Tame the Wild Wind

"Tall Bear," she whispered. He had come back! She moved to the door. "Tall Bear, is that you out there?" "It is," came the reply. She lifted away the bar across the door and stepped back. "Come in," she called to him. The door opened, and Tall Bear walked inside to see Faith holding a rifle on him. He closed the door, standing there quietly, not surprised she still didn't trust him. Faith stared at him in surprise. He'd been gone over three weeks. Now he stood before her washed and shaved, and he had cut his hair to shoulder length. He was wearing dark cotton pants, leather boots, a white man's yellow slicker, and a leather hat. Through the open front of the slicker she could see he wore a six-gun belted to his hip, and she saw a dark shirt and a short wool jacket. He was dressed as a white man. "Tall Bear, where have you been? Why are you--" "I have decided I will stay and work for you," he interrupted. How could he tell her the truth--that she had haunted his dreams? How could he tell her the reason he left the first time was because he was afraid of his own feelings for this feisty, independent woman--a woman who would never be interested in a half-breed who had raided and killed not only with the Sioux, but with white outlaws. Still, he had not been able to stay away, and the fact remained that he needed honest work. Faith stepped back, lowering her rifle. "I thought you would still want me here to help. If you want me to go, I will go." Faith shook her head. "It isn't that. I--" She glanced over at Johnny. "It's just that I can't talk about this right now. I can't make any decisions." She moved her gaze back to Tall Bear. "Actually, you couldn't have come at a better time. I'm scared, Tall Bear. My son is very sick. I'm afraid--" The words caught in her throat, and she felt so helpless. "I'm afraid he's dying." She choked in a sudden sob and covered her mouth, letting the tears flow. In the next moment she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she was resting her head against his chest and crying. Never had she been so aware that she needed to be held, needed someone else's strength. In Tall Bear's arms she felt the first real comfort she had known other than when her own mother had embraced her. "I don't know what to do, Tall Bear. He has a terrible fever and cough, and he's so listless. He looks at me as though he doesn't even know me." She felt him removing the rifle from her hand, and she did not object. "Come," he told her. "We will see what we can do for him." He led her over to the cot and leaned over Johnny, removing the blanket from around him and feeling his hot skin. "You are right," he told her. "This is bad. You must cool him down right away or he will die." Faith wiped at tears. "I--I thought I should keep him wrapped tight, make him sweat it out." He shook his head. "No. You must remove his clothing and immerse him in cool water. You must bring the fever down, or it will affect his brain. While you do that, I must leave. I will bring something back with me that will help. While I am gone, put a pan of water on the cookstove and heat it." "No, don't leave me here alone! You won't come back." "I promise that I will. I already came back once, didn't I?" He grasped her arms, forcing her to meet his gaze. Faith saw truth there in his exotic green eyes. "It is an old Indian remedy. You must trust me. I have caused you enough hurt. I would not lie to you about this. Get your son into cool water right away, then wrap him again as soon as he is out so that he does not shiver with chill. Heat the pan of water. I will be back soon." He grabbed his hat and slicker again, leaving the jacket behiBittner, Rosanne is the author of 'Tame the Wild Wind', published 1996 under ISBN 9780553762006 and ISBN 0553762001.