Wind Rider (17 page)

But no amount of denial could refute his
need for the small bundle of warm flesh sleep
ing at his side. Perhaps it was his white blood,
or something in his ancestry that made him
want Hannah McLin so desperately. The hot
blood clamoring in his veins had to come from
his white heritage, he decided grumpily as his
hand shifted upward from Hannah’s waist to
settle on a plump white breast. With a groan
of dismay, he shoved his thoughts to the back
of his mind and covered Hannah’s body with his, awakening her with a deep kiss.

Convincing himself that needing Hannah
didn’t necessarily mean he was obsessed to
the point of forgetting all else, he rolled on top of her, spread her legs, and joined their bodies.
If he divorced himself from his emotions, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t avail himself
of his wife’s body.

Hannah awoke with a start, the soft warmth
of Wind Rider’s lips coaxing her from a dream world into reality. This time there were no
flowery words as he joined their bodies, no
promises, no aching tenderness. There was
only passion, hunger, and brutal need. Hannah
sensed his confusion, felt the forces tearing
him apart, and her heart nearly shattered from
an emotion she didn’t want to acknowledge.

Straining over Hannah, Wind Rider denied
that she meant more to him than a warm
body to assuage his needs. To acknowledge his
feelings would betray his Cheyenne heart. Yet
despite his forced emotional detachment from
the woman in his arms, Wind Rider wanted
to give Hannah pleasure. Deliberately gentling his strokes, he slowly brought her to passion,
waiting until she cried out and shuddered in
climax before seeking his own fulfillment.

Hannah awoke late, aware of an emptiness,
not just in her bed but in her heart. She
knew without being told that Wind Rid
er was
 
gone.
 
Her body ached,
 
feeling his
loss keenly, wondering what would happen
when she returned to his lodge in the vil
lage. Voices outside the lodge brought her to
her feet. Dressing quickly, she stepped out
side into the bright sunshine. Woman-Who-
Waddles stood nearby, accompanied by the
same two women who had helped her erect
the honeymoon lodge. They had brought a
horse and a travois, which she supposed was
to be used to transport the tepee back to the
village.

Woman-Who-Waddles greeted her effusive
ly; then she and the other women set to work.
Within a very short time the tepee was dismantled and loaded on the travois. Hannah fol
lowed behind to the village. When they reached
Wind Rider’s tepee Woman-Who-Waddles indi
cated that Hannah was to go inside. She gave
Hannah a look that could only be interpreted
as pity, but the look was so fleeting Hannah
quickly dismissed it. Instead, she searched for
Wind Rider, wondering why he wasn’t on hand
to greet her. Hurt and dismayed, she turned
and entered the tepee.

A prickling sensation at the nape of her neck told Hannah she wasn’t alone. Disappointment
made her shoulders slump when she saw a
woman tending a small fire in the center of
the tepee. Had Wind Rider sent someone to
help her? Her question was answered when
the woman rose to greet her.

“Spotted Doe, what are you doing here?” Spotted Doe was the last person Hannah would expect to pay a visit so soon after returning
from the honeymoon lodge.

“Has Wind Rider not told you?” The malice in her voice did not bode well for Hannah.

“Told me what?”

“While you were away the council decided
that he should take a second wife. He was
told when he returned from the honeymoon
lodge, and he approached my brother early
this morning. Naturally, Cut Nose agreed to
our joining.”

Hannah blanched. No, it couldn’t be true!
Wind Rider wouldn’t do such a terrible thing
to her, no matter what the council’s decision.
“Why would the council demand that Wind
Rider take a second wife?”

Spotted Doe didn’t say that Cut Nose had
complained so loudly about his family’s embar
rassment over Wind Rider’s refusal to join with
his sister that the council had reconsidered and
decided that Wind Rider should appease the
family by taking Spotted Doe as a second wife.
“I do not know. If you do not like it, you may
divorce him.”

“Little Sparrow will not leave my lodge,”
Wind Rider thundered fiercely. He had ducked into the tepee in time to hear Spotted Doe’s words.

Hannah whirled, struck anew by the magnifi
cence of his golden physique, blatantly exposed
by the brief breechclout.

“She may divorce you if she wishes.” Spotted
Doe replied sullenly. “It is the custom.”

“Leave us,” Wind Rider ordered brusquely.
“I wish to speak in private to Little Sparrow.”

“There is no need,” Hannah said stubbornly. “I will take my things and leave.”

Spotted Doe sent Hannah a baleful look and
refused to budge.

“Go!” The stern tone of Wind Rider’s voice
left no room for argument, and Spotted Doe
turned and ran from the lodge, but not before
sending Hannah another murderous glare.

“Why?” No matter how hard she tried,
Hannah could not keep the hurt from her
voice. Though she was Wind Rider’s wife against her will, she felt the wrenching ache
of betrayal. Somehow this fierce white Indian had stolen her heart, and she didn’t know what
to do about it.

“There is nothing wrong with taking a second
wife,” Wind Rider said, making it sound as if it was something he had intended to do all along.
“I was not aware of how much I embarrassed
Cut Nose’s family when I refused to join with Spotted Doe. Making her my second wife will
appease her family and satisfy the council.”

“What about me? You didn’t have to mar
ry me.”

“No,” Wind Rider agreed evenly. “I could have let Cut Nose have you.”

“Is what Spotted Doe said true? Can I divorce
you simply by leaving your lodge?”

Wind Rider scowled. “You can try, but I wouldn’t advise it. I suspect it is what Cut Nose wants. I know him. He is counting on his sister distracting me, to make me forget I have a first wife. If you divorce me, you will fall in with his plans/’

Hannah slumped in defeat. Was there no
escape from the overwhelming power this man
held over her? How could she pretend not to
see or hear when he coupled with Spotted
Doe, doing with her all those arousing things
he had done with Hannah? “I wish I had never
met you.”

Wind Rider wished the same thing. Finding
Hannah in the woods that day had been a
most disastrous meeting. During the brief
time he had known her, she had succeeded
in making him aware as never before that he
was white. She had forced him to face things
he neither liked nor accepted. He wanted to tell
Hannah that joining with Spotted Doe wasn’t
his choice, that he had done so to keep peace in
the tribe. Truth be known, he wanted no other
woman. But neither did he wish to leave Red
Cloud’s village. Raiding with the fearless Sioux
suited him.

“You will try to get along with Spotted
Doe,” he said finally. “I will have peace in
my lodge.”

“Tell that to Spotted Doe,” Hannah snorted
belligerently.

Wind Rider stared at her but did not reply.
She looked so adorable with her green eyes
flashing and her cheeks burning that he wanted
to throw her down on the mat and make vio
lent love to her, thrusting into her again and
again until there was no more talk of her leaving his lodge. Shaking his head to clear it of such disturbing thoughts, he turned and
ducked through the opening.

“What did you say to make him so angry?”
Spotted Doe entered the tepee the moment
Wind Rider left, confronting Hannah angrily.

“Nothing.”

“Are you going to divorce him? What does a
white woman know about pleasing a man?”

“I have nowhere to go. And I have no desire
to please Wind Rider.” Lies! All lies, her mind
screamed. She was certain she had pleased
Wind Rider, just as he had pleased her.

Spotted Doe smiled complacently. “Just as I
thought. It is good he has taken a second wife. I will show him how a real wife acts.”

Taking a water bag from where it hung on
a tent pole, she thrust it into Hannah’s hands.
“Get water. Woman’s work is hard, and I don’t intend to do it all by myself. I will take care of
Wind Rider’s needs between the blankets and
you can do the other chores.”

Hannah stared at the water bag, aware that
she had gone from slave to wife and back to slave again in a very short time.

Hannah was exhausted at the end of the day.
Spotted Doe had given her every difficult task
she could devise. She knew so little about
Indian culture that she had no idea Spotted
Doe had no right to order her about like a
slave. But the fact that she was an outsider
to the tribe made her vulnerable to the other
woman’s whims. And Wind Rider had made
himself scarce, preferring the company of men to the uneasy atmosphere of his own lodge. He
had returned to partake of the evening meal and then disappeared again, joining the warriors who sat around the campfire, exchanging tales of bravery.

When it grew dark Hannah slipped away
to bathe in the river. So did Spotted Doe, taking care to choose a location a good dis
tance from where Hannah bathed. Hannah
returned to the lodge first and made her bed. Stripping, she climbed beneath the blanket,
praying for sleep to come swiftly so she would not have to hear Wind Rider and
Spotted Doe coupling. Fate was not kind to
her, for she tossed restlessly, painfully aware
that the Indian maiden waited for Wind Rider
to come to her.

The good-natured teasing of his comrades
grated on Wind Rider’s nerves until he could
stand it no longer. The men offered lewd com
ments and speculations, none of which Wind Rider found particularly amusing. After listening as long as he could, he rose abruptly and
walked away. They let him go, but not before
Cut Nose offered a few well-chosen words of
advice.

“You are a lucky man, Wind Rider. My sister
could have had any warrior she desired. She
will please you well. I predict you will soon
forget your yen for white flesh. When you
tire of your slave I will take her off your
hands and teach her how to act like a proper
slave.”

“I will remember your words, Cut Nose,”
Wind Rider threw over his shoulder as he walked away, “but I would remind you that Little Sparrow is my first wife.” It would be
a cold day in hell, he grumbled beneath his
breath, before he’d hand Hannah over to a
man like Cut Nose.

The tepee glowed with muted light from the
dying fire when Wind Rider entered. Adjusting his eyes to the dim interior, he saw Hannah
lying farthest from the fire, apparently asleep.
He smiled and took a step in her direction.
When a hand caught at his leg he looked
down, suddenly recalling Spotted Doe. She
rested on her elbow, her eyes glowing with
dark promise.

“Go to sleep,” Wind Rider hissed, shaking free of her grasp.

She smiled up at him. “I am your wife, Wind
Rider. This is our wedding night.”

Hannah stiffened at the sound of Wind Rid
er’s voice. She had no idea what he said to
Spotted Doe, for they spoke in their own
language. Whatever it was, the other woman obviously didn’t like it. Hannah waited
with bated breath for him to join Spotted
Doe on her mat, cursing her bad luck at
remaining awake when she had no desire
to hear Wind Rider making love to his sec
ond wife.

“Do not remind me of my duty, Spotted Doe,”
Wind Rider said sternly. “The truth is, I do not
wish to lie with you tonight.”