Savage Winter (8 page)

The clean-shaven man, who appeared to be the younger of the two, took Joanna’s hand and helped her to stand. “I’m Jim Boggs, and this here’s my brother, Chester.”

“What do you want with me?” Joanna asked, seeing nothing in the two brothers’ attitude to make her fear them.

“We was hired to bring you to Fort Union. We was told not to say any more than that.”

“Who would have hired you to do such a thing? If Captain Thatcher sent you after me, he will not be well pleased that you have forced me to come with you. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll allow me to return to the Blackfoot village,” she said, still not understanding what was going on. Who were these men? Who had hired them to take her away? It had to be Harland…but why?

“Well, now, we can’t rightly do that,” Chester replied, looking into her violet-colored eyes. “You will either agree to come with us peacefully or we will tie you on your horse…which is it to be?”

Joanna’s eyes went to the younger brother, who had removed his buckskin shirt and was bathing his shoulder with river water.

“Where she stabbed me don’t look too deep, Chester, but it hurts like hell!” His eyes went to Joanna. “Why did you go and stick me for?”

Joanna shook her head in confusion. She still wasn’t sure what had happened. The last thing she remembered was being dragged from Fosset’s back.

Chester paid no attention to his brother; he was waiting for Joanna’s answer. “Have you decided if you will come along peaceably, Miss James? Do you come of your own free will, or do we make it hard on you?”

Joanna gave him a heated glance, knowing she had little choice in the matter. Harland would hear about this when she saw him, she decided.

“I will come with you because I am forced to, but I doubt if Captain Thatcher will appreciate your methods. You had better look to your back, because if my husband, Windhawk, catches up with you, I will not be able to stay his hand from harming you.”

Joanna noticed that Chester’s face whitened. “What did you say?” he asked in an uneven voice.

She raised her head proudly, seeing the shock that registered on the man’s face at the mention of Windhawk’s name. “You heard me clearly! My husband, Windhawk, will see you both dead for this!”

Jim jumped to his feet and looked at his brother. “Hell’s bells, Chester! Did you hear what she said? You told me this Windhawk ain’t no real person!”

Chester was studying Joanna’s face. “He ain’t real. The girl is just using him to scare us. Tell my brother the truth, little lady.”

Joanna smiled, knowing the two men would now be looking over their shoulders, and she doubted they would sleep too well that night. “If it suits your purpose to think Windhawk doesn’t exist, so be it. You will find out soon enough that I am telling the truth,” she said, amused at the way both brothers’ eyes kept darting back to the dense trees.

“You’re lying,” Chester said, in a voice that showed he was trying to convince himself as well as his brother that the legendary Windhawk didn’t really exist.

Joanna merely shrugged her shoulders and bent down to wash her face in the river before cupping her hands to drink thirstily. Too many things had happened to her yesterday for her to sort them all out. She was still hurting because of Windhawk’s betrayal, and she had no notion why Harland had gone to such extreme measures to get her away from the village.

She Who Heals had been unable to sleep the night before for worrying about Joanna. She entered Windhawk’s lodge, and saw that Joanna was not there. It is early yet, she told herself. Joanna could have gone to the river for water. But why was the cook-fire not lit, and why did Joanna’s bed look as if it hadn’t been slept in?

She left the lodge, hurriedly walking in the direction of the river. Her fears of last night were becoming a reality, for when she reached the river, she saw no sign of Flaming Hair. She Who Heals questioned the women who were gathered at the river, but not one of them had seen Joanna, either.

By now, Windhawk’s mother was also searching for Joanna. Sun Woman went from lodge to lodge, inquiring if anyone had seen her. By midmorning, the whole village had been alerted, and everyone was frantically searching for Windhawk’s missing wife.

Farley mounted his horse and crossed the river, searching for tracks.

Red Bird entered Windhawk’s lodge. Seeing the discarded bear-claw necklace, she remembered Flaming Hair had worn it the day before. She smiled to herself as she slipped it over her head. She had the necklace…she would soon have Windhawk!

An uneasy feeling spread over the Blackfoot village. It was nightfall, and still no one had seen Joanna.

Farley went to the pasture where Fosset was always kept with Windhawk’s herd. When he discovered Joanna’s horse was missing, he rode back to the village to gather a group of warriors to search for her.

Sun Woman sent word to her son to come at once. The women and children of the village watched and waited in
fear, while the warriors made a wide sweep of the countryside in search of their chief’s woman.

Joanna was well-loved by the Blackfoot tribe, and everyone was worried about her disappearance…all but one. Red Bird felt her heart leap with joy. The Flaming Hair was missing, and she hoped she would never return.

Morning Song was frantic. She remembered how upset Joanna had been the day before when she had learned about Red Bird. She wondered if Joanna had left because of the Piegan woman. She felt that it was her fault, since she had been the one to tell Joanna about Red Bird.

Farley bent down and examined the ground along the river thoroughly. There had been too many horses crossing the river; he couldn’t locate Fosset’s hoofprints. His heart was heavy, and fear gnawed at his insides. He loved Joanna and was afraid of what might have happened to her.

Sun Woman and She Who Heals looked into each other’s eyes. They both loved Joanna as a daughter, and both knew in their hearts that Joanna would never have gone away without telling them. There was no answer to the puzzle of Joanna’s disappearance. It was as if she had vanished without leaving a trace.

Joanna turned around to look back over her shoulder. She couldn’t believe that no one had come to rescue her. Surely by now someone had discovered she was missing. Farley would find her, she thought confidently. He was a good tracker, and even though the two brothers were taking every precaution to cover their tracks, she was sure Farley would not be easily fooled. She wasn’t frightened as much as she was angry. So far, the two men had not mistreated her. In fact, they seemed very concerned about her comfort, and would often stop to offer her food and drink, and to allow her to stretch her cramped legs.

Joanna’s strongest emotion was anger. How dare Harland hire these two men to carry her off in such a high-handed manner! Why hadn’t he come himself, as he had said he
would in his letter? She knew if the chance should present itself, she would get away from her captors and make her way back to the Blackfoot village.

Glancing toward the east, Joanna saw dark clouds gathering on the horizon. She could see the lightning flashing across the sky, and a loud clap of thunder rolled across the plains. She couldn’t help thinking how good it was that the much-needed rain was coming at last. It wasn’t until later that Joanna realized the rain would work against her—it would wash away any tracks that might be left behind, making it harder for Farley to follow them.

That night Joanna rolled up in a blanket, while both brothers kept a wary eye on her. She noticed they hadn’t lit a campfire and realized they were still afraid of being overtaken by the Blackfoot.

Joanna was so tired and emotionally drained that she decided to rest for just a moment. She was determined not to fall asleep, thinking she would only pretend to be asleep until the two men became lax in their watch, and she would then try to escape. Soon, however, her eyes drifted shut, and she fell into a deep sleep. She wasn’t even aware that she was being discussed by the two brothers.

Jim watched the sleeping girl’s face in the half-light. Damn, he thought she was beautiful! “What do you suppose her story is, Chester? Do you think the Injuns captured her? Do you reckon Windhawk is real?”

Chester eyed his brother suspiciously. “Hell, how should I know what happened to her? Mr. Landon didn’t take me into his confidence. I already told you I don’t believe Windhawk’s a real person. I’ll tell you one thing for sure, though—you stay away from the girl. I’d better not catch you laying a hand on her. We’re being paid a lot of money to take her to her uncle. If you start trying to fool around with her, we won’t get anything. Do I make myself clear?”

Jim looked away from his brother’s searching gaze. “Chances are, if she let some Injun dally with her, most likely
she wouldn’t mind me rolling her in the grass,” Jim said as his eyes fastened on the rise and fall of Joanna’s breasts.

“You just try it, Jim. I’m not about to let you spoil this chance for us!”

“You’re always bossing me around! Just ’cause you’re the oldest don’t give you no cause to tell me what to do,” Jim replied bitterly.

Chester reached out and gripped his brother by the shirtfront, yanking him forward. “I know how you treat women. As I said before, you lay one hand on the girl, and you’ll breathe your last!”

Jim’s glance shifted away from the angry gleam in his brother’s eyes. He knew about Chester’s foul temper—it wasn’t wise to rile him. He had once seen his brother strangle a man to death with one hand. “I didn’t mean nothing by what I said, Chester. I won’t touch the girl. Turn me loose!”

Chester shoved Jim aside. “You would be wise to do what you’re told. All my life I been getting you out of scrapes, but I’m warning you, don’t touch that girl!”

The light was quickly waning, and Chester looked over to the girl to see if she had been awakened by their loud voices. He was relieved to find she was sleeping peacefully.

Jim’s face was sullen as he lay back against his saddle. “We might not get the money that man promised us, anyway. He said we was to bring the girl
and
a boy.”

Chester laughed without amusement. “I wasn’t about to hang around waiting for the boy. If you want to, you can go back and look for him,” he jeered.

Jim lapsed into a sullen silence. He was tired of being pushed around by his older brother. All his life, he’d been forced to do everything Chester’s way, and he was getting damned tired of it.

Chester didn’t seem to notice his brother’s sour mood. He was accustomed to Jim’s pouting whenever he didn’t get his way. “I sure wish that rain would come to wash away our tracks. Most likely, them Injuns have already started searching for Miss James.”

As though wishing for it had made it happen, the first raindrops began to fall from the sky. The thunder rumbled over the valley, and great, jagged bolts of lightning split through the air, lighting up the countryside in their wake.

Chester got up and walked over to Joanna, carrying a waterproof tarp. He spread it over the branches above her to protect her from the rain.

Tall Bear rode into the buffalo camp and dismounted before his horse had come to a halt. Seeing his brother, Gray Fox, he rushed over to him.

“Where is the chief?” he asked.

Gray Fox put his hand on Tall Bear’s shoulder. “Have you no greeting for your brother?” he asked, half-amused.

“I have no time to talk—I must see Windhawk at once! I have grave news.”

Gray Fox nodded to the tipi that was set apart from the others. “What is wrong?”

“Flaming Hair has disappeared! We have searched everywhere but can find no trace of her!”

Gray Fox’s eyes narrowed in disbelief. “How could such a thing happen?”

Tall Bear didn’t wait to answer but hurried toward Windhawk’s tipi. Not bothering to announce himself, he entered.

Windhawk was cutting strips from a buffalo hide to lace his moccasins, and he smiled up at Tall Bear. “I thought you had enough of the buffalo hunt and had gone home to be with your woman.”

“I have bad tidings, my chief,” Tall Bear blurted out. “Flaming Hair is missing!”

Windhawk stood up slowly, feeling himself die a little inside. “You had better tell me what you mean,” he said in a quiet voice that didn’t reveal his distress. Only his dark eyes gave him away. They were wildly pain-filled and disbelieving.

Gray Fox came up behind his brother. “Where is Joanna? What has happened to her?” he asked, in a voice of concern. He looked at Windhawk and saw his troubled expression.

“It was but five moons ago that we discovered Flaming Hair was not in the village,” Tall Bear said hurriedly. “Many warriors searched for her day and night, but we found no sign. There was a big rainstorm, and if there were any tracks they have now been washed away.”

Without a word, Windhawk ran from the tipi. He leaped onto his horse and rode swiftly in the direction of the Blackfoot village. Gray Fox and Tall Bear caught their mounts and rode hard to catch up with him.

Windhawk felt unbridled fear. What could have happened to Joanna? he wondered in a frenzy. He thought of the time she had run away from him before, but no, she wouldn’t leave him now. She loved him! Were they not happy together? Besides, she would never leave without her brother, Tag, he reasoned. No, she hadn’t run away, but what had happened to her?

His heart cried out to her wherever she was. He knew she wasn’t dead. He would feel it in his heart if she had come to any harm.

He rode swiftly, sparing neither his horse nor himself. Long into the night, his buffalo runner’s powerful legs carried him homeward.

After three days of hard riding, Windhawk was in sight of his village. The most difficult thing he had to bear was the uncertainty of not knowing if Joanna had yet been found. Not once did he voice his fears, but Gray Fox, who knew him so well, could read the fear in his friend’s eyes.

Windhawk entered the river with an urgency, noticing a large group of his people waiting for him on the other side. Riding his mount out of the water, his face was solemn as he approached the village.

Sun Woman watched her son dismount, thinking how tired and haggard he looked. His eyes asked her the question he couldn’t bring himself to voice.

“We have not yet found Joanna, my son. It is as if she disappeared with the morning mist.”

“What could have happened to her?” Gray Fox asked apprehensively.

“We know not…there is no sign of her anywhere,” Sun Woman told him, shaking her head sadly.

Windhawk turned to Gray Fox. “I want to see everyone who talked to Joanna the day before she disappeared. Have them come to my lodge at once. Send someone to the pasture to get Puh Pom, and have him ready to travel. I want to leave as soon as I have questioned everyone. Select two of my warriors to accompany me.”

“I will be one of that number,” Gray Fox said.

“No, my friend. You have had no rest in three moons. I would not ask you to go with me.”

“I shall go, nonetheless. We can both rest when Joanna is found.”

“I will go, too,” Farley said, coming up beside Windhawk.

Windhawk was tired, and his temper was on edge. “I was not aware that you were the chief, old man, and could make the decisions,” he said in an irritated voice.

Farley did not lower his eyes but stared straight at Windhawk. “Be that as it may, I’m a-going with you,” he replied simply. “You might need me to speak to any white men we might meet up with. They would talk to me where they wouldn’t to you.”

Windhawk knew that the old man was making sense. Not bothering to answer, he simply nodded his head, then walked in the direction of his lodge.

Sun Woman put her hand on Farley’s shoulder. “Windhawk is not angry with you, old man. He is worried about Joanna and he tries to hide his fear under a gruff voice.”

Farley watched the young chief disappear into his lodge. “I fear we all have much to worry about. I have never known anyone to disappear without leaving a trace, as Joanna has.”

“You must trust my son to know what is best. If anyone can find Joanna, he can.”

On entering his lodge, Windhawk felt the emptiness like a pain in his heart. How cold it felt without Joanna to come
into his arms to greet him as she always had. There was no cheerful cook-fire to light the darkened corners. It suddenly hit him hard. This was what it felt like to lose his love. A cold, empty feeling seemed to seep into every fiber of his body. If he would allow it, he could easily abandon control of his emotions.

He grabbed hold of the lodgepole and bowed his head. “Joanna, Joanna, where are you, my beloved?” he whispered in a painful voice.

Hearing the sound of voices, Windhawk straightened his back and turned just as Morning Song and Red Bird entered. Soon the lodge was filled with many people waiting to talk to him.

“Which one of you was the last to see Joanna?” he asked, searching every face.

“I was, my brother,” Morning Song said, stepping forward. “I was the last one to speak to her.”

“Did she say anything to you to indicate she was upset?” Windhawk asked.

Morning Song met her brother’s eyes. “Yes, Windhawk, she was very distressed because you had sent the Piegan woman to our village.”

For the first time, Windhawk looked at Red Bird. He had forgotten all about her! Glancing back to his sister, he looked puzzled. “Why should Joanna be upset because Red Bird has come to our village?”

Morning Song took a deep breath. “She…Joanna…said she would not stay with you when you took another wife. She was very distressed, Windhawk.”

Windhawk swung his dark gaze around to Red Bird. “Why should she think I was to take another wife?”

Red Bird stepped forward. Her heart was drumming at the sight of the handsome chief. She was glad the white woman was gone. Now she could have Windhawk all to herself. “The white-skinned woman was angry because I am to be your wife. She was very unkind to me.”

Windhawk’s eyes narrowed. “Who told Joanna that I would take you as my wife?”

Morning Song bowed her head. “Red Bird did, my brother, but many others thought that was your intention.”

“Why? I do not understand why Joanna would believe such a thing!” his voice boomed out.

“Red Bird told everyone in the village that she was to be your wife…she also told Joanna.” Morning Song’s eyes filled with tears. “I did not think Joanna would run away. It is my fault that she has gone.”

Windhawk looked back to Red Bird. “Did you tell my people that you were to be my wife?”

Red Bird looked confused. “Yes, I did not know you wanted it kept a secret. You should have told me, then I would have said nothing.”

“She also told Joanna that you had lain with her,” Morning Song spoke up accusingly. “Joanna was very upset when Red Bird told her she would replace her as the favorite wife.”