"Married? Why would you ask such a thing?"
"Why not?" he teased.
"No, I am promised though." She told him softly.
"Promised, to whom?" He asked with a frown once more.
"To Big Knife."
She knelt down now and checked the bleeding of his wound. Her touch was soft and gentle, she glanced shyly at him, then continued to treat him. "There that should help until I can disinfect it and sew you up."
"I see. Do you care for this Big Knife?" He kept asking silly questions, but th
e medicine she used burned and he had to distract himself from the pain.
"Very much, we will be married in the fall." She said proudly.
"Is he of great importance?" Black Wolf asked.
"To me, he is." She smiled.
Her smile curled around Black Wolf's heart for a moment and he was speechless. What a difference a smile made, he noticed. "Then I will challenge him."
"For what purpose?" Her brows drew together, as she moved away to look into his face, obviously startled that he would say such a thing.
"I will take you for my wife." He said boldly, as though she should have known what he intended.
"Take me! That is impossible." She raised up from him and started to walk away. He had to be delirious!
"I will fight him for your hand in marriage." He said raising his voice so she could hear him, as though the subject were closed.
She whirled around and came close once more. "You don't even know me!" She objected. "Why would you say such a foolish thing? Did you hurt your head or something?"
"No, I am fine. It does not matter. You are a healer, and very pretty, and I desire you for my wife. It is settled. I will fight him for you." He said with a dismissal tone.
"That would be very foolish. I do not know you sir. And I do not love you." She touched his head and shook hers with disbelief. "You have no fever."
"Of course I have no fever, I'm not sick, I'm merely wounded."
"Quite severely I might add," she said her brows narrowing on him now. "I don't think you are in a position to fight anyone right now. You must be out of your head as your pain has taken hold of your mind, and mouth." She insisted.
"Woman!" he exclaimed with little patience. "I am Chief Black Wolf of the Shoshone's. And I know exactly what I am saying. I must take a wife soon, and I have chosen you. It is settled. I will challenge him for your hand in marriage."
She backed away from him, "Well, I will not be your wife. I am Arapaho and I do not belong to your tribe."
"Why not, do you find me ugly?" He asked with a sexy grin.
Her eyes narrowed on him now, her glance sliding up and down him slowly. "No, not ugly, arrogant, but not ugly." She told him quickly.
"Arrogant, what does that mean? You use big words and speak English very well."
"Never mind, I don't think you are as badly wounded as I first thought." She said and started to leave him.
"You will not sew me up?" He asked in a gentler voice.
She kept walking away. "Fine, then send me a white doctor that will do it as I don't intend to lay on my back forever bleeding."
She turned and seemed to consider him.