Savage Dawn (7 page)

Although there was only a crescent moon on this second night that Nicole was with Eagle Wolf, it lighted the heavens and all that lay beneath. The sky was filled with a brilliant scattering of stars, twinkling brightly.

Every now and then the campfire Nicole and Eagle Wolf were sitting beside sent sparks into the air, looking like orange fireflies against the dark sky.

Nothing seemed real, though, to Nicole. Her life had changed so much in such a short period of time.

Was it truly only a few days ago that she was in St. Louis, content, with a bright future ahead of her?

How excited she’d been as she packed her belongings so that she could finally be with her parents again. It had been hard staying behind in St. Louis, until she had that teaching degree in her hand.

She had that degree now, but everything else she loved was gone from her.

Of course she still had her aunt Dot and uncle Zeb, who would welcome her back with open arms should she decide to return to St. Louis. But she had been very aware that their health was quickly failing.

In fact, they were not well enough to hear about what had happened to Nicole’s mother and father. Knowing such a thing would surely kill them.

Nicole decided she could not let them know about the tragedy in their family. St. Louis and their home could not be her destination.

If she returned there, her aunt and uncle would want to know why, and she couldn’t reveal the truth.

No, she would never tell them about the horrors of how her parents had died. She could hardly bear knowing it herself.

As she had slept last night, the scene of death that she had found at Tyler City came back to haunt her dreams.

Perhaps if she had been able to bury her parents, she might be able to sleep at night. But she hadn’t buried them, and she was afraid, still, to go near the town.

It was truly a ghost town now, with none but the dead to inhabit it.

Those who had lived there were merchants and their families who had been encouraged by her father to join in this new venture with him. Only months ago they’d built their establishments
and their homes. They had decided to follow her father because they thought they were going to be part of a growing, prospering city. As they feverishly tried to reach their families when the shooting began, had they had the time to realize how disastrous that decision was?

Had any of them been able to be with their loved ones when they were killed? Or had they died apart, never to see or hold one another again?

“Is the rabbit cooked well enough for you?”

The deep voice of the man she was so attracted to now broke through Nicole’s thoughts.

The day they had just spent together had been a little awkward. Both of them seemed to realize that they had feelings for each other, but both realized that carrying their feelings further was an impossible dream.

Nicole knew that Eagle Wolf’s people had cause to hate all whites, as did Eagle Wolf, himself. She would never be accepted by them.

Nevertheless, she had oh, so enjoyed these moments with him. Today, his fever was gone and he had been strong enough to hunt for their supper.

He had supplied the rabbit meat and she had supplied a pocketful of delicious berries that she had found while he had been on the hunt.

This evening meal with him would be cherished in her memory forever, for even though she had not told him, she knew it must be their last time to eat together.

Yes, tonight, after he fell asleep, she would sneak away and leave him to return to his normal life.

He had told her today, as they had talked eagerly, that he was well enough now to return to his people. He did not want to worry them unnecessarily.

His temperature was gone and the red spots were fading on his skin.

Yes, he had fought and won the battle with measles. He was free to return home and resume his duties as chief.

He had even confided in Nicole that he had not felt completely comfortable leaving his younger brother in charge.

He knew that his brother was power-hungry and would cherish these moments of leadership. He might enjoy them so much that he would wish to remain the Owl Clan’s chief.

Those words made Nicole shiver. Would his brother want Eagle Wolf out of his life permanently?

“The meat is delicious,” Nicole finally blurted out, having found herself once again immersed in disturbing thoughts.

But that had been the way the latter part of the day had been as they both tried to accept the fact that the instant attraction between them could lead nowhere.

They had not yet talked about how they would say good-bye and mean it.

She had decided that farewells would be too painful. After Eagle Wolf went to bed tonight, she would only pretend to fall asleep. She would slip away into the night while he lay asleep, thinking she would be there in the morning when he awakened.

“You have been so quiet,” Eagle Wolf said, searching Nicole’s eyes. “Even more so than usual. What have you been thinking about so hard?”

“Things I shouldn’t,” Nicole said, hoping he would suppose that she meant the massacre.

Oh, how could she leave?

Did she have the courage to sneak away into the night, feeling that she was leaving someone who might be her soul mate?

She believed she was born to be with him. It was obvious how they felt about each other as they talked and as they looked deeply into each other’s eyes. If one of them accidentally brushed a hand against the flesh of the other, it was as though they had touched heaven!

“You will never be able to forget what happened to your parents,” Eagle Wolf said, leaning toward the fire and dropping a bone into its flames. “But the memories will become less hurtful as time goes on.”

He relaxed again beside the fire, his stomach full. “In my time, I have seen too many die who should still be living and enjoying their families,” he continued. “It never gets easier to witness
death. But eventually some peace enters your heart so that you can go on with your life. My people’s Great Spirit has always helped us through heartache, and given us the strength to accept that which caused the heartache. In time, you will think about your parents and only remember the good, not the bad. When you see them in your dreams, or your mind’s eye, you will see them smiling back at you. Know, always, they are with you even when you cannot see them.”

He placed a hand over his heart. “It is here, in your heart, that they will always remain,” he said thickly. “As long as your heart beats and you have an ounce of breath in you, they, too, still exist. That is what sustains us, knowing that we hold within us someone dear who may have passed on to the other side physically, yet spiritually remains still in the heart. Your parents will always be there to reach for so you still feel loved.”

“That is such a beautiful way to think about it,” Nicole said, marveling anew at this man’s ability to make her feel better about herself and her life.

She had felt such emptiness when she thought of how her parents had died. Now this wonderful man had explained to her how that emptiness could be filled with love and precious memories.

“I am telling you what I was told when I lost someone precious to me when I was a child,” Eagle Wolf said thickly. “It was a sister who died.
In age, she came between myself and my brother. My sister left this world when she was only seven winters of age. She strayed too far from the safety circle of our people and lost her footing at the edge of a bluff. The entire village searched and searched for her when it was discovered that she had wandered from the village, alone. It was I who looked down from that bluff and saw her lying there so quiet…so…dead…so broken.”

“How horrible,” Nicole gasped. “You were too young to experience such a terrible thing as that. I am so sorry, Eagle Wolf. So very sorry.”

He smiled and placed his hand over his heart once again. “Remember? My sister is not gone,” he said softly. “She is here. I can feel her. I can see her. She is always with me, to make my day brighter. When I lay so ill with fever, she was there stroking my brow with a soft, cool cloth. I was too weak to awaken and thank her.”

Nicole’s eyes widened, for he had just described how she had sat there while he was unconscious with the worst of his fever. She herself had stroked his brow with the cool water she had brought from the stream.

She saw now how he might have believed that his sister had done this, for Nicole knew there was a part of Eagle Wolf that wanted it to be his sister.

“You can bring your parents into your mind’s eye however you wish to see them, and I know
that you want to see them the way you remember them before the tragedy struck,” Eagle Wolf said, nodding. “Is that not so?”

“Yes, it is,” Nicole murmured.

An owl hooting from somewhere in the shadows interrupted their conversation, causing them both to look in that direction.

“Voices in the night that I am familiar with,” Eagle Wolf said, laughing softly. “And I believe that voice is telling me it is time for us to go to our blankets. Tomorrow is not so far away.”

He stood up and walked around the fire to Nicole. He bent down, gathered a blanket into his arms, and then held it out for her.

“Again you will sleep on this side of the fire and I, the other,” he said solemnly as their eyes met and held.

Nicole felt so much for him at this moment, it was hard not to fling herself into his arms and thank him over and over again for his kindness. He had made her feel so much better about everything.

He had such a mystical way of talking and thinking.

She longed to stay so that she could be with him forever.

When she gazed deep into his eyes, and saw emotion that matched her own feelings for him, she found it hard to believe that she would leave him tonight and surely never see him again, unless…

Unless he wanted her as badly as she wanted him, and came searching for her.

If he did find her, would he feel comfortable enough to take her to his home with him? Would he ignore how his people might feel about her?

She blinked her eyes in order to stop herself from thinking these things.

She smiled and accepted the blanket. Then she watched as he went and stretched out on his own.

Nicole spread her blanket and lay down upon it, fighting her feelings as each moment passed. Soon she would tiptoe into the darkness and perhaps never see him again.

She hated to think that she might never see his beautiful eyes and smile again, or feel that fleeting touch that seemed oh, so magical and sweet.

She ached for his arms!

She ached for his kiss!

She ached with all of her heart at what she must do.

As Eagle Wolf lay there, he wrestled with his own feelings. He knew how alone Nicole was in the world now, yet he also knew how much his people hated the white eyes.

He must trust that she would find her way to a white community. That was the only way it could be.

But he knew that he would always carry a sense of no longer being whole. This woman completed him.

Without her, life would be so lonely, so empty.

Yet he saw no other course except to tell her good-bye on the morrow.

It would be sad, but necessary.

Finally he fell asleep, only to have fitful dreams of watching Nicole ride away, his arms outstretched as he begged her not to go.

It seemed only a matter of moments since he had gone to sleep beneath the crescent moon, yet there it was dawn already, the birds overhead awakening him.

Believing he would find Nicole on the other side of the campfire, Eagle Wolf leaned up on an elbow to say good morning to her.

When he saw that Nicole was not there, he sat up quickly and looked toward where her horse had been tethered. It was gone, too. His heart sank, for he knew now that she had left while he slept.

He realized that she, too, would have found it hard to look into his eyes to say good-bye. He knew that she loved him as deeply as he loved her.

He was not certain how love could come so quickly and completely, but it had. Yet now that she was gone, he must leave, too, and return to his life…without her.

Dispirited, he rose from his blanket and prepared his horse for leaving.

Although he ached to hold Nicole and keep and protect her,
ka-bike-hozhoni-bi
, happy evermore, he mounted his horse and rode away in the direction of his home.

Yet he could not stop thinking about Nicole and where she might be, and whether or not she would remain safe.

It was hard not to wheel his horse around and go after her.

Suddenly he saw the wolf that he had saved from its terrible injuries. It was elusive, but seemed to always be near, somehow, staring at him with its mystical, yellow eyes.

And then, as always before, it suddenly ran away into the darkness of the trees.

Eagle Wolf’s eyes searched for the wolf a moment longer, and then he set his full attention on returning home.

Today he had lost two beings that he had grown to love.

The woman.

And the wolf.

He hoped someday he would see them both again.

As the morning brought its sweetness to the land, with birds singing and the sky so blue and peaceful, Sam Partain sat in his saddle. His gang surrounded him as he paused in the shadowy depths of a forest of birch trees.

From this vantage point, Sam could see a small settlement in the distance.

He knew about it. This was a settlement of Mormons. He had never been there before, but he had heard about it.

He had thought long and hard about where Nicole might go when she found Tyler City burned out. He had concluded that she would be too afraid to go to the mountain to hide, for she had to know that the Navaho were entrenched there in their stronghold.

What woman wasn’t afraid of Indians?

And since the nearest fort was so far away, Sam had surmised that she would surely go to the closest place to find sanctuary.

Yep, he might even now be looking at that very place.

He cackled to himself as he thought about the men who lived in Mormon towns. Did they not make it a practice to take more than one wife?

Now, if given the opportunity, who wouldn’t want Nicole as one of those wives? He had admired her beauty in St. Louis. She was petite and beautiful, with fiery red hair that hung down to her waist.

Sam laughed throatily as he recalled how clear she had made it that she had no interest in good ol’ boy Sam Partain. Well, soon she’d have no choice about associating with him.

“Do you think she’s there?” A voice broke through Sam’s thoughts.

He turned and gazed at his right-hand man, Ace Koontz. “I’d bet my bottom dollar on it,” Sam said, snickering.

He stroked his scraggly golden beard as he again looked at the town called Hope. “Yep,” he said thickly. “She just might have gone to those Mormons for help. Well, there’s no time like the present for this ol’ boy to find out.”

“Want us to go with you?” Ace asked, tilting his head slightly sideways as he was wont to do.

His black hair hung to his waist, and his skin was sun bronzed. At a distance, he might be mistaken for an Indian. But up close, his sea blue eyes showed that he was a white man.

“Naw, not yet, anyhow,” Sam said, tightening his hold on his reins. “I’ll go in, sololike, and ask whether that pretty thing is there or not.”

“How are you going to get them to give you answers, you bein’ a stranger and all?” Ace asked as Sam turned to look into his eyes once again. “If’n she saw the massacre, might’nt she have warned those people not to trust anyone who comes to ask ‘bout her?”

“I know what I’m doin’, so shut yore mouth, Ace, do you hear?” Sam said. He almost reached out to slap Ace, but stopped short of doing it. He had more things on his mind besides reminding one of his men that he was the boss.

“Sorry, boss,” Ace said, tucking his head, so that his pointed chin almost touched his chest.

“I’ll be leavin’ you now, boys,” Sam said. “Sit tight. I shouldn’t be long. If she’s there with the Mormons, hiding out, God be with them, for I won’t bat an eye over killin’ ’em all in order to get that pretty thing all to myself.”

He laughed throatily as he broke away from his men and rode out into the clearing. He galloped off, leaving his gang hidden among the shadows of yellow-leafed birch trees.

He knew it was best that he go alone. A lone rider wouldn’t seem suspicious to the townsfolk.

Anyway, he hoped not.

If Nicole was there, hiding, would they be able to keep this truth from Sam?

Only time would tell, and he would soon have his answers, because a man was riding toward him even now, a rifle in his right hand, his horse’s reins in the other.

The man’s face had a suspicious look as he gave Sam the quick once-over, stopping his horse a few feet from him.

“You are riding toward Hope,” the man said guardedly as he glared at Sam. He sat stiffly in the saddle in his black suit, and his face displayed a very neatly shaped red beard.

“Nice to make your acquaintance,” the man then said, yet did not offer a handshake.

“My name’s Aaron,” he went on. “Aaron Smith. What’s yours, and do you have a reason to be headed in the direction of Hope?”

Sam didn’t have a chance to answer before another black-suited man rode up and positioned himself beside Aaron.

“What’s he got to say about being headed toward Hope like he has business there?” the second man asked as he glanced over at Aaron, and then back at Sam.

“He hasn’t said, Jeremiah,” Aaron replied.

“Now it’s your turn to talk,” Jeremiah said smoothly as he gazed intently at Sam. “Where you headed? Where you coming from?”

Jeremiah looked past Sam, searching for the possibility of other riders who might be this man’s traveling companions.

“Yep, I was headed for your fine town, and for a reason,” Sam said tightly. He looked past both men at the women, men, and children who had congregated at the edge of town. They were anxiously watching what was happening.

“What is that reason?” Jeremiah prodded.

“I’m looking for a woman who was supposed to arrive in Tyler City to join her ma and pa,” Sam said, trying to look innocent. “You see, I’m a friend of her pa’s. I was gone when the tragedy struck. If you don’t know ‘bout it, let me explain. Someone came while I was away from town and killed off everyone. I am the lone survivor. Well, I was a close friend to Walter Tyler and his wife, and I knew that Nicole was supposed to arrive there any day. I did not find her among the dead. I thought she might have come to you for help and you might’ve offered to take her in.”

Sam frowned at Jeremiah. “Did it happen that way?” he asked thickly. “Did my friend’s daughter show up here, frightened to death, and all?”

Jeremiah was a very astute man and knew a liar when he saw one. He could tell by the way a person’s eyes moved as he told the lie.

This man’s eyes had shifted nervously from Jeremiah over to Aaron and back to Jeremiah. He was ner vous about what he was saying, too nervous for it to be the truth.

And there was a hint of evil in his gray eyes.

Then it occurred to Jeremiah that this man might be one of those who’d killed everyone in Tyler City. And if this was one of those murdering men, perhaps the others were hiding somewhere close and waiting for him to come to them with answers.

Jeremiah knew that the lives of all of the people
of Hope might depend on him being able to keep calm in the face of danger. He had to say all of the right things to make this man ride away, and leave him and the others in peace.

“I don’t know of anyone named Nicole,” he said tightly, knowing that sometimes lies were necessary. This was one of those times. “But I hope you find her. It is terrible that so many people died in such a way. It would be sad if this girl is lost now, too.”

“And so you haven’t seen her, or heard of her?” Sam persisted. Jeremiah shook his head.

“Well, then, gents, I’ll be on my way,” Sam said. He gave both men a half salute. “Thanks for your time and trouble.”

“Don’t mention it,” Jeremiah said, breathing more easily now that the stranger had wheeled his horse around and headed back in the direction whence he had come.

Aaron wiped beads of sweat from his brow, and Jeremiah did the same. “That was a close one,” he said, his voice crackling with the fear that still had him in its grip.

“Way, way too close,” Jeremiah agreed. He turned back toward Hope, and set out with Aaron riding beside him. “Aaron, that man was lying through his teeth. We must post more sentries around our town. We can’t take chances.”

He looked slowly over his shoulder, then gasped and grew pale when he saw Sam Partain reach a
thick grouping of birch trees. Several men on horses came out of the shadows to join him.

Jeremiah scarcely breathed as he waited to see in which direction those men would ride.

When the men headed away from Hope, Jeremiah sighed with relief. Then he put his heels to the flanks of his horse and rode more hurriedly toward the town, Aaron following him.

After arriving in the town, and explaining to everyone the possible danger, Jeremiah had one more thing to say to them. “Be wary of this man who came today. He walks in sheep’s clothing, but is in truth a man of Satan!” he shouted, as the men began scattering in many directions, their hands now clasped tight on their rifles.

Wanting to see about his own family before going to take a guard post himself, Jeremiah went and gathered his wives and children around him and ushered them back to their house.

He bent on a knee as he held the children close while his wives looked on, their eyes filled with tears of fear.

“That man of Satan asked about that nice lady who rode the stagecoach with us,” Jeremiah explained softly. “No one knows where she is, or if she is even still alive. I pray that those men don’t find her. They do not have anything good planned for her—that is certain.”

To himself he was thinking that he hoped Nicole was still alive and that he could find her
someday. But not now. It was too dangerous to think about searching for her again.

He still wanted to have Nicole as his third wife. She could give him beautiful, strong sons, he was sure.

His two wives would not want him to take another wife, yet they knew better than to argue. His word was law in his household.

But…where could Nicole have gone? Would those men find her before Jeremiah felt it was safe enough to go and look for her again, himself?

He just could not get her out of his mind, or blood, no matter how hard he had tried. If she was still alive, he wanted her, and…he…would have her.

But only if that group of bloodthirsty men didn’t find her first!