Night Thunder's Bride: Blackfoot Warriors, Book 3 by Karen Kay Read Free Book Online

full, his cheekbones high, his face almost a perfect oval, his nose long and straight. He would have been considered handsome in anyone’s culture, she came to realize, even if he did wear earrings: round shell-like earrings.
    But the jewelry detracted not the least from his masculine appeal. He was a warrior, proud and dangerous looking. And she was certain that there was not a white man alive who would want to meet this red man upon the trail, unless it was in friendship.
    It was then that her eyes met his, dark brown—almost black and—they were watching her.
    She hurriedly gazed away, embarrassed. He clearly had seen her scrutinizing him. What must he think of her?
    How could she have been so bold?
    Yet he said nothing, nor did he appear amused by her overt appraisal.
    “Are you ready to leave the lodge?” he asked, and she breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment Rebecca was glad that this man was not of the civilized world, that instead of calling attention to her brazenness, he seemed willing to gloss over what could only be a temporary departure from manners.
    “I…” she glanced down at the wrinkles in her dress, trying to remember a time when she had gone before others looking as mussed as she did now. She could not recall any such experience. Perhaps there was something to be said for not sleeping in one’s clothing. Still, it couldn’t be helped now. She said, “I suppose that I am.” She rose to her feet.
    If he were truly embarrassed by her tousled look, he displayed no such reaction. He said, “Follow me and keep close. You do not have to say anything, but…you might smile a little. The others may expect to see you showing a little happiness after our night together.”
    She nodded, and he threw open the flap of the tepee and stepped outside. Rebecca had no choice but to follow.
    The cool breeze of the morning greeted her as she stepped outside the tepee lodge. She inhaled quickly, the air heavy with the scent of smoke, of meat roasting, of pine trees and prairie grass. It smelled freshly sweet, clear and bracing. The invigorating scent even seemed to give her courage and she squared back her shoulders.
    The earth felt solid beneath her footfalls as she trailed after Night Thunder, the grass soft for being so dry. She looked around quickly, taking note of her surroundings, something she hadn’t really done last night.
    Above her and to the east, deep colors of pink, red, and blue spread out low to the horizon. To the west, snow-capped mountains rose dark and purple in the distance, their peaks a sharp contrast to the silver of an early morning sky. The spot where they had camped was sheltered in a grove of pine trees and cottonwoods, their tops looming over her. Ahead of her, Night Thunder strode forward to meet his comrades, his stride sure, unhesitant, as though he were every day in the habit of facing danger.
    Perhaps he was.
    She followed him at a more sedate distance. There was something unnerving about being the only woman in a camp full of warriors who had been on the warpath, even when those men no longer exhibited antagonism toward her.
    There was no drumming in the camp this morning, though from somewhere not too distant, a low baritone voice sang an unusual melody, the rhythm of the words seeming to keep step with Night Thunder’s movements.
    Night Thunder joined his people; she held back, not able to force herself to go in among them. To tell God’s truth, she suddenly wished, quite fervently, that she could shrink to perhaps a few inches tall, simply to disappear.
    But such was not to be. Night Thunder had glanced back at her, motioning her to join him.
    She gulped and forced herself to take one prolonged step after the other. Never had she known her footfalls could be so painfully sluggish. Even so, she wished she could move even slower. A warm wind suddenly swept into the camp, coming up from behind her, as though it, too, were conspiring against her, shoving her forward.
    “ Oki,