had to be more to it than that. Something deep down and instinctual. Despite the wolf attack, which still gave me chills when I thought of it, and the threat of Indians, I hadn’t felt this safe in as long as I could remember. Though my mind skittered away from thoughts on what was wrong with Luke, and I knew there was something very wrong, my heart didn’t seem to care and pressed me to move farther inside his bubble of protection.
Not even a little piece of me doubted he would’ve made good on his promise to slit that man open on my account, but then he offered me his arm, and carried me across the mud so as not to get my shoes dirty. And he’d bought me lunch, and dresses and helped me out of the carriage. Admittedly, he frightened me, but he intrigued me much more. And besides, I’d seen real beasts of men in Chicago—horrible men with violent appetites. I’d lost friends to men who satisfied their needs by killing the women they bedded. It was a terrible way to go and more often than not, those monsters got away with murder.
I’d heard Trudy when she said to be careful, and I would. I’d be wary of his temper because I’d seen too much not to take heed to warnings like hers, but my heart sang that Luke had been telling the truth when he said he’d never hurt me.
“Whoa,” Luke said as he pulled the horses to a stop. “Jeremiah?”
“Yep, I smell them too.”
Luke’s nostrils flared and he jerked his head to the west. “Stay here with her. I’m going to see what they want.”
The wagon shifted and righted itself as he hopped off the side. A cold clenching feeling came over me. “What’s happening?” I asked.
“Indians,” Jeremiah said shortly as he jumped out of the back, rocking the buggy once again.
I held the apron tighter, like the fabric would protect me. I’d only seen a handful of Indians in my lifetime and they’d looked like terrifying warriors with fearsome face paint and animal claws hanging from necklaces.
Ten spine-chilling minutes later, Luke returned and three Indians melted out of the woods beside him. He talked to the one in front with a solemn look on his face, but he obviously felt comfortable enough to bend down and pluck a long stem of grass before putting it in mouth. The tan skinned men wore buckskin leathers and the one talking to Luke wore an elaborate head dress with a knot of animal tails trailing down the side. Various tendrils of beadwork snaked down his chest and his face was free of paint. His sun leathered skin was deeply wrinkled and his dark eyes seemed to miss nothing. The two men who followed silently behind wore similar clothing, but only wore a single feather in each of their braided hair.
“Kristina, this is Kicking Bull and his two sons. They are Ute and come down this way to trade from time to time. Kicking Bull, this is my woman, Kristina.”
The old man smiled, the white of his teeth a stark contrast to his dark skin. “It would take a wily she-wolf to tame this one.”
Luke cleared his throat and the slight shake of his head wasn’t lost on me.
Kicking bull said something to his sons in Ute and they all laughed. One of them slapped Luke on the back and for all his reluctance, a grin still sprouted from his face.
“Kicking Bull says they followed a couple of men in. They came from the southwest, didn’t use a road and ended up at our house. He said they went through our home but didn’t take anything that he could see. The men left a few hours ago.”
I tried to keep my voice from shaking but my mind had gone to the darkest place. “What did these men look like?”
“Kicking Bull said one had long hair down his back the color of corn, and the other was short with a scar across his eyebrow.”
“Hells bells,” I breathed. I had no doubt my past would eventually come back to haunt me, but I’d never in a million years thought she would find me so soon.
Luke and Jeremiah’s eyes crashed onto me, and their looks of suspicion
Not even a little piece of me doubted he would’ve made good on his promise to slit that man open on my account, but then he offered me his arm, and carried me across the mud so as not to get my shoes dirty. And he’d bought me lunch, and dresses and helped me out of the carriage. Admittedly, he frightened me, but he intrigued me much more. And besides, I’d seen real beasts of men in Chicago—horrible men with violent appetites. I’d lost friends to men who satisfied their needs by killing the women they bedded. It was a terrible way to go and more often than not, those monsters got away with murder.
I’d heard Trudy when she said to be careful, and I would. I’d be wary of his temper because I’d seen too much not to take heed to warnings like hers, but my heart sang that Luke had been telling the truth when he said he’d never hurt me.
“Whoa,” Luke said as he pulled the horses to a stop. “Jeremiah?”
“Yep, I smell them too.”
Luke’s nostrils flared and he jerked his head to the west. “Stay here with her. I’m going to see what they want.”
The wagon shifted and righted itself as he hopped off the side. A cold clenching feeling came over me. “What’s happening?” I asked.
“Indians,” Jeremiah said shortly as he jumped out of the back, rocking the buggy once again.
I held the apron tighter, like the fabric would protect me. I’d only seen a handful of Indians in my lifetime and they’d looked like terrifying warriors with fearsome face paint and animal claws hanging from necklaces.
Ten spine-chilling minutes later, Luke returned and three Indians melted out of the woods beside him. He talked to the one in front with a solemn look on his face, but he obviously felt comfortable enough to bend down and pluck a long stem of grass before putting it in mouth. The tan skinned men wore buckskin leathers and the one talking to Luke wore an elaborate head dress with a knot of animal tails trailing down the side. Various tendrils of beadwork snaked down his chest and his face was free of paint. His sun leathered skin was deeply wrinkled and his dark eyes seemed to miss nothing. The two men who followed silently behind wore similar clothing, but only wore a single feather in each of their braided hair.
“Kristina, this is Kicking Bull and his two sons. They are Ute and come down this way to trade from time to time. Kicking Bull, this is my woman, Kristina.”
The old man smiled, the white of his teeth a stark contrast to his dark skin. “It would take a wily she-wolf to tame this one.”
Luke cleared his throat and the slight shake of his head wasn’t lost on me.
Kicking bull said something to his sons in Ute and they all laughed. One of them slapped Luke on the back and for all his reluctance, a grin still sprouted from his face.
“Kicking Bull says they followed a couple of men in. They came from the southwest, didn’t use a road and ended up at our house. He said they went through our home but didn’t take anything that he could see. The men left a few hours ago.”
I tried to keep my voice from shaking but my mind had gone to the darkest place. “What did these men look like?”
“Kicking Bull said one had long hair down his back the color of corn, and the other was short with a scar across his eyebrow.”
“Hells bells,” I breathed. I had no doubt my past would eventually come back to haunt me, but I’d never in a million years thought she would find me so soon.
Luke and Jeremiah’s eyes crashed onto me, and their looks of suspicion
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