Teton Splendor

by Peggy L Henderson

  Feather in the Wind.

  She moved in the same graceful way that had enticed him all those years ago. His only reaction now was annoyance. Joseph lowered his weapon. What the hell was she doing here? She was no longer a member of the Bannock tribe.

  “Nu umi kin numpu,” she called to him, and smiled broadly.

  “Piwuupu.” Joseph returned the greeting. He didn’t disguise the cold tone of his voice that mirrored his lack of interest in this woman. His jaw muscles tightened.

  She stopped mere inches from him, and boldly raked her eyes over him as if she was choosing a choice piece of meat.

  “You look well,” she said, and slid her hand up his chest. Joseph gripped her wrist and eased her arm away from him.

  “You look well yourself. What are you doing here?” The question was merely a formality.

  She laughed lightly. “Surely you know,” she purred, and stepped closer until her breasts brushed up against him.

  “Go home to your family, Feather,” Joseph commanded. His hard stare didn’t seem to affect her determination. She hadn’t changed since the last time he’d seen her, the day she rode from the village with her brother and his warriors. She hadn’t even looked back. His only emotion that day had been anger, not a sense of loss. Thinking back, he should have been heartbroken. He smiled slowly, realizing clearly what it meant. If Sophie told him she was leaving, his heart would split in two. He was absolutely sure of it.

  “You are pleased to see me,” she said, and licked her lips. She obviously interpreted his smile the wrong way.

  He released the woman’s wrist and stepped back. “It isn’t good that you are here.”

  “My husband is dead, Walker. So is my brother. I wish to return to you and be your wife again. Surely you remember how it was between us.”

  She rubbed up against him, and her arms reached around his neck. His body didn’t react to her the way it reacted with Sophie in his arms.

  “We were young and foolish.” Joseph pried her arms away from around his neck. “Your new husband had brothers. One of them will take you as his wife.”

  The smile left her face. “I do not wish to be a second or third wife,” she hissed.

  Of course she didn’t. Joseph scoffed. She’d always liked to be in control. A first wife held all the power.

  “I have no desire to take you back as my wife,” he sneered. “I will be married soon to another woman who owns my heart.” Maybe that would get her to leave.

  Anger blazed in her eyes, the same anger he remembered when she was about to display her vile temper. Why had he been so blind to it all back then?

  “Your brother, the wild one, said that you had gone to the big white man’s villages far in the east to bring back the granddaughter of Two Bears. It is a white woman you crave now, is it?”

  Joseph laughed. “The color of her skin has nothing to do with it.” He turned away from her, effectively dismissing her. He mounted his horse, then glared down at the Blackfoot woman.

  “Leave this place, Feather, and don’t return. The next time you become a captive of the Bannock, you will not be treated as kindly as before,” he warned, then nudged his horse into a gallop. He wasn’t about to give her a chance to unleash her temper on him, and he was more anxious than ever to return to Sophie.

  Only when the village came in view did he slow his horse. He couldn’t get away from Feather fast enough, and part of him wondered if she would be bold enough to follow him. Hopefully his warning that she might be held captive again would deter her and send her home to her own people. Reining his horse in near the chief’s tent, Joseph sprang lightly from the saddle. Several people paused what they were doing to stare up at him. A few women held their heads together and whispered.

  He frowned at their reaction. He was no stranger to this village and its people. He’d spent several seasons with them when he was wed to Feather, practically a member of the tribe. Today they all acted as if he was an unusual curiosity.

  Ignoring the people, Joseph approached Striped Badger, the woman who had tended to Two Bears earlier. If he remembered correctly, she was a sister to his deceased brother’s wife.

  The old woman looked up at him from grinding nuts on a flat piece of stone on her lap.

  “Waha Pahamittsi will see you now,” she said, and motioned with her hand toward Two Bears’ tent.

  Joseph nodded, and lifted the flap to enter the old chief’s lodge. He glanced around the interior of the lodge, surprised that Sophie wasn’t present.

  “Nu umi Kin numpu,” Two Bears called to him from his palette. Glad to see the old chief was no longer lying down as he had been earlier, but sitting upright, Joseph moved around the fire toward him. He waited until the chief motioned with his hand for him to sit.

  “I wish to thank you for bringing my granddaughter home to me. She has grown into a fine woman,” he said. Even his voice sounded stronger, which was encouraging. Joseph nodded, glad to hear that Sophie had made a good impression.

  The chief reached for a carved wooden bowl on the ground, and lifted it to his lips. His weary eyes sought Joseph when he set the bowl back down.

  “We discussed many things. She has told me of her life with her white father, but she is also happy to have returned here. She was pleased to hear stories of her true mother and father.” He paused, then his wrinkled face smiled. “I have made a request of my granddaughter, and she has consented. Wakanaa Kaakki.”

  Joseph stared. He strained his ears, even as a sudden jolt of dread hit him, and his pulse drummed so loud in his ears it drowned out all other sound. Had he understood the old man correctly? Two Bears switched from English to his native tongue, but Joseph clearly understood that Sophie had consented to be married. He leapt to his feet. This wasn’t possible. Anger engulfed him, and he stared down at the old man. He’d never been angry at Two Bears over anything, but rage shot through him at this moment as if he’d been hit by a bullet. Sophie was his. He’d be damned if he’d lose her to one of the warriors.

  “You can’t do this, kunu,” Joseph said hastily, clenching his jaw. “Raven . . . Kaakki . . . I love Raven, and wish to be her husband.”

  His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, and the pulse pounded in his ears. Inhaling a deep breath, Joseph tried to maintain his composure. No one told Two Bears what he could and couldn’t do. He was still the leader of this village, and although he sought council from other members of the tribe, no one went against his wishes when he’d made a decision about something. Joseph ran a trembling hand over his face. He regretted his impulsive outburst, but only for a moment. He wasn’t about to lose Sophie to another man.

  Why hadn’t he thought of this, that Two Bears would make plans to find a husband for her? It made perfect sense. The chief thought he was dying, and to his way of thinking, it was his responsibility as her only living relative, to make sure she would be provided for. He should have mentioned to the chief when he first visited him that he planned to marry Sophie.

  Two Bears calmly motioned for him to sit. The corners of his lips twitched. Whether it was annoyance, anger, or something else, Joseph couldn’t read in the old man’s face. Reluctantly, he lowered himself to the ground again. Part of him wanted to bolt from the lodge and find Sophie, and take her as far away from the village as possible. Hell, he’d ride all the way back to Boston with her if he had to.

  The old chief reached for his arm and gave a weak squeeze. “Toko, the man my granddaughter has agreed to marry counts himself as a warrior among us. I believe I have chosen well.”

  “What if I ask her to marry me? What if she consents to take me as her husband instead?” Joseph groped for the words. He swallowed. Panic nearly engulfed him. The thought of another man touching her, of . . . no! This couldn’t be happening. He’d fight any man for the right to marry her.

  Two Bears smiled. “Toko,” he said calmly. Joseph clenched his jaw. “My daughter and her husband were overjoyed with the birth of their only child, Kaakki.
” The chief readjusted his position on the palette, and pulled a blanket over his shoulder.

  Joseph ground his teeth. He was in no mood to listen to one of Two Bears’ drawn-out tales. A deeply ingrained sense of respect for the chief kept him rooted to the spot. It wouldn’t be wise to anger Two Bears. After he listened to the old man’s story, he would make his case that he would be a better choice for Sophie. Rather than look at the chief, he stared at the dancing shadows along the walls created by the crackling fire in the center of the lodge. He only half-listened. His thoughts wandered to Sophie’s smiling face, to the love in her eyes this morning when he held her and kissed her. A loud pop in the fire when a piece of wood fell onto charcoal forced him back to listen.

  “My son-in-law once told me that it would seem fitting that someday his daughter marry the first son of his close friend, Shadow Walker.”

  Joseph slowly raised his head at the chief’s words and stared at him. “Not only is it my wish to honor his memory,” Two Bears continued, “but it is also a good match. I could not choose a better warrior to be husband to my granddaughter than you. Kaakki has told me of her love for you, and she is eager to be your wife if you will have her.”

  Joseph stared. He swallowed the lump that had been lodged in his throat. A slow smile spread across his face when the old chief’s words began to sink in. The heaviness lifted from his chest. Relief rushed through him. Relief and elation, sweeping away all the anger he’d suppressed moments ago like an autumn wind sweeping through a narrow canyon. Too stunned yet for words, he groped for something to say to Two Bears to make up for his disrespectful behavior. He fought the urge to dart from the teepee and find Sophie.

  “I’m sorry, kunu,” he said, and bowed his head. “I shouldn’t have reacted in anger.”

  Two Bears patted his arm. His weathered face contorted in a wide smile. “By your lack of words, I believe your feelings are the same as my granddaughter’s.” His raspy laughter filled the lodge. “I will be proud to call you my true grandson. Your bride is with Puhakantum at this very moment, preparing for her wedding. I suggest you do the same.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Sophia stared down at her feet, and wiggled her toes in the soft rabbit-fur lined moccasins she wore. Surrounded by three older women who smiled and chattered loudly, she inhaled a deep breath. She didn’t understand a word of what they said, but their gestures and hand signals were enough to communicate all that she needed to know.

  After Two Bears’ startling request that she was to be married this same day, the women had entered his lodge as if on cue.

  “Go with them, Granddaughter. They will prepare you for your husband.”

  Husband! The word and its implication hit her like a rock sinking to the bottom of the river. Had she really consented to get married today according to the Bannock custom? Joseph hadn’t even proposed to her.

  On unsteady legs, Sophia followed the women from the old chief’s lodge and into a teepee set aside at the outskirts of the village. To her disappointment, Joseph was nowhere to be seen. She desperately needed to speak to him. Had he known about this? Had he even agreed to marry her?

  Tugging on her sleeves, the women coaxed her out of her dress and undergarments, and began to wash her hair and body. Struggling with a feeling of acute self-consciousness, Sophia silently endured the procedure. By the time they had finished scrubbing her, her skin tingled all over. Were they trying to see if her skin would turn white if they scrubbed hard enough? At this point, it was a rather bright shade of crimson.

  These are the customs of my mother’s people. She must have gone through this same ritual on her wedding day.

  Sophia gritted her teeth.

  After what seemed like hours of bathing and grooming, the women presented her with a doeskin dress adorned with long fringes hanging from the sleeves. Shells and beadwork covered the front in intricate patterns. The light-colored hide was so soft to the touch, it would rival the most expensive silk gown she’d ever worn. The tribe’s shaman came to see her after she was fully clothed, and the women handed him strands of her hair that they had collected while brushing her tresses until her dark hair glistened. As a final touch, they’d braided it in two long ropes, and wrapped the braids in white rabbit fur.

  One of the women lifted the tent flap, and motioned for Sophia to exit. Hesitating, she swallowed nervously and ducked out of the teepee. The late afternoon breeze sent a shiver down her spine. Where was Joseph? It looked as if most members of the tribe had gathered near Two Bear’s lodge. With a pounding heart, Sophia was led toward the crowd. To her great surprise, Alex and Evelyn Walker stood among the many people. Evelyn rushed up to her, and wrapped her arms around her.

  “Two Bears sent a messenger to us, and we hurried to be here. Lucas stayed behind to tend to the animals. I am so happy for you and Joseph,” Evelyn chattered excitedly. “I knew the minute I saw the two of you together that you were meant for each other.”

  “I don’t even know how Joseph feels about this. I haven’t seen him since before Two Bears requested that we get married. This is all happening so fast.”

  A wide smile spread across Evelyn’s face. “Alex and I saw Joseph briefly after we arrived. My son has never looked happier, Sophie.”

  Sophia returned her smile nervously.

  “How is a Bannock wedding ceremony conducted?”

  “It’s a lot simpler than what you’re familiar with.” Evelyn patted her hand. “The shaman will speak a few words, and you’ll be married. It is customary that the couple then goes off to be alone immediately after the formalities are spoken.”

  Sophia swallowed the lump in her throat at Evelyn’s implication.

  “Too bad Yancey . . . I mean, your father, couldn’t be here.”

  Sophia nodded. “I wish he could be here, too.” What would her father think about her marrying Joseph? He seemed to have liked him well enough from the impression she got in Boston. And he held Alex Walker in such high regard. If only the distance wasn’t so great between the Tetons and Boston. Perhaps someday she could return east and let her father know she was well and had found happiness here among the splendor of the mountains. Surely he would worry about her when she didn’t return next spring.

  “Miss Sophie, Miss Sophie.”

  Caleb’s enthusiastic voice brought her out of her thoughts of Boston. The boy emerged from Two Bear’s teepee, and ran toward her.

  “I don’t have to be your chaperone no more.” He grabbed her hand, a wide smile on his face. His eyes filled with relief. “Lucas told me days ago that I wouldn’t have to be your chaperon much longer.”

  Sophia’s brows raised in surprise at the boy’s words, then her eyes fell to the chief’s teepee. Slowly, the frail old form of Two Bears emerged, supported heavily by the strong arms of the man who sent her heart racing when she looked at him. Joseph helped her grandfather out of his lodge, and the old chief glanced around. When his eyes fell on her, he nodded and grinned. Puhakatum, the shaman, and another man moved to his side and Joseph stepped away.

  Sophia held her breath. Joseph straightened and looked her way. For a fleeting moment she wondered if he had undergone the same head to toe scrubbing as she’d received. Except for a different cotton shirt, he wore the same buckskin britches he’d had on this morning. The only noticeable difference about him was his damp hair.

  Evelyn gave her a gentle nudge. “Go on,” she encouraged.

  Sophia’s legs trembled as she took a tentative step closer to the man who had become her whole world, her reason for living. The chatter around her quieted while the pounding of her pulse in her ears increased.

  Joseph stood unmoving next to Two Bears, his eyes locked on hers. Some invisible force compelled her to move toward him, to be close to him. The love that shimmered in his gaze enveloped her in a warm cocoon, and Sophia lengthened her stride until she stood inches from him. A soft smile formed on his lips, and he reached out to her. Trembling, she placed her hand into his warm pal
m, and his fingers closed around hers.

  “I love you,” he whispered, just as the shaman began to speak and chant. He stepped in front of them, and Joseph held his and Sophia’s hand out to him. Puhakantum wrapped a braided rope around their wrists. Sophia recognized it as her own hair mixed with what appeared to be strands of Joseph’s hair. While the shaman continued speaking and chanting, he tossed a blanket around their shoulders. Sophia remained unmoving next to Joseph, listening without understanding. His warm hand enveloped hers, his grip strong and reassuring. Minutes passed, and the shaman removed the binding from their wrists, and pulled the blanket away from around them. He gave a dismissive wave of his arms.

  Confused, Sophia glanced up at Joseph. “What happens now?” she whispered. The ceremony was apparently over. The crowd immediately dispersed, and Two Bears nodded wordlessly, a pleased look in his eyes as his gaze passed from Sophia to Joseph. The shaman carefully wrapped the rope of hair inside a leather pouch and handed it to one of the older women. Then he held Two Bears’ arm while the old man shuffled back toward his lodge.

  “You’re now my wife,” Joseph said huskily, his smile broadening.

  With his hand still firmly holding on to hers, Joseph wordlessly led her away from the chief’s teepee and through the village. Several people shot knowing looks or smiles their way, but for the most part, everyone seemed to go about their business. Joseph’s mother waved to her, and held Caleb back when the boy looked as if he wanted to rush over to them.

  Joseph headed toward the lodge she’d spent the better part of the afternoon in, preparing for the ceremony. Now that it was over, everything had all happened so quickly. It all seemed so unreal. According to her mother’s people, she was now Joseph’s wife. It had been such a simple, yet poignant ceremony. There was none of the fanfare that surrounded a Boston wedding, which would require months of planning and preparation.