Read Online In a Cowboy's Arms (Hitting Rocks Cowboys) by Rebecca Winters - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Rebecca Winters
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could tell you everything and we could make plans to meet.”
“That works both ways, Sadie. I waited weeks for a phone call from you. Maybe now you can understand how devastated I was when you fled to your mother instead of marrying me.
“But after you’d gone to California and time passed, I realized you were right to escape me. Despite the Bannock name, I’ll always be treated as a second-class citizen by certain people. If you had married me, you would have been forced to deal with the kind of prejudice Ned dishes out on a daily basis.”
They’d reached an impasse. He opened the door. “Eight years have passed. You’ve suffered some great losses in your life and now have a child to raise. I only wish you the best, Sadie.”
Her features hardened. She wiped the moisture off her face. “If you can accuse me of being afraid to be your wife after all we shared, then you never knew me. I gave you a lot more credit than that. Have you forgotten the evening we met in the canyon and I told you about a lesson we’d had on the Plains Indians and the great Sioux Chief Sitting Bull?”
“Vaguely.” Jarod knew he’d always been so excited to be with her, he’d barely taken in everything she’d told him.
“That lesson changed my view of life, but it’s obvious you need a reminder of how deeply it touched me. Did I tell you our teacher made us memorize part of Sitting Bull’s speech before the Dawes Commission in 1877? I still know it by heart and got an A for it.”
Jarod had had no idea, but he nodded.
“Sitting Bull said, and I quote, ‘if the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man, he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, and in my heart he put other and different desires. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.
“‘I am here by the will of the Great Spirit, and by his will I am chief.
“‘In my early days, I was eager to learn and to do things, and therefore I learned quickly.’
“‘Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit. Now that we are poor, we are free. No white man controls our footsteps. If we must die, we die defending our rights.
“‘What white man can say I ever stole his land or a penny of his money? Yet they say that I am a thief. What white woman, however lonely, was ever captive or insulted by me? Yet they say I am a bad Indian.
“‘What white man has ever seen me drunk? Who has ever come to me hungry and left me unfed? Who has seen me beat my wives or abuse my children? What law have I broken?
“‘Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country? God made me an Indian.’”
When she’d finished, Jarod sat there in absolute wonder, so humbled he couldn’t speak.
“You don’t know how many times I wanted to face my father and Ned and deliver that speech to them,” Sadie told him. “I wanted to yell at them, ‘God made you men white and Jarod’s mother an Indian. So be thankful you were made at all and learn to live together!
“That speech made me love you all the more, Jarod. I can’t believe you didn’t know that. But as you said, it’s probably that pride of yours. It’s turned your heart to flint and stands in the way of reason.
“Do you know I’ve given you a second Crow name now that you’ve grown up? It’s Born of Flint.”
Born of Flint? That’s what she thought of him? Everything was over.
“I wish you a safe journey back to California, Sadie.”
Chapter Four
When Sadie walked through the back door of the ranch house Tuesday night, Millie was in the kitchen making coffee. She glanced at Sadie and said, “You look as bad as you did that night eight years ago. It can only mean one thing. Sit down and talk to me before you fall down, honey. Ryan’s asleep and Zane’s in his bedroom doing work on his laptop.”
“Oh, Millie...”
“That works both ways, Sadie. I waited weeks for a phone call from you. Maybe now you can understand how devastated I was when you fled to your mother instead of marrying me.
“But after you’d gone to California and time passed, I realized you were right to escape me. Despite the Bannock name, I’ll always be treated as a second-class citizen by certain people. If you had married me, you would have been forced to deal with the kind of prejudice Ned dishes out on a daily basis.”
They’d reached an impasse. He opened the door. “Eight years have passed. You’ve suffered some great losses in your life and now have a child to raise. I only wish you the best, Sadie.”
Her features hardened. She wiped the moisture off her face. “If you can accuse me of being afraid to be your wife after all we shared, then you never knew me. I gave you a lot more credit than that. Have you forgotten the evening we met in the canyon and I told you about a lesson we’d had on the Plains Indians and the great Sioux Chief Sitting Bull?”
“Vaguely.” Jarod knew he’d always been so excited to be with her, he’d barely taken in everything she’d told him.
“That lesson changed my view of life, but it’s obvious you need a reminder of how deeply it touched me. Did I tell you our teacher made us memorize part of Sitting Bull’s speech before the Dawes Commission in 1877? I still know it by heart and got an A for it.”
Jarod had had no idea, but he nodded.
“Sitting Bull said, and I quote, ‘if the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man, he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, and in my heart he put other and different desires. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows.
“‘I am here by the will of the Great Spirit, and by his will I am chief.
“‘In my early days, I was eager to learn and to do things, and therefore I learned quickly.’
“‘Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit. Now that we are poor, we are free. No white man controls our footsteps. If we must die, we die defending our rights.
“‘What white man can say I ever stole his land or a penny of his money? Yet they say that I am a thief. What white woman, however lonely, was ever captive or insulted by me? Yet they say I am a bad Indian.
“‘What white man has ever seen me drunk? Who has ever come to me hungry and left me unfed? Who has seen me beat my wives or abuse my children? What law have I broken?
“‘Is it wrong for me to love my own? Is it wicked for me because my skin is red? Because I am Sioux? Because I was born where my father lived? Because I would die for my people and my country? God made me an Indian.’”
When she’d finished, Jarod sat there in absolute wonder, so humbled he couldn’t speak.
“You don’t know how many times I wanted to face my father and Ned and deliver that speech to them,” Sadie told him. “I wanted to yell at them, ‘God made you men white and Jarod’s mother an Indian. So be thankful you were made at all and learn to live together!
“That speech made me love you all the more, Jarod. I can’t believe you didn’t know that. But as you said, it’s probably that pride of yours. It’s turned your heart to flint and stands in the way of reason.
“Do you know I’ve given you a second Crow name now that you’ve grown up? It’s Born of Flint.”
Born of Flint? That’s what she thought of him? Everything was over.
“I wish you a safe journey back to California, Sadie.”
Chapter Four
When Sadie walked through the back door of the ranch house Tuesday night, Millie was in the kitchen making coffee. She glanced at Sadie and said, “You look as bad as you did that night eight years ago. It can only mean one thing. Sit down and talk to me before you fall down, honey. Ryan’s asleep and Zane’s in his bedroom doing work on his laptop.”
“Oh, Millie...”
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