Miss Annie And The Chief (10 page)

Captain Taylor
steps aside, Mark is higher up in captain rank and decoration. But the song
ends.
 
Another begins.
 
A slow, romantic song.

Mark pulls Annie
into a cordial dance embrace.
 
Their dance starts out politely, with a respectable distance between
them.

“How do you know
Captain Taylor?”
 
Mark inquires.

“He served with
my husband. My husband thought highly of him. Captain Taylor was with Caleb
when he died. He was the one who delivered the news to me.”
 

“Captain Taylor
is a good man.”
 
Mark affirms.

He pulls Annie
closer to him, which she doesn't object to.
 
He whispers in her ear, his lips brushing across her
cheek.
 
“So am I, Annie.”
 
He says her name with such tenderness,
her heart quickens and her cheeks flush.

Mark pulls her
even closer and again, she doesn’t object.
 
Her heart races and he can feel it, his heart pounding as
well.
 
He holds he as close as he
can while remaining respectable in the public event.
 
He can smell the freshness in her hair, the touch of perfume
on her neck.
 
He never wants to let
her go, and now as she responds to his touch and his closeness, she never wants
him to.
 
Captain Taylor watches,
knowing that he’s been licked.

A short time
later, as the dance continues, Annie takes a breather from the
festivities.
 
Chief Red Hawk spies
Annie alone, not attended to by either captain.
 
He excuses himself from his conversation and approaches
her.
 

He takes her
elbow and escorts her to a quiet, private place, out of sight but still within
earshot of the music.
 
No one has
seen them.
 
He scolds her.
 
“You have not taught me.”

“What do you
mean?”
 
Annie is confused.

“This important
lesson, you did not teach me,” the chief restates with more conviction.

“What important
lesson?”
 
Annie asks curiously.

“The dance
lesson. I wish to learn now.”

Annie is
reluctant.
 
Red Hawk
encourages.
 
“Teach me this, now.”

Annie obliges.
“You place one hand here, and the other hand clasped in your right hand.
 
This hand.”
 
Annie hesitantly lets Red Hawk take her in his arms like he
has been observing all night.
 

“You move your
feet in tune with the music.
 
One,
two, three, one, two, three.”
 
Annie instructs.
 
He
awkwardly tries to move to the music.

“Yes, that's
good.”
 
Annie encourages.

Annie and Red
Hawk share a robust dance together.
  
The song ends.
 
The dance
ends.
 
Red Hawk leans in close to
Annie's ear, mimicking Mark's move.
 
His lips brush past her ear.
 
“Thank you.”

Flustered, Annie
manages a polite yet tender reply.
 
“You're welcome.”

*****

Later in the
evening, when the festivities are over, Chief Red Hawk rides his horse towards
his village.
 
He stops just outside
the village.
 
He looks longingly at
his village as if deep down he knows he won't see it this way much longer.
 
He then looks up to the sky, seeing the
million stars above.

At the same time
on the road to Beaver Creek Mark drives a buggy; Annie sits next to him. She
quietly hums a tune. Of all the tunes played this evening, and all the dances
she danced with the three men, she hums the tune that she danced to with Mark
when he called her "Annie."

He smiles
knowingly to himself as he listens.
 
Then he stops the buggy.

“What’s
wrong?”
 
Annie asks.

Mark looks up at
the sky, marveling at the millions of stars twinkling as far as the eye can
see.
 
“I never had a view of the
stars like this back home in Boston.
 
Remarkable.”
 
Mark
shares.
 
“This is such beautiful
country. I can't even begin to imagine what this situation is like for the
Indians.
 
To be forced to give up
your home, your land, extraordinary places like this that have been in your
family for generations, just because others believe they are entitled to it is
fundamentally wrong.”

Annie
compassionately touches Mark's cheek in response to his sensitivity and
wisdom.
 
He places his hand over
hers, relishing her touch.
 
He
looks deeply into her eyes, touching her soul with his gaze. "Hear my soul
speak. Of the very instant that I saw you did my heart fly at your service."

Annie's cheeks
turn crimson as a bolt of energy charges her heart and soul with love and
longing.
 
“That is not Emerson,
Captain Caldwell, that is Shakespeare.”
 
Annie says, attempting to flirt.

“Who better to
quote to convey my feelings for you, Annie?”
 
He pulls her close, wraps his arms around her as his lips
find hers.
 
At first the kiss is
tender, romantic, sweet.
 
But soon
longing and desire take over.
 
The
kiss turns into a passionate and explosive kiss filled with hunger and
intensity; it’s epic and unforgettable.

She pulls away,
breathless, her eyes misting.
 
“I
don't know if I can handle being in love with another Army man, most especially
you.
 
If I were to lose you, the
loss would be the greatest most unbearable agony imaginable.”

Not knowing how
to reassure her with words he envelops her in a strong embrace, hoping his
strength and love will comfort her.
 
They remain embraced under the night sky for quite some time, neither
one wanting to let go of the other.

Later the buggy
finally enters the town.
 
Mark
parks it in front of Selma's place.
 
He hops out of the buggy and helps Annie out of the buggy.
 
As she is in his cordial embrace
hopping out of the buggy, He pulls her into a hug.
 
He doesn't let go.
 
She doesn't pull away.
 
He
takes in the scent of her hair as he brushes his lips against her head.
 
She holds him tight, not wanting to let
go.
 
Ever.

He pulls back
just enough to lock eyes.
 
His lips
reach down to hers.
 
And they kiss
again. Another kiss filled with passion, love, longing. Powerful and timeless.
Annie pulls away.
 
With tears in
her eyes she rushes into the house.
 
Mark hops in the buggy and rides away.

Inside the
saloon Dick and Carl Rush play poker, manhandle the saloon girls and down shots
of whiskey.
 
Clara has been staying
clear of the table.
 
Glen enters
the saloon and approaches Clara.
 
She cowers away from him.
 
“Don't be scared, Clara.
 
I've got some news for ya.
 
Your Indian friend is waiting outside.”

Clara's eyes
light up.
 
She's young, naive, and
believes Glen.
 
Clara heads outside
and down the alley to meet Chato.
 
Chato is not in the alley.
 
Glen has followed her into the alley.
 
He grabs her and slaps her around.
 
She tries to scream, and tries to fight him off, but he is
mean and strong, hitting her and kicking her.
 
He is just about to rape her when Chato arrives.

“Get your hands
off of her!”
 
Chato hollers.
 
He hurries to Clara's rescue.
 
Glen attacks Chato.
 
They fight.
 
Glen pulls a gun on Chato. Chato overpowers Glen. In self
defense he turns the gun on Glen.
 
The gun goes off and kills Glen.

Chato runs over
to Clara and embraces her.
 
“Are
you okay?”

Clara is shaken,
bruised and battered.
 
Carl Rush
exits the saloon.
 
He stumbles down
the alley looking for his brother.
 
“Will ya hurry it up with the whore, Glen?”
 
Carl slurs.

“We have to get
out of here, Chato.” Clara whispers to Chato.
 
Clara and Chato run out of the alley.
 
Carl gets a quick glimpse of Chato.
 
He hurries down the alley and finds his
dead brother.
 
Carl hollers at the
top of his lungs for his brother Dick.

Inside Selma’s
house Annie is asleep. She is quickly awakened by a bang on the door. She gets
out of bed, puts her robe on, lights a lamp, and opens the door. Chato and
Clara hurry inside.
 
Annie sees
that both Clara and Chato are badly beaten up.
 
“Dear God, what happened?”

Chato dims the
lamp. “Keep the light low, Miss Annie.”

“Glen Rush
attacked me. Chato saved me, but he killed Glen. It was in self defense,
honest.”
 
Clara explains with tears
running down her cheeks.

“Did anyone see
you?”
 
Annie asks.

“I think Glen's
brother saw us.
 
Glen knew somehow
that I meet Chato behind the saloon. He told me Chato was waiting for me. They
gotta figure it was Chato who killed Glen. They'll shoot him dead as soon as
they find him. Please don't let that happen, Miss Annie. I love him.”
 
Clara pleads.
 
Chato holds Clara tight.
 

Annie looks out
the window.
 
She sees the two drunk
Rush brothers and a few of their drunk buddies searching the streets.
 
Annie, Chato and Clara wait quietly
until the drunkards have disappeared down the street.

Annie removes
her wedding ring and hands it to Chato.
 
“Here, Chato, take this. You can get some money for it.
 
Go to Santa Fe.
 
Find Peter and Jenny Newton. They are
staying at the Curtis Ranch. Tell them that I sent you. They will take you in
and help you.”

“Thank you, Miss
Annie.”
 
Chato replies with
heartfelt gratitude.

Annie opens the
door.
 
Clara and Chato steal away
together in the dark.

*****

It’s the next
morning, the day of the negotiations.
 
Annie leaves Selma’s house, walks across the street and enters the jail.
“Good morning, Marshal.”

The marshal is
enjoying a cup of coffee at his desk. “Good morning, Mrs. Landon. You hear all
the commotion last night?”

“I heard the
drunken Rush brothers like I do every night.”

“We're minus one
brother,” the marshal informs Annie.

“You'll forgive
me if I don't mourn.
 
I need a
favor.
 
Chato is late in picking me
up and I need to get to the fort.”

“Sure
thing.”
 
The marshal offers.
 
He stands and escorts Annie outside, preparing
to give her a ride to the fort.

“It just so
happens the Rush brothers, minus one, got a posse up this morning and headed
out in search of Chato,” the marshal tells Annie.

Annie feigns
ignorance. “Why Chato?”

“They think he
killed Glen over one of the double breasted mattress thrashers.”

Annie is
insulted by this reference.
 
“Excuse me?”

“I'm sure Chato
had his reasons.
 
It's a shame he
didn't take out the other two brothers,” the marshal adds.

“Perhaps Jim
Ringo had his reasons, too.”
 
Annie
points out.

*****

The Rush
brothers ride hard through the Colorado wilderness with their posse. They
search high and low for Chato and Clara.
 
The posse comes across two teenage Arapaho Indians on horseback.
 
The Rush brothers don't care that the
Indians aren't Chato.
 
They shoot
the two defenseless teenagers and then ride off.

At Fort Mills…

A long table is
set up outside the main building.
 
The signing of the treaty is given full pomp and circumstance.
 
Chief Red Hawk sits across from the
commissioners. Mark is nearby.