Reckless Desire Read Free Page B

our whole family got together for dinner at Pa’s house.
    I smiled as Jacob crawled into my lap and made himself comfortable, then turned my attention to what the minister was saying. We had a new preacher in the valley now. The Reverend Thorsen had passed away shortly after Hawk and Victoria were married. Our new minister was a man in his early fifties. He had gray hair, long sideburns, and a closely-cropped gray beard. He was a widower, rather nice-looking, with regular features and light brown eyes. His name was Thomas Edward Brighton, and he preached fire and brimstone at his Sunday services. No one ever dozed off during one of his sermons, for he had a voice like thunder. Two of the widow women in Bear Valley had their eye on the Reverend Brighton, and it was a source of amusement to the people in the valley to watch Leona and Claire primp and flirt, trying to catch his eye. Thus far the reverend had avoided becoming entangled with either one, though it was noted that he was gaining a few pounds due to the many dinners they invited him to, and the numerous cakes and pies that were delivered to the parsonage in their efforts to outdo each other.
    As the reverend’s sermon came to an end, the choir stood to sing. I thought about what Victoria had said earlier and I glanced around the church. Most of the married women had their husbands by their sides; whether the husbands wanted to be there or not, I couldn’t tell. But when I compared the men in the congregation to the man who waited for me at home, I knew I wouldn’t have traded places with any of the women present. Let them have their civilized men clad in store-bought suits and ties, men who ran grocery stores and banks and newspapers. I had a man at home who was a warrior, a man who had fought for me, a man who had risked his life to protect our family from harm.
    I said as much to Victoria on our way home from church.
    “Would you trade Hawk for any of those men at church today?” I asked.
    “Heavens, no,” Vickie said, laughing as she hugged her sons. “Hawk is worth a dozen of those men.”
    “Exactly,” I agreed. “Can you imagine being married to an old fusspot like George Williams, or a penny-pinching grouch like Harvey White?”
    “No,” Victoria said, laughing all the harder. “And what about that old stick-in-the-mud, Clarence Flagg?”
    I laughed, too, though my conscience bothered me a little at poking fun at my neighbors. They were all nice men in their way, honest and hard-working, but they could never compare to Hawk or Shadow.
    Victoria was relaxed and happy when I dropped her off at home. She asked me to come in for tea, but I was eager to go home to Shadow.
    Hawk came to help Victoria and the twins down from the buggy, and we chatted for a few minutes about the weather and how big the boys were getting, and then I bade them goodbye and clucked to the team.
    “Thanks, Hannah,” Victoria called as I pulled out of the yard.
    I waved and smiled at her, glad that she was Hawk’s wife. I couldn’t have been more pleased with my daughter-in-law if I had picked her out myself.
    That night, lying in Shadow’s arms, I told him about Victoria’s wish that Hawk would attend church with her.
    “I can understand how she feels,” I remarked, snuggling closer to Shadow’s side. “But I think she’ll be all right now.”
    “Does it bother you that I do not attend the white man’s church and worship your god?” Shadow asked.
    “No. I know you worship Maheo, and though you don’t think so, I believe that God and Maheo are the same being.” I kissed Shadow’s cheek. “It would be nice to have you there beside me, though.”
    “Why did you not tell me this sooner?”
    “I don’t know. It’s not important.”
    “If you want me to go with you, I will go.” Was there ever such a man? My heart swelled with love as I kissed him again.
    “It isn’t necessary,” I murmured. “I know you like to worship Man Above in your own way. I’ve