“I’ve been reading the books you gave me.” He moved toward her and he was taken aback when she actually sidled a half step away. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought. “Could I ask you a few questions?”
“I’m not sure I’m up to it tonight, Travis.”
He gently caught her arm as she passed. “Just give me a few minutes of your time. Please?”
There was a frantic instant where he was certain she meant to refuse him. Then the determination in her gaze seemed to hover as her indecision wavered. And when it waned, he sent a silent prayer of gratitude heavenward.
Shrugging her arm from his grasp, she said, “Okay, but just a little while. I—I’m really tired this evening.”
He was terribly disappointed when she sat in the chair flanking the couch.
Moving around the coffee table, he said, “It would probably be best if you sat over here next to me. That way, we could both see the book.”
Again, her face clouded with hesitation. Sitting beside him was the last thing she wanted, that much was clear. But, again, she yielded to his request, and
he felt jubilant, as if he’d won the first of what might prove tonight to be many battles.
He spread open the book on his lap to the page he’d thought would make a good opening to his planned conversation.
“I was surprised,” he said, “to learn that not all Indians lived in tepees.”
The picture depicted a beautiful cone-shaped tepee, the tanned skin covering decorated with boldly colored symbols; rainbow stripes and a buffalo head.
“That’s a stereotype we can thank Hollywood moviemakers for,” she said. “Although, most of those old John Wayne movies did take place in the Old West.”
Her smile warmed his heart. The moment she began to talk about her favorite subject, she began to relax.
“The plains Indians of the Midwest lived in traditional tepees,” she continued. “They were portable, so the tribe could move to find food or to escape enemies. Indians of the southern plains, the Sioux and Cheyenne, used three foundation poles. Crow and Blackfeet Indians lived further north and used four poles. The hides of buffalo were tanned and smoked so that they’d be waterproof but still remain soft, and the hides were wrapped and laced with pins carved from willow wood. Willow is flexible.”
When she leaned closer to the book, a long lock of her glossy black hair fell across his thigh. His gut tightened.
She pointed to the buffalo head. “Those are symbols of the Blackfeet,” she told him. “They were
meant to protect the family living in the tepee from sickness and bad luck.”
Her eyes lifted to his, and all trace of the awkwardness she’d been feeling was gone. Her dark gaze was clear and glistened with keen interest.
“You see, Native American dwellings came in all sizes and shapes.” Absently she tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. “Cones, domes, triangles, squares, rectangles. And their names were just as varied—chickees, hogans, igloos, tepees, longhouses, lean-tos, wickiups. Being part of the Algonquians, the Kolheek lived in wigwams. Shaped like an oval dome, it was constructed of saplings that were placed in holes made in the ground. The new wood was malleable enough to be bent at the top and tied together. More saplings were placed around the sides and top to reinforce the structure. The frame was covered with mats woven of cattail rushes.”
“That sounds fine for summer. But wouldn’t that make for chilly living in the winter?”
“During the coldest part of the year, the outside walls would be covered with bark.” Again, she leaned toward the book, turning a page or two. “Birch was used whenever possible. Birchbark is lightweight and could be rolled up easily if the tribe had to move.”
The warm-lemon scent of her wafted around him. “Fascinating.” And if asked if he were commenting on the information she was providing or simply on
her,
he’d have no trouble telling the honest-to-goodness truth.
She looked up from the pages and smiled. “I think so, too.” After only a moment’s pause, she said, “I
thought this book had a picture of a wigwam, but it doesn’t look like it. I could go upstairs—”
Placing her fist on the cushion between her thigh and his, she made to rise, but he stopped her with a light touch.
“That’s okay,” he told her, the pressure of his fingers urging her to remain where she was. “I can see it later. I have other questions.”
Focusing on the book, he turned to a particular page. A male and female were dressed up in wedding finery.
“We’ve talked about clans and families,” he said. “And how marrying within the clan was forbidden. So…how did men and women meet? And once a man had his eye on the woman of his choice, how did he go about wooing her?”
Diana gave a tiny shrug. “All the tribes and bands would gather together fairly often for powwows, or seasonal celebrations. I’m sure the young men and women spent a great deal of time during those gatherings in search of a suitable mate. I would guess even older men and woman, widowers and widows, would have done the same thing. Having someone to spend your life with was important. Just as it is today.”
Seeming to suddenly realize the topic, Diana’s gaze took on a tentativeness, an uncertainty that brought out in her an unmistakable vulnerability. Travis’s protective instinct stirred to life.
“Once a man and woman felt a mutual—” she paused long enough to swallow, her speech coming slower “—a mutual attraction, they would visit together outside the female’s wigwam. They’d pull a
blanket over their heads so they could talk with some semblance of privacy while still being chaperoned. I—I can imagine they didn’t like being stared at by others.”
“I can easily understand that, too.”
Their gazes seemed riveted, locked tightly together. She moistened her lips, and he could tell she wanted desperately to look away. But, evidently, she couldn’t.
Neither could he.
“Another courting ritual…”
Her voice was sweet and vibrant as warm honey, and it flowed over him, through him.
“…involved the playing of love tunes on a flute. In the dead of night, the young man would creep outside his love’s wigwam and he’d serenade her.”
Suddenly her luscious, full lips contracted into a wry smile that struck Travis as the sexiest sight he’d seen in ages.
“Of course,” she added, “if he had no musical ability, he could always give her a gift. A basket he’d woven. Or a necklace of beautiful beads he’d strung.”
“Ah.” Now it was his turn to offer an ironic smile. “So jewelry has been coveted by women for thousands of years, huh?”
“I guess you could say that.”
He felt breathless, as though every molecule of oxygen had disappeared from the very air around them. If he didn’t reach out to her, if he didn’t touch her this very moment, he was sure he wouldn’t survive to see the sun rise.
Her bronze cheek was softer than the finest silk,
and he oh-so-slowly ran his fingertips back toward her delicate ear. The pearl earring she wore was simple as adornments went, yet it symbolized her perfectly. Just like a pearl, she was a rare and precious find.
“I don’t weave baskets,” he told her softly. “And I don’t string beads. So how in the world am I to let you know how I feel?”
She reminded him of a tiny bird, so obviously wanting to flee, yet too frightened to take flight. Her mouth was poised in a small, silent circle as he placed his lips against hers.
The kiss was sweet, and it was hotter, Travis thought, than the scorching flames flickering in the hearth. It would have been easy for him to lose all control, to shove aside the book resting on his lap and deepen the kiss. Heaven knew, he certainly wanted to do all of those things. But that would have defeated his purpose. That would have completely crushed his aim.
For his plan to succeed, he knew that Diana had to be the one who took the kiss to the next level. She must be the one to reach out to him. She must be the one who elevated this simple kiss to something more.
For a brief and heart-haunting moment, he thought she might not take the bait he was so blatantly holding under her very nose. But then he planted one more kiss—soft, delicious and terribly chaste—on her lips, and it suddenly seemed as if the dam of passion he knew was inside her burst at the seams.
Reaching up, she laced her fingers deep into his hair. Her nails raked his scalp as she pulled him toward
her. Her lips parted, and her tongue darted out to dance sensuously with his.
His pulse drummed in an ancient, erotic beat. She tasted faintly of wintergreen, hot, delectable and tempting as hell itself. He could get lost in her, he knew. And that could happen easily. But losing himself was not his objective. Proving her passion
was.
Curling his fingers around her slender wrists, he gently tugged her hands away from him, disentangling her fingers from his hair. He did his damnedest to ignore the deep-rooted disappointment that welled up in him as he extricated himself from her grasp. She broke off the kiss and leaned back to look at him.
The desire sparked in her chestnut eyes nearly defeated all his good intentions. He was dangerously close to chucking his plan altogether in order to enjoy what clearly could be glorious moments in her arms. But in the end, honor won out. He wanted to help her. He honestly did.
Her breath came in gulps, and she swallowed, immense confusion contorting her brow.
“Don’t you see, Diana?” he asked her. “Don’t you see that you’re a passionate person? A sexual being?”
She blinked, evidently getting used to the idea that the erotic moment had passed. Silently she searched his face. Then…as his questions sunk into her mind, her eyes went wide with, first, surprise, then, red-hot anger.
“How dare you?” She scrubbed at her still-moist mouth with the back of her hand. “I can’t believe you would do such a thing.”
Her rage was so intense, her voice grated with it. Travis was completely taken off guard by the extent of it.
She stood, her hands clenched at her sides in small, bloodless fists. “I am
not
some science project for you to be experimenting on. I will not be treated—”
“Wait. Just hold on.” He held up open palms. “I only meant to help…I wanted to change your mind…I wanted to make you see—”
“What you made me
see…
is that you are a heartless and cruel man. And I refuse to stay in your house a moment longer than I have to.” With that, she bolted across the room.
“I—I wanted to s-show you,” he stammered, shoving aside the books and standing up. But he let the rest of the thought trail when she didn’t slow down.
He’d only meant to change her mind about herself. And reveal his deep feelings for her. At the same time.
But, somehow, his plan had backfired. Dreadfully.
“Diana!”
She stopped at the bottom step and turned her cold, angry gaze on him.
“What about the boys?” he asked. “What about the ceremony?”
“I don’t intend to disappoint the boys. They’ll have their naming ceremony just as I promised them they would.” Fury fairly pulsed off her small frame. “I suggest you keep the gathering small. If you invite only your closest friends and family, the boys and I can be ready in three days.”
“But that’ll be New Year’s Day,” he pointed out.
“Seems appropriate to me,” she said. “New names on the first day of a new year. And after the ceremony is complete, I’ll be leaving your house, Travis Westcott. And if anyone cared to ask me, it will be none too soon.”
“S
o, are you telling me that you think Jane’s condition is operable?” Travis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Last month, Greg had inferred that his lovely wife had balked at the idea of marriage due to her inability to give Greg children of his own. She’d agreed to become his wife only after Greg had lovingly assured her that baby Joy was the only daughter he needed. But now Greg was saying Jane’s infertility might not be so permanent after all.
Greg had returned to work this morning after his short honeymoon in the Bahamas with Jane and little Joy. He was tanned, and grinning like only a man who was happy and content with life could. Travis felt a sharp pang of jealousy. Never in a million years had he thought he’d want to be married. Now, spending his life with Diana was an idea that had been pestering him of late. To think that he’d actually jeered at the concept of matrimony at Greg and
Jane’s wedding reception on Christmas Eve, and now he was feeling envious of what the couple shared just days later.
“I’m saying it
could
be,” Greg told him from across the conference table. He sipped at his morning coffee. “We won’t know for certain until she visits the gynecologist. But from what she described to me, her monthly cycle seems to be functioning perfectly. And from all she’s told me, the doctor she saw at the clinic never really gave her a solid diagnosis. He just told her what he thought might be her problem.”
“Why in the world would a doctor make a woman believe she was barren when he hadn’t performed any tests to back up his theory?”
Greg only shrugged. “You have to remember, the clinic she visited was for low income patients. Working part-time as a waitress, Jane had no insurance. And no money to pay for even the most inexpensive tests. Could be that the doctor was doing his best with the situation he was handed.”
“Or he could have been a complete quack.”
“Could have been,” Greg softly agreed.
Travis spent a moment trying to take it all in. Finally he said, “Wow, I’ll bet Jane is ecstatic.”
Although Travis thought it impossible, Greg’s smile brightened even further. “She’s over the moon. But she’s trying to contain her excitement. So am I. We don’t want to set ourselves up for disappointment. We’re going to take it slow.”
They sat in silence for a moment, sipping coffee and nibbling at the warm muffins Rachel had so graciously brought them this morning. They were waiting on Sloan to arrive for their morning consultation.
“So, what’s been happening around here this week?” Greg asked.
“Well, Sloan’s girls were in the office while you were gone,” Travis told him. “They jumped all over their dad about the party.”
“Is he going to let them go?”
Travis nodded. “He says so. If he doesn’t, I think Rachel just might step in and talk to him. She’s cares an awful lot about those girls.”
Setting his coffee mug down on the conference table, Greg leveled a serious gaze on his friend. “You think Sloan has any idea how Rachel feels about…?”
Before Greg could finish his question, Travis was shaking his head. “The man hasn’t a clue.”
The men grew quite again. Finally Travis said, “Listen, if you, Jane and Joy haven’t planned anything on New Year’s Day, I’d like for you to come to the boys’ naming ceremony.”
Surprise made Greg’s eyebrows shoot upward. “I thought that was to take place later in January. Closer to the twins’ birthday.”
Travis hesitated. “It was. But…Diana has decided to return home…sooner than she’d expected.” The idea of her leaving Philadelphia, leaving his life forever, had him feeling desolate inside.
His head cocked at a slight angle, Greg asked, “Okay, what did you do?”
“It’s all Sloan’s fault.”
“What’s all my fault?” Sloan pushed open the door and set his briefcase near one of the empty chairs.
“You were the one—” Travis couldn’t keep the
accusation out of his tone “—who came up with that brilliant idea to convince her she…well, that she’s a passionate woman.”
“
What?
But
you
said—” Sloan pointed at Travis’s chest “—she thought she wasn’t pretty. That she thought she wasn’t smart.”
“Well, I couldn’t very well tell you the truth, now could I?”
“Why not?” Greg innocently asked. “Seems you just did anyway.”
Travis’s jaw jutted. “Nevertheless, Sloan’s advice was that I should convince her that she was what she thought she wasn’t.”
“But—but,” Sloan stuttered.
“Boy,” Greg murmured, “this whole place went to hell in a handbasket while I was gone.” He grinned up at the two men. “So, Travis, did you convince her?”
“I tried. And now she’s not only offended, but she’s also determined to leave.” Travis knew his misery was apparent as he added, “And I don’t want her to go.”
Both his friends speared him with sharp, curious gazes.
Amazement glazed Greg’s expression and his words as he commented, “Sounds to me like our hard-hearted Travis has been bitten by the love bug.”
“And if he has been,” Sloan added, “he’s in deep doo-doo. Because even rabies shots won’t cure that ailment.”
“I don’t want a cure.” Travis rubbed his fingers over his chin. “I just want to convince Diana to stay.
But I’m afraid there isn’t time. After New Year’s Day—”
“What’s happening on New Year’s Day?” Sloan asked.
“She’s performing the naming ceremony,” Travis explained. “I’d like you and the girls to come, if you can.”
“We’ll be there.”
Greg quickly assured, “We’ll all be there.”
“Thanks.” His appreciation was heartfelt. His friends had never failed him.
“Listen,” Sloan said, “what do we bring the boys? Money? A gift?”
Travis shook his head. “You don’t bring anything. It’s custom for us to give you gifts. Out of respect. For agreeing to share the day with us. That’s why Diana needed three days to get ready. She’s helping the boys make gifts for everyone.”
“Wow,” Greg said softly, “what a great tradition. In this day and age, children are so used to being given to, they quickly come to expect it. But this is a wonderful way to teach them that it’s better to give than receive.”
“I thought so. Diana’s teaching me and the boys so much about our heritage. There’s a lot of good things about being Kolheek. About being Native American. Honor is important to Indians. As is loyalty. And there’s a great respect for Elders as wise teachers of the young.”
“Now, that’s something children today could use a little more of,” Sloan said. “Respect for their elders.”
Greg snorted out a laugh. “Hey, buddy, your girls
are nearly teenagers, and everyone knows teenagers don’t respect anyone.”
“They will,” Travis quietly contradicted, “if they’re taught that it’s expected. Kids only do what’s expected of them. If we expect little, that’s exactly what they’ll give us.”
“You learned all that from being a dad for a month?” Sloan asked.
“It’s been one long and laborious month.”
All three of them shared some light laughter. Then Travis had to admit, “It’s Diana. She’s taught me things that might have taken me a whole lifetime to learn.”
“Oh, Lord,” Sloan muttered to Greg. “We know just how bad he’s been bitten now that he’s willing to credit Diana for his triumphs.”
Travis reached for the patient files that were up for discussion this morning, not wanting this meeting to turn into a teasing fest with him the main target attraction. “About the ceremony,” he told them. “Dress warmly. Diana said we’ll be outside.” He cleared his throat. “Now, maybe we should get down to the work at hand.”
Greg reached out and grasped Travis’s forearm, evidently reluctant to let the subject go. “Listen, pal. If you love Diana, then follow your heart. You’ll find some way to reach her. I know you will.”
Travis was grateful for his friend’s support. He only wished he had a small sliver of Greg’s confidence.
The sky on New Year’s Day was a clear blue. The air was brisk and dry. Much like the atmosphere between
Travis and Diana since he’d kissed her in order to prove to her that she was a sensuous woman.
Oh, she’d been pleasant enough toward him when they were around the boys. But she remained aloof when the two of them were alone together. He’d tried several times to talk to her, but she refused to listen to anything he had to say.
She and the boys had spent their evenings threading colorful glass beads on strips of rawhide and sewing together simple leather pouches that they then decorated with shells and feathers they had purchased at the local craft store. When he’d asked her how she and the boys had occupied their days while he was at the office, she hadn’t been forthcoming with much information. “Getting ready,” had been all she had told him.
This morning, she’d made a strange request. She’d come in from outside and asked if she could take the decorations off the Christmas tree. After he’d helped her with the task, she, Josh and Jared had dragged the tree out beyond the stand of trees in the backyard. He had no idea what they had done with the pine tree, and when he’d asked the boys when they had come in for lunch, their eyes had glistened with an exciting secret. All they had said was, “You’ll see.” And they had hurried back outside after eating.
Now, the sun was about to set, their guests were expected to arrive very soon, and still there was no sign of Diana and the boys.
Travis’s job was to make a meal to feed the guests after the ceremony. Diana had suggested something simple. Soup and sandwiches. Or something else that could be quickly reheated and set out after the festivities.
The important part of this event would be the boys, not the food. Travis had chosen chili. The pot was simmering on the stove right now. And he’d purchased rolls at the local bakery. A crisp salad was in the refrigerator, ready to be served.
From the window, he spied Diana and the boys trudging from the woods carrying a shovel, an ax and other tools that they put away in the shed. His Medicine Woman looked so regal as she knelt down to talk to his children. Her departure would leave a hole in his heart. A huge hole.
Maybe, he thought, he could talk to her before the ceremony. Maybe he could make her understand…but rather than coming inside, Diana sent the boys in and then Travis watched her turn and walk back down the path they had worn in the snow.
Josh and Jared entered the back door, stomping the snow from their boots.
“Hey, Dad!” Jared greeted him, his cheeks red from the nippy weather. The child glowed with the obvious anticipation he felt. “Won’t be long now.”
Travis’s heart lurched in his chest. He hadn’t gotten used to hearing himself called Dad. But it seemed that his boys were getting more and more used to using the term.
“Wait a second,” he called when they marched right past him. “Where are you going?”
“We have to wash up,” Jared told him.
“And get dressed,” Josh quietly added.
“Okay.” They were antsy, and Travis didn’t want to hold them up any longer. “If you need any help, just call me and I’ll rush right up.”
“Okay,” they said, scrambling for the stairs in a flurry of sock-covered feet, knees and elbows.
Travis gave the chili one last stir before turning off the burner. It would reheat in just minutes when they were ready to eat. Moving into the dining room, he checked the table to see that everything was ready: plates, cutlery, glasses, napkins.
It wasn’t long before the doorbell sounded, announcing some of the guests had arrived and were waiting at the front door. Travis had to smile when he saw that nearly everyone had arrived together: Jane, Greg and baby Joy, as well as Sloan, Sydney, Sophie and Sasha. And before the small crowd could even get inside, Rachel pulled her car into the driveway.
Hugs of greeting were made all-round and Travis then escorted the adults and children into the living room. They were still trying to decide whether or not to shed their coats when the boys entered the room. Their apparel made everyone go silent.
“We’re ready,” Jared proudly announced.
“B-but,” Travis stumbled over the thoughts in his head, “I thought you were going to dress up in your best clothes.”
Josh stepped forward shyly. “Diana told us to wear our very favorite stuff.” Reaching inside his suit jacket, he rubbed the flat of his hand over his chest. “I never had soft pajamas. Neither has Jared. So we decided to wear our ’jama tops ’stead of our dress shirts.”
Jared then took off his baseball cap and hugged it to him. “And, Dad, you gave me this Philly’s hat back when I was in the hospital, ’member?”
Lifting his own cap, Josh said, “You brought me one, too.”
“We love ’em.”
Travis bit back the tears that splintered his gaze. His boys were precious, and if these articles of clothing were their favorites then he sure wasn’t going to say otherwise.
“I think you look dashing,” Jane said.
Rachel chimed in, “Quite handsome, indeed.”
Jared ran to the window. “It’s time. Diana said when we saw smoke, we would know it was time for us to come.”
After the boys and Travis shrugged into their overcoats, the lot of them filed out the back door and down through the yard. The deciduous trees had lost their leaves weeks ago, but the towering pines were a vibrant green against the browns and grays of the early winter landscape. The salmon twilight of the setting sun lit their way.
“Why, look at that,” Sophie, one of Sloan’s daughters, called out. “It’s a cute little fort.”
“It’s obviously a hut,” Sasha informed her sister.
Sydney said, “You two are dweebs. Anyone can see, it’s an igloo made of wood.”
Sophie made a disgusted sound. “I’m no dweeb. And igloos are made of ice. Any idiot knows that.”
Jared turned from where he was leading the group. “It’s a wigwam. And me and Josh helped Diana build it.”
“Ain’t it cool?” Josh asked his dad.
Travis couldn’t even nod an answer, he was so taken aback by what he saw. So this is what Diana and the boys had been doing while he was at work.
He smiled when he saw the boughs of their Christmas tree were being used to insulate the outside walls. Evidently she hadn’t wanted to strip the precious trees on his property of their bark. The wigwam was just as Diana had helped him to imagine in his mind. To think, his forebears lived in dwellings such as this one. Shivers coursed across his skin like the hot points of a million stars rolling end over end.