"Yes, all right."
He nodded and turned away from her to step toward his own place within their lodge, and, picking up his bags, which he'd set out upon his sleeping robes, he placed all but one of them around his shoulders. Still speaking with sign, he said, "I give this bag to you. There is plenty of tobacco in this pouch for those who might come here to meet you. If a grizzly bear should come visiting, give him as much food as you can. He should not bother you. Mostly our neighbors will be curious about who you are. Animals tend to treat you as you treat them. If you speak to them kindly, use soft words toward them and treat them well, you should have no trouble. I will try to finish my duties as quickly as I can."
"I understand," she said and signed, "but what am I to do while you are gone? I am unaware of what the women must do when their husbands are away."
"Perhaps you could sleep," he suggested, again using signs. "Both of us need more sleep. Or, if you prefer, you could always rearrange our shelter so it suits you better. If you feel you can do so without harm coming to you, you could try to find a spot where you might be able to roast meat and cook. It is best to construct this place out of doors. But, do not start a fire until I return."
She nodded, and he came around to her side of the lodge, taking her in his arms where they remained for some time. At length, he set her away from him and signed, "I wish my duties weren't so important, for I desire to be close to you always. But, a man does not rest his head until he has made a mental map of his surroundings. I love you with all my heart. Look for me in the early evening." Bending, he kissed her, but it was a simple kiss.
She whispered, "Kitsikaká komimmo."
Turning around, he stepped toward the lodge's entry and, bending over at the waist, exited their shelter.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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LAYLAH LOOKED TOWARDthe evening with great anticipation. She had so much to tell Eagle Heart.
Why hadn't he given her more details about the "residents" of this valley? She'd been visited today by a baby deer and its mother, by a raccoon and her offspring. Even an elk had come calling. And, then there were the others....
Somewhere during the afternoon, she'd lost her fear and had dragged out a blanket in front of their wiki-up so she could work on finishing the quilt she was making for Eagle Heart. With the quiet mountains defining the valley and the sun warming the top of her head, it had felt to her as if she worked in paradise.
"What you...making?" asked Eagle Heart in English.
Laylah jumped almost an inch off the ground. "Eagle Heart! Let me know when you are near me. You quite startled me."
"These...pretty colors. Blackfoot colors. Blue...white. What making?" He asked this in sign, but also spoke in English.
"It is my wedding gift to you, my husband," she answered, coming to her feet and extending the blue and white blanket toward him. "I do not know yet how to make things for you with animal skins, but I know how to knit and this is a blanket I've now finished, and it is for you. I give it to you with all the love in my heart."
"And, I take it from you, with all the love in my heart," he said, as he held the blanket out in front of him, his gaze upon it one of admiration. "It is beautiful, like its maker. I love it, and I love you. Always, I will love it. Come, sit with me in front of our home." He smiled at her. "Here, I have a blanket you may sit on."
She laughed and took her seat beside him. After a short while, she signed, "I am glad you are back. Why didn't you tell me about those who live in this valley?"
He grinned. "Want it...be surprise," he said, then switched to sign and continued, "I thought you would like to make the discovery about this tribe on your own."
"But, you could have warned me. My husband, they are little people. Little people. I didn't even know people so small still existed at this time and on this planet."
"I do not know about the rest of the 'planet,' as you say," he signed, "but the Crow have long lived with the Little People. Some say the reason Crow warriors are often successful in battle is because the Little People possess magic and, with this magic, help the Crow warriors to win many of their wars. Did you give the people tobacco?"
"I did."
"Soka'pií,"he said in Blackfeet, then changed to sign, saying, "That should have made them friendly toward you. I am glad. Now, come, I found a buffalo calf in my travels and have brought home this food, but I know you have not been taught yet how to remove the skin and fur from the animal and then cut up the meat so we might roast it. I will help you and teach you how it is done. Have you set up a place yet to roast meat?"
She shook her head.
"Let us roast the meat inside our lodge, then, where we can have more privacy. It will add a delightful smell to the interior of our lodge."
It was so agreed, and Laylah soon discovered he was right. Before long the roasting meat added a delicious scent to their newly constructed home. Even the fat, sizzling over the fire, added to the feeling of comfort.
As Eagle Heart sat opposite her, and, with the fire crackling between them, he smiled at her, and she returned his grin. But, she looked quickly away. For reasons she could not readily state, she still felt unusually shy with him.
Perhaps aware of this, Eagle Heart rose up and scooted toward her. Sitting next to her, he took her hand in his and began to massage it, bringing it up to his lips, where he placed sensuous, wet kisses over each one of her fingers.
She shivered.
"Do you...like?"
