Eagle’s Song Read Free

used to be an officer in the Western army. Dan was retired now, married to his third wife, Rebecca. His first two wives had died, and Jennifer was a daughter by the first wife. She was a widow when she met Wolf’s Blood, and cousins or not, they had fallen very much in love.
    “I suppose I would answer your letters if it would not get you in trouble. Besides, it would just be as friends. Where is the harm in that?”
    I wish we could be more than friends
, Arianne thought, but surely boys Hawk’s age gave little thought to anything romantic. “I see no harm in it,” she answered. Why was it so hard to tear her gaze from his? What was he thinking? “I … guess I should go to the house to see Iris. She’s the real reason I came over here, to say good-bye to her,” she lied.
    Hawk nodded. Did she know he’d noticed her for months now, noticed how her breasts had changed, how much prettier she’d become in the few months she’d been here? Did she know he wondered how she felt to the touch? What her lips tasted like? “Thanks for wanting to write,” he told her. He turned and petted Lone Eagle again. “Do you like my horse? He is one of father’s finest.”
    “He’s beautiful,” she answered, touching the horse’s nose. Lone Eagle whinnied and tossed his head proudly, as though he understood the compliment.
    “Would you like to ride him around the corral?”
    “Oh, could I? Is he gentle?”
    “He is as wild or as gentle as I want him to be.”
    Arianne walked around to the side of the horse. “Do you have a saddle?”
    He laughed. “Only whites need saddles. The best way to ride a horse is bareback, to feel every muscle and movement. You have to let go of your own spirit,let it melt in with the horse’s. Feel him beneath you, grab his mane and ride with the wind.”
    “But I’d fall off without—” Arianne let out a little scream when strong hands grasped her about the waist and hoisted her up. In an instant she was plunked on Lone Eagle’s back.
    “Get your leg over and hold his mane,” Hawk ordered with a grin.
    Red-faced, Arianne swung her right leg over the horse’s neck and straddled the animal, her stockinged calves showing beneath the hem of her dress. “Hawk, I’m not wearing riding britches.”
    “So?” He kept hold of the reins. “Grab his mane and hang on. Father says white women are always too concerned about what is proper. They do not know how to be free and natural like Indian women.” He began walking Lone Eagle around in a circle, and now that she was atop the muscular, powerful mount, Arianne could not imagine how Hawk did the kind of trick riding he did. She’d always been a little bit afraid of horses, had only ridden sidesaddle a few times. Mostly she rode in buggies with someone else driving.
    Hawk said something to the animal in the Cheyenne tongue, and Lone Eagle began trotting a little faster.
    “Be careful!” Arianne warned. “I’ll fall!”
    “No you won’t.” Quickly Hawk tossed the reins over the horse’s neck, as he ran alongside the animal, then he leapt onto its back behind Arianne, reaching around her to take the reins. Suddenly he felt the hidden man inside emerging, wanting to show off. He planted an arm around Arianne’s middle to hang on to her, keeping the reins in his right hand and kicking the horse’s sides to lead it through a gate.
    Arianne screamed and laughed as they rode off at a gallop, and her heart pounded with glorious joy at the feel of his strong arm around her, at being pressedso close against him. She was terribly frightened by the wild ride, but too excited about the chance to be near Hawk to care.
    They rode for nearly a mile before Hawk stopped the horse and turned him. “Now, that was not so bad, was it?” What was that smell to her beautiful, light hair? A sweet scent. Soap? Perfume? She turned to face him … so close that he could look deep into those blue eyes.
    “It was wonderful,” she said, her cheeks rosy from