Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
Red Hawk quietly shut the door. He understood the reason for her upset—he had not been with her at a time of urgency.
Pivoting, he took another step forward without looking where he was going.
It was a mistake. His guard was down, and he hadn’t sensed she had crossed the room.
He fell into her, knocking them both to the floor.
He landed on top of her. The scent of her delicate skin filled his nostrils, and the soft touch of her body beneath his caused his own to respond to her, quite out of his control. Feeling much more like a young boy than a seasoned warrior, Red Hawk gulped.
“You are heavy.” Her breath, sweet and intoxicating, sent his thoughts on to other, much more pleasurable activities. She was so close, so very, very close, and he had only to move his lips a short distance…
He did it. He kissed her. Given their circumstances, he wondered if any man would have been able to resist the temptation.
His lips lingered over hers, his tongue dipping into the delicate recesses of her mouth. For a delicious, wonderful moment, she responded in kind.
As though coming to her senses, she pushed against him. “Mr. Hawk, you are heavy.”
He fell to her side, but he didn’t release her…not yet. Passion still raged within his heart, and although unlikely, there was always the hope she might be persuaded to risk more.
With one arm thrown over her and one leg atop hers, he said, “I am sorry I was not here to help you. I feel bad that you, alone, were forced to confront your attacker.”
Reaching up, he ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. He knew he played with fire, for he could sense her wrath, but the prospect of touching, of feeling her soft skin beneath his fingers…
She slapped his hand away. “You are still on me, and I am not overly pleased with you.”
He nodded. “Aa, that I am, and I know.”
“Well, remove yourself at once.”
He withdrew his leg from across her, though his arm still held her tightly.
“Mr. Hawk?”
Rolling onto his back, he released her completely. “I was not here because I have been following the man I thought might be your attacker.”
“You have?” She sat up and raised an eyebrow at him. “If that be the case, then you should have been here, shouldn’t you?”
“Aa, I should have. But the man I was following was not your attacker.” Red Hawk sat up, and, crossing his legs in front of him, he looked at her.
She was adjusting her clothing, he noted with interest. The action was curious, for the waist of her dress was very tight against her tiny stomach.
Still, she made herself as comfortable as possible, then stared back at him with as defiant a countenance as any warrior he had ever fought.
All she said was, “Yes? As you were saying?”
“I was wrong to follow this man. I admit this now. Know, however, that I did not realize this at the time.”
“Hmmm… I suppose this could be true,” she conceded.
“I have discovered, nonetheless, that whoever is doing this to you is clever.”
“Indeed. But you still have not answered my original question, Mr. Hawk. Whether or not you were following this person, you forget our arrangement. We had agreed to meet. I…expected you.”
He frowned. Had her voice quivered?
Omaniit, had he disappointed her so greatly? He inhaled deeply, but the simple action didn’t ease his spirits. Instead the erotic scent of her filled his lungs, distracting him.
“I am sorry I kept you waiting. Perhaps I might be excused when I tell you that the man I followed was one whom I saw enter your room earlier today. I waited until he let himself out, and then I trailed him. This person, however, was not your attacker tonight, for I have had him well in my sights all evening.”
“Oh? And who was it you followed?”
“The sheriff of this town.”
“The sheriff? That’s the most puzzling piece of news I’ve heard tonight. Why would the sheriff come to my room?” She scowled. “Unless… He must have been searching for something.”
“I believe he was.”
“Yet I saw no evidence of someone going through my things.”
Red Hawk smiled at her. “Remind me once we have embarked on our journey to teach you how to look and observe what is properly there to perceive.”
Effie blew out a breath in disgust.
Red Hawk continued to smirk at her. Without another word, he rose and took a few steps toward the window. “I must leave you now.”
“Where are you going?” she asked crossly, as she too stood up.
He glanced at her from over his shoulder. “Your assailant will have left a trail. He will have no choice but to do so, for our Mother, the Earth, will have recorded each step he took. I would find his tracks now before others in this town awaken and take away the evidence.”
“Yes, yes. Of course you must, but please, we have other important worries to discuss, don’t we?”
“We do, but perhaps we should leave those concerns until tomorrow.” He took several more steps toward the window.
“Yes,” she repeated, and he glanced at her again from over his shoulder. What he saw puzzled him, for her gaze at him was odd. Was it shy? She said, “Please don’t leave me yet.”
He pivoted back toward her. “I must.”
“But I…” She hesitated. “I need your advice…on something. You see, I…I’m not certain I can trust anyone else in my party…
at least not at this moment. In truth, I’m not certain I can trust you, either—it was a trading knife that was found here, one that has been brought into this country specifically to trade with the Indians. ”
“Easily obtained by anyone,” he pointed out, “not simply by an Indian.”
“I know that. It’s why I’m dismissing the information as insignificant. Yet, I need advice.”
He drew back into the room. After taking a few steps toward the bed, he pulled off one of the blankets, which he spread over the floor. Gesturing toward the blanket, he said, “Let us sit and talk.”
She nodded. “This is good advice. Yes.” They sat, she with her legs to the side, he cross-legged.
At first, she seemed reluctant to say anything, but as he remained silent, waiting, at last she began. “My father isn’t here to guide me, and…I do not know what to do. Therefore, I must turn to someone to hear out my thoughts, someone who might be able to counsel me.”
He was flattered. “My heart is happy you have chosen me to assist you. I will listen to you and help you as best I can.”
“All right.” She hesitated once again, then, “The truth is, I am doubtful of what I must do from this point forward. It is evident there is someone—possibly someone close to me—who does not have my best interest at heart. I have already been assaulted by this person twice since arriving in this town. This last time was the worst. If I continue on toward the Gates of the Mountains, do I invite more harm?”
Red Hawk might have answered forthwith, but before he could utter a word, she continued, “And what happens if I do reach that country, find the things for which I search, and another in my party takes them from me by force? All my plans, all my work, will be for nothing. I would have failed my father…and another people in more need.”
Another people in more need? Red Hawk sat up straighter, focusing on her words.
However, she didn’t take heed of the change in him, and she went on talking.
“Would it be better if I disband the entire project, cut my losses and return here later, having picked another crew?” Solemnly, she looked up to him.
Weighing his words carefully, Red Hawk didn’t respond at once. Though it was important to him and to the welfare of his tribe that she continue on exactly as she was, he couldn’t very well tell her this. So he said, “You could do as you suggest.”
“Then you believe my leaving here would be advisable? To return back East?”
He shook his head. “Saa, no, I do not. I merely said you could do this if you decide it is right. But I am uncertain that your returning to the East—without discovering who it is that is doing this to you—will solve your problem. You might well find you could be bothered by the same dilemma.”
“What do you mean? I would be back home. These problems, then, would be different.”
“Would they?”
She frowned. “Wouldn’t they? Before I left, there were none of these occurrences. Nor did I encounter anything unusual on the way here.”
Red Hawk shrugged. “I understand what you say. However, without discovering who this thief is, the man remains free to do the same to you in the East, as well as here, or wherever you are.”
After a short space of time, she said, “I’m not certain I agree with you. I think my life and all these matters would be different there. In the East, my father would take great precaution, and he would lock up the valuables I carry.”
“Then you do bear something valuable?”
She gasped aloud. Clearly, she had spoken without thought.
At last, she must have decided on a course of action, for she set back her shoulders and said, “I guess I might as well admit it, since it is evident someone else knows I carry something valuable. In truth, simple deduction would prove I must have a thing of worth in my possession, otherwise…”
“May I see this which you consider to be so valuable?” asked Red Hawk carefully.
Effie tilted her head to the left, her glance piercing into his, as though she would read his thoughts. After a while, she seemed to give up the attempt. “I don’t think so.”
He had expected nothing less. Still he was disappointed, and he nodded.
“I can only tell you this: Sometimes it is wise to go elsewhere if one’s life is in danger.
But this is not always advisable. There are times when it is better to hold to one’s position and confront what danger exists—especially if the trouble might follow a person wherever she may go.
Tell me, would you be as vulnerable on your trip back East, as you are here?
Before you reach the safety of your father’s lodge? ”
“I could be, but I could also travel alone, away from my colleagues, since I am beginning to distrust them.”