Wild Lilly (17 page)

Corina relayed her request to the elders. Lilly tried to let them know through her eyes that she was being honest, not trying to escape. Finally, Sleeping Bear’s father nodded. “Lilly go, Sleeping Bear go.”

Sleeping Bear followed five steps behind Lilly as she kicked her feet through the thigh-high grass. In the distance, a herd of horses grazed, spots of brown, red, and black on the horizon. She tried to find Paul’s familiar cowboy hat, but she didn’t see him. The sun was dipping lower on the horizon, and she still couldn’t figure out a way to make this right.

What to do, what to do
? How could she go back to the world she thought she understood and not feel guilt every time she ate a meal or warmed her hands on a fire. The sunken cheeks of the Comanche women would haunt her, but she was only one person. Even if she gave them all the land she had, it wouldn’t be enough.

Thoughts skipped through her mind as she stroked the cameo beneath her dress, and prayed for guidance. Perhaps this was the reason God brought her here, not just for her selfish intentions of having an adventure, but rather to do His will. But how? She wasn’t anyone famous, and no matter what lies Corina had told the elders, her family was a bunch of shopkeepers and investors. Frustration mounted in her heart and she kicked some more at the grass, admiring the beadwork on the moccasins as she tried to burn off her anger.

She froze and turned her shoe in the light of the sun. There might be a way. The soft sound of the wind moved through the grass, a sigh of warmth against her skin. It carried the smell of campfires and children’s squeals of laughter. It might not work. Maybe she was being an ignorant fool again. If she failed, she wouldn’t just be hurting herself, but the very people she was trying to aid.

Doubt filled her like a dark cloud, breaking the hope that had begun to fill her heart. Please God, she prayed, am I doing the right thing? Off in the distance a sparrow sang. That was good enough for her. She didn’t need a lightning strike to reinforce what her heart knew was true.

She clapped her hands together and spun so swiftly she stepped into Sleeping Bear’s strong arms. He held her, forcing her to look up the muscled expanse of his tattooed chest into the sharp angles of his face. His eyebrows rose, but his lips quirked into a small smile as he leaned down.

With a huff, she pushed back on his chest, sidetracked by the feel of his skin over all that muscle. “Get over yourself. I’m sure Summer Storm throws herself into your arms on a daily basis, but that’s not me.”

He stared at her, then laughed and stroked a hand down her face. She couldn’t help enjoying the sensation. It was a primal, physical reaction.

“Good. I like woman who is strong enough to be worthy of the hunt.”

She snorted and marched back to the village, the buckskin fringe on the dress flapping around her. “Hurry. I need to talk with Corina. I have an idea.”

Chapter Eleven

Trade

Corina uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “I think it might work, but I am not the one you need to convince. You will have to get the elders of the tribe to agree to your plan. It won’t be easy. They have learned to distrust anything a pale man, or woman, says.”

Lilly drummed her fingers on the buckskin leggings. They were inside Corina’s teepee, huddled so close together their foreheads were touching. Sleeping Bear sat on the other side of the fire, listening with great interest, but not saying anything. At first, he was puzzled as she explained her plan. Then his expression went from disbelief to deep contemplation.

Playing with the end of her braid, her thoughts turned to Paul. He would be angry about her decision. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind. Her body grew tense as she imagined his reaction. Would he understand why she was doing this? If he didn’t, was he really the kind of man she wanted to be with? She hoped with all her heart that he would recognize the importance of her decision.

“How can I make them believe me? It’s a winning situation all around. Everyone will profit from it. This will be a source of income for the tribe that the government will not be able to take away.” Lilly tugged at her braid. “I have to make them listen.”

“I will help you,” Sleeping Bear rumbled from the other side of the fire. His long hair fell over the muscled swell of his chest.

Both women turned to look at him with shocked stares and he shifted under their gaze. “I believe you. I don’t think you are my pale-eyed woman, but I do think the Great Spirit sent you to us. My father told me he dreamed last night of the Comanche children dancing in a field of yellow flowers. You are meant to be here.”

She let out a deep breath as some of the tension left her body. “Thank you. Do you think you can help me convince the elders?”

Sleeping Bear grinned, an expression she had not seen on his face before. “We try. If it’s meant to be, the Great Spirit will give me right words to say.”

She stood and paced the room, thinking about Paul and wishing he were here. “Corina, please ask the elders when they can see me.”

Lilly wiped her sweaty hands on the dress, grimacing at the marks they left on the buckskin. Corina spoke with the elders, and they had agreed to listen to what she had to say after supper. Sleeping Bear stood behind her, waiting to enter the massive council teepee. Paul ducked inside with a questioning look and a heart-melting smile for Lilly.

She heard a soft female voice behind her. Summer Storm stepped out from between the teepees and rolled her hips as she walked past Sleeping Bear, trailing a possessive hand over his arm. He stepped quickly away and said something that made the pretty girl curl her lips and glare at him. She walked past Lilly and spat at her feet, entering the teepee in a huff.

“What’s her problem?” Lilly asked as she glowered at the tent flap. That little hussy had better stay away from Paul.

“Summer Storm believes that every man is in love with her. If you do not fall down and worship her, then she must make you. Her father, Smart Coyote, is the Peace Chief. She gets away with more than she should.”

“Wonderful.”

Corina lifted the tent flap and waited for them. Her auburn hair lay in braids on the sides of her face, and the tattoo on her forehead stood out in the firelight. “The elders will see you now.”

Sleeping Bear spun her around before she entered and leaned to whisper in her ear, “Have strength. I am with you. Be respectful, do not show fear. Remember why you do this and how much it will help.”

Lilly nodded and gave him a quick hug, which he returned with interest. Her chest lifted as she tried to replace fear with strength, drawing in a breath that went all the way to her toes.

Following Corina inside, she scanned the dim room. At the far side of the egg-shaped teepee sat the elders. Each was afforded his own buffalo skin or colorful blanket. Behind them sat their wives, dressed in detailed buckskin dresses with their hair in long braids. The glass-bead designs in their clothing glimmered in the light from the fire and oil lamps. A few men and women were scattered about the room, speaking in hushed voices to each other as Lilly and Sleeping Bear approached the light of the fire.

A quick glance around the room showed Paul, with Summer Storm practically sitting on his lap. With his lips mashed into a thin line, Paul held his rigid body away from Lilly and toward Summer Storm. He met her look and his pale blue eyes flashed with a hurt and rage that made her breath catch in her throat. Paul looked away and whispered something to Summer Storm who giggled and placed a hand on his bicep.

Confusion and anger clouded her mind, but now wasn’t the time to worry about his odd behavior. She could rip Summer Storm’s hair out by the roots later. All her attention had to be on the Comanche men and women before her.

An elder with long black hair worn loose over his shoulders spoke in English. “Has Lilly come to a decision?”

“Yes, Bold Raven, she has.” The old men waited and Corina continued, “Lilly has proposed a trade agreement that would benefit the tribe.”

There was the murmur of conversation around the room. Summer Storm made a rather rude noise from Paul’s lap. The old man remained focused on Lilly. “What does she have that would be value to us? We need her voice for our people, not her possessions.”

Corina nodded to Lilly, and she hesitated before stepping forward. Her voice cracked as she spoke. “I would like to lease you a thousand acres of my land for the next three hundred years, in exchange for establishing a trading partnership with your tribe.”

The rooms erupted into shouts and yelling as her words were translated.

Paul pushed Summer Storm off his lap and strode over, trying to pull Lilly aside. “What are you doing?” he hissed into her ear.

“I am trying to save these people’s lives.” Lilly shifted in his hard grip to keep an eye on the elders. Corina tried to tug on Paul’s shirt and he ignored her.

“You little fool! They know you are worth ransoming now. You’ve made yourself a prisoner! Was that your plan all along, to stay here with Sleeping Bear?” Paul’s eyes darted around the room as he tried to pull her away again.

She tried to jerk her arm out of his bruising grip, his words stinging her heart. “I am not a fool. I believe these are honorable people and I will do what I can to help them. To do anything else would be murder, and I will not have their children’s deaths on my soul!”

Silence echoed in the room, and she ducked her head as she realized the last part of conversation came out in a shout. Paul dropped her arm and stepped away from her, disappointment filling his faded blue eyes. That hurt more than his words.

She blinked back the prick of tears and returned her gaze to the elders, lifting her chin. Sleeping Bear spoke from beside her. “I have listened to this woman talk with Corina. She believes what she says. The world changes and our people must change with it. We trade with white man on the reservation and get nothing from it. The hope she offers is better than the broken promises that keep our children’s bellies empty.”

Lilly cleared her throat past the tears and gestured to her dress and moccasins, “I know I can sell your crafts. The wonderful beadwork and dolls your women make are marketable. My family owns a store back East. They will sell your products on my behalf.”

The elders continued to look at her, and she rushed to fill the silence. “I would split the profits with the tribe, forty percent for me and sixty percent for you. I would build a trading post on the land I would lease your tribe, and a school, if the elders agree. Your children need to learn how to read and write. To see what the world has to offer them.”

Summer Storm stood, tossing her head and lifting her chin. “Why should we read and write white-man language?” Scorn dripped through her remaining words. “We proud Comanche. We do not bend to the will of white man. You try to buy us with your land, but we do not need you. We will kill your people and take back what is ours.” Silence met Summer Storm’s statement, and the triumphant smile fell off her face.

Smart Coyote’s face was an unflinching mask of disapproval. “Daughter, leave the teepee and go to your mother.”

Summer Storm stared at him as if she had never seen him before. “Father—”

Smart Coyote stood and yelled at her. “I am Peace Chief here! You will obey. Go to the teepee of your mother.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Summer Storm narrowed her eyes at her father and clenched her fists at her sides. She gave Lilly a malevolent glare as she stomped toward the exit, still managing to make her breasts jiggle. Paul looked away as Summer Storm held out her hand and tried to catch his eye.

“I apologize for my daughter. She is fierce in spirit and tongue.” Smart Coyote appeared tired as he sat on his blanket again. The rest of the tribe kept their faces carefully neutral.

“Apology accepted. Summer Storm is passionate about her people.” The lie tasted like ash in Lilly’s mouth, but she said it with a smile.

“The elders will discuss your trade proposal. When the sun rises we will have an answer for you.” A few of the women fingered the beadwork on their dresses and studied Lilly with appraising eyes. One of the wives began to talk to her husband in a low voice, her quick hand gestures betraying her intent.

Lilly started to protest, but Sleeping Bear cut her off. “Thank you, Elders. We await your decision.”

Lilly echoed her thanks and stepped out of the teepee, lifting her face to the cool night air. The sky held a million stars twinkling out of the darkness. In the distance a horse whinnied and she noticed Paul standing to the side of the tent. Lilly took a deep breath of the clean air and blew out some of her tension. She reached for Paul with a tired smile, but he stepped back and averted his eyes.

Her hand wilted in the air and fell to her side. Corina looked at them and pulled Sleeping Bear toward the fire. Sleeping Bear smirked and followed Corina to where Sun Eagle waited for them. The two braves stood close together and exchanged some words before Sun Eagle left with a sour expression on his handsome face.

“Paul?” Lilly took a hesitant step toward him. He remained stiff, examining at the fire with his arms crossed. “Why are you mad at me? I should be the one angry with you for letting that little trollop sit on your lap.”

Paul finally looked at her, his blue eyes narrowed with anger. “That’s a hoot. You’re angry at me for a woman sitting on my lap.”