"Major, if you will notice the trees off to your left— they are called piñon trees. The nuts that grow on that tree are edible and very tasty. While they will not fill us up, it will take the edge off our hunger. We don't have the ammunition to hunt game, and even if we had meat we could not chance lighting a fire."
Kane stood up angrily. Once again she was taking charge, but he had to admit grudgingly that what she said was logical, and that did not help his temper any as he gathered the nuts from the piñon trees.
Kane and Maleaha ate the nuts, and to his surprise they were indeed quite good.
After they had eaten, Kane decided that they would rest by the stream for the night and get a fresh start in the morning. They were both lying on the grass, feeling relaxed.
"Major, the Jojobas have a saying about the piñon nut. They say if a man had to live on nothing but the piñon nut, he would continuously be shelling the nut, deriving only enough strength from eating it to continue shelling it, to continue eating it."
"I fail to see the point of your story," he said, propping his head on his hand and looking at her with a bemused expression on his face.
Maleaha laughed delightedly. "Perhaps one must be an Indian to understand the humor of it."
Kane watched as she stood up and waded into the stream. When she reached the deepest point she disappeared beneath the water. Holding his breath, he waited for her to surface, and when she did it was some twenty yards downstream. He watched as she swam gracefully through the water, and he had a sudden urge to dive into the water and swim over to her.
Kane removed his boots and walked slowly into the stream. With a few powerful strokes he reached her in no time.
Maleaha seemed unable to move as his arms went around her waist, pulling her to him. Her green eyes fused with his silver ones and she felt them both sink beneath the surface.
His lips found hers and they were locked in a stormy embrace. Maleaha's arms were around his neck, and as she pressed her body close to his a feeling of drowning washed over her, although she knew instinctively that he would not allow her to drown.
She was aware that they had surfaced, but he did not release her lips, and she clung to him as if he were her lifeline. All her young girl fantasies were realized in his hungry possession of her lips. Love that she had dreamed of finding with the right man had come upon her unaware, and from the most unlikely source.
"Oh God, I have wanted to do that for so long," he murmured in her ear.
Maleaha felt him swimming toward the shore, and she laid her head against his chest, too overcome with feelings to speak. She could hear his heart drumming beneath her ear, and she thought surely he must feel as she did.
When they reached the bank Kane lifted her into his arms and laid her down on the grassy slope. His silver eyes held her spellbound as his lips moved over her satiny skin. Maleaha had never been kissed before, and she thought how right it was that he should be the first to kiss her.
"Where did you learn to swim?" He asked against her lips. Not that he cared what she would answer at the moment, it was just something that had popped into his mind, because he had never known a girl who could swim.
"Mangas taught me," she whispered.
Kane's hand tightened on her shoulder and his eyes darkened. "I should have known. What else did he teach you?" he asked her as his lips came down roughly on hers. He felt himself burning with jealousy at the thought of her in Mangas's arms, or any other man's, for that matter.
Maleaha's lips parted beneath his hard, demanding mouth, and she was overcome by the beauty of his kiss, for it was indeed beautiful. This new feeling was love—love that he had forced her to feel almost against her will.
"You are a desirable little savage," he said as he rained kisses over her face. Kane's body had never felt so alive. It was as if every fiber of his being was attuned to the soft body he held in his arms. Raising his head, he stared down at her. Her face held a glow, and her lips were soft from his kisses, her black hair was still wet and it clung to her head like ebony velvet. Her green eyes were drawing him to her, almost against his will.
Kane laid his rough face against her smooth skin, and he knew at that moment that possessing her body only once would be to glimpse heaven and then be cast back to earth. He was surprised to find that he wanted more from her than just this one night. But what?
He ran his hand over her body and felt the wet buckskin that clung to her beautiful, slim body. It flashed through his mind that she had not uttered a word, but the look in her eyes spoke volumes.
He looked at her in puzzlement for a moment. What was it he sensed about her—youthful innocence? He shook his head to clear it, She was weaving a spell around him, and it flashed through his mind that he was in deep danger. But why?
Maleaha felt the uncertainty in him and wondered at its cause. Surely he felt as she did.
The sun had set, and the wind in the pines was singing its age-old song as Kane reached to the far recesses of his mind, trying to find answers for his confusion. Against his will his arms went around Maleaha and he drew her tightly into his arms. At last he found the answer he had been searching for. He wanted to possess her, not just tonight, but for many nights. It did not matter if she had been with many men before him. She would belong to him, and he would not allow her to continue with her permissive ways. He wanted to make sure that in the future he would be the only man in her life.
Maleaha felt his rough cheek against her face, and tiny shivers of delight ran through her body.
"I find you fascinating, little Indian."
"I thought you did not like me very well."
His lips were blazing a trail down her throat. "I fear my problem is that I like you too well. You are so lovely," he whispered.
Maleaha felt the first stirrings of womanhood coming to life within her body. Her arms went around his neck as his warm breath teased her lips.
"I think I have wanted to kiss you almost from the first moment I saw you," he told her just before his lips covered hers in a soft kiss. Maleaha felt as if a thousand stars exploded within her body as his kiss deepened and became more demanding.
"You stir a man's blood to the boiling point, little Indian," he whispered against her soft lips. "I want to make love to you. It matters but little how many men have known you before me. I only know I have to have you or go slowly out of my mind," Kane said harshly.
Maleaha was confused. Why did he think that she had kissed other men before him? She wanted to tell him that he was the first man she had ever allowed to take such liberties, but she was unable to speak as his lips prevented it with a kiss so demanding that she moaned deep within her throat.
Maleaha felt love so beautiful, so tender, that she wanted to share it with the whole world. Did he feel it too, she wondered? Surely he must, she thought. How could he not? It did not matter that since she had met him he had goaded her into anger and had insulted her at every turn. Nothing mattered but that he loved her and she loved him.
"This is a perfect spot for making love," he said in a passionate voice.
Maleaha felt his hands glide caressingly over her stomach then move upward to rest lightly against her breasts. She gasped as his lips took possession of hers, rendering her his willing slave. It seemed she could feel the heat of his hands through her deerskin dress, and the ground she lay on seemed to rock beneath her.
Kane's hands trembled as they moved over her soft curves. No, it did not matter, he told himself, that he was not the first man to sample her beautiful body. Yet he could not stop the nagging thought that he did mind. She belonged to him, and he was being haunted by the thought that others had had her before him. He drew away from her and studied her upturned face, thinking that he must make a commitment to her, and extract one from her, as well.
"Darling, I want you to know that I want more from you than just this one night. I want you to be with me for a long time to come. Do you understand?"
Maleaha shook her head, not
understanding him in the least. Was he asking her to become his wife? There was a lump forming in her throat at the thought, and she found she could not speak.
Kane's voice was deep and soft as he touched her face gently, "I will buy you a house in Santa Fe, and see that you want for nothing. I will dress you in silks and satins, and all the men will know that you belong to me, and will keep their distance."
Maleaha frowned. What men was he referring to? She was about to ask him, when he continued speaking. "I will spend all of my free time with you, and since I do not ever intend to marry, we will have many years in which to love and get to know one another."
Maleaha stiffened and her heart felt as if it had been ripped to shreds. He was not asking her to be his wife, he was asking her to live with him without benefit of marriage. She closed her eyes, hoping the tears that were in her heart did not reach her eyes. She was glad when she spoke that her voice did not reveal how badly he had hurt her, for it sounded calm, even to her ears. "You do not want to marry me, major?"
He smiled at her indulgently. "No. I would not marry you, but you need never worry, I would not seek out other women as long as you were waiting for me. I became bored with all the women who have paraded through my life lately, but nothing about you bores me."
Maleaha wanted to slap the smile from his face. Rarely, if ever, had she known such anger and humiliation. Inside she raged over the tender feelings she had felt for him only moments before. She swallowed her anger, thinking she would see just how far he would go in his bold request.
"How would I know I could trust you? Perhaps you would soon tire of me and want to replace me with another."
He smiled. "How can I be sure you will keep all your kisses for me alone? We shall just have to trust each other, will we not? I intend to keep you so happy you will not need to seek elsewhere for pleasure."
"Why do you wish never to marry?" Maleaha asked between clenched teeth.
He looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "I must be honest with you so you cannot say later that I did not make our relationship clear. I believe in total honesty." He paused, wondering how to answer her. "You and I come from two different worlds, darling. You would never fit into my world and I am sure you realize that I would not fit into yours. But there is no reason why we cannot be lovers."
"You are saying because I am part Indian that you would never marry me?"
"Partly. I suppose if I am going to be completely honest with you, I must tell you I would never marry someone who has shared her favors with half the territory of New Mexico, if I am to believe what I have observed about you to be correct."
Maleaha's anger sparked higher, but the Indian in her remained calm, knowing she would soon set him in his place. What did he mean? She had never shared her favors with other men! Why could he not realize that he was the first man she had ever kissed? She felt his hand move up her arm and wanted to push it away, but not yet, not yet.
"Suppose there should be a child from our . . . relationship?" she asked, knowing what his answer would be before he voiced it. With each passing moment she seemed to die a little more inside.
Kane's voice took on a hard tone, and he gripped her arm firmly. "I have not thought that far ahead, but obviously you have. Don't think you could ever trap me into marriage by having my child, for I assure you, I will never marry you."
Maleaha sat up slowly, "It surprises me that you would think I would want to be your mistress, major. As for the nice house and the silk gowns, I would much prefer my buckskin dress to all the white ladies' trappings. What would an Indian such as I want with such finery?"
"I will not share you with anyone else. You can dress as you please, but you will tell all other men that you are mine exclusively," he said, completely misunderstanding her meaning.
Maleaha stood up to her full height and looked down at him, "You will never have any part of me, major." She ran her hands through her tousled hair, thinking how close she had come to giving herself to this hateful man. The newfound love she had felt for him moments before began to die a slow death, replaced with loathing and contempt.
He jumped to his feet and stood over her with an ominous glint in his eyes. "You little tart. Damn you for the slut you are. You teased me until I am half out of my mind wanting you, and now you think you can just walk away."
"Hobble away would be more accurate, major," she told him as she turned away from him angrily.
Kane grabbed her by the shoulders and drew her into his arms, Maleaha tried to pull away from him as his lips crushed hers with a punishing force. She moved her head from side to side, but his hand went up to hold her face immobile. She bit his lip, hoping to gain her freedom.
"Damn! You uncivilized little wildcat," he said, raising his head and wiping his own blood from his mouth with one hand, while he restrained her with the other. Maleaha saw the passion that blazed in his silver eyes and feared what he might do.
"Re . . . release me," she said in a trembling voice.
"And if I refuse?" he asked as his grip tightened on her, pulling her into his arms once more.
"Reconsider, major," she said as she slipped the knife from where she kept it about her waist and pressed the point of it against his back.
In one quick motion he spun her around, grabbing the hand that held the knife and taking it from her with very little effort.
"Never draw a knife on me again, Miss Deveraux, unless you are prepared to use it. In the future it might be well for you to consider that. A simple 'no' would have sufficed."
"You left me little choice," she said, rubbing her sore wrist and wishing for the moment that she had plunged the knife into him when she had the chance.
Kane shoved her away from him angrily. "Consider the offer retracted. I must have been too long in the sun to ever have thought I wanted you," he told her bitterly. "Get some sleep; you will need all of your strength tomorrow.''
"You still insist on taking me with you?"
"Yes, I insist," he said, lying down and turning his back to her.
"Can I have my knife back?"
"Why, so you can stab me in the back while I sleep?"
"No, it was Salador's knife. I want to keep it."
Kane turned over to face her and watched as she sank down on the grass and buried her head in her hands, appearing very young and vulnerable.
Suddenly Kane felt protective toward her. He remembered how young she was, and all that she had been through that day. Perhaps he had been a bit hasty in offering to make her his mistress so soon after she had lost the old Indian she seemed to care so much about. Maybe if he had waited until some future time she would have been more receptive to his offer.
"Was the Indian—Salador—a relative of yours, Miss Deveraux?" he asked, hoping to bridge the gap he felt yawning between them.
Maleaha raised her head and looked at him, dumbfounded at how quickly he could switch from adoring lover to polite stranger. She would show him that she had also forgotten what had transpired between them, for the moment. Later she would have her revenge.
"No. Salador and Lamas were sent by my grandfather, who was chief of the Jojobas, to look after my mother when she married my father and moved to Deveraux Ranch. After my mother's death they both stayed on to look after me."
"You loved that old Indian, did you not?"
"Yes, the one thing that stands out most in my mind about Salador happened when I was five years old. My grandfather had given me a new horse, not a pony but a pinto mare. I couldn't wait to ride her, so I pestered Salador until he took me out to the barn where we kept her. Salador lifted me into the saddle, and before I was seated properly, I was thrown to the ground." A long pause followed, as if she were remembering.
"What happened then?" He asked.
"I…1 began to cry, and I told Salador I would never ride that horse again. He knelt down beside me, so he would be the same height as me, and wiped the dirt and tears from my face. I expected sympathy from him, but ins
tead he frowned at me. 'Humans are different from animals,' he said. 'Man was put on earth to be the master over all the animal kingdom, yet today you have shamed me. You let the horse be the master of you.' I remember feeling very ashamed at the time. 'What shall I do, Salador?' I asked. He stood up, gathered up the reins and handed them to me. 'You must be the master of this animal,' he told me. I somehow managed to climb astride that horse without his help, and to my surprise and relief, I rode her. Since that day no horse has thrown me, though a few have tried."
"I think he was a little harsh with you. After all, you were a little girl," Kane said, thinking how differently he had been brought up. There had been no one to guide him; he had been forced to find his own way.
"Perhaps, but it was a lesson I never forgot."
Kane looked at the star-studded night through the top of the tall pine trees and felt a loneliness that he could not define. He knew that tomorrow he would be back at the fort and would probably never see the Indian girl again. Somehow that thought bothered him more than a little. Closing his eyes, he thought he would apologize to her tomorrow. Perhaps he had been too harsh with her tonight. She was little more than a child, and maybe she had never had any man offer to make her his mistress before. Maybe she did not want anything permanent, he thought as he drifted off to sleep. His last thoughts were troubled. Why would an Indian girl refuse the offer of a house of her own and all the beautiful gowns she could want?
Maleaha lay down and rested her head against her arms. Her heart felt battered and bruised. She would never see Salador again, and she had loved him so much. In the space of one day she had found love and lost it. It had not died on its own, it had been killed by harsh words and hateful accusations. What had she done that he would think he could make her his mistress? She knew the answer even as she asked the question. It was because she was an Indian, and he did not have any respect for Indians.
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