Mountain Rose (34 page)

body clasped in Lone Wolf's arms would drive him out of his mind.

The door opened behind Chase, and he turned his head to smile at Star as she came and stood beside him. The young girl suffered also, he knew. Her small face was pinched from worry and sleepless nights. And Jamie was like a wild man, making the same threats against the Tillamooks that Chase himself had made at one time. Over and over, he'd had to point out to the angry young man how useless it would be to go after Raegan, that such an action would endanger them all. And he musn't forget Granny. That poor old soul was so upset that she hadn't spoken one cross word since his return.

"What are we gonna do, Chase?" Star spoke, a tremble in her voice. "How are we gonna bear it if we never see her again?"

"Don't say never, Star," Chase's voice was as hard as granite. "I'm givin' that bastard to the end of the day to release her. If she's not home by nightfall, I'm gonna have Rafferty head for Fort Laramie. That Indian will let her go when a troop of soldiers rides into his village."

Star did not speak the thoughts running through her mind. In the time it would take Rafferty to ride across half of Oregon, all of Idaho, then half of Wyoming, alert the Captain there of what was going on, then return to Big Pine, there would be snow up to their butts. It would be an impossible feat. Poor Chase was so upset he wasn't thinking straight. When she walked away from Chase, he wasn't even aware that she'd gone.

Chase lingered on the porch until nightfall. A million stars sparkled in a moonless sky, and still no Raegan. The long pacing had, however, brought him a sort of peace. He had arrived at the firm conviction that if he did slip into Lone Wolf's village and steal Raegan away, the Chief would not carry out his threat of killing every man, woman, and child in the area. The man had played on his fear of losing Raegan. Tomorrow, as soon as he could slip away from Jamie, he was going after his wife.

White Feather helped Raegan to lie down on the furs, then hurried to awaken his grandmother. They conversed a moment in their language, then the elderly woman rose and walked to Raegan's bed.

Raegan opened her eyes when she felt Grey Dove's palm on her forehead. The hand lingered there a moment, then moved to feel behind her ears, then pressed lightly on each side of her throat. The warm hand then moved down to her stomach and probbed gently just above her pelvis. A moment later, with an amused grin, Grey Dove say back on her heels and said something to White Feather that made him smile widely.

"What tickles you so, White Feather?" Raegan grunted, feeling that she might vomit again.

"You are going to have little one, Raegan!"

Raegan nodded her head weakly. "I know that, my little friend."

The boy jumped to his feet. "I must go tell father."

Raegan had been dozing when White Feather returned with his father, but came fully awake to a hand stroking her hair. Her eyes popped open to gaze into black ones that somehow seemed wistful.

"Why did you not say that you are with child?" Lone Wolf asked, "Why did your husband not tell me?"

Raegan gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "I did not think it would make any difference. And as for my husband, he does not know. I wanted to be sure first." She waited a minute, then asked with a mixture of hope and dread, "Will you let me go now?"

The chief was silent for so long that Raegan was sure he was going to say no. Helpless tears were forming in the back of her eyes when he lifted a questioning eyebrow at White Feather, who knelt anxiously on the other side of Raegan.

"Well, son, should I let the woman warrior return to her husband?"

"Yes, father," the boy answered at once. "Although it will sadden me to see her go, it is the honorable thing to do. If not for her, we would not have my little brother."

Regret leapt into the proud chief's eyes, and Raegan knew he was thinking of the wife who had given birth to that baby and had then died. In a split second, though, his eyes were wiped clean of all emotion. He rose, and gazing down at her, said, "Be ready to leave in an hour. First you will show me where my wife was taken so that I can bring her back to her village, and from there you can go home." He turned on his heel

and quietly left the plank house.

When the door closed behind his father, White Feather moved to kneel beside Raegan. "I will feel bad when you leave me." There was a slight tremor in the boy's voice when he added, "I shall miss you."

"And I will miss you." Raegan sat up and took his small brown hands in hers. "Do you suppose your father will let you visit me occasionally?"

"No. Father would not want the habit broken of the Platte dividing our two races. It is wise not to break this unspoken truce. The fat man almost brought war between us."

"Yes," Raegan agreed sadly. "It's a shame, though, that it has to be this way."

The boy gently freed his hands and stood up. "You must get ready to leave now. My father does not like to be kept waiting."

"Yes." Raegan tried to keep her happiness from her voice. "I'll see you later," she said to his small back going through the door. She rose then and padded across the floor to where Boy lay sleeping in his grandmother's arms. When she knelt down, Grey Dove smiled at her and held out the baby.

Raegan cradled him against her chest, tears brimming in her eyes. She would never see the tiny mite again. She kissed his soft cheek, then handed him back to his grandmother. Grey Dove wrapped a blanket around him, then giving Raegan's shoulder an affecionate squeeze, she rose and also left the house.

It did not take Reagan long to prepare herself to leave. She washed her face in the basin of water that had been brought in the night before, brushed her hair, and straightened the furs on her bed. By the time she had smoothed out some of the wrinkles in her dress, Lone Wolf stalked into the house. "Are you ready?"

"Yes I am, but I would like to say goodbye to White Feather and Grey Dove. Do you know where I can find them?"

Lone Wolf shook his head. "Tillamooks do not say goodbye while alive. Only in death do we say those final words."

"Oh, but—"

"Come, we go now." The Chief interrupted her and stode toward the door. Raegan hurried after him.

Beauty stood saddled and waiting, a wild, shaggy Indian pony beside her. She gave a glad cry at seeing her pet and took the time to give the mare's shinny rump a pat before swinging onto her back. The air was brittle with cold as they headed out, and Roscoe's screams still rent the air.

Only once was there a short conversation between Raegan and Lone Wolf as they traveled a narrow path to the Platte. After several aborted attempts, Raegan said timidly, "Chief, I would like to speak of something that bothers me greatly, yet I hesitate to interfere in matters that shouldn't concern me."

A faint grin twitched the corner's of Lone Wolf's lips. "That is hard for me to believe, little warrior, but what is this matter that you will speak of anyway?"

She gave him a crooked smile, then began before she lost her nerve. "You know the attractive woman who served my meals?" When Lone

Wolf nodded, she went on, "It has come to my ears that she would like to be your second wife. I have observed her closely these days I've been in your village, and I've come to the conclusion that she is jealous of your children and would not be kind to them. She would neglect them, especially if the two of you should have children together."

The chief's face remained as stoic as usual as he answered, "Everything you have said, I have already thought. Do you think that as chief of my tribe I am not wise enough to choose the right woman to put in charge of my children, Fair One?"

"Oh no, of course not," Raegan hastened to assure the stiff back turned on her. "It's only that.. ."

"That my son has been mentioning his fears to you."

Raegan didn't answer yes or no, and a silence grew between them until they came to the river and crossed it. The Chief drew rein on the gravelly bank and waited for Beauty to splash up beside him. "Which way to my wife?" he wasted no time asking.

Raegan sat a minute getting her bearings and remembering Chase's words ... a small valley about five miles west of Chief Wise Owl's village. She pointed in an easterly direction. "She was taken to a place about five miles west of an Indian village."

"Chief Wise Owl's village," Lone Wolf grunted. "I know its location." Without further words he turned his pony's head to the right, motioning Raegan to follow him.

It took about an hour for them to reach the pretty spot Chase had chosen. Raegan and the dead woman's husband drew rein beside the two canoes tied together, one inverted over over the other. Several minutes passed before Lone Wolf looked at Raegan, a pleased look in his eyes. "Your man has chosen well," he said softly. "I would leave her here if she was on the right side of the river."

"You will be unable to move her by yourself. Will you return later with help?"

"Yes. Tomorrow." He looked at Raegan and inquired lightly with teasing eyes, "Will we be safe from your big trapper, Fair One?"

Raegan knew that he was teasing her, for she knew that this stalwart Indian feared no man, and furthermore death held no fear for him either.

Her eyes twinkled up at him. "You are having fun at my expense, of course, but my husband will be so happy to have me home, he would help you take your wife back to your village."

His lids lowered to hide his expression. Lone Wolf leaned over and lifted a lock of her hair. Feeling its silkiness, squeezing it in his hand, he said softly, "Any man would be happy to have you in his home."

He let her hair slip through his fingers one more time, then turned his pony around and rode away, not looking back once. Raegan stared after him, knowing that she would think about the handsome Indian more than once. But there was a man waiting for her whom she would think of all the time. Her heart light, and her mind singing, she turned Beauty in the direction of the cabin, and Chase.

It was early in the afternoon before Chase could slip away from Jamie. Inside Sampson's stall, he slipped the bridle over the stallion's head, then lifted the saddle onto his back. He led him outside, glancing at the cabin to see if a face was peering out the window. Numerous trips had been made to that window by the four people who waited anxiously for Raegan's return.

He was tightening the saddle's cinches when something made him look up. On a distant hill, clear of trees, a horse and rider were silhoutted against the sky. He rubbed his eyes, afraid to believe what his mind told him. But when he caught a glint of red hair, his heart pounded so hard he thought it would burst.

"Raegan!" he breathed, "At last you're comin' home." He flung himself in the saddle, and clumps of soil flew as the stallion lunged away.

With glad cries, they met at the bottom of the hill, their mounts coming to rearing halts. Before the stallion's hooves returned to the ground Chase was off his back, sweeping Raegan out of her saddle.

For long moments they only held each other, giving heartfelt thanks to God for having reunited them. Then Chase held Raegan away and looked into her eyes with silent query.

"I'm fine, Chase." She cupped his whisker-stubbled face in her hands. "Outside of missing you and being frightened a few times, I am the same as when I left."

Chase squeezed her hard. "I was afraid Lone Wolf would . . ."

"No." Raegan placed a finger across his lips, shutting off the rest of his words. "Lone Wolf is a very honorable man. I know that he desired me, and had I been willing he would have made me his wife. But in the end he realized that could never be."

"Ah, but I've missed you," Chase said with a muffled groan as his lips came down on Raegan's with hungry urgency. When Raegan felt a persistent arousal jabbing at her stomach, she gave a throaty laugh. "I think it's time we got on home."

"Yes!" Chase agreed and lifted her onto Sampson's back and swung up behind her. Snuggled in his arms as they rode toward the cabin, Raegan told him about White Feather and Grey Dove, how they had befriended her and made life bearable while she was held captive.

"And what about Roscoe?" Chase asked. "Do you know how he was punished? Is he still alive?"

Raegan shuddered. "Let me tell you about that another time, Chase. Right now I can only say that he suffered as much as the Tillamook woman did at his hands."

"Indians are experts at exacting revenge," Chase said, then pulled Sampson to a halt in front of the cabin.

He was lifting Raegan to the ground when the door flew open and Star and Jamie burst through it. Star flew down the steps and threw herself into Raegan's arms, then gave a loud grunt as Jamie rushed up to wrap his arms around both of them, squeezing her between his body and Raegan's. Chase laughingly pulled Raegan free of the enthusiastic greeting, but Star clung to her arm as they stepped up on the porch and into the kitchen, where she was greeted by Granny.

"Well, girl, you finally made it back." Her thin lips were spread in wide snaggle-toothed smile as she gripped Raegan's hands. "And about time too. Chase ain't been fit to live with since you up took off with the little papoose . . . Are you all right, honey? Them heathens didn't beat you or nothin'?"

Raegan laughed softly. "No, I wasn't beaten, Granny, and I was treated very well."

"Good." Granny released her hands. "I can go home now with an easy mind. Jamie, stop that idiotic grinnin' and go saddle my mule."

"Yes, ma'am." Jamie saluted the old lady smartly, trying to hide his idiotic grin. As he walked toward the door, he was brought up short at her next words.

"And then I expect you and Star have somethin' to tell Raegan and Chase."

Raegan and Chase looked at him expectantly, but Jamie, after his slight pause, continued on out the door. When they transferred their gaze to Star, she only shrugged and changed the subject. "Are you hungry, Raegan?"

Granny let loose one of her cackling laughs. "I don't know about Raegan, but I ain't ever seen a hungier-lookin' man than Chase."

A dark red spread over Chase's face. "Granny," he said, "some day that tongue of yours is gonna cut your throat." He looked at Raegan, and his eyes grew smoky from what he read in hers. She was just as hungry as he was, and not for food either.

"Do you want to eat now?" he asked, his eyes saying he hoped she didn't.

Raegan smiled and shook her head. When he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and led her out of the kitchen, Granny snickered and said slyly, "Push that skillet to the back of the stove, Star. They won't be leavin' their room until suppertime."

Star nodded with a wide smile, and when Jamie returned shortly and asked where Chase and Raegan had got off to, she and Granny said at the same time, "Guess."

Jamie grinned, then said to Granny, "Come on, you old hag, your steed awaits to take you home."

Granny gave Star a hug, jabbed her elbow in Jamie's stomach, picked up the haversack holding her clothes, and marched outside, Jamie trailing along behind her.

When Chase led Raegan into their bedroom, she stood a minute, breathing in the familar smells, so unlike the odor of the Indian camp. "Oh, Chase." She turned in his arms. "I can't tell you how good it is to be home."

"You can't feel any better about it than I do," Chase whispered before closing his lips over hers. When he finally lifted his head, he said huskily, "I'm goin' to make love to you until we're too weak to get out of bed."

Raegan gazed up at him, her love shining in her eyes. Then, patting her stomach, she said softly, "Don't get too rambunctious, love. You wouldn't want to hurt your little son or daughter."

"We're goin' to have a baby?" Chase asked in awed tones. When Raegan nodded happily, he said with a worried frown, "Maybe we shouldn't do anything."

"Oh yes, we're going to do something." Raegan looped her arms around his neck. "We're just not going to do anything fancy."

Chase scooped her up in his arms and laid her on the bed. He undressed her slowly, feasting his eyes on her loveliness. His eyes still on her, he hurried out of his own clothes and lay down beside her.

The hours passed, dusk came, and all the while Chase made tender love to his wife.