Wolf Shadow (23 page)

“Wolf Shadow?”

“Teressa!” Rosalia’s eyes flew open.

“Mama.”

“Eduardo! She is awake.”

A moment later, Edward Bryant burst into the lodge, a huge
grin spreading over his face when he saw that she had regained consciousness.

“Tessa!” He knelt beside her. “How are you feeling, baby?”

“Better.” Her head hurt, her arm hurt, but she was glad to
be alive. “Where is Wolf Shadow?”

Edward snorted softly. “He’s gone hunting.”

“Oh.” She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice
but knew by the expression on her mother’s face that she had failed.

“We were worried about you.” Rosalia brushed a wisp of hair
from Teressa’s brow, then placed her hand on her forehead, taking her
temperature in the way of mothers the world over. She looked up at her husband.
“Her fever has gone done,” she said, obviously surprised. “Perhaps Mr. Hawk is
a better doctor than we thought.”

“Kills-Like-a-Hawk is not a doctor,” Winter Rain said,
struggling to sit up. “He’s a
shaman
…a medicine man.”

“Yes,” Edward said dryly, “we know. Even though I didn’t
approve of his methods, I have no argument with the results.” He grinned at
her. “We’ll be homeward bound in no time at all.”

“Yes,” Winter Rain murmured. “Home.”

* * * * *

Chance stalked the deer on foot. He held Kills-Like-a-Hawk’s
bow in one hand, carried his cousin’s quiver slung over his shoulder. It felt
good to be alone in the Hills, surrounded by towering pines and bird calls.

He tread softly, careful of where he placed his feet. He
could see the buck just ahead, moving slowly in the cover of the forest,
pausing now and then to nibble at the tender shoots of the trees.

Chance moved forward. His grandfather, Buffalo Shield, had
taught him how to hunt with the bow. Buffalo Shield had been a wise and patient
man. He had taught his grandson how to track, how to find his way across the
plains using the sun by day and the moon and stars by night. He had taught him
how to find water. Buffalo Shield had been killed in a battle with the Crow
while Chance was hunting the men who had killed his mother. Even though he knew
it was illogical, he had always blamed his mother’s killers for his
grandfather’s death, as well. If he had been with the People at the time, he
would have been in the battle. Perhaps, if he had been there, his grandfather
would not have been killed.

Caught up in the past, he neglected to watch where he
stepped; a twig snapped beneath his foot. That quickly, the buck was gone.

Chance blew out a breath of annoyance as he watched the buck
disappear from sight. He would have to concentrate on the hunt if he didn’t
want to go back to camp empty-handed. As it was, he’d probably have to settle
for something other than a deer. But it didn’t really matter. He had taken to
the Hills to keep his mind off Winter Rain, and that wasn’t working either.

With luck, she would be ready to travel in a day or two.

* * * * *

It was late when he returned to the village. He had given up
the hunt late in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day hiking in the
Hills. It was dusk when he returned to where he had left Smoke. He looked after
the mare, then built a small fire and cooked the rabbit he had killed earlier
in the day. Hunkered down on his heels, he had kept his mind carefully blank
while he ate his solitary meal.

And now he stood outside his cousin’s lodge wondering how
Rain had spent her day. Was she feeling better? He knew she was in good hands,
what with Kills-Like-a-Hawk and her parents there, but he had a sudden,
overpowering urge to see her for himself, to make sure she was all right.

Dropping Smoke’s reins, Chance drew back the lodge flap and
stepped inside. Light from the dying fire cast faint shadows on the lodge
skins. He spared hardly a glance for Edward and Rosalia, who were sleeping
soundly on the left side of the lodge. On silent feet, he moved around the fire
pit to the other side of the lodge.

“Where were you all day?” Winter Rain asked in a soft
whisper.

“What are you doing still awake?”

“I could not sleep.”

He hunkered down on his ankles beside her. “How are you
feeling?”

“Why did you leave?”

He shrugged. “I went hunting.”

“Why are you avoiding me? Have I done something to displease
you?”

“Of course not.”

“I thought…you and I…” She took his hand in hers and placed
it over her heart. “I thought you felt something for me, in here.”

“I did. I do, but…”

“My heart beats fast whenever you are near. I thought it was
the same for you.”

“Rain…Teressa, once you get back home, you’ll be so busy
getting reacquainted with your parents and meeting new friends, you’ll forget
all about me.”

“No! I will never forget you,” she said, and he heard a
catch in her voice that might have been a sob. “Will you forget me?”

“You know I won’t.”

She lifted her free hand and traced his lips with her
fingertips. “Will you not kiss me again?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You do not want to?”

He glanced over his shoulder to where her parents slept.
“This isn’t the time,” he said dryly. “Or the place.” Gently, he disentangled
his hand from hers and drew the blanket up to her chin. “Get some sleep now.”

With a nod, she watched him rise and pad quietly out of the
lodge.

Before her parents took her home, she would find a time, and
a place.

Chapter Twenty-One

The next few days were strained. Winter Rain stayed in bed
most of the time, recovering from her wounds and trying to think of some way to
catch Wolf Shadow alone. Her mother and father hovered over her as if they
feared she would vanish again. They tried not to let her know how worried they
were, but she could see it in their eyes. Occasionally, at night, when they
thought she was asleep, she overheard them whispering together. They talked
about returning to San Francisco, about redecorating her room, about hiring a
private tutor, about a coming-out party. Most frightening of all, she heard
them discussing possible beaux. She wasn’t even home yet, she thought, and they
were already planning to marry her off!

She saw very little of Wolf Shadow. He stopped by to check
on her each day, his manner cool and aloof. He spoke politely to her mother,
avoided her father if possible, and never stayed more than a few minutes.

Her eyes devoured him whenever he was in the lodge. She
couldn’t stop thinking of him, dreaming of him. The accidental brush of his
hand against hers sent waves of heat flooding through her. The sound of his
voice awoke a thousand butterflies in her stomach. She often asked him foolish
questions just to hear the sound of his voice, just to keep him with her a few
minutes longer.

Today was no different. “Will we take the filly with us when
we leave?” she asked as he moved toward the door.

Wolf Shadow shook his head. “She’ll be happier here,” he
answered, and stepped out of the lodge.

Winter Rain stared after him. “So will I,” she murmured, but
there was no one to hear her.

Corn Woman, Yellow Fawn and Leaf came to visit her each day,
as did several of the other women, both old and young. Kills-Like-a-Hawk also
came by. On the third day, he pronounced her well enough to get up.

Her mother was at her side when she left the lodge. It felt
good to be outside. She went for a short walk, then mentioned she would like to
bathe. Her mother wouldn’t hear of her bathing in the river, so they returned
to the lodge and Rosalia filled a paunch with water. When it was hot, Winter
Rain washed with warm water for the first time in ten years. There was no tub,
of course, but her mother kept the hot water coming. They even managed to wash
Winter Rain’s hair.

Later, when her father came in, he announced they were
leaving for home the following morning.

With that in mind, Winter Rain went from lodge to lodge to
bid her friends goodbye. She managed to keep a brave face until she went to
visit Corn Woman, and then she dissolved into tears.

“Ah, child,” was all Corn Woman said. And then she put her
arm around Winter Rain’s shoulder and held her until her sobs subsided.

“What am I to do?” Winter Rain asked. “I do not want to
leave this place.”

“You will always have a home here, with the People,” Corn
Woman reminded her with a gentle smile. “Perhaps there is a reason why you must
return to the land of the
wasichu
.”

“What reason?”

“Only the Great Spirit could tell you that.”

“I will not know anyone there.”

“You did not know anyone here when first you came to us.” Corn
Woman smiled kindly. “But you soon had friends here. I think it will be the
same among the
wasichu
.”

Winter Rain sighed heavily. What Corn Woman said was true,
but she was still afraid to leave all that was familiar behind.

“In time, the path will be made clear to you.” Corn Woman
removed the beaded amulet from around her neck and handed it to Winter Rain.
“Take this, so that you will always have something to remind you of this place
and the people who love you.”

Winter Rain’s hand closed around the amulet.
“Pilamaya,
kola.”
Slipping the thong over her head, Winter Rain left Corn Woman’s
lodge.

Not wanting anyone to know she had been crying, she walked
out to the horse herd. The filly ran toward her, then slid to a stop only a few
feet away. Shaking her head, the filly rose up on her hind legs, forelegs
pawing the air before she dropped down on all fours again. Trotting forward,
she nuzzled Winter Rain’s arm.

“I will miss you, too,” Winter Rain said, stroking the
filly’s neck.

She gazed at the quiet river, the pine-studded hills, the
vast blue sky, the camp in the wooded hollow. This part of her life would soon
be behind her. Tomorrow, they would leave for the land of the
wasichu
.

Wrapping her arms around the filly’s neck, she closed her
eyes and wept.

* * * * *

They left early the following morning. Chance led the way
out of the village with a pack horse in tow. Winter Rain and her mother came
next, and her father, leading another pack horse, brought up the rear.

Winter Rain fought the urge to cry as they left the village
behind and began the descent out of the Hills. She wrapped one hand around the
amulet Corn Woman had given her, a reminder of all she had left behind, and all
that would be waiting here when she ever returned. For she would return. She
couldn’t imagine being happy anywhere else. She would go home with her parents,
spend time with them. She owed them that much. But next summer she would find a
way to return to the Lakota.

She kept her gaze on Wolf Shadow. He had been her strength
in these past weeks. No matter what happened in the future, she would never
forget him. And she intended to make sure he didn’t forget her, either. That
thought warmed her and kept her company throughout the morning.

They stopped at midday to eat and rest the horses. Winter
Rain hoped to find a few minutes alone with Wolf Shadow, but he didn’t stay
with them. Instead, he went ahead on foot. “Scouting around,” he said, but she
knew he was avoiding her again.

They traveled all that day. He kept the pace slow to
accommodate her parents. Her father rode in stoic silence, his whole attitude
one of impatience. Her mother, more relaxed, watched the passing countryside.

“It is so beautiful,” she remarked. “So…so big. I am amazed
that
Signore
McCloud can find his way without getting lost.”

At dusk, they stopped to water the horses and fill their
waterskins, then moved on to make camp in the lee of a rocky crag.

Winter Rain gathered wood for the fire and cooked the
rabbits Wolf Shadow had killed earlier. Her father paced restlessly. Her mother
hovered nearby.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Teressa
mia
?”

“No, Mama.” Winter Rain smiled at her mother.

“I feel so helpless out here,” Rosalia remarked.

“Why is Papa so restless?”

“He has business at home that needs his attention.”

Winter Rain frowned. She knew her father worked, but she
could not recall now what he did. “What business?”

“He owns the largest bank in San Francisco,” Rosalia
replied, pride evident in her voice.

Winter Rain nodded. A bank. Of course. She remembered her Papa
had left the house every morning to go to work at the bank. He had taken her
with him a few times. The first time he had given her five dollars and showed
her how to open a savings account. At birthdays and Christmas, he had given her
money to add to her account.

The meal was ready when Wolf Shadow returned. It was a quiet
meal. Her father had never been given to small talk at the table and it had
been left to Winter Rain and her mother to fill the silence. But Rosalia was
intimidated by Wolf Shadow’s presence, and Winter Rain couldn’t think of
anything to say.

They went to bed after dinner, all but Wolf Shadow. She
could see him now, standing a few feet away staring off into the distance. She
wondered what he was thinking about. Was he anxious to be rid of her and her
parents so he could get back to his own life? Where did he live when he wasn’t
with the Lakota? What did he do? She fell asleep wondering about the man who
had stolen her heart.

* * * * *

The days and nights blurred together as they made their way
across the vast grassy plains until, at last, they reached the first of the
small towns that signaled the beginning of civilization. They passed through
several such towns along the way, places that were no more than a wide spot in
the road lined by a few ramshackle buildings. Wolf Shadow bought whatever
supplies were available at each town.