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"You'd be a long way off too, if they were trackin' your butts." Tal said glancing up at the men who offered to defend the squaw. "Look, the kid meant no offense, but we just came from a warring party of Indians and we never expected to see any here. We'd been told this was one of the safest places to come."
Matt studied the kid, "It's actually a very safe place because we don't allow no fighting. And as for her, she's a pretty small woman, I don't think she could take you." He chuckled.
Several laughed at that.
"I don't care I don't want no injun touchin' me." The kid hollered.
Margaret and Ferg stepped up at the same time, and then looked at each other and smiled. "Look, this is Sutton's Place, and it is a welcome place for any wanting to get out of the bad weather. It's a shelter, and together we all hunt, build and help each other. That's the way of it here. We'll have no more talk about squaws, she's no concern of yours anyway. She was merely trying to help you. You want to stay here, you learn to get along. If you can't, you are free to leave now."
Margaret finished and Ferg nodded, "That's the truth of it. You want to stay here, you don't start anything. This is a place of survival, and we all pull together and help each other, understand?"
Tal nodded. "I do, but these here, had kin that got kilt, so they are a bit sore about Indians."
"You might as well know, we got Indians, Irish, half breeds, Germans, a little of everything here. It doesn't matter if you are runnin' from the law, or just about to get frost bit, if you want to stay you behave yourself. That's the only rule, that and hunt when it's your turn." Margaret told them.
"Sounds reasonable to me…" Tal said, leaning against the wall as though give out. His expression was one of relief to be safe at last and to have someone else taking care of these men. "Let it lie, Banks. You ain't in no position to be too choosy."
"It ain't reasonable to me…." The kid hollered.
"Joe hush up, pick your fights carefully son." Tal told him. "I've brought you here, and it were no easy feat, so hold still. I ain't takin' you any further. You wanna leave, you go on your own speed from here. Understand?"
That's when Kat stepped in and smiled warmly at the young man. She batted her green eyes at them and smiled. "Then I'll take care of you." She cooed.
The young man perked up. "Gosh you're pretty."
She smiled, "You're not so bad yourself."
He smiled, then nearly passed out.
Snow Bird went to stand beside Matt. She knew he could handle almost any situation with his calm approach. She trusted Matt completely and knew to keep quiet.
She was silently thankful for Kat stepping in. She wondered why she had done it.
She also wondered if it were her tribe that did the damage to the wagon train? Too Tall would naturally be waring against them and if that was true, then her tribe was alive. That sent a sense of relief through her. Still, it was bad that they were waring against each other. She feared for them, and for what they might do, too. She had learned in her time away from her tribe that waring came to no good end. The white man had more guns, and more and more of them came west every day. And although she feared for Too Tall and her sister, she realized that sooner or later, he could be killed, or captured, which would be worse for him. Their chief preferred peace, but the young warriors refused to stay on the reservations.
Snow Bird kept silent, this was not the time to discuss things like this. These men were rather hostile to her and she wouldn't be making friends with them. She had learned quickly that some white men were good, and some were bad. And she was not always wise enough to sort the good from the bad. It was not her place to judge them, but she could stay clear of them.
She looked at Matt, with love in her eyes, and then at Ferg and the boys. They were all good men. Men she could trust. Men that would fight for her.
She knew too, that there were good Indians and bad. And even though she cared for Too Tall, he was a fierce foe and could be very dangerous. She knew that someday he would fight until his own death. He was a proud Cheyenne.
Knowing he would reject her child, and her now, she was not anxious to rejoin him. The desire to be with her own people had lessoned the more she fell in love with her husband. She knew she belonged with Matthew.
It was strange, this feeling of being pulled between the whites and the Indians. There were good on both sides, and bad on both. It was sad that they could not make peace between them.
When she laid down that night with Matt, he held her close and kissed her tenderly. "I'm sorry for the way they acted toward you. I wish I could say it would never happen again, but I can't."
She squeezed him and smiled, "I understand. I am only glad that you still care for me. And I appreciate that you stood up and said the child was yours. If they knew, it would only make matters worse."
"I'll always care for you! And the baby!"
"I have come to understand much, from you." She whispered, then kissed him hotly on the lips. "You are a good man, it doesn't matter what color you are, or what kind. You are a good man."
"And you," he kissed her again, "Are a very good woman."
"I’m glad you like me…" She sighed against him.
"Like you? I love you like crazy Snow Bird; don't you know that by now? I never thought I would come to love a woman so much. I can't imagine my life without you now."
