by Linda Bridey
“He’s pretty,” she said.
“Yes. He is very fast. Ok, we get you up. Left foot in stirrup,” Owl said.
Hannah was glad that she’d had Sammi help her pick out a couple pairs of jeans. She couldn’t imagine doing this in a dress. She put her foot in the stirrup.
“Grab saddle horn,” Owl said.
“Ok,” she said. “Now what?”
“Just like other night. Pull and put leg over when high enough,” Owl told her.
Hannah concentrated and pulled for all she was worth and threw her leg up and over Stella’s back.
Owl grinned. “Nice job. Now put other foot in stirrup.” He checked the stirrups to make sure they were right for her leg length and gave Hannah Stella’s reins. Then he vaulted onto Arrow’s back.
“I wish I could do that,” Hannah said.
He smiled and said, “So does Sammi. It make her mad she cannot.”
“I’ll bet,” Hannah said and picked up the reins. “How do I steer?”
“Which way you wanna go?” Owl asked.
Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Pick one,” Owl said.
“Left.”
“Pull reins in that direction,” Owl said.
Hannah did but dropped one. “Whoops.”
Owl laughed and leaned over to get it. “Here. Give me other one.” He took it and knotted the two single reins into one and handed them back to her.
“Why are they split?” Hannah asked as she looked at the knot.
“So can ground tie horse or wrap around something quick.”
“Ground tie?”
“Like this,” Owl said and got down. He dropped Arrow’s reins on the ground and walked away. “See, he trained not go anywhere. Sometimes don’t have something tie horse to. So ground tie.” He got back on Arrow. “Ok, now pull reins left.”
Hannah did as he’d said and Stella began turning left. With Owl’s guidance she was able to get Stella out on the street and they rode out of town. As they rode, Owl kept giving her pointers and she began to get used to the motion of Stella’s gait. After a while she stopped paying so much attention to the horse and started looking around.
It was a mild day and the breeze played with her hair. Birds flew overhead and settled in the trees. Owl pulled Arrow behind Stella and came up on the other side of the mare. He reached over and put a hand on Hannah’s shoulder. “Loosen shoulders. Riding too stiff.”
Hannah rolled her shoulders and let them drop a little. “How’s that?”
“Better.”
“Where are we going?” Hannah asked.
“See Joe and Lacy,” Owl said.
“Oh ok. That’ll be nice. I haven’t met Lacey yet. Sammi talks about her a lot,” Hannah said.
“You will like her. They have baby. Very cute,” Owl said.
“That’s what Sammi said. Emily, right?”
“Yes. Ok, now we go faster,” Owl said.
Hannah grew anxious. “How fast?”
“Give her little kick,” Owl said.
Hannah hesitated and Owl reached over with his leg and gave Stella’s side a light tap with the toe of his moccasin. Stella moved into a trot and Hannah held on to the saddle horn. Owl reached over and tapped her hands.
“Don’t need that. Let go. Ride by balance.”
“Ok.” Hannah let it go and saw what he meant.
“Drop reins. Put arms out like this,” Owl said and put his arms straight out like a bird’s wings.
“No,” Hannah said.
“Yes.”
“I’ll fall.”
“No you will not,” Owl said with a frown. “You trust me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it,” he said smiling this time.
Slowly Hannah dropped the reins onto the saddle and put her arms out like Owl’s. She began compensating for the loss of her arms on the saddle horn with her leg muscles. Hannah looked over at Owl and laughed.
“I’m doing it!” she said.
“Yes, you are. Nice job,” Owl said. “Faster.”
Emboldened by her success, Hannah said, “Ok.”
She gave Stella a little kick like Owl had and Stella moved into a canter. Hannah desperately wanted to grab the saddle horn, but kept from doing so.
“Close eyes.” Owl said as Arrow ran alongside Stella.
“What?” Hannah said. “You’re nuts!”
Owl laughed. “Close eyes!”
“If I fall I’ll kill you,” she said, which made him laugh more.
“Close eyes, Hannah,” he said.
She did and cringed, but nothing bad happened. She didn’t fall. She didn’t even tip over a little. Suddenly she felt free. She grinned and Owl thought, there it is. She’s getting it now. Good girl.
“Ok, open eyes now,” Owl said.
When she did and looked at Owl, the beauty of her smile and the happy light in her eyes made his heart beat a little faster. “I can’t believe I did that,” she said.
“I knew you could do it,” he said in Lakota without thinking.
“What?” Hannah asked.
“Knew you could,” he said in English.
“Can I put my arms down now,” she asked.
Owl laughed. “Yes. Put arms down.”
She dropped them down as they turned down the lane to Joe and Lacey’s ranch.
Chapter Nine
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite nurse and one of my favorite Indians,” Joe said as he answered the door. “C’mon in.”
Hannah followed him in and stared around at the opulent furnishings of the mansion. Owl frowned as he brought up the rear. He hated Joe’s house almost as much as Sammi’s.
“What brings you?” Joe asked.
“Hannah’s first riding lesson. Now she know where you live, too,” Owl said.
“You never rode before?” Joe asked as they came into the parlor.
“No, but Owl’s a very good teacher,” Hannah said.
“I’m not surprised. He was practically born on a horse,” Joe said. “Hey, darlin’, we got company.”
Lacey looked up from where she sat on the sofa. She held a six-month-old baby girl who waved her arms and babbled happily.
“Honey, this is Hannah Fairbanks, the new nurse in town. Hannah, this is my wife, Lacey,” Joe said. “And this adorable little one is our little Emily.”
Hannah said, “It’s so nice to meet you. Sammi has told me what good friends you are.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Hi, Owl. How are you?” Lacey said with a smile.
“Good. You?” Owl said and held out his hands for Emily.
Lacey handed her over without question. Owl gravitated towards children no matter whose children they were. He took Emily easily and held her up. She laughed down at him and he spoke to her in Lakota and laughed.
Joe said, “Listen, Owl, if that baby’s first words are something in Lakota, I’ll strangle you. Mainly because I won’t know she’s even saying words.”
“Shut up, Joe,” Owl said.
Lacey laughed as Joe looked offended. “Don’t listen to him, Owl.”
“I don’t,” Owl said. To Emily he said in Lakota, “Your daddy’s full of hot air most of the time. Don’t talk as much as he does when you grow up.”
Emily laughed and Owl smiled at her.
Joe said, “What did you tell her?”
“I told her that your horses are fat and slow,” Owl said. He knew how riled up Joe got when you insulted his horses.
Joe’s hazel eyes became greener as he met Owl’s challenging stare. “Is that so? What horse do you have?”
“Arrow.”
“So is that Indian pony of Marcus’ up for a run?” Joe asked.
“Always.”
“Good, because Hamlet is itching to beat the pants of him again. Let’s go,” Joe said and walked away.
Owl handed Emily to Hannah and followed Joe.
Hannah smiled at Emily and sat on the sofa.
Lac
ey said, “It’s always like that with them. Every time Owl comes, Joe wants to race and Owl’s just as bad.”
“Boys will be boys, I guess,” Hannah said. “She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Lacey said. “We adore her. Joe is so funny with her. I have to fight him sometimes to get to hold her.”
Hannah laughed. “I wouldn’t take Joe for that kind of father, no offense.”
Lacey said, “Neither did I when we first met. He was quite the playboy and didn’t even want kids. But now, he can hardly bear to be away from her.”
Emily snagged a piece of Hannah’s hair and Lacey rescued it from the baby’s fist. Lacey gave Hannah a sly look and said, “Sammi tells me that Owl took you on a very unusual date.”
Hannah laughed. “News travels fast around here.”
“Sammi likes to gossip. Don’t let all that tomboy stuff fool you. She likes to talk as much as any other woman,” Lacey said.
“She’s a lot of fun,” Hannah said as she remembered the conversation she had with Sammi earlier.
She told Lacey about it and Lacey thought it was hysterical. Hannah liked Lacey. She was different than Sammi but just as nice. Lacey asked Hannah if she wanted to go on a tour of the house and Hannah accepted. It was a beautiful place, but Hannah had always lived in apartments and didn’t think she’d be comfortable living in such a large residence
Hannah watched Lacey with Emily and felt a yearning for a child of her own. Emily was well-loved and healthy, Hannah could tell. She thought about the way Owl had looked with the baby and could imagine what a good father he had been. That he had lost his wife and child was a terrible tragedy and she marveled that he had come back so well from it. She knew he still carried the pain with him, but he obviously didn’t let it consume him.
As the women were on the way back to the parlor, they heard loud male laughter and saw Joe and Owl coming through the foyer.
“I still don’t know how you beat me,” Joe said.
Owl said, “Because I ride better. Arrow has more heart, too.”
“Bull crap! Ya’ll did something sneaky,” Joe said.
Owl laughed, “No. You sore loser.”
Joe stopped for a moment. “The saddle. You tricked me into leaving Hamlet’s saddle on. It was the added weight that made the difference.”
“No trick. I dare you to,” Owl said with a grin. “You have big eagle.”
“Huh? Eagle? Oh, ego. I have a big ego,” Joe said.
“You said it not me,” Owl said.
Joe laughed. “You’re worse than Marcus.”
“Who you think taught him?” Owl said.
Joe saw the women and baby and came to take Emily. “How’s Daddy’s girl? Did you have a nice time with Mama and Hannah? I’m sure you did.”
Hannah saw what Lacey meant about him being a doting father. It was clear how much he loved the baby. Hannah looked at Owl and saw the way he was watching the father and daughter. He was smiling, but there was sadness in his eyes, too.
Then Owl dropped his eyes and said, “We should go.”
Hannah said, “Ok. Thank you for the tour. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Lacey said, “Come back to see us and I’ll stop in Doc’s office, too. We could have lunch with Sammi.”
“That would be great,” Hannah said.
Owl was quiet on the way home at first and Hannah didn’t interrupt his thoughts. Even though Owl’s mind was wandering a little, he was still watching Hannah’s riding. He didn’t correct her because she didn’t need it. She seemed to be a fast learner.
He rode closer to her and said, “You ride good.”
“Thanks,” Hannah said.
“Ok, now I teach you Lakota,” Owl said.
Hannah smiled. “Ok. We’ll see how badly I do.”
He started pointing at things and saying the Lakota word and making her repeat it. He spoke the words slowly and repeated them as many times as she needed in order to say it correctly. By the time they got back to town, Hannah was starting to feel the effects of horse riding for the first time.
Owl stopped by the hotel and helped her down. “You be sore tomorrow. Take bath.” He said as he led her inside. “You rest tonight. I come see you tomorrow?”
Hannah was glad for his assistance up the stairs. “Is it always like this?”
His smile was kind. “No. Will get better.”
They entered her room and he closed the door behind them. Hannah thought she would have no problem resting up. Her rear was sore and her thighs ached.
Owl gave her a devilish grin, “If legs still hurt tomorrow, I massage them. Rear end, too.”
Hannah laughed. “You’ll do no such thing.”
“You sure?” Owl said as he got closer to her.
“Yes,” Hannah said.
“I make you change mind,” he told her as he took her face in his hands and kissed her.
Hannah ran her hands over his chest and then wrapped her arms around his waist. Owl’s hands roamed down over her shoulders and arms and then back up to cup her face again. He ended the kiss and smiled at her.
“See you tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ll probably be here at the hotel,” she said.
“Ok. Remember, take bath for legs,” Owl said as he stepped back from her.
Chapter Ten
Late that night Owl lay awake unable to sleep. The fire burned low and the tipi was almost dark. There were a lot of things running around in his mind and it wouldn’t quiet no matter how hard he tried to make it. He kept seeing Hannah’s face and feeling her in his arms. Owl wished that Marcus was there for him to talk to about Hannah.
He was rolling over onto his stomach when someone scratched at the flap of his tipi. Owl was a little leery since it was so late, but said, “Come.”
The face that peered in at him, made Owl jump up from the sleeping pallet.
“Raven! What are you doing here?” Owl said as he embraced the boy.
“We got back early and I just had to come see you, uncle,” Raven said as he hugged Owl back.
“Let me look at you. You got so big,” Owl said.
“Yes, I grew. C’mon. Everyone’s waiting for you,” Raven said and pulled on Owl’s hand.
“Ok,” Owl said as he slipped his feet into his moccasins and followed Raven outside.
They ran through the night, taking a shortcut through the woods and down a steep ravine. It led to a dry creek bed and they followed it all the way to the south side of the camp. Owl let out his hoot owl call and rejoiced to hear Brown Snake answer him. He smelled the familiar scent of elder wood burning and started hearing voices speaking his native tongue.
He ran faster and came out of the trees. Owl planned to see everyone, but he wanted to see his brothers and sister first. His powerful legs brought him quickly to Black Fox’s tipi. He saw his brother and was on him before Black Fox knew what was happening. The brothers went down in a heap. Owl’s bad shoulder protested but he didn’t care.
He laughed and Black Fox realized who had attacked him. Owl rolled clear of Black Fox and bounced up on his feet. Black Fox rose a little more sedately but grinned at seeing his little brother looking so well.
“Look at you! Seems like you had a good winter, brother,” Black Fox said.
“You, too. I’ve missed everyone so much, but especially my pain in the neck brothers,” Owl said as he came to grasp arms with his brother.
Black Fox looked down at Owl and said, “How are you feeling? Are you healed well?” His dark eyes roamed over Owl with concern. He had been worried about his brother all through the season and had decided to leave early to come back because he’d needed to see how Owl had faired.
“I’m still having some trouble with it, but I took you down didn’t I?” he teased.
“That’s only because you caught me off guard,” Black Fox said. “I cannot tell you how happy I am to see you.”
“Same here. Where’s Grumpy?” Owl said referring to He Who Runs.
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“At his tipi, I imagine,” Black Fox said.
Wind Spirit, Black Fox’s wife came out of their tipi and Owl grabbed her in a big hug right away. Then he realized there was more of his sister-in-law to hug. He looked down at her and saw her swollen belly.
“I see congratulations are in order, sister,” he said with a huge smile.
She laughed and said, “Yes, we are very happy.”
“You should be,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Big,” Wind Spirit said with a laugh.
“You look great,” Owl told her.
Word that Owl was in camp had gotten to He Who Runs and Owl saw him coming. Their greeting was boisterous with a lot of back slapping and teasing.
He Who Runs asked, “Is Silver Ghost here, too?”
“No. He’s in the big city at school,” Owl said. “He won’t be back until the end of May. He’s going to be so excited to see everyone.”
“And us, him. How are Fawn and the children?” Black Fox asked.
“They’re fine. Missing him, but fine,” Owl said.
“And how is his white family?” He Who Runs said.
“Good. They’ve been very good to me. And it’s fun teasing Dean,” Owl said with a grin.
“It always is,” He Who Runs said.
“We’ll get your tipi down here tomorrow, but for tonight, stay with me,” Black Fox said.
Owl nodded. “I’d like that.”
The next morning, Owl made sure to be at the ranch when everyone would be in the cookhouse eating breakfast. He entered the building and saw everyone laughing and talking.
“Good morning, Owl,” Seth said. He could see that Owl had something on his mind. He looked very happy. “What’s goin’ on?”
Owl cleared his throat and said, “My family is back.”
“Hey, that’s great,” Seth said. “They’re early.”
Owl nodded. “Yes. They worried about me.”
Jack said, “I’m sure they were.”
Mikey ran over to Owl and hugged him. “You’ll still come to see us and I can still come to camp, right?”
Owl kneeled down and hugged his nephew. “Of course, silly boy. We pick out pony, too,” Owl said with a look at Dean.
Dean nodded and smiled. “Yes, you can pick out a pony.”
