"Can you cook?"
"Yes," she told him.
"Then you will make breakfast and fetch wate
r, clean and in the afternoon, you will join the women in scraping the hides of the deer, elk."
"Very well," she acknowledged him.
"What do you want for breakfast?" she asked.
"Bacon or ham, eggs, bread, Black Feather makes bread, and will bring it."
"Alright."
"Do not let the women intimidate you, or you will be their slave also." He instructed.
She took a breath, "I will do my best."
"Good. Hannah," he came up to her now, staring into her eyes. "Here you do not have to be afraid. No one will beat you. Speak up when you feel the need to. Be brave. We will eat, then you must rest as you will have a busy day tomorrow."
She agreed.
Chapter Eight
Hannah slept well that night and the next morning she was up at dawn and making coffee. She found the creek that ran close to the village and got water in the water skins he left out for her to fill.
She saw some of the women getting water and they stared at her.
She wondered what they thought of her. She wanted to make friends with them, but she knew she couldn’t rush it.
She went back inside and finished making the bacon and fried the eggs in the pan she was given. Black Feather brought her bread. She smiled at her, "Thank you."
Black Feather nodded and left.
As Lone Wolf woke, to the smell of coffee, he smiled, "Smells good."
"It is ready," she announced.
"Good."
"I got water from the creek too." She told him.
"That is good. Thank you."
But as they came out of the tipi Luki was standing there and staring a hole through her. Luki stood with her legs apart, her hands on her hips and a snarl to her mouth. She eyed Hannah like a piece of meat. "So, you did get a white woman. Can she tan the hides, make the mocassins, dress a dear out? I doubt she can do any of those things. Look at her hands, she has never known hard work." Luki laughed.
Several of the Arapaho women came to stand around Hannah as though protecting her. Hannah did not understand the woman was very hateful reminding her of Liam.
"She is my slave, not my wife, Luki." Lone Wolf pronounced.
"Slave? She would not marry you?" Luki laughed.
"I'm already married to a white man," Hannah found her voice. "I cannot marry another, while my white husband lives."
"And you didn't kill him, Lone Wolf. What a shame." Luki laughed. "You’re a fool, Lone Wolf."
Hannah didn't like her way of talking and stepped up besides Lone Wolf. "He is a fair son of a chief, and you will respect him, as I do." Hannah proclaimed.