A sense of pride filled her. She wasn’t sure if it was because she’d learned their language so quickly, or if it was how Black Horse had mastered the English language so well, or just due to the fact she was riding beside him. He was very respected and esteemed, and she’d missed riding for a very long time. Whatever the reason, Lorna chose to accept the joy inside her.
She rode beside Black Horse all day, at the very head of a line of people that trailed for more than a mile behind them. When they came upon a plush green meadow with soft hills to the north dotted with pines trees and the river to the west with plenty of dead trees for firewood, Black Horse signaled with one hand that their travels would end for the day.
It took no more than that for the line of people to disperse packhorse by packhorse and embark upon assembling the village. Within hours, lodges were set in their systematic circles, all facing east, food was being cooked over the fires and children raced about. If a person didn’t know better, they might believe the village had been there for days, not hours.
The following day was much the same. Lorna rode beside Black Horse the entire time. And again the next day. Once again she wore her nun’s outfit, needing the stiff wide brim to block the sun. He wore nothing more than his breeches and moccasins, and lately, she hadn’t been able to pull her eyes off his glistening sun-browned skin. Lying across from him in the lodge, that image had been burned into her brain, and she’d longed to caress his skin beneath her fingertips as deeply as she’d longed for him to kiss her again.
“What are you smiling about?”
She snapped her eyes up to his face, hoping the habit hid the heat in her cheeks. “Just thinking how odd-looking we must be. A bare-chested Indian and a nun leading a line of people across the land.”
He smiled. “You look happy.”
“I am.” The words were out before she had a chance to question herself. “Except for this heat,” she then added. Happiness was not something she knew, or accepted readily, and talking about it was uncomfortable. “It’s hot today, and it’s still morning.”
“Heehe’e,” he said. “We will not travel far.”
“Why?” Although she wasn’t certain she wanted to know the answer, she still asked, “Are we almost to the trading post?”
“It is too hot to travel,” he said.
She didn’t press that he had not answered her other question. A knot formed in her stomach every time she thought about the fort. That sense of doom was a sensation she’d known all of her life and she didn’t welcome its return. “How soon will we stop?”
“Soon.”
Lorna accepted his answer and pressed no further. Sometimes it surprised her how much she had changed. There had been a time when she’d have demanded a more specific answer, more information, but in the past weeks she’d come to understand that time wasn’t as important as she’d once thought. The Cheyenne understood that. It was hard to explain, or even understand, but time just really didn’t exist for the Cheyenne. It wasn’t needed in their life.
She’d found freedom in that mindset. There was never any rushing to get things done, or hurrying to be somewhere at a specific time. Everything just flowed and happened naturally, when it was supposed to, and there was time for everything. Over the past few days she’d watched Black Horse guide the people, but also engage in conversations and even play with the youngsters as if their nomadic travels were just a natural part of their lives. Which they were. That, too, was something she no longer questioned.
It was amazing how easily she accepted things, as was the fact that the change didn’t bother her. There was a time she would have been far more defiant, but her life had never been this peaceful. That was what she really appreciated. The constant mistrust that had filled her home had been exhausting and left a person guarded and angry all the time.
She turned slightly to cast a gaze upon Black Horse. Trust. That was what had changed. She’d come to trust him, and he trusted her. Exactly when that had happened, she wasn’t sure, but was positive it had happened. That could be the reason she felt comfortable just living, just being.
Black Horse gestured that he was going back to speak with others, and she nodded. The rolling hills had opened into a small valley, making it an inviting place to camp for the night. It couldn’t be later than midmorning, but, as he’d said, it was too hot to travel today. The winding river was wide here and inviting. Perhaps once the family lodges were complete, she’d sneak down to the water to cool off.
Black Horse returned shortly, but rather than tell her they would be stopping, he waved for her to follow him. She did so without question, until a glance over her shoulder showed the others had stopped far behind them.
“Where are we going?”
“Into the hills,” he answered.
“Why?”
“I show you.”
His grin made her heat skip. “What? What will you show me?”
He kneed his horse into a faster gait. She encouraged Patches to speed up and soon they were galloping through the tall grass. The wind caused by their movement was welcomed, and she pushed the top of her habit off her head, letting the breeze cool her sweaty scalp.
They rode across the open valley and then followed a fork in the river that carved a trail up the hill. The pine trees increased, which slowed their trek, as did the rocky terrain. When they topped a small hill, her breath momentarily caught in her lungs.
The stream they’d been riding adjacent to had formed a crystal clear pool before the water flowed over a bed of rocks and down the other side of the hill.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Absolutely beautiful.”
Black Horse dismounted while she took in the scenery. The sun glistening upon the water, and the rocks and surrounding foliage were like a picture painted in the pages of a book. An enchanted book, full of pictures one could only dream of seeing.
“Come, Poeso,” he said, grasping her waist.
She settled her hands on his shoulders as he lifted her off the horse and lowered her to the ground. The surrounding beauty didn’t hold her attention then, he did, and she had to close her eyes to keep from staring at him, from wishing he’d kiss her. It was getting harder and harder to pretend she did not desire him.
Once her feet were on the ground, he let her go, as he always did. She let the air out of her lungs and told herself once again that she shouldn’t want to kiss him. Shouldn’t want him to touch her. Telling herself such things didn’t do much good. In fact, it made her want it more.
They walked to the water’s edge, where he sat down.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Taking off my moccasins,” he answered.
“I see that, why?”
“So they don’t get wet.”
She glanced from him to the water and back again. “Are you going swimming?”
“Heehe’e.”
The consequences shot through her mind, but they weren’t strong enough or disturbing enough to slow her down. Plopping onto the ground, she hoisted up her skirt to tug off her moccasins. “Then, I am, too.”
He removed all of his clothes, but was so swift in entering the water she barely got a glimpse of his bare backside. She wasn’t about to go that far, but did remove her dress and habit. After all, he’d already seen her swimming in her underclothes.
The water was as magnificent as it promised, and she completely submerged herself, luxuriating in the cooling freshness. Coming up for air, she filled her lungs and then flipped onto her back to float atop the water.
Fully prepared to float into a place so wonderful not even thoughts would break through, she closed her eyes. At about that same moment, hands wrapped around her waist. Not afraid in the least, she giggled as Black Horse twisted her toward him.
“Are you still hot?” he asked.
Dropping her feet onto the sandy bottom, she shook her head. “No, this is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here. I was hoping to have time to go swimming after se
tting up the lodges today.”
“I know.”
“How could you know that?”
“I saw it in your eyes.”
Her smile didn’t falter. For some reason, standing in the water, surrounded by nothing but nature and him, made a strange bit of courage form inside her. “What else have you seen in my eyes?”
He smiled and whispered, “This.”
His lips touched hers with such gentleness her knees wobbled. She grasped his upper arms and held on tight as the pressure of his lips increased. An indescribable thrill cascaded down to her toes and instantly shot back up. She stepped closer, pressing against him as his kiss continued. It was all she remembered and more. So very much more.
Lorna didn’t want the kiss to end when his lips parted from hers, but the smile on his face dissolved any disappointment.
“Come,” he said. “Swim with me.”
Her body was far hotter now than it had been before, on the inside. Every spot that had touched him was tingling and burning. Nodding, she stretched out into the water and kicked her feet.
They glided through the water much like they had ridden their horses, side by side, but every once in a while, he would take her hand or her arm and pull her close for a brief kiss. It was as silly as it was wonderful, and allowed her to be more brazen than she might otherwise have been. When he stretched out to swim once again after one such kiss, she jumped onto his back. He didn’t stop swimming as she’d expected, but instead glided through the water with her on his back. It was fascinating. The movement, the heat of his skin merging with hers, soon became one more thing she wished would never end.
At the far side of the pool, he lowered his legs and twisted about to grasp her in one easy movement. “I must show you something else.”
Her heart was thudding wildly with anticipation, yet she had to admit, “Nothing could be more wonderful than this.”
Holding her hand, he led her out of the water and along the rocky shore to where the water ran over the rocks. She fought hard to keep her gaze on the pathway and not on him. He was as naked as the day he was born, and the idea of examining all of him was making her blood rush. The lack of modesty, complete nakedness in some instances, was common among The People. Not in a foul or uncivilized way—it was a natural state that drew little attention from others. The days were hot and it was common to see braves and maidens stripped down and cooling off in the water. However, The People were also aware she and the others were not used to parading around unclothed, and therefore spared them any teasing or taunting when they chose to bathe in their underclothes.
Seeing him bare had other thoughts racing through her mind. The Cheyenne were very loving people, and right now, she wanted to kiss and caress him as she’d seen other couples doing.
When Black Horse stopped, Lorna stepped up beside him. As her gaze followed his hand gesture, once again her breath caught. “A waterfall!”
“Heehe’e.”
The water wasn’t rushing over the edge of the hill but flowing gently, making a smooth wall of water that cascaded into a bubbling pool several feet beneath them before once again forming a stream that disappeared into the thick crop of trees. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
* * *
Black Horse had his own opinion of beauty and knew he could look at this great land for many years and never see anything as breathtaking as the woman standing beside him. He had accepted what was in his heart days ago, and because of that he had many decisions to make. For himself. For Poeso. For his people.
“Come.” Holding her hand, he started down the rocks. When they camped tomorrow, they will be only a short distance from the trading post. Others were wondering if she and the women would leave then, as he’d once proclaimed. He could not tie her up in his tent again, but he could show her he did not want her to leave. Never questioning his decisions before, he did not now.
“These rocks are slippery,” she said, holding on to his arm with her free hand.
“I will not let you fall.”
“I know,” she said.
He didn’t stop until they were at the base of the waterfall, and then turned to face her. “You trust Black Horse.”
The shine in her eyes was as bright as the sun. “Yes, I trust you. I have for a long time.”
“Not so long.” He wanted her to recognize how things had changed. How she had changed.
“Maybe not, but I do trust you, and you trust me.” She stepped closer and lifted her chin. “Don’t you?”
“Heehe’e.” Her closeness made his throat thick, and the way her wet clothes molded to her shape made other parts of him react. He wanted her so badly, so completely, his mind could think of little else. Turning her about, he guided her down the hill toward the water. This was a spot he had never shown anyone; it was where he had spent his first vision quest as a young brave. “Careful of the rocks. Some are sharp,” he warned.
“I am.”
They entered the water together and swam to the center of the pool. Treading water with one hand, she pushed her hair out of her face with the other. “I haven’t gone swimming so much in my life.”
She then stretched her arms over her head and fell backward to rest upon the water, reminding him of the day he’d first seen her, floating around on her back like an otter.
“It’s so wonderful. I truly don’t know why I never enjoyed swimming this much before.”
“It was not in your heart, Poeso,” he said, attempting to float atop the water beside her. It took effort to stay buoyant, and he kept sinking beneath the water. Mainly because the wet material covering her showed far more than it hid.
“It must not be in your heart,” she said with a laugh as he resurfaced yet again. “Here, like this. Stretch your arms out all the way and let them go lax, like you’re exhausted after a long day of hunting.”
He followed her instructions, but still sank. Her nipples were like two snow-covered mountain peaks.
“You have to relax the rest of your body, too,” she said. “Your back, your bottom, your legs. Just pretend you are lying on your bed, drifting off to sleep.”
He made another attempt at it, closing his eyes to focus on something other than her until his body was held up by the water.
“That’s it,” she said. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
They floated side by side, holding hands. “Heehe’e.”
“You’ve mastered it,” she whispered. “It must be in your heart now.”
“You are in my heart, Poeso,” he answered softly.
She was quiet for a long time before saying, “I think you are in my heart, too, Black Horse, or maybe you took the old heart out of my chest and put a new one there in its place, because it doesn’t feel the same as my old one did. It no longer hurts all the time.”
The water was too deep to hold her the way he wanted to, so he flipped onto his stomach. “Come.”
Flipping around, she swam beside him toward the waterfall, but after a few strokes, said, “We are going to swim into the rock wall.”
“Trust me,” he said.
She followed him beneath the falling water, and once on the other side, clung on to the rocks. The cascading water splashing into their faces made talking impossible. He grasped her waist and lifted her up to see the ledge above their heads. Without further instructions, she grasped the ledge and pulled herself up and over the edge. He followed and they sat there for a moment, their feet dangling over the edge, watching the wall of water falling in front of them.
“It’s amazing,” she said.
“Heehe’e.”
She turned, glancing over her shoulder. Sunlight shone through the water, and she asked. “It’s a cave. How far back does it go?”
He pulled his legs up and stood. When she took the hand he held out, he helped her to stand and then led her into the small alcove.
“It’s enchanting,” she said. “A place fairies might live.”
“Fairies?” That was a word he had n
ever heard.
“Imaginary little people with wings,” she said, “who grant wishes.”
He grinned at her explanation of spirits. “What would you wish for?”
“That this day would never end.” Her eyes dimmed then. “That I didn’t have to go to California.”
Stepping up beside her, he took both of her hands in his. “You do not. I will make you my wife.”
Wrinkles formed between her brows as she closed her eyes. “Don’t say things like that.”
“I will.”
Eyes still closed, she shook her head. “But you can’t. You are a leader of Tsitsistas, a great leader. You must marry a Cheyenne woman.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “It is the way.”
He sensed anger, even though only sadness lived in her eyes. Imagining others would have told her that, he said, “One Who Heals does not speak for Black Horse.”
She shook her head. “One Who Heals didn’t tell me that. I just know it. I understand that is how it must be. I’ve come to understand a lot.” Twisting her hands, she pulled them out of his hold and stepped away. “It would not work for me. I’ve witnessed how the men in your village have more than one wife. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t share you with someone else.”
He smiled. She was truthful, and correct. Although she had accepted many things were different here compared to her world, some things she would never bow to, and he found pride in that. He was proud of all the things she had learned. He even liked how she would not accept some things. It showed her wisdom. He had that same wisdom. “I would not like to share you.”
“You wouldn’t be sharing,” she pointed out before saying, “It is the way.”
“I am the leader,” he said. “I do not share if I do not want to.”
She licked her lips and then bit down on the bottom one. The sound of the falling water grew louder during her silence, echoing against the rock walls surrounding them, and the sun shining through the water danced on the side of her face, making her skin glow. He wanted this woman for his wife. Wanted her like he had never wanted anything. “There would be no sharing, Poeso.”
Her Cheyenne Warrior (Harlequin Historical) Page 18
