Savage Courage (29 page)

She was, oh, so content to be with her true people, to have a husband such as Storm.

Before departing from the stronghold, she had realized the importance of leaving everything behind that had to do with that other life.

She had left all mementos of her past at the stronghold.

Even the dress that she had been married in. It did not belong in her world now, and she now realized that she should not have even worn it on her wedding day.

But everything of this life was new to her, and she had still clung to the love she had had for her adopted mother.

That was the only reason she had worn the dress . . . in honor of her.

She remembered leaving it with her other things, buried beneath rocks. She had thought that perhaps she should have burned them in case whites might find the stronghold and somehow trace her personal possessions back to her.

But she knew that she would be long gone by then and safe in Canada where the United States had no jurisdiction.

Once the border was crossed, Shoshana and those she loved of this Apache band were finally free.

And ah, how she delighted in their children, and no, she would never look back at what had been, nor would she look ahead at what might happen that could be bad for the Piñaleno River Band of Apache.

For now, it was a wonderful place to be . . . with her husband, her children, her Apache people!

She could not ask for more than this!

Not in her lifetime!

“It took four years, but finally we found Chief Storm’s stronghold,” Colonel Hawkins said tightly. “But damn it, we’re four years too late.”

He looked around him where the remains of tepees and wickiups had been, all but the poles thrust in the ground having fallen away.

It was as though he was looking at skeletal remains,
and it did make him angry that he had allowed Storm to get away.

The ruling had come down shortly after he’d had that one meeting with Chief Storm, when Storm had handed the scalawag scalp hunter over to him, that all Apache must be sent to reservations.

None were to be spared.

Not even those who had never caused the cavalry any problems.

As Washington had stated it, no red man could be trusted, that if they chose to rebel, many white lives could be taken in Arizona, especially of the settlers who trusted the government to protect them.

“I don’t know why it was so important to catch this one Apache chief,” Lieutenant Jake Turner said as he sidled his horse closer to Colonel Hawkins.

“It’s just the principle of the thing,” Hawkins grumbled. “If I’m told to round up all Apache, why would I let even one escape?”

“But he never caused anyone any problems,” Lieutenant Turner said flatly. “And you know that Chief Storm’s wife was Colonel Whaley’s adopted daughter. He’d not have wanted you to do anything that might cause her harm.”

“Yes, and I’m sure Colonel Whaley turned over in his grave when Shoshana married that savage chief,” Colonel Hawkins said, riding slowly onward, weaving his horse around things that lay on the
ground. “I just know this was Chief Storm’s stronghold. And damn if he didn’t have it hidden away in such an ungodly place. No wonder it was never found before today.”

“I thought after you found Mountain Jack’s body shortly after he escaped, and you surmised that he was killed by the Apache chief, that that was enough for you to forget chasing after Chief Storm,” the lieutenant said. “He did you a favor, so why not return the favor and let him live in peace?”

Colonel Hawkins ignored him; then his eyes widened and he drew rein when he looked down at something familiar on the ground.

He dismounted, picked it up, and looked at it closely.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “See this? It belonged to Colonel Whaley’s wife. Shoshana apparently took it with her when she fled in the night away from the fort.”

“That dress?” the lieutenant said, his eyebrows forking.

“Yes. And were it not for a stone having fallen down over it, it would’ve blown away and I’d have never found it,” Colonel Hawkins said, gazing intently at the gauzy dress. “Mighty pretty it was on that woman, too.”

“You saw Shoshana in the dress?” the lieutenant asked.

“No, her mother,” Colonel Hawkins said. “You see, I went to Missouri to meet with Colonel Whaley way before his wife died. I asked him then to come to Arizona and help search for the damnable scalp hunter. That one night, when I came downstairs at their mansion to dine with them, and I saw this beautiful, petite woman in this dress, I could have sworn I’d never seen anyone as beautiful. It was for certain I’d never forget the dress. I’d never seen any like it before or since.”

“And so you know this is that dress, huh?” the lieutenant said, idly scratching his brow.

“There’s no doubt,” Colonel Hawkins said, then looked north. “Damn it all to hell, those savages went to Canada. They fled America and went to Canada, for there could be nowhere left in America for them to hide.”

“Are you going after him?”

“Nope. I have no jurisdiction there,” Colonel Hawkins said, shrugging. He wheeled his horse around. “Come on. Let’s head back. We’ve been gone from the fort way too long.”

“Yeah, it’ll be good to get back to civilization,” the lieutenant said, sighing with relief.

Colonel Hawkins tossed the dress over his shoulder to the ground. He did not see how it suddenly seemed to take wing and begin fluttering through the air in the steady breeze, northward.

“A daughter,” Shoshana sighed as she placed the tiny newborn child to her breast.

Storm knelt beside the bed. He ran a hand softly over the child’s copper head, as the baby’s two brothers stood watching. “You have a sister,” he said, gazing from son to son. He smiled at Dancing Willow, who stood behind the children, then gave his wife a smile. “We are a complete family now. I have never been as proud of anyone as I am proud of you, wife.”

“I am prouder of you for having given me our daughter,” Shoshana said, smiling sweetly at her husband. “Thank you, Storm. I so love you.”

Outside, where the wind was a soft, cool breeze, a huge golden eagle swept and soared over the cabin, its golden eyes ever watching.