Desert Hearts (12 page)

* * * *

Antonio and Michael had just begun the three-quarter-mile race when Cooper spied Manuelito’s dog. There were five in the race, but by the end it was down to Frost and the blood bay. The bay was fresh and completely recovered from his injury and Michael was a few seconds off in calling on his mare for a last burst of speed. Those few seconds were enough to lose him the race by a head.

“Ye ran a fine race, boyo,” he said to Antonio with a wide smile. “I’m blamin’ meself and not me mare on this one. We would have had you if I’d called on her earlier!”

Michael’s appreciation of the bay and his rider were spontaneous and genuine and Antonio knew that the sergeant was not idly boasting or making excuses. Both horses and riders were different, but evenly matched. He suspected that each time they raced there might be a different outcome depending upon the length of the course and the split-second decisions a rider had to make.

“Then I’m lucky that you didn’t,
bilagaana
,” Antonio said with a stern face, but a smile in his eyes. He turned to look for his wife and when he found her in the crowd, he saw her gesture to him with a look of concern on her face. He turned in the direction she pointed and saw a small knot of men, Navajo and white, around Manuelito and some soldier. When he recognized Cooper, he muttered a quick, guttural curse and started over.

Colonel Gray had gotten there before him, however, and clearly had things in hand. He was speaking respectfully and apologetically to the headman and at one point reached down to pat Manuelito’s dog. Cooper was standing at attention, his shoulders pulled back so far that his blouse was wrinkled and loose, like his pants. His face was very red and Antonio figured it was either from anger or embarrassment. Or maybe both.

As he approached, Manuelito gave him a quick, reassuring look, and Antonio relaxed. Whatever had happened was almost over and it seemed the headman and the colonel had resolved it between them. He stayed back until the colonel walked away, with the lieutenant striding stiffly at his side.

“What was that all about, uncle?”

“That skinny, yellow-haired, two-stripe
bilagaana
soldier…!” Manuelito spat on the ground. “He says to me, to
me
, ‘Keep your mongrel away from the fort. He’s mounted my bitch and I had to drown the little Navajo mongrels.’ “

“That was what this was about!” Antonio felt a combination of rage and despair rising in him. Manuelito, Armijo, and all the headmen had worked so hard to get the Diné to agree to the treaty. To hold the Diné in loosely. But always, always a few young men went raiding sheep and horses. And always the Mexicans exaggerated what had been stolen. These new men were powerful and more and more of them every day arrived at the boundaries of Dinetah, enraging the younger warriors. And then, along comes a
bilagaana
like Cooper, willing to alienate a headman and cause a war over the breeding of a few puppies!

“He should be honored that his bitch was found pleasing to your dog,” said Antonio, trying for humor, but not quite succeeding. “These hunting dogs of the
bilagaana
have speed, but a little Diné wisdom would not hurt them.”

“Colonel Gray took care of the lieutenant, nephew. Very quickly and quietly, but I think,” said Manuelito, “that it won’t be so quiet when he gets him inside.”

* * * *

Michael had seen the quick interchange between Antonio and his wife and watched him walk toward the agitated gathering of soldiers and Navajo warriors. He saw Elwell out of the corner of his eye and pulling Frost behind him, hurried over.

“What in sweet Christ is going on, Joshua?”

“I’m not exactly sure, sir. It’s something about Mr. Cooper and that greyhound bitch of his. I think he’s after the headman’s dog as the sire.”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” intoned Michael. “Has the man no brain in his head atall.”

“The colonel’s gone over, so I think he’ll take care of it. And to answer your question, sir, and begging pardon for the insubordination, the man’s head is so full of himself he has no room for a brain.”

“I didn’t hear that, Private Elwell. And you didn’t hear me say I agree with you! It’s a hopeless job, we have, Joshua,” continued Michael. “This ‘peace-keeping.’ I tell you, in all my years on the frontier I have never seen a treaty broken deliberately by the Indians. It is always some fool settler or a Mexican with his sheep or a hotheaded young warrior. Or some stupid fool like Cooper, full of his own importance. The whole bloody story of it is all knots and impossible to untangle to the point of this one is right and that one wrong. Except for maybe one thing…” Michael hesitated.

“One thing?”

“That it is
their
country, Joshua, and we just keep pushing them back the way the bloody English pushed the Irish. I tell you, sometimes I am ready to give up the whole thing. But where else would I go, Private, an ignorant mick like me? My choice was to stay a stable lad till I died or join the army.”

Elwell hadn’t questioned much, for all his time in the army. And although he shared Michael’s disdain for men like Cooper, he wasn’t about to damn the whole enterprise.

“Wait for me, Josh. And hold me mare, will ye?”

Michael thrust the reins into his private’s hands and hurried over to where Antonio was readying himself and his wife to leave.

Antonio looked at him questioningly, almost coldly, and Michael wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t blame the man for pulling back. Why should he trust a soldier? But he liked Antonio and he would be damned if he’d give up the chance of a friendship, no matter how difficult the circumstances.

He said rather formally, “I trust the colonel was able to help out with Manuelito’s problem?”

“Both the colonel and my uncle agreed that while the buzzings of a gnat are annoying, they are not enough to break the peace over,” said Antonio with restrained anger.

“Or, I hope a new friendship?” Michael was still speaking formally, for he didn’t want to embarrass himself or Antonio. If the Navajo still wanted to pull back, so be it.

There was a long silence and Michael’s heart dropped. Then Antonio reached out and grasped Michael’s arm. “I don’t know what the future holds for this friendship,
bilagaana
, but the Diné live in the present. Today, I am your friend.”

Michael felt great relief and great joy, but he reined in his natural effusiveness and made himself respond quietly. It was an important moment for both of them. They were choosing to trust in an invisible thread of connection, choosing to create a fragile bridge, and he wanted the right words, but wasn’t sure he could find them. “Let’s live in today then,” he finally answered. It was so little, to say, but seemed to be enough for Antonio, who smiled, gave Michael’s arm a squeeze, and then mounted his bay.

* * * *

Antonio was unusually quiet on their ride home and Serena knew her husband well enough to let him alone with his thoughts. He would tell her what was in his mind eventually.

When they reached their hogan, Antonio went off to take care of the horses and Serena began to prepare dinner. There was a mutton stew she had made yesterday, which only had to be heated up and some stale dry bread that could be crumbled into it. When Antonio returned, he ate it quickly and, nodding his thanks, went outside again. Serena cleaned up and wrapping a shawl around her head, went out to find her husband.

He was sitting against an old, twisted juniper and when she sat down next to him, he reached out his arm and pulled her close. It was getting dark earlier now and the sky was beginning to become bright with stars. They sat quietly and watched the constellations reveal themselves until it was completely dark and it seemed as if someone had sprinkled mica across a piece of black velvet.

“Look, husband,” said his wife, pointing out a shooting star.

Antonio turned toward her and brushed her lips with his. Serena put her hand on his cheek and he drew closer, this time teasing her mouth open. When she responded eagerly, he eased her down onto the old blanket he was sitting on and began to kiss her more thoroughly and passionately.

Serena loved every inch of her husband’s body. He was a small man compared to most of the
bilagaana
, but most satisfyingly proportioned. As she cupped his buttocks with her hands to guide him into her, she thought fleetingly of her conversation with Mrs. Woolcott and chuckled deep in her throat. Antonio heard it as a signal to drive deeper and harder, and in a second, her legs were around his hips and she was letting him ride her while she rose to meet him in a rhythm that matched his own. After he had taken his pleasure, he rolled over on his back and pulled her on top. Using his fingers, he brought her to her own climax. She cried out and clung to him, rubbing herself against him as though she wanted to exchange skins.

After a moment, he rose on his elbow and reaching out, pulled her shawl around both their shoulders and they lay back, blissful, tired and spent, to gaze at the stars.

Serena shivered as the desert night grew colder.

“Do you want to go in?” her husband whispered.

“Let’s stay out a little bit longer,” she said. “It will be getting too cold to do this soon.”

He hugged her closer and after a moment gave a long sigh.

“What is it, husband? Is it that stupid
bilagaana
Cooper?”

“Sometimes, when I watch the stars come out, I think of the
bilagaana
.”

“How can you think of something so ugly while looking at something so beautiful?”

“Look at the night sky. As darkness falls, only a few stars arrive, one here and one there. There seems to be plenty of space for all, doesn’t there? And then, little by little, the sky gets darker and fills with more and more stars until it seems like there will be no room for another one. It is like when these new men arrived. Maybe that was our twilight. At first, there weren’t so many. But it seems to be getting darker and darker for us, while they shine brighter and brighter and fill up Dinetah.”

“Do you really think it is getting that dark for the Diné?” Serena asked softly. “The peace seems to be holding and they haven’t asked for anything else. This year has been a very good one for our crops and sheep. You can’t let fools like Cooper pull your mind out of balance.”

“
Hozhro
? I feel it when I am with you, wife. And when I am out in Dinetah. But the
bilagaana
are throwing things out of harmony. There are too many of them. And too many of them are like Cooper. Not enough like Sergeant Burke.”

“You like him.”

“I do. It seems very strange to me to be liking a
bilagaana
soldier right now, but there is something there between us.”

“I can understand. I like Mrs. Woolcott.”

“That small woman who gave you her paper with the canyon walls on it?”

“Yes.”

“She must have some power of her own, that woman, to be able to capture the colors of the rock.”

“I think so, but I don’t think she knows it.”

“Well, wife, who knows whether we can keep these friends. But I told Burke today that the Diné live in the present. I suppose I lied if I am so worried about tomorrow.”

“You are Manuelito’s nephew. You could be headman someday. You worry because you care and I love you for it. But I hope you are wrong about this, my dear husband.”

“So do I.” He stroked her cheek with his finger. “Perhaps tonight will bring us a son or daughter.”

Serena’s eyes filled with tears.

“We’ll never forget our little one, wife.”

Serena swallowed her tears. “I know. And perhaps it is a good time to have hope for a new life.”

Three days after the races was when Elizabeth had promised to bring the puppy home. She had managed to get him almost four weeks with his mother and the fact that he was the only puppy nursing showed. Although his legs were a little shaky, he looked at least a week older than he was, and Elizabeth was sure he would do well, especially since he was used to the nursing bottle.

“And probably ready to start lapping milk from a bowl, aren’t you,” she crooned as she picked him up and pressed her face to his.

She didn’t hear the step behind her and she jumped and nearly dropped the puppy when she heard Michael’s voice.

“Sure and is that the wee creature that almost started a war, Mrs. Woolcott?”

Without thinking, Elizabeth responded tartly, “No, Sergeant Burke, it was that ‘craytur’ of your lieutenant. This pup is a fine little fellow and I am taking him home with me today.” Immediately after she spoke she blushed. She had committed one of the cardinal sins of the army: she had criticized a superior officer to one of his men.

“I shouldn’t have said that, Sergeant Burke. Mr. Cooper is a fine officer,” she said in her most proper voice, “and he is being most kind to let me have this puppy.”

Michael lowered his voice. “Mr. Cooper is a proper ass, so full of himself that he nearly got us all killed on Sunday. You know that and I know it, ma’am. And don’t worry, I won’t be corrupted by yer lapse in etiquette,” he added, his eyes laughing down at her. He reached his hand over the stall door and stroked the puppy’s head. “Sure and he seems a fine dog. I have always thought me-self that purebreds can sometimes be too high-strung and sensitive. A mixed breed often gets the strength of both parents without the weaknesses.”

Elizabeth was holding the puppy against her breast and as Michael’s finger continued stroking, he became aware of a very strong desire to be following her curves with his finger. He gave the little dog a quick pat and opened the stall door.

“Why don’t ye take him now, Mrs. Woolcott, while I stay here and keep Misty from following. She might be a wee upset at losing her baby.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. That is very kind of you. And it would be even kinder of you to forget what I said about Mr. Cooper.”

Michael gave her a quick bow and a. smile, and said, “Yes, ma’am. And may I say, Mrs. Woolcott, that wee fat fellow there is lucky to be going’ home with ye. I heard his brothers were drowned.”