village. If the war chief were to take a white wife, there was a greater chance that the village wouldn’t fall under attack. He recalled Running Cloud voicing those very words just days earlier when they’d spotted Walks Alone by the river. Yet, if news of her kidnapping got out, that could make the situation worse. Either way, he knew Running Cloud would abide by his word and treat the woman with respect as he would any other Cheyenne bride.
That was a relief, but for the first time ever, White Eagle regretted not becoming war chief when it was offered to him. Had White Eagle become war chief, Running Cloud would be beneath him, not the other way around, and both these women would be on their way to Denver City right now.
White Eagle glanced down at Walks Alone’s face, half white, half red. A straight line stretched horizontally across one cheek, over her nose, and across the other cheek, dividing her face. The top, white as snow, the bottom red and sunburned.
“The Great Spirit of the Sun not only touches her hair, but touches her face,” Running Cloud said. “Maybe we should call her Stripe?”
“Then you may have the honor of telling the woman her new name.”
Running Cloud chuckled.
~*~
Anna awoke to find herself on the warrior’s horse and practically drooling on the man’s chest. She pulled away, her hair matted against her cheek from sleep. Heat crept from her neck to her face as she loosened her hold on the Indian. How dreadful. She shouldn’t have allowed herself to fall asleep on him like that. She had actually fallen asleep. In the midst of dangerous peril, she’d fallen asleep!
But she’d been so exhausted and weary from all that had happened, she shouldn’t be too hard on herself for losing what self-control and dignity she had left. Now that her headache was gone and the air cooled, she felt refreshed, despite the fact that she was still held captive.
She looked for Beth and found her still sitting in front of Running Cloud. Beth sat straight, chin high, and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face with surprising calmness. Why could Anna not muster the same?
Evergreens surrounded them, and they were no longer on the plains. The scent of pine filled the air as the horses’ hooves made their way over rocks and rugged terrain. Birds called to one another, and one swooped down close to the riders. The warriors wore solemn faces, seemingly unaware of the beauty surrounding them.
The recent events turned over in Anna’s mind. Earlier, White Eagle had spoken in English. Would he understand her? She cleared her throat. “Did you kill Bet’s husband?” she whispered, horrified at her poor pronunciation, nerves and fear having gotten the best of her.
“Non—no.”
So, he didn’t pull the trigger, but one of his friends certainly did. She wondered who. Why hadn’t they killed the rest of the settlers? And why had they taken her and Beth?
The Indians reined in at the top of a ridge surrounded by large boulders, between which a lovely view of the open plains came into sight.
A shame she couldn’t enjoy it.
White Eagle dismounted. He helped Anna down and set her in front of him, and it was then that she took in his large frame. She only came to his chest, and his broad shoulders hovered over her. She arched her head back to look up into the warrior’s captivating eyes. They were like none she’d ever seen.
He stared down at her, his gaze tracing her features with no evidence of emotion. Unable to bear his unrelenting stare, she looked past him at the trees and turned sideways to rub the soreness from her neck and shoulder as a means of occupying herself.
“Do you ache as much as I do?” Beth came to stand by her as White Eagle led his horse away.
Anna nodded and tried to put some order to her hair, resisting the urge to rub her aching backside.
“We’re blessed they didn’t make us walk.” Beth hugged herself. “Indian women usually have to walk, while the men ride the horses. And the length of time they made those poor horses gallop, they must be in a hurry.”
“Of course they are. They just kidnapped two women.”
Beth took Anna’s trembling hand. That’s when Anna noticed Beth’s hands trembled as well. “The Lord is with us. We mustn’t forget.”
Anna nodded, but all she could think of was how often she’d prayed in the past, how often she’d trusted in the Lord. But He had never rescued her. And now look at the mess she was in. God always seemed to disappear when she needed Him most.
Time to change the subject. “What I don’t understand is how I could have fallen asleep. It makes no sense at all.” It had been easy to relax into White Eagle while the horse galloped. It made the ride smooth, rather that jostling her around when the horse trotted.
Pinching her lips together, Beth studied White Eagle. “I think it’s because you know in your heart he won’t hurt you.”
“How can you say such a thing?”
“Just look at him. He watches you with a sympathetic eye.”
Anna glanced over at White Eagle. He looked away, and she looked at the ground.
“He feels sorry for you,” Beth whispered, continuing to study him. “I’m sure of it.”
The man had just kidnapped her. How could he possibly feel sorry for her? Wishing she could make her hands stop shaking, she tried to keep her hair out of her face. She turned to look for her carpetbag when two Indians came near with two small bags. They opened the cloth sacks and dumped out several turtles at her and Beth’s feet.
Anna jumped back, staring at the black and yellow shells.
“Food,” one of the Indians said with a thick accent.
Anna didn’t take her eyes off the turtles, waiting for scaly heads and arms to appear.
“They’re prairie turtles. I think they expect us to prepare these to eat,” Beth said.
Anna shivered. “Then maybe they can fetch us a rabbit or a chicken. I’ve never touched a turtle before. Let alone eaten one.”
White Eagle set a circle of stones to prepare a fire. From his shoulder strap, he pulled off a small horn and took a sheath from its end.
Anna backed away from the turtles, but to her surprise, Beth picked two up in each hand. “Might as well get started.” Beth motioned to her, still visibly trembling. “You just rest a while. I’ll take care of it.”
Anna couldn’t let Beth do everything alone, so she stepped forward to pick up the remainder of the turtles. She could only manage one, despite its small size. The softness of its bottom shell made her arms weak. As she took slow, cautious steps to where White Eagle prepared the fire, she stared intently around the edges of the yellow and black shell of the reptile. What would she do if it poked its scaly head out? She should be brave like Beth. She lifted her chin, searching for the courage she lacked.
To her horror, head and arms popped out. She squealed, and the warriors around her grabbed their weapons. She jumped back and dropped the reptile, fluttering her hands before her and wiping them off on her skirt to rid
