Brave the Wild Wind (11 page)

J
ESSIE and White Thunder went to Black Bear Hunter to tell him of the challenge for the golden horse. He agreed eagerly, too eagerly. Jessica pleaded with him not to kill Chase, to let it be only a battle of strengths, but Black Bear Hunter stared at her stonily. Nothing had changed. He would not be merciful.

The whole tribe turned out to watch the entertainment. Wagers were placed, for the Indians loved to gamble. There weren’t too many takers until Chase stripped down to his pants, and then betting began in earnest. Jessie took heart. She should have remembered those thick muscles. Luckily, Chase and Black Bear Hunter were about the same height, and equally muscular.

“You can still change your mind, you know,” Jessie said to Chase.

But before he could answer, his face hardened, and he said, “What’s he doing here?”

She followed his gaze and saw Little Hawk nearing the crowd.

“I got a good look at him before he knocked me down that day, Jessie,” Chase said angrily.

“Watch what you say! He speaks English,” she hissed at him.

“Is that a warning?” Chase asked disdainfully. “Can I expect him to jump me again?”

Jessie quickly pulled Chase back a few feet and whispered, “Damn it, keep your big mouth shut.” Did he have no sense at all? “He’s not from this tribe, but what you do still matters. You came here because of me, so what you do here reflects on me.”

“But he—”

“I’m not referring only to him. Black Bear Hunter happens to be White Thunder’s brother. I’m asking you not to kill him, Chase.”

“Oh, I’m supposed to just let him kill
me?
” Chase cried. He no longer cared who heard.

“Of course not,” Jessie hissed impatiently. “But if you kill him, I won’t be able to come here again. I’m just saying…don’t if you don’t have to. Just subdue him. See?”

“Sure, I see,” Chase said sarcastically. Then he turned away from her and walked to the center of the circle. Black Bear Hunter was waiting, and as soon as Chase stood before him, White Thunder stepped between them. He said a few words—Jessie couldn’t hear—and then he tied a long sash around both men’s waists. It bound them together for the contest, making it impossible for one to get away from the other. The struggle was more dangerous that way, because it kept the men within easy cutting distance of each other’s knife.

Chase appeared quite calm. Jessie had warned him about the sash, also telling him
there were no rules to the contest. He had shaken his head. No rules?

Black Bear Hunter made the first move, an unexpected leap that caught Chase off guard and sent both men crashing to the ground. They were both on their feet again in an instant, the Indian slashing with short jabs, Chase just barely staying out of reach of each thrust. Then Black Bear Hunter charged, his knife held high for a downward thrust. They locked wrists, each one holding the other’s knife hand. The straining of muscles was awesome. The blades were close, but neither man could gain those extra few inches to draw first blood.

Jessie was horrified when she saw the blade turn in Black Bear Hunter’s hand, stabbing Chase’s forearm. Chase lost his hold, and the blade continued downward, slicing his side. The Indian prepared for another thrust, but Chase blocked it with his bloody forearm, then skillfully tripped him.

Black Bear Hunter was down. The sash brought Chase down with him, but he managed to land on top of Black Bear Hunter. They rolled again and again, each one fighting for the upper position. Chase tried to stand, but Black Bear Hunter used the sash to pull him back down and, with a skillful maneuver of his feet, sent Chase over backward. He landed with a thud.

They were stretched out on the ground, head to head. Black Bear Hunter leaned upward on one arm and brought his knife down viciously with the other hand. It would have landed in
the center of Chase’s throat, but Chase saw it and moved, with one second to spare.

The look on his face was murderous, and Jessie felt fear wash over her. Chase’s losing control would give Black Bear Hunter the edge he needed, for anger made a man careless.

Chase stood up, waiting for his opponent to rise. Jessie wanted to scream at him to take the advantage while Black Bear Hunter was still down, but she couldn’t make a sound. The moment the Indian was on his feet, Chase slammed his fist with the knife in it into his belly. Black Bear Hunter doubled over, his feet leaving the ground from the force of the blow.

The crowd was silent. Jessie felt her stomach turn over. Chase had won, but she had begged him not to win
that
way. And he wasn’t finished yet! His anger drove him to strike Black Bear Hunter again, slamming his other fist into his face, laying the man out cold on the ground.

Then Chase was calmly cutting the sash with his knife. But there was no blood on the sash…or on the blade. Her eyes flew to Black Bear Hunter. There was no blood on him anyplace! Chase had turned the blade away before punching him!

She wanted to laugh. And she nearly did when, at that moment, Chase let out a roaring victory cry and the crowd echoed him. Those who had bet on Chase rushed to congratulate him.

“He did well,” Little Hawk admitted.

It was all Jessie could do not to grin. “Yes, he did,” she said solemnly.

She didn’t know why she was so pleased. Was it only because Chase had vanquished Black Bear Hunter without hurting him?

“Jessie!” Chase was calling her cheerfully. “Get your gear, lady, we’re going home!”

Jessie stiffened. “I’m not leaving with you,” she said.

“But I’m not leaving without you,” he answered firmly, reaching her side and standing there, unmoving.

“You’d better go,” Jessie said uneasily. He looked so determined.

“If you don’t come along with me agreeably, I’m going to pick you up and carry you out of here,” Chase announced.

“They’ll kill you!”

“Then my death will be on your conscience, won’t it?”

They both knew she had no choice. She stared at him, wide-eyed, and fumed. “Damn you, I’ll get even with you for this, Chase Summers. You see if I don’t!”

Chase grinned as he watched her stomp off to the other side of the camp. He turned to fetch his gear and Goldenrod, but he had to pass by Jessie’s two champions. He was in too good a mood to feel intimidated. He stopped for a second, smiling agreeably. “Looks like she’ll be coming home with me, fellows. You see, her mother sent me to get her. She may have put up a fuss about it, but she always makes a fuss about something or other, doesn’t she?”

He nodded to them politely, then kept on going. White Thunder had to restrain Little
Hawk from going after him. Chase chuckled to himself, knowing damned well what was happening behind him without having to look. He didn’t care. Damn, he felt good!

T
HEY were only three hours on the trail when Little Hawk caught up with them. Jessie heard him calling to her and stopped. Then Chase heard the name being called and grabbed Jessie’s reins. Little Hawk stopped, watching them.

“So
you’re
Looks Like Woman?” Chase said.

“The Indians call me Looks Like Woman,” she said flatly.

“Your friend said the Sioux was there because of you. Is that true?”

“Yes. He never left the ranch area, and followed me to the village. He’s asked me to be his wife.”

Chase stared at her for a few moments, then said, “So he did attack me that day because I kissed you?”

“Yes, I suppose he did. But I didn’t know that at the time.”

Chase laughed derisively. “But that’s ridiculous, him wanting to marry you.”

“Why ridiculous?” she said in a deadly voice.

“He’s an Indian, for God’s sake!”

“My closest friend is an Indian,” she said smoothly. “I’ve been visiting him and his people
for eight years. I know their culture as well as I do my own. You think I can’t be happy married to an Indian? Well, let me tell you something, Summers. The only place I’ve found
any
happiness these last ten years was with White Thunder and his family. So don’t tell me his being an Indian should have anything to do with my decision.”

Chase was left speechless. Little Hawk was watching them, and he could feel it. “What did you tell him?”

“That, Chase Summers, is none of your business,” Jessie said, yanking her reins away from him. Turning around, she rode straight for Little Hawk.

They didn’t say anything at first, just stared at each other, Little Hawk searching her eyes, Jessie wishing they were alone.

At last Little Hawk said, “I did not mean to let you go without speaking to you, but I was angry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was not you who caused my anger, but that one. He upsets you.”

“Do not trouble yourself about him. He’s just a stubborn cuss who does my mother’s bidding.”

“I do not like it that you ride alone with him. I will ride with you.”

“No.” She shook her head emphatically. “And have you two battling? No.”

“If he touches you—”

“Stop it,” she said quickly. “I can handle that one. I’m armed again, see?” She patted her gun before she added gently, “You have got to stop concerning yourself with me. I will not marry
you, Little Hawk, and I will not change my mind about it. So go home to your wife.”

He avoided replying to that, asking instead, “You will come again to White Thunder’s camp?”

She frowned at him. “You mustn’t look for me.”

“Looks Like Woman—”

“Oh, please, don’t make this so difficult,” she pleaded. “We are not fated to be together. I know it. Ask your medicine man, he will tell you. Do not look for me. My spirit cannot meet yours with ease. You understand, Little Hawk? You are too…too much for me.”

She turned away then, riding back to Chase. She looked back once to see Little Hawk sitting there, watching her, his expression unreadable. How it hurt her to say those things to him. But it wasn’t to be, and she’d had to stop him from hurting himself more.

She passed Chase without a word, galloping steadily. She didn’t see the two men staring at each other for a long time before they simultaneously turned away, Little Hawk to the north, Chase to follow her. She could feel Chase’s eyes on her from time to time as they crossed the plains. It was beautiful country. The Big Horn Mountains were directly west, joining many other ranges stretching across the land to form the Rocky Mountains. The Black Hills were to the east. Even the rolling grassland that seemed infinite was beautiful. Trees along creek beds were bursting with brilliant autumn leaves. A slow-moving herd of buffalo seemed from a distance like great-backed turtles.

Jessie knew this land and loved it. She loved the ranch, too. She had nothing else, really. She certainly didn’t want to live anywhere else. Yet she felt she had reached an impasse in her life. She felt changed, but without a new direction. She felt she needed
something
, only she didn’t know what that something was.

They didn’t stop that day, except to water the horses. It was late when they finally came to the creek where Jessie meant to camp. The sun had set, and the moon had yet to rise, but she knew just where to find firewood. She got a fire started before Chase had even unsaddled his horse.

With Jessie leading the way home, Chase had no recourse but to let her make the decisions. He wouldn’t have thought of asking her to stop sooner. He was drawing on his last reserves, however. The fight with Black Bear Hunter had been a hard contest. Still, he kept silent.

His cuts were bleeding again. An Indian woman had put salve on them and bandaged him while he was waiting for Jessie that morning, but the cut on his side was bleeding through his shirt and needed tending. He was too tired even to do that. If he could just get his horse rubbed down…

“Sit down before you fall down!” Jessie commanded in a no-nonsense voice from behind him. “Honestly, if you were this tired you should have said something.”

He hadn’t known she was watching. “Didn’t want to trouble you,” he offered lamely.

She sighed as she grabbed some grass and finished rubbing down Goldenrod for him, saying,
“There’s food by the fire. White Thunder’s sister prepared it for us. Help yourself.”

“I think I’ll just get some sleep.”

“You’ll eat first,” Jessie said firmly. “You’ll need the energy to withstand tomorrow’s ride.”

Her tone promised that the next day would be another grueling one. “What’s the hurry?” Chase grumbled.

“I told you. I don’t like your company. The sooner we get back the better.”

Chase scowled. “Then by all means I’ll eat. We can’t have you fretting over the few extra hours you might have to spend with me.”

“Thank you.”

How she drove him with that unbending hostility. Whoever would believe they had shared a night of the most incredible loving he had ever experienced?

He sat down and picked through the food laid out on a thin hide wrapping. He had eaten several pieces of meat by the time Jessie sat down. She sat next to him, with the food between them. Her expression was as unfriendly as possible.

“I’m in pain, Jessie,” he ventured.

“From what?” Her tone was a little less frosty.

“From this gash in my side.”

“How bad is it?”

“I didn’t get a good look at it,” he confessed.

He managed to get the left sleeve of his jacket off. When it fell back, the blood soaking his shirt became visible. He felt Jessie’s shock and was pleased. Then he looked down at himself
and saw the blood ruining a damn good pair of pants.

Jessie was up instantly, helping him remove his jacket all the way. She went for his shirt next, pulling it out of his pants and over his head. She said nothing until after she had unwrapped the bandage and inspected the wound carefully, making him move closer to the firelight so she could see.

“It’s not so bad,” she murmured. “All that jarring from the ride kept it from clotting is all.”

Chase raised his arm to get a better look while she went to the creek for water. It looked bad to him, a good quarter-inch deep and at least ten inches long. Jessie hadn’t been at all squeamish, he reminded himself.

When she came back, she carefully cleaned the cut. Chase was gazing at her face, the way her brow wrinkled in concentration, the way she chewed at her lower lip. She was too close, and he was beginning to think about things he shouldn’t think about.

Jessie had to use the same bandage for want of another, but offered, “If you have a change of shirt, I’ll wash this one for you.”

“In my saddle bag. How about washing my pants, too?”

“You’ll need your pants for warmth. It’s going to get chilly tonight.”

“All I need is a blanket and a warm woman.” Chase grinned.

“All you’ll get is a blanket,” she retorted.

Chase was grinning when she tossed his clean shirt and a blanket at him before she went back
to the creek. She was less hostile, and he was delighted.

He had the blanket wrapped around his waist and was struggling to get the shirt buttoned when Jessie came back. She finished buttoning it for him, then helped him get his jacket back on. He lay down, and she knelt beside him to straighten the blanket. When she leaned over him, his arm came around her and drew her close. She didn’t think to pull back before it was too late. He whispered, “Thanks,” and then his lips brushed hers lightly. His arm fell away, and his eyes closed. Jessie moved away to settle down a few feet from him. She lay facing him, and for a long while she watched him as he slept.