Spirit Warrior (11 page)

The next several days sped by so fast, Allie felt like her head, and her life, was spinning quickly out of control. She had done everything she could to avoid Jacob, which hadn’t been as difficult as she thought it would be with everything going on. She loaded the last horse into the horse trailer before stepping out and closing the back and securing it.

The yard was buzzing with activity. She shook her head as she looked at the dozen of trailers filled with horses and supplies. She couldn’t believe it as package after package arrived to the house.

“That looks like it,” Sam said as he glanced over everything with a deep sigh. “I think we are ready.”

“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t have just had this stuff delivered to your place, Indy. Surely there has to be a road to it? How on earth do you get to the grocery store, for crying out loud?” Allie asked as she wiped her hands on her pant leg.

Indy glanced at Sam. Her eyes clouded with worry before they cleared. Sam had thought it best if Allie didn’t know what would happen until after they had traveled through Spirit Pass.

“We are pretty isolated,” Indy responded. “It is beautiful, though, Allie. You’ll love it. At night, the sky is filled with so many stars it will take your breath away.”

Allie sighed as her own eyes clouded for a moment. “It sounds like just the type of place I need right now,” she admitted.

“Great,” Indy replied, giving Allie a quick hug before she turned away. “I’ll let Jonathan know we are ready to go.”

Allie watched as Indy turned and hurried over to where Jonathan and Jacob were talking to Taylor. Her eyes locked with Jacob’s for a brief moment before he looked back to answer something her brother had asked him. Just that brief look was enough to make Allie’s stomach flip over with nervousness.

Two weeks,
she thought.
I can handle two weeks.

“Allie,” Sam murmured.

“Yes, Papa,” Allie responded, absently, forcing her attention back to him.

*.*.*

Sam glanced at Claire. He nodded to her as she stood standing on the porch watching them. This had been one of the most difficult decisions that either one of them had ever made. How did a parent send one of their children off into a world that they knew was dangerous? Not only was the past a difficult life for a woman, it was deadly for an Indian. Allie was used to walking in both worlds. Where she was going, life would be very different than what she was used to.

His eyes moved over to Jacob Tucker. Jacob had approached him and Claire last night. He thought of the man who had asked them for one of the most precious gifts a parent could give… Jacob had asked them for Allie’s hand in marriage. His mind drifted to the conversation that might well change all their lives forever.

*.*.*

Jacob stood in the doorway to Sam’s office. Sam and Claire were sitting on the couch off to the side, talking quietly. He hated to interrupt them, but what he needed to ask was too important not to do it. He knocked lightly to draw their attention.

“Jacob,” Sam greeted, rising out of his seat.

“Sam,” Jacob returned with a nod of his head. “Claire.”

“Hi, Jacob,” Claire said with a smile.

“I’d like a moment of your time, if you don’t mind,” Jacob stated, looking at Sam with a serious expression.

“Of course,” Sam responded with a wave of his hand to the chair next to the couch. He sat back down next to Claire. “What is it?”

Jacob smiled his thanks as he walked across and sat down on the edge of the chair. Folding his hands together, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked back and forth between Sam, with his proud Lakota features, and Claire, with her delicate, pale coloring. What he was about to ask was going to be difficult for them to accept, but he knew what he wanted and it was worth fighting for.

“I want to ask for your permission and blessings to take Allie as my wife,” Jacob stated bluntly.

Sam’s frowned as he studied Jacob in surprise. “I thought you were returning tomorrow to your home,” Sam replied.

“I am,” Jacob said. “Allie is going with us, as you know.”

“For a short period of time,” Sam acknowledged.

Jacob sat back and stared intently at Sam. “Not if I have anything say about it,” he replied. “I am asking for your permission to marry Allie.”

“And if I say no?” Sam asked, staring back at Jacob with a narrow gaze.

“Then, I’ll take her as my wife without it,” Jacob responded quietly. “I would prefer to have your and Claire’s permission and blessings, but either way, I plan on keeping Allie by my side.”

“Your time is a hard life for anyone,” Sam pointed out. “It is even more so for a woman. Have you thought of what life would be like for a woman such as Allie? She has not only been raised in an era when a woman is used to being equal to a man, but she is half Lakota. Even now, it is not always easy for one born to the white man and Indian to walk between the two worlds. You would take her to a time when it would be almost impossible for her to be accepted.”

Jacob refused to look away from Sam. Yes, he had thought of the difficulties. He had gone over and over in his head the dangers that belonged to his world. Yet, there were just as many dangers here. He had watched the picture box with its ‘World News’. This world could be just as dangerous.

“I would do everything in my power to protect her,” Jacob finally said. “I know it will be difficult at times, but I’ll be there for Allie. I’ll always be there for her.”

“You love her,” Claire stated in a soft voice.

Jacob turned his gaze to Claire. He saw understanding and something else in her eyes, an acknowledgement that he meant what he said. A smile curved his lips as he nodded.

“Yes,” he admitted, surprising himself with how true it was. “Yes, I love your daughter. She is…”

“Stubborn, passionate, loving,” Claire finished for him.

“Yes, and more,” Jacob agreed.

“Allie needs someone who will be by her side,” Claire murmured. “She needs to be needed and accepted for who she is.”

“I promise, she will always be by my side,” Jacob assured her. “She is too proud to be anywhere else.”

“You will protect her?” Sam asked.

Jacob looked Sam in the eye. This was a man who was asking him if he would give his life to protect his daughter. He was asking Jacob if he was willing to be the man who could not only protect Allie physically, but her heart as well.

“With my life, for as long as I live,” Jacob vowed.

Sam reached over and clasped Claire’s hand in his. He squeezed it when he felt it tremble. Drawing in a deep breath, he turned his gaze from his wife’s beautiful blue ones back to Jacob.

“Then, we give you our permission and our blessing, Jacob Tucker,” Sam said in a low voice. “But… The real challenge will be getting Allie’s,” he added with a small, wry grin. “I don’t envy you that challenge.”

*.*.*

Now, Sam looked at his daughter with a feeling of pride and sorrow. He was proud of her. She knew as much about the ranch as he did. The way of the land was in her blood. He had no doubt that she would thrive back in Jacob’s time.

The sorrow he felt was for the journey she would have to make to discover who and what she truly was capable of being. He feared he would never see her again. That thought almost made him gather her to him and refuse to let her go. If it hadn’t been for the unknowing looks of longing in her eyes whenever she looked at Jacob, he would have.

“Allie,” Sam said, drawing her attention back to him.

“Yes, Papa?” Allie asked.

“I want you to know I love you,” Sam said in a gruff voice.

“We both love you,” Claire said, coming up to stand next to Sam and Allie. “I made you this.”

Allie frowned as her mom stepped forward and carefully attached a gold chain around her neck. She fingered the pendant. It was the symbol of the Whitewater ranch, flowing waves with two swirling forms rising out of it. The forms symbolized the two worlds, white and Indian, rising together out of the waters in harmony.

“Never forget who you are in here,” her mom said, touching Allie above her heart. “Be proud of who you are and where you come from and you will always be alright.”

“I will,” Allie promised, gazing at her parents with a smile. “I learned from the best.”

Sam pulled Allie into his arms and hugged her against him. Memories of holding her when she was just a baby swept through his mind. Tears burned his eyes as he held her tightly against him. It was hard for a man to give his daughter into the keeping of another man.

His eyes rose and he stared at Jacob who was watching them. He knew he was warning Jacob that he better fulfill his promise to love and protect Allie. His head bent when he saw Jacob’s responding nod of acknowledgement and the look of promise in his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Sam said in a gruff voice. “Daylight is burning.”

“I love you, Allie,” Claire whispered as she gave Allie a hug. “Be careful.”

Allie hugged her mom back. “I will,” she said.

She glanced back and forth between her parents with a puzzled frown. They were acting like she was going away somewhere far away. Hell, even if it was on the other side of the world, she could always call or email them. It wasn’t like she was going into outer space, or worse, into the past where there was no technology.

“Make sure the lead ropes are tied,” Jonathan yelled as the last of the convoy of horses and pack mules were loaded with supplies.

“Aw, dad,” Taylor was complaining. “Why can’t I go? I’m twenty!”

“Because you weren’t invited,” Sam replied as he checked the straps holding on some supplies. “Besides, you have a rodeo in two days. You’d never make it.”

“I can miss one,” Taylor said.

“Taylor,” Sam finally growled in frustration. “You need time to grow up before you go through the Pass.”

“Why does Allie get to go?” Taylor complained, glancing at where Allie was talking with Indy.

“Because she is ready,” Sam replied in exasperation.

Taylor scowled at his dad. “That doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“I thought going on the rodeo circuit would help you grow up,” Sam muttered. “I think it is time you started working at the ranch. It is time to learn what it means to really work for your living.”

“I’ve been trying to tell you that for the past year,” Taylor replied with a grin. “So, when do I start?”

“Four o’clock tomorrow morning,” Sam announced.

“Four… Shit,” Taylor grumbled.

*.*.*

Jacob pulled back on the reins and turned his horse around to go back down the line as they neared the entrance to Spirit Pass. Sam, Taylor, and Aleaha rode up toward him. This is where they would part. A sense of being watched washed over him and he glanced around with a frown. He shook his head, dismissing the feeling when Sam called out to him.

"Jacob, this is as far as we go," Sam said, riding up to him. "Will you be alright from here?"

Jacob nodded. "Yes. Jonathan and I've herded more on our own. With Indy, Allie, and the two dogs, we'll be fine."

Sam looked down the long line of horses and mules. Chester and Tweed were running back and forth, making sure the line stayed straight. Both dogs had gone crazy when Indy returned home, and even now continued to stop every few minutes to look for her. Sam nodded his head to Jacob to follow him.

"You are sure about this?" Sam asked in a quiet voice so he wouldn't be overheard. "I love my daughter very much, Jacob. I don't want to see her hurt."

"I'm sure, Sam," Jacob replied, staring up the line where Allie was laughing at something Indy was telling her. "I'm very, very sure."

Sam drew in a deep breath and nodded. "If there is any way possible, Claire and I will come visit. I can't guarantee anything. I refuse to endanger Claire's life."

"Thank you for having Taylor share some of what is to happen with us," Jacob said.

"I am not sure how this will affect the future. Nothing like this has ever happened as far as I am aware. My people believe that everything happens for a reason. As a Lakota, I understand and accept that. As a father, I will do whatever I can to protect my daughter. I wanted you to know what will happen. Life will not be easy for my people during your time."

"Allie will walk by my side," Jacob promised. "If others don't accept that, they will have to deal with me."

Sam's mouth quirked and he chuckled. "If there is anything left of them after Allie gets done with them," he said with a shake of his head. "I have to remember she might be my little girl, but she has always been good at protecting herself physically. It is her heart that I worry the most about. Chris's injury and death has hurt her. She sees loving someone else as making her vulnerable. She'll try everything she can to push you away from her."

"Yeah, well first I have to get close enough for her to do that," Jacob muttered under his breath.

Allie had done everything in her power to put a distance between them. Hell, it was so bad that if he came in the front door of the house, she went out the back. Once they were close to the ranch that was going to end. It was time to show her that he wasn’t going to be ‘pushed’ away anymore. He was there to stay.

“Jacob,” Jonathan called out. “We’re ready.”

Jacob tipped his hat to Sam and moved to the back of the line. He turned to watch as Sam rode up to Allie and Indy. Both women leaned over and gave him a hug and kiss. His eyes caught Allie’s when she turned to look back at him when her dad said something. She turned her head to her dad and nodded once before turning away from him as Sam rode back past him.

“Safe travels,” Sam called as he rode by.

“You too, Sam,” Jacob and Jonathan called in return.

Now,
Jacob thought a few minutes later as he entered the Pass,
now we are on my turf as Taylor would say.

*.*.*

Allie glanced around the high rock walls on each side of the narrow cut. She thought calling it a ‘pass’ was a bit of a push. A shiver raced through her as a chilled wind blew by her.

Whatever in the hell it was, it was spooky,
she thought as she patted the neck of her horse when it whinnied.

She breathed a sigh of relief several hours later when it looked like the heavy mist that had hung over them was beginning to dissipate. She nudged her horse a touch faster as they broke through into an outcropping of thick woods. Turning, she waited for the rest of the mules and horses to make it through. She pushed down on the feeling of relief pouring through her when she finally saw Jacob.

“Pretty weird, huh?” Indy said, nodding toward the pass.

“Pretty? I would say that Rod Sterling would have been right at home in there,” Allie replied. “So, how far is it to Twin Rivers?”

“It will be at least two days with the supplies,” Jacob answered as he rode up beside them. “We don’t want to take a chance of harming any of the animals.”

Allie just nodded and started to turn away. She stopped when she felt a hand on her arm. Indy, she noticed, had discreetly pulled back to ride over to Jonathan. Pulling her arm away, Allie raised her chin and looked Jacob in the eye.

“What?” She asked.

“This isn’t like where you are from, Allie,” Jacob cautioned her with a serious look. “I want you to stay close to Jonathan, Indy, and me.”

“What do you mean, ‘like where I’m from’?” She asked, looking at him with a frown. “I know how dangerous the woods and mountains can be. Papa made sure we respected what nature could do.”

“It isn’t the mountain or the forest that is different, Allie,” Jacob interjected. “It is the people.”

Allie frown as Jacob nudged his horse around her and went down to where Jonathan was adjusting one of the packs. Shaking her head, she didn’t bother trying to understand his cryptic words. Instead, she slid off her horse and began checking each pack to make sure it was secure as they headed down the mountain.

*.*.*

Allie gazed around the wide open pasture land. Her eyes swept over the herds of cattle and the scattering of men on horses. She breathed in a deep breath of the fresh, clean air. A smile curved her lips as she felt the weight lift from her shoulders. Maybe she’d needed a break worse than she realized.

It had taken two days of riding to make it down the mountain. They had to take it slow due to the amount of weight the mules and horses were carrying and number of livestock involved. They reached the western pasture of the Twin Rivers ranch just after noon.

Allie thought she would’ve had trouble sleeping the last two nights, but between the riding, the fresh air, and having exhausted herself before the trip, she had passed out the moment her head touched the sleeping bag.

She watched as several riders approached as she slid off her horse to check a strap on one of the mules that looked like it might be coming loose. They greeted Indy by name before turning to look at her in curiosity. She tilted her head and smiled politely in return.

“Howdy ma’am,” Trace said, pulling his hat off his head and running his hand through his disheveled hair before nodding.

“Ma’am,” Butler said, eyeing the opening of her shirt with appreciation.

The two men reminded her of some of the guys that Taylor hung out with. They were about the right age as well. Her eyes danced in amusement as they both tried to flatten their hair. She could have told them they would need more than a little spit.

“Hi guys,” Allie replied with a grin. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going just fine,” Jacob snapped as he reined in next to Allie and slid off his horse. “Don’t you two have work that needs to be done?”

“You need to get a life,” she muttered. “Now that you’re back home, maybe you can look up one of those widows, or two, or three.”

“I’ll…,” Jacob started to say before breaking off.

Allie didn’t wait around to hear what he was saying. Now that they had met other people, it was as if the world was closing in around her again. Her eyes flickered up to the mountain.

Perhaps
…, Allie shook her head at the crazy thought.

She and Indy pulled out some sandwiches that her mom had made for their trip and ate while Jacob and Jonathan caught up what was going on with some of the men. Allie washed down her sandwich with a bottle of water. Wiping her mouth, she frowned as she gazed around the area. It sure did look familiar, yet different.

“Hey, you okay?” Indy asked as she finished her sandwich.

“Yeah,” Allie said, watching Jacob as he listened intently to what one of the men was saying. “I have to admit, I liked it better when we were in the mountains. Now that we are around other people, it seems strange.”

Indy gave an uneasy laugh and nodded. “I know. I felt the same way when I first came here,” she admitted.

“Are you ready to get home?” Jonathan asked, walking up to them.

Allie rolled her eyes. Well, he walked up to them, but he only had eyes for Indy. Standing, she wiped her hands over her butt to knock off any dirt or grass that might be clinging to it. She started when she felt another pair of hands helping her.

Glancing over her shoulder, she drew in a deep breath when her eyes locked with Jacob’s dark blue ones. Her lips parted before a flush rose up into her cheeks. He didn’t say a word to her, just gave her a look that warned her that he was tired of her running away from him. He turned and walked away. Allie watched as he remounted his horse.

A little over an hour later, Indy stopped next to her on the small rise above the ranch house. Allie heard Indy’s chuckle when she gasped at her first view of the beautiful homestead.

A frown creased her brow as she suddenly recognized it. She had been there several times over the years when she was buying or selling livestock. She shook her head in puzzlement. There were plenty of roads leading to the Tucker’s ranch.

“This looks just like the Tucker place over near Meeteetse. You didn’t tell me that Jonathan and Jacob were related to them. They own one of the biggest ranches in the Montana/Wyoming area. It makes Papa’s ranch look like a kiddie farm,” Allie said with confusion. “There are tons of roads into it. Why didn’t you just have the stuff we packed in delivered?”

“I never thought of it,” Indy replied. “Allie, there is something I need to tell you.”

“What?” Allie asked with a raised eyebrow. “If you are afraid I’ll act all weird because your hubby is related to one of the richest families in the country, you don’t have to worry. I mean, I don’t really give a damn if a guy has a lot of money or not.”

Allie winced as she said the same words that she had told Chris. Grief rose unexpectedly as she thought of his life wasted because he thought he needed to be rich to make her happy. Pushing her pain down, she wondered if it would ever really go away.

“It’s not that,” Indy replied, hesitantly as she turned in her saddle to gaze down at the ranch house. “Do you remember telling me about how weird you felt when we went through Spirit Pass?”

“Yeah, it was all misty and cold and stuff. The hair on the back of my neck was like standing on end. Even the animals were all freaky. What was up with that?” Allie asked, looking at Indy with a frown.

Indy gave her friend a shaky smile. “You are no longer in 2013, Allie. Welcome to my new home. The year, by the way, is 1867.”

“You’re shitting me, right?” Allie asked with a laugh that slowly faded when Indy shook her head. “Right?”

“Nope,” Indy replied.

Allie listened in shock and growing dismay as Indy told her how she had really been married to Jonathan. Panic, fear, and the sudden suspicion that she had been tricked swept through her. Anger began to grow as each one took root deep inside her and began to grow faster than Jack’s Beanstalk.

“What do you mean, when he tied you up? Why the hell did he do that?” Allie demanded as she tried to absorb everything Indy was telling her.

“Because a woman’s reputation is ruined if she is with a man and has no chaperone,” Jacob replied as he rode. “Jonathan had to marry Indy to protect her.”

“That’s bullshit. Shit like that doesn’t really happen,” Allie retorted as she started to pull back on the reins of her horse to put some room between them. She glared a warning at Jacob when she saw the tight, determined glint in his eye. A shiver ran through her when he followed her movements until his horse was pressed up beside hers. “It would be a cold day in hell before I let some guy tie me up and force me into marriage just because I spent some time alone with him! Hell, I’d have been married dozens of times by now if that were the case.”