42

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Dinner wasn’t the same without her, Sage Eagle realized glumly as he took his helping of spicy antelope stew which seemed appropriate with the gathering heavy clouds outside and the rise of the Wyoming wind.

It wasn’t like he talked to Phoenix at the dinners. He’d rather avoided her, he had to admit. Yet, he always knew exactly where she was – at all times… in order to pointedly avoid her. Even when they ended up sitting across from each other at the table, he avoided her eyes. If, by random chance, they caught each other’s eyes, he would hold her gaze without emotion until she was forced to look away.

Sage Eagle was glad his father hadn’t noticed what was going on or the censure would have been greater than anything he’d known recently. Yet, his father didn’t understand what was behind everything – how this white woman was manipulating her way into their tribe and hearts. She was not to be trusted, yet his father didn’t heed the warnings. Though he didn’t expect anything better from his cousin, Jade Wolf, he did expect better from Pronghorn, who had yet to report to him about his date with Phoenix the previous night. Had it been successful? Had he scored? Sage Eagle half hoped Pronghorn had – it would relieve him of having to worry about her, but the other half was ready to accuse him of being just like Jade Wolf if Pronghorn had put the moves onto Phoenix – and she had accepted.

Coonagwi, the Great Spirit had reminded him. That would be her Neme’o’ng name if she stayed. And he had agreed to give her a chance, but he didn’t have to think about it until she asked to remain. Perhaps she would have done that tonight. Dancing Bear seemed to think it was imminent and that his father would gladly welcome the little family. Her daughters were sitting between Dancing Bear and Little Deer tonight, but both behaved remarkably well. They were a credit to their beautiful mousy-haired (as his sister had pointed out) mother.

And then there were the kittens.

Sage Eagle wasn’t sure what to think about them. He wouldn’t have known what to do, for sure. Phoenix seemed to know exactly what to do, how to care for them. Little Deer was hanging around them too much already. He hoped her asthma wouldn’t kick up a fuss at the little balls of fur. As much as he loved his sister, she was still her own person and would make her own choices – and mistakes – if she wanted.

“New life is never a mistake!” Dancing Bear had scolded him when he voiced his opinion when Little Deer turned up pregnant. Summer wrangler, Bucking Bull, was not a good choice for anyone – worse than Jade Wolf, who took too many women to bed, but Bucking Bull was an alcoholic and was known to buck whenever cornered about anything. Sage Eagle didn’t know what he’d said to get Little Deer to let Bucking Bull share her bed, but brotherly concern for the noises coming from her room led to observing what he’d never wished to see… “I will marry you,” he promised her as he made love to her. “I will make a baby inside you and marry you.”

“Yes!” her little voice cried out, buying every line that he uttered.

It didn’t take long to find out that she was pregnant. Her body reacted badly, making her violently ill from almost the beginning. Bucking Bull hadn’t taken kindly to that turn of events at all. He hadn’t signed up for a sickly wife!

Sage Eagle had smelled a rat from the moment Bull had put the moves on his sister, but had been unable to adequately warn her. When she didn’t turn up for the tribal meal, he went in search of her. She was in the bed she’d been sharing with Bull in that drafty old house, but her face was swollen where she’d been beaten.

He could still remember how he wanted to tremble, but he went still, so still… still with rage at the man who had hurt his sister. But he couldn’t react – not yet. Rather, he carried his sister to the clinic and served as a guard until his father had come.

“Bucking Bull returned a few minutes ago,” Nighthawk had informed at the time. “He went into a rage. I told him to leave and never come back.”

“If he comes back, I will kill him!” Sage Eagle had seethed.

“I think a dozen of us will do the same thing. Maybe I should have killed him on the spot, but I felt that for the sake of the baby I should allow him one chance to leave and become a better man. I hope he will.”

Bucking Bull returned to Stormton, but word reached Ba’a O’ng some time later that he had tried to seduce another young woman and the irate father killed him.

Little Deer had never been told of his fate – just knew that he’d never come back.

His sister was such a soft-hearted, kind soul. She trusted too deeply and far too quickly. People could easily take advantage of her – including Phoenix. She would have to do better than simply ask to stay to make him believe she was genuine. Until she truly became Neme’o’ng, she was just a grabber, another white fact taking advantage of free things.

He stood, ignoring the niggling feelings in the back of his mind. He looked at the dessert table, but could only see Phoenix sitting there, ready for him. He’d lift that beautiful skirt she’d been wearing, part her creamy thighs and bury himself in her depths.

He shook his head and turned towards the door. No! He would not succumb to her beauty, her loveliness, her… he shook his head again.

“Are you okay, Kwina?” Pronghorn asked. “It’s not like you to refuse dessert.”

“Wahn’zi, I just need to be alone!” he replied more angrily than he’d intended. He stormed out of the grange. Grateful to be in the cold, maybe he could cool himself down too. He was tired of cold showers.

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