Spirit's Song Read Free Page B

need her.”
    “She’s my wife. Mine,” he repeated, his voice curt. “And I keep what’s mine.”
    “Her coming back will only complicate things.”
    “Afraid you might lose your place in my affections, Claire?”
    She met his gaze squarely. “Yes. I don’t want to share you with anyone. Not even your wife.”
    He laughed softly, pleased by her answer, by the jealousy in her eyes.
    “Kaylynn belongs to me,” he said. “Bought and paid for, just like you, my dear. She will be made to see the error of her ways when she returns.”
    “I could give you a son.”
    “You?” He laughed again, a harsh sound devoid of warmth or humor.
    “Why not me? You could divorce Kaylynn. We could be married.”
    “Marry you? I had no idea you possessed such a wry sense of humor, my dear.” He crossed the room to stand in front of his mistress. “You don’t really mind sharing me, do you, my lovely Claire?”
    Fear replaced the jealousy in her eyes. “No, Alan. Of course not.”
    “I knew you would see things my way,” he replied. “Everyone does. Sooner or later.”

 
    Chapter Four
     
    The day after the Sun Dance, the ceremonial camp disbanded. The tipis were moved from the great ceremonial circle to the usual camp circles of families within families. Kaylynn learned from Mo’e’ha that over the next week or so, the Cheyenne and the Lakota would begin to move back to their own hunting grounds in preparation for the fall hunt.
    But on this day, there was to be a horse race. Kaylynn had learned that the Sioux and Cheyenne loved contests of all kinds. Games of skill, foot races, horse races, wrestling, competing with bow and arrow and lance, they excelled at them all.
    Kaylynn stood on the edge of the crowd, watching the preparations for the race get under way. In the early days of her captivity, she had stubbornly refused to make any effort to learn the Cheyenne language. Foolish as it seemed now, she had told herself it would be a waste of time. She wasn’t staying here. Surely, she would be rescued soon. She had dreamed of the army riding in to save her, dreamed of a knight on a white horse risking life and limb to rescue her. She knew now such an event was unlikely. No one knew she was here. It grieved her to think her parents would never know what happened to her.
    When she finally accepted the fact that she was probably going to spend the rest of her life with the Cheyenne, she had made an effort to learn their language. She had always been a quick study and she had learned quickly, though there were times, like now, when everyone seemed to be talking at once, that she missed more than she understood. From the enthusiastic gestures and the words she caught, she realized there was a lot of betting going on. Men and women were wagering robes, horses and blankets on the outcome of the race.
    She saw old Mo’e’ha talking excitedly with another woman and once she pointed in Kaylynn’s direction and nodded.
    Kaylynn had a sudden, sinking feeling that Mo’e’ha was offering her as part of a bet, and while Kaylynn wasn’t particularly fond of the old woman, she had grown accustomed to her and her ways.
    Those who were going to ride in the race began to mount up. The men, wearing nothing but clouts and moccasins, rode bareback, their dark copper-hued skin gleaming in the sunlight. Her gaze was drawn to the stranger she had watched dance the day before. She felt a shiver run down her spine, a sense of trepidation, of excitement.
    For a moment, with her gaze trapped by his, she forgot everything else. Like a rabbit mesmerized by a snake, she stood unmoving, her whole being quaking from the force of his gaze. What was there about him that filled her with such unease, that made her feel as though she were teetering on the edge of a precipice?
    She breathed an audible sigh of relief when he turned away and swung onto his horse.
    She didn’t see or hear a signal, but suddenly the race was on. Excitement rippled through