“Do the nightmares come to her every night?”
Big Red shook his head. “No, she’ll go a long time in between. She doesn’t remember much about when they took her, and it scares her.”
“Understandable. I’ll be here a few days. You enjoy your Amy.”
“I knew it! Pa, I asked you dozens of times and you always said no. You’re sparkin’ with Amy!” Rhetta had her hands on her hips giving him an accusing glare.
“I knew you wouldn’t like it, so I didn’t tell you.”
“Oh, Pa, do you really think I don’t want happiness for you? Amy is a wonderfully sweet woman and if she likes a big, bossy man than grab her.”
Big Red looked amused. “Bossy? Ha! You’ve had me wrapped around your finger from the very start.”
Swift Eagle smiled. “I could make breakfast if you like.”
Rhetta laughed. “Do you even know how to cook? If I remember correctly, men hunted and women did everything else.”
“I don’t know what band had you. I learned many things from my mother. How do you think I travel if I can’t cook?”
“I hadn’t given it a single thought.” A slight frown settled on her forehead but then she shrugged and broke into a smile that lit her face like the sun. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll make us some flapjacks.”
He watched her as she worked. She was quick and skilled at her labor. But she did not dress like most of the other women in the white man’s world. “Did you make those buckskins?”
“Yes.” She turned and faced him. “Why?”
“I like them. You did a fine job.” He angled his head and studied her for a minute. “You were all set for me to insult you. Why is that?”
Her eyes opened wider before she turned back around. “I don’t know what you mean.” She sounded angry, so he left it alone.
“Tell me, what do you do when the snow is this high?”
“We have snowshoes, I suspect you do too,” Big Red said.
Swift Eagle nodded “Yes.” He held his tongue, and the silence dragged on, broken only by the sounds of Rhetta mixing up a batter for flapjacks and then the sizzle as she put them over the fire. Finally, he said, “I was thinking about hunting or fixing the fence.”
“We could go hunting,” Big Red mused aloud. “Rhetta will make forts with the little ones.”
“Forts?”
She set the food on the table. “The children like to scoop out the snow, making themselves a small cave. They call it a fort.”
She sat and reached for their hands. “Dear Lord, bless this food and all our family. And thank you for bringing a friend to us. Amen.”
Swift Eagle echoed her amen and then took some flapjacks when they were passed to him.
“I noticed you said amen,” Big Red commented in a gruff tone.
“I have read your book with the black cover,” Swift Eagle admitted. “It was hard at first, but it helped my English. Your God seems like a good and just God. I can’t say I like your God better than mine. Maybe there is only one, or maybe there is one who speaks my language. It’s hard to talk about. Everyone thinks their God is the right one. Now this Jesus in the book, the son of God; I find him most interesting. He must have been a very wise man, and his teachings must have been true for so many to believe them. I would have liked to have met him. I like to think we’d have been friends.”
More silence hung over them. Perhaps Big Red and Rhetta did not know how to respond to his words.
“Did I say something wrong?” he asked. “That is why it’s hard to talk about. People think they are right, and I am wrong. But I like to think… ‘what if?’”
“No, you said nothing wrong,” Big Red told him. “I suppose I haven’t heard anyone speak of Jesus as a friend before, but why not? He had his apostles. People liked him, and I think he would have liked us too.”
“And he’s the son of God. A holy man,” Swift Eagle added. “What do you think, Rhetta?”
“I think God forgot about me when he allowed me to be captured. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Swift Eagle tilted his head. “But you prayed over the food.”
“I do what’s expected of me.” She stood and began gathering the plates. “I wish you luck with your hunt.”
Swift Eagle glanced at Big Red, who shrugged.
It was a shame someone so young was so bitter. She believed… he was certain of it. She just needed to find it out for herself.
Chapter Three
It was cold, and the wind had whipped her cheeks raw, but she was having fun. Once they hunkered down a bit and into one of the forts, it wasn’t as bad. Of course, they weren’t all behaving. Cora’s Jordon and Luella’s Levi were both trying to impress Dawn’s Maura. Levi didn’t care that Maura was his cousin; he just refused to let Jordon outdo him. As for Maura, she couldn’t have cared less. She was in charge of Chad and Hannah. Tara hadn’t wanted to allow Hannah to play with them because she was only three, but Maura promised to watch her.
They’d been at it long enough for snow to be stuck on their clothes. Rhetta rounded them up and then stared at Maura. “Maura, where is Hannah?”
“I — I don’t know,” wailed Maura, glancing wildly around.
“Hannah!” Rhetta shouted. “Hannah! Where are you?” No one answered. She quickly counted, and no one else was missing. She turned to Maura, noting the girl’s pale face stricken with fear. “Go to Tara’s and tell her we need her. The rest of you go on home.”
Rhetta started tracking Hannah. Too many footprints covered the ground close to the main fort they had built. She couldn’t single any of them out. She widened her circle, checking each fort for cave-ins then moving on. She saw nothing. The problem was people carried Hannah because she was so small. Then she saw a boot print, but it confused her.
Tara slammed the door behind her and came running. “Where was she last?”
“I don’t know. The prints have been run over by the children plus many carried Hannah back and forth. Come here I found a boot print. I’ll grab my bow. Do you want my rifle?”
“Yes and hurry. I’ll start out.”
Rhetta ran back to her house and grabbed what she needed. Then she carefully walked in Tara’s tracks in case they missed something and needed to look again.
“I’m so sorry—” Her voice broke.
“Don’t think that way. I need you to help me. You’re one of the best trackers I’ve seen.”
“I’m surprised there would be a boot print. Most people know to wear snowshoes,” Rhetta said. “Whoever it was must have wiped away his trail. Let’s keep circling.”
It was getting colder and colder, and the thought of little Hannah out in the cold for this long had Rhetta fretting, but Tara was right; she needed to concentrate.
“Let’s head for the edge of the forest. Whoever it is didn’t bother to hide all tracks.”
Tara nodded as she pushed her scarf up around the bottom half of her face.
Thanks to the snowshoes, they were able to hurry through the snow.
“Here!” Rhetta called. She squatted down and stared down the path the tracks took.
“Two men and a mule, it looks like. I doubt the mule has long enough legs to get very far.” Tara took the lead. With so much covered in snow it was easier to see through the forest. A little farther they found a broken, poorly made snowshoe.
“Greenhorns. I bet they’re not far,” Rhetta said. They climbed a hill and at the bottom of the other side was the mule. She put her hand above her eyes to block the sun. She pointed. “There they are!”
“Oh no, they have Hannah and they’re carrying rifles. Can you tell who it is?” Tara sounded scared.
“I can’t make out either of them.”
Tara started to run, and Rhetta kept pace with her then stepped right in front of her. A crack echoed through the forest, or so it seemed. There was a moment between the sound and the impact of the bullet and another moment before Rhetta realized she’d been shot.
<
br /> She slid to the ground, and Tara tried frantically to get the bleeding to stop. Rhetta pulled her own scarf off and put it on the wound and pressed. “Go! I’ll be fine. You know I will.”
Tara hesitated and then nodded. She raced in a different direction probably to cut the men off.
Rhetta lay on the snow for a moment. Then she took some snow, packed it together, and put it under her shirt against the wound. She tried to calm herself and slow her breathing. It was a shoulder wound. Many people survived shoulder wounds. The bullet was still in and it would hurt taking it out, but for now she just had to stem the flow of the blood.
Slowly she pushed herself up to a standing position. She’d have to climb down the hill again. The mule brayed at her as she stopped and grabbed his reins. She leaned into the animal, using its heat to warm her a bit. The foolish men had left a canteen, and she drank deeply from it while the mule eyed her.
She had never found a mule that took to her. She patted this one and caught sight of the broken flesh where they had used a crop on the poor animal. The need to get as close to home as possible consumed her. She took the canteen and dropped the reins. She didn’t have the strength to fight with a mule. Taking a deep breath, she put one snowshoe in front of another and slowly made her way up the hill. To her surprise, the mule followed her. But she frowned when she studied the path behind them. She was leaving a blood trail anyone could follow.
She took a step down the hill and tripped, rolling to the bottom. The breath was knocked right out of her. The crazy mule followed her down and stayed still as though he was guarding her. Maybe if she just closed her eyes for one minute, she’d be strong enough to get up.
No! If she did that, she’d be sure to freeze to death. She grabbed the stirrup and pulled herself up again. She wondered what her odds were that she’d be able to get on the mule and decided to keep walking instead. If he balked, or she fell, she could be in worse straits. The pain grew worse, and when she checked, her scarf was soaked with blood. She still had a ways to go. Please God let Tara find Hannah. It didn’t matter about her, but the little girl had to come home safe to her family. Rhetta took another step and went down again. This time she thought she heard someone calling her name.
* * *
Both Big Red and Swift Eagle dropped to her side at the same time. Big Red’s face appeared whiter than usual.
“Rhetta, darling, what happened?”
She moaned, and the strange mule standing by her started head butting him in the back.
“She’s been shot.” Swift Eagle pulled the scarf off then used his knife to cut her buckskins, making sure to keep her properly covered. “Looks like the bullet is still in there. What was she doing out here?” He pulled a small bag from his jacket, opened it, and sprinkled some healing herbs onto her wound. Big Red handed him his large scarf, and Swift Eagle was able to put snow on her wound and bind it tight to keep pressure on it. “She should bleed less, but we must get her home.”
Swift Eagle took the reins and vaulted onto the mule. Big Red lifted her up and they slid her so she was right in front of Swift Eagle. Big Red slipped off his snowshoes and began clearing the way back so the mule could carry them through the snow. The animal turned out to be agreeable and did whatever Swift Eagle wanted. Soon they were trotting home with Big Red plunging through the snow and clearing a path ahead of them.
Big Red moved quickly and they made it home fairly fast. Big Red lifted her from the mule and brought her inside. He quickly swept everything on the table to the floor with a resounding clatter and then put Rhetta on the flat surface.
Swift Eagle gathered supplies and put water on the hot cook stove to boil.
Zander ran in. “Where’s Tara and Hannah?”
“What do you mean?” Big Red asked.
“Tara and Rhetta went to find Hannah. She came up missing while they were all playing. Tara insisted she and Rhetta were best equipped for the job.” His gaze landed on Rhetta, lying so still on the table. “What happened?”
“She’s been shot,” Big Red said in a grim voice.
“Oh no! Where is Tara? What if she’s lying out there too? Or little Hannah?”
“Did Hannah wander off?” asked Swift Eagle as he checked the water on the stove. It wasn’t yet boiling.
“We—we think she was taken,” said Zander. “Tara mentioned a boot print. I need to get back out there!”
The door opened, and Tara stood there, chest heaving, cheeks fiery red. She was not carrying Hannah, and she had tears in her eyes. “I’m glad you found Rhetta. I need supplies and a couple horses. I think I know where they’re heading.” She looked at Rhetta’s wound. “Swift Eagle, can you get the bullet out or should someone call Cora?”
“I’ll take care of her. I have cared for many people with wounds of this nature.” He stared at the door, torn between going with them to track the bad men or staying with Rhetta. He shook his head, knowing where he would best help. “I’d go with you, but I don’t know the area very well.”
“Big Red does.” Tara looked at Big Red with pleading in her eyes.
“I’ll get the horses ready.” Zander stopped and caught Big Red’s gaze. “If anyone can rescue Hanna and take care of my girls, it’s you.”
Big Red nodded. He then grabbed a jug of whiskey and put it on the table. “You’ll need this. Dawn had herbs for teas.”
Tara and Zander rushed out the door.
“I hate leaving Rhetta,” admitted Big Red, shaking his head.
“I’ll take care of her. Zander and Tara have need of you.” Swift Eagle paused in his preparations for treating Rhetta and faced Big Red. “You’re the best man for the job.”
After a last long look at Rhetta, Big Red turned and packed his saddlebags and then filled a few burlap bags with supplies. He threw his canteen on top of the pile he was making. Then he unrolled his bedroll and added a buffalo robe. It was much bigger when he rolled it again and tied it.
“You tell her I love her.” He paused and met Swift Eagle’s eyes again. “I’m trusting that you won’t take advantage of her?”
Swift Eagle just stared at him.
Big Red shifted his gaze. “You’re right, you are a man of honor, but I just had to say it as a father. Take good care of her.”
“May God keep you both in the palm of his hand.”
Big Red took one more look at Rhetta before he grabbed his things and went out the door. Swift Eagle went to the window. Tara was hugging and kissing her son Patrick and then she clung to her husband Zander. It was obviously hard for her to leave her family behind.
Emotion rose in Swift Eagle’s throat. It was hard to be the ones left behind as well.
The water boiled, and Swift Eagle put all the tools he’d need into it. Rhetta was strong, and he wasn’t worried. First, he said a prayer to the Creator. Then he set about washing and cleaning the area around the wound. With a deep breath, he again begged the Creator to steady his hand. Then he started.
He was just about done bandaging her up again when Luella came rushing in with Dawn right behind her.
“How is she?” Luella asked, hurrying over to his side and peering at the wound.
“She will be just fine, but she lost a lot of blood.”
“I’ll get beef broth started for her after I get home,” Dawn told him as she also inspected his work. She nodded in approval.
“I don’t understand what happened. Who took her?” Luella asked.
“White men.”
“Maura can’t stop crying. She thinks it’s her fault, and now Rhetta’s been shot.”
“Tell Maura she could not have stopped this,” said Swift Eagle, shaking his head. “Those men were on a mission. If not Hannah, they probably would have taken another. Maura shares no fault in this. Make sure she understands this.”
“I’ll tell her, Swift Eagle. Thank you. I will get that broth started. I’ll check in later.” Dawn opened the door. Snow swirled in as she stepped across the threshold and left, pu
lling the door closed behind her.
Luella had tidied the kitchen. Swift Eagle watched her for a few minutes. Her movements were sure and efficient and soon everything had been put away in its place.
“The storm will be bad, Luella. I know Tara and Big Red can take care of themselves, but anything could happen out there.” He turned to stare out the window into the snow falling outside, willing himself to see the unseen, to know where the girl had been taken. But all he saw was a wall of white. Why take a child in the middle of winter? Unless they had someone willing to buy her? Fools. He turned back to Luella, who stood watching him. “Do you think you can help get her into her night clothes? I don’t want to do anything that Big Red would be mad about. Rhetta has been paying more attention to me than her father thinks she should.”
Luella gave a quick nod, but her gaze lingered on Swift Eagle. “Sure I’ll help. Amy is always around too. I bet she’ll spend much of her time here for the next few days. To think it’s so close to Christmas and this happens. What would they want with a little girl? And Hannah can be more than a handful—she’s like her ma.” She sighed. “I guess right now we can only pray for Hannah, Big Red, Tara, and Rhetta.” She nodded toward Rhetta. “Should we try to settle her into bed now, or do you want me to come back in a bit?”
“Now would be less painful and less embarrassing for her. I have to remember to feed her pup too.”
“What pup? She has another animal?”
“A wolf pup she named Swifty.”
Luella started laughing and it took her a minute to stop. “It’s an honor to have a pup named after you.”
“She did it to irritate me. I was telling her about the dangers of wild animals. How was I to know she’s a bit on the crazy side?” He smiled and then he scooped Rhetta off the table.
Luella went ahead and pulled down the quilt and then got her a night gown to wear. “Maybe we should cut her buckskins off.”
Candle Glow and Mistletoe: Romance on the Oregon Trail Book 5 Page 3
