Boundless Hearts

Chapter 5

"Richard POV"

After riding all day without any success in finding my precious Treasure and the girls. It has started raining. Roy said that the rain was going to wipe all the tracks away. That is not good. Even if we have been going in circles. Howard is cussing and yelling at all the men. I have never liked that man since the first day he rode into town.

I know that my daughter is strong and a survivor. I remember when I received a letter from her telling me that she was going to teach and live with the Sioux for two years. I was not happy at all. If I had received the letter before she had left I would have ridden to the school and brought her home. I shot a lot of damn bottles that day. But now that I look at it the time that she spent with them was to prepare her for this.

Salome and I taught her well about surviving and fighting. We knew that the odds were going to be against her because of the color of her skin. That one day she will have to fight to protect herself. Hell, she shoots better than I do or any man that I have ever come across. My daughter also has one hell of a right punch. She will keep the girls and herself safe until I find her. She knows that I will find her. No matter how long it takes.

"Joseph POV"

Whoever took Treasure will pay for it. She is mine. Her father will have no choice but to give me her hand in marriage to me now. Since I am out here in these damn woods looking for her. When I could be at home in bed with Rose lying next to me and letting her satisfy my needs.

Rose is nobody to me. She is just a girl that wants me for my money. She and most of the girls in town know that if I marry them that they will live a comfortable life. But I will never marry a girl that I have bedded or that is poor.

I love collecting beautiful and expensive things. Because of her money Treasure will not only be the most beautiful item that I collect, but she will also be the most expensive. After Richard is dead I will take over all their business. After all, what does she know about running businesses? She is just like any other woman. She doesn't have a clue about any of those things. Then my family will be the richest ones in Willow Creek Falls.

"Chapa POV"

That woman is not strong enough to be his woman. He is the number one warrior. So I should be the one that he picked. Not her. Qaletaqa was gone for three days and he came back with that woman and those two girls. The best way to hurt her is to hurt them.

I will prove to Qaletaqa and the Chief that I am the one for him. Then I'll make Treasure be my slave.

"Qaletaqa POV"

Treasure is smart, she seems to know our ways. I wonder how. She is also very protective of Isabell and Audrey. I have not figured out why she treats them like her children. I know if I give them away she will never love me. I want her to love me as I love her. I fell in love with her the moment I looked up at her from that bush. I have never felt this way about anyone.

Chapa has always thought that she was my woman. We laid together last winter a few times. But I have never told her that I would share my life with her.

This morning I woke up when I felt her soft finger touching my lip. I didn't move because I didn't want her to stop touching me. Her leg was lying across me. My shaft was so hard that it took everything in me not to take her. When I opened my eyes she was looking at me smiling. Damn, my woman is beautiful.

Treasure said that before she gives herself to me I'll have to prove to her that I am worthy of her. I will do anything to make her happy.

When she asked about some fish for dinner. I was not leaving the river until I had enough. I caught ten large fish. After that, I walked over to the garden and dug up some potatoes. The warriors and the women were looking at me. Because men in our tribe do not work in the garden. I did not care. Treasure will have what she wants. I even picked her some wildflowers.

Big Horn asked me why she and the girls were running free. I knew this morning the way she was looking at me that she would not run. The girls will not go anywhere without her. So they do not need to be guarded either.

I planned on taking her for a walk this evening. But the rain is coming. Which I am happy about. The rain will wash our tracks away. I will kill anyone that comes to take my woman from me.

*****

When Qaletaqa returns to their lodge he hands Treasure the cleaned fish, potatoes, and flowers.

"Thank you. They are beautiful" She smells the flowers and looks at him smiling and puts them in a cup and pours some water into the cup.

He looks at the fire he sees that she had boiled some sap from a maple tree. Qaletaqa smiles and nods his head. Because Treasure had just made sugar. But he is wondering what is she going to do with it.

She and the girls had picked blackberries. So she had put some of the berries in one of the buckets with the boiled sap. She pours him a cup of it.

Qaletaqa takes a sip of the water. He looks at her and smiles, nodding his head. "This is good" he is thinking as he notices a plate with some square things on it. "What is that?" He points at the plate.

"Apple pies." She picks one up and feeds it to him.

"Good" He chews it, as he picks another one up.

Treasure touches his arm and laughs. She made the pie from the apples that Bena had given her. She put the fish in a cooking basket and places it across the fire. In another basket, she did the same with the potatoes. He is sitting back watching her. He is also looking at the opening of their lodge. About that time Big Horn, Dog Star, and Running Water walk into the lodge with three large tree stumps that are waist-length high. At about that time, the rain starts pouring down.

"This is for you to set dishes on. Also for you to wash the dishes on. So you will not have to bend down or go to the river to wash them." Qaletaqa is looking at the men as they are walking out of their lodge.

"She smiles as she, Isabell, and Audrey are looking at their new tables. "Thank you, that is so thoughtful of you."

He nods his head and sits down on a blanket looking at her as she starts back cooking. The girls are sitting on their beds talking and humming.

Treasure hands everyone their plates. He did not start eating. He waits until Treasure is sitting beside him. He lowers his head when she and the girls do. He still doesn't know why they do that. But he knows that he must learn her ways as she knows his.

He takes a bite of the fish and potatoes. He smiles. "She is a good cook" He is thinking.

After dinner. Treasure and the girls wash the dishes. He is sharpening his knife. So she and the girls sit around the fire singing.

"Oh, you messed up" Treasure laughs looking at Isabell.

"I know for some reason I always forget that part." Isabell laughs and hugs Treasure.

Audrey and Qaletaqa are laughing too.

"It's getting late and it's still raining. Let's go to bed." Treasure is looking at the girls.

Isabell and Audrey stand up. "Goodnight. We will see you both in the morning." The two girls said in unison looking at him and Treasure smiling.

"Goodnight," Qaletaqa and Treasure said in unison looking at the girls sliding the blanket across the rope.

Treasure pulls her dress off. She is wearing only her cut-off bloomers and the top of her dress that she had cut the sleeves out of.

He lays down, props up on his elbow, and looks at her. She is humming as she is taking her hair out of the pigtails. She lays down beside him.

"After I come back from hunting tomorrow. What do you want to do?" He is still propped up looking at her.

"We can go for a walk. I would love that. But I have to make sure that the girls are safe." She turns her head to look at him.

"Bena will watch them," he is playing with her hair.

"Okay. I am looking forward to it," she smiles.

He lays down and lays his hand across her stomach pulling her into him."The food was good."

"Thank you. I guess tomorrow the girls and I will work in the garden." She looks at him.

No, tomorrow you make clothes. We will need them for winter." He smells her hair.

"Okay," Treasure buries herself into his strong arms.

A huge smile comes across his face. He knew that he was winning her heart. Treasure fell asleep with her head still buried in his chest. He is looking around the lodge. "I have a good-sized lodge now. But I want some time with Treasure alone. We need more room. The girls are going to be with us for a long time. I will make another lodge but not as big as this one. The opening will come into this lodge. So no warrior will be able to come in. I have to protect the girls." He is thinking until he finally falls asleep.

*****

Some warriors of a different tribe are in the woods discussing Qaletaqa's tribe."Chief Tasunka's camp is about a day's journey we will go there. We need women to have babies. Our tribe is small and needs to grow. We will go there and trade horses and buffalo skins for women." Red Cloud is looking at Sleeping Bear.

"They never want to trade with us. When do we go there? Traveling there is a waste of time." Sleeping Bear is looking at the fire.

"We have no choice. Do not go there to fight. Maybe Tasunka will give in this time." Soaring Eagle is looking at Sleeping Bear.

"I still want to kill Qaletaqa. Tasunka thinks too highly of him." Sleeping Bear is still looking at the fire.

"Not this time. We need to be nice." Red Cloud looks at Sleeping Bear

"Instead of asking, we can kill the men and take the women." Sleeping Bear is looking at Soaring Eagle their leader their Chief.

Soaring Eagle is walking toward his lodge."They have more warriors than we do. Now is not the time for war."

"I will take the woman that I want. I do not care who I have to kill to take her." Sleeping Bear is thinking.