"Friendly."
"Friendly?" Charlie chuckled, "Well now, that fits him good."
"Yes, not long after he was born, he began grabbing anyone's finger that was close and sucking on it." She smiled.
"Did you love his father?" Charlie asked out of the blue.
"No," she shook her head, her face mirroring her feelings, and Charlie looked at her with surprise.
She tried to explain. "I tried, but it just didn't happen. You see, I was forced to marry. Elan's father was a harsh warrior, he didn't like white people. He hated them in fact. He didn't like my father. I am a breed and I have learned that people are people, no matter the color of their skin. He had other wives too, and I was a breed, so not considered an equal by him or his squaws."
"Then, his dying didn't bother you too much?" Charlie asked.
"No, he was a forceful man, and he wanted many wives, and many children. I did not believe that a good thing, either. But old ways die hard with Indians. And the custom to take a warrior's wife when the warrior dies was still practiced. I guess, the white side of me rebelled against the Indian side."
Charlie chuckled, "Well, no one will force you here."
"But your son does not welcome me." She blurted.
"He'll get used to you." Charlie assured her. "Give him a little time. He hasn't been around enough women to know how to act. And I guess that's my fault. He's been a bachelor too long."
Chapter Four
Later, when Charlie laid down beside the baby, she went outside, to visit her father. She realized he'd be buried here, and she wouldn't want to leave him. Truth be known that was the real reason she agreed to stay. He had bravely come to rescue her from her tribe, and she admired him for that. Her mother had told her many stories of her father, and she had ached to meet him. When he came on the run, at the news of her mother's death, she felt proud. She had not expected him to come. The fact that he did, made her love him even more, for he wasn't welcome at the reservation.
A tear slipped down her cheek now, she so wished she had gotten to know him better. "I will miss you father; I only wish you'd have lived longer."
"I guess it's hard to leave someone you love in an unfamiliar place." Clay said as he stood just a few feet away, watching her.
She stared at the ground. "If you mean my husband, I did not get to know him well. We were married a little over a year, and I got pregnant quickly. Nor did I know my father, I'm afraid. But I was so proud when he came to get me. The baby did not deter him. He fought for the right to take me with him. He was very brave." She said softly. "My mother," she turned to look at Clay now, "told me stories of how he searched for gold, and how he went west without fear. I was very proud of him. She loved him dearly. Even though he wasn't with us much of the time, her love never vanished. So, I know he was a good man."
"He seemed like a decent kind of man." Clay reflected.
She glanced shyly at him, "My mother said he had the gift of laughter in him. She said a man that can make you laugh is a dear one to hold to your heart."
"Yeah, my dad's a lot
like that." Clay nodded.
"Yes, I see that in him. He is a good man."
"Look, if you want to stay, it's…. alright with me." He said very softly. "I didn't mean to offend you; it's just we haven't had a woman out here before."
"Is it that I am a woman, or a breed?" she asked just as softly.
Clay stared for a moment. "You being a breed doesn't bother me or my father. We just haven't had a woman around. I guess you could say we've been bachelors too long."
A slight smile curved her lips and softened her features.
"Do you mean that?" She came closer and boldly stared into his face.
He pulled her by the arms and stared into her soft brown eyes, "Yes, I do. I'm sorry if I was rough about it, but you see, it's always just been my father and me, after my mother died. But the truth is, we do need a cook, and you need some support, so maybe we can help each other."
"It is kind of you." She said, then looking at his hands on her arms, she backed away. "The baby will not be a bother to you. I will see to that."
"I'm not worried about the baby. I see you take care of him well." Clay smiled. "He doesn't cry much, does he?"
"Thank you, then we will stay… for a while. And no, he is a happy baby, much like my father was." She said. "You are right, it is hard to leave someone you love in a strange place." She glanced at her father's body. "I did not have time to get to know him well, but I loved him all my life, through my mother's words. They loved each other no matter the distance between them."