Brave Beginnings (8 page)

He let out a loud sigh. “I’m sorry. Had I
known you would drag me out into the middle of nowhere, I wouldn’t
have said anything about Chogan in that letter.”

“Let that be a lesson to you. Next time, make
sure you get your facts right.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t forget.”

Thank goodness Gary had been wrong! But she
still wished he could go faster. By the time she saw Chogan sitting
by the fire, he had noticed them. He stood and wrapped the robe
tighter about himself.

“Who is there?” he called out.

“It’s me and Julia,” Gary shouted.

“You go too slow,” she muttered to Gary.
“Stop and I’ll get out.”

“But we’re almost there,” Gary protested.

“Gary!” She gave him her best ‘do it now’
look, silently willing him to comply.

With a shrug, he obeyed.

She got out of the buggy and ran toward
Chogan. The distance wasn’t far between them, but it seemed to take
her forever to reach him. When she stood in front of him, his eyes
were wide and his face pale.

“Are you a vision?” he hesitantly asked as he
touched her shoulder.

She laughed. “No. I’m real.” Taking a deep
breath, she continued, “Chogan, I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you.
I wanted to explain, but then Gary wrote that you were married and
I thought it was too late.”

“You do not want white man?”

“No. I never did.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “Then you
are real? You are here?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m really here. I’m not a
vision.”

A smile widened across his face before he
leaned forward and kissed her. “Julia, you marry me?”

“Yes. Oh Chogan, yes!” She threw her arms
around his neck and kissed him.

“You are cold.” He gently took her by the arm
and led her to the campfire. He glanced over her head and called
out, “You come to fire or stay there and freeze?”

Surprised, she turned her attention to Gary
who waited in the buggy, not far from them but careful not to be
caught staring at them. “It might do him good to stay there for
awhile,” she said. “He told me you were married. It’s why I didn’t
come to see you sooner.”

Chogan chuckled. “You have much fire in you.
I miss it.”

“Missed. Past tense. I’m here now and won’t
ever leave you again.”

“I learn to speak like you,” he promised as
he sat down and opened his arms to her.

Her face flushed at the thought of being so
close to him while they were yet unmarried, but she reasoned he was
only going to hold her so she sat on his lap. He brought his arms
around her and the buffalo robe sheltered them both. She snuggled
against him, noting the softness in his clothing. But it was his
solid presence that she most enjoyed. He was strong and built for
hunting. Even as her heart raced from their close proximity, she
didn’t want to forfeit the pleasure in the moment. Wrapping her
arms around his waist, she rested her head on his shoulder and
didn’t bother looking up as Gary approached.

“I marry sister. It is good I hold her,”
Chogan told him.

Julia laughed, finding it amusing that he
felt the need to explain the situation to her brother.

Gary gave a reply in the Mandan tongue, and
this was followed by Chogan using the same language to make what
sounded like a retort if she guessed the tone of his voice
correctly.

She frowned and glanced from one to the
other. “It’s rude to say something about me unless I can understand
it.”

Gary sat across from them and took off his
gloves so he could warm his hands by the fire. “You don’t need to
know everything that goes on around you,” he told her.

“If it’s about me, I do,” she replied.

Chogan gave her a slight squeeze. “He tell me
to wait until we marry to do more. He said he has gun.”

“You lay a hand on him, and I’ll shoot you
with an arrow,” she teased. “You know I can do it too.”

“She quick learner,” Chogan added, pride in
his voice.

As if to mock her, Gary spoke to Chogan in
the Mandan language and laughed.

Chogan grinned and whispered in her ear, “He
tell me I be careful when I sleep.”

“Gary!” Despite herself, she couldn’t pretend
to be angry.

Gary muttered something under his breath.

She looked at Chogan to see if he’d translate
it for her.

“You do good not to know,” Chogan said. “We
speak English, Gary. It not fair to her.”

Gary made a show of rolling his eyes but
agreed.

Though she wanted to know what Gary said, she
opted to let the matter go.

“I make decision,” Chogan told her. “I spend
much time in thought. I want to be with you.”

“I know that,” she softly replied, not
wishing for her brother to hear everything they were saying. “We
will get married.”

“Yes. I go with you. I live with you.”

His meaning dawned on her, and she
straightened so she could look into his eyes. “Chogan, are you
sure? What about your tribe?”

“Tribe go on without me. I not belong there
anymore. I belong to you.”

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed
him. “I belong with you too.”

“I came out here for this?” Gary
muttered.

She glanced his way and saw him grimace. “You
have no idea what I had to endure while I watched you and Woape
when you were first married. It serves you right to have to gag
around me as well.”

“That was different.”

“Was it?”

“Sure. Woape’s better looking than
Chogan.”

“That’s a matter of opinion.”

Gary shrugged and rubbed his hands. “I’m
finally getting some feeling in my fingers. I wish you two had
decided to find each other when it was warmer out.” Then he smiled.
“It’s nice to see you happy, and it’s about time you got
married.”

She smiled in return before she turned back
to Chogan. “Do you understand everything we say?”

“Some. You talk fast,” Chogan replied. “But I
learn. I get my things and we go Bismarck.”

“Tonight?” she asked.

Gary spoke to Chogan, once again using the
Mandan dialect, and this was starting to annoy her. She wanted to
know what they were saying.

Gary paused for a moment to tell her, “It’s
easier and quicker for me to ask him what he wants to do if I can
speak in his language.”

Since the atmosphere was amiable between
them, she allowed them to continue talking. After a minute, the two
men seemed content. She waited but they remained silent, so she
finally asked, “Are you going to explain what’s going on?”

Gary shrugged. “I’ll take Chogan’s horse to
the tribe and retrieve his things. Things are not like you’re used
to. The women own the lodge. Men just own their horse, hunting
tools, clothes and any sacred bundles they’ve purchased or
inherited.”

“A sacred bundle?”

“It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have one. The
one that belonged to his first wife went back to her family when
she died.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll collect the hunting tools and bring
them out with his horse. He doesn’t feel like going back to the
tribe. Apparently, some people there are giving him some grief, and
he’d rather not see them.”

“Grief?” She looked at Chogan. “What is
wrong?”

Chogan ran his hand up and down her back.
“Some want me to marry. I not want women they choose.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and
sighed. “I’m glad you didn’t marry someone else.” She gave him
another kiss, not caring if Gary was watching or not. He’d have to
deal with it, just like she had to deal with him and Woape.

They didn’t remain by the fire for much
longer. Once they were sufficiently warmed up, Chogan and Gary took
down the teepee. By the time they were done, it was well into the
night, but Julia was too excited about the turn of events to worry
about how late it was. She spent her time watching Chogan and
thinking of their future. If there had been any doubts about not
being with Ernest, this put all of those to rest.

When they were done, Gary went over to her
and said, “I will return the teepee to his lodge and let you ride
back to Bismarck with him. Then you two can start your lives
together.”

“Thank you, Gary.” She hugged her
brother.

“It’s the least I can do for causing so much
confusion.”

She laughed. “I’ll tell Woape and Aunt Erin
you’ll be coming soon.”

Gary nodded before he attached the travois to
the horse and helped Chogan set the disassembled teepee onto it. As
he secured it, Chogan threw snow onto the fire. Once it was out,
Chogan went over to her, and they went to the buggy.

“I marry you now,” he said.

“In the morning,” she replied. “We can’t wake
the preacher in the middle of the night.”

“When sun rises?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “Good.” Taking her hand, he led
her to the buggy.

***

By the time Julia and Chogan arrived at her
aunt’s, dawn was on the horizon.

“We marry now.” Chogan pointed to the
sky.

“Soon. It’s still early. People are
asleep.”

“People sleep too long.”

She chuckled. “We can get warm and eat first.
Then we’ll get married.”

He sighed but complied and entered her
house.

Though she knew she should be tired, she
didn’t want to sleep. Part of her was afraid this had all been a
dream, and if she woke up, she’d find herself alone. So much had
happened and every bit of it had been wonderful.

She took off her coat and hat and hung the
items in the closet. “I’ll take that.” She motioned to his
robe.

He shrugged the robe off and handed it to
her.

“This feels nice,” she whispered, not wishing
to wake the others in the house.

“You feel better,” he teased.

While she hung the robe up, he wrapped his
arms around her waist and kissed her neck. She shivered in delight.
“Chogan,” she softly protested despite her giggles. “You must
wait.”

“I wait in buggy.”

His breath tickled her ear, and she giggled
harder. Then he turned her around and gave her a lingering kiss
that sent a tingle straight down to her toes. He pulled her against
him and kissed her again, but this one seemed more passionate and
less playful.

Breathless, she reluctantly pushed him away
and laughed. “We have to stop.”

“Not want stop.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t kiss me once
in all the time we hunted for rabbits.”

“We not get married then. We marry now.
People awake.”

She groaned. “You’re terrible.” Even as she
said it, she pulled him closer and rested her head against his
chest.

He wrapped her in his arms and kissed the top
of her head. “It good with you. I glad you come.”

“I’m glad you aren’t married yet.”

The sound of footsteps coming down the steps
and a familiar yawn alerted Julia that her aunt was awake.

“Come.” Julia took Chogan’s hand and led him
to the parlor. When her aunt entered the room, she unnecessarily
said, “Look who it is.” As excited as she was, she struggled to
keep her voice low so that they wouldn’t wake Woape or
Penelope.

A big grin crossed her aunt’s face as she
hugged Chogan. “It’s true then? You haven’t married yet?

“No. Julia and I marry today. Now?” Chogan
glanced at Julia.

“After breakfast,” Julia promised, noting his
disappointment. “It won’t be long.”

Her aunt glanced at her in amusement. “He’s
waited a long time for you, Julia. It’s about time you came
around.”

“I know.” Julia didn’t mind the teasing. She
turned to Chogan. “Please sit and warm yourself by the fire.” She
motioned to the fireplace. “We’ll get you something to eat and then
go to the preacher.”

“We’ll make something quick,” her aunt
assured him.

As he nodded and sat down, Julia led her aunt
to the kitchen. “He can stay here, right?”

“You will not be going with him to his
tribe?”

“He said he wants to live in Bismarck. Isn’t
that wonderful of him? I thought I was going to leave so I could be
with him, but he said he wants to be here. I can’t think of any men
who’d give up everything to be with their wives, can you?”

“Sure, I can. Gary.”

“Oh, right. There is him. But he’s always
been odd.” Julia touched her aunt’s arm. “So, can he stay here with
us?”

Her aunt laughed. “Where else would he stay?
Now, let’s get breakfast started. He’s eager to get married to you,
so get those hash browns fried up on the skillet and I’ll see to
the bacon and biscuits.”

She obeyed and retrieved the skillet from the
hook on the wall. Placing it on the stove, she grabbed a few
potatoes and started slicing into the first one. “I feel like I’m
dreaming. It’s too good to be true, isn’t it?”

“You’re not dreaming. Woape told me he’s been
pining for you ever since you left. Members of his tribe insisted
he find a wife, and they wanted him to marry another Mandan. They
were ready to force his hand on the matter. You got out there just
in time. That’s a good sign, Julia. It’s God’s doing, I tell
you.”

“Can you imagine if Gary and Woape came out
here a week later?” She shivered at the thought.

“The timing was perfect.” She patted her
niece’s arm. “While you take Chogan to the preacher and make it
official, I’ll see what I can do about getting your room ready. A
couple needs a bigger bed than the one you got, and he’ll need
space for his things. You should get him some clothes. I’ll give
you the money once we’re done with breakfast.”

“I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Chogan
truly is a wonderful man.”

Her aunt gave her a knowing smile. “That he
is, and I’m happy you finally found a man you can get excited
about. You wouldn’t have been happy with Ernest.”

Julia knew her aunt was right. Ernest had
been kind, but he wasn’t Chogan. “Maybe Ernest will find someone
better suited for him.”