and rode off.

  Allyson felt a growing excitement. “God has just given us our chance,” she told Toby. “It sounds like Ethan Temple will be gone all night!”

  Toby sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t know, Ally. You heard what Ethan said. If we try to pull something—”

  “I’ve got it all planned. We can do it, now that Ethan isn’t around to watch us like a hawk. Don’t you see? It’s like God made him leave.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on. Let’s go see that supplier. Maybe he can order us a cookstove. We’ll stock up on food and get to work as soon as we claim those railroad lots tomorrow! That big fat man in that suit over there is going to get a surprise.”

  “Ally, it’s too dangerous.”

  Allyson dragged her brother toward the supply wagon. “Be quiet, Toby, and have faith. We haven’t failed yet, and we aren’t going to. God means for us to have that land.” She walked briskly to the supply wagon, feeling more confident all the time. A piece of red hair fell from under her hat, and she wondered how terrible she must look, needing a bath and all; but those things didn’t matter right now. She had a plan, and she had to talk Toby into going along with her scheme. Ethan Temple was not here to stop them now.

  “Come on, Red Hawk.” Ethan picked up his cousin and managed to fling the young man’s sturdy body over his own shoulder. By the time he had reached the place where Red Hawk had been threatening a group of new settlers for hours with his rifle, not allowing them to leave, his cousin had already passed out.

  “It’s not fair,” Red Hawk mumbled. “The land…belongs to us,” he slurred.

  Ethan carried him to his horse, ignoring the curses and mutterings of the settlers, who had plenty to say about “drunken Indians.” One man had declared that when more white settlements were established in Indian Territory, there would be strict laws for Indians caught drunk on white men’s property. Several others had agreed, voicing the opinion that they were glad liquor was not allowed in the territory and wondering how Red Hawk had got hold of some.

  “You scouts and the army need to do a better job of keeping out the whiskey traders!” one man shouted at Ethan. “The army shouldn’t ever use Indians for scouts. It’s probably men like you who let the whiskey peddlers in!”

  “Why don’t you shut up?” Hec retorted. “Maybe you’d like it if all us Indians got together for a good ol’ slaughter, like the old days,” he threatened, enjoying the look of fear that came into the eyes of the man causing the most trouble. “You folks strayed too damn far onto Cheyenne land. Get the hell back with your group and get some rest. You’ve got a big day ahead of you tomorrow.” The Cherokee turned to help Ethan position Red Hawk over his pony. He knew how Ethan felt about the white man’s remarks, knew why Red Hawk had decided to get drunk today; and he made no teasing remarks to Ethan about drunken Cheyenne. This was a day when all Indians needed to get drunk. Tomorrow the Indian Territory would be changed forever. Their last stronghold would be gone. “You want some company taking him back?” he asked Ethan.

  “No, thanks. You go on back to your assigned post. We all have a big day coming tomorrow.”

  “Ain’t that the truth! I’m sorry to take you away from your own assignment, Ethan. If I’d known he’d pass out like this, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

  “It’s all right. Thanks for your concern.”

  “Think you can make it back in time for the r
ush tomorrow?”

  “I’m going to try. I want to buy a couple of good ponies from my uncle first. I know a young couple back there that could use them.”

  Hec frowned. “We ain’t supposed to be showin’ no favoritism.”

  “I know. There’s just something about these two…I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “The woman’s pretty?”

  Ethan grinned, although inside he was aching for Red Hawk…for all his people. “Yeah. She’s pretty.”

  “Single?”

  Ethan took hold of the reins to Red Hawk’s mount, then eased up on his own horse. “I’m not sure.”

  “Not sure? What does that mean?”

  “Exactly that. She and the young man she’s with are supposed to be married, but I think they’re lying about that and even about their names.”

  “Why are you helping them then?”

  Ethan stuck a cheroot between his teeth. “Damned if I know. I guess because I’m a damned fool.”

  “Damned is right, if she’s white. I tell you, you Cheyenne ain’t got an ounce of sense.” Hec slapped him on the thigh. “Get your cousin home before he gets himself shot. And stay away from that pretty white woman, you hear?”

  Ethan grinned sadly. “I’ll do my best, but I’m still taking her and her supposed husband some fresh horses. The two old nags they’ve got can barely carry their supplies.”

  Hec shrugged, mounting his own horse. “See you somewhere in the mess tomorrow. Good luck, Ethan.”

  Ethan nodded. “Same to you.” Their eyes held in mutual understanding. “Things sure do have a way of changing, don’t they?”

  Hec nodded. “They sure do.”

  Hec rode off, and Ethan lit his cheroot. It was already getting dark, and in the distance he could see the dim light of thousands of fires built by the new settlers. The sight brought a sick feeling to his stomach, but he knew there was no changing what was happening.

  Red Hawk groaned and suddenly vomited, and Ethan just shook his head. He took a few puffs on the cheroot. “Let’s get you home, Red Hawk.” He rode in the direction of the Cheyenne reservation, hoping he could get back with the fresh horses in time to help Jane and Bobby Harrington, totally confused himself as to why he should want to aid anyone in taking this land. If not for that red hair and those fetching blue eyes…

  “We’ve done it, Toby!” Allyson moved out of the ravine where she and Toby had waited half the night. They had mingled with the thousands of others earlier in the day when they were all herded back to the border by the soldiers, then had quietly drifted away on the pretense that Allyson had to relieve herself. They had headed into a ravine until they and their horses were hidden by heavy overgrowth along the creek, and they had simply never come out again.

  Allyson buttoned her woolen coat tighter against the cold night air. They had not dared to light a fire for fear of being seen, or even put up a tent because of the noise it would make. The dark ravine was frightening, owls hooting, a soft wind causing odd noises in the brush. Toby kept his pistol ready as they both sat against a bush hanging onto the bridle reins of their horses.

  “I won’t feel good about this until we claim that land tomorrow without any trouble,” Toby spoke up.

  “We can do it. There are a few others out there. You heard them same as I did. We aren’t the only ones who held back or sneaked through the soldiers. Those lots we want aren’t far away. We’ll wait right here until we hear the sound of everyone coming, then we’ll just charge out of here and look like we just got here quicker.”

  “On our horses? Nobody would ever believe it!”

  “Toby, you have to think more positive. We can do this. There are going to be others doing the same thing. With all the confusion here tomorrow, we can hold our own. If there’s trouble, you just let me handle it. Maybe I can smooth-talk us out of it, or soften them up by crying. I’ll think of something.”

  Toby fingered his pistol, hoping he wouldn’t have to use it. “You just be careful. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. None of it would matter any more.”

  Allyson touched his arm. “Nothing is going to happen.”

  He turned to see her in the moonlight, kissed her cheek. “If this works, we’ll really be free, won’t we? We’ll have something that’s all ours, and nobody can take it away from us.” He laid the pistol aside. “You sure are brave and smart, Ally, I’ll hand you that.” He rummaged in one of their supply bags. “I’m hungry. What can we eat?”

  “There’s some of that jerked meat in there that the man at the supply store back in Arkansas City said was good for eating when you couldn’t make a fire. Here, I’ll find it for you.”

  Toby handed her the bag and leaned back again. “I’ll sure be glad when we get settled and you can get to cooking real meals.”

  “And with any luck, hundreds of single men settling here tomorrow will think the same thing and will pay good money for a woman-cooked meal.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing those single men think you’re my wife. I’ve seen how some of them look at you. We would have had some problems if they thought you were available.”

  “Saying we’re married will help in a lot of ways. For some reason it brings us more respect. If we have any trouble tomorrow, it’s going to help for the land agent to think we’re married. At our age, if they know we’re brother and sister, they might toss us out as a couple of kids who have no business here. Besides that, somebody might find out how we really got here.”

  “Where do you think Mr. Bartel is by now?”

  “Who knows? Maybe he’s on his way back to New York. Even if he stops to look for us back in Arkansas City, he’ll never find us.”

  “He could trace us here. If he does, people will find out the truth.”

  “He won’t find us. I told you to think positive, remember?” Allyson shivered and pulled her skirt farther over her legs. “Let’s eat and try to get at least a couple hours’ sleep.” She handed him a piece of meat. “Just be patient a little longer, and you’ll see I’m right about everything.”

  They both sat quietly then, biting off the tough meat and chewing it slowly to make it last. An owl hooted again nearby, and Allyson scooted closer to her brother when she heard another rustling in the brush.

  “Probably just the wind again,” Toby spoke up, “or maybe a small animal, a rabbit or something.”

  “It’s no rabbit,” came a deep voice. A tall figure loomed in front of them, and for a moment their hearts pounded with fear and dread at having been discovered. Toby scrambled for his pistol, but a big, strong hand reached down and grasped his arm with just enough force to let Toby know he could break him in two if he wanted. “Don’t bother,” the man warned. “It’s me…Ethan.”

  4

  “How did you find us?” Allyson exclaimed.

  Ethan reached down and grabbed hold of her arm with his free hand, still holding Toby’s arm. He jerked them both to their feet. “The better question is, what the hell are you doing here!”

  “I told you he could find a needle in tall grass,” Toby told his sister angrily, his breath coming almost in pants from the shock and fright of suddenly being found. What would Ethan Temple do? Arrest them? Take them to a fort? Have them sent back to the orphanage?

  Allyson was scrambling to think of a way out. They had come so far. It was almost dawn. She was not going to lose what she had sat here freezing all night to have.

  “Please, Ethan, we’ll do anything to be allowed to stay.” He had an eye for her, didn’t he? Could she soften him up because of that? She touched his chest. Memories of Henry Bartel made it difficult for her to act submissive to any man, his hideous assaults on her making any man’s touch seem ugly. Still, if she could convince Ethan Temple she was soft on him…“Can’t we go a little bit away from here and talk about this? Just you and me?”

  “Ally! I mean…Jane!” Toby exclaimed.

  “It’s all right, Bobby.” Allyson gave her brother a gent
le push. She threw her arms around Ethan and rested her head against his chest. “Please, Ethan. My husband knows…about our attraction to each other.” She brought on the tears then. “I know it’s wrong…and we’ve talked about it. I know you only want what’s best for us…and we appreciate your watching over us. But it has to end, Ethan.” She looked up into his face. “If you let this go, we won’t say anything to your commander about…about how you’ve been hanging around us, upsetting my husband. They must have some rules about Indians messing with white women, and I wouldn’t want you to get in any trouble, after all you’ve done for us.”

  Ethan didn’t know whether to laugh at her or hit her for the insulting remark and her childish attempt at seducing and then threatening him. “You little wench!” he growled, deciding to give her a good scare. He had already heard part of their earlier conversation, knew these two were no more married than he was. He let go of Toby and grasped both her arms, pushing her away from her brother and leaning close to her. “You’re the ones in the most trouble here,” he sneered. “You do right by me, and I’ll let you both go.”

  Allyson gasped when he suddenly turned and whisked her up in one arm, her feet dangling as he walked off with her. “Your husband hasn’t got the guts to stop me yet. Let’s see him do it now.”

  “What are you doing?” Allyson squealed. She pushed at him, but to no avail.

  “Exactly what you’ve been asking for.” Ethan carried her behind a bush, then got to his knees and plunked her backwards into the grass. “I’m taking my payment for being quiet,” he told her. Before Allyson could answer, he met her mouth in a savage kiss, angry enough to want to frighten her, maybe even to take what he’d been wanting since the first day he’d set eyes on her. This little liar had teased him long enough, and her remark about white women and Indian men had infuriated him. He grasped her hair, put his full weight on top of her, held her head so that she could not turn her mouth from his. She didn’t seem to know how to kiss. He had to force her lips apart, and experience told him that this little woman had never been with a man in the fullest sense.