Reckless Desire Read Free Page A

really understood. Shadow had been the epitome of what a Cheyenne warrior should be that day—tall and strong, firm in his beliefs, brave, haughty, perhaps, because he was one of the People.
    I was filled with tenderness as I leaned forward, my bare breasts brushing against his chest as I kissed him. Shadow’s arms went around me, drawing me closer still, until our bodies were one.
    Shadow was not a young warrior anymore, but a man in his prime, and I gloried in his touch as he possessed me, satisfying my desire even as he satisfied my need to be a part of him. Now, for this moment, I was complete. I let out a long sigh as his life spilled into me, my whole body slowly relaxing as waves of pure pleasure engulfed me. How I loved him, this wonderful man who had been a part of my life for almost thirty years.
     

Chapter Two
     
    I went to church with Victoria the following morning. Hawk and Shadow never attended church services with us. I understood how Shadow felt, and I never tried to persuade him to accompany me although I would have loved to have him there beside me. Sometimes he rode along with me into town, then spent a quiet hour near the river while I went to church. But this day he stayed at home, and Blackie stayed with him.
    Victoria and the twins were ready when I stopped by to pick them up. Marriage had agreed with Vickie, I thought. She was more attractive than ever, though she looked a trifle unhappy just now.
    “What is it?” I asked as she settled onto the seat beside me, a baby in each arm.
    “Nothing,” she answered petulantly.
    “Did you and Hawk have an argument?”
    “No, not really, but he makes me so mad. I asked him to go to church with us, just as I do every week, and he refused, just as he does every week.”
    I nodded, wondering if I should try to make her understand, or if I should just keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to be a meddling mother-in-law.
    “It wouldn’t hurt him to go to church with me once in a while,” Victoria went on. “It’s only for an hour.”
    “That’s true,” I agreed. “But to Hawk, it’s an hour wasted. He doesn’t believe in the white man’s god. Hawk and Shadow worship Maheo, and I don’t think anything will ever change that.”
    “I know,” Victoria said with a sigh of resignation. “And I don’t want to change him, not really. But it just seems as though he could do it for me. I gave up a lot for him.”
    That was true enough. Victoria had given up a lovely home, an education in the East, and a lot more to marry Hawk. Her parents had deserted her when they discovered she was pregnant and that Hawk was the father. Bitter and ashamed, Horace and Lydia Bannerman had sold their home and left Bear Valley, apparently for good, leaving their daughter behind to get along as best she could.
    “Have you ever heard from your parents, Vickie?” I asked.
    “No,” she replied softly, but I heard the hurt in her voice. I had never understood the Bannermans. I could not imagine leaving my only child when she needed me most, yet that was what the Bannermans had done.
    I glanced at my two grandsons, cradled in Victoria’s arms. They were lovely boys, sweet of disposition. I supposed that Horace and Lydia Bannerman would have been ashamed of Jason and Jacob because they were a quarter Cheyenne, but I thought they were wonderful.
    Victoria’s spirits picked up when we reached the church. She had many friends in the valley, and they all clustered around her, eager to fuss over the twins, eager to chat and make plans for the church social to be held the following month.
    We saw Pa and Rebecca at church. As usual, we all sat together, taking turns holding the boys when they got restless. Sunday was my favorite day of the week, a day to rest and worship, a day to take life easy. Usually Hawk and Victoria came by for a visit; sometimes we went to their house. Occasionally Shadow and I went to visit the Smythes or the Browns or the Tippitts. One Sunday a month,