Restoring Hope Page 17

Grinning, he returned to her side and nodded. “You focused.”

  She hid her disappointment that he was no longer close to her and turned her attention to her victory. Sure, she didn’t actually succeed, but she was within inches of her mark—which was much better than how she’d done any of the other times she’d tried this. So yes, it was a victory.

  “Now we eat lunch.”

  As he went to gather the arrows, she called out, “You don’t want me to try again?”

  “No. I do not want to cook.”

  Oh, right. She had forgotten that part of the equation. Blushing from where her thoughts had been, she quickly returned to her aunt.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was the second day on Woape’s trip to town when Penelope slowed the wagon. Woape turned from staring at her sleeping daughter to see what caught Penelope’s attention. Her breath caught in her throat. From the distance, she couldn’t tell who the three men on horseback were, except that they were Indian. It could be Hothlepoya.

  “Is something wrong with the wagon?” Cole called out.

  Woape glanced at Cole who stopped his horse.

  “Are they the ones who killed your husband?” Penelope asked her.

  Woape looked at her child. If Hothlepoya found her and the people who had taken care of her... She didn’t want to think about it. “I don’t know. They could be.”

  Penelope quickly turned to Cole to motion to the Indians heading in their direction before she told Woape, “Here. Hide under this cover.” She scrambled to the back of the wagon and raised a large blanket.

  Woape obeyed. If Hothlepoya didn’t see her, they might make it! As soon as she got settled with the child at her bosom, Penelope covered her. Her heart pounded with dread. Is this what the rest of her life would be like? Would she always be running from Hothlepoya? She made one mistake. She didn’t want to marry Citlali so she ran away on the night before her wedding.

  Tears fell from her eyes. She didn’t want to remember what Hothlepoya did to her mother before he killed her. Her mother loved her so much she came after her. At the time, she didn’t understand how a woman would leave the safety of her tribe to look for a wayward child, but now that she was a mother, she did. If Woape woke up in the middle of the night and realized her child was missing, she’d do whatever she could to find her. She probably wouldn’t have the sense to wake up the men.

  Most likely, her mother assumed she’d find Woape alone on the prairie and talk sense into her. She had no idea Hothlepoya had pitched his teepee nearby the Mandan tribe. He was passing by. Usually, no one inhabited the area. It wasn’t like her mother suspected danger might be lurking nearby.

  Woape heard Penelope and Cole debating what to do as the men came closer. The baby stirred and Woape snuggled her closer, hoping to calm her back to sleep. It worked. She yawned, stretched, and settled back down.

  “Woape!”

  Woape stilled and waited. Was that her father?

  “Woape!”

  It was her father. She was ready to pull off her blanket when he continued talking in English.

  “I search for my daughter. I thought I saw someone with you. Her name is Woape. I search for her for ten months. I fear she is dead.”

  “Which tribe are you from?” Penelope asked.

  “Mandan.”

  “Does she have any brothers or sisters?”

  “One brother. One sister. Brother is Achai. He is with me. Sister is Onawa. She is at tribe. To my other side is Citlali.”

  Woape should have expected Citlali to come. Honor would prompt him to search for her. Not love. She glanced at her child.

  “What are you doing?” Cole asked Penelope, breaking Woape from her thoughts.

  “I think it’s alright,” Penelope replied. “I’m going to talk to them.”

  “But...” He paused for a long moment. “But they have weapons.”

  “I don’t think they mean us any harm.”

  “Fine. But I’m going with you.”

  Woape thought she should show herself. She was safe with her father, brother, and Citlali, but then Penelope told her father about the baby and Woape hesitated. As she suspected, Penelope told them that Woape’s child had a white father. Woape held her breath and waited, wondering if they would welcome Gary’s child or not.

  “Sioux come to our village and attack,” her father replied. “We caught one and learned they had Woape. We search for her. But we cannot find either the Sioux or her. If she is here, we want her and her child home.”

  Woape’s heart constricted at the thought of Hothlepoya invading her tribe. She gulped, willing away the urge to cry. She was tired of crying. She was tired of pain. She just wanted to be with Gary’s child and enjoy the blessing she’d been allowed.

  Penelope lifted the blanket.

  Woape squinted in the sudden burst of sunlight.

  “Did you hear what he said?” Penelope asked.

  “Yes. He is my father. I will talk to him.” She handed the baby to Penelope so she could get out of the wagon. Glancing at her father, brother and Citlali, she made her way to the ground. After being gone for nearly a year, she didn’t know exactly what to say. With slight trembling, she lowered her head and approached them, suddenly feeling like a child again instead of a woman who had a child of her own.

  “Woape?”

  Her father’s gentle tone gave her enough courage to speak. “Mother is dead because of me. I got up in the middle of the night.” She couldn’t say why. Not with Citlali there—watching her. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Hothlepoya, a Sioux, found me and kept me prisoner. Mother searched for me. He...” She shivered at the memory of how her mother died. In the debate on how much to tell him, she decided they were better off not knowing the details. “He killed her to add another scalp to his collection.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “It was not your fault,” he softly said.

  “She came for me.”

  “You did not know the Sioux were there. You often went to the river to spend time there. Your mother told me she wished to talk to you. Had I known danger was near, I would have gone too.”

  She noted the pain in his voice and lifted her head. Did he blame himself for her death too? Her eyes met his and she realized that he did. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “It wasn’t yours either.”

  She sighed, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She’d been forgiven, and now she could move forward. She turned to Penelope. “I go.”

  Penelope nodded and came up to her.

  As Woape took her child, she thought it was time to give her a name, and she thought the name Penelope was a beautiful one. “Name of baby. Penelope.”

  A smile crossed Penelope’s face as she brushed some tears from her eyes. “Thank you, Woape. Friend.”

  “Friend.” She hugged her before she went over to her father and got on the horse. As soon as she settled into place and the baby nestled against her chest, she relaxed. She always felt safe with her father, just as she had felt safe with Gary.

  “Friend,” her father told Penelope and Cole.

  “Friend,” Penelope replied, and Cole gave a surprised nod.

  As the men turned their horses, she caught a glance from Citlali. She had no idea what he was thinking. Thankfully, she ended up facing her brother so she didn’t have to look at Citlali on the way home. She would marry him. If he came, that meant he wasn’t married to another. As duty prompted him to continue through with the marriage, she would too. At least she had Gary’s child with her. And that would be enough.

  ***

  Julia glanced at Chogan who happened to glance her way at the same moment. Blushing, she turned her attention back to her aunt who steered the horses.

  “At least we’re heading southeast,” her aunt rambled. “Had I known we were that close to Montana...” She sighed and shrugged. “Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now.”

  “Who would have tho
ught we were that bad at navigating our way through the state?”

  “Thankfully, that couple was a nice one.”

  “Yes.” Julia shifted in the buggy, noting that her backside was sore from the day spent traveling. “Hopefully, we won’t get off course this time.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears, though I wonder if there was reason for the delay.”

  Julia shifted her gaze back to Chogan, not intending to. She never meant to keep looking his way, but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to help herself. She’d grown up thinking all Indians were savage warriors who ran through the countryside seeking out white people to kill. However, she’d learned her assumption had been wrong. Perhaps there were some who fit that description. But weren’t there also white people who were violent as well?

  “Are you going to hunt for rabbits again tonight?”

  Julia gave a slight jerk.

  Her aunt chuckled. “Something has your interest, and it’s not me.”

  Julia’s face grew warmer than the early evening sun that beat on her back. “No. I’m tired, that’s all.”

  “Of course.”

  The woman didn’t sound convinced, but since she wasn’t going to press Julia on the issue, Julia decided to let the matter go. When she realized that she’d started turning her gaze back to Chogan, she stopped herself and stared at the grasslands. Up ahead, still a ways out in the distance, she saw what looked like a man riding a horse.

  “Chogan?” Julia called out. “Do you see a man up there?”

  Erin pulled on the reins, slowing the horses down.

  Chogan also slowed his steed and squinted. “Where?”

  “Coming up from the south.”

  He turned his head and nodded. “Looks like a lone rider. Not Indian.”

  Julia’s heart skipped a beat. It was a long shot. Oh, such a long shot! But what if...? She turned to her aunt. “Do you think it could be Gary?”

  “Child, don’t give me ideas.”

  “I’m not trying to give you ideas. It’s just that... Well, what are the chances that another white man would be traveling this isolated place alone?”

  Her aunt stopped the horses and stared at the man who seemed to be making his way to them. “It’s not good to get one’s hopes up.”

  “But we know he’s alive and searching for Woape.”

  “Yes, but he doesn’t get lost like we do.”

  “I find out,” Chogan suddenly said. He nudged his horse in the side and rode forward.

  While her aunt closed her eyes to say a silent prayer, Julia watched Chogan as he approached the rider. It had to be Gary! There was no one else it could possibly be. Not this far out from town. And not all by himself.

  “It has to be him,” Julia whispered.

  The lone rider stopped and waited for Chogan to catch up to him.

  Her aunt opened her eyes. “What would Gary be doing this far out west. He knows better than to get lost.”

  “Maybe he’s not as good as we thought.”

  “Oh, he is. Ever since you two came to live with me, that boy would run off all over the place and find his way home by supper.”

  Julia couldn’t take the wait any more. “Please take us over there.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Erin lifted the reins and instructed the horses to move.

  By the time they had crossed half the distance toward the men, there was no doubt about it. Julia clutched her aunt’s arm. “It is him! It’s him, Aunt Erin!”

  The older woman laughed as tears trickled down her cheeks. “Bless my soul, so it is.”

  Chogan and Gary turned to them, and a wide smile crossed Gary’s face as he urged the horse to trot forward.

  As soon as Erin stopped the buggy, Julia hopped out of it and ran to meet him. By the time his feet reached the ground, she flung her arms around his neck and gave him a strong hug. “I’m sorry, Gary. I’m so sorry. I told those Indians where Woape was because I wanted her to leave. It’s all my fault. Can you forgive me?”

  He didn’t return her hug. “What happened to her? I can’t find her.”

  “Well, she thought you died. We all did.” Julia finally released him so their aunt could hug him. “Chogan here,” she pointed to the Indian who stood beside her, “came to take her back home, but then a group of Sioux Indians chased her. We don’t know where she is.”

  “I see her go on train,” Chogan added. “Train take off before Sioux get her.”

  “Which way did the train go?” Gary asked.

  “East.”

  “I’ve looked everywhere. It’s like she disappeared.”

  Julia winced at the pain in her brother’s voice. Once again, she wished she had done things differently. “I’m sorry, Gary.” She wished she could say more or do something to solve the problem, but she knew she couldn’t. Short of finding Woape, she couldn’t make up for her sins.

  “Others from tribe go search for her,” Chogan said. “She may be at tribe.”

  “I’ve been to all the Mandan tribes in this state. I just left the one south of here.”

  “We not live this far to Montana. We live close to Bismarck.”

  “I was there a month ago, but they hadn’t found her. I thought she might have gone to another one for refuge, but they’ve never heard of her.”

  “We go to my people. Maybe she is there.”

  Gary glanced back at the path he’d just traveled. “She really is a part of your tribe? And she’s on her way there?”

  “Yes to both questions.”

  He swallowed and turned back to them. Looking at Erin, he said, “She’s given birth by now, you know.”

  Their aunt nodded. “I’ve been praying the two managed safely.”

  Great. As if Julia didn’t feel bad enough! She’d forgotten when Woape was due to have her child. She resisted the urge to apologize again. She’d already said she was sorry and one more time wouldn’t take them to Woape.

  As if she understood Julia’s remorse, Erin rubbed her hand up and down Julia’s back, like she used to when Julia was younger and needed comforting. “Julia was the one who figured out you weren’t dead, and it was her idea to look for you and Woape.”

  Though Gary nodded, he didn’t make eye contact with Julia, and who could blame him? “It’s alright,” she softly told her aunt. She couldn’t expect Gary to welcome her with open arms. The fact that he hadn’t pushed her away was more than she deserved.

  “I better go back to that tribe,” Gary finally said as he got back on his horse.

  Erin let go of Julia and approached him. “But you need to eat. It’s close to supper time.”

  He shook his head. “I have jerky and water. I’m fine.” There was no mistaking the impatience in his tone.

  “I suppose we would only slow you down,” their aunt replied. “You need to find your wife and child.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Julia watched as her brother got back up on his horse. She joined her aunt in saying good-bye and promising to pray that he’d find Woape, but he only gave a stiff indication that he heard her before he headed off. Pushing aside the sting in her heart, she turned back to the buggy, “We might as well keep going until we find a water source to camp by.”

  “He’ll come around,” Erin softly said. “Give him time.”

  Nodding, she continued on toward the buggy. She didn’t feel like being comforted. Gary was right to act the way he did. She was lucky he even acknowledged her. Sitting in the buggy, she waited for her aunt to join her. Further along the prairie, she spotted Gary’s retreating form. He wasn’t wasting any time in finding Woape, and she didn’t know which thought pained her more: the fact that it was her who made the division between them or that a man could love a woman so much that he’d race across the land to get to her. A woman would be fortunate to be loved that well.

  Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the passing landscape or Chogan who rode close by. She closed her eyes and once again imagined that she could go back
in time. The three Indians would approach. She’d say she never heard of Woape and quickly return to the church where she’d warn her brother that someone was looking for his wife. She wiped the tear that fell down her cheek. She hated this. Hated going over the past and replaying it in her mind. Wasn’t it good enough to know that Gary and Woape were alive? Those three men had failed. That was good. Despite what she had done, Gary and Woape had survived. Now it was a matter of getting them back together. Surely, that was bound to happen.

  Chogan found a creek so they pulled up to a stop.

  As Julia got out of the buggy to help set up the camp with her aunt, he approached her. “We hunt?”

  “No. I don’t feel like it tonight.” She gathered the cookware and stood up straight.

  “But I am wanting to cook.”

  She looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

  “You will shoot rabbit tonight. You are good.”

  “Oh, right. As soon as I succeed, you have to cook it.” Sighing, she shook her head. “Maybe tomorrow. I don’t want to hunt tonight.”

  He looked disappointed as he turned the bow over in his hands. “You are too hard on yourself.”

  Glancing at her aunt who was already making a campfire, she replied, “No. I deserve what I got.”

  “But you apologize.”

  “You weren’t there. You didn’t see how I behaved.” Great. More tears. She didn’t want to cry—not in front of him. She quickly turned from him and strode toward the fire, blinking away the tears so no one would feel the need to comfort her. She set the pot, cups, and plates out.

  “Aren’t you going to try to get that rabbit tonight?” her aunt asked.

  “No.”

  “It’d be a shame not to, especially since you have someone who’s eager to help you.”

  What was her aunt getting at? She looked up at the older woman who motioned to Chogan who seemed reluctant to gather the bedrolls. Julia shrugged. “I’ve left you to make supper too many times. It’s time I did my part.”

  “You’ve spent all of your life making meals.”

  “So what’s one more?” She placed the utensils out and grabbed the pot to gather the water.

  Her aunt placed her hand over Julia’s. “Or what’s one less? The meal is simple. I can handle it.”