“Blind,” Ryder supplied. “I cannot see, Zach.”
“My God! How did it happen?”
“The Great Spirit took my sight as punish
ment for.. .”
“Punishment for what? I don’t understand.”
Ryder clamped his teeth together. “I cannot say.” Ryder couldn’t talk about it. He had lost
Hannah and failed miserably in his effort to
conform to white ways. He had left his people for a white woman and she had chosen another
because he had failed her. And now the Great
Spirit had struck him blind, making him unfit
for any woman.
“I’m taking you home, Ryder, where you can
rest and recuperate. This affliction can’t be per
manent. I’ll get the best doctors in this part of
the country to treat you. And if they fail, I’ll
send to Boston for a specialist. You may not
know this, but I am a wealthy man.”
“Wealth is found in Mother Earth, in Grand
father Sun, and in the sky above, not in shiny metal,” Ryder replied.
“In the white world money is important,” Zach defended. “I am happy to be able to give
your sister all she deserves in life.”
Ryder offered Zach a knowing smile. “Tears
Like Rain needs nothing more than you and
her son to be happy. Indians have no need of
money.”
“But white men do. Once you get settled in at
the farm I have a proposition that might interest you. You’ll need a way to earn a living.”
Hannah had vomited upon arising for the
third day in a row, and she had too many
brothers and sisters not to know that she was
pregnant. So far she had kept her condition
from Abby. But she knew that sooner or later
her astute sister-in-law would find out; already
she had missed her woman’s time twice. Ryder’s
baby. The idea thrilled her. If only Ryder was
here to share her happiness.
Just then, little Trey awoke and let out a loud wail. Hannah knew that Abby was out in the barn, so she went into the baby’s room,
changed him, and carried him out into the
parlor. Sitting down in the rocker before the
hearth, Hannah rocked back and forth, hoping
to appease him until his mother returned to feed him. The motion was so soothing, the
baby fell back to sleep, and she closed her
eyes and drifted into a light doze. She didn’t
hear the commotion in the yard a few min
utes later.
Abby heard riders approaching and ran out
of the barn into the yard, knowing instinctively
that Zach had returned. And if she knew her husband, Ryder was with him. Squealing in
delight, she threw herself into Zach’s arms the
moment he dismounted. She gave him a quick hug, then turned to Ryder, her throat clogged with tears. It had been so long since she’d seen
her brother, and she’d been so afraid for him
since the army had been given orders to wipe
out all Indian males over the age of twelve. In
some case the soldiers paid little heed to age or
gender. She had seen firsthand what happened
at Sand Creek.
“Wind Rider!” It was difficult to call him by
his white name. “I’m so happy Zach found you.
Where have you been?”
At the sound of her voice Ryder turned in her
direction. He held out his arms and she rushed
into them. “Tears Like Rain.” When he’d left her a year ago he’d thought he’d never see her
again. He recalled how close they had been when they had first arrived at White Feather’s
camp, two children who had only each other to
cling to. They had remained close throughout
the years, relying on one another for their emo
tional needs, until they had learned to think
and act like true Cheyenne.
“Ryder was riding this way when I found
him,” Zach said, waiting for Abby to discover
that her brother was blind.
“Come inside, Ryder. I want you to meet your
new nephew,” Abby gushed as she pulled him inside the house. “You should see him, Ryder; he looks just like Zach.”
Hannah heard the voices and footsteps on
the porch and came fully awake. Seeing that
the baby was still asleep, she placed him in
his crib and walked toward the front door to
investigate. The door flew open and Hannah
grasped a nearby table for support when she
saw Abby walk into the room, dragging Ryder
behind her. Zach followed close on their heels.
Abby saw Hannah and grinned, waiting for
Ryder to notice his wife. She hoped he’d be
pleased to find her here. She watched him expectantly, but there was no change in his expression. In fact, his eyes were blank, as if he saw nothing at all.
“Ryder, aren’t you going to say anything to Hannah?”
“Hannah? What about Hannah?”
Abby stared at him as if he had lost his mind.
“Ryder, what is wrong with you? Hannah is right here, standing in front of you.”
Hannah made a strangled sound deep in her throat. Pain lashed through her, more pain than she’d ever known in her life. Ryder hated her.
Hated her so much that he refused to acknowledge her presence. Why had she ever told him
that terrible lie? Didn’t he realize she’d rather
die than let any man but Ryder touch her?
Stifling a sob, she turned and ran from the
room.
“Ryder! What is wrong with you?” Abby’s
voice was taut with displeasure. Ryder had never heard that tone before.
“He can’t see, sweetheart.” Zach’s words
brought Abby spinning around to confront him.
“What did you say?”
“It is true, Tears Like Rain. I cannot see,” Ryder concurred, forestalling Zach’s reply.
“When did this terrible thing happen to you?
How
did it happen?”
“I went on a vision quest. It happened while I was staring into the sun. The Great Spirit is angry with me. He took my sight. Where is Hannah?”
“She ran out of the room. She does not know
that you’re .. . blind. I’m sure she thought that
you were angry with her and deliberately
ignored her. Go to her; tell her what happened. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“Why isn’t she with her lover?”
“Perhaps there is no lover,” Abby hinted, unwilling to divulge something Hannah had
told her in confidence. “I don’t know what
happened between you and Hannah, but you must let her explain. She is a free woman now.
No one owns her services. Go to her and let her
tell you what happened.”
Ryder shook his head. At times pride was
a most difficult cross to bear. “Without eyes I am fit for no woman. Hannah is better off
without me.”
“We will find the best doctors to treat you,” Abby assured him. “Perhaps the condition is a temporary one. I’m just so glad you’re here, I
don’t care whether you can see or not. Wait
here; I’ll go get Trey. He’s anxious to meet his
uncle.”
“She’s right, you know,” Zach contended once
Abby had left the room. “Your condition is
probably temporary. You’ve got to think about Hannah now. She’s your wife; you can’t just
abandon her.”
“She abandoned me, Zach. She’s better off
with the blue coat.”
“Here he is, Ryder. This is your nephew, Trey Mercer.” Abby placed the baby in Ryder’s arms,
watching his expression change to pure delight. The baby cooed up at him and Ryder’s sightless eyes lit up. With a gentle fingertip he traced the
baby’s features.
“You say he looks like Zach?”
“The spitting image.” Abby took the baby
back, snuggling him to her breast. “I’m sorry
to take him away so soon, but it’s feeding time,
Ryder.”
“I’ll come with you, sweetheart,” Zach said. “I need to become reacquainted with my son.
But first I’ll take Ryder to his room.” He wagged
his eyebrows at Abby, took Ryder’s arm, and
guided him toward the bedroom. “Rest until
suppertime. I know you must be exhausted.
You’ll find water for bathing in a pitcher. Do you need me to help you?”
Fierce pride demanded that Ryder face this affliction alone, asking for and accepting no
help. If he was to live the rest of his life in
the world of shadows, then he had to learn to
adjust to his circumstances. ‘1 can manage.” The door opened and he walked inside.
Hannah lay across the bed, where she had
thrown herself after Ryder had refused to acknowledge her presence. Did he still distrust
her? She heard the door open and close and
was shocked to see Ryder standing just inside
the room. She scooted to her knees, watching
him warily. Alarm shuddered through her. She saw him take two faltering steps into the room,
then stop abruptly, still refusing to acknowl
edge her.
Ryder knew he wasn’t alone after he’d been
inside the room ten seconds. His nostrils quivered with the heady scent of woman. His eyes might not see her, but his keen perception told him that she was here. He recalled with fierce longing the fiery brilliance of her hair, the pert
tilt of her breasts, the tiny waist, and that soft
woman’s place where he’d found the kind of
rapture he’d never known existed.
“Ryder?” Her voice quivered with nervous
anticipation. He heard and turned in the direc
tion of her voice. Hannah sucked in a ragged
breath. He appeared to be looking right through
her, his expression blank and unreadable.
“Hannah. I didn’t know this was your room. Zach must have made a mistake,” Knowing
Zach, he suspected his brother-in-law knew exactly what he was doing.
With slow precision Ryder walked toward
Hannah, guided by the sound of her voice.
When his knees hit the side of the bed he
stopped and perched gingerly on the edge.
“Where have you been, Ryder?”
“On a vision quest.”
“I expected you to come back. Weren’t you interested in what happened to me?”
Ryder seemed to look beyond her. “You made
it quite obvious that you wanted nothing more
to do with me.”
“I don’t blame you for leaving. At the time it was what I wanted, what needed to be done,
but I had a reason.”
“I know the reason,” Ryder said with bit
ter emphasis. What if he was wrong? What
if Hannah really did have a reason? Was
Heammawihio
punishing him for his inflexible pride? Unfortunately, he couldn’t stop the bitter
accusations dripping from his tongue. “The blue
coat could give you more than I could and you
took him for your lover. Deny it all you want,
Little Sparrow, but you were mine first and will
always be mine, even if. ..”
“Even if what?”
Refusing to look into her eyes, Ryder merely
shook his head.
“Why won’t you look at me, Ryder? Do you
hate me so much? I can explain.” For her sake and that of their child, she had to make him
understand that she had lied for a reason.
“It’s too late. All the explanations in the world
won’t help us now.”
Angered by his refusal to look at her, Hannah
seized his face and turned it toward her. His
silver eyes, usually so expressive, were blank,
and a hint of something dark and sinister shuddered through her. She began to under
stand and prayed she was wrong. Her voice
grew panicky. “Look at me, Ryder. Please look
at me.”
“I cannot. I am blind.”
“No! It can’t be. How did it happen? Tell me
it’s not true.”
Ryder turned away. “I do not wish to speak of it. Tell me instead what happened after the
sheriff arrived the night Harley was killed.”
Needing the time to compose her thoughts
and become accustomed to the shocking notion that Ryder was blind, Hannah told him every
thing that had transpired up to the time Zach had walked into the inn and inadvertently
become involved in her problems.
“I do not understand. Why didn’t you want
Gilmore to buy your articles of indenture?
Since he is already your lover I see no reason for involving Zach in all this.”
Tears turned Hannah’s green eyes into shim
mering pools. Now that the two of them were
safely ensconced in the bosom of Ryder’s family,
she no longer saw a need to lie. Trent Gilmore
was in Denver; what could he do to Ryder now?