by Connie Mason
“Are Jackson and Sanchez here with you?”
“Fred-die is my prisoner,” Spotted Deer said smugly. “He awaits punishment for his harsh treatment of me.”
“What are you going to do to him?”
“It hasn’t been decided. Cunning Wolf wants to kill him quickly, before the army finds us and demands his return. But I wish him to die slowly and painfully.”
Sarah shuddered. “Your argument is with Freddie, not me or Abner. We were his prisoners, if you recall. Let us go. We’ve done your people no harm.”
“No. Cunning Wolf wants to make an exchange with the army, you for cows. You will not be harmed. A messenger will be sent to the fort with our demands for your release. Come, the weather worsens. I will take you to shelter.”
Grasping Abner’s hand, Sarah followed Spotted Deer. The Indian woman stopped before a tipi and held the flap open. Sarah ducked inside, finding the warmth a welcome relief from the biting cold. She gazed around in awe, never having seen or been inside an Indian dwelling before. She found it surprisingly warm and comfortable, and roomier than one would expect.
“You will stay here,” Spotted Deer said. “Abner will share my lodge.”
“No!” Sarah protested. “Why must you separate us?”
“You are less likely to escape without your son,” Spotted Deer said.
“Just let him stay with me a little while. I won’t try to escape, I promise.”
“Let me stay with Mama,” Abner begged, clinging to Sarah’s hand.
Spotted Deer crumbled beneath Abner’s pitiful plea. “You may stay for a little while. I will return for you later.”
A blast of cold air marked her departure as she lifted the tent flap and stepped outside. Having won that round, Sarah hugged Abner tightly, reluctant to let him go even for a minute.
“Have they treated you well?” Sarah wanted to know. If Abner had been hurt by either Jackson or the Indians, she’d find a way to make them suffer.
“Mr. Jackson wanted me to call him papa, but I wouldn’t,” Abner said belligerently. “He said he’d spank me if I didn’t mind him. I don’t like him, Mama. Neither do the Indians. They keep him and Mr. Sanchez tied up all the time. They know he’s a bad man. Are you sure he’s my real papa?”
“Oh, honey, I’d give anything if I could tell you he’s not your papa, but I can’t. The only good thing to come of my association with Freddie Jackson is you. You don’t have to like him. Lord knows, I don’t. Did the Indians hurt you?”
Abner shook his head. “They like me. Spotted Deer said Indians love children. Can we go home now, Mama? I miss Chad.”
“That’s not possible just yet. I’m not even sure I can find my way back to Dry Gulch without a guide. I became hopelessly lost in the storm.”
Suddenly the tent flap was thrust aside and Spotted Deer entered. She carried a bowl of steaming food, which she placed before Sarah and Abner. “Eat,” she said, indicating the bowl. “Food is scarce, if the hunters return empty-handed this will be the only meal today.” Then she departed in another blast of cold air.
Sarah stared at the unidentifiable mess in the bowl, wondering if she dared to eat it. Abner had no such qualms as he dug in, using two fingers to scoop the solid pieces into his mouth. Sarah gingerly retrieved a morsel that looked like meat and popped it into her mouth. She chewed slowly and swallowed, finding it not unpleasant but definitely not something she’d eaten before. Nevertheless, she and Abner managed to clean the bowl.
Darkness came early. Spotted Deer returned for Abner before Sarah was ready for him to leave. No amount of pleading could change the Indian woman’s mind as she dragged Abner away. Miserable and alone, Sarah fed sticks to the small fire, then she lay down on the pallet she found rolled up in a corner and tried to sleep. She had no idea how this would all end and prayed for intervention, divine or otherwise. And she longed for Chad. Hugging herself tightly, she imagined Chad’s arms around her, holding her, Chad offering her comfort. She fell asleep pretending that Chad loved her.
The next morning Sarah awoke feeling queasy and upset. She barely made it outside, where she lost the meager contents of her stomach in a clump of bushes. She blamed it on the food she had eaten the previous night and hoped Abner hadn’t been afflicted with the same malady. Making her way back to the tipi, she lay down again and lapsed into an uneasy sleep.
During the fiercest part of the blizzard, Chad blundered into the army bivouac area. He’d been headed back home, eager to see Sarah again, and concerned that Jackson was too close to the Delaney ranch for comfort. Chad was more worried about Sarah and Abner than he cared to admit.
Sarah.
God, he missed her. He’d done a lot of thinking since leaving the ranch. After much soul-searching, he decided to accept his shortcomings and stop blaming himself for events he’d had no control over. Sarah had taught him that some women were worthy of love and trust.
Unfairly labeled a whore and ostracized, Sarah had made the best of an intolerable situation and persevered, raising her son alone and doing a damn fine job of it. Sarah had suffered disgrace, lived with a stigma she hadn’t earned, and became a stronger person for it. He could do no less than follow her example by accepting the good things in his life instead of dwelling on the bad.
Sarah. She was one of the good things.
He ached to hold her in his arms. To make love to her. To mold her responsive body to his and receive the incredible gift of her pleasure. Love was wonderful with the right woman, and that’s exactly what he was going to tell Sarah when he returned to the ranch.
Chad was taken to Major Dalton’s tent immediately after dismounting and voicing his request to speak to the commanding officer. He was eager to learn how long the patrol had been in the area, and if they had seen Jackson and Sanchez.
Chad introduced himself immediately. Major Dalton supplied his own name and greeted Chad with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. “What brings you out in this blizzard, Mr. Delaney?”
“I’m a bounty hunter, Major. I’m tracking Freddie Jackson, and a man named Sanchez. Both are notorious bank robbers. Have you crossed their path?”
Dalton rubbed his chin as he considered Chad’s question. “Funny you should ask about those men.”
Chad’s attention sharpened. “Why do you say that?”
“A woman turned up at the fort the day before we rode out. She wanted help to find her son. Seems the boy was abducted by a man named Freddie Jackson.”
Chad went still. “Was the woman’s name Sarah Temple?” When Dalton nodded, Chad’s worst fears were realized. “How could that have happened? My brother and ten armed men were on hand to protect the boy.”
Dalton’s brows rose sharply upward. “You know the woman?”
“I know her. She’s my… I’m going to marry her. What happened? Did you assign soldiers to help her? Have you any idea where they are?”
“I couldn’t spare the men. The fort is down to bare bones now. I told her to wait until we returned and I’d consider her request for help.”
“You what?” Chad shouted. ‘Jackson is a dangerous man. How could you not help Sarah?”
“Now see here, Delaney, I’m doing my best for the people who depend upon the army for protection. A group of renegade Indians left the reservation and are raiding ranches in the area. They may even be heading for Canada. My first priority is to stop the raids and send the renegades back where they belong.”
“And to hell with a small child who needs your help,” Chad spat with disgust.
Dalton shrugged. “As I said, first things first. We would have gotten around to him eventually.”
Chad struggled to rein in his temper. Losing it now wouldn’t help Sarah. “Did Sarah return home?” Though he knew the answer, he still had to ask the question.
“Damn stubborn woman,” Dalton said, shaking his head. “She said she was going to continue on alone. I warned her against it, but she wouldn’t listen.”
Not for an ins
tant had Chad doubted Sarah’s decision. “Have you succeeded in your mission? Have you rounded up the renegades and sent them back to the reservation?”
“Not all of them. We’ve managed to intercept Yellow Dog and send him back, but Cunning Wolf and Snake are still out there somewhere. So far no one has been killed or hurt, but the longer they remain on the loose, the greater the danger that it will happen.”
His words sent fear racing through Chad. Sarah was out there somewhere in this raging blizzard, and so were renegade Indians looking for trouble. Dear God! The thought of losing Sarah when he had finally found the courage to acknowledge his love was unbearable.
“The Indians wouldn’t have left the reservation if the government hadn’t reneged on their promises,” Chad charged. “The poor wretches are probably starving and were forced to leave the reservation to hunt for food.”
“Indian agents I spoke with swore that the government cows and blankets had been delivered. I have no choice but to believe them. Don’t worry, we’ll have the Indians back where they belong soon. As for your fiancéee, she’s a very foolish young woman. However, we’ll keep an eye out for her. Feel free to share our meal and shelter,” Dalton said in dismissal.
“Thanks for nothing,” Chad muttered as he took his leave. Hospitality wasn’t what he wanted. Nor could he afford to waste precious time warming himself over a campfire while Sarah was wandering around in a raging blizzard and Abner was missing. He had a gut feeling that Sarah was close. This time he was going to follow his gut.
Two days later, Chad stumbled into Cunning Wolf’s camp. Dusk had already turned the sky to murky gray as he rode boldly into the cluster of tents, displaying no fear. He was quickly surrounded, pulled from the saddle, and brought before the chief.
Roughly, Chad was pushed down beside the small fire in the center of the chief’s tipi. The heat felt good and Chad held his hands out to the blaze. When the warmth finally began to thaw his bones, he took note of his surroundings. The chief sat across from him, smoking and studying Chad through hooded eyes. A woman sat beside him, staring openly at Chad. It took a moment for Chad to realize that he’d seen the woman before.
Spotted Deer. He spoke her name aloud and she bowed her head in acknowledgement.
“I know you, white eyes, but not your name.”
“My name is Chad Delaney.”
“Why are you here, Chad De-laney?”
“I’m looking for my woman. Her name is Sarah Temple. Have you seen her?”
Spotted Deer continued to stare at Chad. Chad could almost see the wheels turning in her brain. Then she turned to her father, speaking rapidly in the Shoshone tongue. After what seemed like an eternity, Spotted Deer smiled and nodded in acknowledgement of her father’s wisdom.
“Your woman is with us, De-laney.”
Chad leaped to his feet “Sarah is here? Thank God. Is she all right?”
“Sarah and Abner are our hostages. Father intends to trade them for cows and warm blankets.”
Chad reeled in confusion. “Abner is here, too? I don’t understand. Where are Jackson and Sanchez?”
The smile Spotted Deer gave Chad was not a pretty one. “They are my prisoners. They await public torture and death before the entire camp. Fred-die will suffer for his insult to me.”
“I will take my woman and her son and leave,” Chad said, not waiting for permission.
He was stopped in his tracks by Spotted Deer’s reply. “They cannot leave. Our people are starving. The army will give us cows for their return.”
“The army is camped not far from here. I left them not two days ago. When they find you, you’ll be driven back to the reservation. It will go easier on you if you release Sarah and her son to me now.”
Spotted Deer turned to confer with Cunning Wolf. “Cunning Wolf does not think the army will find us.”
“I found you,” Chad reminded her.
“We let you find us. Our warriors saw you coming. They let you pass because you were alone. Had you been the army, you would not have found us so easily.”
Chad realized he was getting nowhere with Cunning Wolf and his daughter and racked his brain for a solution. Suddenly the answer came to him. He was amazed at how simple it was.
“There are many cows on my ranch. I will give you cows in exchange for your hostages. Release Sarah and Abner and I will bring the cows to you myself.”
Chapter 17
“You will give us cows?” Spotted Deer asked, skeptical of Chad’s offer.
“In exchange for your hostages,” Chad bargained.
“How do we know you do not speak with a forked tongue? Promises come easy, keeping them is more difficult. White eyes have broken countless treaties with the people. They forced us from our lands, promised us food and blankets, and gave us nothing.”
“I am not the government,” Chad said. “My word is my honor. I will bring the cows to you personally.”
“I will confer with Cunning Wolf. He will decide.”
Spotted Deer spoke with Cunning Wolf at length while Chad chafed impatiently, unable to contain his anxiety. He didn’t see how Cunning Wolf could refuse his generosity but there was no knowing the savage mind. Finally Spotted Deer was ready to announce her father’s decision.
“Cunning Wolf accepts your offer.”
Chad felt like leaping for joy, but forced himself to harness his exuberance. He had a feeling there were conditions, so he composed himself and waited for Spotted Deer to continue.
“The hostages will be released when you return with the cows and blankets, but Fred-die and Sanchez are ours to keep. Fred-die is a wicked man and must be punished.”
Chad did some swift calculations in his head and didn’t like the answer. “It will be at least a fortnight before I can get back here with the cows and blankets. The distance isn’t great, but winter is a bad time to drive cattle anywhere. What you’re asking is impossible. I can’t leave Sarah and Abner here. You have to let them leave with me. Isn’t my word good enough for you?”
“Promises have been made and broken before,” Spotted Deer said. “Your woman will be safe with us until you return. But if you break your word…” Her sentence fell off, leaving an ominous threat hanging in the air.
“Tell your father I will hold him personally responsible for Sarah and Abner’s well-being. If they are harmed, I will hunt him down like a dog. I could bring the army if I was of a mind to. They are camped not far from here.”
Spotted Deer translated swiftly. Cunning Wolf’s reply did nothing to relieve Chad’s mind. “We are desperate people. We have nothing to lose by killing the woman and boy. Without food, our people will starve before spring. Bringing the army here will gain you nothing except the deaths of your loved ones.”
Frustration sat heavily upon Chad. These Indians were desperate for food and blankets. Had they enough to eat they would never have left the reservation. They saw Sarah and Abner as a means to an end, a way to obtain relief. He couldn’t blame Cunning Wolf for wanting to save his people.
“You will have everything you requested,” Chad said. “First, I wish to see my woman and Abner. I won’t leave until I know they are well.”
Spotted Deer conferred briefly with her father. The conversation was quite heated before an agreement of sorts was reached.
“I will take you to your woman,” she told Chad. “The hour grows late. Tonight you will share her meal and her mat. You will be escorted from our camp at first light. We will look for you to return with the cows and blankets at the end of a fortnight. If you bring the army, you will see your loved ones in the spirit world. Come, I will take you to Sarah.”
Spotted Deer couldn’t have made it any clearer. If the army showed up before the cows, Sarah’s life wouldn’t be worth a plug nickel. And yet, he couldn’t help feeling compassion for these downtrodden people. Starvation led people to act rashly and without conscience. He knew he could get the cows back here in the allotted fourteen days, but he wasn’t so sure the arm
y wouldn’t find Cunning Wolf first. He had to make sure that wouldn’t happen.
Huddled before the meager fire inside the tipi, Sarah felt miserable. Little of what she’d eaten had stayed with her since that first morning she had awakened and rushed outside to empty her stomach. She had her suspicions about what was wrong but she was still in a state of denial. She couldn’t be pregnant. Not now. She wasn’t even sure she and Chad had a future together.
Earlier that morning Spotted Deer had informed her that Abner had accompanied an ancient Indian brave into the forest to check traps, and Sarah had felt too wretched to protest. Abner was a big hit among the tribe members. He was spoiled outrageously, and it worried Sarah. What if the Indians wanted to keep him? Neither she nor Abner had been mistreated in any way, but she didn’t fool herself into thinking their good will would continue if the army refused to ransom her.
When the tent flap was thrust open Sarah didn’t bother to look up. Had it been Abner she would have heard his exuberant cries of greeting. And there was no other person she cared to acknowledge in this place. The first signal that her visitor wasn’t an Indian was the scrape of boots upon the ground. Indians didn’t wear boots. Slowly she raised her eyes, gliding past buckskin-clad legs and sheepskin jacket, over a broad chest and impressive shoulders, to vivid hazel eyes set in the ruggedly handsome face she knew better than her own.
She stared at him, closed her eyes, then opened them quickly. When he didn’t go away, she rose slowly to her feet and stepped into his arms. A sob was wrenched from her throat as his arms closed around her.
Chad hugged Sarah tightly, feeling as if he held the whole world in his arms. The moisture that gathered in his eyes was so foreign to him that he blinked in dismay. Chad couldn’t recall when he’d last shed tears. Perhaps when his mother had left, but he wasn’t sure it had happened even then. He felt Sarah brush away the moisture with the tips of her fingers and he no longer cared that it wasn’t considered manly to cry.
“How did you find me?” Sarah asked, stunned at the sight of a grown man shedding tears.
