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Snow Bird was up now and making breakfast. All the men smelled her cooking and licked their lips.
Coon, one of the young men came up to her now and sniffed, "Sure smells good, ma'am." He smiled a snaggled-toothed smile.
"It will be ready soon." She nodded.
Matt watched her. She did the cooking without a complaint. In fact, she didn't complain about anything except going home.
He liked her. Maybe more than liked her. They had been together for a while now and he was getting to know her.
There was one way, but he doubted she'd have a part in it. He could marry her himself, and then let her go when she joined her people. If they let her join, that is. But would she consent to it? He wasn't sure. And it could ruin the trust they shared. Still, it was the only way he could take her and not feel bad about it. Marriage, and to an Indian, who would have thought? His family would really wonder about his sanity now.
He had to get her alone to talk to her. He followed her to the spring when she went to clean up. But he thought she was going to clean the dishes, instead, she had stripped off and was about to jump into the water. She was as naïve as he was.
Anyone could have come upon her.
There she was, buck-naked as a jay bird in the spring. She had a beautiful body, unmarred by the harsh land, tan too. He saw the whip marks on her back, the only thing that tainted her in any way. He saw the small bump in her belly and admired her. He figured it would take a lot of courage to face her husband with the facts. However, survival was most important now.
He had looked at her too. From the whip marks on her back, to the perfection of being a woman. Her legs were long and beautiful, her other parts were just as beautiful. But because she had her back to him, he didn't see everything. He didn't have to. She was a fine-looking woman. Her hips flared just a bit. The itch to be closer hit him hard and his own body responded to the yearnings.
She went into the water and turned around and he saw her breast. His mouth flew open. Never in all his life had he seen such beauty. Her breasts were small, like hills that protruded, a deep tan, but the nipples were dark, capping her breasts with dark dusky rose tips that would beg any man's attention. They stood up and out in perfection. "Beautiful," he murmured aloud.
When she spotted, him she went down into the water to cover herself.
"Why do you come while I bath?" She asked. She wasn't mad like he expected, just mystified by his actions.
"I thought you were gonna wash dishes." He told her his face red, partly with embarrassment, and partly flustered at her actions and party because his own body responded to her nakedness. He was embarrassed at being caught ogling her. "I didn't realize."
"What do you want?" Her question hung in the air between them.
Matt cleared his throat. "I come to tell you." He started.
"Tell me what?" She asked, staring at him.
"We gotta get married." He told her. "I mean…the only way I can protect you is to marry you, claim you. If I don't some of the men at this Sutton Place might try to take you. You are pregnant and don't need that happening. So, we gotta marry, and consummate the marriage when we get to this Sutton Place."
"What?" She shrieked. The way she spat that word out told him she wanted no part of that.
"I know it's extreme. I know you probably don't want to either. But the fact is, we gotta get married." He repeated lowly glancing around to see if anyone heard. But they were alone now.
"Why?" She frowned, her head turning in question as she came closer to shore.
"The Sutton Place is full of some bad people. They might try to take you if you aren't claimed. And I can't honestly claim you unless we marry. I mean…I won't claim you unless we marry."
"Can't we just say we are?" She kept frowning.
"Well we could, but if I have to take you, I want to make it legal. It's just the way I believe, Snow Bird. I wouldn't take a woman that didn't belong to me." He told her. "Don't worry, I'll turn you lose when we get to your people. It's not like it would be the forever kind of marriage. Unless of course you wanted it to be. In that case you'll have to speak up about it. If worse comes to worse, I'll take you, and help raise your baby too. What I'm saying is…. I'd take care of you and the child if you are rejected by your people."
"Take me?" She stared, her mouth hanging open now and almost coming up out of the water, her shock making her unmindful of what she was doing.
She ducked when she realized.
"I don't want to take you, but I wouldn't ever, unless we were married
." He explained.
"But I am married. I told you so."
"Yes ma'am, you did. But they won't know anything about Too Tall. And they'll expect us to…. You see, they wouldn't respect your marriage to an Indian, but if you married me, they would. Can you understand that?"
