Black Horse’s gaze followed hers. He did not bother to respond with words as he reached over and grabbed the fur blanket to cover himself.
“Thank you for that, at least!” she huffed.
Black Horse ignored her indignation as he shut his eyes and tried in vain to recall the details of the previous night. He remembered coming to look for Meadow, and then he had tripped and fallen down…but that was all he remembered. He didn’t think he had drunk that much.
“I must have gotten lost when I was going to my own lodge last night,” he said with a shrug of his bare shoulders. “White Buffalo probably saw me wandering around and took pity on me, so he let me—”
“My father would not leave you alone in here with me, so I don’t think that’s what happened.” Meadow crossed her arms over her breast and drew in a nervous breath, adding, “And, he certainly would not have let you sleep in here like that.” She motioned with a
quick wave of her hand toward his naked body, which was partially covered by the blanket.
“Maybe I—” Black Horse dropped his hands down on his thighs. He had no explanation for this. “I am sorry if I have put you in a bad way with your father. White Buffalo is a respected man in the tribe.”
“I’m sure he does not know you’re here. I think he must have slept in the center of the village with the other drunks.”
“I should go, then,” Black Horse said in hardly more than a whisper. He scooted closer to where Meadow was sitting. She was so close now that he could reach out and touch her again, and this was a temptation he could not resist. His hand shook as it rose up in the air and reached out for her hand. To his amazement, she did not try to stop him as he picked it up and clasped his fingers around hers. An odd sensation passed through him as he gently held her hand, and it had nothing to do with the obvious way she affected him physically. He just wanted to hold her hand—to hold onto her—forever.
As the sun from the smoke hole brightened the interior of the lodge, Meadow could plainly see the tenderness in his handsome face. He was staring at her so intently, and he seemed so confused. She wondered if it was possible he really didn’t know what tepee he had bedded down in last night. He looked so different from yesterday, when he had stood proudly outside the tepee in his finest garments and enormous headdress.
Now, sitting here on the hard ground, a bewildered expression on his face and his long ebony hair tousled around it, he reminded Meadow of a lost little boy.
She had the urge to put her arms around him and tell him that everything would be well. Instead, she began to focus on the way he held her hand so gently in his own—and of the way this simple gesture set all of her insides ablaze with that odd feeling of pain and pleasure.
Meadow ran her tongue across her parched lips and held her breath for a moment. She knew he had to leave before someone caught them like this, but she could not force herself to pull her hand away. Her gaze met his, and it was as if the rest of the world did not exist. She leaned forward, instinctively drawn to him.
His lips touched hers lightly at first, as if he ached to be near her but was slightly unsure of her reaction. He reached up and placed his hand around her head. She could feel the strands of her long hair entwined in his fingers. His lips pressed harder against her soft mouth, and she leaned in even closer to him.
Never had Meadow imagined that she would experience such an overpowering feeling of bliss from her first kiss. All of her fears dissolved, and every inch of her body felt like a million hot coals had just invaded her. The feel of his lips against hers was like a magical journey that she wished would never have to end.
When they were forced to part for air, Meadow thought she could live forever without taking another breath if it meant she could feel his lips against hers for the rest of her life. She felt his hand slide under her chin, raising her face up so that they were staring into one another’s eyes again. His dark gaze caressed her, and everything outside of this moment was mute.
“Oh, green-eyed woman, what strong magic you
must possess. You have put me under a spell,” Black Horse said softly.
The sound of someone from a nearby tepee coughing brought Meadow back to reality. “Maybe you should go now,” she said in a hoarse tone. She cleared her throat, but not the sensuous feelings that were still surging through her body.
Black Horse nodded his head and cleared his throat gruffly, too. “
Sha
, I should go.” A faint smile touched his lips as he added, “But this is only the beginning for us.” He reached out and tenderly caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers.
Meadow remained unmoving on the ground as Black Horse slowly rose to his feet. She did not even have to avert her eyes while he dropped the fur, quickly donned his breechcloth and scooped up the remainder of his clothes. Her attention was held captive by his tender gaze. All the doubts she had first had about him seemed to disappear and were replaced with the realization that she never wanted to hide from him again. When he backed toward the doorway to leave, there were no words that needed to be spoken; his kiss had just sealed her fate.
Today had to be the most glorious day ever, Meadow decided as she stirred a pot of stew with large, succulent chunks of leftover buffalo meat. She had made corn cakes earlier while the stew was simmering, and now she was ready to prepare herself for the eve ning ahead.
As she braided her hair into one thick braid that hung down her back, Meadow relived every second of her last encounter with Black Horse. She could still feel the way his hand had caressed her face and see his loving expression as he told her that this was only the beginning for them. A wide smile settled on her lips every time she thought about seeing him again. What a difference a day could make. The way she had acted yesterday seemed so silly now, and she was grateful that she would have another chance to show him what a good wife she would be. She would prove to the entire tribe that she was the right woman for him, regardless of their prejudice against her white blood.
Although most of the men had spent the day trying to recuperate from massive hangovers, White Buffalo had found his way home shortly before the midday meal, taken a short nap and awakened after a couple of hours feeling good as new. He had then gone to Black Horse’s tepee to invite him to dinner to night, and his invitation had been accepted.
Meadow could tell that he had no idea Black Horse had spent the night with her in their tepee, and she was determined to keep this latest episode with Black Horse a secret from her father. Was it only yesterday morning that she could not have imagined keeping anything from him?
While she was sitting in the tepee braiding her hair, Meadow saw Black Horse coming out of his own lodge. She had purposely tied the door flap open so that she could watch for him. He was wearing only a breechcloth and carried a small blanket that was draped over one arm. Meadow knew he was headed down to the river to bathe again. She drew in a deep breath as she watched him approach. The attraction she felt toward the chief was something she could not deny, but it went far beyond the way he looked—with or without his clothes on. She already knew what a beautiful man he was on the outside, and she was looking forward to finding out if he was as appealing on the inside, where it really mattered.
When he walked past her tepee, Meadow noticed that he took a peek in the huge pot that was simmering over the fire pit outside. He smiled as though the contents pleased him greatly. Then, he looked toward the tepee. His smile widened when he caught sight of her through the open doorway.
“Would you care to join me at the river again today?” he asked with a sly smile and then a wink of one eye.
A gasp was Meadow’s only verbal reply as she shook her head rigorously from side to side. She hoped White Buffalo was not close by. Black Horse’s laughter reached her ears as he walked away. She was just grateful that she was sitting in the tepee, so that he wouldn’t have to
see the immense shame that had undoubtedly lit up her face again. Would he never allow her to forget that stupid episode?
Probably not! But once they were married she would relish the idea of bathing with him.
By the time Meadow saw Black Horse returning from his bath, she had managed to calm her racing heart. But she still did not trust herself enough to leave her tepee to stir the stew again until she was sure he was back in his own lodge. She told herself that she would have to learn to accept the fact that he would always have that little incident at the river to hold over her head. Of course, if they did get married, the sight of his naked body would be a daily occurrence. She grabbed a rag and wiped away the sweat from her entire face and neck. At this rate, she was going to melt away before she even had a chance to become Black Horse’s bride.
“Are you ill,
mi-cun-ksi
?” White Buffalo asked worriedly as he walked up to their tepee.
Meadow threw the rag down on the rocks surrounding the fire pit and attempted to answer him in a coherent manner. “
Sha
. Well, maybe…I don’t think so,” she finally admitted. There was no use trying to hide everything from her father any longer—he was far too wise and intuitive.
“Then come, sit with me and tell me what is bothering you.” White Buffalo motioned for her to join him on the ground in front of their tepee. He sat down in a cross-legged position and patted the spot next to him.
Meadow hesitated before sitting down beside her father. How would she explain these strange feelings without dying of embarrassment? Finally, she sat
down and plucked at a weed that protruded from the ground, as she mulled over what she would say. But White Buffalo did not give her any more time.
“So tell me,
mi-cun-ksi
, about these feelings that you get every time you think about Black Horse, or when you see him.”
Meadow drew in a sharp breath. “How did you know?”
His ability to sense what was going on in her head was unnerving.
White Buffalo chuckled. “You might find this hard to believe, but I was young once. And Little Squirrel’s ripe young body made my blood boil faster than that stew bubbling over there in the pot.”
His words made Meadow giggle nervously. Thinking of her father and mother experiencing these same fanatical emotions seemed very odd to her. “But that was different.”
“How so?” White Buffalo asked in a surprised but amused tone of voice.
“Well…because you met each other and fell in love,” Meadow began. She had to be careful not to say anything that would make him suspicious about her adventure at the river yesterday or her encounter with Black Horse in their tepee. “And then you courted Mother and married her in the normal way.”
A hearty laugh emitted from White Buffalo. “The normal way?” He reached out and grabbed his daughter around the shoulders to pull her close to him in a tight hug. “And you think these things that you are feeling for Black Horse are not normal?”
Meadow allowed herself to snuggle into her father’s embrace just as she had when she was a little girl.
“Well, I just saw him—I mean, met him yesterday,” she answered. “Shouldn’t these feelings develop slowly over time?”
A sigh escaped from White Buffalo before he spoke. “Not always, and in these crazy days, our people do not have the luxury of time.” He rubbed her back affectionately. “Time is so precious that we should not waste one minute of it. Love all you can today,
mi-cun-ksi
, because we never know if there will be a tomorrow. That is why I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and propose marriage for you and Black Horse.”
The full meaning of his words struck Meadow like a bolt of lightning. She was reminded once again of how wise this wonderful man was, and of how lucky she was to have been adopted by him. “Thank you, Father,” she said. “I will not waste even one second, and I will not deny my feelings, even if they did arrive without warning.”
“I think that is called love at first sight. I sensed it from the first moment I saw the two of you together yesterday. I believe Black Horse is just as taken with you. I saw him walking toward the river earlier with a huge smile on his face, and then he began to sing an old Sioux song about his heart being stolen by the
Wakan Tanka
of love.”
Goose bumps broke out all over Meadow’s body. She felt so happy at this moment that she wanted to jump up and burst into song, too. “So, you believe that he really does want to marry me?”
“I do not do anything that I do not want to do.”
At the sound of Black Horse’s voice behind them, Meadow let out a cry and jumped to her feet. “W-we didn’t see you there,” she gasped.
“Well, I think I’ll let the two of you be alone for a bit,” White Buffalo said as he pushed himself up from the ground. He smiled at the couple as he walked past them. “I’ll be back for dinner, though, so don’t start eating without me.”
Meadow stared at her father in disbelief. How could he leave her here alone with Black Horse when he knew how this man made her feel? She suddenly became aware that Black Horse had come up close behind her. Her heart stopped beating for an instant when she heard his deep voice directly behind her.
“As I said before, I never do anything that I don’t want to do.”
Meadow turned around to face him. He stood barely more than a few inches away from her, and her first thought was that they were almost close enough to kiss again. His next words snapped her out of this sweet reverie, however.
“And what about you? Do you want to marry me?”
“I—I—Yes, I do,” she whispered as she remembered the promise she had just given her father. She would not waste one second. Her gaze rose up until it was locked with his. She tossed her head back and sighed deeply before she gave in to the urge that she could not deny any longer. She leaned closer to him, and Black Horse’s hand immediately slid around her waist as he pulled her the short distance to him. Then, his lips descended on hers with abandon.
Although she hadn’t been able to imagine that their second kiss could even begin to compare with their first one, Meadow was certain Black Horse was trying to outdo himself. They were standing in the middle of the village where everyone could see them, yet she
gave no thought to modesty. His strong arms were surrounding her again, and his mouth was doing the most amazing things. Meadow let her own lips imitate his and returned his kiss without reservation. She had her own hunger to satisfy, and it was obviously equal to his appetite.
The sound of a man’s laughter interrupted their passionate interlude. Meadow felt Black Horse’s lips pulling away far too soon, and to her dismay, his tight hold on her grew slack. She turned to face the man who had caused the interruption.
“
Hunda wanzin ya
!” Black Horse exclaimed as he pulled Meadow up to the other man. A broad smile claimed his mouth as he glanced back and forth between the man and Meadow. “This is Walks Tall,” Black Horse stated.
“Y-your brother?” Meadow stammered. “I did not realize you had a brother,” she added as she politely bowed her head toward the man. She realized that she knew nothing about her husband-to-be, except the rumors she had heard about his brave and dangerous exploits.
“And you are Meadow,” the man said in a soft tone. He also bowed his head in a courteous manner. When he looked up again, his gaze drifted to Black Horse and he nodded and winked. “You did not exaggerate her beauty.”
A smile came easily to Meadow’s kiss-swollen lips as she looked up at Walks Tall’s friendly countenance. She guessed his name was due to his towering stature; he stood even taller than Black Horse. He did not, however, have the well-muscled body of the war
chief, and although he was a good-looking man Meadow did not think him nearly as handsome.
“It is truly an honor to meet the brother of Black Horse,” Meadow said. She noticed the possessive way that Black Horse held onto her; he did not allow her to leave his side for one instant.
Walks Tall leaned toward Meadow and chuckled as he said, “We’re not related, but we do consider ourselves as close as brothers.”
“We have been blood brothers since we were small boys and cut our fingers to join our blood,” Black Horse added. “And Walks Tall is also my head warrior. He is at my side in all battles.”
Walks Tall nodded his head and straightened his stance in a proud manner. As head warrior, he had ridden with Black Horse on every raid and battle they had fought since they had been inducted into manhood together during the Sun Dance Ceremony, in which boys became men in an ancient ritual that involved having hooks stuck in their chests, then being hung from a pole by the hooks. The boy would dance around the pole until the skin was ripped from the hooks. All Sioux men carried the scars from this sacred rite.
“Will you eat with us to night?” Meadow asked, knowing that her father would not mind another guest for the eve ning meal. She glanced up at Black Horse and was relieved to see that he did not seem to mind her extending the spontaneous invitation to his close friend. He smiled down at her when their eyes met, and nodded slightly.
“You are kind, but my sister—my real sister—has insisted that I come to eat with her family to night.
I have not seen her for many moons, and I have a young nephew that I did not even know had been born.”
“There will be time,” Black Horse said. He hugged Meadow tighter and smiled down at her.
“I will look forward to it,” Walks Tall answered.
As he turned to leave, Walks Tall glanced back at his friend in wonderment. It seemed almost impossible that Black Horse had gone through such a complete transformation in the last two days. The man he had known his entire life had said on many occasions that he did not have time for a wife and family because he considered the fight for his people his only quest. Now, in just the short time since they had arrived in Canada and he had met this woman, the chief was like a different man. Walks Tall had never known a woman to affect Black Horse in such a manner, although there had once been a young Blackfoot girl who had held his interest for a while. Even though she was supposed to be Black Horse’s captive, they had enjoyed a very passionate time together. Black Horse had kept the girl, Shy Deer, for several moons, and even missed her when her own people had finally recaptured her.
Last night, Walks Tall had heard the comments about this woman’s white heritage, and he hoped this would not present any problems. But, as Walks Tall looked at the beautiful woman at his friend’s side and the way they were looking at one another now, his heart filled with happiness. This marriage was a good thing. It was time for Black Horse to have some peace and contentment in his life—even if it was for only a little while.