Chapter 6
Burke rode down the rope with a fire in his loins.
He had wanted to make certain Storm tasted a real kiss but he never intended to get such pleasure from it.
She was a mere wisp of a woman, a beauty for sure, but not his type.
He liked women large and sturdy with good hips that could bear him children without his worrying he’d lose his wife in childbirth.
No, Storm wasn’t his type. He’d forever worry about her. Lord, a good gusty wind would blow her away, not to mention what a harsh Dakota winter would do to her.
He shook his head. Why the hell was he thinking of her in Dakota Territory? He wasn’t here to find a wife. There were plenty of women back home interested in filling that position. He was here to find his brother, and he’d do well to keep his mind on that.
She lived in the trees.
Damned if he didn’t admire the home she had carved out of the forest for her group. Only a woman with extraordinary strength and courage could manage to create and sustain a home in the wilderness. She really wasn’t that different from the women who braved the American frontier.
But she was so tiny. Where did she find the strength?
“Heard you are hunting with me today,” Malcolm said, coming up to him.
How did he know that? Storm had just informed Burke of it.
Malcolm slapped him on the back. “Storm gave orders to Tanin to relay to me and others before entering camp.”
“She certainly stays on top of things.”
“She devises plans before we even finish discussing the issue.” Malcolm shook his head. “She’s amazing.”
It was obvious the good-looking youth admired her. Burke also wondered if he had feelings for his leader, but then it wasn’t his business.
“Did other men receive orders as well?” Burke asked.
Malcolm nodded. “They already left camp.”
Burke almost swore aloud. Damned if she hadn’t played him for a fool, making him think she had yet to talk to the men she would send to rescue his brother when all along her decision had been made and the men sent on their way.
“Ready to hunt?”
He sure was. He was ready to hunt Storm down and give her a piece of his mind.
“I’d rather have gone with William and Philip than hunting,” Malcolm continued. “They’ve had the most success in rescues. Storm always sends them on the difficult missions. They’re the most skilled.”
Burke immediately regretted his anger. Storm hadn’t wasted a minute in seeing to his brother. She had sent her best men, and for that he was grateful. He would make sure to tell her.
“Come on,” Burke said. “I’m going to teach you a thing or two about hunting.”
Malcolm proved a skilled hunter, and with a few tips from Burke and an hour of practice, he was fast becoming an expert. In no time they easily snagged several hares.
“Is it true that everyone is rich in America?” Malcolm asked on their way back to camp.
“It depends on how you define rich,” Burke said, seeing in Malcolm what he had seen in so many young foreigners who arrived on the shores of America—the promise of hope.
“Money, land, food aplenty for family and friends,” Malcolm said.
“With hard work and some sacrifice, it’s possible,” Burke assured him.
“I heard those same words told to friends who left Scotland to seek a better life in Canada, only to discover more hardships.”
“Forging a life out of the wilderness takes courage, sustaining it takes hard work.”
“Especially if you’re an outlaw.” Malcolm laughed.
“How did all of you come to be together?”
“Storm has rules we all agreed to follow. One of them is never to discuss the group with strangers. You, Burke, are a stranger.”
He was candid and emphatic and Burke respected both.
“Storm’s quite a woman,” Burke said, attempting another approach.
“Can’t discuss her either. You need to direct all inquiries to Storm.
She’s the only one with the authority to give you answers.
She’s probably by the creek over there.” He pointed to a barely visible path to the right.
“She usually washes up at the creek after returning from a mission. I’ll see that the women get the game for tonight’s meal. ”
Burke nodded and followed the path, if it could be called that, the forest having reclaimed most of it. It did, however, lead him to the creek and Storm. She sat on the ground a few feet from the creek in clean trousers and a tan shirt, combing her wet hair with her fingers.
“How did the hunting go, Burke?”
He approached her with a laugh. “How did you know it was me and not Malcolm?”
“A couple of weeks in prison leaves a man with a distinct odor.” She held up a bundle of clothes. “I stopped to see if you spoke with Janelle. When I found out you didn’t I took the liberty of picking up some clothes for you.”
Burke took them from her. “Intended to find me, did you?”
“No. I knew once you discovered I had already sent men after your brother, you’d find me.”
Burke dropped the clothes beside her and stripped off his shirt. “I wanted to thank you for handling the matter so quickly and efficiently.”
He held on to his shirt and noticed that she kept her eyes focused on his face. He had never considered himself a handsome man; years spent out in the rough winters had toughened his skin and added a flurry of lines around his eyes. He probably looked well past his twenty-nine years.
“Feel free to strip and wash up, Mr. Longton,” she said to his surprise. “I don’t wilt at the sight of a naked man.”
“Seen naked men before, have you?” He had to ask.
“Yes,” she answered with a smile and shook her head, to fluff her drying hair with her fingers.
The silky black strands fell together like a fine piece of wool cloth woven to perfection. Her skin was the color of rich cream, and he wondered if the taste was as potent.
He turned abruptly and walked to the creek. He needed to cool off. He bent down and stuck his head in the refreshing cool water, and as he came up, he wiped his face and neck clean with his hands. He then rinsed off his arms and chest, not caring that the water ran down to soak his trousers.
He wanted to make certain he freed himself of the heat that had set his blood on fire and had him ready to crawl out of his skin. And all because of a woman who obviously was familiar with naked men.
He dried himself off and marched back over to her. “How many men?”
“Excuse me?”
“How many men have you seen naked?”
“I don’t see what business that is of yours,” she said calmly.
“I don’t either but I’m curious,” he admitted.
“Your honesty at times amazes me.”
“My father taught me to be an honorable and honest man.”
“Do you wonder if your brother is like you?”
Burke tossed his wet shirt aside and sat down beside Storm. “I have wondered since first learning about him when I was young. Had anyone helped him? Was he still alive? Had he had a harsh life? My father searched tirelessly for him and blamed himself for what had happened.”
“He couldn’t have taken a babe to America with him. He did the right thing. It wasn’t his fault his sister-in-law died.”
“Tell that to a grief-stricken father who beyond death continues to search for his son, through his other son. I don’t intend to fail my father. I will find Cullen and bring him home.”
“What if he doesn’t want to go?” she asked.
“When he discovers the wealth that awaits him, he’ll go.”
“Tell me of this wealth,” Storm said, reaching for the clean shirt and handing it to Burke.
A cool autumn wind had suddenly interrupted an otherwise warm day, and she offered him protection against it, handing him the clean shirt.
He accepted, slipping it over his head. “The Dakota Territory can be unforgiving and generous at the same time. My father claimed over three hundred acres. Longton Ranch raises the best cattle in the territory, not to mention the horses we train and sell. The town of Longton prospers also, thanks to my father’s generosity.
He built the town, started the first bank, brought a doctor there, built a church and a school, all while remaining friends with his Sioux neighbors. ”
“That must have been a feat.”
“If you knew my father you would know it was his nature to treat everyone fairly and honestly. He believed that a man was nothing without integrity. He lived it every day of his life. That was the attribute my mother so loved and admired in him, and, as she had often told me, made her feel so very safe with my father.”
“How lovely that she should trust him so unconditionally.”
“She told me he had earned it. He was a good man, a good husband, and a good father. She couldn’t have asked for more.”
“Your mother has also passed?”
“She died one week after my father. I expected it. They were too much in love to live without each other.”
“How sad for you.”
Burke shook his head. “No. I’m happy that they’re together. And once I find my brother, I know they both will be at peace. My mother had looked forward to raising Cullen as her own and was just as disappointed as my father when he was not found.” He turned to her. “What of your parents?”
“Not worth talking about.”
“That bad?”
Storm shrugged. “I barely remember my father. He left when I was young. My mother thought I ate too much and was too much of a burden. She gave me away to a family, but after a couple of months they gave me to another family, who treated me decently enough.”
“That’s horrible,” Burke said, appalled at Storm’s loveless childhood. Was that why she rescued people? Had she felt so abandoned that she reached out to others suffering the same fate?
“It is the way of things here. You survive or you surrender. I prefer to survive.”
“I can see where you got your courage.”
She smiled. “Life gave it to me many times over.”
“What of the future?” he asked. “You can’t remain an outlaw all your life.”
“I don’t think of the future.” She turned to stare at the creek.
What she really meant was that she believed she had no future.
She was an outlaw and would forever be hunted and perhaps one day caught.
The thought chilled his bones. He could not fathom the idea of Storm rotting in a jail cell or, God forbid, being tortured endlessly, death her only chance to escape.
“You should think of the future,” he insisted. “What will you do when your outlaw days come to an end?”
“I doubt they ever will.”
He didn’t like the hopelessness he heard in her voice. “You don’t know that for sure. Anything can happen.”
“It would take a miracle. This is my life and I accept it.”
“Why? You fight for others. Why not fight for your own future?”
“I do not live beyond this day, for I do not know if I will see tomorrow. I will do what I must and leave the rest to fate.”
“Not good enough,” he said adamantly. “Fate is what you make it. You said you’d rather survive than surrender. Leaving your life to fate is surrendering.”
A soft smile lit her face and sent a jolt to his heart. He convinced himself it was out of concern he felt for her. She was a young, beautiful woman who had the right to a good life. She needed a good man who would love her, protect her, and provide for her.
“Fate cannot be swayed, Burke. It is there whether we like it or not. But enough talk of fate. Let me tell you of the Scottish people. Hopefully it will help you better understand your brother.”
“If you’re an example of the Scottish people, then I already know something of them. They’re stubborn fighters who refuse to surrender even if it’s for their own good.”
“That we are,” Storm agreed, “but we don’t surrender for we are bound to this land through generations who have spilled their blood for it, and its people will fight to their last breath to keep us free.”
How could he argue with her? He fought for his land and the freedom it brought him. He would die defending his land if necessary.
“So what you tell me is that my brother Cullen will not leave this land.”
“Would you leave yours?”
Burke shook his head. “No. It is my home. But many are leaving Scotland. There is a chance he may want to emigrate.”
“Many have no choice.”
“Perhaps Cullen won’t have a choice.”
“The wealth you say is his will grant him a choice,” Storm said.
He’d never thought of that. He’d just assumed Cullen would want to return to America with him and claim his share of the inheritance, though his return wasn’t necessary. The money was his whether he lived in Scotland or in America.
Burke rubbed his chin. “You have given me much to think about.”
“It is good to be prepared for all possibilities.”
“Even miracles?” he teased.
She laughed. “Are you promising me a miracle, Mr. Longton?”
“If it were in my power I’d make certain you get one.”
“You are a strange man.”
“Good strange?” he asked with a cautious laugh.
“I believe so. You demand and yet you have a tender heart.”
“Shhh,” he warned, pressing a finger to her lips. “That’s a secret that cannot get out.”
She nodded, assuring her silence.
He stared at her a moment, caught by the beauty in her blue eyes. The color had settled to the bold blue of a sky after an angry storm. He slowly slipped his finger away from her mouth, running it down her petite chin to stroke the gentle flesh beneath.
“You are beautiful.”
Her eyes remained fixed on his as if caught up in their depths, and then suddenly she turned her head away, his finger drifting off. She stood and walked away from him.
He watched her go even though he wanted to run after her and keep her beside him, just a bit longer.
“One,” she called out.
Burke stood but remained where he was. “One what?”
“One man,” she said, continuing to walk. “I’ve seen only one man naked, and he was my husband.”