The brave gave a slow nod, but his jaw flexed tighter than usual. “We see if they offer peace pipe.” Then he turned to Lorelei. “Do not bring buffalo calf from barn.”
Her middle twisted, but she nodded. “I’ll keep the door shut.”
Riley turned to the house. “Juniper smoked that deer meat this morning. I’ll get some for us to take as a gift.”
Within a few minutes, Riley and White Horse strode across the open land to the place where the newcomers were already hoisting lodgepoles and tethering them together at the top. Juniper had come out to stand with the three of them as the men left. Her face looked pale and pinched, like she was in the midst of a miserable spell. Hopefully coming outside wouldn’t make her sickness worse.
From this distance, Lorelei couldn’t tell what was happening with the men after they reached the Sioux leaders. It seemed their reception wasn’t unfriendly, but she couldn’t see expressions or hand motions that might give an idea of what was being said.
The four of them remained quiet as they watched. At least until Rosie turned to her. “Lor, I think it’s time the buffalo calf goes.”
The words landed like a stone in her belly. She gave her sister a pained look. “Where, Rosie? He’s just a baby. He couldn’t survive on grass, even if we turned him out into a buffalo herd. And if that abscess isn’t treated properly, he could go completely lame. Then he’d be a prime target for any wolf.”
Juniper reached over and slipped a hand around Lorelei’s back. “I know, honey. But it’s drawing an awful lot of attention that might not be safe for us. Didn’t you say Mr. Mason from the trading post offered to buy him? He has the milk right there to feed him, and he’d probably be thankful for the people coming to gawk. They might trade in his store while there.”
The very idea she’d been contemplating, except she couldn’t simply send the calf by himself. Not with this abscess. Not with Tanner the only one there. When he was busy trading, how would he protect Curly? Maybe he would have a secure pen to keep the calf, but what if curious visitors tried to get through the fence as they did here?
Could she possibly go with Curly? But it would be scandalous for her to stay there alone with an unmarried man. Even if she traveled back and forth daily, there would be so much unchaperoned time in each other’s company. The rules in this mountain wilderness were different from back in Virginia, but that would still be frowned upon.
Who could come with her? Riley and Juniper? The accommodations there weren’t as comfortable as the cabinthey’d spent all winter making into a home, but perhaps if they brought a mattress for Juniper?
She sighed. What was she thinking? She wanted to get the calfawayfrom her sisters so its visitors wouldn’t put them in danger. That ruled out Rosemary and Faith too. Riley wouldn’t leave Juniper’s side.
White Horse? Her gaze landed on the man in the distance. His arms moved, probably speaking to their new neighbors using the hand talk.
Did Tanner know how to speak that language? Maybe having someone capable like White Horse around would be an aid to him. And White Horse had been her partner in caring for Curly.
White Horse would protect her—he’d proven that. His stepping in during that awful debacle two days before had been one of many times White Horse helped when they needed the weight of a man’s presence. Or simply an extra set of capable hands. In so many ways, he felt like the older brother they’d never had, even though he was Native.
Should she voice the idea to her sisters now? Or wait until White Horse came back and ask him first? She had a feeling he would agree to the idea. It simply made sense to move the calf, and he would come along if she asked him. Perhaps the two of them together would stand a better chance of convincing her sisters and Riley.
But it seemed she wouldn’t have the chance right away, for when Riley and White Horse returned, they brought with them five Sioux braves.
The men didn’t speak to one another as they approached, though White Horse’s face looked a bit stony. When they drew near the barn, Riley’s voice sounded tight. “CallingBird and these others would like to see the calf. Can we move him to the corral?”
He and White Horse must be trying to oblige the chief and leaders of the tribe. To start out on friendly terms. A wise move, but her jaw clenched tight as she guided the calf out of the barn and led him toward the corral, placing her hands at his chest and rump. They did this every morning, so Curly didn’t object or try to pull away. She still hadn’t wrapped the abscessed hoof. But now that would have to wait until after their visitors left.
She stayed in the corral with the calf as Rosie closed the gate behind her. None of the others followed her in. Probably her family wanted to stay out where they could be useful if something unexpected occurred.
The Sioux men murmured among themselves, their voices rising higher as their hands motioned toward the calf, then the sky.
After what felt like hours—though might have only been a quarter hour—the men finally left. The air seemed to cloud with the angst they all breathed out as they gathered by the fence.
Lorelei glanced from Riley to White Horse. “Can I take him back to the barn?” It would probably be better to get the calf out of sight again, though he couldn’t spend days without end inside that dark place.
Riley nodded. “I think that’s best for now. They seemed friendly enough, but I got the feeling we’ll have a long line of visitors once they set up their lodges. Let’s put him away, then we’ll talk about what to do.”
She wrapped her arms around Curly and led him to the gate, which Rosie opened again for her to guide the calfthrough. As she passed White Horse, she glanced up at him. “Could you come help me wrap his hoof?”
Inside the barn, she quickly dipped the abscessed hoof in the salt water again to wash away dirt, then wrapped leather around the hoof and tied it in place with a string. She stood and eyed White Horse. “I need your help.”
He regarded her, waiting for more. He didn’t look worried, though. That was good.
“Mr. Mason offered to let us keep Curly at his trading post. I think we need to do that, especially if he’d let him stay in the courtyard inside the walls. But he won’t be able to take care of him alone.” She motioned to the injured foot. “I need to go along to tend this hoof and anything else that comes up. I know my sisters won’t let me stay there by myself. If you go too, they might agree. You can help protect Curly and maybe be of service to Tanner if he needs an interpreter for trading. Will you come?”
His dark eyes studied her with an intensity that made her itch, but she held the look. She could nearly see his mind turning with possible scenarios and potential dangers.
She couldn’t help drawing on his affection for Curly. “We need to protect him. He’s a special calf, and I think this is the best way.”
