Dance With A Gunfighter (27 page)

One evening, after the sun disappeared and night came
quickly, Gabe realized that it must have been nearly Christmas. Her thoughts
were filled with happy Christmases past. She wished she had realized, at those
times, how hard her father must have worked to make the day, each year, such a
good one for her and her brothers. She wished she could have had a chance to
tell him thank you.

The camp was left in peace throughout the two coldest
winter months. Not a single Army patrol spotted them. Although they heard tales
from braves who roamed the area scouting for trouble, learned of Victorio’s
capture, and of other battles that raged elsewhere between Apache and soldiers,
no troubles, not even the illnesses that so often plagued the Apaches after any
contact with white men, brought grief to the band.

She eventually lost count of the days altogether. All she
knew was that the days grew warmer and a few leaves appeared on the mountain
trees.

One morning, Kaiya came to the wickiup and motioned for
Gabe to follow. She was led to the stream to bathe and given a fresh set of
clothing, a long green striped skirt and white overblouse with yellow trim.
When she returned to her wickiup, Kaiya brought her roasted venison along with
the ever-present mashed squash.

Gabe hadn’t realized how starved she had been for meat
until she took the first bite.

An hour later, the flap to her hut lifted. Her guard
motioned to her to step outside. Jess stood waiting for her. All signs of his
illness had gone and he looked strong and healthy.

"Jess!" She started to run to him, but her guard
stepped between them, his knife in his hand. Confused, she looked at McLowry,
her eyes and senses filled with him.

He stood rigidly, but she could see the torment on his
face. "Are you well, Gabe?" His voice was low.

She twisted her fingers together. "Well enough.
You?"

He tried to smile, but his eyes betrayed him. "Much
better now."

She stepped forward, but the knife was raised again and
she backed up. "What’s this about, Jess?"

"Black Cloud has taken a notion about you. Since
you’ve been here, his people have lived in peace. You fought his enemy. He
believes you’re a strong, powerful force--a
di-yin
. It seems he wants
to...to keep you here."

McLowry’s words didn’t make sense. The Apache were already
keeping them here. "I don’t understand."

McLowry took a deep breath. "I’ve talked to Black
Cloud about a lot of things. He’s a good leader of these people, but
superstitious. All he wants to do is to live in peace in the mountains. He
fears the reservation. Too many Indians get sick and die when they're forced to
live there. He’ll fight, if necessary, to prevent his people from being
taken."

She nodded. "And so, to keep things peaceful for him,
we’re supposed to remain with this camp."

"No. Only you."

Suddenly, his words, the reason for his distressed look,
made sense to her. "You’re saying,
you
can go free?"

He nodded.

Her heart swelled. "Oh, Jess, thank God! I thought
neither of us would get out of this alive."

He slipped his hands in his pockets. "We meet with
him this afternoon. There’s always the slight chance he may relent. We’ll try
to convince him to let you go."

"What if I refuse to stay?"

McLowry’s eyes met hers. "He’s very proud. Whatever
is said or done, don’t attack that pride. And, keep in mind, too, it’s only
Black Cloud’s interest in you that’s kept Nahtuyah away. We’re his
captives...and I’ve seen the way he looks at you."

She nodded.

"If you’re forced to stay here," he said,
"I’ll stay, too. If they won’t allow it, I’ll be near."

Her blood seemed to drain away, and all she could do was
nod again.

"I won’t abandon you, Gabe. Remember that."

The thought of being left behind here, while Jess was able
to go free was almost more than she could bear. The one thing she latched onto
was that Jess would be free. She’d caused this trouble to come to him. Now, he
would be spared any more of it.

"If we’re separated," he continued, "don’t
fight them. Especially don’t fight Nahtuyah. Keep alive, no matter what you
have to do.
No matter what, Gabe.
Do you understand?"

She couldn’t speak, her chest aching, as the unspoken
meaning of his words hit her.

Although the guard didn’t understand their words, the
tense currents between them were tangible, and he pushed Gabe back into the
wickiup.

She sat, trying to keep away the thoughts that terrified
her, and waited to be called.

Kaiya came to her hut and tried to comb her hair into the
style of unmarried woman. First it was pulled into a loose ponytail and wrapped
with cloth. It should then have been folded up and down and wrapped again.
Since Gabe’s hair was too short, the rewrapping wasn’t done. A large, beaded
piece of hide, shaped like a bow, was then attached. While Gabe would have worn
the bow horizontally, the Apache wore it vertically. Long cloth ties hung from
it, reaching to her waist.

Kaiya gave her an assortment of necklaces of seed beads,
and then held up long, beaded and feathered earrings. Gabe’s ears weren’t
pierced, though, so Kaiya couldn’t figure out how to attach them. With much
shaking of her head and muttering, Kaiya reluctantly set them aside.

Gabe was then led to Black Cloud’s hut. Inside were
McLowry, Black Cloud, Nahtuyah and the highest ranking warriors.

She was told to sit alone in the back of the wickiup,
while the Apaches sat in a circle together, with McLowry only a little to their
right.

McLowry addressed her formally, in the slow, stilted
manner that Black Cloud could more easily understand. "Black Cloud offers
me four of his best horses for you, and offers you the safety of his family. He
pays a great honor to so small and insignificant a woman."

She looked from McLowry to the Apaches, her pulse racing,
as her mind weighed possible replies, not knowing what was best to say. "I
am very honored," she murmured, and was rewarded by the look of relief
that crossed McLowry’s face.

Black Cloud nodded and McLowry continued. "I said I
thought you should be asked what you wished to do. Although you are a great
di-yin
,
Black Cloud knows a
di-yin’s
power can die when the
di-yin
is
unhappy. You could stay with a generous man like Black Cloud, or leave this
place with a..." he cleared his throat, "with a penniless beggar like
me. I asked him to remember that women are perverse--especially sharp-tongued
ones."

She looked from McLowry to Black Cloud and saw a hint of a
smile on the old chief’s face. Confused, she turned back to McLowry, hoping for
some clue as to what to do or say.

"It’s okay," he said. "Speak your
mind...carefully."

Panic filled her. Carefully, he’d said. Yes. If she
misspoke...

She dropped her head a moment, then took a deep breath
before facing the chief.

"You have been very kind to me. I would like to repay
this kindness. If I stayed here, I could do little. I would be a burden to you,
as I have already been. Also, if by some chance the American soldiers discover
that I’m here, they will pursue this camp, and many people will die. If instead
I leave with the worthless one"--she nodded toward McLowry and saw him
raise an eyebrow--"I will fight Tanner, your enemy, and I will tell everyone
I meet that Black Cloud is a good and generous chief who wishes to live in
peace in these mountains, as Cochise was promised many years ago."

At that, her lip began to tremble. She bit it, bowing her
head, scarcely able to breathe as she waited for the reaction.

Black Cloud and his warriors spoke together. Gabe glanced
at McLowry, but he stared straight ahead. She dropped her gaze again and
waited.

"You have given us much to discuss, woman."

At his words, Gabe’s throat tightened.

He narrowed his eyes. "I will listen for the words
that Will Tanner is dead, and I will know who was the cause of it. You can stay
with...the ‘worthless’ one." Then a grin slowly spread over his lined face
and he chuckled.

Gabe’s mouth fell open as she looked from him to McLowry.
She rose to her feet, and when no one seemed inclined to stop her, she ran to
McLowry, knelt down and hugged him. Then, to everyone’s surprise, she lunged
forward and hugged Black Cloud. His braves surged toward her, knives flashing,
but Black Cloud lifted his hand to stop them before his arms tightened around
her.

"Thank you, Black Cloud," McLowry said, as he
took Gabe’s arm, pulling her away. They said quick good-byes and McLowry
hurried her from the wickiup.

"Don’t look back," he whispered.

She stared at him. "Why not?"

"I saw the look on that old fox’s face when he felt
your arms around him," he whispered. For the first time in months she saw
a mirthful glint in his eye. "I’m afraid he might up the ante to
five
horses. Then I’d be sorely tempted..."

Chapter 22

"McLowry, if we get out of this alive, you’ll rue the
day you said that!"

Laughing, he wrapped his arm around her waist and hurried
her along to their horses, already saddled. It was pretty obvious old Black Cloud
knew how Gabe’s questioning would turn out. Before Gabe could mount, she heard
footsteps hurrying toward her. She turned, ready to run or fight.

Kaiya carried a folded pair of men’s denim trousers, a
blue and green plaid shirt and a small cloth-wrapped bundle. She stopped in
front of Gabe and held them out. Gabe took them, trying not to think of what
might have happened to the man who once owned these clothes. Then, she pulled
open one corner of the cloth bundle and found dried squash and meat. It was a
sacrifice, she knew, for Kaiya to give up this food. "Thank you," she
said.

Kaiya nodded, smiling shyly. Gabe gave her a quick hug and
the woman’s face broadened into a wide grin.

As McLowry and Gabe rode off, Nahtuyah stood alone at the
end of the camp, his arms crossed and a glower on his face. He’d lost this
time, and Gabe knew if he ever got a chance, he’d do all he could to even the
score. Seeing him put a damper, for a little while, on the elation she felt,
but as she and McLowry continued to ride far from the camp, her foreboding
vanished.

They put as much distance as quickly as possible between
themselves and the band of Apache. When they reached a broad, flat mesa, Gabe
spurred her dun. As he lengthened his stride, she urged his swinging canter into
an all-out gallop and let out a whoop. McLowry’s face showed surprise for a
moment, then a big grin came over it. He gave a cowpuncher yell and raced along
beside her.

Gabe bent forward, flying with the thundering horse over
the open land. She put her hand to his neck, feeling his trembling, vibrating
muscles as they raced, the sweet smell of freedom all around them. Finally
allowing the horse to slow, Gabe pushed back her hat, wrapped the reins around
the pommel, and flung her arms wide, letting the wind sail through her hair,
and over her body.

McLowry reached her side, then leaned toward her, his
strong arm circling her waist, and scooped her off the saddle. She laughed,
wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on for dear life as his mouth
found hers in a blinding, blazing kiss. When the horses stopped, McLowry
carefully lowered her feet to the ground then dismounted. Wonder filled his
eyes. "We made it," he said, his voice hushed with awe. Then he
grinned. "My God, woman, we made it!"

She flung herself at him, squeezing him hard against her,
her joy at being with him, seeing him strong and healthy and free overwhelming
her. She shut her eyes, burying her head against his neck. It felt so good to
hold him she never wanted to let go.

He lifted his head, holding himself back so that he could
look at her. "You’re a miracle, Gabe," he whispered, causing her
heart to spin. He lifted her by her waist, high over his head. Laughing, she
held his shoulders as he spun them both round and round.

Then he stopped. Their eyes clung as McLowry slowly
lowered her along his length. She pressed her lips to his, her arms tightening
around his neck as her toes reached the ground.

She’d dreamed about this for so long, she could scarcely
believe she was holding him, kissing him, and it was real. Her tongue sought
his, in the way she remembered he’d kissed her so many months ago. His choked
groan and small tremor startled her, that she could affect a man like him. She
felt bolder, wanting him to know the strange, wonderful madness coursing
through her, even if she didn’t fully understand it herself.

She touched his back, his hair, his ears, his face, then
along his chest. She wanted to know every part of him.

When his hand cupped her breast, she felt as if dynamite
had exploded inside her. Her back arched, telling him, with her every pore,
every nerve, how much she ached for him.

Never lifting his mouth from hers, he pulled her down
beside him onto the ground, then held her close as they stretched out, his legs
intertwined with hers. He began to lift the overblouse Kaiya had given her. She
must have pulled back, startled, for suddenly she found herself looking into
wide blue eyes. "I wouldn’t hurt you," he whispered.

She nodded her complete trust in him. As she touched his chest,
she felt a tremor course through his body.

He lifted the blouse off her. Her body was tanned from
having bathed in the stream with the Apache women. Her breasts were small and
the long necklaces she wore lay between them. She saw his eyes cover her and
she wondered what he thought--particularly compared to the white, lush breasts
of Clara and so many other women he’d known. She wondered if he found her
disappointing, or as ugly as the people in Jackson always implied that she was.
She stared at him, waiting.