Indiana Wild (Spirit Pass Book 1) (6 page)

Stepping back to look at the finished product, Indy couldn’t help but grin with pride at all they had accomplished in such a short time. Life sucked at times but usually not for long. She might be out of a job again and back to living in the mountains but at least she had met some really nice people along the way. Smiling at Maikoda as he carried the ladder over to the cabin and slid it underneath, she thought it would have been nice to introduce him to Sam’s daughter Aleaha. She was currently doing her residency at a hospital in Billings
but would soon be home to help Doc Emerson at the local clinic in town.

“
Come on in and I’ll make you some dinner. It won’t be anything fancy, I’m afraid. My supplies are getting a little low,” Indy said moving towards the cabin. She pulled off her gloves and tool belt and set them both on the shelf near the door.

Within minutes, she had a thick beef stew simmering over the little Sterno stove and was slicing some bread she had left over from the range. It wasn’t the softest but it would be good dunked in the stew. Setting the table, she turned to Maikoda and motioned to the old metal pail sitting on the end of the counter.

“If you’d like to wash up the water is fresh. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. You have a choice of beverages: water, tea, or coffee. I don’t have anything else, I’m afraid,” Indy said with a smile.

Maikoda liked the easy way Indy moved about. She acted like she had known him for years. Unlike the few white females he had encountered, she was not hesitant at all around him. She was even more unlike the Indian maidens. She did not try to catch his attention in any way. He was considered a catch among the females of his tribe as he was an excellent hunter and could easily provide for a family. He was not sure what to make of the slender white female who treated him as if he was her ‘brother’ as she called him earlier.

“Why are you so comfortable with me? You are not afraid to be near me, not even as it grows darker outside. Yet, you have not tried to make me want you like the young women of my tribe. I do not understand you,” Maikoda blurted out as he sat in the chair across from Indy.

“
Why shouldn’t I be comfortable with you?” She asked in surprise. “If you tried anything the boys would tear you apart,” she said nodding to where Chester and Tweed lay sleeping by the bed. “Besides, I just don’t think you are that kind of guy. I enjoyed your company today, not to mention all of your help. And while I think you are very handsome, I just don’t get that ‘feeling’ with you. Not like…” Indy’s voice trailed off as she thought of Jonathan and his kiss. She had definitely gotten a ‘feeling’ from that. She was honest enough with herself to admit she had been dreaming about kissing him from the first time she saw him out on the range.

“
As you do with the one called Jonathan?” Maikoda finished with a mischievous smile.

Blushing, Indy waved her hand to the bowl in front of him.
“Oh, shut up,” she muttered as she blew on her food to cool it so she could eat.

“
You are different from women here. I would like to find a woman such as you,” Maikoda said quietly. “I like your strength. I like how you talk with me about different things. I like how you look,” he added with another smile.

Indy laughed.
“You would like my friend Aleaha. She is absolutely gorgeous, a great listener, and the sweetest person in the world,” she teased.

Maikoda looked up in interest.
“Who is this Aleaha? She lives near here?”

Indy paused a moment trying to think. She figured it wouldn’t matter if she told him about Sam and his kids, especially Aleaha. After all, she would be gone tomorrow morning as soon as she collected her pay for the past four weeks.

“Aleaha is Sam and Claire Whitewater’s daughter. Sam is a full Lakota Indian and a medicine man of his tribe. They have six kids, four boys and two girls. The girls are twins. Anyway, Aleaha has been studying to be a doctor. She’s doing her residency in Billings right now and should be done by this fall so she can move back home to set up her own practice. She’s really smart. I have a picture of her if you would like to see her,” Indy said getting up to go to her saddle bag where her iPod was. She had all kinds of pictures on it.

Indy turned and looked at Maikoda, holding the iPod against her chest and biting her lip as she carefully studied him.
“Listen, I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone you saw me, except of course Aleaha and Sam. I have some men looking for me I would just as soon not see again for a while. I won’t ask you to lie. It would just be helpful not to say anything if you can,” Indy asked nervously looking into Maikoda’s eyes to see how he was taking her odd request.

“
I will protect you with my life, little sister. You have no need to worry,” Maikoda promised sensing it was very important to her.

Indy smiled her thanks before pulling her chair around so it was next to Maikoda.
“Okay, this is Sam and his wife Claire. This next one is Aleaha and her new pickup truck. She was so excited when she got it.” Indy went through the pictures explaining each one of them unaware of Maikoda’s reaction.

Maikoda looked at the small shiny box in Indy’s hand in wonder. What type of magic was this? He wondered silently. He had never seen images of people so clear before. It was almost like the people had been captured within the thin, silver and black box. When Indy laughed at one picture showing her, Aleaha and a group of boys standing next to a pool of clear water in nothing
but small pieces of material, Maikoda couldn’t contain his growl of disapproval.

Indy looked up startled.
“What’s wrong?” She asked startled.

“
Who are these other males who would see you and Aleaha with so little clothing on?” Maikoda growled in anger.

Laughing, Indy replied with a shake of her head.
“It’s okay. Those are Aleaha’s older brothers. We had gone to one of Taylor’s rodeos down in Texas. This was taken at the hotel. It was a fun trip,” she explained looking at her adopted family with affection.

“
All those males are her brothers?” Maikoda asked in relief.

“
Yes. Don’t worry. Aleaha and her sister Allie can more than take care of themselves,” Indy said turning the iPod off and putting it back in her bag. She let out a big yawn. She hadn’t had much sleep last night and she had worked hard today. Between the hard work and the emotional roller coaster she had been on, she was exhausted.

“
I don’t mean to be a party-pooper but I’m beat. I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be another busy day,” Indy said, yawning again.

Maikoda stood immediately.
“I thank you for sharing your company and your food,” he said walking toward the door of the cabin.

Indy followed him to the door and opened it. It was dark outside.
“Can you make it back okay in the dark?” She asked worried that she had kept him so late.

“
Yes, little sister. You do not need to worry. I will be fine,” Maikoda paused, looking down at Indy with an intense expression before he made up his mind. “May I ask you one more question?”

“
Sure,” Indy said with a raised eyebrow.

“
Where could I find this Aleaha?” Maikoda asked almost hesitantly, as if he was afraid Indy wouldn’t tell him.

Indy laughed softly.
“On the other side of the mountains. You have to go through a place called Spirit Pass to get there. Sam showed it to me. He said it was a magical pass to another world. From there you can ask just about anyone and they can point you to the Whitewater ranch. Sam can contact her for you if you really want to meet her. She comes up pretty frequently considering how busy she is,” Indy replied as her shoulders drooped in exhaustion. “Be careful on your way home,” she added sleepily as Maikoda paused as he stepped through the door.

Maikoda lifted his hand and ran it softly down Indy’s cheek.
“
Okoblaya icimani.
”

“
Okoblaya icimani,
Maikoda
,
”
Indy responded lightly as she shut the door to the cabin.

Neither one of them noticed the figure standing under the tree near the road watching them.

Jonathan had been furious as he turned the mules around to head back to the ranch house. He couldn’t believe that Indy had said she wouldn’t marry him if he was the last man on earth! Then why the hell was she on his ranch? It wouldn’t have been the first time one desperate mother or father had thought to try to trap him or Jacob into marriage
by throwing their daughter at them. Damnation, he was going to haul her butt into Meeteetse tomorrow if it was the last thing he did and find out who sent her. Then, he was going to find the preacher and have him marry them right then and there. She had been on his ranch with nothing but males for the past four weeks.

Her reputation would be ruined if I didn’t marry her,
he thought savagely.
No respectable man would touch her if they found out she had been alone on a ranch with nothing but men. Hell,
he thought ruefully knowing his and his brother’s reputations.
No respectable man would touch her once they found out she had been alone with me or Jacob.

Once they were married, he was going to make love to her as soon as they got far enough out of town he knew they could have some privacy. He desperately needed to relieve the damn pressure in the front of his pants since he first laid eyes on her. He wouldn’t give her a chance to argue about it either. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The fire in her kiss had damn near melted him with its intensity. After he had satisfied the ache they were both feeling, he would return to Meeteetse alone and beat the hell out of the ones responsible for putting her in such danger! He didn’t care who the hell they were. She should never have been placed in such a position.

Jonathan was so busy picturing all the ways he wanted to beat the shit out of the person or persons responsible for endangering Indy that he didn’t even realize that they were back at the house. He jerked back to the present when Jacob touched his arm. He looked at his brother with a dark scowl of fury.

“
So, do you want to tell me what that was about?” Jacob asked cautiously, not sure of the darkening look on his brother’s face.

“
About what?” Jonathan snarled, tossing the reins to Carl who came out of the barn to take care of mule team when they pulled up in front of the homestead.

“
You could start with the ‘Jacob please leave the cabin’. That would be good or the ‘I’m going to marry you’ would be even better,” Jacob said, hopping down off the seat onto the hard ground while keeping his brother in his sight.

Jonathan jumped down on the opposite side and stared tersely at his twin. Taking a deep breath, he finally answered.
“I can’t share her, Jacob,” Jonathan replied quietly looking down at the ground. “I can’t share her with anyone,” he added looking up at his brother. “She’s mine. I don’t know what the hell happened or why but I feel like I would kill anyone who touched her, even you.”

Jacob looked at his twin brother and nodded in agreement.
“I’m okay with that. She’s off limits. Though I have to tell you if I see her wearing what she was wearing today I am going to be doing some serious looking,” he added with a wicked grin.

Jonathan tossed his head
in aggravation. “She’d better not be wearing what she was wearing today ever again. Except for me, that is,” he grumbled quietly.

Jacob laughed as he slapped his hand on his slightly older brother’s shoulder in support.
“So, what was this about marrying?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“
I told her I would marry her,” Jonathan admitted ruefully. “All she needed to do was tell me who sent her. It won’t matter, I’m going to marry her anyway. I wanted to know if whoever sent her wanted money for her or just the prestige of her being married to a Tucker,” he added with a frustrated shake of his head.

“
And from her response I gather she wasn’t very impressed with your proposal?” Jacob probed gently.

Jonathan stopped, staring blindly at the house where he was raised. He released a deep sigh before he walked slowly up the steps into the house.
“She said it would be a cold day in hell before she told me who she was and where she came from. You also heard her say she wouldn’t marry me if I was the last man on earth. Just who in the hell does she think she is?” He asked his brother in annoyance. “We have to fight to get the women off of us. I tell her I’ll marry her and she turns me down,” he muttered, running his hand through his hair in frustration and looking in confusion at his brother. “I don’t want to take a chance on any of the men finding out about her. I’m going to pack a bed roll and head back down to the cabin in a little while. I don’t want her there alone,” he added gruffly.

It was true he was afraid the other men would find out about her and might try something but the biggest reason was he didn’t want to be that far away from her. The kiss they had shared had done something to him. He didn’t even attempt to understand it. He had kissed his share of women over the years. Hell, he had fucked his share of women and more over the years but with her it was different. He didn’t want to fuck her. He wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to make love to her.

Jonathan smiled grimly at Jacob when his brother patted his shoulder again before he headed upstairs to change and pack a bedroll and supplies for the night. He double-checked his guns, making sure he had plenty of ammunition. He would shoot any son-of-a-bitch who tried to hurt Indy. Grabbing his coat, he headed back downstairs to the kitchen. Jacob was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee while Wally packed up a pail of food for Jonathan.

“
Ed should be here sometime tomorrow with the horses. We’ll keep them in the east pasture near the house until we can divide them up and begin training,” Jacob said as he watched Jonathan take a sip of the hot coffee Wally handed him.

Jonathan nodded, setting down the empty coffee cup and picking up the food Wally had packed.
“I won’t be back until probably the day after tomorrow at the earliest depending on what I find out in Meeteetse once I come back for the buckboard in the morning,” Jonathan said with a nod of appreciation to Wally for his help.

“
It’s hard to think of you as being a married man,” Jacob said with a wide grin. “There are going to be a lot of unhappy momma’s and papa’s out there, not to mention their darling daughters.”

“
Mr. Jonathan is married?” Wally exclaimed looking back and forth puzzled. “When did Mr. Jonathan get married?” He asked in confusion wondering how he missed one of the boss men getting married.

“
I’m not married yet but I plan to be by tomorrow if all goes well,” Jonathan said sliding his bedroll over his shoulder.

“
Yeah, he just has to convince the bride to marry him first,” Jacob joked ducking when Jonathan reached out his hand to slap him upside his head.

“
Oh, she’ll marry me. I don’t plan on giving her any choice in the matter,” Jonathan said with a determined grin suddenly feeling excited about the idea.

“
Who is the lucky lady who does not want to marry Mr. Jonathan?” Wally asked curiously.

“
It’s the kid who saved Jake and Cal’s asses out on the range,” Jacob replied with a grin.

“
Mr. Jonathan is to marry a boy? Wally does not think that is possible,” Wally said with a frown.

“
Indy is not a boy. Indy is a very stubborn, very frustrating, very….” Jonathan growled out.

“
Beautiful,” Jacob added.

“
Very beautiful woman,” Jonathan finished. He was growing hard again just thinking about her lush curves, her mouth, and those long legs. Groaning, he pulled the door open and slammed his hat on his head. “I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning to get the buckboard.”

Jacob grinned as his brother left the house. Things were going to be getting very interesting over the next few weeks. He couldn’t believe his brother had been bitten by the ‘love’ bug. He had to admit, he was going to enjoy watching his soon to be sister-in-law ruffle his normally calm brother’s feathers. Yes, life was most definitely going to be getting very interesting.

*.*.*

Several hours later, Jonathan rode down the narrow road to the cabin letting the
moonlight guide his way. Luckily it was almost full. He decided he needed to take care of a few things before he and Indy went to town. Running a spread as large as the one he and his brother were took a lot of time and energy, not to mention manpower. That was something they were always short of even two years after the war ended. More and more people were starting over by moving west but it was still almost impossible to find good, dependable help.

He got off his horse when he got close enough to see the light shining from the front window of the cabin. Dismounting, he was just about to unsaddle his horse when the door to the cabin opened, spilling light from the interior. A moment later, a tall Lakota brave walked out onto the small covered porch. Jonathan’s breath froze in his lungs and he reached for his gun. Soft feminine laughter carried over the wind as Indy appeared next to the brave. She was wearing the same clothes from earlier and seemed perfectly comfortable being near the Indian. The brave said something and Indy laughed again before replying. She let out a big yawn and shook her head. Jonathan was too far away to hear what they were saying but it was obvious Indy was not in the least bit afraid of the Indian.
He didn’t care whether Indy was afraid or not when he saw the Indian slide his hand down her cheek. He was ready to shoot him just for daring to touch her. When Indy called out a goodbye and shut the door, Jonathan sank back into the shadows in relief.

*.*.*

Maikoda realized they were not alone when the dogs kept looking over towards the woods near the front of the cabin. Concerned for Indy’s safety, he wanted to make sure she was tucked safely inside with her dogs before he slipped around to see who was hiding in the dark. If it was someone who meant to harm the delicate white woman he would slit their throat and disappear before anyone knew he was there.

Jonathan watched as the tall Lakota brave walked around the back of the cabin and disappeared towards the river. Moving closer to the cabin, Jonathan
stepped around the side of it so he could peer through the kitchen window. He wanted to make sure Indy was safe before he made camp for the night. Just as he was about to look inside he felt the cold blade of steel pressing into his lower back.

“
What is your business here, white man?” A deep voice growled close to his ear.

Jonathan froze, his hand on the
gun at his waist. “I came to make sure she was safe,” he replied coolly.

“
Then we wish the same,” Maikoda said moving the blade away and stepping back.

It had taken a few moments for Maikoda to recognize the man who had slipped out from the shadows surrounding the cabin. Up close, he was able to recognize the face of the twin brother named Jonathan. He knew the white woman cared for this man even if she would not admit it.

“Come, we must talk,” Maikoda said moving toward the trees where Jonathan’s horse was tied.

Jonathan stared after the retreating figure of the Lakota brave his brother had nursed back to health several years before. He had met Maikoda only once before when the brave had mistaken him for his brother. He had been out on the range and had come across the brave passing through. He had been impressed with the man’s quiet confidence and lack of fear. They had talked briefly before going their own way.

Now, he followed Maikoda back to where he had tied his horse wondering what the brave had to say. If he thought to move in on Indy he was about to learn that Jonathan had a mean streak in him. He was not about to stand back for any man, red or white.

Standing under the shadow of the trees both men looked toward the light flowing from the front window of the cabin. Indy had shut the shutter so only streams of it peeked out from the cracks in the wood. Jonathan stared at the cabin for a moment before turning to study the brave who was intently watching him.

“What will you do with the white woman?” Maikoda asked quietly, trying to study the emotions flashing across Jonathan’s face.

“
I mean to marry her, tomorrow if I can,” Jonathan replied in a soft, steady voice.

Maikoda grinned.
“She does not look like she will make it easy for you to do this. She is a fierce one. I saw her stand up to you. She is not afraid,” he replied amused.

Jonathan ran his hand over the back of his neck glancing at the cabin again.
“You can say that again. I don’t plan on giving her a choice in the matter though. She’s been on this ranch for over four weeks with nothing but men. Her reputation is ruined,” he responded tersely.

Maikoda looked at the cabin then back at Jonathan.
“I do not think she will care what others think. She is not like the women of our world, red or white. She is…. different,” he added deciding not to share the unusual things he had seen on the strange silver and black box she had. It was better for the man to discover just how different the white woman was on his own.

Jonathan nodded his head in agreement even as a rueful smile twisted his lips.
“Well, whether she cares or not isn’t going to matter. The women folk in town will make her life pure hell if I don’t make an honest woman out of her.”