time her breath left its imprint in the frosty air.
Loathe to return to the cabin, Josie finally forced herself to collect the eggs and a half a pail of milk, then headed for the house. As she stepped across the threshold and kicked the door shut, Daniel greeted her with pretty much the same words he'd used the morning before.
"I'm starving," he said, patting his belly through a clean buckskin shirt—well, cleaner than the last, anyway. "Why don't you fry up those eggs and maybe try to make us some biscuits today. Sure would go good with what's left of that ham."
Josie set the supplies on the counter. "If you want breakfast, you're going to have to cook it up yourself. I've got stalls to muck out."
"But what about you? Aren't you hungry?"
Since Josie had come across a barrel of apples in the barn while looking for eggs and had nearly eaten herself sick on them, she found it easy to smile and say, "I couldn't eat a bite. Besides, I'd just as soon get the chores done."
* * *
By late afternoon, the wind had picked up dramatically, howling like a thousand wolves in the depths of despair. Where there had been pristine snow and a quiet preparation for the winter ahead, came a blizzard of freezing proportions, a display to show them all, man and beast alike, that Nature danced to her own tune and in her own time. No one was more surprised than Daniel at the sudden, extensive display of raw power.
"My Lord," Josie blurted out as she peered through the window. "If this keeps up, I'll never get back to town. Never."
"Oh, it can't be that bad."
But just to make sure, Daniel pulled himself up on his crutches and hobbled over to join Josie at the window. When he looked out, all he could see was sheets of ice. There were no trees, no barn, no nothing. It was as if white had erased the entire world beyond the cabin.
"Damn," he said, amending his previous statement. "That is an unusually big storm for so early in November. I sure hope Long Belly and your friend were able to find shelter before all this started."
Damn fool Cheyenne, was what he thought, but Daniel kept that sentiment to himself. No good worrying Josie, even though she would have every reason to be concerned if she realized the kind of jeopardy Sissy might be in by now. She was already worried enough on her own behalf. He wasn't any too comfortable with the looks of the weather himself.
Making a show of nonchalance, Daniel went to check on the big pot of elk stew he'd started earlier, a meal he hoped would taste as good as it smelled. About then he picked up the sound of something other than the wind. He thought he heard a high-pitched whinny, and was beginning to think that maybe he beard the sound only because he wanted to so badly, when something heavy thumped down on the porch. A moment later the cabin door crashed open, and in blew Long Belly with Sissy and the storm close behind.
"We have returned," he announced unnecessarily. "My woman has found the place where the great buffalo sleeps."
Daniel almost fell off his crutches. "You came across a buffalo wallow?"
Grinning like a fool, Long Belly became quite animated, even for him. He spread his arms wide and said, "It was the bed of a huge bull, bigger and deeper than any I have ever seen."
Daniel scoffed at the idea. "You probably stumbled across the sleeping spot for a bull elk, or maybe a steer."
Long Belly shook his head resolutely. "It belonged to the buffalo, my friend, and he had recently rolled his great body there. I found his tracks leading away from this place, but lost them when the storm came."
As Daniel stood there in shock, his mouth agape, Long Belly took Sissy by the shoulders and began, to rub her arms vigorously. Buffalo Hair has the spirit in her as I thought," he went on. "When the storm leaves us, she will return with me to the sleeping place and lead me to the great one."
Daniel still couldn't quite buy the story, but he withheld comment. He didn't dare believe it, not yet, not on
Loathe to return to the cabin, Josie finally forced herself to collect the eggs and a half a pail of milk, then headed for the house. As she stepped across the threshold and kicked the door shut, Daniel greeted her with pretty much the same words he'd used the morning before.
"I'm starving," he said, patting his belly through a clean buckskin shirt—well, cleaner than the last, anyway. "Why don't you fry up those eggs and maybe try to make us some biscuits today. Sure would go good with what's left of that ham."
Josie set the supplies on the counter. "If you want breakfast, you're going to have to cook it up yourself. I've got stalls to muck out."
"But what about you? Aren't you hungry?"
Since Josie had come across a barrel of apples in the barn while looking for eggs and had nearly eaten herself sick on them, she found it easy to smile and say, "I couldn't eat a bite. Besides, I'd just as soon get the chores done."
* * *
By late afternoon, the wind had picked up dramatically, howling like a thousand wolves in the depths of despair. Where there had been pristine snow and a quiet preparation for the winter ahead, came a blizzard of freezing proportions, a display to show them all, man and beast alike, that Nature danced to her own tune and in her own time. No one was more surprised than Daniel at the sudden, extensive display of raw power.
"My Lord," Josie blurted out as she peered through the window. "If this keeps up, I'll never get back to town. Never."
"Oh, it can't be that bad."
But just to make sure, Daniel pulled himself up on his crutches and hobbled over to join Josie at the window. When he looked out, all he could see was sheets of ice. There were no trees, no barn, no nothing. It was as if white had erased the entire world beyond the cabin.
"Damn," he said, amending his previous statement. "That is an unusually big storm for so early in November. I sure hope Long Belly and your friend were able to find shelter before all this started."
Damn fool Cheyenne, was what he thought, but Daniel kept that sentiment to himself. No good worrying Josie, even though she would have every reason to be concerned if she realized the kind of jeopardy Sissy might be in by now. She was already worried enough on her own behalf. He wasn't any too comfortable with the looks of the weather himself.
Making a show of nonchalance, Daniel went to check on the big pot of elk stew he'd started earlier, a meal he hoped would taste as good as it smelled. About then he picked up the sound of something other than the wind. He thought he heard a high-pitched whinny, and was beginning to think that maybe he beard the sound only because he wanted to so badly, when something heavy thumped down on the porch. A moment later the cabin door crashed open, and in blew Long Belly with Sissy and the storm close behind.
"We have returned," he announced unnecessarily. "My woman has found the place where the great buffalo sleeps."
Daniel almost fell off his crutches. "You came across a buffalo wallow?"
Grinning like a fool, Long Belly became quite animated, even for him. He spread his arms wide and said, "It was the bed of a huge bull, bigger and deeper than any I have ever seen."
Daniel scoffed at the idea. "You probably stumbled across the sleeping spot for a bull elk, or maybe a steer."
Long Belly shook his head resolutely. "It belonged to the buffalo, my friend, and he had recently rolled his great body there. I found his tracks leading away from this place, but lost them when the storm came."
As Daniel stood there in shock, his mouth agape, Long Belly took Sissy by the shoulders and began, to rub her arms vigorously. Buffalo Hair has the spirit in her as I thought," he went on. "When the storm leaves us, she will return with me to the sleeping place and lead me to the great one."
Daniel still couldn't quite buy the story, but he withheld comment. He didn't dare believe it, not yet, not on
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