Savage Summer (30 page)

The sweet scent of the nearby pine forest hung heavily in the air, and the night birds’ song danced on the warm breeze.
Morgan was aware that this was where Sky Dancer belonged. She was nature’s child, and was more a part of the land than he would ever be. This was her land—did he have the right to ask her to leave it? He wanted to reach out and take her in his arms. For the first time he began to realize that he might really lose her to this land that was a part of her heritage. Here she was a princess, with him she would have to face prejudice and hatreds. She would have to mask who she was and deny her own heritage.

“My mother has given me permission to walk with you, if we stay on this side of the river, and if Farley comes with us,” she said, looking up at him with bright, shining eyes.

Morgan felt as if he had been delivered a blow to the stomach, so badly did he ache to hold her.

The old trapper chose that moment to poke his head out the tipi. “Did I hear my name being mentioned?” he asked, with a quirk of his bushy eyebrows.

“Will you walk with Morgan and I, Farley?”

“Iffen it’s all right with your ma and pa,” he agreed. “I ain’t looking to rile Windhawk.”

“My mother gave her permission.”

“Well let’s be off and about it then, I got little time to go lallygagging about.”

Sky Dancer only smiled. She knew Farley would do anything for her. “Let us walk toward the woods,” she said, leading the way. Morgan watched her clasp her hands behind her back; evidently she was not allowed to touch him.

Farley could see that Morgan and Sky Dancer were watching each other with intense longing. Shaking his head and muttering under his breath, he wondered how this would turn out. He couldn’t imagine Windhawk allowing his daughter to marry Morgan Prescott and move off to Philadelphia.

“How is Wolfrunner?” Sky Dancer inquired.

“What’s he to you?” Morgan asked, feeling a prickle of jealousy.

“A friend.”

“He’s recovering very nicely. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he were to be up and about in a few days. Is he always so short-tempered and angry? I got the feeling he wasn’t too fond of me.”

“What do you mean?” Sky Dancer asked in a puzzled voice. Wolfrunner had never been one to express anger to a stranger; especially one who had saved his life.

“I don’t know. It was as if he were brooding about something. Of course I don’t know him very well—perhaps it’s his nature to be sullen and quiet.”

“No, Wolfrunner is not like that. I have a feeling that he has a lot on his mind. Danielle would like to see him, but she was told that he is not to have any visitors. Was it you who gave the order that he was not to see anyone?”

“No. Wolfrunner himself doesn’t want to see Danielle. I thought it strange when he asked me not to allow her in his tipi.”

“Oh.”

By now they had reached the edge of the woods. Farley was trailing along behind whittling on a piece of wood, acting as if he wasn’t paying the slightest attention to them, but Sky Dancer knew the old trapper was always aware of everything that was going on around him.

The village was barely visible through the trees as Sky Dancer stopped beneath a tall pine tree. Farley seated himself on a stump some distance away and turned his back. Morgan stood beside Sky Dancer, gazing down into her eyes and watching as her lovely face eased into a frown.

“When will you be leaving, Morgan?” she finally allowed herself to ask.

“What makes you think I will be leaving?” He answered her question with a question.

“I had thought you would be reporting to Fort Laramie before too long.”

“No,” he said, watching her face. “I am no longer in the Cavalry. I have decided to retire to public life.”

“I see.”

“Do you?”

“No, not really—it just seemed the correct answer,” she said, plucking at the fringe on her doeskin gown.

Morgan smiled to himself. She looked so adorable he could hardly keep his hands off her. “We have discussed everything but the weather and what I really want to talk about, Sky…Dancer.”

Her long silken lashes brushed her cheek as she gazed down at her moccasins. “I…do not know what we can say to each other, Morgan.”

Suddenly Morgan reached out and crushed Sky Dancer in his arms, knowing that was where she belonged. “You little fool—did you think so little of me that you decided I would turn away from you because you are half Indian? When I think what you put me through because of your damned stubborn pride I could just shake you.”

“I am not ashamed of who I am, Morgan,” she told him, raising her head proudly, meeting his gaze. “I would have told you about being Indian except that you seemed to have contempt for my people.”

“Did you really think I would reject you when I learned the truth.”

“I wasn’t sure. In many ways I was a coward. I didn’t want to see you look at me with contempt.”

He laughed deeply. “You sweet adorable little fool. What we have between us goes beyond bloodlines and family ties. If you will marry me, I would shout to the world that my wife is an Indian.”

Sky Dancer felt her heart swell to overflowing. “You still want me for your wife?”

He gave her a smile that melted her heart. “Why do you think I am here? I want you in every way a man can possess the woman he loves. Will you marry me, Skyler?”

Her eyes seemed to cloud over. “I am not Skyler. She was a girl who did not exist.”

“I would love you no matter what your name happens to be, Sky Dancer. Now, will you marry me or not?”

She shook her head sadly. “You will have to ask my father, and I do not think he will allow me to be your wife.”

Morgan felt a prickle of uneasiness. He had the same doubts himself. He knew he might face powerful objection from the chief of the Blood Blackfoot. “Would you go away with me if your father refused my offer?”

“No. I love and honor my father. He is not only my father but my chief. I could never go against what he says. His word is law with the Blackfoot.”

“What is the customary way for a man to ask an Indian chief for his daughter’s hand?”

Sky Dancer couldn’t help but smile. “If you were an Indian, you would bring my father many horses. I am a princess, so my bride’s cost will be high.”

“Where will I find horses in your land?” he asked, returning her smile.

Suddenly Sky Dancer became serious. “I think perhaps in your case, my father will overlook the bride’s cost. But I do not think he will overlook the fact that you are a white man. You will find him in the lodge if you wish to talk to him. But I believe it would be better if you wait until he asks you to come to him.”

Their eyes met, and they both remembered the night they had been so close. Farley cleared his throat, and stood up knowing he must remind them of his presence.

“I ’spect we best mosey on back to the village. I wouldn’t want anyone to come looking for us.”

Morgan watched Sky Dancer walk away, knowing she might never belong to him.

Danielle was asleep in the curtained off area at the back of the lodge. Sky Dancer was with Farley and Dr. Prescott, so Joanna and Windhawk were alone.

Windhawk watched his wife as she mended one of his buckskin shirts. The light from the torches fell on her face. She frowned, as if concentrating on her needlework.

“Put that aside and talk to me, Joanna. I know you well
enough to sense that you are troubled about something, and I believe I know what it is.”

Her eyes sought his, knowing she had never been able to hide anything from him. “There are so many things on my mind that I don’t know where to start, my husband. Much of what I would tell you may make you angry.”

“I am not blind, Joanna. Many things have not gone unnoticed by me. Will you tell me why Morgan Prescott has come among us, or must I guess?”

Joanna drew in a deep breath, and laid her mending aside. “Doctor Prescott came for Sky Dancer. I believe they love one another.”

The expression on Windhawk’s face didn’t change, but his dark eyes seemed to glisten with anger. “I will never consent to my daughter marrying a white man. I will send him from the village in the morning.” His words were softly spoken, but they were laced with anger.

“I am white, Windhawk. Are you saying it was all right for you to marry me, but it would be wrong for Sky Dancer to marry where she loves.”

“Why do you say this to me? Would you have this man take our daughter away so we would never see her again?”

Joanna reached forward and rested her hand on Windhawk’s. “It will tear my heart out to let her go but I would have her marry where her heart lies.”

Windhawk shoved her hand away, and stood up. “No! I will not listen to you in this, Joanna. Sky Dancer would not be accepted by the white world. She does not understand how it feels to be made to feel inferior. Even though Sky Dancer has said nothing about it, I know she was hurt by something that happened to her in Philadelphia.”

Joanna slowly stood, knowing her husband was agonizing over allowing Sky Dancer to leave. He was a proud man, and she knew he would make his own decision, and nothing she or anyone else said would sway him.

“Think on this, Windhawk. Perhaps it is time to let her go. She may have to face bigoted people, and they may hurt
her. But I have a feeling Morgan Prescott will take very good care of her.”

“There is nothing to think about. Sky Dancer will stay here,” he said, turning away and disappearing out the lodge opening.

Joanna moved to the back of the lodge where Danielle lay. Going down on her knees, she touched her hand to her niece’s forehead. Finding it cool, she sighed with relief. Four lives were in a tangle and Joanna didn’t know what to do about it.

Wolfrunner stood up slowly. The pain in his chest felt like a red-hot poker, and his head was spinning dizzily. Grasping the lodge pole tightly, he rested his weight against it, allowing himself time to catch his breath.

“You should not be up, my son,” White Dove said, looking at him with concern. “The white man of medicine said you should stay on the mat for a while longer. You must not do anything that will harm you.”

“I will not lay down like some youth who has not won his feathers, my mother. I am a warrior.”

“Even warriors must rest when their body needs to heal,” she persisted. “You must go back to the mat. The white doctor told me rest was important.”

Wolfrunner’s eyes went to the tipi opening. He could see that the sun was shining brightly, and he felt a strange restlessness stir inside him. While he had languished upon his mat, his thoughts had been mostly of Danielle. The pain in his chest did not compare with the pain in his heart. Soon she would be leaving, and he would never see her again. His mother had told him that she was fully recovered from her ordeal, and he realized her father would soon be taking her back to the white world.

As a sick feeling washed over him, Wolfrunner made his way back to the buffalo robe, hating the weakness that made him as helpless as a newborn baby.

Lying down, Wolfrunner thought it might be best that he was confined to his tipi because he wouldn’t have to face Danielle. It would be far better if she just went away without him seeing her again. Perhaps in time he would put her out of his mind as well as his heart.

Danielle rode beside her father knowing this was her last day in the village. As they halted their mounts, they both gazed down at the lush green valley below them. How magnificent this land was, with its tall mountains, pine forest, rivers, and streams.

Danielle felt her heart wing its way across the lush, green valley. This was the land of her mother’s people, and this was now the land of her heart. She hadn’t realized until this moment what it would cost her to ride away, never see this land again. This was also the land of the man she loved. Wolfrunner didn’t love her, he didn’t even like her, but still she couldn’t stop loving him.

“I will always feel as if I am leaving a part of myself behind when I leave this land,” Tag said as he watched a herd of antelope grazing beside a stream.

“I too feel this way, Father. I wish I could remain here forever.”

Her father looked startled. “Can this be the same girl, who only a few months ago swore she wouldn’t live like an Indian savage?”

She met his eyes squarely. “I have changed in many ways, Papa. It’s hard to explain, but I feel the pull of this land. I don’t want to go back to Philadelphia. Could I not stay here a while longer?”

Tag saw the mist in Danielle’s eyes, and felt as if he were losing a part of her. “You haven’t told me this before. When did this all come about? I know you have been through a rough time, honey. You’ll feel differently when we get back home.”

Danielle didn’t want to think about going home. If only Wolfrunner loved her, she would be content to stay here forever. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think you would understand. I love…Wolfrunner.”

“You are right, I don’t understand. I know you too well and you would never be happy living here. They don’t have balls and parties here in the Blackfoot village. The latest fashion in gowns will be one you make with your own hands. Do you think you could be happy working with your hands until they are no longer white and soft?”

She drew in her breath. “I deserved that, Father. I know in the past I have been very selfish. I have changed—I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.”

“Well, miss, you can just put the notion of staying here out of your mind. I will never allow you to stay here. It would break your mother’s heart!”

“My mother’s heart would be glad if she knew her daughter embraced her people. My mother is dead—you remember her, don’t you, Father? Her name was Morning Song.”

Tag looked perplexed. “I was speaking of Alexandria, and you know it. I hadn’t told you this before, but she is going to have a baby. She needs you at home.”

A tear ran down Danielle’s cheek. “She will have me, Father. I said I loved Wolfrunner, I didn’t say he loved me. The truth of the matter is that he doesn’t have a very high regard for me at all.”

Tag’s eyes narrowed against the glare of the afternoon sun. “It’s all for the best, Danielle. I will buy you a whole new wardrobe when we get back to Philadelphia. In the spring we will all take a trip to England, and you will forget all about your bad experience this summer. After a time this will all seem like no more than a bad dream.”

Danielle smiled at her father sadly, knowing he would never understand what she was feeling. She would go with him to Philadelphia, but her heart would remain here in this lovely Blackfoot country.

When Sky Dancer entered the tipi she saw that Wolfrunner was lying on his mat with his eyes closed. White Dove had asked her to come and talk to him. It seemed his mother was concerned, because Wolfrunner didn’t want to eat. All he did was lay on his mat and stare into space.

Wolfrunner’s eyes opened, and he turned to face her. For one brief moment, she saw his eyes sparkle with a soft warmth—then it was as if a mask moved over his face, and he looked away.

Sky Dancer dropped down on her knees beside him. “I have brought you some of my mother’s honey cakes—I know you always liked them, Wolfrunner,” she said, reaching out and touching his arm.

Slowly he turned back to her. For a long moment he looked into her face, then at last he spoke. “Your eyes are different from Danielle’s.”

She smiled. “Yes, I am told that. At first when I came in, you thought I was Danielle, did you not?”

His eyes drifted down to slits. “Yes, but I recognized my mistake immediately. You and Danielle look very much alike. People who do not know the two of you cannot see the differences.”

“But you can, Wolfrunner. You know that Danielle and I are not the same.”

“Yes, I know.”

Sky Dancer stood up, and placed the honey cakes beside White Dove’s cooking utensils. “You love my cousin, Danielle,” she said matter-of-factly. “I have known you all my life, so I can see this in your eyes.”

“Love is not the great thing that people would have us believe it to be. I can go the rest of my life without loving.”

“What if Danielle loved you in return?”

Wolfrunner’s eyes blazed, and his mouth eased into a straight line. “If you came to see me because we are old friends, I will talk to you. But if you have come to talk about your cousin, I will not.”

“I do not know why you are acting this way. I have always
been your friend. You are changed, Wolfrunner. Have a care, or you will lose all your friends.”

Wolfrunner closed his eyes and turned his face to the wall. She knew he was shutting her out as his mother told her he had shut everyone out. She knew him well enough to see that he was deeply disturbed about something. It had never been in his nature to be cold to his friends. She had never known him to brood about anything. He had always been the fun-loving warrior, always laughing and teasing.

“If you love Danielle, why do you not tell her? You might find that she loves you also.”

“Leave me in peace, Sky Dancer. I do not want to talk to you anymore.” He didn’t turn back to her, and she could feel that he wanted her to leave. Shaking her head sadly, she quietly left him.

Windhawk studied the face of Dr. Morgan Prescott through half-closed lashes. He knew why the white man had come to him. He had pondered long and hard about what Joanna had told him. His heart was heavy knowing he must give his daughter to this man who would take her far away.

Morgan shifted uneasily under the dark gaze of the chief. “You told me I could ask what I would of you, and I could have it—I have come to you to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage, Windhawk. I want you to know if you give Sky Dancer to me I will take the greatest care of her. My life will be spent making her happy.”

Windhawk was quiet for a long time, and when he spoke his words were soft. “I think that you must love my daughter since you came so far to find her. Can you say to me that Sky Dancer will never be hurt, or be made to feel ashamed of who she is?”

“You know I cannot make this promise to you. There will be those who will know she is different. But I will say to you that for anyone to hurt Sky Dancer they would first have to go through me. You must know how I feel about her since you yourself married a white woman. I am proud of who
Skyler is, and you need not worry about her if you give her to me.”

“Her name is Sky Dancer, not Skyler,” Windhawk said with feeling.

“I know this. I was told that your wife was called Joanna until she was given the Indian name of Flaming Hair. The name is not important, it is the love that counts. I have seen the love in your eyes when you look at your wife. Pity me because I feel that same deep love for your daughter, and yet I know she will never marry me without your blessing.”

Windhawk was quiet for a long time. Finally he reached out his hand to Morgan. “I will give my daughter to you, Morgan Prescott, because I know her happiness lies with you. I will charge you to love and care for her.”

Morgan felt his heart lighten with joy. He gripped Windhawk’s hand with a firm handshake. He hadn’t expected Windhawk to give in so easily. He had prepared many arguments in his defense, but he hadn’t needed to use them. This chief
was
the great man everyone claimed him to be. Morgan knew Windhawk could easily have decided against him, and if he had Sky Dancer would never have married him.

“I am more than grateful that you trust me to care for your daughter. I can tell you now, if you had said no, I was prepared to live as a Blackfoot for as long as it took to win your consent.”

Windhawk smiled. “You would have made a good Blackfoot. I have seen your courage.”

“I never needed my courage as much as today when I entered this lodge.”

Windhawk’s eyes seemed to darken. “You were afraid, and yet still you came.”

“Yes.”

“Go to the river now and wait until I send my daughter to you.”

“Can I see Sky Dancer now?” Morgan asked.

The two men stood head to head. “No, it is not for you to
talk to her just now. I will tell her of the decision I have made.”

Sky Dancer was grooming her horse, Degobar, when her father, Windhawk, came up beside her. She had known that Morgan had gone to speak with her father, and her eyes now sought his questioningly.

“This mare was a gift from me on your sixteenth summer,” Windhawk said, patting the horse’s sleek neck.

“Yes, she was one of your finest. I have always been so proud to ride her.”

Windhawk felt a tightening in his chest. He had to pause before he could speak. “Will you be taking Degobar to Philadelphia with you?”

Sky Dancer thought she had misunderstood her father. She felt her heart pounding against her chest, and placed her hands there to still the tremor. “What are you saying?” she asked softly.

He reached out and drew her into his arms. “It is a hard thing for a father to let his only daughter go. Especially when she has brought such joy into his heart. I could not do so now, if I loved you less.”

“Oh, Father,” she cried, placing her head against his shoulder. “My heart is both happy and sad. I love Morgan, and I want to be with him, yet it tears at my heart to leave you and Mother.”

Windhawk’s arms tightened about her. He would miss her because, like her mother, she had brought sunshine into his heart. “Go to Morgan with a happy heart, my daughter. Give him strong sons…and a daughter with laughing blue eyes like yourself. Give him the joy your mother gives to me.”

Sky Dancer raised her head and brushed the tears away. “I will come back often to visit, Father. I will always remember where I came from.”

He studied her face carefully. “Always remember who you are. Never lower your eyes, but hold your head up and say to
yourself that you are part of two proud races. Teach your children to look into a man’s heart, to find his worth.”

She pressed her cheek against his. “I will teach my children what you and Mother have taught me. I will always keep you both in my heart.”

“Go now, my daughter. Morgan awaits you down by the river.”

Joanna was standing in the shadow of her lodge, watching when Sky Dancer kissed her father’s cheek, then ran away to find the man she loved. Joanna turned away quickly not wanting Windhawk to find her crying. She knew how hard it had been for him to let Sky Dancer go. He had always been such a strong man—but he never ceased to amaze her with his love and understanding. She knew how anguished he must be at the moment—indeed, she herself felt heartbreak at the thought of her daughter’s leaving.

Morgan propped his booted foot on a log, watching several healthy brown-skinned children swimming in the river. He couldn’t help but think how it must have been for the Indian before the white man landed on their shores. They had neither worried about famine nor the white man’s diseases then.

Looking across the river, he allowed his eyes to wander to the great wilderness beyond. One day this would all be under the white man’s domination. Already Washington had claimed this as their territory. What would happen to the Blackfoot when the white world came crashing in on them?

The sound of the children’s laughter filled his ears, and he remembered the time he had foolishly stated that the only good Indian was a dead Indian. He hadn’t realized that day that he had condemned Sky Dancer, and her people, to obscurity in his mind. He couldn’t help thinking how sanctimonious men were in their ignorance.

Hearing soft moccasined footsteps, Morgan glanced up to observe his love’s laughing blue eyes, sparkling at him.
Sky Dancer was standing on an incline just above him, and he drew in his breath at her loveliness. The summer breeze was blowing her long ebony hair, and his heart swelled with the warm feeling that she would soon belong to him.

Holding out his arms, she laughingly jumped into them. “So it would seem your father is willing to rid himself of your tiresome person,” he said in a teasing light. “Had I known he was so anxious to give you over to me, I might have asked a high price to accomodate him.”