Julie Garwood - [3 Book Box Set] (94 page)

More than a hundred Dakota stared at Merry and White Eagle. No one said a word. White Eagle walked straight ahead and came to a halt when he’d reached the tipi of his chief.

The older women edged closer until they surrounded Merry’s horse. Their faces mirrored their astonishment. Several women reached out to touch Merry’s leg, as if the feel of her skin beneath their hands would confirm that what they saw was real.

They petted and sighed. Merry smiled over their show of affection. She glanced up and saw Sunflower, her husband’s younger sister. Her good friend was openly weeping.

Thunder suddenly broke the silence. The ground trembled from the pounding of horses being ridden back down into the valley. The warriors had obviously been informed of Merry’s return. Black Wolf, Merry’s husband, would be leading them.

The flap of the chief’s tipi opened just as the braves dismounted. Merry watched her father. Gray Eagle stood at the entrance and stared at her a long while. His leathered face showed his stunned reaction, but his eyes, so warm and kind, soon misted with emotion.

Everyone turned to watch their leader now. They waited for him to give the signal. It was Gray Eagle’s duty to be the first to welcome Merry and her son back into his family.

Gray Eagle turned just as Merry’s husband walked over to stand by his side. Merry immediately lowered her head in submission. Her hands started trembling, and she thought
her heart was pounding loud enough to wake Christina. Merry knew her control would vanish if she looked at her husband now. She would certainly start to cry. That wouldn’t be dignified, of course, for such a show of emotion would shame her proud husband.

It wouldn’t be honorable either. Merry loved Black Wolf, but the circumstances had drastically changed since she’d last seen him. Her husband would have to make an important decision before he welcomed her back into his arms.

The chief suddenly raised his hands to the Great Spirit above. His palms faced the sun.

The signal was given. A resounding cheer echoed throughout the valley. Chaos erupted as Merry’s son was embraced first by his grandfather and then by his father.

Christina stirred in Merry’s arms. Though the buffalo skin concealed the baby, there were several startled gasps when the movement was noticed by some of the women.

Black Wolf held his son, but his gaze was directed at his wife. Merry dared a timid look up at him, caught his pleased smile, and tried to smile back.

Gray Eagle nodded several times, showing her his joy and his approval, then slowly made his way over to her side.

The holy man stood outside the purifying tipi, watching the reunion. He understood now why he hadn’t seen Merry’s face or White Eagle’s in his vision. The rest of the dream’s meaning continued to elude him. “I am a patient man,” he whispered to the spirits. “I will accept one gift at a time.”

While the shaman watched, a path was made for the chief. The braves ignored Merry and gathered around Black Wolf and his son. The women swelled forward again, for they wished to hear what their leader would say to his daughter.

Some of the more enthusiastic braves began to shriek with joy. The shrill noise jarred Christina awake.

The baby had little liking for her dark confinement. She pushed the buffalo hide away from her face just as Gray Eagle reached Merry’s side.

Merry couldn’t decide who looked more surprised. Christina
seemed to be quite fascinated by the huge man watching her so intently. She was a bit uncertain, too, for she put her thumb back into her mouth and scooted up against her mother’s chest.

Gray Eagle didn’t even try to mask his astonishment. He stared at the child a long moment, then turned to look up at his daughter. “There is much for you to tell us, daughter,” he announced.

Merry smiled. “There is much I would explain, Father.”

Christina caught her mother’s smile. She immediately pulled her thumb out of her mouth and looked around her with curiosity. When she found her brother in the crowd of strangers, she reached out with both hands for him. “Eagle,” she shouted.

Gray Eagle took a step back, then turned to look at his grandson.

Christina fully expected her brother to come and fetch her. When he didn’t immediately obey her order, she tried to squirm out of her mother’s lap. “My Eagle, Mama,” she bellowed.

Merry ignored her daughter now. She stared at her husband. Black Wolf’s expression was hard, impassive. He stood with his legs braced apart and his arms folded across his chest. She knew he’d heard Christina call her mama. The baby spoke the Siouan language as well as any Dakota child and had shouted her claim loud enough for the entire village to hear.

Sunflower rushed over to help her friend dismount. Merry handed Christina to her, thought to caution her friend to keep a firm hold, but it was already too late. Christina easily slipped to the ground, landing on her padded backside. Before Sunflower or Merry could reach for her, the little one grabbed hold of Gray Eagle’s legs, pulled herself up, and ran to her brother. The baby’s laughter trailed behind her.

No one quite knew what to make of the beautiful white-skinned baby. A few older squaws reached out to touch Christina’s golden curls, for their curiosity was too great to contain. The little girl allowed their pawing. She stood
beside her brother, barely reaching his knees, mimicking his stance, and clung to his hand.

While Christina didn’t mind being touched, she made it quite clear she didn’t want anyone near her brother. When the chief tried to embrace his grandson again, Christina tried to push his hands away. “My Eagle,” she shouted up at him.

Merry was horrified by her daughter’s behavior. She grabbed Christina, managed a weak smile for her father, then whispered to her son, “Go with your father.” Merry’s husband had abruptly turned and disappeared inside Gray Eagle’s tipi.

The moment she was separated from her brother, Christina started crying. Merry lifted the baby into her arms and tried without success to soothe her. Christina hid her face in the crook of her mother’s neck and wailed her distress.

Merry’s friends surrounded her. No one dared ask about the child until a full accounting had been given to her husband and her chief, but they smiled at the baby and patted her soft skin. Some even crooned the sleeping chant to the little one.

The shaman caught Merry’s attention then. She immediately hurried over to stand in front of the holy man, then affected a rather awkward bow.

“Welcome home, my child,” the holy man said in greeting.

Merry could barely hear the old man over the screams of her daughter. “I have missed you, Wakan,” she said. Christina’s wails became ear-piercing, and Merry gently shook her. “Hush, baby,” she said. She turned back to the shaman and said, “My daughter roars like a lioness. Perhaps, in time, she will learn.…”

The incredulous look on the shaman’s face stopped Merry’s explanation. “You are ill, Wakan?” she asked, worry sounding in her voice.

The holy man shook his head. Merry noticed that his hands trembled when he reached out to touch Christina. “Her hair is the color of white lightning,” he whispered.

Christina suddenly turned to stare at the shaman. She soon forgot her distress and actually smiled at the strange-looking man whose ceremonial feathers seemed to grow out of the top of his head.

Merry heard the shaman gasp. He did seem ill to her. “My new daughter is known by the name Christina, holy one,” she said. “If we are allowed to stay, she will need a Dakota name, and your blessing, too.”

“She is the lioness,” the shaman announced. His face broke into a wide smile. “She will stay, Merry. Do not worry about your child. The buffalo will protect her. The spirits will counsel your father, and your husband as well. Be patient, child. Be patient.”

Merry wished she could question the shaman further, but his order to wait couldn’t be ignored. His reaction to Christina puzzled her. She wasn’t given more time to worry about it, however, for Sunflower took hold of her hand and pulled her toward her home.

“You look exhausted, Merry, and must certainly be hungry. Come into my tipi and we will share our midday meal together.”

Merry nodded. She followed her friend across the clearing. Once they were settled on the soft blankets inside Sunflower’s home, Merry fed her daughter and then let her explore the tipi.

“I’ve been away such a long time,” Merry whispered. “Yet when I returned, my husband didn’t come to me.”

“Black Wolf still loves you,” Sunflower answered. “My brother has mourned you, Merry.”

When Merry didn’t comment, Sunflower continued, “It is as though you have returned to us from the dead. After the attack, when no one could find you or White Eagle, some believed you’d been swept away by the river. Black Wolf wouldn’t believe that. No, he led the attack against the outcasts, thinking he would find you in their summer village. When he returned without you, he was filled with grief. Now you’ve come home to us, Merry, yet you bring another man’s child with you.”

Sunflower turned to look at Christina. “You know how much your husband hates the white man, Merry. I think that is the reason he didn’t come to your side. Why have you taken this baby for your own? What happened to her mother?”

“Her mother is dead,” Merry answered. “It’s a long story, my friend, and you know I must first explain to my husband and my father. I will tell you this much,” she added in a firm voice. “If the tribe decides against accepting Christina, then I must leave. She is now my daughter.”

“But she has white skin,” Sunflower protested, clearly appalled by Merry’s fierce announcement.

“I’ve noticed the color of her skin,” Merry answered with a smile.

Sunflower saw the humor in her friend’s comment and laughed. The sound was immediately imitated by Christina. “She’s such a beautiful child,” Sunflower remarked.

“She’ll have a pure heart, like her mother,” Merry said.

Sunflower turned to reclaim a clay jar Christina had just overturned. Merry helped her scoop up the healing herbs the baby had sprinkled on the ground. “She’s a very curious child,” Merry commented, apologizing for her daughter.

Sunflower laughed again. The tipi looked as though a strong wind had just passed through. The baby echoed the sound again.

“It isn’t possible to dislike such a joyful child,” Sunflower remarked. The smile soon faded when she added, “But your husband, Merry. You know he’ll never accept her.”

Merry didn’t argue with her friend. She prayed Sunflower was wrong, though. It was imperative that Black Wolf claim Christina as his daughter. The promise she’d given Christina’s mother couldn’t truly be fulfilled without her husband’s help.

Sunflower couldn’t resist the urge to take the baby into her arms. She reached out for Christina, but the little one scooted around her and sat down in Merry’s lap.

“I would like to rest for just a few minutes, if you’ll watch Christina for me. I warn you,” Merry hastily added when
Sunflower nodded eagerly, “My daughter gets into constant mischief. She’s too curious to be fearful.”

Sunflower left the tipi to gain permission from her husband for Merry and Christina to stay with them. When she returned, she found Merry sound asleep. Christina was curled up against her mother’s stomach. Merry’s arm was draped over the baby. The little one was also sleeping. Her thumb was in her mouth, and one of Merry’s braids rested on her face.

Merry and her daughter slept for several hours. The sun was just setting when Merry carried Christina down to the river to bathe. Sunflower trailed behind with fresh clothing in her arms.

The baby loved the water. The day had been hot and sticky, and the child seemed to delight in splashing in the cool water. She even allowed Merry to wash her hair without making too much fuss.

Merry had just emerged from the water with her daughter when Black Wolf suddenly appeared. He stood on the bank with his hands resting on his hips—a challenging stance, yet Merry could see the tender expression in his eyes.

He confused her, giving her this show of affection now. Merry turned away from her husband to dress herself and Christina.

Black Wolf waited until Merry had finished her task, then motioned for his sister to take the child away. Sunflower had to pry Christina’s hands away from her mother. The little girl screamed in distress, but Merry didn’t argue with the command. She knew Sunflower would look after her child.

As soon as they were alone, Merry turned to face her husband. Her voice trembled as she told him everything that had happened to her since being taken captive.

“At first I thought their leader, Gray Cloud, wanted to keep us so that he could barter with you. I knew your hatred for each other was fierce, but I didn’t think he meant to kill us. We rode for several days—nights, too, when the moon was bright enough—and finally made camp above the brown valley of the white trails. Gray Cloud was the only
one who touched us. He boasted to the others that he was going to kill your son and your wife. He blamed you, husband, for his dishonor.”

Black Wolf nodded when Merry paused in her recitation, yet didn’t offer any comment. Merry took a deep breath before continuing. “He beat our son until he thought he’d killed him. Then he turned on me.”

Merry’s voice broke. She turned to look at the river. “He used me the way a man uses an unwilling woman,” she whispered.

She started to weep then, for her shame was suddenly overwhelming. The memories tore at her heart. Black Wolf reached out to take her into his arms. His touch immediately calmed her. Merry sagged against his chest. She wished she could turn around and cling to her husband, but she knew she needed to tell the rest of her story before she sought his solace.

“An argument broke out among them, for they’d seen the wagons below. Though Gray Cloud was against it, in the end it was agreed by the others that they would attack the whites and take their horses. Gray Cloud stayed behind. He was furious because they went against his decision.”

Merry didn’t have enough strength to continue. She wept softly. Black Wolf waited several minutes for his wife to go on with her story, then gently forced her to turn around to face him. Her eyes were tightly closed. He wiped the tears away from her cheeks. “Tell me the rest of this,” he commanded, his voice as soft as a gentle wind.