Rita Hestand - The Far Side of Lonesome

The Far Side of Lonesome

By Rita Hestand

Smashwords edition

Copyright 2009 Rita Hestand

Smashwords Edition

License Note

This book is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to otherpeople. Please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare with. If your reading this book and did not purchas it. or itwas not purchased for your use only, then you should return it toSmashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respectingthe hard work of the author.

Chapter One

Summer 1870

Indian Territory

Jeb saw her out of the corner of hiseyes, but the Chief was sitting just across from him, and hecouldn't just gawk at her, a white woman in an Indian camp didn'tsurprise him, it just caught him off guard. He'd learned long ago alot of things just weren't his business. The woman glanced his way,but she was shaking her head and arguing about something. The womanwas with a group of squaws and there was much commotion among them.He got a brief glimpse of light brown hair, flowing over longlimbs, buckskin and a conversation that stirred.

Chief Long Feather had listened totheir woeful tale this morning of needing to trade horses as theirswere in such bad shape. A horse was a prize to an Indian and totrade for one was unheard of. However, Jeb and Hoot had beendealing with this Chief for several years now and never had a bitof trouble. Most of the time things went smoothly.

Jeb thought about the woman for aminute. Dressed like an Indian she must have been here a while, andyet this was the first visit he'd seen her. He wondered at that.Shawnee rarely raided any longer, so what was she doing here inthis camp. He needed to trade for horses, and not put his nosewhere it didn't belong, he told himself silently. But his curiositykept him eyeing the squaws.

"We better get our tradin' done and getout of here, Jeb," Hoot glanced at him, with a soberingexpression.

Jeb saw the haunting in Hoot's eyes andknew he was spooked about something. They'd been partners beforethey even grew up. Hoot usually had a feeling about things likethat too, Jeb conceded but they needed new horses, theirs hadtraveled over a long trip and were road weary. They couldn't go onwith them and they darn sure didn't want to sit in the middle of anIndian village for the winter. He supposed they could walk thehorses but that would mean new boots and no one to trade with forthat.

The old chief smiled at him and Hootjumped. Jeb knew that Hoot was spooked but what he didn'tunderstand was why?

It was a hot day, the wind barelymoved, the camp sat among a few scattered pines along the trail andshaded most of the morning.

Jeb crossed his legs and sat like theold chief, staring him down for long moments. "We gonna do ourtradin' then we'll get. Our horses won't hold up to get us back toTexasyou know it as well as I do. There's bound to be somethin' wecan do for them or give them that would be a good trade. Ourblankets, our knives, something."

"I jest have this feelin', Jeb." Hootexplained trying to calm his nerves down but unable to.

Suddenly the chief looked at Jeb, hiswrinkled old face turning into a smile."We trade, we give horses,but you must take ich-que back with you."

Jeb had no idea what the old man wastalking about but as long as he got the horses, he saw no reasonnot to trade. "Sure we take ich-que back"

"What's a ich-que?" Hootasked.

"Don't matter, we'll take it, so's wecan get out of here and have fresh horses." Jeb smiled at the oldchief. "No use arguing."

"Jebmaybe you better find out what itis, first" Hoot frowned at his long time friend.

"It don't matter I told you, we got tohave fresh horses." Jeb said firmly.

After smoking the pipe with the chiefJeb started to get up. That's when it happened.

The squaws brought her out andpractically shoved her in his face, the white woman he'd seen intheir camp.

Jeb staggered, holding the woman up andthen looking into her face. She was lean, and long limbed, and herhair was braided like theirs now, but her hair was such a lightcolor of brown, and her eyes blue, like the sky. She looked intoJeb's face and frowned.

Depending on how long she'd been herehow white she was, Jeb quickly realized.

Not understanding what the commotionwas about he turned to the chief in question.

"ich-que" the chiefrepeated.

Jeb's eyes grew big and rounded on thewoman like daggers. "Ohnawnow we cain't be takin' no white womanwith us."

Chief walked away, as though he didn'thear him.

"Butwe cain't." Jeb hollered. Thechief kept on walking and soon entered his tent, as though thematter were closed. "You don't understand."

Hoot looked from the woman to Jeb asthough Jeb had lost his mind. "He wants to give us thewoman?"

"Wellwe cain't take her." Jeb shookhis head. Then realizing she spoke English he turned on the whitelady. "Beggin' your pardon ma'am, but we cain't be takin' younowhere.You see how it is. You got to see. It would just betradin' one problem for anotherthat's all. It's not that I don'twant to help, but."

The woman said nothing, just stared athim, then hung her head.

Jeb saw the look of defeat in her eyesand hated himself for turning her down, but he had to make someoneunderstand.a Negro man couldn't take a white woman back to herfamily. It was unheard of. Didn't the old Indian understand thedanger?

"I told you somethin' was gonnahappen.I told you!" Hoot shouted.

Jeb stood there, and suddenlyrealized.they'd just given him a white woman!

Just a little past DoanCrossing, Texas

Jeb, I didnt want to bring this up,but you know we got a problem. Hoot said in a low voice so as notto be overheard. "And somethin's got to be donebefore we get to atown"

I know.I just aint sure what weshould do about it Jeb replied, trying his best not to look overhis shoulder at the woman and baby behind them. The baby wasanother surprise. He cringed at the thought that he'd let thishappen. He couldn't blame Hoot. Hoot tried to warn him, why hadn'the listened?

He shot her a look, sweat trickled downthe side of her face, but she didnt acknowledge it, and she hadntonce complained of riding all day. He reckoned she'd suffered muchworse with the Indians.

We best be figurin something out,dont you think? Hoot frowned at his friend.

Im workin on it. Well talk to herabout it when we camp tonight. Its a couple days ride till we getto a decent size town anyway. We cant just dump her in the middleof nowhere Jeb rasped.

Agreed, thats for shore and certain.Soyou gonna talk to her? Hoot's voice held more understandingnow.

Jeb glanced over at his friend; Hootsat the saddle almost as though glued there. Jeb eyed him up anddown strangely until Hoot almost glared at him.

In all my born days Ive never seenyou eye me like a side of beef before, what are you lookinat?

Jeb shook his head and spit to the hotground, Nothin Hoot, not lookin at nothin, Im thinkin, butIll take it up with you later, when I've thought it through. Ain'tno use tallkin' it over until I think on it a while.

Hoot frowned, Never liked it when youdid too much thinkin. Down right spookythats what it is. Hootshook his head and scurried on in front of him as though ignoringhim a while. Jeb didn't mind, he needed to figure things out in hishead.

Jeb knew Hoot was plumb put out aboutthis situation and he didn't blame him, but what on earth could hedo about it? The woman had come with them, and brought her babywith her. Short of tying her up, he didn't know how he could escapethe fate. Saddled with her, he had to come up with something prettyquick an he knew it.