Bound by Honor

Bound by Honor Read Free Page B

Book: Bound by Honor Read Free
Author: Donna Clayton
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary
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stable door . “ I knew he lived on the rez, ev en met him a couple of times. I’v e seen some of his work. Very abstract-looking. Canvases that incorporate paint as well as three-dimensional material."
    "It's called mixed media."
    "He's very talented." His tone lowered an octave as he said, "I guess I should say was. He signed his works Foxfire, didn't he?"
    Jenna nodded.
    Gage continued, "I think I read somewhere that his wife was an artist, too."
    Jenna nodded. "Amy was a painter. She met David in Chicago when she attended a showing of his work. They got married shortly thereafter."
    Gage shook his head. "I hadn't heard about the accident."
    From what she'd learned of this man's solitary existence, Jenna wasn't surprised.
    "They left behind a baby," she told him. "Lily. My niece. She's just over six months old."
    Emotion softened the harsh angles of his handsome face. Could that be sadness?
    His reaction took Jenna aback. She hadn't expected his compassion. Not at all. She'd anticipated he would be completely unemotional. Relieved that she'd been wrong, she hoped his empathy might impel him to help her.
    Reaching up, she tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear before she spoke again. "The night of the accident, Lily had been with David's parents. I thank God every day that Lily wasn't in that car. Health problems make it impossible for Mr. and Mrs. Collins to care for my niece, so she's been staying with a sitter here on the reservation. A woman named Arlene Johnson. I went to collect Lily, but Arlene refused to allow me to take Lily home with me. Arlene said I'd have to get permission from the Council. I had no idea at the time what she was talking about. Amy and David left no will. But I'm family. I didn't need anyone's permission but the state of Montana's to take custody of my niece.
    "A lawyer in Billings told me he couldn't help me," she continued. "He said the residents of Broken Bow aren't held accountable to the laws of the United States. That Native Americans govern themselves. That I would be at the mercy of the Council of E lders overseeing the tribe." Her voice went hoarse as she added, "He didn't offer me mu ch hope of getting Lily."
    Gage's ch in tipped up a fraction. "Every thing you were told is true. We are managed by the Elders. There are eight men and women on our —"
    "I know. I've met them. ” Her response was flat, but she couldn't help it. Those people had made the past eight weeks of her life utterly miserable.
    Evidently, he took exception to the impudent implication in her tone. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, and she wondered just how hard his pecs might feel beneath her fingertips.
    Gage shifted his weight.
    "I'm sorry," she murmured, embarrassed by her inability to suppress her feelings about the Elders — but probably more so that she'd become too aware of his physique.
    She looked him in the eye. "I don't mean any disrespect. Honestly, I don't. It's just that. . . well, I've spent the past two months feeling terribly frustrated. I've done everything the Council has asked of me. I've answered a battery of questions. I've opened myself completely. Revealed my past. My present. My dreams for the future. I've confessed that I've spent my whole life building my e-commerce business, maybe to my own detriment since I have no husband or children of my own. I've revealed my financial situation. I've proved that building commercial Web sites is profitable. I've submitted to a physical. I've laid out my philosophy of life. I've told them all they want to know. I've pleaded with them. Told them that I'm willing to change my whole life in order to raise Lily. Explained that losing Amy and David has opened my eyes to what family means. I begged them, Gage, during meeting after meeting. For two long months. Yet they continue to thwart me at every turn." Her tone grew nearly frantic. "I need some help. I need an ally. And I need one now."
    Suddenl y, the sympathy Gage had shown f or her

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