Wild Innocence (18 page)

“I was trapped,” he exclaimed. “The widow Nanette is dead, Aunt Bess. She married me knowing that she had only a little while left to live. I married her for our future—Rachel's and mine.”

His gray eyes pleaded for her understanding. “My late wife left me her property. All of it! The house, the money, every last bit. I want to share it with Rachel. To marry her.”

“You expect her to marry you after what you've done?” Bess shook her head and made a
tsk
sound with her tongue. “Good luck convincing her, boy, if you think to try. You're going to have a devil of a time getting that child to look twice at you after all the pain you've caused her.”

The young man looked miserable. “I'm sorry, so terribly sorry. I love Rachel. I honestly do.”

Bess didn't want to soften toward him, but his misery was so evidently heartfelt. “It's not me you need to be apologizing to. It's my niece.”

“Tell me how to find her,” he begged. “How did she get there? Where exactly did she go?”

The woman eyed her niece's former beau and fiancé; then she sighed heavily. “A man named Rupert Clark took her.”

“Clark,” Jordan echoed, his mind obviously trying to place the name. His eyes brightened. “Clark as in Miranda Clark?”

Bess nodded. “As in Miranda's Uncle Rupert.”

“Thank you!” he cried, and hugged her.

She pulled back, feeling flustered. “Don't you be thanking me until after you've seen Rachel. You may be cursing me into the grave before it's all over.”

Or else Rachel will be,
she thought.

 

 

The Sioux came to the infirmary at night. John Dempsey was at the mission. He'd finally convinced his daughter Amelia that he'd be safe there alone. This was his second night at the infirmary. As he worked to set up his medical instruments for the next day, he heard a noise and turned to face Sioux Indians.

“Where is Rach-el?” Clouds-at-Morning asked. He must have decided to come for John's daughter himself. The Sioux warrior stood straight and tall as he gazed at John Dempsey. He looked disappointed that she wasn't in the room.

Eyeing the armed men, John trembled as he struggled to hide his fear. “She's gone.”

“Where she go?” her persistent suitor asked.

“She left a week ago to visit friends. She hasn't returned yet.”

Clouds-at-Morning's face darkened with anger. “What mean you she left to visit?”

“Actually, someone came for her, so she had little choice but to go. I think she's safe, but I don't know when she'll return.”

“I want to see her now!”

“I'm sorry, but that's impossible.”

“Then I make it possible.” He barked an order in his native tongue to his friends. The men moved, and suddenly John was surrounded, imprisoned by strong warrior arms. “You come with me then. You stay until daughter returns and comes to Clouds-at-Morning.”

“But I don't know when that will be!” John exclaimed.

“No matter. White Medicine Man will stay as long as it takes. As long as Rachel not here to be my wife.”

“But she cannot marry you!”

The brave snorted and brushed that notion aside with his hand. “She says she need to care for you, but you not need her. She is not here, and you are fine.”

“Because she hasn't been gone too long. I do need her here. She's my daughter. I need her.”

“You do not need her,” the brave insisted.

John nodded. “Yes, I do.”

The Sioux warrior smiled. “I need Rachel more.” He turned and barked a command to his men. With a wave of his hand, John Dempsey was suddenly surrounded and being led from the surgery to the waiting area.

“You will come to village until Rachel returns. I will talk with Rachel soon.”

The Indians dragged the doctor from the building. More braves with horses waited for them beyond the mission, in the forest.

The Sioux Indians were kidnapping him to get to his daughter, and John Dempsey was powerless to stop them.

Rain-from-Sky gazed at his friend Daniel across the dining table. He'd arrived at the Trahern cabin only moments before, and already he'd been urged to sit and share the family meal. The brave was happy at the invitation, as he loved Amelia Trahern's cooking, especially her dessert cakes.

“Rachel wants you to visit her. She misses her family,” he told Daniel when his wife was out of the room.

Daniel frowned. “I don't know.”

“She is no longer angry, my friend,” Rain-from-Sky assured him. “She has adjusted to our life. She enjoys our village.”

The white man raised his eyebrows. “That doesn't sound like my sister-in-law.”

“She has changed.”

“She must have,” he muttered.

Amelia entered the room, and Daniel tensed and grew silent.

She must have seen them talking. “What are you two discussing so earnestly?” she asked with a smile.

Daniel didn't immediately answer, and the Ojibwa brave saw the indecision in his expression. “Rain-from-Sky comes with news of your sister,” Daniel said.

Alarm sharpened Amelia's features. “Is something wrong?” Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two men, before settling on her husband.

“Rachel is fine,” Daniel said softly. “She misses you. She wants you to visit her.”

Gladness flickered in her expression. “Can we do that? Visit?”

It was clear that Daniel had had no idea how much his wife had wanted to see her sister. It made him feel guilty for promptly dismissing Rachel from his mind once he'd known she was safe.

“She wants to see her father, too,” Rain-from-Sky said. He grinned up at Amelia when she set a plate of finger-cakes before him.

“Of course, Father will want to go,” she said. “Only . . .”

“What is it?” Daniel asked. “What's wrong?”

“Father will never believe us if we go to him now and tell him that Rachel wants to see us. After only two nights there, he'll think it's a new excuse to convince him to return home here. I don't like him staying at the mission, but he insisted. If I tell him he has to leave now, even if it's to visit Rachel, he'll think I don't trust his ability to protect himself.”

“I'm in the middle of a job that I have to finish,” Daniel said. “It'll take two more days to complete. If we leave after that, your father won't become suspicious or angry.”

Rain-from-Sky agreed as he looked at husband and wife. “I can visit the mission, talk with John Dempsey.”

Amelia's expression brightened. “Would you?”

The brave nodded.

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Daniel said, making his wife frown. He addressed Rain-from-Sky, who had just taken a bite from the food that had been placed before him. “My father-in-law knows that you have a weakness for Amelia's cooking.”

The Indian lowered the remaining cake from his full mouth. He could only nod as he finished chewing.

“I'll speak with your father when it's time to leave,” Daniel told his wife. “I'm sure he'll have no trouble leaving when he sees that we are ready to go ourselves.”

Amelia smiled. “All right.” Then she beamed at Rain-from-Sky for bringing the news from Rachel. “Another cake, Rain-from-Sky?” she asked, extending a full platter toward him.

The Ojibwa warrior grinned as he reached toward the plate.
“Miigwech.”

 

 

Black Hawk and his band of men gave up the Sioux trail after two days. “We cannot catch up to them. Not with their horses. They do not stop to rest, or we would have seen signs of a fire.”

Thunder Oak nodded. “We must return to our village and hope there is word from our Ottawa friends.”

Gray Squirrel didn't agree. “You give up too easily, Black-Hawk-Who-Hunts-at-Dawn. We will find and kill our enemy.”

Black Hawk fought to control a flicker of anger. “Have you forgotten our peace with the people of Runs-with-the-Wind? We will not kill needlessly. Certainly not to please an inexperienced boy!”

The young brave flushed with fury. “I will speak to my father!”

“Do this and you will be unhappy,” another brave said. “Your father will listen to Black Hawk. Black Hawk is our war chief. We know and respect his skills.”

But the hotheaded young Indian refused to listen to reason.

As they came within sight of his village, Black Hawk had never felt so tired. He had been gone for six days, and he hadn't accomplished anything. He hadn't found Clouds-at-Morning, and there was no sign of He-Who-Kills-with-Big-Stick. To his surprise, he found that his failure to find Clouds-at-Morning disturbed him most. He'd been searching for his father's killer for many years; he wasn't surprised by his lack of success in finding He-Who-Kills-with-Big-Stick.

During the last hours of his journey, his thoughts had turned to Rachel. Although he knew he shouldn't, he looked forward to seeing her again. As the first wigwam within his village came into view, he found himself hoping for a glimpse of her.

It was early afternoon when his people greeted the returning men.

“Black Hawk!” Spring Blossom appeared delighted to see her brother. She hugged him, then stepped back as their chief, Big-Cat-with-Broken-Paw, commanded his attention.

“I am sorry, but the Sioux escaped us,” Black Hawk said.

The chief was not upset. “You have returned to us safely. It is as it should be.”

Rain-from-Sky grinned at his brothers, Black Hawk and Thunder Oak. “You look as if you have not slept, my fathers.”

Thunder Oak scowled. “We have come a long way. We did not sleep during the last darkness.”

The two brothers shared a teasing exchange. Black Hawk, unaware of what his siblings were saying, searched for Rachel. He was disappointed when he didn't see her.

Spring Blossom grabbed his arm and began to urge him to walk with her. “You are hungry?” she asked.

Food was not at the root of his current hunger. “No.” He craned his neck to better see who stood among a group of women across the yard.

“She is down by the river,” his sister said quietly.

Black Hawk frowned when he looked at her.

“Rach-el,” Spring Blossom said with a smile. “You search for her. You will find her in the tiny clearing where we go to be alone.”

“She is all right?” he asked. “Nothing has harmed her?”

“She is well. She longs to see her family. Rain-from-Sky has spoken with Daniel. Daniel and Amelia will bring John Dempsey to see her soon.”

Black Hawk felt guilty for having kept her from her loved ones. He loved his family and couldn't imagine being forcibly separated from them for any great length of time. His father and mother were dead, but he had two brothers and his sister, Spring Blossom, as well as his father's and mother's sisters and brothers.

“You need sleep, Black Hawk,” Spring Blossom said.

Black Hawk nodded, but his attention had turned to the path that led down to the river . . . and Rachel.

“Go,” his sister said. “Go to her. I will see that no one looks for either of you.”

He grinned. “Miigwech.”

He saw Rachel immediately as he entered the small clearing. Her chestnut-brown hair glistened under the sun. Her skin, he was surprised to note, looked darker, but no less smooth or beautiful.

His gaze dropped to the hem of her tunic and the lovely length of bare leg that was exposed. She had taken off her moccasins and had waded into the river. She stood, staring out over the water. She looked preoccupied, lost in some deep thoughts.

She was so caught in her musings that he approached without her knowledge. He stopped a few yards from her and drank his fill of her beauty. Desire kicked in his gut as he realized that ever since he'd left the village, he'd waited anxiously for the moment when he would return and see her again.

 

 

A fish jumped in the water. Rachel gasped at the sound, then chuckled when she realized what it was. It was a lovely afternoon. She had finished her daily chores and so she'd come here to be alone and dream . . . and think wistfully of Black Hawk.

It had been too long since he'd left the village, and she was frightened that something dreadful had happened to him.

She tried not to think of what the Sioux might have done to him, but terrible, torturous images kept popping up in her mind. She'd lost the last couple of nights' sleep over concern for Black Hawk.

He can take care of himself,
she thought.

Can he?
an inner voice taunted her.

But the mocking voice wouldn't go away.
What would you do if you knew that he was all right, that he'd come back alive?

“I'd kiss him breathless,” she whispered. “I'd kiss him and touch him until I was certain he was all right.”

“Why?” she whispered. “Because I care for him, that's why.”
I love him.

How can you love him?
the voice continued.
You don't know what love is. You thought love was Jordan, but you were wrong. Can you trust your own feelings? Can you be sure that you really love Black Hawk?

Rachel blinked back tears. “I think so,” she murmured.

She released a soft sob.
I know.

“Rach-el?”

She spun, shocked by the sight of Black Hawk. Joy slammed into her heart that he was here, gladness followed quickly by pain as her previous thoughts returned to dull her happiness.

“You're back,” she said quietly.

He nodded. “I am here.”

“Was your journey a successful one?” Even while she was happy to see him, she felt a flicker of annoyance that he'd left without telling her.

Black Hawk shook his head as he approached. He looked wonderful in a leather vest, loincloth, and leggings. Rachel remained in the water, wondering if he would enter the river or stay on its shore.

“You look tired,” she said with concern.

He untied and removed his leggings. Next, he took off his moccasins and waded into the water until he stood beside her. “You are beaut-i-ful.”

She drew a sharp breath as her gaze lovingly traced every inch of his rugged face, then looked deep into his glittering obsidian eyes. “Black Hawk—”

“I have missed you.”

“You've only been gone six days.” It seemed like longer to her.

He ran a finger down her bare arm. “I have missed touching you.”

She trembled and shook her head. She shouldn't respond to him. There could never be anything permanent between them. Why wouldn't her heart stop thundering in her chest? Why couldn't she turn off her feelings when it came to this magical man?

He continued to run his finger up and down her arm. She shivered with pleasure, then stepped back to break the enchantment.

Black Hawk followed her. He didn't touch her again, and Rachel found herself disappointed that he'd given up so easily.
It must be my imagination that he feels desire for me.

He gestured toward some point down the river and across the water. “See that tree?” he asked her.

She squinted and tried to follow the direction of his hand. “I think so.” It was hard to tell for it was in an area in the far distance.

When he didn't immediately say anything, she turned to him with curiosity, and found him staring not across the water but at her . . . and with a strange look in his eyes.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, alarmed.

After a moment, he shook his head, as he seemed to come out of a trance.

“That tree?” she reminded him. “What did you want to tell me about it?”

He smiled then. “There is a place there, a pretty place where two people can be alone.” He gestured down the riverbank toward an Ojibwa birch-bark canoe. He then held out his hand to her. “Come with me,” he invited.

Rachel's heart began to thump harder. “Now?”

“The sun is still up. I have not been to this place in a long time. It would be best if we go now.”

She watched him as he spoke, and knew that she would go wherever he chose to lead her. She was drawn to this kind man; she couldn't refuse him if she wanted to—which she didn't.

“All right,” she said.

His smile was like a fresh burst of sunshine on a spring day. “Good.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the water toward the canoe.

“Our moccasins!” she exclaimed.
And your clothes.

He shook his head. “We will return for them.”

“But Spring Blossom,” Rachel said. “She will wonder where I am!” It wasn't the pace he set for them that had her struggling for air. It was the depth of her longing for him.

“My sister will not search for you,” he said. “She knows I am home. She knows that you are with me.”

“Oh.” Rachel felt butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know how she felt about that bit of knowledge. What did Spring Blossom think she and Black Hawk were doing? Had Spring Blossom guessed of Rachel's desire for her brother? Did Black Hawk suspect?

They reached the canoe, and Black Hawk assisted her into the craft. Then, he climbed in himself, picked up a paddle, and began to row down the river. The canoe slipped easily through the water for a short distance before Black Hawk stirred the craft toward the opposite shore.