Agnes and the Renegade (Men of Defiance) (34 page)
Read Agnes and the Renegade (Men of Defiance) Online
Authors: Elaine Levine
Tags: #Lakota, #Sioux, #Historical Western Romance, #Wyoming, #Romance, #Western, #Defiance, #Men of Defiance, #Indian Wars
“A gathering of this type among the Lakota is meant to address rights and wrongs and future plans.” He tore his gaze from the drama in the room and looked at her. “Chayton is forcing his grandmother’s hand—and that of those she’s gathered. After this morning, they will stand with him. Or against him. The lines will be drawn.”
“Logan! What do we do?”
“We honor him by letting him say his piece.” They focused again on what was happening in the room. Chayton was explaining why he wore the clothes he chose.
“The pictures woven into my shirt and leggings tell the stories of my people. It brings my ancestors to this important day with me and allows me to honor them. The clothes you would have me wear exist only to please the eyes, not to honor the lives of all who have gone before me.” He looked around the room at the silent and worried faces of his grandmother’s assembled guests. He lifted a hand, gesturing toward the back of the church, where Aggie waited with Logan.
“My wife is from the same world as my grandmother. She will be a bridge connecting our worlds. I have already married her according to sacred
Lakȟóta
traditions. Today, I marry her according to the traditions of my grandmother. In this way, I honor my grandmother.” He gave Mrs. Burkholder a solemn look, then glanced at her guests. “Today, my grandmother has a choice that she must make. She must accept that I am
Lakȟóta
and I am her grandson. Or reject both facts.”
Aggie felt chilled by Chayton’s ultimatum. His grandmother sent an embarrassed glance at her guests. At the front of the room, Sager stood up. He made eye contact with Chayton and his grandmother, then went to stand on the dais behind where Chayton would exchange his vows with Aggie. Jace stood and silently moved to stand with him. Julian followed. Sheriff Declan joined them, as did the shopkeeper, Mr. Kessler.
Before the dust could settle on that shocking display of support, Rachel stood and moved behind Sarah. Then Leah and Audrey. Maddie, the boardinghouse proprietress, stood with the women. As did Mrs. Kessler, who’d been so afraid of Chayton when Aggie first met her. There wasn’t room for all of them on the dais, so they stood in two rows at the front of the church.
A man in an elegant suit stood in the row behind Chayton’s grandmother. He clapped, and the seated guests slowly followed his lead. After a moment, he held up a hand, requesting silence as he stepped out of the pew and into the aisle.
“Who is that?” Aggie whispered to Logan.
“That is the territorial governor of Wyoming’s envoy.”
The politician placed a hand on Chayton’s shoulder, then addressed Mrs. Burkholder. “Madam, your grandson is one the rarest of beings: an articulate savage and a skilled diplomat. I understand your pride in him. It is a fine thing you’re doing, bringing him into your world as your heir. It’s a step toward the peace we seek in this region.” He bowed to her. “Thank you for allowing me to witness this.”
Mrs. Burkholder contained her burgeoning distress under the mask of a composed expression. She nodded at the envoy, then turned her attention to her grandson, her gaze steely as she observed him. “I accept the two facts you present without contest, my grandson. Had I not, we would not now be where we are. And while I don’t understand your deviation from our accepted traditions on a day like today, I understand your choice has significance for you, and is therefore not meant as a repudiation of the new world into which you enter.” She looked at Chayton, the governor’s envoy, and Aggie. “Please, let us continue.”
Chayton smiled. Aggie could see in his eyes the victory he’d extracted from his reluctant grandmother. This was not a step toward peace, but a skirmish in the coming war of wills between two very proud people.
“Who is going to win, Logan? The dragon or warrior?”
“Time will tell, Aggie. But I do know whose side I’m on.”
Chayton took his place in front of the preacher and turned to await her. The music started again as Skylar went down the aisle first, beaming as she sprinkled a trail of rose petals. Then Aggie and Logan stepped out of the entryway and made their way toward Chayton.
Aggie looked at Chayton standing in front of the preacher. She could barely hear the instructions the preacher gave her to remove her gloves and set her hands on Chayton’s. Fortunately, Sarah took her flowers and gloves, then reminded her what to do. When the preacher invited anyone who felt their union should not be permitted to speak up, her heart started a vicious hammering. She kept her eyes locked on Chayton’s in the lengthening silence that followed. He was not afraid. He was determined.
When the ceremony was finished, the preacher closed his Bible. “Well, son, kiss your wife!”
She laughed, but Chayton didn’t. He said something in Lakota, then translated it for her. His words were whispered, meant only for her ears, though she knew others around them heard him as well.
“I am your husband. I am your protector. I am your shell. Your joy is my joy. For as long as I breathe.”
Aggie nodded, feeling as if his vow was even more sacred than those the preacher had led them through. “And I am your wife, and the bridge between your worlds, and your shell. Your joy is my joy. For as long as I breathe.”
Chayton leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips.
EPILOGUE
Valley of Painted Walls, August 1884
Chayton looked across the lower draw of the valley where his herd lived. He’d bought the rest of the valley the year he married Agkhee. How easy life was when one had the benefit of privilege in the white world. No one had questioned his intent as the heir to the Burkholders’ vast fortune in buying the land. Of course every gentleman needed land for hunting.
Spread out before him were dozens of white tents scattered over the northeastern end of his valley. It was hauntingly similar to the days of his boyhood in this valley, but these little dwellings were tents, not tipis, and the people were white, not bronze. Those gathered were, nonetheless, his people. And for that he was grateful.
The McCaid clan, the Gages, the Declans, and the Taggerts, with all their attendant offspring, had taken over his valley for the week in what had become an end-of-summer tradition for them over the past few years. Soon afterward, the children would resume their schooling for a new season. The McCaids would travel to their other properties. And the rest of the adults would return to the work awaiting them. His friends accepted his grandmother as a respected, if not quite cherished, elder. She and Rachel’s father rarely got along, so Sid was often the peacekeeper between them.
Chayton looked for his grandmother now and found her sitting comfortably in an armchair outside the entrance to Logan’s large tent, where the women prepared the meals. His youngest son was on her lap. Chayton couldn’t tell what they were saying, but given that his son did not yet speak either
Lakȟóta
or English, it had to be an interesting conversation.
Aggie came up to him and reached her arms around him. With her big belly, the gesture was no easy feat. It had been a busy summer visiting the different towns where she’d been showing her paintings. He was glad winter was coming. His turtle needed quiet time. They’d built a larger house on their land south of Logan’s Circle Bar Ranch, one with a proper studio. They’d spent the last five winters at his grandmother’s house. He’d made good progress stepping into the management of her empire. This winter, they would be staying at their new house, giving Aggie a chance to recuperate from their third child—and an opportunity to dive into an intensive work cycle in preparation for a tour of shows on the East Coast next summer.
He watched his daughter leading her brothers to a circle of children. Agkhee had given him two beautiful sons, and now a third child was on its way. “Look at our people,
mahasani
,” he said in a soft voice as he wrapped an arm around his wife. He lifted her hand to his chest. “I cannot tell you the joy I feel at this moment.”
“You don’t need to. I see it in your eyes.”
“Will you and the baby be safe while I travel with Logan for our autumn trade at the reservation?”
“We’ll be fine. We’ll be at your grandmother’s and have her enormous staff at our disposal. The baby isn’t due until October. You’ll be back by then.” She looked out across the valley. “It will be good to come home this winter. To our home.”
He kissed her forehead. “It will, but not until you and the baby are ready. Grandmother enjoys the children. I think she enjoyed seeing the Valley of Painted Walls today. She is nowhere near the deathbed she mentions so often.”
Agkhee laughed. “She’ll outlive all of us.”
He gave her a solemn look. “None of this would have happened without you. This valley is alive again.”
She smiled. “None of this would have happened had you not survived to save this valley.” She squeezed his waist, then let him go. “Supper’s being served. Join us when you’re ready.”
He nodded, then reached out and caught her hand. “Agkhee—I love you.”
She met his gaze. “I love you, Chayton.”
Other Books by Elaine Levine:
~Red Team Series~
(This series must be read in order)
1
2
3
3.a Kit & Ivy, a Red Team Wedding novella (coming 2014)
3.b Ty & Eden, a Red Team Wedding novella (coming 2014)
4 Twisted Mercy (coming 2014)
5 Assassin’s Promise (coming 2014)
4.a Rocco & Mandy, a Red Team Wedding novella (coming 2015)
~ Men of Defiance Series ~
(This series may be read in any order)
1
2
3
4
5 Agnes and the Renegade (2014)
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at
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Published by Elaine Levine
Copyright © 2014 Elaine Levine
Cover art by Hot Damn Designs
Editing by editing720
All rights reserved.
Last Updated: 02-18-2014
Print Edition ISBNs:
ISBN-10: 0985420561
ISBN-13: 978-0-9854205-6-7
Ebook Edition ISBNs:
ISBN-10: 098542057X
ISBN-13: 978-0-9854205-7-4
About the Author
Elaine Levine lives on the plains of Colorado with her husband, a middle-aged parrot, and a rescued pit bull/bullmastiff mix. In addition to writing the Red Team contemporary romantic suspense series, she is the author of several books in the historical western series, Men of Defiance. Visit her online at
