Wind Rider (46 page)

‘ì don’t like this, Ryder. Cut Nose is cun
ning. He will lie about his reason for entering my lodge. He will say that I invited him. You
looked so fierce when he hinted that I wel
comed him into my lodge that I-I feared you
would believe him.”

“Never! I know you too well. By that time I had begun to realize how great a fool I was for
not believing you about Gilmore. What made
me angry was the fact that Cut Nose dared to
suggest that you invited him to share your mat.
No one in the council will believe him.”

“Go then,” Hannah said. Her reluctant sigh hinted at just how loathe she was to part from him. “I will pray for the council to make the right decision.”

Hannah was cooking supper over a fire outside the lodge when Ryder returned. His expression was grim, but she saw no signs of aggravation or displeasure. Without a word he sat down beside the fire, and Hannah handed him a bowl of venison stew that had been
simmering on the fire. He must have been
starved for he was halfway through the bowl
before he spoke.

“Cut Nose has been banished from the tribe.
He will never bother you again.”

Hannah went still. “The council ruled against him? Even though he is Indian and you are
white?”

“My skin is white, but these are my people,
Hannah, just as they are Cut Nose’s people.
They listened to us equally, then based their
judgment on our testimony and that of Coyote,
who had witnessed the confrontation between
you and Cut Nose this morning.”

Hannah sank to her knees beside Ryder. “Cut
Nose must have been angry.”

Ryder chewed thoughtfully. “Very angry. He
gathered his belongings and left immediately. When he rode away the People turned their
backs on him. Even his parents. Rape is a seri
ous crime among the Sioux and the Cheyenne.”

“What will he do now?”

Ryder swallowed the last morsel of stew. “Per
haps join a band of renegades. It is unlikely
he will be welcomed into another tribe. Word
travels fast from tribe to tribe, and soon all will
know of his banishment.”

“I wish it didn’t have to be like this,” Hannah said sincerely. “There was no trouble until you brought me to Red Cloud’s camp.’

“Do not blame yourself, Hannah. Cut Nose
never liked the idea of my white skin. He would
have found another excuse to make trouble for
me.”

Hannah digested that bit of information.
“Then we are free to leave?”

“I have already spoken to Red Cloud. He
agrees that I can do much good for the
People in my capacity as Indian agent. If
I can make a substantial difference in this
way, then I will try my best to adjust to the white world.” Pulling her close, he planted a
kiss on her forehead. “Of course we will have
to marry again in order to satisfy white society.
I want no doubt concerning the legitimacy of
my child.”

Hannah grinned happily. “I couldn’t feel any
more married than I do now, but I’ll be most
happy to repeat our vows before a priest. It
would please my family to know that we are
married in the eyes of the church.”

“I know nothing of such things, but I’m sure
you will explain it to me. Let us seek our sleep
ing mat. It is a tiring journey to Denver.” The
twinkle in his silver eyes suggested that he
had more on his mind than sleep. He rose
and pulled her to her feet. Then he picked
her up and carried her inside the lodge. He
laid her on the sleeping mat and stretched
out beside her. When he would have kissed
her Hannah placed a restraining hand on his
chest.

“Ryder, wait. There is something I wish to discuss with you.”

“You want to talk?” His strained voice told her talk was the last thing he wanted.

“Yes. It’s about Woman-Who-Waddles. I want
to take her with us. She has no living relatives
and has to rely on the charity of others for her
food and sustenance. I don’t think Abby will
object, and she will be a great help to me when
the baby comes.”

Ryder was stunned that Hannah cared
enough about the old woman’s welfare to
want to bring her to live with them. “What
does Woman-Who-Waddles say about this?
Does she wish to leave the People?”

“Woman-Who-Waddles lost her husband, her
son, and her only daughter, and she is alone.
I’ve come to care a great deal about her and am
concerned about her welfare. We have spoken
and she is agreeable. She is healthy and not as old as she looks, so I am certain she is
capable of riding the distance to Denver. She
looks forward with relish to the day our baby is born.”

“It will be as you wish. After our house is
built I am certain you will be happy to have an extra pair of hands to help.”

“Thank you, Ryder,” Hannah said, pulling
his head down so she could reach his lips. He
kissed her slowly, thoroughly, with all the pas
sion rampant in his rapidly beating heart.

His tongue searched out the sweetness of her
mouth as his hands undressed her. Then the
moist heat of his kisses followed the path of his hands, over her breasts, her stomach, her
thighs, and the succulent flesh between. With
in minutes Hannah’s body took on the rosy
glow of arousal, but this time she wasn’t con
tent to lie back and let Ryder have his way. He
frowned when she pushed him down and rose
slightly above him so she could look down into
the shimmering depths of his eyes.

“I want to do the same things to you that
you do to me,” she whispered shyly, though shyness was the least of what she was feeling.

Ryder grinned, lying back so she could have
her way. And she did, tasting him thoroughly and finding him delicious. Her small tongue examined his flat male nipples and her teeth nipped a trail of fire along his stomach and
thighs. When the exquisite torture rendered
him nearly senseless, she found him with her
mouth and tasted his male essence. Ryder cried
out, jerking violently beneath the searing heat
of her mouth. After several agonizing minutes
he reared up and shoved her down on her back.
Then he paid her back in kind. When she was
nearly mindless with rapture, he reared back and plunged into her.

A slice of moonlight slanting through the open smokehole was the sole witness to the writhing bodies, the whispered words of passion, and the sharp, guttural cries of pleasure. And as the night wore on, the moonlight paled
in comparison to the luminous glow of love that
filled the lodge.

*
     
*
     
*

Hannah shifted uncomfortably in the saddle,
aware that her pregnancy was making travel
more difficult than normal. The day was scorch
ing hot and a searing wind blew down from
the Black Hills. Solicitous of her health, Ryder
made certain they rested frequently during their
journey, stopping wherever they found shade
and water. Woman-Who-Waddles traveled with
them, apparently happy to be of use to someone
and no longer a burden to the People.

At night they usually sought shelter by
water, allowing Hannah the opportunity to
bathe away the dirt and grime accumulated
during the day. They were near the Colorado border and camped on a branch of the Platte
River when Hannah set off by herself to walk
the short distance to the river, eager for a bath.
Woman-Who-Waddles was engaged in building
a fire and Ryder had gone off to hunt game for
their supper. It was growing dark, but Hannah
felt no urgency to hurry.

They had experienced no trouble thus far in their journey, and she had forgotten that Ryder
had cautioned her not to stray too far from their
camp. He had seemed more watchful than usual
the last two days, but his demeanor indicated nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, she could
see the campsite from the river, and what could
happen with Ryder nearby?

Stripping to her shift, Hannah stepped into
the water. It was dark and muddy but neverthe
less refreshing after a day in the saddle. The hot,
dry summer sun and lack of rain had literally dried up the river in many places, and Hannah
was pleased to note that at the center of the
river the water was waist deep. She splashed
happily, unaware of a pair of dark eyes greedily
devouring her. It wasn’t until she was ready to
leave the water that she sensed a threatening
presence. She could feel the hair rising at the back of her neck and whirled about to scan the dark shoreline.

She saw nothing, chiding herself for being fanciful. Then, abruptly, she recalled Ryder’s
words when they had made camp tonight,
telling her to remain close to their campsite, that he would hunt nearby in case there was trouble. She even recalled how he had scouted ahead several times during the day and picked their campsite with special care. She was so anxious to bathe, she had foolishly disregarded
his orders and wandered off by herself. The last
remnants of daylight slid into darkness as she waded to shore.

Hannah did not see the hand that reached
from behind her to cover her mouth, or the arm that wrapped around her waist to drag her
behind a nearby bush. But she felt the strength
and heat of the massive body as she was pulled
toward a waiting horse. When the hand was
taken from her mouth she did not have time
to cry out before a fist came flying out of the darkness at her jaw. With a moan of pain, she
spiraled downward into a deep, dark void.

Ryder returned to camp with a plump rabbit he had shot with an arrow. He’d deliberately refrained from using his rifle for fear of inviting unwanted attention. For the past two days
he’d been aware that they were being followed,
but he’d kept the news from Hannah so as not to distress her. If they were being trailed, it
wasn’t by a large war party; that much he was
sure of. In fact, he was convinced that only
one or two men were keeping a close watch on
their progress. Whoever it was was smart, he’d
give them that much. He’d caught no more
than a fleeting glimpse of a rider. But at least he’d had the foresight to warn Hannah to stay
close to camp, he thought as he stepped into
the circle of light provided by the fire Woman-
Who-Waddles had kindled.

Ryder noticed Hannah’s absence immediate
ly. He felt a spurt of fear.

“Where is Hannah?”

“She went to bathe,” Woman-Who-Waddles
told him.

He looked toward the river where a dark ribbon of water was barely visible in the evening
gloom. “How long ago did she leave?”

Woman-Who-Waddles frowned and cocked an eye at the rising moon. “The moon had not
yet risen when she left. I heard her splashing
in the water just moments ago.”

Ryder picked up his gun. “Put the rabbit in the pot to cook. I will go after her. She should
not have gone off on her own. Perhaps I did not
stress strongly enough the danger that exists in
this territory.”

Woman-Who-Waddles stared at him, sudden
ly aware that Ryder was more worried than
the situation seemed to warrant. “Are we in
danger?”

“I will explain later,” Ryder called over his shoulder as he sprinted toward the river.

Ryder moaned in dismay when his search
failed to locate Hannah. He called her name
several times but received no answer. Sweat
broke out on his forehead and his gut clenched
painfully. Examining the shore, he found moc
casin prints in the soft mud. Dropping to his
knees, he studied the signs, cringing inwardly
when he noted that a struggle had ensued and
someone had been dragged along the shore.
The prints led to a bush, and Ryder quickly
followed them. Whoever had been there was
gone. Pursuing a trail of trampled grass and
brush, Ryder came to a place where a horse
had been tethered. The horse’s trail led north.

Ryder realized immediately that Hannah had
been taken prisoner by an Indian. Obviously, only one man had participated in the kidnap
ping; he saw nothing to indicate that oth
ers were nearby. Then a sudden, wrenching
thought came to him.