whomever he wants, and you, as his brother, must not question this.”
With an angry grunt, Two Feathers took a step backward. “But you just said you were worried?”
Strong Elk relaxed his terse stance slightly. “Yes, I am worried for my son’s safety, not who he chooses to love.”
“We will all pay the price if someone at the agency hears about them,” Two Feathers retorted. His flashing dark eyes focused on his older brother once again.
“No one will find out until we are ready for them to know,” White Owl answered, more to his father than to his brother.
Strong Elk shook his head and sighed. “You have been going to this woman every night. Surely her family must notice that she is gone, too? Or are you foolish enough to enter her home while the others are sleeping there?”
“No, where we meet it is safe, and she does not come to me until everyone is asleep.” White Owl was beginning to feel like a child who was getting scolded for something he knew he shouldn’t be doing.
A worried frown tugged at Strong Elk’s mouth. “There will come a time when someone will know. What if she carries your child? How will the two of you hide that?”
White Owl had thought of this possibility acouple of times in the past few weeks, but he had been too overcome with desire to let it deter him.
“White women are not like Ute women,” Strong Elk continued. “Our women do not produce easily, but whites are fertile and already this woman could carry your seed in her.”
White Owl had to exhale the breath that was lodged in his throat. He knew that what his father said was true. Ute women rarely had more than one or two children, and many of them never bore children at all. Most white women, however, seemed to have been blessed with the ability to bear hordes of children during their lifetimes. His father could be right . . . it might have happened already. For the past few weeks, they had spent nearly every night exploring and learning more sensuous ways to pleasure each other than he had ever imagined possible. And he was also discovering how much he loved her in every other way.
She was obviously passionate and anxious to learn every way to please him, but they had also spent much time talking and finding out each other’s deepest thoughts.
White Owl was amazed many times over by how she loved this great land as much as his own people did, and she honestly felt that the white men were wrong to try to take it away from the Utes. Her compassion for the plight of his people endeared her to him even more. Every time they were together, he found something else about her that made his love for her expand. A child born of their love would bring him more happiness thanhe could even begin to envision. But it would also mean making their love known to everyone.
With a hard swallow, White Owl turned away from his father and brother and pulled himself up to Niwaa’s bare back. “We will face whatever comes.” His voice was firm, but inside he was tormented by thoughts of what the future might bring for him and his Wild Rose.
Two Feathers did not bother to respond. He threw his hands in the air and stalked away.
Strong Elk looked up and met his son’s worried gaze. “This woman, this . . . ?”
“Wild Rose,” White Owl answered.
“Wild Rose,” Strong Elk repeated. “She must be special.”
As he slowly nodded, White Owl looked off in the distance. “She is, Father. She is.”
He nudged Niwaa forward without waiting for a response. He needed to be with Wild Rose as soon as possible, and the sun was already growing low in the western sky. It would be dark by the time he crossed Milk Creek.
The ride seemed longer tonight than it had in the past, perhaps because the conversation he had just had with his father and brother only intensified the feelings he already had for Wild Rose, and he knew that these passionate encounters could not last forever. Soon they would have to think about the future.
As the sun
With an angry grunt, Two Feathers took a step backward. “But you just said you were worried?”
Strong Elk relaxed his terse stance slightly. “Yes, I am worried for my son’s safety, not who he chooses to love.”
“We will all pay the price if someone at the agency hears about them,” Two Feathers retorted. His flashing dark eyes focused on his older brother once again.
“No one will find out until we are ready for them to know,” White Owl answered, more to his father than to his brother.
Strong Elk shook his head and sighed. “You have been going to this woman every night. Surely her family must notice that she is gone, too? Or are you foolish enough to enter her home while the others are sleeping there?”
“No, where we meet it is safe, and she does not come to me until everyone is asleep.” White Owl was beginning to feel like a child who was getting scolded for something he knew he shouldn’t be doing.
A worried frown tugged at Strong Elk’s mouth. “There will come a time when someone will know. What if she carries your child? How will the two of you hide that?”
White Owl had thought of this possibility acouple of times in the past few weeks, but he had been too overcome with desire to let it deter him.
“White women are not like Ute women,” Strong Elk continued. “Our women do not produce easily, but whites are fertile and already this woman could carry your seed in her.”
White Owl had to exhale the breath that was lodged in his throat. He knew that what his father said was true. Ute women rarely had more than one or two children, and many of them never bore children at all. Most white women, however, seemed to have been blessed with the ability to bear hordes of children during their lifetimes. His father could be right . . . it might have happened already. For the past few weeks, they had spent nearly every night exploring and learning more sensuous ways to pleasure each other than he had ever imagined possible. And he was also discovering how much he loved her in every other way.
She was obviously passionate and anxious to learn every way to please him, but they had also spent much time talking and finding out each other’s deepest thoughts.
White Owl was amazed many times over by how she loved this great land as much as his own people did, and she honestly felt that the white men were wrong to try to take it away from the Utes. Her compassion for the plight of his people endeared her to him even more. Every time they were together, he found something else about her that made his love for her expand. A child born of their love would bring him more happiness thanhe could even begin to envision. But it would also mean making their love known to everyone.
With a hard swallow, White Owl turned away from his father and brother and pulled himself up to Niwaa’s bare back. “We will face whatever comes.” His voice was firm, but inside he was tormented by thoughts of what the future might bring for him and his Wild Rose.
Two Feathers did not bother to respond. He threw his hands in the air and stalked away.
Strong Elk looked up and met his son’s worried gaze. “This woman, this . . . ?”
“Wild Rose,” White Owl answered.
“Wild Rose,” Strong Elk repeated. “She must be special.”
As he slowly nodded, White Owl looked off in the distance. “She is, Father. She is.”
He nudged Niwaa forward without waiting for a response. He needed to be with Wild Rose as soon as possible, and the sun was already growing low in the western sky. It would be dark by the time he crossed Milk Creek.
The ride seemed longer tonight than it had in the past, perhaps because the conversation he had just had with his father and brother only intensified the feelings he already had for Wild Rose, and he knew that these passionate encounters could not last forever. Soon they would have to think about the future.
As the sun
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