Outlaws Of Phantom Canyon (Savage Series) (13 page)

He needed answers. Walking to Laughing Eyes's tepee, he ran into her coming out of the tepee.

"Hello, Spotted Elk."

"Laughing Eyes, I need to speak with Dark Thunder."

"You will have to come back tomorrow. He is very weak, and is sleeping."

"I will be back tomorrow then," Spotted Elk replied, before he turned and went back to his tepee, to sleep for the night.

*     *     *

Black Thunder woke early the next morning, and even though he was still very weak, he was restless. His movements woke his mother and sister.

Rising up, Stormy asked, "What is wrong my brother?"

"I am extremely restless. Maybe I should go for a short walk around our village. Maybe that will ease my restlessness."

"I will walk with you brother. You should not walk alone yet. You are still very weak."

"Why don't you walk over to see your warrior brother Spotted Elk. He come last night. Said he needed to speak to you," Laughing Eyes told her son.

Nodding, Black Thunder let his sister help him up, and allowed her to keep an arm around his waist, as they walked towards Spotted Elk's tepee.

They neared his tepee as spotted Elk stepped out adjusting his breechcloth. Before Black Thunder had a chance to say hello to his warrior brother, Julianna stepped out of the tepee smoothing her dress down as their eyes met . . .

Chapter 11

"Jules! What are you doing here? And what is going on between you and my warrior brother Spotted Elk?" Gabriel asked, getting angry at the thought of her and Spotted Elk sharing a tepee.

"Gabe!" Julianna exclaimed before she continued, "The Phantom gang came back with your horse and blood on your saddle. They said you had been shot and was dead. Spotted Elk and his warriors rescued me when a man named Roark tried to make me his woman, and I ran away on your horse." Julianna was so relieved to see Gabriel alive, but she didn't like the Indian woman who had her arm around Gabriel's waist.

Angry that Roark did not keep Julianna safe, and that she was now living in Spotted Elk's tepee, Gabriel lashed ou
t much harsher than he intended. "I see you wasted no time in replacing me. Did you mourn for me at all, before you took up with my warrior brother?"

Julianna was angry now, and the fire showed in her emerald green eyes. "How dare you! You stand there with that woman's arm around your waist, and accuse
me
of not caring." She suddenly realized it
was
Gabriel she saw yesterday when that Indian woman ran up, and hugged and kissed him. With tears stinging her eyes, Julianna ran off to the stream.

When Gabriel turned to go aft
er her, Spotted Elk stopped him. "No my brother. If Crying Moon does not wish to speak anymore with you, then you will leave her alone. She is under
my
protection now." And with that Spotted Elk went after Julianna.

Crying Moon?
Gabriel's people had named her Crying Moon.

Snow Storm had stood there quietly listening to the whole interaction. So this white woman was who her brother, Black Thunder, had been talking to in his feverish dreams. But now Crying Moon was with Spotted Elk, the
man Snow Storm was in love with . .  .

*     *     *

Spotted Elk followed Julianna to the small stream, and found her standing by a bushy heather tree crying. As he took her into his arms he said, "Crying Moon, if you wish, I will order him to leave our village."

"No, please don't do that," Julianna said as she shook her head no, and continued crying in his arms.

Spotted Elk had hoped she would say to send Black Thunder away. He loved his warrior brother as much as a real brother, but he did not want to lose Crying Moon. He wanted her to choose to stay with him.

Spotted Elk knew he could force her to stay with him, but he did not want her that way. It had to be her choice . . .

"Crying Moon I must tell you, that woman with Dark Thunder, that you are jealous of, is only his sister Snow Storm. We have tried to get Dark Thunder to marry many of our women, but he has refused."

"If she is only his sister, then why does she not like me?" Julianna asked, still in tears.

"I do not know. Maybe you ask her," Spotted Elk suggested.

"Jules," Gabriel called out from behind Julianna and Spotted Elk, as he was walking towards them.

"I will leave you both alone. You two need to talk this out," Spotted Elk told both of them, before turning to leave.

"Gabe, why didn't you tell me she was your sister?" Julianna asked, as she wiped tears from her green eyes.

"You ran off before I had the chance, and I was hurt to see you with my warrior brother Spotted Elk," Gabriel replied.

"I'm only taking care of Spotted Elk's son. When I first met him, I was sitting and crying under that big tree you and I first kissed at. He asked why I was crying, and I told him it was because you was dead, and that an awful outlaw wanted to make me his woman.

"He said he understood my loss of you, as he had recently lost his own wife. When I told him I didn't want to go back to the outlaw camp, he said to come with him and I could care for his son," Julianna explained.

"It never occurred to you, that Spotted Elk would want to eventually marry you, after he was done mourning his own wife?"

"Marry me? No he never said anything like that. You must be wrong about him."

"It is also not our custom to have an unwed woman live with an unwed man, unless they are related. Besides, there are plenty of women here than can care for his son. He just used that as an excuse to coax you to leave with him, instead of having to kidnap you."

"Gabe! How could you say that about your warrior brother? He is a good man," Julianna protested.

"Yes Spotted Elk is a good man, but if you don't believe me, ask him yourself. He will not lie to you."

"Why does your sister Snow Storm not like me?" Julianna asked, as she changed the subject.

"I think maybe Stormy is in love with Spotted Elk. It is too soon after his wife's death for her to say anything yet."

"And when he brought me to his home it made her jealous?" Julianna commented more than asked, as she realized that Gabriel was probably right about Snow Storm.

"That would
be my guess," Gabriel told her as he smiled and pulled her into his arms. "I don't want to lose you."

"You will never lose me. I love you!"

"I love you too, but . . ."

"But what Gabe?"

"You and my horse belong to Spotted Elk now," Gabriel said sadly. "It is up to him, on if we can be together."

"He doesn't own me! He can't tell me who I can be with!" Julianna was again angry. "What is it with all of you men thinking you can
own
a woman! It's just like that Roark back at the Phantom hideout, you had not been dead twenty-four hours, and he was already claiming me as his woman!"

"Roark was only doing it to protect you from the rest of the outlaws. He was not going to really make you his woman."

"And how do you know that?" Julianna asked still angry.

Gabriel couldn't help but smile as he said, "Because he is my brother."

"Your . . your brother. . . Roark is your brother, Angel is your sister, and Snow Storm is your sister. Is there anymore brothers and sisters I should know about?"

Laughing, Gabriel replied, "No, that is all of them. And before you ask, Angel and Roark had a different mother, who died twelve years ago. Our father passed six years ago."

"After all the talks we've had, I thought I knew a lot about you. But I guess I was wrong," Julianna commented.

"There is more."

"More? What more can there be?" Julianna asked curiously.

"It's a little complicated. As you already know, ten years ago Dora's stagecoach was held up by Clayton, Ted, and Victor. She was then killed by Victor. Once I found out what they looked like, I started searching for them pretending to be an outlaw."

"Yes, you've told me all of this," Julianna commented.

"Yes, but what I didn't tell you, was that nine years ago I joined my brother Roark. We are both U.S. Marshals that have been working undercover for the past year to bust up the Phantom gang's hideout; and Angel has been an undercover agent for the Secret Service for five years now."

Julianna was speechless as she just stared at Gabriel. "What about the revenge for Dora's death, was that part true?"

"Yes. Bei
ng a U.S. Marshal to begin with was just a paid way to search for the killers. Revenge had consumed me, and it drove me to keep going . . . until I met you! Falling in love with you has changed me. Life matters to me again!"

"Wait, if you're a U.S. Marshal, then you can make Spotted Elk let me go?" Julianna asked eagerly.

"Legally by white man's laws I could, but this is my family and I respect their ways. Jules, I was raised by my Indian mother with her people for the first twenty years of my life. I fought the whites and other Indian tribes with my warrior brothers. I can
not
turn my back on their ways, just because I have chose to live in the white man's world."

"Oh Gabe! What are we going to do?"

*     *     *

Spotted Elk had watched Crying Moon and Dark Thunder from his Indian village. He could tell they were in l
ove and wanted to be together. It would pain him to let her go. Crying Moon was a good tough woman that could bear him many more children. But he wanted her in his life willingly, not because he forced her to be.

I
t was obvious she deeply loved his warrior brother Dark Thunder. Spotted Elk decided he would let her go, but he would not make it too easy. He had to save face in front of the rest of his warrior brothers.

Julianna and Gabriel walked back to the Indian village holding hands as they walked up to Spotted Elk, who was standing talking to some of his warriors.

"Spotted Elk, I want to trade you my strong warrior stallion for Crying Moon," Gabriel said bravely.

Spotted Elk laughed.
"My warrior brother, I already own your big strong stallion."

"Please Spotted Elk," Julianna implored.

"Tell me Crying Moon, why should I let Dark Thunder have you?" Spotted Elk asked, as he looked sadly at Julianna already knowing the answer.

"Because Dark Thunder is who I truly love. And you are a great warrior leader who would want his warrior brother to be happy."

"That is true, but what about my happiness?" Spotted Elk asked Julianna.

"Spotted Elk, I could not make you as happy as a great warrior leader deserves, but I think I know of someone who could . . .," Julianna replied.

"Oh . . . and who would that be Crying Moon?"

"Snow Storm. I believe she is in love with you," Julianna answered anxiously.

Just then Snow Storm walked up to stand beside her brother, Dark Thunder, and said, "What Crying Moon says is true Spotted Elk. I wish to be your wife."

Spotted Elk stood silently thinking for a moment before he said, "I have made my decision. When I am done mourning my wife, I will marry Snow Storm. Dark Thunder, you will marry Crying Moon today at sunset, and I will keep your bay stallion."

"Why must we get married today?" Gabriel asked curiously.

"My warrior brother, how many times have I tried to get you to marry? I will not allow you time to change your mind," Spotted Elk said smiling.

*     *     *

Snow Storm led Julian
na off to Laughing Eyes's tepee to prepare her for her wedding, while Gabriel went with his warrior brothers. They were purposely kept apart the whole day, while the rest of the village prepared for a celebration.

Laughing Eyes and Snow Storm dressed Julianna in a beautiful long white fringed deerskin dress that was covered in beads and shells, and put matching moccasins on her small feet. They braided her hair into two braids and wrapped them in fur.

When the warrior's drums started, Spotted Elk appeared at Laughing Eyes's tepee to escort Julianna to the ceremony, while Laughing Eyes and Snow Storm followed behind them.

Spotted Elk led Julianna up to Gabriel, who was standing by Chief Nighthawk and Walking Bear. Gabriel was dressed in a deerskin breechcloth, leather leggins and beaded moccasins. His black hair was lose of its feathered band and flowed freely down his back.

Julianna couldn't help smiling wide at the sight of Gabriel in only a breechcloth and leggins. His bare chest shined bronze in the setting sun.

When Gabriel saw Julianna walking towards him, he had no doubts that this was the woman he had waited for all these years. She was beautiful beyond belief.

Chief Nighthawk and Walking Bear both spoke to the couple, and to the whole tribe, in their own Ute language. Julianna didn't care though, it was still beautiful. At the end, Chief Nighthawk announced in English, "You are now married. Let us celebrate."

Gabriel kissed Julianna long and hard as the warriors played their drums again, and the Indians danced. Then Gabriel led Julianna away to a tepee that was fixed up just for them. They spent hours making passionate love on the buffalo robes piled inside for them.

At some point, Yellow Flower brought them some food from the celebration, and set it outside of their tepee door. But it never got touched, as Gabriel and Julianna could not get enough of each other. The week apart had seemed like an eternity to them.

Long after the moon rose high, and the celebration ended, Julianna and Gabriel finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

The next day when Gabriel and Julianna awoke, they went to the cold stream to bathe. Once dressed back into their white man's clothes, they returned the borrowed clothing to its owners, before going to eat breakfast with Chief Nighthawk. The Chief had invited them for breakfast the evening before at their wedding ceremony.

Seated around the fire with Chief Nighthawk, Gabriel and Julianna were enjoying
their breakfast with the Chief when he asked, "Dark Thunder when will you leave to attack the Phantom gang?"

"I will be leaving today after we are done eating," Gabriel replied.

"We are leaving today?" Julianna asked surprised.

"No
I
will be leaving today.
You
will be staying here with my family where I know you will be safe," Gabriel answered.

"No Gabe! You are not leaving me behind."