Aimee stood glaring at him, her hands on her hips. Then she broke into a wide smile. Staying mad with him was impossible.
Hawk Soaring remained standing near the door, a stoic look on his face.
“We’ve come to ask if you,” Elk Runner looked at Daniel, “and Chase would accompany us on a bighorn hunt. We are headed to the Sheepeater mountains. The hunting is good there.”
Aimee shot a suspicious look at her husband, who tried to avoid her stare.
“I’d be happy to go, but I have not seen Chase yet.”
“I’ll wake Sarah. She can help me with fixing breakfast.” Aimee headed towards her daughter’s room.
“She’s already up and gone.” Daniel said, stopping her. Aimee was about to ask where Sarah had gone, when the cabin door opened. Everyone’s head turned when Chase walked in. He stood rooted to the spot for a moment, his eyes darting from one person to the next. They lingered particularly long on Hawk Soaring, whose own stare didn’t waver.
“Sit down, Chase. We’re going to have fried trout for breakfast. Elk Runner’s treat,” Aimee said cheerfully. “You have already met him, I believe.”
Chase walked to the table and held out his hand in greeting. “Yeah, we’ve met.” He sneaked a glance towards Sarah’s closed bedroom door before he took a seat opposite Elk Runner.
Aimee turned her back to the room full of men. She laid the trout out on the workbench, and sliced a knife along the sides of the fish. It would be interesting to see how Chase and Hawk interacted with each other. Jealousy was as powerful an emotion as love. Both of these young men cared for her daughter. She wondered how this would all play out. Finished fileting the fish, she coated each with some cornmeal and flour, and tossed them in a sizzling hot skillet over the fire. The cabin quickly filled with the delicious smell of fried fish.
“White Wolf, may I speak?” Hawk Soaring’s even voice asked. Aimee’s head turned. She glanced from Hawk to her husband, then to Chase. She realized how disadvantaged he was. Everyone in the room spoke in Shoshoni. Chase probably didn’t understand any of it.
Daniel left the table, and walked towards Aimee. He reached for the coffee pot, and filled five cups.
“Speak, Kwiyoo,” he said, picking up two cups and setting them at the table. He returned for the rest without looking at the young hunter.
“Might you permit me to find Imaah? I wish to speak with her.”
Aimee’s eyes volleyed to each man in the room. Elk Runner wore his usual silly grin. Chase’s attention was on Hawk, his jaw clenched. He couldn’t know what Hawk had asked.
“She went in search of eggs. She mentioned a fresh goose nest about a mile to the east along the Little Buffalo River. You will probably find her there.” Daniel waved him off.
Hawk nodded respectfully, then turned to leave. Chase’s body tensed, his palms on the table as if he was about to spring out of his seat. His arm and shoulder muscles tightened.
“Shouldn’t someone wake Sarah?” he asked casually.
“She’s already up, collecting goose eggs, I think” Aimee smiled at him. “Maybe she’s planning to bake something today.”
Elk Runner bent towards the floor, and picked up a hornbow. It looked newly made. When he held it out to Chase, Aimee’s eyes widened. The Tukudeka were known for their excellent bows, which they fashioned from elk antlers or mountain sheep horn. It was a painstaking and long process to make one of these bows, and it was a hunter’s most prized possession. Seldom did they trade or otherwise part with them.
Chase gave him a questioning look.
“For you, Chase Russell,” Elk Runner said. “A hunter need good bow.”
Chase reluctantly accepted the gift. “I …. don’t know what to say.” His eyes darted to Aimee and Daniel. Daniel’s eyebrows furrowed, a questioning look directed at his brother.
“Someday, I teach you make own bow. Now, you use this. We go hunt wasuppin.” He looked at Daniel for help.
“Mountain sheep. Bighorn,” he supplied the English translation.
Chase stood abruptly. “Will you all excuse me? I forgot to wash up.” He set the bow on the table, then quickly darted out of the cabin.
The three remaining people looked at each other in turn.
“He needs a good weapon to hunt,” Elk Runner shrugged, when both Aimee and Daniel glared at him.
“What is your interest in Chase?” Aimee asked. She removed the trout from the skillet, scraping the meat onto plates, and set them on the table. Daniel returned to his place at the table.
“If he is to be my future nephew, I can surely present him with a gift,” Elk Runner said, taking a bite of trout.
“I fear my daughter has two suitors,” Daniel said, pushing the food around on his plate. “What am I to do with that?”
Aimee hadn’t sat down. She stood by the workbench, her arms crossed over her chest, watching the conversation like a tennis match.
Elk Runner shrugged. “What do bull elk or bison do when two want the same cow?”
Aimee’s mouth dropped open at his words.
“You’re suggesting I let them fight over her?” Daniel’s fork stopped in mid-air, the trout falling back onto the plate.
“Oh stop it, you two,” Aimee scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. She glared at her husband and brother-in-law. “Listen to yourselves. Sarah is not a cow, and neither are Chase nor Hawk bulls. These are three young people we are talking about, not elk or bison. Someone is going to get hurt by all this.”
“Sarah will have to decide which man she chooses,” Daniel said, reaching a hand out to Aimee. She took it, and he pulled her up to stand beside him while he sat at the table. His arm snaked around her waist. “The trouble is, only one of them has asked for her.”
“Chase is not ready yet, but he will be.” Elk Runner said confidently, shoveling more food in his mouth.
“Maybe he wants to return home to the place he came from,” Daniel suggested. “He is still unsure of himself. His skills at tracking are improving, but these things take a long time to learn. It is not like learning from childhood. Chase is a grown man, and has no experience. ”
“Why are you so intent on Chase and Sarah?” Aimee asked suspiciously. “Wouldn’t you want to see her with Hawk Soaring?”
Elk Runner shook his head. “Hawk Soaring is a good man, but he is not a good match for your daughter.”
“Why do you say that?” Aimee asked, curious as to why he would think that. After all, they were both Shoshone, and Chase was a white man, a mere stranger.
Elk Runner’s face lit up. “To begin with, your daughter is too much like you, Dosa Haiwi. Her ways are not the ways of a proper Tukudeka wife. Hawk Soaring would have difficulty with her. And also,” his face grew more serious, “he has relatives among the Akaideka to the north who have had problems with some whites. I would not wish my niece to be shunned by her husband’s family because of the color of her skin.”
“Sarah’s in love with Chase. I don’t see that she will choose to marry Hawk, even if Chase doesn’t ask her,” Aimee said. “I can’t see her marrying just any man. She’s been so adamant about not needing a husband, and now all she wants is for Chase to make her his wife.” She sighed deeply. “Young love can be so complicated.” She moved to stand behind Daniel, her hands rubbing his shoulders. She remembered all too well of the misunderstandings between herself and Daniel before they finally realized they loved each other.
******
Sarah walked through the thick tall grasses along the riverbed, searching for goose nests. She had already found one, but it had only contained shells. A fox or coyote must have gotten to the eggs before her. A flock of Canada geese honked loudly as she approached, and several took to the water. A few others charged her, their long necks lowered and their beaks open, their wings spread wide and flapping loudly. It was a good indication that they were protecting a nest.
She used the long stick she’d brought with her to ward off the angry gander’s charges.
She didn’t want to hurt the bird, but she also knew that their bite could be quite painful.
“Can I be of some help, Imaah?”
Sarah whirled around. Hawk Soaring was the last person she expected to see here this early in the day. And what was he doing, coming to her without the benefit of a chaperone this far from other people? It was highly unconventional. It was something Chase would do, but not Hawk.
She hadn’t seen much of Chase since her parents’ return. The last time they had been close was right after he’d moved into the small cabin, when he told her he couldn’t stay away from her. He sure seemed to have a change of heart. Since the night he and her father returned from their first foray into the woods, he had been polite with her, but he never sought out her company alone. She saw the longing in his eyes when he looked at her across the table during shared meals, and sometimes he’d touch her hand when her parents weren’t looking. Other than that, he remained distant.
Sarah had wondered hopefully if he wasn’t perhaps courting her in the proper way. Perhaps her father had warned him to keep his distance. Chase didn’t seem to be the type of man who would be afraid of such a warning. She missed his touch, his strong arms around her, and his heated kisses.
Other times she considered if he had a change of heart. She was afraid that he had changed his mind about her, and was getting ready to return home. There had been no talk of finding the time travel device, at least not in her presence.
“Imaah.”
Hawk Soaring approached, covering the ground with long strides. He wore a bright smile on his face. The presence of a second human caused even the bravest gander to take refuge in the river.
“Kwyioo, what a surprise,” Sarah stammered. She shifted the basket she carried from her left to her right hip. “What brings you here?”
“Your uncle and I have come to ask your father to go hunting.” He stopped a few feet in front of her, much too close to be considered proper. A slight smell of fish wafted through the air. Sarah backed up a few steps.
“I think of you often, Imaah,” he said in a low voice. “Perhaps the traditions of the Tukudeka do not suit you. I am wondering if I behaved more like a white man, you would find me more acceptable.”
Sarah drew her eyes together. “I don’t understand what you mean, Kwyioo.”
Before she could react, he stepped up to her, his hands holding her upper arms, and he pressed his lips to hers. Sarah stiffened, nearly dropping her basket. Her heart didn’t pound faster, her lips didn’t tingle, there were no chills running down her spine. She was merely shocked at his boldness.
She tried to pull away, when suddenly, his hands were torn away from her. A spilt second later, Chase’s fist connected with Hawk’s face, sending him to the ground. Shocked, Sarah stood rooted to the earth. Like an agile cat, Hawk Soaring jumped to his feet, his knife in his hand. Blood trickled from the split in his upper lip.
Chase’s hand went to his belt, gripping his tomahawk. The two men circled each other slowly, looks of contempt on both their faces.
Sarah dropped her basket. “Stop it! Both of you! Yingka!” She ran between them, holding out her arms, palms out, to prevent them from stepping closer to each other. Her head whipped from side to side, looking at each of them in turn.
“Why is he kissing you, Sarah?” Chase growled, directing his glare at her, then back at Hawk.
Her temper ignited. He acted as if he owned her. He had no right to ask such a question. If he’d declared himself, wanted her for his wife, but he didn’t. He wanted to go home. So why would he behave as though she belonged to him.
“Maybe because he wants something you don’t,” she spat at him. His eyebrows shot up. “Me for his wife,” she clarified. “Perhaps that gives him more of a right to kiss me than it does you.”
She grabbed for her basket on the ground, and shot both of them a heated glare. Then she ran across the meadow, her vision blurred by the tears streaming down her face.
Chapter 29
Chase eyed Hawk wearily. The other man wiped at the blood on his lip. Both turned at the same time to watch Sarah run towards her home. Hell. She was mad at both of them. He knew he’d acted like an impulsive jerk.
Elk Runner’s gift had touched him more than he wanted to admit. The cabin walls had closed in on him, and he definitely didn’t want to cry like a baby in front of Daniel, so he’d hightailed it out of there. He’d caught the word Imaah when Hawk spoke to Daniel, and he knew that was part of Sarah’s Indian name. Following him seemed like the right thing to do.
Chase hadn’t expected to see Hawk in a lip lock with Sarah. Intense jealously like he’d never experienced before had swept over him, and he punched the guy on impulse. Now he felt like an ass. He had barely spoken to Sarah over the last several days. Her dad was running him ragged through the hills, drilling him on tracking animals, identifying spoors and plants, and stalking game. He’d barely been awake each night when they returned back to the cabins, and had dragged his butt to bed from pure exhaustion. It left no opportunity to talk to her, much less hold and kiss her like he’d wanted to.
Daniel had hinted to him about proper courting rituals of the Indian tribe he grew up with. No wonder Sarah had been so nervous about having him live under the same roof with her after her uncle had shown up that first time. Chase had never given it much thought. Guys and girls lived together as roommates all the time without a second thought, but apparently among the Shoshone, a couple intent on marriage only had to live together for a few days, and be seen together in public to be considered wed.
Chase wasn’t sure if Daniel had been trying to warn him to keep his hands to himself, or was just instructing him on the proper ways to court his daughter. He’d told him in no uncertain terms that first day that nothing could ever come of his feelings for Sarah. Did the man have a change of heart? He obviously saw that Sarah had feelings for him, as well.
What are you going to do about your problem, Russell? The less he saw of her, the more he wanted to be with her. No one had brought up the time travel device. Chase wasn’t sure if Daniel still planned to look for it or not. He’d have to ask him about it soon. He hated this feeling of being stuck in limbo, between worlds with no real foothold. His skills were definitely improving under Daniel’s guidance, but did he really want to stay here? Was this the kind of life he wanted?
Chase glanced sideways at Hawk. “Come on, buddy. We might as well head back, too,” he grumbled. He held out his hand to Hawk, who looked at it suspiciously. Chase took a step toward him, and thrust his hand out for emphasis. Hawk finally took it, and they clasped hands.
Chase nodded. Hawk’s features softened, and his lips actually curved in a slight smile. He cut his hand through the air in a firm movement. Chase took it to mean that all was forgiven. He slapped the shorter man on the back, and together they set out in the same direction as their girl.
Chase caught sight of Sarah sitting under a tree by the woodpile when he and Hawk reached the cabin. Hawk had seen her, too. He gave Chase a searching look, then headed for the house. Chase strode over to her. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, her hands clasped around her ankles.
“Hey,” he said, and lowered himself to the ground next to her. She didn’t say anything, nor did she look at him. Her face had dirt smudges from tear stains. He reached for one of her hands, pulling it free of the other one.
“I apologized for my behavior.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it, peering up at her. Her eyes turned round when she met his gaze. “You’re right,” he said. “I had no call to do what I did.”
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes.
“Why are you crying, angel?” He swiped his fingers under her eyes.
“Why did you have to tell me you love me, Chase? It would have been so much easier when you go home if I hadn’t known.”
He inhaled sharply. “Do you think this is easy for me, Sarah? I don’t have the skills necessary to take care of you. I couldn’t live with
myself if something happened to you because of something I did, or didn’t know how to do to protect you.”
She stared at him blankly. “But you’re learning.”
He shook his head in frustration. “I don’t know if I can even get home. The assumption right now is that I can’t, that I won’t be going home, ever. I’m trying to live my life here with that thought. We were going to take it one day at a time, remember?” He gave her a reassuring smile, and squeezed her hand.
She nodded slowly.
“I’m supposed to go on a hunt for mountain sheep with your dad and uncle, and…Hawk. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Sarah searched his face, her eyes finally locked onto his. “Those hunts can last a few days.”
“So, can I have a good-bye kiss, since I won’t see you for a while?”
She lowered her head.
“Come on,” he coaxed. “Then you can compare who kisses better,” he grinned, laughing at Sarah’s outraged look. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his. Her response was unexpected. His resolve to keep the kiss light crumbled. He pulled her up against him, groaning as he claimed her mouth. His fingers entwined in her hair, his other hand massaging her back. Abruptly, he pulled back.
“Angel, I’m trying to behave myself, but you’re making it really hard.”
“I love you, Chase,” she whispered.
“I love you, Sarah.” His hand swiped at the tear streaks on her cheek, He stood, reaching for her hand to pull her up. He gave it another squeeze. “Be good while I’m gone.” He tore his eyes from her beautiful face, then turned and headed for the cabin.
******
“Bighorn sheep are difficult to approach. They are extremely flighty and alert to any danger. When stalked, they move to higher ground. It’s where they feel safe,” Daniel explained when Chase inquired about the hunt. After a long hike through the usual terrain of meadows and forests, they stopped for the night along a fast-moving creek.
Yellowstone Redemption Page 23
