Brave Beginnings (28 page)

“I know. I was content to lie here and think
of how fortunate I am that you married me instead of someone
else.”

She leaned up on her elbow, her blond hair
falling over her shoulders. “Is this because I decorated my coyote
shawl to tell the story of how we fell in love?”

He chuckled and reached for her hand. “It is
good for a wife to be glad she’s married to her husband.”

“And it’s good for a husband to be glad he’s
married to his wife.”

“Yes. Very true. You complete me.”

Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed his
cheek.

With an amused look, he asked, “Why do you
give me that kind of kiss?”

“What’s wrong with it? I thought it was
sweet.”

“Sweet is for babies. I’m not a baby.” He ran
his hand up her arm. After he brushed her hair off of her shoulder,
his hand traveled to her breast and cupped it.

Wiggling closer to him, she rubbed her bare
leg over his. “You’re definitely not a child.”

“Definitely not.”

His gaze met hers and her heart skipped a
beat. She’d never tire of the sensual way he looked at her. With a
wicked grin, she traced his smooth chest until her fingers brushed
the tip of his erection. Her hand slid down the thick length of him
and she squeezed him. He let out a low groan and shifted so that he
could kiss her neck. She sighed in contentment, enjoying the slow
arousal building between them.

His thumb caressed her nipple, immediately
hardening it. She shivered in response and moved her hand slowly up
and down his erection, knowing that doing so would fuel his
passions. He was a man of great passion and love, and it was
exciting to watch that part of him come to the forefront.

Letting out a low growl, he whispered, “You
do this on purpose.”

“Do what?” she innocently asked.

“You know what.”

“No. I really have no idea what you
mean.”

He took her hands and rolled on top of her,
settling between her legs so that he was pressing intimately
against her. She let out a soft groan and moved her hips, taking
pleasure in the way the flesh between her legs ached to take him
into her.

“Not yet,” he said. “You tease me. I can
tease you too.”

She groaned. “You don’t play fair.” Her eyes
meeting his, she smiled and wrapped her legs around his waist in an
effort to prompt him to enter her, but he remained still. Had it
not been for the knowing gleam in his eye, there wouldn’t have been
any indication that her bold move aroused him. Finally settling for
a playful pout, she asked, “Do you really want me to suffer?”

“Suffer, do you?”

He let go of one of her hands so he could
slide his hand down her body, taking his time in stroking her
breast and then her hip. Shifting so that her legs loosened around
his waist, he touched the folds of the sensitive flesh between her
legs. She bit her lower lip and groaned.

“You have an odd way of suffering,” he noted
in amusement.

“I am suffering,” she replied in a raspy
voice as he rubbed her sensitive nub and slid a finger into her. “I
suffer greatly.” Even as she made her claim, she moved her hips to
better experience the pleasure he was bringing her.

He chuckled. “I can tell.”

Though he teased her, he slid another finger
into her and stroked her, increasing the rhythm to maximize her
pleasure. Her body warmed as her hips rocked in time with his
manipulations. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her. Reaching
up, she ran her fingers through his hair which now went to his
shoulders. She loved the silky strands and was glad he was growing
it out again.

She traced her tongue along his lower lip
until he opened his mouth to receive her. He moaned and deepened
their kiss while his thumb worked in faster circular motions. The
tension between her legs continued to build until she couldn’t take
it anymore and cried out as her orgasm coursed through her. Her
body clenched hard and fast around his fingers, and he brought her
gently down from the heights of ecstasy with slower, more
methodical circles over her nub. She gasped and clutched the fur
beneath them, savoring the lingering effects of the bliss he’d
given her.

His lips traveled down her neck in gentle
kisses. Coming back to her senses, she sighed with delight and
rolled on top of him, her body eagerly wrapping around his erection
as he slid into her. He put his hands on her hips and guided her
movements. She watched him as she rocked in time to his thrusting,
loving the fact that their coming together as man and wife could
result in such pleasure.

He moved deeper into her, his body straining
beneath her as he increased the rhythm. She held onto his shoulders
and gave a low moan as his arousal stroked her core. She gasped and
grew more urgent for him, aware that she was about to experience
another orgasm, and though it was gentler than the previous one,
she tightened her hold on his shoulders and groaned, wondering if
anything could feel as good as lovemaking. His release came within
seconds after hers. His body tensed and he uttered a soft groan.
She stilled above him and waited until the intensity of the moment
passed. Then she leaned forward and rested on top of him as their
bodies cooled and their breathing slowed. Chogan rubbed her back,
and for the rest of the night, they enjoyed the comfortable
silence.

~~********~~

Julia glanced at Chogan and smiled at him. He
smiled back before his friend Achai called out his name. She’d miss
him as he went hunting, but she opted to stay behind on this
particular day for a good reason. She needed to talk to Woape. The
March weather was slowly warming things up, making some of the snow
melt, but it would still be awhile yet before the green landscape
would return. And in another couple of months, Aunt Erin would be
coming to the tribe. Then everything would be complete. There was
one missing piece to the puzzle, and Julia suspected it had fallen
into place at long last. Her hand settled over her abdomen. A
baby.

But she couldn’t jump to conclusions. She had
to talk to a woman who’d had a child. Though Chogan’s female
relatives were most welcoming, the personal details of expecting a
child seemed best reserved to someone closer to her.

She turned from her lodge and headed in the
direction of Woape’s lodge. When she walked around one of the
lodges along the way, she almost bumped into someone.

She made a quick apology in Mandan before she
looked up and realized she’d bumped into Sarita. She caught the
smirk on the other woman’s face and frowned.

Sarita scanned her up and down and sneered
before she said a word in Mandan.

Julia gritted her teeth. That wasn’t the
first time she heard that word come from Sarita’s lips, and she
knew it wasn’t good. Unable to think of a proper retort, she
settled for glaring at Sarita.

Sarita shrugged as if Julia didn’t bother her
and brushed past her, purposely bumping into her again.

Without thinking, Julia shoved her so that
Sarita almost fell face first into the snow. “I’ve had enough of
you!”

Sarita stood up and adjusted the robe. She
spouted off a couple of sentences in Mandan, and Julia was sure
some of those words were “Chogan” and “lodge”. Then she walked off
in a huff.

“Well, I could say the same to you!” Julia
screamed after her.

Grunting, Julia shoved her hands into her
pockets and stormed in the opposite direction. So much for her good
mood. She knew she was scowling by the time she reached Woape’s
lodge, but she couldn’t bring herself to give her brother a polite
greeting as he, Citlali, and another man got a wagon ready to take
into Bismarck. Her eyes narrowed at Citlali. He’d love nothing more
than to see Chogan marry Sarita. She had to force her gaze away
from Citlali. She didn’t want to make things worse than they
already were. Chogan made it clear to him that he’d never have a
wife besides her, so Julia had nothing to worry about. Still, it
would give her great pleasure to put Citlali in her shoes and let
him know how hurtful his suggestion was.

“Morning, Julia,” Gary called out.

“Morning,” she grunted, not even looking in
his direction.

“Is something wrong?”

She glanced at Citlali and muttered, “No. I’m
fine.”

Gary patted her on the shoulder. “Alright.
I’m heading into town.”

“I know.” Sighing, she continued, “I came to
see Woape.”

“Oh, she’s right in there.” He motioned to
the entrance of the lodge. “Have a good visit.”

She offered a half-hearted nod and went into
the lodge. As long as she was away from Citlali and Sarita, she
should be able to calm her anger. Her gaze settled on Penelope who
tried to run over to her but stumbled and fell to the ground. The
cute girl with her dark hair, wide brown eyes, and her brother’s
awkward nose immediately made her feel better.

She went over to her niece and picked her up.
“You have to be more careful.” Smiling, she hugged her, remembering
that before the year was over, she might be holding her own
child.

Woape stood up from the group of women who
sat around the fire and walked over to them. “Did something bad
happen on your way here?”

“Oh, the usual,” Julia replied as she brushed
Penelope’s hair from her face.

“Sarita?”

“Yes, and then I saw Citlali.”

“Ah,” Woape said. “Neither one are my
favorite people either.”

“Sarita keeps calling me something.” Julia
struggled with the proper pronunciation of the word and finally
managed a suitable imitation of it. “What does it mean?”

Wincing, she said, “Whore.”

She gasped, her face flushing from
embarrassment. “She’s been calling me a whore?” Quickly glancing
around the lodge to make sure no one overheard the awful word, she
continued, “Why would she say such a horrible thing? I’m not a
whore. I’m a married woman.”

“She’s just saying it to be mean.”

“It works quite well. I hate her.”

“She’s only upset because Chogan loves you
instead of her. Her parents are looking for someone else she can
marry.”

“She ought to marry Citlali,” Julia sourly
said.

Woape giggled. “It would be a better match,
but Onawa’s promised to him.”

“We ought to get poor Onawa out of that
arrangement,” she whispered.

“Onawa wants to marry him.”

Julia waited for Woape to give an indication
that she was joking, but Woape was as serious as a person could
get. Julia knew that Onawa was due to marry him, but she had
assumed Onawa was being forced into it. Shaking her head, Julia
asked, “Why?”

She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine,
but she adores him.”

Penelope wiggled so Julia set her down.
Penelope ran over to Onawa and sat on her lap.

Julia sighed. “Onawa doesn’t know what she’s
getting herself into.”

“It certainly seems that way,” Woape replied,
smiling at her daughter before she turned back to Julia. “I thought
you were going to hunt today.”

“I was.” Recalling her earlier enthusiasm,
Julia said, “I think your herbs worked. I haven’t had my monthly
flow for a week, and I’ve never missed one before.”

“That’s wonderful! What did Chogan say?”

“I haven’t told him yet. I wanted to talk to
you. You know, so I could be sure?”

Woape laughed and hugged her. “I’d say it’s a
sure thing, but there are symptoms you might experience to assure
yourself it’s real. I have something I can give you for any nausea
you might get.”

“Is nausea common?”

“Just for the first couple of months. Then
you start to feel the baby kick.” Woape pressed her hands on her
belly where she was showing in her fifth month. “I don’t feel
anything right now, so I can’t show you what I mean, but you’ll get
the joy soon enough. There’s nothing as wonderful as feeling a new
life moving inside of you.”

“I can’t wait.” Now that Woape had confirmed
what she hoped, she forgot all about her earlier agitation with
Sarita and Citlali.

“Take off your coat, and we’ll sit by the
fire and tell you what you can expect.”

Unable to hide her excited grin, Julia rushed
to obey her.

***

As soon as Chogan returned from hunting,
Julia ran to the entrance of the lodge and checked out the rabbits
he had caught.

“I didn’t have you with me to bring me luck,”
he told her with a wink. “If you’d been there, I would have gotten
a nice buck.”

She laughed. “This is good.”

He shrugged but seemed reluctant to agree
with her.

“You said it was good when you were teaching
me to hunt. Were you telling me the truth or just trying to make me
feel better?”

“You’re a woman. Rabbits are good for
you.”

She gasped, pretending to be upset. “I happen
to be good. Why, I got Hothlepoya, and that was with one shot.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and
kissed her. “You hunt better than men and much better than women.
You are my equal. But with Achai…” Letting out a heavy sigh, he
looked up at the ceiling and asked, “What else could I hope to get
with him?”

“You really like hunting with me?”

“The scenery is a lot better,” he replied
with a suggestive smile.

She giggled. “I’ll go with you next
time.”

His mother, who’d been with the other women
who were putting food into the pot over the fire, went over to them
and said, “Tell him good news.”

Julia nodded and motioned to the room they
shared. “I have something important to tell you!”

Chogan smiled. “Who am I to argue with
women?”

She took his hand and led him to their room.
Though she’d already told his family, she’d always imagined telling
her husband when they were alone. She set the robe across the
doorway and happened to glance at the women in time to see them
smiling at her, just as excited as she was by this news.