Wild Kat (3 page)

“I
come for Running Deer.”  The Indian spoke quietly.

“She
is in the barn, I think.”  Thomas scratched his head.  The big Indian nodded
and walked around the house.  Thomas watched him go into the barn from the front
windows.  A brown and white spotted horse followed him much like Toby followed
Thomas around.

“Running
Deer," He shook her awake.   "The sun is up and you leave your traps
unwatched?”  Her eyes slowly opened.

“Little
Bear?  Is it you?”  She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and threw her arms
around his neck to hug him fiercely.

“No,
I am Great Bear now since I became a man.” He grinned at her, showing the big
dimples in his cheeks.

“I
thought I would never see you again.  How are you?  How are Moon Dancer and
your father?  It’s been so long my friend.”  She touched his brown hand.

“Father
has gone with the great spirits, Moon Dancer is married since fall and I am
Chief.”  He sat beside her in the hay now and leaned back against the wall.

“I
am honored the great chief visits me.”  She smiled happily.  “It’s been so
long.”

“I
came to bring you to visit our family, Moon Dancer asks about you often.  Will
you come?  I knew you should return with the last moon, when I saw the buck
hanging, I knew you were home.  I am so happy that you have returned.  Will you
come?  We have all missed you.”  He held out his large hand to take her tiny
one.

“Of
course I will.”  They climbed down the ladder and onto his horse.

Thomas
watched his guest ride off with the large Indian.  She was the most beautiful
woman he had ever seen.  She was small but sat with her back straight on the horse’s
bare back behind the big Indian.  A heart shaped face, small nose and full lips
stirred his blood.  There was a waist length dark braid down her back and
bright green eyes surrounded by sooty lashes met his as they rode away.

Kat
waved to familiar faces from her past.  She was part of this village once.  It
had not changed much.  Brown children still played and squealed.   They ran in
between teepees and in front of the slow moving horse.  Her parents never
worried when she disappeared for days at a time, they knew she was well taken
care of.  She hugged Moon Dancer and patted her pregnant belly.  A little one
would come at harvest time.  Being a friend of the Chief got you the best
treatment.  Women made her clothes and strung beads in her hair.  At night she
enjoyed a private teepee with many furs to keep her warm.  Great Bear’s wife
was very nice but spoke no English; Moon Dancer had to translate most of what
she said.  It had been too long since Kat could understand their language.  Two
weeks passed quickly in the village and Kat finally decided it was time to
return home.

“The
white man takes your house and you sleep in a barn.  I think you should stay. 
I give you my best hunter for a husband and you stay here.”  Great Bear told
her, his chin lifted.

“No,
Great Bear that is very kind but I cannot.  I am going to buy my house back
from the white man.”

“It
is your house.  I will make him leave.”  His dark eyes were hard staring off
into the distance and glittered dangerously.

“No,
he bought it fair by our laws.”  She sighed.  “He knew nothing of me until two
weeks ago.”

“It
is yours Running Deer.”   The great chief nodded his head and threw his knife
efficiently into the dirt where it stood quivering.

“There
is no need to start a war over one house Great Bear.  I will be okay I
promise.  If it does not work out I will return to the village in the fall.” 
This seemed to satisfy her friend.  He grunted, complying with her wishes.

“Take
my horse he will come back by himself.”  They were walking arm in arm to where
the ponies were kept.

“Thank
you, Great Bear, for your hospitality and for remaining my friend.  I will look
forward to our next visit.”  She hugged him and Moon Dancer before riding out
of the small village. 

Kat
climbed into her loft in the dark, she slept soundly.  She did not hear Thomas
at first light climb up to get hay for the cow.

“You’re
back.” He was genuinely surprised.   She tried to scurry away.  “It’s okay. It’s
just me getting hay for the animals.  I sold your jugs and got two pigs, Jacob
was out of buckskins.  He says if you’re back in the whiskey business he wants
four jugs more and he is sure the saloon will take all they can get.”  His blue
gray eyes met the green fire of hers.  She was backed all the way in the
corner.

“Now
that you’ve caught me what are your intentions?” She asked quietly.  She was
always leery of men. They had their own way of thinking.  Her small body was
tense and her mind took inventory of weapons and means of escape from the barn.
She came up with nothing but more fear.

“I
do not have any except to plant the garden today, I plowed it yesterday.  Maybe
we can butcher a hog tomorrow.  Laundry needs washing and Toby needs a bath.” 
Thomas leaned casually against the ladder.

“I
meant with me.”  Her tiny hands dug into the hay searching for anything that
may help her get away.

“I
said laundry and dog scrubbing. My name is Thomas by the way.”  He called as he
climbed down his heart skipping a beat or two.  His boots made the dirt puff as
they hit bottom with a thud.  Jacob only told him the half of it.   He
certainly did not exaggerate about her beauty.  He’d thought she was beautiful
when she rode off with the Indian, but she was absolutely breathtaking up
close.

“You
forgot your hay.”  She dropped a pitchfork full out of the loft onto him.  He
shook his head and grinned revealing deep dimples at the corners of his mouth.

“So
now I know what you do with all the corn around here, I sure had a hard time
selling it last season.  I was just about out of money when you came along. 
You can show me how to make that whiskey.”  He hollered from the stall he was
in.  She climbed down.

“It
will be a cold day in hell when that takes place Mister Thomas.”  She answered
sharply.

“It’s
just Thomas and what do you mean?”  He came out of a stall to see her.

“When
you cannot pay
your
taxes I will have my house back.”  Her hands were on
her hips, taunting him.

“I
thought about that.  I hear you have enough money to live fancy for a long
while.”  Thomas’ dimples flashed for a second.

“Maybe
I do.” Her lips curled at the corners and her brows rose.

“Well,
the farm is still mine for now and I happen to know it is hard to take care of
alone.  We can work together and make it a good farm again.”  He was
undaunted.   She was leaned against the doorframe chewing a piece of tender
grass she plucked from a clump growing beside the barn door.  An audacious
sight in her buckskins and knee boots Moon Dancer made for her.  Her long raven
hair was strung with beads in tight shining braids.

“I
can wait for your money to run out and run this farm by myself, I know how.”  A
mocking lilt was in her voice.  Bittersweet pangs ached her belly, she hated
being sharp tongued but even though she didn’t want to she could not stop
herself.  It was like watching herself from outside herself.

“You
may think you know how but planting ten acres of corn is not easy.”  What a
silly girl, he thought.  There was one thing he hated more than a liar and that
was a smart mouthed arrogant woman that thought she knew everything.

“Not
by yourself no.  I can hire out for that and harvest.”  She had to have the
last word and it had to be a smart one.  Thomas licked his lips as he always
did when anger approached.

“So
we will be enemies then?  You will lay in wait for your prey to weaken and move
in for the kill.  Is that it?”  His voice thundered through the barn.  Kat did
not flinch.

“Nope.” 
She drawled lazily.   “I don’t think so.  On second thought that would be too
satisfying for Lawson.”  Her answer surprised him.  She watched the hog pen, “If
you do not get another hog in there they will not ever reproduce.”

“Why
is that?”  Thomas’ mind whirled. She changed subjects at the drop of a hat, the
girl was mercurial.

“They
are all females.  I told you to get opposites.”   He cursed under his breath. 
She stifled a grin.  Getting the best of this man thrilled her heart more than
the dimples at the corners of his mouth.

“Full
of yourself aren’t you?”  He licked his lips again.

“Why
not?  I have nothing to lose and a farm to gain.  I will take your wagon to
town and bring you a male, should cover rent on the barn.  I have business with
Lawson anyway.”

“You
are going to try to buy the farm out from under me?”  He challenged.  “It’s too
late for that.”

“Can‘t. 
It‘s not for sale, Lawson made sure of my misery, but he will get his.  I have
other business.  Where are your garden seeds?”

“In
the house.”  Thomas grew annoyed with her.

“Plow
it twice as big as you planned.”  She ordered.

“I
will plow what I want.”  He was being childish and it did not bother her in the
least to show him how little he knew.

“It’s
fine with me if you want to eat corn all winter.”  She threw her chewed grass
down and went to the house.  After finding her father’s keys she hopped up in
the wagon and slapped the reins.  Thomas watched her straight back as she rode
away.  “Damn she is more ornery than they say.”

“Hello
again Mister Lawson.  I need in my safe box.”  She startled him.

“Right
away Miss Whitley.”  He pulled his key ring from the drawer and followed her. 
When it was unlocked he left.  The least amount of time spent with her the
better.  Kat pulled out her father’s drawer and looked through the papers she
found.  Mostly it was recipes, the deed to the house and her father’s bank
book.  “I will be setting up accounts in town.  Will you pay the bills as you
have in the past?”  Kat wanted to be sure.  It would be just like him to change
the rules to suit himself.

“I
will be more than happy to Miss Whitley, if you will sign right here.”  He
turned a paper to face her, she read it carefully.  “I happen to know your farm
maybe for sale soon also. Mister Woods will not be able to pay his taxes in the
fall unless corn turns to gold for him.”  Perhaps if he could get on her better
side he would sleep more peacefully at night.  Lawson would never admit it but
she scared the hell out of him, and since he had pissed her off the other day,
he had not slept for more than an hour at a time. “You come see me next January
and I will sell it back to you.”  He cackled.

“I
am already aware of that Mister Lawson. It’s not polite and it’s uncouth to take
advantage of people’s difficulties and to spread their troubles around joyfully
like mindless gossip.  I mean what would people say if I told them that you
were afraid of a little girl like me?  They would lose all respect for you and
as well as any confidence they may have had in your bank.”

“Of
course not.  I only meant…”  He trembled slightly, realizing his mistake too
late.

“I
know what you meant. Try acting like a human being some time, good day.”  She
cut him off.  Her buckskin-clad feet were soundless on the wood floor.  Kat
knew what she had to do.  She could not stand for Lawson to get ahead or think
he was.

“She
is as annoying as her father was.”  Mister Lawson muttered his face puce.  Kat
went across the road to the general mercantile to see Jacob.

“I
loved the moccasins, Jake.”  She grinned.  Jacob turned from the jars he was
stacking on a shelf.

“I
hoped you would visit me Kitty Kat, did the Levi's fit?  They are getting
pretty popular these days, damn near indestructible.”  Jacob came to hug her.

“Like
a glove, I need supplies Jacob, on account.”  She smiled at him.

“No
problem, what can I sell you?  You have grown so Kitty Kat.”

She
read off her list from memory.  Jacob scurried about finding her items.  He
would have to order the chicks and trees she requested.  He loaded her wagon
and handed her a couple of envelopes explaining the mail had come.

“Know
anyone that wants to sell a male hog Jacob?  You gave poor Thomas all females.”

“I
have a male I was going to butcher him first frost this fall but I am willing
to part with him.”

“Let
me look him over and we will bargain for him.”

“Not
necessary, I will trade you another jug.”  Kat smiled, she would not be talked
into a bad bargain.  Her mother taught her to always inspect her purchases
carefully.

“I
want to see him first.”  Kat looked the hog over and agreed if Jacob would
deliver him she would have a jug ready.  Kat climbed into her wagon and slapped
the reins over the horse’s back.  It lurched beneath her; Jacob shook his head
and went back inside.

A
young man watched her from a few doors down, and then went in the store.

“Was
that Wild Kat Whitley?”  Paul took a seat at the checker board pretending not
to be as interested as he really was.

“Sure
was, you ought to go calling on her Paul, you need a wife.”  Jacob looked over
his spectacles.

“No
thanks, too much competition.”  The skinny blonde man chuckled.

“Other
fellows interested?”  Jacob fished for gossip.

“No,
too much competition over whom would wear the pants and who would mend them.” 
They both enjoyed a good laugh. The truth was that Paul knew she would never
have him. She would always be a better man than he was.

“Where’s
the hog?”  Thomas asked quietly.  He aimed to soothe the angry words away, he
had his doubts she would return at all.

“Being
delivered.  I brought more seeds and I ordered a few things.  Here is the
mail.”  She handed it to him climbing down.

“These
are for you.” Thomas flipped through the letters.

“Are
they?  I didn’t look.”  He handed the letters back and took the reins from her.

“All
three are yours.”  She took her mail in the house and sat at the table. The
first two were whiskey orders.  The third was a letter from her sister Julie. 
Kat cried as she read the letter.

That
day had been the worst of her short life.  Kat only eleven then, spied on her
older sister and her beau, Doug.  She watched them make love in the hayloft the
night before and announced it at the breakfast table to their parents.  Her
father was livid.  He threatened to take Julie to a convent and Julie ran
away.  She and Doug weren’t heard from since.  Her mother and father, finding
Julie missing at bedtime, got in the wagon and headed for Doug’s home place. 
Her angry father not thinking cut through a field seldom used and rolled the
wagon over a rocky hillside.   They were both killed.  Julie did not know her
parents were dead and she wrote to apologize for running.  She had twins last
fall and they were all happy in New York.  She would write again soon.

“Are
you all right?”  Thomas’ big rough hand squeezed her shoulder.  Kat jumped
startled. She had not heard him come in.  “Bad news?”

“No
actually it’s good. My sister had twins.  She does not know about our parents
though.”

“I
am sorry.  Maybe you could visit her.”  Thomas sat down beside her.  The chair
creaked with his weight.

“And
let you have my farm?”  Her voice rose to a fevered pitch.

“Are
we back to that again?  It’s my farm I told you.”  He answered calmly.

“I
will buy it from you.”  She offered hastily.  Thomas stood towering over her.

“It
is not for sale.”  He leaned back against a wall and crossed his arms over his
massive chest.

“I
will give you five thousand for it.  You can start a better farm somewhere
else.”  Her eyes were wild and desperate.  Thomas wondered if she would have
hysterics.  He heard of women having them before and they had to be slapped. 
He thought he may enjoy that right now.

“Not
for sale.”  He shook his head.

“Then
I will wait, Mister Woods.”  She stood before him, her back straight and her
entire body rigid.

“Do
that Miss Whitley.”   He stomped out.  “Damned woman.”  Thomas kicked the
dirt.  Toby trotted after him staying clear of the big boots.

They
worked side by side on the garden, silently.  Each one eyed the other
suspiciously.  They tended their chores, Kat doing most of the work.  She was
earning her keep by cleaning, washing and preparing meals.  Thomas wanted to be
friends with this beauty.  She had a nice sense of humor and her mind was as
sharp as a steel trap.  She reminded him a lot of his own mother.  He wondered
if there was a chance that he could talk her into going to the altar but only if
he could dull that sharp tongue. He was mature enough to know this was a small
argument and nothing to get upset about.           

Kat’s
belly flip-flopped when he got too close her gut twisting for reasons she did
not understand and muscles deep in her belly clenched unbidden.  Her hands
trembled sometimes when she knew he was watching and her breast filled with
butterflies.  He would be gone next winter and things would get back to normal
but did she really want to spend the rest of her days here alone?  She played
with Toby and tried to teach him to hunt but he was not as good at it as she
was.  She did manage to teach him to fetch and roll over. Thomas watched her,
his own pulse quickened when she was too near or if she brushed against him, God
help him, and she couldn’t be the one to change his mind about females.  Could
she?  She was extraordinary though, beautiful, hard-working, and clever.  She
was suitable for a partner and he would like to see her at dawn with her hair
spread out over his pillow and her cheeks flushed and her lips bruised after
making love.  He shook his head to clear it and went back to his book about
hunting.

Thomas
came in for lunch on a hot spring day, his shirt off and feet covered with
mud.  Kat’s breath caught when she saw his bare, brown chest.  He was well
muscled and strong.  His skin danced when he reached for things on the table. 
Her eyes inspected the strong brown forearms.  They traveled up the huge bicep
to the muscle working in his squared jaw. Her gaze shifted to his eyes and her
breath caught when she saw him watching her, again.   She dropped his glass of
water her nervous hands simply released it of their own accord.  The glass
shattered and water splashed everywhere.  She cursed under her breath.   He
smiled as she squatted to pick up the pieces and to dry the floor.  He knew he
had an effect on her and hoped secretly it would worsen.  She was still young
and could not have spent much time around men.  If she were as interested as he
thought she was, it should be easy.  He thought that it was desire in her eyes.
It had been quite some time since he had been around a woman but he was pretty
sure that he could still recognize desire. Even if she wasn’t sure that was
what she felt.

“You
drop a lot of things, don’t you?”  He goaded her.  “You should see a doctor
about that.”  His dimples flashed teasing.  Straight white teeth glinted when
he spoke.

“I
will get better soon, I think in January.”  She answered from her place on the
floor.  He knew what she meant and only grinned he did not feel threatened by
her.

She
dreamed of him that night.  In her dream he touched her the same way that Doug had
touched Julie in the hayloft.  She could feel his warm lips and his rough hands
on her bare skin.  She woke in a cold sweat but satisfied. He wasn’t bad, he
was nice when he wasn’t teasing her or gawking at her.   It was still dark. 
The night was as hot as the day.  Kat pulled her shoes on and climbed from the
loft.  The moon was almost full and high in the sky.  She headed toward the
creek.  Thomas watched her leave from his seat on the porch.  He was having a
lot of trouble sleeping lately as well. His own dreams haunted by green eyes
and long black tresses. She did not see him.  He eased off the steps and
followed her.  Perhaps she would lead him to her whiskey stash. She hurried
down a path beside the creek.  He could hear creatures scurrying about in the woods
and did not like not being able to see them.  She did not seem to notice.  He
followed at a distance so she would be unaware of him.  He tried to move
carefully.   He noticed that she did move silently through the dried leaves
left from last fall.  The smell of pine and rich earth filled his senses as he
stepped quietly to be as silent as Running Deer.  She crested a small hill and
stopped.  She pulled her clothes off. Thomas turned his head out of respect,
his shaft hardening.    When he looked back to where she stood, she dove over
the side and disappeared.  Thomas hurried down the path to see where she had
gone. His last dream, the one that woke him was still fresh in his mind.

She
came to him in his bed.  She stood at the side of it in some white wispy dress
that he could almost see through.  Her finger tip lightly traveled up his arm
and over his cheek until it touched his lips.  She leaned over to kiss him, her
breast brushing his arm and just as she was about to touch her lips to his, he
saw the knife gleam in the moonlight.  He woke with a scream on his lips and
Toby’s tail tickling the arm she touched in his dream.  Thomas thought a breath
of fresh air would clear his head and now here he was in the woods in the dark.

 He
reached the crest to see where the wide rushing creek went.  He heard a dove
coo.  He thought nothing of it, but she looked around.  There was a small
waterfall that fell into a deep pool on the other side.  It splashed soft and
inviting. He imagined it to be cool on this humid night.   She was there under
the falls with her hair loose and her head leaned back. The moonlight fell
across her, she could have been a dream. She was too beautiful.   The water fell
onto her head and caressed her naked body with its wetness.  He watched her,
fascinated.  His fingers unknowingly unfastened the gallowses of his overalls;
they fell to his feet.  Thomas’ eyes never left her.  He slipped from his boots
and clothes and kicked them aside.  His eyes were still fixed on her.  Her long
hair hung down covering most of her body.  Thomas wondered how deep it was. 
Judging by her height in the water it was only five feet or so.  He walked down
instead.  The smell of creek water and minerals grew more intense.  Kat saw him
making his way down the rocks and saw he had removed his clothes already.  He
had followed her here.  She heard the dove again. There was no mistaking it was
Great Bear warning her.  She hurriedly escaped from the pool, leaving it on the
opposite side.  Kat got dressed while she walked away returning his call to let
her know she was safe and that she’d heard him.  Thomas saw her climb up and
over the hill and followed her.  She walked out of the woods and hurried home,
he frightened her, because she knew not his intentions.  He could want to do
things to her she was not ready for and this grew into a fear that pounded her
heart and twisted her insides into knots.   He waited until she was safe in the
barn before going to bed.  His sleep was fitful and it was caused by dreams of
moon-silvered limbs and breasts.