LeClerc 01 - Autumn Ecstasy (19 page)

Linsey was delighted to have so pleased her new friend. Smiling, she was startled by a huge yawn.

“You must rest.” Morning Moon rose and placed the gown on a shelf. She motioned for Linsey to he down and spread another fur over her. Chattering Squirrel, amazingly quiet, climbed up beside her and wiggled beneath the fur. He reached for her hair, wrapped his fingers in it and contentedly sucked his free fist. With a sigh of pure pleasure, his eyes closed.

Morning Moon smiled. “It seems my son plans to take his nap with you. I will move him if he bothers you.”

Linsey lightly caressed his dark head. “Please don’t,” she whispered, bending to kiss his soft cheek, snuggling the tiny, warm body against hers. Yawning again, she lay her head down. “We will comfort each other.”

Sleep slipped in on silent feet; Linsey closed her eyes, unaware that Morning Moon’s warm drink was the cause.

Bear stood in the doorway, captivated by the sight that greeted his eyes. Bright red hair and snowy white skin peeked from beneath a dark fur. Nestled under her chin was a head of black hair and a rosy, plump cheek. He silently crossed the room and knelt beside the sleeping shelf. A killing fury darkened his eyes when he saw the swelling on the side of her jaw, the delicate skin turning an angry purple. His hands knotted into tight fists as he struggled to control his raging temper. Small Dog would die … slowly!

He leaned across the baby and placed soft kisses on her jaw, wanting to take the pain away. Linsey sleepily opened her eyes and smiled gently into the tender eyes seeming to caress her with their gaze.

“You are all right?” he questioned softly.

“Now that you’re here.”

She lightly licked her dry bps, and his gaze was drawn to her mouth. Linsey held her breath as his head slowly lowered to hers. She seemed to wait an eternity before she felt the soft touch of his Ups against hers. With a sigh of contentment, Linsey opened her mouth to him, meeting his caressing tongue with her own, venturing into the warm recess of his mouth. Fighting to breathe, Bear raised his head, his eyes blazing with passion into hers.

“Please don’t fight him,” she pleaded softly.

“I must, sweet.”

“You’ll be hurt because of me.”

“No, Autumn Fire. He will not touch me.” He smiled, confident in his own abilities. “You must try to understand; I must prove that no one can touch what is mine. If I were to back down, nothing would stop some of these braves from attacking you or me. They would see it as a weakness. They respect strength. Small Dog knew you were mine, and yet he tried to claim you for his own. He will learn the hard way that no one touches what is mine!”

Bear felt the wiggling and kicking of the small body beneath his belly. Chattering Squirrel opened his eyes and his mouth. Seeing who held him down, he thought it a new kind of game from his giant friend and squealed with glee.

Bear tickled the chubby baby, lifting him free from the fur. Chattering Squirrel chattered happily, showing no signs of the sleep he had just left.

“Come, my gabby friend. Let us see if we can find your maman.” He held the squirming child away from him. “You seem to have sprang a leak!”

“Leak! Leak!” Chattering Squirrel clapped his hands, delighted with the new word.

Bear carried the dripping child across the room and set him down. “I’ll be back.” He smiled at Linsey and left.

Chattering Squirrel watched the door swing closed and turned, running to Linsey as fast as his baby legs would carry him. She hugged the bundle of joy, grimacing at his dripping bottom.

“Leak! Leak!”

“Ah oh.” Linsey nodded in agreement.

Chattering Squirrel’s eyes widened, and he grinned a toothy smile. “Ah oh, me leak!” he squealed. “Ah oh, me leak!”

“My son has learned new words,” Morning Moon said with a smile. She had entered so quietly Linsey had not been aware of her presence.

“Blame it on Bear when you grow tired of hearing it!”

“Me leak! Ah oh, me leak!”

Linsey watched Morning Moon care for her son while her thoughts turned to the coming fight. Would she have to witness it? How could she watch Bear fight, knowing she was the cause? But how could she stay away when he would be fighting for his life? How could she live if something happened to him, knowing she was responsible?

Bear and Wolf entered together, both wearing identical expressions of fierce pride. They would make formidable enemies, and Linsey had trouble believing she had once stood face to face with Wolf with no weapon but her tongue.

“We are ready.” Wolf looked at his wife, turned and left.

Morning Moon smiled reassuringly at Linsey, picked up Chattering Squirrel and followed her husband.

“I would spare you this,” Bear said quietly, his face softening as he looked at her, “but they must know that my woman stands beside me.”

“Am I your woman, Luc LeClerc?” she asked softly. He stared down at her, his gaze warm and caressing. “You will be when the time is right.”

“When will that be?” She walked to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his massive chest. “I’m more scared now than I’ve ever been in my life.”

“You have been through so much in such a short time.” He put his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. “This will be over quickly, and we will go home.”

“Promise?” She raised her head, her eyes pleading childlike for reassurance.

“Promise.” Bear lowered his mouth to hers, tasting the sweetness she offered. He slowly released her, entwining her fingers through his. “Hold your head up and show no fear.”

Linsey nodded once, raised her chin proudly and followed him from the house. They walked to the center of the village, the people parting to let them pass. It looked as if everyone from the village had turned out for the fight. It was a break from the long, boring winter inactivity. The Indians loved to gamble, but very few bets had been placed on the match. Except for a few of Small Dog’s friends, no one would bet against Bear. They had seen him fight before.

Linsey looked at no one as she walked beside Bear. At the edge of the crowd, he squeezed her hand tightly before dropping it and going on without her. Wolf and Small Dog waited in the center of the ring formed by the people. Bear stripped to the waist, throwing his shirt to the edge of the crowd. Small Dog wore only a breechcloth and knee-high moccasins.

Bear was over a head taller and almost twice as broad as the smaller man, which was something Small Dog considered to his advantage. He could move quicker, springing in and out, gone before Bear could move. If it had been a wrestling match, Small Dog would have no chance, but with a knife, the odds were in his favor.

A stake had been pounded into the ground, and short ropes of equal length were tied to it and to the combatants’ ankles. Armed with knives, they faced each other as Wolf backed away.

Small Dog attacked quickly, thrusting with the wicked knife. Bear turned so that it slid past him, sweeping up with his knife at the same time, but the blade deflected off a rib. Small Dog grunted at the pain, but ignored the blood flowing down his side. He sprang again, and Bear felt the bite of the blade as it left a long, thin red line down his chest.

Linsey bit the inside of her lip until she tasted blood. She wanted to look away, but her eyes were glued to the two men tied to the stake. All around her were cheers and yells, urging the men on.

Bear balanced lightly on the bails of his feet, prepared for the next attack. Linsey closed her eyes, praying for it to be finished, but the yells of the crowd forced her to look. In the short space her eyes had been closed, Bear had brought Small Dog down. Straddling the smaller man, he flicked his knife and cut off Small Dog’s ear. He held the knife at his throat, the point pressing into the flesh and causing a small pool of blood to form.

“You are not worth killing,” Bear said loudly enough for all to hear.

He rose to his feet, cut the thong tied to his ankle and walked toward Linsey. Wolf entered the center of the ring, spoke loudly and spit at the man in the dirt.

“You’re all right — oh, God — you’re all right,” Linsey whispered, her eyes searching for signs of wounds other than the thin one on his chest.

Someone handed Bear his shirt, and he slid it on. “Let’s go home.”

“Oh, yes, please,” Linsey pleaded, trying to prevent the tears filling her eyes from flowing down her cheeks. “I want to go home.”

Bear grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “Hang on just a little longer, Autumn Fire. Don’t let them see your tears.”

Linsey nodded, clearing her throat several times before she could speak. “What will happen to Small Dog?”

“I should have killed him,” Bear snarled, walking away from the crowd. “I’ll probably be sorry later. He’s a troublemaker, and I’m sure this won’t be the last we see of him.

“He has been banished from the tribe. He and whatever friends want to follow will no longer be allowed to live here. They’ll probably roam around, causing trouble wherever they choose to go.”

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

Bear sighed and shrugged. How could he tell her she was the reason he had let Small Dog live? He had no doubt that Small Dog would be back. He had caused the Indian greater shame and humiliation by letting him live; death in honest combat was a reward Bear would not give to him. Small Dog would want revenge.

Killing was not the issue. Bear had killed before, and he knew he would probably be forced to do so again. It was a fact of which he felt neither pride nor shame. The unsettled wilderness bred an untamed violence, and few men lived there without meeting that trouble from time to time. They handled the situations as they arose, the only judgement between God and the man.

Bear had not killed Small Dog because he did not want it to stay forever in Linsey’s mind. He hoped time would lessen the incident to just an unpleasant memory. More importantly, he wanted nothing to damage her trust in him./

In front of Wolf’s house, Bear shouldered his pack and cradled his rifle in his free arm. His other remained firmly clutched by Linsey. He spoke in Shawnee with Wolf for several minutes before turning down the path toward his cabin.

Linsey followed Bear out of the village. Several warriors stopped and beat him on the back, offering congratulations. She sighed with relief as they entered the woods, leaving all signs of the village behind.

When they reached the cabin, Linsey instantly headed for the warm water. She made Bear sit down so that she could clean up his wound. The blade had barely reached him, leaving only a red line in places, not even cutting the skin in others. She wiped the blood away and applied a soothing salve. When she was finished, tossing the water out and putting the cream away, her hands began to shake. Kneeling in front of the fire while Bear finished cleaning himself up, she let her tears flow.

“If I could have reached Small Dog when Wolf first found me, I would have wrung his flat head from his scrawny neck,” Bear said between clenched teeth. His back to her, he ranted and raved as he pulled on his shirt. Turning as he laced the thong, he saw her at the fire and knew from her shaking shoulders that she had finally given in to her terror.

“Easy, little one, it is over,” he murmured as he knelt beside her.

“He tore my dress,” she cried, rubbing her fingers over the hastily mended dress. “I just got it fixed, and he tore it again!”

Bear smiled at her little girl voice until Linsey turned tear-filled eyes to him and his heart turned over. Taking her into his arms, he held her tightly, her face against his chest. He whispered soothingly to her and gently rubbed her back. When there was no sign that her tears would end any time soon, Bear stood and easily picked her up, carrying her to the bed. He sat on the edge, cradling her in his lap.

The bruise on her jaw had darkened, the swelling distorting her face. Bear cursed himself for not killing the bastard that had done this to her. He placed light kisses on her temple, pushing her long hair back from her face.

He felt her tears dampen his chest as the sobs shook her slender body. He had been so proud of her, standing straight and tall in front of the tribe. He pulled her tighter against him, alarmed when he heard her moan.

“What? Did I hurt you?”

Linsey shook her head and kept her face buried in his chest. “Small Dog,” she mumbled through her tears.

“Small Dog hurt you?” The muscle in his jaw began to jump. “Where? Show me!”

Linsey blushed as she opened several buttons of her dress. Pulling it back so that he could see the bruises marring the creamy flesh of her shoulders and the tops of her breasts, she kept her eyes lowered.

“
Mon Dieu,
the bastard!”

Bear rose, laid Linsey on the bed and walked outside. He returned quickly with a large handful of snow which he placed in a rag. He carried it to the bed and sat down. He opened Linsey’s dress farther so that he could put the cold rag on her bruised flesh.

Linsey moaned when the coldness reached her. He held it firmly in place when she wiggled, trying to dislodge it.

“It’s cold!”

“I know,
mon ange,
but it will help.” His long fingers rested on the soft skin of her breast. He lowered his eyes and found a hint of dark pink nipple peeking enticingly from her dress.