Wild Innocence (25 page)

“I see,” she said. She touched her chin as she studied him. “I understand perfectly. You married a sick widow for her money, thinking that eventually you'd be free to marry me.”

“Yes, yes, that's right.”

“That's despicable.”

The good humor fell from his face. “What?”

“I can't believe you'd think I'd marry you after what you've done.”

Jordan's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. “But—”

“You didn't even have the decency to tell me to my face. You sent a note! I'd never been so humiliated in all my life!”

“Rachel, I'm sorry.”

She glared at him. “Well, I'm sorry, too, Jordan. I loved you. We could have had a wonderful life together, but now I don't love you anymore.”

His face lost color. “You don't mean that.”

Her smile was grim. “Yes, yes, I do.”

“I came all the way out here for you!” he exclaimed.

“I didn't ask you to come!” she shouted.

He grabbed her then, forced her to accept his kiss. “I can make you want me.”

She eyed him coldly. “No, you can't.” She didn't slap him. She just didn't care enough to do anything but stare.

“I thought you were different,” he said. He narrowed his gaze as he studied her. “You look different.” His eyes widened with sudden understanding. “There is someone new.”

“That, dear Jordan, is none of your business.”

“Who is it?”

She stiffened. “I didn't say there was anyone.” She felt a flicker of pain as she thought of Black Hawk.

“Does he know what a prude he's getting?” Jordan said cruelly.

Rachel struck him then, a good hard resounding slap across his cheek.

His handsome face lost all remnants of charm. He was angry, and his blue eyes burned in his fury. Frightened of something in his expression she'd never seen before, Rachel stepped back and hugged herself with her arms.

“Bitch!” he spat as he reached for her.

She gasped and began to run. She sped toward the church building and pounded on the door. Jordan caught up with her, roughly spinning her around. How could she have ever thought herself in love with this man? she wondered. He was a consummate actor, she thought. A suave, deceitful, attractive fiend.

He shook her and called her nasty names. When the door behind her opened, she stumbled and fell right into the steadying arms of Will Thornton.

Will, sizing up the situation quickly, thrust Rachel behind him and raised his fists ready to hit Rachel's attacker.

Upon seeing the young man's fighting stance, Sinclair stepped backward and raised his hands in surrender. “My argument's not with you, fellow,” he said.

Hands clenching at his sides, Will looked livid. “No, it's with Rachel, isn't it? A woman. Do you always pick on those less able to defend themselves?”

“Will,” Rachel said, touching his arm. “It's all right.” She flashed Jordan a look of warning. “Jordan is leaving the mission now. He understands that his stay here is done. He's going to leave peaceably. Aren't you, Jordan.”

A muscle twitched along Jordan's jaw. “I'm going.”

Rachel felt herself slump against Will with relief. “Good-bye, Mr. Sinclair,” she said.

“We're two of a kind, Rachel,” he said. “You're a fool to pass up my offer.”

“I don't want you or your tainted proposal, Jordan.”

Jordan gazed at Will Thornton, and his face took on a look of scorn. “Is it him?”

Rachel shook her head.

To her disgust, Jordan looked satisfied. “I didn't think so. You need a man, Rachel. Not a boy.”

She saw Will ball up his fists in anger. “It's all right, Will,” she assured him. “Jordan Sinclair doesn't know what a real man is, for you see, he's just a boy. A spoiled, little rich boy.”

“You'll be sorry, Rachel,” Jordan said as he walked away. “You'll be sorry you didn't marry me!”

“I doubt it,” she replied. “Although I must say I have something to thank you for, Jordan.”

The man paused as if anxious to hear what she had to say. “Leaving me at the altar was the nicest thing you could have done for me.”

With a growl, Jordan spun and stomped away. Only when he was out of sight, did Rachel breathe a sigh of relief. She became aware that Will was staring at her. “Thanks, Will,” she said, her tone gentle.

He nodded. “You were going to marry him?”

Rachel shuddered and rubbed her arms. “ 'Fraid so. I guess it was worth the humiliation to have escaped him. Dear God,” she breathed, “when I think what my life would been like if I'd married that fool.”

“Hell,” Will said.

“I think you're right, Will.” With that knowledge, she felt a lightening in her heart that was dimmed only by her concern for Black Hawk.

How could she have ever considered Black Hawk a savage? He was the kindest man alive besides her father. And Daniel, she thought with a smile.

“And so I told Aunt Bess that I wanted to come here,” Rachel said.

Her family sat around her, listening to the story of her disastrous wedding day. Amelia, shocked that Rachel had never said anything about the suffering she'd endured, gazed at her sister through a film of tears.

“You should have let me knock him flat,” Daniel said.

“You!” her father exclaimed. “I'd like a go at him myself.”

“Well, it's over and done with it, isn't it,” Rachel said. “There's no need for a fight. Jordan is gone and he won't be back.”

“Thank goodness!” Amelia said, touching her sister's arm. Rachel smiled at her sister and impulsively gave her a hug.

“Why didn't you tell us?” Daniel asked.

Her father and sister seemed to hold their breath as they waited for her answer. “I felt like a failure,” Rachel admitted. “I thought I had done something wrong. Something to drive Jordan away and make him stop loving me.”

She scowled as she recalled the last confrontation between herself and her former fiance. “I realize now that the problem wasn't me. It was Jordan. He's a vain, selfish fool who thinks only of money. Apparently, he thought I wanted to be rich as much as he did. I never knew how much money he had or didn't have. I never cared about such things. Back in Baltimore, I only cared about our love. And I thought he felt the same.”

She became lost in a distant memory. “We used to talk about the future. It was never a fancy house I wanted, although now that I think of it, he did talk about one. It was the children I looked forward to, the cozy evenings we'd spend together.”
The nights we'd make love.

“Well, you're better off without him, I say,” Amelia said firmly.

Rachel smiled. “That's what I told him. In fact, I thanked him for jilting me. Said it was the nicest thing he could have done for me.”

Daniel chuckled. “And what did he say?”

She looked amused. “Let's just say that he wasn't happy with me at the time. Not happy at all.”

 

 

The sound of the Sioux ceremonial drums floated on the evening air, reaching Black Hawk, who sat hidden on a cliff above. Down below, the Sioux people had gathered for a council meeting, their number greater than the Ojibwa brave had anticipated.

Black Hawk stared at the scene below him, but was not put off by the difficulty ahead. He had been here for two nights; he would wait two more if needed. The days of the Sioux were filled with games and activities, the nights with ceremonial dances and feasting.

He was here to find his father's killer. He had waited years for this moment; a few hours or days more wouldn't bother him. At present, the Sioux warriors were pitting their strength against each other in mock fighting games.

Black Hawk frowned. There were many warriors with many weapons. He wasn't bothered. No matter the danger, he wouldn't abandon the quest now. If the consequences meant his death, then he would die knowing that his father had been honored, and justice had been done. He shifted on the rocky outcropping as he gauged his next move.

The Sioux were camped in a valley. Black Hawk saw teepees as far as his eyes could see. Which one housed He-Who-Kills-with-Big-Stick?

Black Hawk refused to die before he had vengeance. To be captured and die when he'd come this far would be a terrible thing.

Thoughts of Rachel kept invading his mind, disturbing him at a time when he could ill afford the distraction. He recalled her and Jordan's kiss, and used anger to shove her from his mind. It worked for a time, and then her image was back.

He should not have lain with her, he thought. Once he'd had her, how could he expect to forget the smooth softness of her satiny skin... the silky texture of her hair. Her breasts were ripe and full, perfect for kissing. He was plagued by images of her flat belly, her white curves ... her wild cries as he took her and felt her reach her pinnacle of pleasure.

Movement down in the valley below had him sliding back from the edge. He tried to force Rachel from his mind, but her image returned. The echo of her words taunted him.

“Do you want to get yourself killed!
”

He didn't want to die. But he was prepared to die to honor his father, just as he'd lay down his life for Rachel.

Black Hawk waited until darkness fell completely with only the Indians' fires to light his way. He knew there would be guards, but he wondered if they'd be careless. The size of their gathering might have made the Sioux more confident that no one would attack them.

But then they did not know that he, Black-Hawk-Who-Hunts-at-Dawn, waited to enter their encampment to find a man whom he would kill that night. And if things went his way, they wouldn't know of his presence until after he had killed his father's murderer and gone.

Judging the time right, he began the climb down the mountain. He'd watched for hours as the Sioux performed a dance ritual, waiting to make his next move.

The Sioux Indians broke from the gathering and headed toward their teepees.

He was surprised when he caught sight of Clouds-at-Morning among the group. Black Hawk noted the location of the brave's teepee. It would be best to head there first to learn the whereabouts of his father's killer, he decided.

Black Hawk's plans changed when he recognized He-Who-Kills-with-Big-Stick lingering outside another teepee to share a smoke with a friend. He would never forget the man's face. It would always be etched clearly in his memory.

He was startled to realize that the brave wasn't as old as he'd thought. He-Who-Kills-with-Big-Stick was a warrior in his prime. The Sioux must have been a young man when he'd murdered Black Hawk's father. Convinced that the spirits were with him, Black Hawk slipped into the encampment under the cover of darkness. He crept toward the teepee of He-Who-Kills-with-Big-Stick.

He did not get far. A Sioux guard spied him lurking behind a teepee.

Black Hawk knew the spirit of death had found him when the warrior prodded him with his rifle. He had no choice but to move toward the large teepee that loomed ahead.

 

 

“Rachel.”

“Daniel!” Rachel was surprised to see him at the infirmary. The family had eaten supper together the previous evening, their time together more precious to them after all that had occurred in the last months. She would have thought Daniel too busy at his blacksmith shop to afford the time away.

She felt a cold dread as she studied his face. “Is it Amelia?” Had something happened to her sister? Or the babe?

He softened his expression. “Amelia is fine.”

She closed her eyes, her relief evident in her sigh. When she looked at him again, she smiled at him. “What can I do for you, then?” She searched for injury. “You didn't burn yourself at the forge, did you?”

Daniel shook his head. His sister-in-law hadn't ceased to amaze him yet. She was a kind and giving woman. How could he have thought otherwise?

Because of Pamela,
he thought. Which didn't make him feel less guilty for his earlier treatment of Rachel. He'd been fortunate to have Amelia's love for the better part of two years. Pamela should have been a distant memory, one that didn't hurt him anymore. Because of Amelia and her sister Rachel, he felt that he had finally gotten over the pain of his late wife's duplicity.

“If you're looking for Father, he's not here,” she said. “But I've just baked a pie, if you'd like a piece.” He smiled. “Pie sounds good,” he admitted. “But don't tell your sister. She'd scold me for destroying my appetite before dinner.”

Rachel looked at the size of the man and wondered how any amount of food could destroy his appetite.

His knowing grin said that he'd read her thoughts and agreed.

“She judges me by her own eating habits,” he said as he followed her into the kitchen.

“I see,” she replied. She sliced a piece of pie and placed it on a plate, which she handed him. “There are forks in the drawer,” she told him, gesturing with her free hand.

She cut herself a slice and joined Daniel at the dining table. She took a bite and watched as Daniel enjoyed her culinary efforts.

“Actually, Rachel, I've come hoping to have a word with you.”

“Me?” Surprise had her pausing with her fork in midair. “About what?”

“Black Hawk.”

He watched emotion charge her expression, before a shutter lowered over her features and her guard was in place. “Black Hawk? Is he back? Have you heard from him?”

She said it casually as if it was just a topic for conversation, but Daniel knew differently. He could tell that she was anxious for news of him. He wished he had news to give her, but he didn't.

“As far as I know, Black Hawk hasn't returned yet.”

“Oh.” She seemed upset by the news.

Daniel watched her as she forced her mood to brighten.

She smiled. “What about Black Hawk?”

He decided to be blunt. “Are you in love with him?”

She seemed to reel under the impact of a blow. “What makes you ask?”

He could tell she was trying to sound casual, but he could also tell she was shaken. “Just a feeling I've had when I've watched the two of you together,” he said.

Tears filled Rachel's eyes as she gazed at him. “All right, I admit it, I love him,” she said. “Is that a crime?”

He felt compassion for her. “No, of course it's not.”

“Then why are you questioning me?” she asked, her voice sharpening, as if the intrusion into her heart bothered her.

“You've been unhappy,” he said. “You're back to work and doing wonderfully, but you seem different. And I can't help wondering why.”

Startled by how easily he could read her, Rachel looked away. “I love him, but he doesn't love me. I'm trying to go on with my life.”

Daniel stared at her. “Did he touch you?”

She gasped. “I don't have to answer that!”

“Because if he has, I'll—”

“You'll what?” she asked, her expression softening. “Defend my honor by fighting him?”

He shrugged his shoulders as if he wasn't sure what he'd do. Black Hawk was one of his closest friends and fighting him seemed unthinkable, but Rachel was his sister-in-law and his family. He would do whatever it took to defend her honor.

“I—yes, I would.”

To his surprise, she chuckled. “No, you won't,” she said, “because I won't let you touch a single hair on Black Hawk's head.”

Daniel wasn't amused. He set down his fork. “So he did touch you!” he snarled.

“He did nothing I didn't want or need. Everything I did I did willingly.”

“Rachel—”

“Daniel,” she interrupted, her tone firm. “I appreciate your concern and caring”—she smiled—“but this is my life and I'll live it.”

“But—”

“No buts. This is my business, and Black Hawk's. And I'll thank you to keep this conversation a secret. You're not to tell a soul. Not your wife or Father.”

Daniel looked unhappy with the situation.

“Please?” she asked softly.

He stared into her eyes and when she smiled and batted her eyelashes, he couldn't help grinning. He knew he'd have to respect her wishes; he cared for her too much not to. “I won't tell a soul.”

“Good,” she said, pleased. Rachel scooped up a forkful of pie and placed it between her lips. When he hesitated in eating, she flashed him a look that had him placing a forkful in his mouth. “More pie, Daniel?” she asked, then grinned.

He stared at his empty plate. “Yes, please.”

Her green eyes twinkled. “It's my pleasure to serve you,” Rachel said. She smiled, knowing that her brother-in-law was an honorable man and that her secret would be safe and sound with him.

 

 

The Sioux warriors surrounded him, staring, and spoke rapidly in their own tongue. Black Hawk understood a little of what they said as he stood before the council of Sioux chiefs and awaited his fate.

There was no one he recognized in the teepee. The brave who had captured him had left, and the only warriors who had joined the council were strangers. Not that he had encountered every Sioux by any means.

The door to the teepee opened. To Black Hawk's surprise, he recognized Runs-with-the-Wind as he entered and joined the Sioux council. Black Hawk and the warrior had shared an easy peace for almost two years ... since the Sioux had learned that Black Hawk and the white doctor, John Dempsey, were friends. Indebted to the doctor for saving his son's life, Runs-with-the-Wind had assisted in the release of Sioux prisoners. The deed had formed a friendship between warriors who had been enemies, a friendship that had lasted until now.

The warrior didn't appear to recognize him. Or he didn't want the others to know he and Black Hawk were old friends, Black Hawk thought. Runs-with-the-Wind joined in the discussion between the tribal chiefs.

Moments later, Black Hawk's heart went still as another warrior entered the teepee. It was Clouds-at-Morning, a brave angered by Black Hawk's threat to kill him if he didn't leave Rachel Dempsey alone. Even now, while his own life hung in the balance, Black Hawk didn't regret the threat. It had been the only way to protect the woman he loved.

Clouds-at-Morning narrowed his gaze as he caught sight of Black Hawk, before he sat next to Runs-with-the-Wind. He looked angry, as did the other Indians within the teepee.