Read Night Thunder's Bride: Blackfoot Warriors, Book 3 for Free Online

white man in disregard. And although she longed to hear more about this…medicine of which he spoke, she held her tongue.
    Silence reigned between them until at last Rebecca said, “To answer your earlier question, the white man does not bathe every day, to tell God’s truth, because he does not depend on the hunt for his food.”
    Night Thunder sent a glance in her direction. “He does not?”
    Rebecca shook her head. “Pens his animals up, he does, so that when the winter does come, there will be food.”
    “ Aa, yes.” It appeared to her that Night Thunder almost grinned. “That explains it.”
    Once again, silence stretched out between them. After a short while, however, she could stand the quiet no more.
    With a deep breath, she asked, “Do you regret now the day that you gave your promise to your friend, saying to him that you would keep me safe until he and my mistress, Katrina, returned?”
    “ Saa, no,” Night Thunder replied at once, rolling over and turning toward her, propping his head up on his hand. That this action pulled the covering of buffalo robe down toward his waist appeared to cause him no concern, if he even noticed. He asked, “Why would you think such a thing of me? Have I done something to give you reason to believe this?”
    “No,” she was quick to respond. “But I have brought trouble upon you.” She sent a glance toward him. His chest lay bare and exposed to her view. And she did look.
    A cascade of shock waves flew over her, shaking her reserve, and she almost groaned. She drew her own covering more fully around her, as though in defense.
    But in truth, he appeared oblivious to her. She admired him for that discretion, and yet there was also within her a desire to make him notice her—really notice her as a woman.
    She looked at him and gulped, drawing her blanket of buffalo robe even more fully toward her neck, ashamed that she would have such thoughts. She said, “Truly, you have done nothing wrong. It is only that I am afeard of all the inconvenience that I have caused to you.”
    “Humph,” he grunted. “It cannot to be helped. It is the way of things. Perhaps we should both get some more sleep.”
    “Yes,” she said, “perhaps.”
    But neither one did. Though they both lay back down, each one seemed restless.
    At last, Night Thunder was the one to break the silence. He said, a hint of intimacy in his voice, “I will never forget the first time that I saw you. Do you remember it?”
    She hesitated. “Aye.” she sent him a startled glance. “You won’t?”
    “ Saa , no. It had been the night of the dance within my camp, as my people were crowded around that white man’s fort where you and your friend were staying. We had finished a good trade with the white man that day and were celebrating with many dances.”
    “Aye,” responded Rebecca, “my mistress, Katrina, had gone to your camp to speak with your friend, White Eagle. And I had followed her, afeard for her.”
    “You looked as scared as a jackrabbit that night.”
    “Did I?”
    He nodded. “And I felt like a wolf on the hunt.”
    Rebecca chuckled, just a little. “A wolf?”
    “ Aa, yes. Do you not remember that I gave you the feather from my hair?”
    “Aye,” she said, “and I also recall that by doing so, you made me dance that dance…”
    “Of the Sioux, Sina-paskan. It is a good dance, do you not think so?”
    Again she gave a small laugh. “Aye, it is that, now. But neither Katrina nor I knew that it was a kiss you and your friend White Eagle would be wanting from us.”
    “See now why I felt much as a wolf that night?”
    She grinned. “I do. But I gave you only a quick peck and ran quickly away. You must have thought I was a silly girl.”
    “ Saa, no.” He shifted his head to glance toward her. “I did not.”
    She drew a deep breath and made her gaze meet his. “What had you been thinking of me, then?”
    He didn’t answer for quite a while. If anything, his expression grew