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Czanna paid heed to every little thing in the environment around her, vowing she would come to know as much about this northern land as she possibly could, given such short acquaintance with the prairie.

Before the sun had even risen up into the eastern sky, Stands Strong, with George's help, had navigated their wagon down a gentle slope, taking the wagon into a nearby coulee. There, the two of them had hidden the wagon amongst a grove of huge cottonwood and willow trees that grew up next to the shoreline of a swift mountain stream. The coulee was not as deep as it was wide, and it was hoped that the covering of the tall grasses and trees there would hide the wagon from the eyes of an enemy war party.

As Czanna kept pace alongside the wagon, she had to step up high in order to walk down into the coulee, so tall were the grasses leading down into it. Because she was also balancing her young sister, Briella, on her hip, it wasn't the easiest activity to perform.

Looking behind her, she saw Stands Strong's friend, First Rider, following them into the coulee, leading his horse and the travois behind him. Liliann was walking alongside the travois, her hand holding her father's, though the man had yet to regain consciousness.

Once at the bottom of the coulee, the two Indian men, along with George's help, raised up a temporary shelter for Mr. Henrik. In truth, Czanna was amazed at how little time it took to erect it.

Because the refuge was constructed with the wood, grasses, mud and bushes to hand, it took on the look of the environment and faded into it. Indeed, had she not known it was there, she would have overlooked it.

The structure was small and round, but was sufficiently large enough to allow Mr. Henrik to lie down full-length within it, and, being as wide as it was long, it allowed Liliann to remain with her father.

No sooner had the poles and branches for the shelter been put into place than the three men—she was beginning to think of her brother as a man instead of a boy—were strategically placing more branches, bushes, grasses and mud onto or next to the shelter, further deepening its disappearance into the environment.

The wagon was the last to require the men's attention, and they were soon maneuvering branches, bushes, grasses and mud on top of and down the sides of the wagon until its white covering no longer stood out like a beacon. But, would the white canvas ever come clean?

Soon Stands Strong approached her and whispered, "We may not speak openly in case there are enemy warriors nearby. You need to change your clothes if you are to accompany me this day."

"But, why?" she asked.

He smiled. "Your dress, though it is a dark blue, will stand out upon the prairie under the sun. And, its material will snag on the prairie grasses, the vines and bushes, and, besides giving an enemy a clue as to who you are, your dress alone could lead them to us. I fear you will be required to clothe yourself in buckskin if you are still desirous of coming with me. I have extra clothing. You may use it and may also cut it to fit you, if you wish."

"Well, although I am still…'desirous' of going with you, I do not like this idea. No men's clothing for me. I'd rather look like a woman, not some skinny man. Besides, I refuse to wear some poor animal's skin."

"I understand, but I must also advise you again to keep your voice to a whisper. Remember, we are not in a camp with many warriors to protect and keep you safe from enemies. Besides"—he grinned at her—"the manner of your clothing will not hide your feminine figure from me. But, if you do not wish to dress yourself in what clothing I have with me, you have my permission to stay here."

She frowned at him. Was he serious? Was she now required to dress so as to look like a shorter, skinnier version of him?

He was continuing to speak, and he said, "I go now to prepare my weapons, as well as food for us so we may scout ahead of the others. But, be quick to decide what you will do. Either you go with me or stay here. I care not which you choose to do." And, with these words, he grinned at her again, but his smile was lopsided, pulling up only one corner of his lips. To her chagrin, it caused him to look endearingly handsome.

"But, I protest!" she murmured. "Look how much taller you are than I am. Your clothing will not fit me. Indeed, do you not see how much longer your legs are than mine? Why, having to wear your leggings will cause the bottoms of them to drag over the ground, leaving a trail. Besides, I would be required to wear a breechcloth, as well as a shirt that will hang on me probably to my ankles."

"Do not worry," he soothed. "I will help you to cut the clothing to fit you, but if the shirt is big and falls well down your legs, you would not have to wear a breechcloth."

"Sir, I will not go naked under the clothing."

He smirked, looking much too highly amused. And, he said in a whisper, "I beg you, do not give me reason to imagine you naked." He laughed then. "Wear some of your own clothing beneath it if you must, but ensure you have the means to easily answer nature's call. We will be traveling as fast as we safely can, and there will not be the opportunity for you to remove your clothing in order to simply relieve nature's demand. Nor do I think you would be too willing to undress when I am watching you, which I would have to do if you insist on wearing clothing that cannot be easily taken off when your body requires this of you."

"Sir!" Though the word was said as softly as possible, it was still meant as a real objection.

"If you decide to accompany me, I will be over there." He pointed. "I have brought with me an extra pair of leggings and a shirt. We can fit them to you if you agree to learn to scout."

She let out her breath on a snort. However, after a moment, she said, "Very well. Lead the way, O master."

Again, he laughed, and when he said "That's better," she raised her chin into the air, earning herself another snicker from him.

****

The sun was high in the sky, and the deep blue above them was filled with cottony clouds. Those puffs were mostly a pearly white, Czanna observed, although a few of the cheerful white fluffs held a slightly gray color on their underside, threatening an afternoon shower. But, otherwise there was no hint of rain, the prairie air being clean and dry. The ground beneath them was hard, but at least it wasn't as muddy as it had been when they had been forced to wade through a small mountain stream. Also, and sadly, here on the high prairie above the Missouri River there were no trees to hide them properly.

Now since they had come closer to the springs, the land—and the requirement of remaining concealed—required them to twist in a rough and torturous manner over and through the long green grasses, the large bushes and the rocks—and to do it on their bellies and forearms.

So far, their journey had been agonizing for her. They had set out the previous evening, leaving when the stars had become visible in the night sky. Then they had traveled north and east toward the springs.

Although it had seemed to her as though they'd ridden too far and too fast on this unknown—to her—terrain, she hadn't been about to complain. Still, she had feared that at any moment her horse might step into a gopher hole or some other obstacle and she would be thrown from the saddle. Luckily, it hadn't happened.

It had been during the first rising of the moon when they had guided their horses into a coulee a little south of their present location. There they had left their horses, the coulee being populated with cottonwoods, pines and numerous stretches of short dense patches of willow trees. They had hobbled their horses deep within the concealment of the many cottonwood trees, the height of these providing some protection against the sharp eyes of an enemy war party. It had been there, also, where the prairie grasses grew abundantly, providing food for their ponies.

"Do you not worry about someone finding the horses while we are gone?" Czanna had asked, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Stands Strong had merely shrugged before responding to her in a like manner, saying, "Only if the horses of an enemy speak to them."

"Speak to them?"

"Ponies talk to one another in many ways: by scent and by horse talk."

"Well, if it happens, perhaps I might help. Since childhood, I have often talked to my horses, and I think sometimes we understand each other."

"Do you now?" he'd asked, eyeing her mysteriously. He’d then smiled before saying, "You continue to surprise me, and I wonder what else I will discover about you besides your beauty and your willfulness."

"Thank you for saying I'm beautiful, but I am not willful."

"Stubborn, then."

"Sir, I am not stubborn either, but if you will only agree to my pact with you, perhaps you will discover much more about me."

His grin at her had been wide and oddly sensual before he'd replied, "I intend to discover all your secrets and secret places without having to place my thumbprint upon your treaty paper."

She had wanted to question him further about what he'd meant by "secret places," but he had already turned his back on her and was moving away. She'd had to run to catch up to him, but if he'd noticed her difficulty in keeping abreast of him, he hadn't mentioned it.

She had been utterly dismayed to learn they would go the rest of the way on foot, or rather on their forearms and outstretched bodies. Why?

As though she had asked the question aloud, he had answered her in a whisper, murmuring, "To walk upright is to invite any wandering warrior to seek us out and kill us. To be a scout means to use concealment as a means to remain alive, and a scout must be, at all times, unseen regardless of the environment. We will be traveling the rest of the way over the tops of these hills—"

"You mean mountains, don't you?"

"Hills." He'd emphasized the word. "We must travel in this way so we will be able to look down into the land and the coulees below. We must observe everything in the environment without ourselves being seen, because we are looking for any sign of an enemy."

"A sign?"

"áa. Any smoke or its scent, waves of motion in the air, plants moving without wind or game startling suddenly. We are looking for anything out of the ordinary. If we see or smell or detect any of these, it means there is life nearby, and it is probably an enemy war party."

"Why an enemy? Couldn't it be a bear instead?"

"And so, you would consider a bear to be no enemy?"

"Oh. I see your point. But, couldn't it be a friend who starts a fire or who causes the animals to suddenly run?"

"Perhaps. But, if they be friends, why try to remain concealed when they are in Pikuni country? And, not always are 'friends' friendly." He grinned at her. "A scout does not assume that warriors from an allied tribe are always peaceful. He does not take chances. He sees, he inspects and he reports his findings to his chief when next he is in camp."

And so they had crawled, scooted and bellycrawled across the prairie and its hilly apexes. Sometimes they'd been required to descend or ascend a hill to get to the other side, and then, happily, they had walked upright, yet bent over at the hip. Always, they were looking down, looking down, trying to see if there were any indications of a war party.

At present, the sun was still shining down upon the land from its high place almost directly above them. Below them stretched one coulee after another where, at their lower edges, stood a few trees. Much farther in the distance were mountains, some still showing white at their peaks. But, those might have been hundreds of kilometers away. Yet, whether there were enemy warriors roaming about in the deep coulees or not, it was a beautiful sight to feel the warmth of the sun. Low green buttes rose up here and there on the ground below them, some closer to hand and showing off a tall bush or two.

Although it seemed to her that they had ridden or crawled well over fifty kilometers in the night, she knew it wasn't true. Perhaps they had ridden ten kilometers at the most.

According to Stands Strong, they were now close to Grass Woman Springs, and even though he pointed toward it, she still couldn't see it. It was a famous place, and Stands Strong had regaled her with stories of it when they had rested, those short breaks being too few in Czanna's opinion.

But, Stands Strong had kept her entertained, regaling her with many of the tales and legends of Grass Woman—his almost-uncle, Eagle Heart, having heard the stories from his father, who had known Grass Woman personally. It was at this particular sulfur spring where Grass Woman— known to Czanna as Sacagawea—had cured an illness which had threatened her life while she had been journeying with her husband, her baby and the white men. Czanna had found it fascinating to hear the stories as related to her by Stands Strong, if only because the tales had been told by Sacagawea personally.

But, these little respites for rest were quite few since she and Stands Strong were on a mission to determine if the spring were free of enemy warriors. So far, they had not seen any sign of an enemy.

Oddly, since beginning this adventure with Stands Strong, Czanna had begun think of herself as "Stands Strong's woman," though she didn't really merit the status since they were not married and since she did not intend to marry him. Although Stands Strong had made references to her becoming his woman many times during their rests, they were yet to tie the knot in any way, be it a mere romance or marriage. Indeed, there had not been the opportunity to do more than ride hard in the beginning of their expedition, and then, having secured their horses, to sneak over the grassy and rocky landscape.

Though her arms were protesting the uncomfortable position of crawling through numerous bushes and over uncomfortable rocks, there was another aspect about this journey she hadn't expected: she felt happy.

Indeed, there was much to be said about the freedom of movement this land presented. In truth, the journey through this terrain reminded Czanna, if only a little, of her childhood. Though her homeland was distinctly different, here and there were the characteristic scents of nature, of grasses and of flowers common to both—all of it adding to the thrill of the simple beauty and awareness of being alive. And though she didn't know how it had happened, it yet seemed to her as though she was able to put the shock of her terrible losses to sleep, at least temporarily. Of course, she was helped in her newfound joy because of the great deal of teasing she endured from Stands Strong, who seemed to delight in pointing out her lack of knowledge of the prairie, its buttes and coulees, even the flora she didn't recognize, like the tiny cacti now in bloom and dotting the land.

Strangely, she was even beginning to savor the feel of the "poor animal skins" she was wearing. They were both comfortable, free of easily tearing and they dried soft even when wetted.

True to his word, Stands Strong had helped Czanna cut his clothing down to fit her. Upon her first donning the unfamiliar garments, the skins had been full of his scent, and if she were to be truthful, she would admit to basking in it, his pleasant aroma imparting a feeling of well-being to her. With a deep sigh, she was starting to realize she not only loved this man—as she had already told him—she was, indeed, falling in love with him…as unlikely as this might have been.

At present, as she crawled over the green grass beneath her belly and her arms, it smelled fresh, and as she passed by the yellow and white prairie flowers, their sweet fragrance spoke to her of their joy in being able to bloom under the warmth of the sun. Funny, instead of feeling tired and plagued by the hardship of their crawl, the earth and the life around her imparted a feeling of being a part of all this. Never, ever would she have imagined she could be subjected to such physical hardship and yet feel so pleasant about it.

As she crawled up beside Stands Strong where he waited for her, he turned, took off his quiver filled with arrows and his bow, and rolled over onto his back; she, too, lay down beside him, the sweet-smelling, hard ground cradling them both. He took her hand in his and, turning his head toward her, said, "I will tell you a truth about me, if you wish to hear it. I admit I have not desired to lay bare my private thoughts to you, but after seeing what you have endured this night, and without complaint, I am feeling more kindly toward you and so would like to tell you a secret. Would you like to hear what I have to say?"

"Indeed, I would, Mr. Stands Strong."

He inhaled deeply, then said, "You have now asked me many times if I love you, and always I have tried to avoid answering you. But, I believe the time has come when I should answer your question as truthfully as I can."

When he paused significantly, she asked, "Yes? What is your answer?"

"It is this: I love you as the friend I have told you I would be to you, though I have also been honest about my desire to make love to you. But, because I know you a little better now, I admit I have come to not only desire to make love to you, but to love you as the woman I would choose to spend the rest of my life with. When I first spoke of marriage to you, it was because my feelings about you required me to ask you to be my woman. But now, before Sun, the Creator of all, I tell this to you true. I love you, and I give my love to you freely and for all my life if you would only have me."

Czanna paused, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. Although she had suspected his true feelings for her—since Stands Strong had often suggested a marriage between them—to hear his words spoken so sincerely touched some deep and hidden part of her, a secret longing which had, perhaps, been lying dormant until this moment. "I…I…" she whispered, gulping down a constriction in her throat. "I, too, love you very dearly. And, were I not who I am… But, please understand, it is not you I have said no to. I have said no to the idea of having to change who I am in order to become your woman."

Stands Strong didn't speak up at once. But, after a while, he said, "I understand what you say. However, I would not have you change who you are, nor would I demand it of you."

"Yes," she answered, "but what you might not understand is that I would have to change." She inhaled deeply, giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts. Then she continued, "Please consider this: until coming into this country, I had never camped outside, not even for a single minute of my life. Yet, if I were to agree to marry you, I would be required to camp as a way of life. Truly, though you tell me you would like to have me as your woman, consider this: I know nothing of cooking or sewing or skinning an animal, and I have never lived in a place as small as a tepee. Truly, do you really wish to have such a woman as I am in your life?"

When he didn't answer her question at once, she continued and said, "Not only can I not envision myself doing the work of the women in your camp, but, indeed, I fear you would be sadly disappointed in me."

He grinned at her before he answered, saying, "Yet, here you are with me now, scouting through a rough terrain which demands great discipline and a heap big more than would be required of you were you to live with my people."

"But," she countered, "I am only doing it because I have to if I am to learn how to survive in this land. Besides, there is more. Somehow, in some way, I must keep alive the memory of my parents and my brother. It's up to me, after all, to carry on our way of life and to be true to the manner and the life I was raised in. Because of their deaths, I have been entrusted with this duty, and I must remain as I am if only to honor their lives. Though I have been honest with you when I have told you I love you, to marry you would be as to turn my back on the memory of my parents and my brother."

When again he was not quick in answering, she added, speaking softly, "I cannot do this; not and remain true to myself."

He breathed in and out, his sigh oddly strained, before he said, "I do understand, and yet here we are, and perhaps it is here, too, where you will have to make your home, and I think you would encounter these same problems regardless of living with either the white man or the Indian."

"Perhaps," she replied. "However, I must try to hold on to what I am and remain true to my family and to what is expected of me."

"So it seems. But now," he continued, "as you have asked for my understanding, I must ask for yours. Though we have only known one another for a few days, already my love for you has grown into being a great admiration. Never could I have ever believed I might meet a woman so beautiful who would willingly follow me and do as I do when I scout. And you, who are a white woman, are accomplishing this without much complaint, though I know it is hard for you. But, hear me on this: my reasons for refusing to engage in an affair with you are as meaningful to me as yours are for refusing marriage. I tell you this now with a full heart, I would happily agree to this 'sharing a romance' with you if the consequences were not so grim for you were we to be discovered to be lovers without being married."

"Grim?"

"áa, harsh they are. There is a terrible price for a woman to pay amongst my people, both Lakota and Pikuni, if she, whom others believe to be married, is discovered in the arms of a man other than her Indian husband."

"Oh? What price is it you speak of?"

He didn't answer; he merely looked away from her.

"But, Mr. Stands Strong," she continued, "how would this 'terrible price' affect me since we would not be husband and wife? We would be merely lovers."

He turned his head toward her, glanced at her and simply smiled before saying, "To my people it is the same. If we make love to one another, we are married. Even if you tell others we are not married, the price for a woman is the same as if she be married to the man she has made love to."

Shocked again, she could only ask, "Truly?"

He didn't answer.

"But, sir you have yet to tell me what this awful price is a woman would have to pay."

He pointed to the tip of his nose. "I would have no say in it, you understand."

"No, I…I don't understand. You would have no say in what?"

"It is an old custom amongst the Pikuni, as well as the Lakota. If it is decided all the facts are true by the Pikuni All Friends Society, they can take action against a woman who has strayed away from her husband, and, since your custom about love with another is different from ours, there very well might come a time when you could be found in the arms of another besides your 'husband,' as you have already told me."

"I understand, but what is this custom?"

"It is an ancient practice, and one I think should be put aside forever."

"All right. But, please tell me what this gruesome tradition is you seem to be unwilling to tell me."

He sighed. "Amongst my people there are several women whose noses are cut here." He put a finger to the end of his nose and made motions of slicing through it. "These women strayed from their husband's side and had 'love affairs'—as you call them—with another."

Czanna gasped aloud. "How cruel! If true, this is worse than being merely horrible or grim."

"I fear it is true."

"And, is the man subjected to the same?"

"Saa, he is not. He is free to marry another."

"How utterly barbaric! How inhuman!"

"It is, indeed. Still, it happens. And, so it is that I can never have this affair with you, nor can I engage in an act my people consider is marriage, knowing you feel it is your right to simply be with me in body, but to marry another."

"But…but, there would be little danger of any of this happening to me now, since we are at this moment not married, nor are we lovers. Would they do the same to a woman, like me, who merely asked to have an affair with you, but who has not yet done it?"

"Questions of the heart are never punished," he answered. "Only the act."

"Oh. And so, if you agree to the pact I have suggested and we have an affair only—no marriage—would they try to find me and cut off the end of my nose?"

"Saa."

"Again, that word means what?"

"No. It means no, they would not seek you out to commit the deed, but you would be in danger were you to come into my camp after having made love to me and then marrying another."

She sat for a moment in thought. At length, she said, "Then, really, I don't see the problem, since I do not intend to ever go into your camp."

"And yet, it is in my camp where you might likely find your cousin. Do you think others would not see, would not know what we do or have done if we make this pact between us? Think you that we might fool even the wise men? If we love each other and have this affair, they will know."

"Mr. Stands Strong, I think I might safely say this to you: I do not think I will ever be required to go into your camp. I am asking you to take me to where my cousin lives in the mountains, not into the encampment of your people. I think your fear of this is for naught. Indeed, you have only to agree to the pact, and I will uphold my end of the bargain without ever putting forward a single toe into your camp."

"But, you forget, I cannot agree to it, nor will I."

"So, does this mean you will walk away from me, never to help me to find my cousin? Or do you simply mean you will never agree to the conditions of ,my offer to you?"

"I will not agree to the treaty you seek with me," he answered.

"But, Mr. Stands Strong, if you love me as you say you do, and if I am determined to never go into your camp, why can you not agree? Please understand, I fear that if you do not look more favorably upon my offer, I…well, I don't know what I will do. I must find my cousin somehow. So much depends on me finding him. My entire family relies on my—" She broke off.

He squeezed her hand. "There is more to this than I am telling you. And now, as you have been honest with me, I must be so with you."

"Oh? There is even more you haven't said to me?"

"I fear there is," he responded. "Tell me, beautiful woman, does your God sanction your stepping outside your marriage to make love to another? Or, if you were to meet my people, as I think you will surely do even if I take you into the mountains, will your God look the other way if you are only pretending to be my woman and have no intention of marrying me?"

She paused and cleared her throat before saying, "All my life, I have been told He will forgive."

"This may be so for you, but I will tell you this: Sun, the Creator, who is my God, does not look the other way, and it is hard for me to understand your God is so different from mine. But, perhaps He is. And, now I must say to you what I have withheld from you: what you ask of me is impossible for me, since I am one of Sun's children. If I were to stray away from Him and make love to you, I would be severing my ties with Sun, and since I do not believe it is good or right for a woman to make love to a man other than her husband, I, too, would pay a penalty, though perhaps not the physical one you might have to face.

"But, maybe the fault is mine," he continued, "since I have been reluctant to discuss this with you, so let me tell you this in another way. If I make love to you, I would ruin you for another, and since you do not believe you could ever become my woman, it would taint me in a spiritual way, since I would be engaging in an act I know is harmful to you. My God does not look favorably on this."

"But, you do not understand. I—"

He held up his hand for silence.

"And so," he carried on, "this is why I cannot agree to your treaty. If I make love to you, you become my woman in my eyes, in the eyes of my people and my God. If you then find another whom you decide would more favor you in keeping the memory of your parents alive, and if you walk away from me, you might have to pay a penalty whether we are married in your mind or not. You would not escape my people as you seem to think you might. And, since your cousin is married to a Pikuni woman, sometime, even if many moons away from this moment, there could be a price to pay, for me as well as for you, since it is within my knowledge that you have not wished to marry me. Still, though I understand there are many reasons why you would do as you must, Sun, the Creator, sees all, and from Sun I cannot hide my thoughts or actions.

"Now," he persisted, "since it is a custom in your land to seek pleasure outside of marriage, I think, perhaps, as you say, your God might not disfavor you. But, this trait in your God is not in mine."

Stunned, Czanna lay perfectly still. "Then," she said at last, "what you are telling me is that, regardless of what my ideas are of no marriage being created between us, there would still be harm created?"

"It is so."

Startled, recognizing for the first time the harm her request might cause herself, and perhaps this man too, she found she couldn't speak. And, as she lay beside him, neither of them spoke a word, until at last Czanna burst out, saying, "Oh dear! What am I to do? I trust no one else in this land but you to keep us safe. But, because I now understand why you have been so hesitant to agree with what I proposed and because I need to be true to…" Czanna didn't finish the thought.

Stands Strong didn't speak for several moments. However, at length he said, "Take heart, beautiful woman. Perhaps your cousin might be intent on joining my people for trade. If so, there would be no reason to make the treaty between us. I fear we must wait until we join my people. However, if your cousin has not come down from the mountains to trade with the Pikuni, then we would be required to talk about the treaty again. But, it is useless to speak of it now when we do not know yet the movements or intentions of your cousin.

"Besides," he went on to say, "having no treaty between us is likely the only manner by which we might safely remain with one another and retain our honor."

Czanna cleared her throat, then said, "I am not certain I understand what you are saying. Why would having no 'treaty,' as you call it, make any difference?"

"Because it is this way: by having no agreement between us, I might be freed from the problem of my mind envisioning ways I could make love to you."

"But—"

Again he held up a hand. "My devotion to Sun does not allow me to make love to you, and having you near me and thinking of what could be were I to agree to your suggestion makes my being with you difficult for me. Perhaps it is the same for you, too."

"All right," she said. "I guess I understand. However, I should say this to you: I do not find it difficult to be with you since I won't make love with you unless there is a pact between us."

He grinned at her before saying, "Think you that I could not convince you? Recall again what happened between us during the early morning hours of a time not long ago."

She didn't answer. Of course, he was right. How could she have discounted so easily how she had practically melted in his arms? It wasn't that long ago when he had held her so closely to him, although it seemed as if a lifetime had passed since then.

However, though what he said was true, she would never openly admit to how passionately she had hoped he would make love to her. At length, she said, "But, I believe this is so unnecessary. After all, I am the one offering this deal to you. In a way you are innocent. And, in view of this, is it not inconceivable to think your God might look the other way? Besides, truly, I do not ever intend to meet your people."

"Can you be certain this will never happen?" he asked. "My plans are to go to my chiefs and tell them what I have observed as a scout. This requires my taking you and your family with me. And, even if your cousin is not in my camp and would require us to seek him out in the mountains, because he is married to a Pikuni woman, he will have to come into the Pikuni camp from time to time. He would also need to bring you with him."

"Yes, I understand," she said. "However, consider this: what if you and I fulfill the terms of the treaty after you return to your camp? I could stay in the fort and wait for you, and when your business is concluded with your chiefs, you could return to the fort and only then lead me and my family into the mountains."

"And, you would patiently await my return? Or would you ask another man—who might be of the same ilk as your former scout—to lead you there?"

"I…I would wait for you."

He shook his head. "You are speaking without knowing the Indian character. What if we did as you say, and I return to my people without you, and my chief has another even more important scouting mission for me? I cannot say no."

"Yes, you could. You could simply tell him you have made arrangements elsewhere."

"I would not. Not when our land is being invaded by gold seekers who are a different kind of white man than the white traders who are friends to us. These new men coming into my country are without morals or good sense, and, by their acts, they bring danger to my people. I would not be able to say no to my chief."

Czanna didn't speak, and, after a moment, Stands Strong continued, saying, "I believe there is no other way but to take you and your family with me into the Pikuni camp. Besides, when you speak of Sun perhaps overlooking my actions with you because of my innocence, you forget that even if Sun were to forgive me…I cannot. A man must not abandon his own ideas of what is right and what is wrong. And, if I agree to your suggestion and make love to you, I see danger for you. Therefore, I cannot agree to this treaty."

"But, Mr. Stands Strong, I promise you that if you would only change your mind and agree to my offer, I would do most anything to stay away from your people so there would be no trouble."

Stands Strong responded to her suggestion at once and said, "Beautiful woman, do not forget my words to you so easily. Now, though I have not seen into the future and do not know what it holds for you or for me, I must again say this to you: I will not risk the loss of your beauty or ruin you for another by having this affair with you. And, since you believe it is not in the best interest of your family to become my woman, there is little else we can do but to remain as we are now."

"But, what are we now, Mr. Stands Strong?"

"We are friends who also share a similar desire, one for the other. But also, because we are friends, we must always act for the best interests of one another, and never should we indulge the passion between us by carrying our love and friendship into lovemaking. There must be a limit, and we must not cross it."

"Yes," Czanna agreed, but then remained quiet for several moments, uncannily experiencing a feeling of having lost something of great value. But, why?

And, then it struck her—a thought so quick, it appeared to have no time: she wanted, she needed to be close to this man. But, there was more to it. She craved the feeling.

Yes, she had been truthful with herself and with him earlier when she had told him she needed to keep him close to her because of the terrible losses fate had thrown her. But, what she hadn't known then, but knew now, was there was more to it: she wished for a closeness with this man so intense that it felt akin to desiring to crawl under his skin in order to attain the "oneness" she seemed to need.

She gulped, not understanding what this was really about, and she found herself asking, "By your saying we should only be friends, does this mean you are never going to kiss me again?"

He turned his head to look at her, and she saw he was smiling broadly at her. He said, "A man has a right to tempt a woman with what might be were our minds more agreeable." And, having delivered these mischievous words, he came up onto his forearms and leaned into a position over her, there to place a wet, sensuous and delicious kiss upon her lips.

Perhaps he'd meant the kiss to be little more than a tease instead of a real kiss, but almost at once the caress became more passionate until he had positioned his body over hers, and, for a moment, she lost herself to the feel of his hard masculine chest as it pressed in against the softness of her breasts. Using his tongue, he opened her mouth to his, and as he deepened the kiss, she became lost to the musky masculine taste of him. Liquid fire rushed through her in response, and she answered him back with her own raw desire, giving back to him as much as she was being given.

Then his tongue swept in and out and around her mouth as though he were making love to her with a kiss alone. And, when he groaned deep in his throat, she lost all sense of time and place, feeling free—at least for a little while—of her duties to the memory of her parents and the life she had once known and craved. Her only awareness at the moment was the erotic scent of him and the invigorating sweet-salty taste of his kiss.

Without thought of where they were or the problems they faced, she felt herself open up to him as his lips caressed her eyes, her cheeks, her nose and even her ears. Truly, she felt on fire, and she couldn't have stopped him even if she had wanted to, which she didn't. Beside herself from the exotic thrills racing through her system, she couldn't help sighing, the sound high-pitched and urgent. And, when he scooted down lower over her still, kissing a path up to her neck and upper chest, his every caress caused an explosion of carnal hunger to release within her, and she wished him to never stop.

It wasn't until he appeared to encounter some difficulty in removing her shirt—his own shirt that she was wearing—when the reality of what was happening between them seemed to elicit a sharp change in him.

She protested at once and murmured, "Oh, please don't stop!"

But, stop he did, though he didn't move away from her at once. Instead, he lay atop her, placing his head to the side of her and resting his face within the full spread of her hair. His breathing was quick and heavy, and she gloried in the feel of his chest against hers and the sound of his breath. His gasps were deep, and he was taking many of them, and because he was so closely entwined with her, she became aware of the vast differences between his muscular strength and her softer femininity.

She moved her hips a little, if only to experience more fully the thrill of being so close to this man who appeared to be quite ready to make love to her.

"Saa," he whispered. "Do not move in such a way."

She didn't answer; she also didn't repeat the motion.

At last, with another deep breath, he rolled over to the side of her and did little more than take several more deep breaths. He didn't speak; neither did she. Indeed, she felt quite happy simply listening to his strained breathing, knowing she was the cause of it.

Still, he didn't say a word to her. Indeed, it was she who first spoke what was in her heart and in her mind, and she whispered, "If I did not believe you at first, I do so now. Sir, had you not ceased kissing me, I would have let you do whatever you wanted, marriage or not, pact or not. You were wise to observe this and say it to me."

He didn't answer her confession. In truth, what could he have said? It was more than apparent he could have made love to her here, now, regardless of where they were and the possible dangers there might have been in the environment.

"Perhaps," he murmured at last, "we should not touch each other too much when we are alone. Until I at last get back to my chiefs with my observations, we might be wise to keep a little distance between us."

No! His suggestion tore at her heart, and she murmured, "But, sir, I do not wish to be distant from you."

"I know," he said. "I do not wish it, either. Yet, I fear it must be. I thought I would have more control, but—"

"More control?"

"áa, more control.

"I still do not understand."

He merely chuckled a little, reminding her of the teasing man she had come to know over the course of these last couple of days.

At last, he reached out and took her hand in his and said, "Come, we are close to the springs. Let us continue our scouting, and let us hope we have not alerted a war party of our being here. We forgot, for a very pleasant moment, why we are here. There is a man's life we are trying to save. Come, we must complete our scouting quickly. The life of your man is at stake."

"He is not my man."

"I know," he whispered. "I only say it to try to regain my scout's discipline."

"I…I am afraid I do not understand."

His response was another low chuckle, and, turning away from her, he sat up, picked up his quiver full of arrows as well as his bow and repositioned them over his back. Coming back down onto his forearms, with his body stretched out over the prairie, he gazed at her briefly and said, "Let us finish our scouting quickly and return to the others."

"But, I…" She broke off her protest. What could she say? Henrik's life could, indeed, depend upon the swiftness of their scouting. And, so she found herself saying, "Yes, you are right again."

Looking at her from over his shoulder, she saw a light in his eye when he said, "This time. Only this time."