Redwing's Lady

by Stella Bagwell

  “Have you been to Navajo Lake?” Daniel asked Aaron.

  Aaron wrinkled his nose thoughtfully and looked to his mother for answers. “Have I, Mom?”

  “No. I don’t think so. Your father and I drove past it once. But that was before you were born.”

  Maggie could still recall those few quiet minutes that she and Hugh had stopped and looked out over the glimmering lake. It had been one of the few times they were away from the ranch together. He’d driven her up to Colorado Springs to a cutting-horse show, and while they were there he’d purchased a horse just for her. She’d cherished the palomino gelding until Hugh had died, then the memories had made it too difficult to ride the horse. She’d eventually sold him and tucked the money away for Aaron’s college fund.

  “Well, you’re in for a treat, then,” Daniel told him. “The water is deep blue and there’re slabs of rocks to climb and sit on. And pine trees for shade.”

  Aaron leaned up in the seat to look at him. “What about bears? Did you bring your gun?”

  Daniel shook his head. “My firearm is only for work. We don’t need a gun to go camping.”

  Aaron was suddenly wide-eyed at Daniel’s reasoning. “But if a bear gets after us—he…he might kill us!”

  An amused smile crossed Daniel’s lips. “Don’t worry. They’re more scared of you. We’ll put away all our food and not invite one into camp. Besides, I wouldn’t kill a bear.”

  This statement floored Aaron even more. “Why not? They’re mean!”

  “The bear is a sacred animal to the Ute. To respect his spirit will make you a stronger man.”

  Aaron silently mulled over Daniel’s statement for several long moments, then he said with childlike wisdom, “Oh. That’s kind of neat. I guess you like bears the way I like horses.”

  Daniel chuckled softly and Maggie glanced over at his profile. “See what you’re in for all weekend? You’ll be wishing you had a nickel for all the questions you answer.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he said to Maggie, then turned his attention to Aaron. “I don’t exactly like bears the same as horses, Aaron. For a Ute the bear is to be respected, and the horse is to be valued and admired.”

  “Well, I sure value Rusty,” Aaron exclaimed. “I wouldn’t sell him for a thousand dollars or two thousand or a whole stack of money!”

  “I’m glad you love your horse that much,” Daniel told him. “That’s the way it should be.”

  Aaron began to chatter about some of the other horses on the T Bar K and how Skinny was teaching him to nail on a horseshoe and rasp their hooves. Maggie didn’t pay close attention to her son’s words, she was too busy dreaming, wondering what it would be like for her and Aaron to have a man in the house, for them to be a true family again. Daniel was so good with him. Gentle, yet firm.

  “Mom! Mom! Daniel asked you a question!”

  Aaron’s shrill voice penetrated her thoughts, and she glanced guilty around at Daniel. There was a faintly amused look on his face and she wondered if the man could read her mind. Dear Lord she hoped not. Otherwise, she couldn’t face him. “Uh, sorry, I was…thinking. What did you ask?”

  “If you brought a swimsuit.”

  “Yes. Aaron begged me to bring our suits. But we both know the water will be too cold for swimming.”

  Daniel’s brown eyes glinted. “We’ll see.”

  Before long Daniel was steering the truck onto Highway 64 and then north on a smaller highway. For miles the road curved and climbed through high arid country dotted with sage and ragged juniper. Eventually it opened up to low, rock-strewn mountains and dark-green cedar trees.

  When the lake finally appeared, Aaron was quick to shout. “There it is! Wow! Just look at all that water!”

  Daniel took his eyes off the road just long enough to point out the dam. “We’re going to drive across it. You won’t be scared, will you?”

  Aaron puffed out his chest. “Shoot no! I’m not scared of anything.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes and shot Daniel an amused look. “What about bears and spending the night alone in the mountains?”

  The child wrinkled his nose. “Well, other than those two things,” he corrected.

  “Is this where we’ll be staying?” Maggie asked of Daniel as the truck started across the huge, earthen dam.

  Over to the right she could see a huge marina and several other buildings. Vehicles and boat trailers filled the massive parking area while out on the lake, sailboats and small fishing craft bobbed upon the blue waters.

  “I think we need to talk about that. Once we get across the dam, I’ll pull over.”

  What was there to talk about? Maggie wondered. They needed to find a tent site and set up everything to make a camp.

  To her surprise Aaron wasn’t frightened by the height or narrowness of the road crossing the dam. He was completely awed, even after Daniel pulled over onto a wide graveled area built for sightseers.

  “Can I get out?” Aaron asked before Daniel had brought the truck to a complete halt.

  Maggie looked to Daniel, who nodded.

  “Sure,” he said, “but just stand next to the truck. I don’t want you falling down the side of the mountain.

  Aaron quickly climbed out of the vehicle and shut the door behind him. Instantly Maggie could feel the air in the truck cab begin to evaporate. As she met Daniel’s gaze, her lungs felt as though they were laboring just to draw one breath, and her heart danced a jig as she met his gaze.

  She didn’t know what had come over her, but she knew for certain that if she didn’t get ahold of her runaway emotions, she’d never last the whole weekend with this man. She’d collapse first.

  “Uh, just what is it that we need to discuss?”

  His gaze settled on her lips. “Where we’re going to camp.”

  “Aren’t the campsites down there?” She pointed toward the marina.

  “The Bureau of Reclamations has built campsites all along the shoreline of this lake. But I thought Aaron might like something a little more primitive than cackling generators, loud radios and too many people to stir with a stick.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m not too keen on crowds, either,” she admitted, albeit a little warily. “Just how primitive are you talking about?”

  “No electricity or toilets. No campsites.”

  Maggie digested his words, then burst out with a short laugh. Was the man kidding? she wondered. But no, he looked as serious as a judge.

  “Oh. Do you think we need to get that…primitive?”

  To Maggie’s surprise a little twist of a smile crossed his face, and she felt herself melting like snow in spring.

  “We don’t necessarily need to. I just thought it would make things more special for Aaron to see what real camping is like. I’ve brought plenty of kerosene lanterns and utensils to cook with over the fire. All you’ll have to do is sit back and relax. Promise.”

  Maggie had never sat back and relaxed in her life. Not when there was any sort of work to be done. “But no toilets?”

  “No. But there’ll be plenty of trees and bushes.”

  In spite of her pink cheeks, she laughed. “Well, why not,” she said. “It’s just for a couple of days.”

  His eyes softened, and she thought she could see a glimpse of admiration in his dark-brown gaze. The idea made her feel good. Too good.

  “I’m glad. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Why don’t you call Aaron and we’ll get on our way. The roads to where we’re going are rough. It will take us a while.”

  As Daniel continued to drive them north across the Colorado border, she learned that this section of the lake rested on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. She wondered if that fact made Daniel feel more at home.

  Beneath her lowered lashes, she darted a look at his chiseled profile. There were so many things she would like to ask him. About his parents and his life growing up and about the joys and pains he’d experienced in his younger days. But he was a man of few words and he might take offense if
she tried to pry anything from him.

  Besides, Maggie told herself firmly, she didn’t need to know every little thing about Daniel Redwing. He was just a man doing a kindness for Aaron and that was all.

  Chapter Six

  At Arboles they stopped at a convenience store for a bathroom break and to purchase a few last-minute articles Daniel thought they might need once they got into the wild. From there, he drove the truck onto a dirt road leading south into the mountains. The first mile or two was more or less like the dirt road leading into the T Bar K. There were a few holes and rocks, but basically it was smooth going. Unfortunately, the smoothness didn’t last and the road turned into little more than a faint track leading around huge boulders and down washed-out gullies. In some areas they passed through thick forest, in others it opened up to arid meadows filled with sage and clumps of grass.

  “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Maggie asked, as the truck nosedived down a steep ravine. Holding on to the edge of the seat, she braced herself until they reached the bottom. There they bounced over loose rocks the size of basketballs, and Maggie had no way of preventing her shoulder from colliding with Daniel’s. Thankfully, he seemed to expect her jostling. “We have to be miles away from civilization,” she added.

  Amused dimples marked his cheeks. “We are miles away from civilization. That’s the whole point.”

  “Gee, Mom, this is neat,” Aaron spoke up. His attention was all over the place as he searched the landscape for signs of wildlife. “I can’t wait to set up camp.”

  Maggie looked down at her son. “You won’t be afraid to stay out here in the wilderness tonight?”

  Aaron shoved out his chest. “Gosh, no. Daniel will be with us.”

  As if that said it all, Maggie thought. Daniel’s presence was obviously making Aaron feel secure, but as for her, each moment that passed with the man was making her more and more uneasy.

  The three of them traveled for another half hour before the truck climbed down a short ravine and parked along a smooth, sandy beach.

  Aaron jumped out of the truck immediately, and Maggie followed more slowly. Once she was standing on the ground, she looked around the secluded cove. One side was sheltered with high slabs of rock, the other with a thick forest of pine. The sand beneath her feet was soft and deep, almost as if they were on the ocean rather than a freshwater lake.

  “What do you think?”

  She jerked with surprise at the sound of Daniel’s voice as he came up behind her. She hadn’t heard him approach and he was definitely a man she needed to be braced for.

  “It’s beautiful. And so quiet.” She glanced over her shoulder to see he was looking at her, and the warmth in his brown eyes made her pulse leap. “How did you know about this place?”

  “My grandfather used to bring me here. We had good times fishing and camping together. But now he’s too old to do much more than sit in his rocker and sleep.” A rueful expression crossed his face. “But that’s what happens when we get old.”

  Maggie nodded. “Yes. But getting old is a blessing. Believe me, I know.”

  Daniel realized she was referring to her husband and how his young life had ended so tragically. It wasn’t what he wanted her to be thinking about. In fact, he wished that he could erase all that from her mind. He didn’t want her thinking about the late Hugh Ketchum. Daniel wanted her thoughts to be on him. Which wasn’t a smart thing. But he was a man, after all. And any normal, red-blooded man wanted to be the center of a woman’s thoughts.

  Clearing his throat, he lifted his gaze to the water lapping at the shore’s edge. “We’d better get our camp set up,” he suggested. “I’m sure Aaron wants to go fishing as soon as he can.”

  A few feet away, Aaron picked up on Daniel’s words and trotted back to the two adults.

  “Yeah! Can we go fishing now?” Aaron’s eyes were dancing with excitement as he jumped up and down on the tips of his tennis shoes. “We can put up the tents and things later, can’t we?”

  With a shake of his head, Daniel took the boy by the shoulder. “Work first, play later. Having shelter is a serious matter. That’s why we need to take care of the important things first. Okay?”

  Aaron’s head dipped a little with disappointment, but he didn’t argue, and after a second or two he was grinning again. “Okay, Daniel, let’s get to work!”

  Daniel affectionately ruffled Aaron’s hair, and Maggie was suddenly disturbed by the whole interaction. The two of them looked too right, too perfect together, she thought. Daniel wasn’t Aaron’s father. Nor would he ever be. What would that eventually mean to Aaron? she wondered. Especially when Daniel grew bored of their friendship and ended it?

  Maggie tried not to think about any of those things as she helped Daniel and Aaron unload the tents and cooking equipment. This outing was only for two days. She didn’t want to ruin it by dwelling on problems that might or might not happen.

  Two hours later they had erected two tents, filled air mattresses for the beds and covered them all with bedclothes. Outside, on the tailgate of the truck, Daniel set up a little wooden cabinet for the food and cooking utensils. While Maggie dealt with arranging canned goods and cooking pots, Daniel and Aaron arranged a circle of large rocks, then went in search of dead limbs for a campfire.

  From Maggie’s experience with building fires, it took several attempts to get a stack of wood burning, but Daniel did it with one match and soon the smoking pine burst into flames. Once it was crackling merrily, he looked pointedly at Maggie.

  “You could make coffee now.” He was still squatting by the fire, and even though he was a few feet away from where she was sitting, she could see a teasing glint in his eyes.

  Maggie laughed. “Is that an order or a suggestion, Brave Redwing?”

  “Just a suggestion.”

  Rising to his full height, he turned his back to the fire. With his profile exposed to Maggie, she found her gaze traveling over his chiseled face and down the rock-hard length of his body.

  If he’d lived back in the days when Native Americans lived solely off the land, he would have been a leader among his people, Maggie decided. He had that silent strength about him that made his presence much bigger than the next man and much too potent for her to ignore.

  “All right. A pot of coffee would be nice,” she agreed good-naturedly. She rose from the director’s chair and began to gather the makings. “Does this mean I’m the appointed cook?”

  “No. I invited you here for company, not to be the camp cook.”

  He was admitting that he wanted her company. The idea tinged her cheeks with a soft blush. Watch it, Maggie, she warned herself as she filled a coffeepot with bottled water. You can’t start melting each time the man looks at you or says something even remotely suggestive.

  “Daniel, I’ve got my fishing line all ready,” Aaron announced.

  Maggie turned her head to see Aaron jump up from his seat on a nearby rock and carry his rod and reel over to Daniel.

  He told Aaron, “Well, if that’s the case, I’d better get mine and we’ll head down to the lake.”

  A perplexed frown creased her forehead as she studied the two of them. “What about the coffee?” she asked. “I have it ready to put on the fire.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll get Aaron settled and come back for it in a few minutes.”

  She nodded, and Daniel turned away to follow Aaron, who was trotting quickly toward the water.

  Maggie turned her attention back to her task and soon she had a wire mesh rack placed over the burning wood and the coffee pot sitting over the low flames.

  While she waited for the water and grounds to boil, she sat back in the canvas director’s chair and turned her attention to the lake’s edge. Off to the left of their little camp, next to a small willow tree, Daniel and Aaron were casting their fishing lines into the choppy water.

  As she watched them, her gaze instinctively settled on Daniel. His wide stance and rippling shoulder muscles reminded h
er even more of his strong, powerfully built body, and before she realized what she was doing, she was daydreaming, fantasizing about how he would look undressed, how bronze and masculine he would appear against the white sheets on her bed.

  The sound of liquid sizzling onto the flaming logs suddenly jerked Maggie out of her erotic reverie and she jumped to her feet to pull the pot away from the heat.

  Cursing under her breath, she pulled off the lid and poured in a bit of cool water to settle the coffee grounds. She was embarrassed and angry with herself for allowing her thoughts to run away like that. It wasn’t right for her to be lusting after a man when she’d loved Hugh so much.

  But Hugh is gone. He’ll never come back. He can’t hold you, kiss you and make love to you like Daniel can.

  The tiny voice inside her head was so real it scared her, and she was glad when she looked up and saw that Daniel was returning to camp. If she was having some sort of mental breakdown, at least he’d be around to take her for medical help!

  “The coffee is ready,” she told him. “In fact, it boiled over before I could get to it.”

  Shrugging, he glanced down at the fire. “The logs are still burning. It didn’t hurt anything. But I should have shown you a trick to prevent that from happening.”

  The trick was not to daydream about having sex with you, Maggie thought. She took a deep breath and tried to swallow away the thickness in her throat.

  “Oh? Is it an Indian trick?” she asked.

  Amused grooves appeared on either side of his lips, and Maggie realized it was good to see him smile, to hear him chuckle. She liked to think she was making him happy for the moment. Which didn’t make much sense. It wasn’t her place to see that Daniel Redwing laughed or smiled. But she liked it when he did and she liked to think she had something to do with it.