"He is the one,"it whispered. "He is the one man, indeed, who has always been meant to be yours."
As she gazed wistfully at Stands Strong across the fire, meeting his gaze because he was also staring back at her, she knew he, too, was ignoring everything else around him except her, even while she could hear the other men congratulating him on his quick action today.
It was then when, without warning, she was struck by a voice coming straight from her heart.
"It is time,"it said. "It is time for you to say goodbye to what once was."
She almost sobbed, recognizing her heart's wisdom. But, was it really true?
It very well could be true, she admitted to herself at last. The past was now gone, to be no more. She was here now. He was here now. And, she loved him.
She sighed, if only to quiet the tingling in her body, for she had, at last, recognized a very basic truth. Even if she were to return to Hungary, she would, indeed, be going back to a different country from the one she had previously known.
True, though her brother had charged her to carry a family treasure to deliver to her cousin, he had also directed her to make a new life here in the American West. Would he be shocked, were he still upon this earth, to find she had changed so completely? That she had gone from being part of the Hungarian gentry to now considering she should embrace a new life—a life as Stands Strong's Indian wife?
Then again, would her brother's supposed shock, were he alive, really matter? Neither her parents nor her brother were hereto guide her, and her life in Hungary was gone forever. And, if this were so, why then was she still seeking to garner approval from her former culture and from a society she would never again be part of?
Undeniably, today's events had done much: they had changed her. No longer did she feel the need for approval from a people she didn't even know anymore. In truth, this man was hers; he had said as much to her. She might try to ignore it, but perhaps refusing to acknowledge what was in her heart, here, right now, was not wise, nor was it good for her or for him. She loved Stands Strong, and, with complete honesty, she realized she was as much his as he was hers.
Yes, the time had come at last for her to say goodbye to the past, and, to herself, she whispered, "Goodbye."
Catching Stands Strong's eye, she took courage from her newly found understanding, and, gazing directly at him, she mouthed the simple word "Yes."
He seemed to understand her at once, and she looked on as he briefly closed his eyes while several emotions flitted over his features. When he opened his eyes, he sent her a radiant smile and gave her a tiny, yet distinguishable nod. Indeed, he understood.
Looking away, she smiled. She had uttered no more than the one straightforward word, yet she knew Stands Strong had understood this and more. She was no longer confused about her duty being more important than what he was to her. She wanted him to be a permanent part of her life, and she to always be a part of his.
Sometimes, she decided, it was good to say a fond farewell to a time now passed. It was here and now where she would make a new life…with Stands Strong, and she by his side.
She watched him as he came up to his feet and stepped around the circle of people to come to her. Silently, treading up behind her, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and, reaching up, she laid her hand over his. Then she smiled up at him.
Meanwhile, the entire camp—even the children's voices as well as the air around them—had become quiet, and she knew every eye was upon them, though no one looked at them overtly.
She came up to her feet. And, though she knew she was openly declaring her feelings for this man, what the others might be thinking about her little mattered; she couldn't help the happy pleasure rushing through her, practically bursting to be released. And, as she and Stands Strong paced away from the others, they shared a smile with one another, and then they both laughed, sounding as though they were small happy children.
"Come," he said. "I sought out your brother's approval to marry you this day, hoping you might have a change of heart. But, it will not be until tomorrow when I will seek him out again and bring him horses. Tomorrow we will go with the others to the white man's fort, but tonight I know of a private place where we may pledge ourselves to each other."
She laughed and murmured, "Yes, please."
****
He led her out into the balmy warmth of evening, the cloudless night hosting the few stars beginning to shine in the dark-blue sky in the east, although pinks, purples and reds were still lighting up the sky in the west. As they stepped toward the pony herd, Stands Strong held Czanna's hand in a tight grip as though he had no intention of letting it go.
However, once within the herd, he let go of her hand to separate out two ponies, and, leading them toward the western side of the herd, he paced a little away, bending down to pick up some blankets. These he threw over the ponies' backs, one of those mounts the "star" of today's adventure.
She asked, "Are we not going to ride only one pony? I have a need, it seems, to be as close to you as possible tonight, and I had hoped…"
He turned toward her, smiling slyly before he said, "I promise we will be very close this night, if only because I do not intend tolet you out of my arms, even in sleep. But, there are boys watching the pony herd, and because our families have brought with them no more than thirty horses to care for, those boys will see all we do, though they will turn their backs to give us privacy. Also, although where we are going is not far, we will still be out of the hearing range of my people should we encounter a war party. It is for this reason why we must take precautions to remain safe. And, since each one of us riding a single pony gives us more of an advantage, I think it best if our horses carry only one rider."
As he was settling the buckskin reins into the mouth of each mount, she said, "Oh, all right." But, then she asked, "Where did the blankets and the reins come from?"
Again, he gave her a sexy, yet shrewd grin, saying, "I had set them here earlier…in hopes."
She laughed, then chortled, "I am glad."
"As I am, also," he answered.
He helped her up into her seating on the horse, and sassily she commented, "I thought it was against an Indian man's nature to assist a woman when she is attempting to gain her seat upon her steed."
