The Season of the Arrow

by DreamWvr73

A new man comes into Min's life...Will this be love or will their secrets get in the way? Written by Dreamwvr73 and TwoTrails4860

The Summer Encampment of The Painted Horse Band Of Northern Cheyenne- 1860.

It was the Moon Of The High Grasses, a time of plentiful game for The Painted Horse Band. They were a group of over two hundred warriors, women and children, their conical buffalo hide tipis facing east as they sat nestled in a green valley near the Powder River. Their pony herd feasted on lush grasses near the river, a bright blend of paints, bays, buckskins, and duns.

The People were eager to spend their time outdoors after a long winter of smoking the pipe and telling stories by the fire. This balmy summer night found the four clans within the band racing ponies and gambling on the winners, tossing bones, swapping hunting stories and making weapons outside of their tipis. Children and camp dogs ran everywhere, celebrating the coming time of plenty after a hard winter.

Wind On The River sat outside his tipi, adding turkey feathers to a new set of arrows with glue made from the hoofs and marrow of a buffalo. His friend and fellow clan member, Long Bow, called out to him from across the clearing.

"Brother! Have you seen your young cousin? I am keen to race against him with my new pony!"

Wind On The River set his arrows aside and shook his head. "He has vanished again, buck, just like he has every night after sundown since we arrived at our summer camp. No one knows where he goes, for his tipi is dark and silent."

Long Bow glanced across the clearing, and saw that the brightly painted tipi was indeed dark. He sat down across from his friend. "Perhaps he seeks a vision."

"Perhaps." Wind On The River sighed, thinking about the strange light in his cousin's eye of late, and his secretive behavior. "It troubles me, buck . . . for I fear what he seeks has nothing to do with good medicine."

Little Horse of The Buffalo Bull Clan chuckled as he carefully stirred the glowing coals of his home fire. He wore nothing but a clout, his long dark hair falling free down his heavily muscled back. He was a powerful warrior with twenty-six summers behind him, and was wilier than a hungry coyote. He turned to his companion who sat huddled in the corner away from the fire as if he were trying to become a shadow.

"Trying to hide pale one?" He set his stick aside and crawled over to the cowering man. He watched how the young blond haired man trembled and a smile of pure delight bloomed on his full lips. "There is no need to be afraid."

"The welts on my wrists and ankles tell a different story." The young man replied in a small voice. He glanced up, but the extra layer of hides Little Horse had put on the inside of his tipi prevented anyone from seeing in or out, and hid a low fire as well.

Little Horse saw the way he was looking at the walls of the tipi. "No one will come save you Daniel, no one even knows your here." He grinned. "Especially your father."

Anger flashed briefly behind the fear in Daniel's dark blue eyes. His father, Two Wolves, was chief of the tribe, yet his only son was not allowed to join a clan or a society like most other young men. He was instead forced to live as an outcast, forbidden to hunt or own weapons. As the son of the chief, Daniel should have owned many ponies and had a powerful voice at council. It would have been so . . . if his mother had not been white.

The proud defiance on Daniel's face made Little Horse excited. He moved closer to him and reached out, placing a hand on his chest. "I see the fire in your blood pale one, were my words the cause of it?"

"Your words are like what comes out of the back end of a pony." Daniel replied in a soft yet rebellious tone. He was not a warrior in the eyes of his people, but he refused to bend to the twisted will of the older Cheyenne. It had been this way night after long night, ever since Daniel had turned fifteen and had been forced to leave his father's tipi. Most young men lived alone until they took a wife, and Little Horse was no different.

"Such words you speak." Little Horse began to move his hand down the young man's chest. He watched the look of panic appear on Daniel's face. He began to struggle. "Must you fight me every night? It would make things so much easier if you let me do as I wish."

"To let you do as you wish would make me your slave!" Daniel spoke through gritted teeth as they wrestled briefly. As it had been many nights before, he ended up helplessly pinned beneath the older, bigger man, and felt thick rawhide straps bind his wrists. His mind screamed at him to cry out, to end this horrible thing, but Daniel knew his father would be dead before sunrise if he did. Little Horse had promised him that the first night this thing had happened to him, three summers ago.

"Hold still!" Little Horse was out of breath as he finished tying Daniel's hands together. He grabbed a hold of his wrists and lifted them over his head, securing them to the center support pole of his tipi. "There, now you cannot move or put up much of a fight." The older brave was looking his captive up and down, taking in the sight of the younger man's well built body. "You truly are beautiful Daniel."

"You are sicker than a camp dog that has the yellow vomit!" Daniel hissed through his teeth, his eyes wild. He arched his back, trying to free his hands. A part of him knew it was useless to fight back, but another part of him wouldn't let him lie back and give in. As the older man stripped off his clout and his muscular body rose up over him, Daniel felt a strange kind of power enter his body. It was a power borne of fear, rage, and the knowledge that he would rather die this night than live another day as some man's plaything. He planted the soles of his feet firmly on the ground, and bucked his body upwards. He was tall, well over six feet, and although he was thin he wasn't weak. A muted crack echoed off the walls of the tipi, and Little Horse looked up.

"Be still!" Where the last words Little Horse uttered as the pole he had tied Daniel to broke away like a reed in the wind.

The tipi collapsed then, the thick hides falling on the two men. Little Horse cried out, and Daniel had time to realize it had begun to storm. Rain pelted down on the hides like bullets from a Bluecoat's gun. He struggled away from the broken pole, his hands still bound. The smell of smoke filled the small space under the hides, and Daniel realized they had caught fire when they'd landed in the hot coals of the home fire. Smoke filled his nostrils and he coughed hard, trying to fight his way out from under the hides. It was dark and smoky, and Little Horse had begun to scream that his hair was on fire. Kicking and gasping, Daniel found the edge of one of the hides and lifted it up hard. He rolled out from underneath it and into the storm. The ground was soaked and muddy, and thunder boomed overhead. The camp was deserted, the others having gone into their homes to escape the storm.

Daniel stumbled to his feet, his naked body covered in thick layer of mud. He ran, his hands still tied in front of him. As he ran towards the pony herd, the fallen tipi burst into flames, and Little Horse with it. His screams mixed with the thunder and the sound of the rain as Daniel ran for his life.

The pony herd loomed before him and he sought out the bright buckskin coat of Swift, the young mustang who was his father's favorite mount. He grabbed a handful of the horse's thick black mane and swung up onto his back, the driving rain nearly blinding him. He got Swift moving, and the game little stallion never hesitated. He leapt forward into the storm and galloped out onto the plains, tearing up sod under his powerful hooves.

Little Horse's clan will think I murdered him! Daniel thought wildly as they ran against the wind and rain. If the warriors chased and caught him, he would be slowly tortured and killed. That thought made him ride low over Swift's neck, and he closed his eyes tightly.

Please Maiyun, The Great Supernatural! Hear my prayer! Help me! He prayed silently, and then Swift was screaming in pain and fright as a flash of light more blinding than Sister Sun Herself engulfed them. He felt an awful burning pain traveling along the nerves in his body, and then he was falling off of Swift. He fell much longer than he expected, and the last thing he heard was a dull, heavy thud as his body hit the hard earth. After that, there was darkness.

Min rolled onto her back and stretched, the early morning sunlight streaming in through the bedroom window. She opened her eyes and sat up. The farmhouse was quiet, very quiet and that was something she still couldn't get used to despite the fact she had been living back there for the past month.

The young woman had been living in a small two bedroom apartment in Hazzard Square, sharing it with a young woman named Lily. The two of them had been splitting everything right down the middle, but Lily's upcoming marriage to her boyfriend had forced Min to give up her half of the apartment. She was glad for Lily but at the same time it left her with nowhere to live. Bo and Luke had offered to put her up but she had said no, not wanting to interfere with their lives. The only option left was to move back to the farmhouse.

Min threw back the thick white comforter on the bed she once shared with Daisy and got up. Her pale pink robe was hanging on the bed post and she shrugged it on, tying it at her waist. She rubbed her eyes as she put on her slippers and opened her bedroom door. There had been a terrible storm that night and Min wanted to see if the house had survived it. She walked across the living room to the front door and opened it.

The smell of damp earth and wet grass was heavy as Min opened the screen door and stepped out onto the front porch. Everything was wet, the ground itself had been torn up from the heavy rain and there were broken tree branches and leaves scattered everywhere. The front yard was quite a mess and she didn't look forward to having to clean it up.

"Maybe I can con Bo and Luke into doing it for me." She said to herself as she stepped back into the house. She left the wooden door open, allowing the crisp clean air to come into the house.

Min got dressed, putting on a baggy pink t-shirt and baggy black sweats. It was Saturday and this was the day she usually set aside for housework and other chores. The farm had no more animals, but Min still had a garden that she had planted lots of seeds in. She had tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, carrots and a few other vegetables growing in the warm Georgia sun.

Min had another sip of her hot tea as she sat at the kitchen table. She really wasn't in the mood to go mess with her garden. The storm would have taken care of the watering for her. She had decided instead to get her berry basket and go find some wild berries and maybe bake a few pies. She knew Bo and Luke would take care of the front lawn with a sufficient bribe. A few wild berry pies would more than cover it.

The young woman whistled as she swung her wicker basket. It was a pleasant walk across the back forty and into the woods behind the farmhouse. There was a slight breeze blowing and it played with the ends of her long dark hair. The woods were nice, cool and a tad squishy as she carefully stepped over fallen logs and branches that had been knocked to the ground. She was grateful for her hiking boots as she stepped into a few small puddles. She was casually walking, heading for the edge of the woods were the wild berry bushes grew at a certain time every year. They would only be in bloom in June.

Min was getting close to the edge of the woods, this was where the Rainbow Mine was and a few Indian caves that she and the boys often explored. The woods were a little denser here and she had to move a few long branches away from her face as she walked. There was a thicket up ahead and she moved the bushes aside and started to step through them. She came through the vegetation and stopped dead in her tracks.

There was a horse on the other side of the thicket, and Min gave a small gasp of surprise. The horse had a solid black mane, tail, and stocking on its feet. The coat was a light yellow color, it was splattered with mud. The horse's head was hanging down, stomping its front hooves a little. The animal appeared to be shaken up and spooked.  Min set her basket down gently, swallowing hard as she did so.

"Hey there Buttercup." She took a few cautious steps towards it.

The horse did nothing; its head was still hanging low. Min took a few more steps. "It's okay Pretty Baby; no one's going to hurt you." She slowly reached out her hand to touch the black mane. Before the tips of her fingers touched the thick black hair, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned and saw what looked like the form of a man lying in the tall grass nearby.

"Oh my God." Min whispered, and parted the knee-high grass gently with her hands as she took two steps forward. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her first thought was that the man was dead. Surely no one who had lain out in that torrential storm could still be alive. He lay on his back, and there wasn't a stitch of clothes on him. His hands were tied in front of him with what looked like a length of rawhide. His hair was long and matted with mud and leaves.

"Wow." Min said to herself, and put a hand on the man's shoulder. His skin was cold and clammy, and there were odd marks and bruises on his chest and upper body, some of them fresh. He had a handsome face dominated by high cheekbones and full lips, although his skin had a grayish cast to it.

Min looked around, trying to think of a way to get him back to the house. The only answer she could think of was standing right in front of her. She got up and went back over to the horse. She once again reached out, this time gently touching his mane. "Easy now, you're okay. I just need your help." 

The sturdy little buckskin snorted and turned his head towards the motionless man laying nearby. His black-tipped ears pricked forward and he whickered softly as he turned. His head lowered until his nose was touching the man's chest, and he stamped his right foreleg as if the man's stillness bothered him.

"I know, don't worry. He's alive but we need to get him back to my house." She petted his head gently. "Think you can help me?"

The horse tossed his head and nosed the man again, then his front legs folded slowly as he lay down next to his unconscious master. His big dark eyes turned towards Min and he whinnied softly.

Min sighed. "Okay, I'll try, but I don't know if I'm strong enough." The young woman stood over him and rolled him onto his stomach. She put her arms underneath his. She locked her fingers together and used her legs to lift him partially up. She dragged him a little and leaned him across the horse's back. The young man's chest was partially on top of the bright yellow back.

"Come on . .  ." She panted as she rounded the horse's body and pulled as hard as she could at the young man's arms until his belly rested his mount's back with his arms and legs dangling free. It didn't look pretty, but at least he was on the horse's back.

"That's the best I can do." Min said to the horse, and patted his neck. He had no rope or saddle, not even a halter, and Min slipped off her belt. She secured it around the horse's neck and tugged gently. "Come on, boy." To her relief, the horse didn't balk or pull away. He rose with a grunt, forelegs first then hindquarters, and followed Min back to the house. The man on his back hadn't moved at all, and Min couldn't help but wonder if it was too late for him.

Getting the unconscious man into the house was slightly easier, thanks to Uncle Jesse's old wheelchair. For some reason Bo and Luke hadn't gotten rid of it yet, and Min rolled it out onto the porch. After much tugging and pulling, she managed to maneuver the young man into the chair. She paused long enough to secure the buckskin horse in one of the old stalls in the barn, then wheeled the chair back into the house.

There were two vacant rooms now that Bo and Luke lived in town and Jesse had passed on. After a moment's hesitation, she wheeled the young man into Bo and Luke's old room where an old spare bed was being stored. Min put fresh sheets and two blankets on it, and managed to haul the supine stranger into it.

Min got a pan of warm water and a few washcloths. She gently wiped down the young man, mindful of his bruises. She dabbed at them gently, hissing through her teeth at how painful they looked.

"You poor thing, looks like someone used you for a punching bag."

This made her scowl; no one deserved to be treated like that. She finished washing him and carefully covered him with a blanket.

"There, that's much better." She reached out and touched his blond hair, stroking it gently. "Your hair is filthy; let's see what we can do about that."

Min left the room and reappeared with her brush in her hands. She carefully ran it through his hair, brushing out the dirt and the leaves. His hair was very long; it looked like it would go all the way down to his slim waist.

"Beautiful…I wish I had hair like this." It was the color of gold and was thick; despite the tangles and the matting it was soft.  She brushed it out until she could run her fingers through it easily.

Min put the brush down on the nightstand next to the bed and stood looking over him. "I wish I knew what happened to you."  She was looking at his face; she couldn't help but see how handsome he was. "Or what your name is."

It was The Season Of Deep Snows, and Daniel was fighting for breath as Little Horse and his friends dunked him repeatedly in the freezing waters of the Powder River. A million needles of icy pain stabbed at his body, stealing his breath, and it was cold, so cold. The waters of the Powder rushed by him, sounding almost soothing in the midst of this torture . . . sounding, almost, like the voice of a woman. The icy pain washed over him again and he finally found the breath to protest . . .

"Hov'ahne, hov'ahne!"

Min was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand on the young man's chest. He was in the depths of a nightmare and was thrashing in the bed.

"Shhh it's okay. No one's going to hurt you here, you're safe." She reached out with her other hand and stroked his hair. "You're safe and sound here, I promise."

The sound of the English words spilled through the thinning wall of Daniel's sleep, making the dream of Little Horse and his friends crumble and vanish. Daniel swam in nothingness for a few moments, then consciousness swooped down upon him and forced his eyelids open. The first two things he was aware of was that he was still numbingly cold, and the second was that he wasn't alone. A face, its image still fuzzy with sleep and sickness, was leaning over him.

Min saw a pair of dark blue eyes staring at her and she couldn't help but smile. "Hi."

She saw that her houseguest was beginning to shake. "Are you cold?"

She got up and got another blanket and spread it out on top of him, rubbing his arms in an effort to warm him. "I hope this helps." She saw the way he was looking at her. "My name is Min Duke. What's yours?"

The English words sounded strange and garbled to Daniel's confused mind, but something about the woman's tone comforted him. It had been many seasons since he had learned and made the white talk with his mother, who had died of smallpox when Daniel was four. After she had died, his father had forbidden him to speak the white way, for it was just another reason for the other children to exclude him.

The young woman's eyes were kind, though, so Daniel searched his memory and came up with the only word he could remember. "Huh-lo."

Min smiled and nodded her head slowly. "Hello." She cleared her throat. "I'm Min, and you are?"

"Imin?" Daniel questioned as he massaged his freezing fingers. He hoped they weren't damaged.

The young woman shook her head. "Min." She touched her hand to her chest. She saw what he was doing and she reached out and touched his hands. They were cold and she rubbed them between her own.

"Min." He repeated with a nod, then pulled one hand away from her to touch his own chest. "Daniel."

"Daniel." She repeated and smiled as she got a better look at him. His facial features spoke volumes to her. "You look Indian." She shifted her eyes to look into his. "But what tribe?"

The more the young woman spoke, the more it awoke the sleeping language tucked into the back of Daniel's mind. English sounded like it always had to his Cheyenne ears . . . choppy and brisk, nothing like the musical sound of his father's language. He frowned a little and tapped his head with an index finger. "I . . . do not speak . . . good." He said to the woman named Min, and shivered again. His very insides felt coated with frost.

"Still cold?" Min got up and left the room, she came back with the thick comforter from her bed. She folded it in half and put it on top of her guest. "We'll try this to warm you up." She spread the comforter out some and rubbed his arms. "Don't worry about speaking good, we can work on that." She looked at him. "Maybe something warm in your belly will defrost you. Are you hungry?" She touched her fingers to her mouth and rubbed her stomach.

The sign was universal and Daniel raised his right hand to the side of his head and moved his index finger up and down, the Cheyenne sign for yes. The girl frowned, and Daniel searched his hazy memory until he found the right word. "Yes." He said thickly, then repeated the word in Cheyenne. "Aee."

"Aee." Min repeated. "That means yes? Okay." She was sitting on the edge of the bed and crossed her legs. "Well I have some stew with potatoes and carrots and some corn bread to go with it. I hope you like it." She gave his hand a pat. "I'll go warm you up some. I'll be right back."

Daniel watched her go, then took in his surroundings. He was lying in a sleeping pallet that was raised up off the floor and was incredibly soft. The floor beneath him was covered with some kind of strange wooly blanket that stretched from wall to wall. Strange golden idols sat on a shelf up on the wall across from him, and he frowned. He'd never seen such carvings, and thought the white girl must be very rich in the yellow rocks that her people called 'gold.'

He couldn't remember what had happened after he'd run off on his father's pony, but it was obvious enough that the girl had rescued him. Daniel sighed and rubbed his head. He'd escaped one kind of slavery only to fall into the hands of whites.

Min returned with a black and white wooden tray. She had a bowl filled with stew and a plate with two large pieces of cornbread topped with melting butter. There was a glass of milk sitting beside the bowl. "Here, this should warm you up." She set the tray across his lap and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

Daniel looked down at the food and his stomach suddenly came to life, growling like an angry camp dog. The aroma, while not exactly familiar, was delicious all the same. He recognized some kind of bread as well, although the white liquid was a mystery. It's container obviously had medicine, though, for it was almost invisible yet held the liquid inside. Daniel touched it cautiously, his eyes wide, and it felt slick and cool under his fingers.

"It's okay; I'm not trying to poison you or anything Daniel." Min picked up the spoon and tasted the stew. "Ummm it's really good, want to try it?" She dipped the spoon again and held it to his lips. "It's good, have a taste."

Daniel looked up at the young girl, wondering exactly what he'd be trading for the food. Was she the wife of a Black Robe? No, those women were frightened of his people. The wife or the promised one of a Bluecoat soldier? Perhaps, but if that was so, where was her husband? Why was she alone in this place? Finally, Daniel's hunger won out over his fear and he accepted the spoonful of food. She was keeping him warm and fed, and it was obvious to Daniel that she already thought of him as her property.

Min smiled as she fed him another spoonful. "See, it's good." She set the spoon down and took a pinch of the cornbread. "Here try this, it's not as good as my Uncle used to make but its close." She took a small bite of it and offered it to him.

Daniel nibbled the bread, the flavor more recognizable than the meat in the stew. He looked into the girl's eyes as he ate, and it occurred to him that she was an attractive young maiden. Her hair was dark, like the color of a hawk's feather, and her eyes were a deep brown like many of the Cheyenne women he'd known. She was small but not frail, and her smile made a light come into her eyes.

"I knew you'd like it."  Min picked up the glass of milk. "This will help wash down the cornbread." She moved closer to him, her hand slipping under his head and came to rest on the back of his neck. She lifted his head and held the glass to his lips. 

The cold white liquid was thick and incredibly tasty, and reminded Daniel of the milk that The People sometimes took from the udders of freshly killed antelope does. He drank half the glass, and gave the young girl a tentative smile.

Daniel had a very nice smile that only made him more handsome. The way he was looking at Min made her cheeks start to grow warm. She cleared her throat, looking away from him briefly, praying that her face wasn't glowing like a neon sign. "I'm glad you like it." When she felt her face cool down she looked back at him. "Have some more." She pushed the tray a little closer to him.

Daniel finished the stew, bread and milk, and realized that he no longer felt cold. His head ached and he was bruised from his apparent fall from Swift, but other than that he was unhurt. The thought of his father's pony made him gasp aloud, and he looked up at Min anxiously.

"Horse!" He said loudly, making the sign by straddling the index finger of his right hand with the index and middle finger of his left.

Both of Min's eyebrows went up. "Your horse is fine." She nodded. "He's eating hay right now in the barn."

"Eamemeohe." Daniel nodded, making the sign for 'running fast.' "My . . . my father's horse. He is . . . not hurt?"

"No Daniel, he's fine." Min realized she was staring at him and she looked away briefly. "You must be tired, why don't you get some rest?"

I must parlay for my freedom, but I have nothing to offer! Daniel thought, and looked up at Min. "You . . . you must set me free."

The young woman looked at her house guest with wide eyes. "Let you go? Daniel you're not my prisoner."

"You . . . you found me." Daniel looked around the room and gestured at the golden idols. "You are a woman of wealth, yes?"

"I found you yes, but I'm not a wealthy woman Daniel." Min was looking at him straight in the eyes. "I have no hold over you; you can leave right now if you want."

Daniel frowned, wondering why the woman was lying about her wealth. He gestured to the idols again. "Those . . . those are made from the yellow rocks!" He insisted, the English words coming easier the more he heard Min speak them.

Min looked at trophies that were on the shelves on both sides of the room. She stood up and picked one of them up. "These aren't gold Daniel, they may look like it but they're not."

Daniel looked closely at the idol, then shook his head. "I do not understand . . . but I am glad I will be allowed to leave." He sighed and rubbed his aching head, realizing that although he could leave, he had nowhere to go. Little Horse was dead, and The People no doubt thought Daniel had murdered him.

Min put the trophy away and sat back down. "You can leave whenever you want."

She was a little sad by the thought of her new friend leaving. Despite the fact they had just met, she found him fascinating. "I'm all alone here, there's no one else. You're welcome to stay as long as you need to."

"I would put you in danger if I stayed, I think." Daniel replied, then jumped as the screen door banged against its hinges and a male voice shouted Min's name.

Min gasped loudly, she got up fast and looked at Daniel. "It's my brother, just stay here and I'll see what he wants, okay?"

"Min, are you here?" Bo called as he walked towards the hallway, then he heard a door shut and Min stepped into the hall. She gave him a big, nervous smile, and Bo cocked his head. "Hi. What's going on?"

"Nothing, you just scared me. I was in my room and wasn't expecting company." Min took his arm; she turned him around and walked him to the kitchen. "Come on let's get some lemonade."

"It's a little cold for lemonade!" Bo laughed as he glanced out the window. It was late spring, but the storm had brought with it a cold front that had made the temperature drop into the mid fifties.

"Okay, how about some hot cocoa then?" She kept him turned away from the hall, the last thing she wanted was for him to find Daniel.

"I just dropped by to see if there was any damage from the storm." Bo said, and turned to her. "Keep an eye out, I think there's a loose horse nearby. I saw hoof prints in the mud when I came in."

"Oh one probably got lose from the Thompson's place." Min glanced out the front door. "The storm really didn't do much damage. It tore up the front yard pretty good but that's about it." She swallowed hard. "Nothing else really happened."

"Oh, good." Bo smiled, wiping a lock of thick blond hair away from his face. "Sometimes Luke and I worry about you being out here all by yourself." She opened her mouth to protest and Bo held up a hand. "I know you can take care of yourself and all, you're a big girl, but still . . . this house is too big for one person."

Min nodded her head. "Yeah Bo it's a big place but remember I was in that cramped little apartment with Lily for almost 9 months." She looked around the room. "I love having all this space and being here makes me feel safe."

"Lily." Bo grinned, rolling his eyes. "Does Tom know what he's getting into, marrying her?"

"Yeah I think he does." Min smiled at her brother. "Lily's a good person Bo she's just has definite ideas about the way things should be that's all." Her smile faded into a pensive look. "She's lucky to have someone."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Bo chuckled, and hugged Min with one arm. "Don't worry Min, you'll find someone. Hey! How about I fix you up with someone?"

Min narrowed her eyes as she turned to look at her brother. "Oh please...you fix me up? With who? One of those part-time grease monkeys at the shop or perhaps Dobie Dobrough?"

Bo laughed, apparently amused by the idea of his sister dating his old friend Dobie. "I don't think Dobie's your type." He grinned, then clapped his hands together. "Speaking of the shop, I wanted to grab the old trophies I left in me and Luke's room. We're going to put up some shelves in the office." Bo turned and headed for the room he and Luke used to share.

Min grabbed her brother by the arm. "You know Bo, why don't you let me get those trophies for you?"

He looked at her askance. "I'm sure I'm capable, Min." He said as he put his hand on the doorknob.

Min pulled him a little harder away from the door and stood in front of it. "I really insist on getting them Bo." She swallowed hard. "I uh...I've got some girl's stuff all over the bed and I'd be really embarrassed if you saw them."

Bo sighed. "Min, I've been seeing Michelle for over five months now, I think I've seen all the 'girl stuff' there is to see. Now come on, quit fooling around, I have to get back to the garage!" He opened the door, still looking at her, and stepped into the room.

Min went in after him. "Bo, I can explain!" She stepped into the room and looked with huge round eyes at the empty bed.

"Explain what?" Bo asked as he went and collected his trophies. He glanced at the bed and frowned when he saw the tray of empty food. "That's your girl stuff?"

Min looked around wondering where her house guest had gone. "Well I didn't want you to think I kept a messy house." She picked up the tray and started to leave the room. She passed the closet and saw a small section of her comforter sticking out from under the door. She turned around and looked at her brother. "Got all the trophies?"

"I think that's all of them, yeah." Bo left the room and looked curiously at the tray. "I thought you were staying in Daisy's old room."

"Oh I am! I just like to... alternate rooms now and then to you know...have a little variety." Min grabbed her brother's arm and walked him to the door.

Bo stopped her and a slow, knowing grin spread over his face. "Why Miranda Duke! I see what's going on! You had a guy over here, didn't you!"

Min looked back at the room. "Well yeah, you can say that."

"I knew it! Come on, you can tell me. Who is it?"

"Oh...uh... no one special, just a friend. Shouldn't you be getting back to the shop now?"

"Oh this is better than anything that's happening at the shop! Come on Min, I'm your brother! Why can't you tell me who it is you're seeing?"

Min groaned and slapped her hand over her eyes. "Bo please, can we talk about this another time? Maybe on the phone? I really don't want to bore you with details and keep you from your job."

The grin faded from Bo's face and he sighed. "It's someone I wouldn't want you seeing, right? That must be it. Can't think of any other reason for you to keep anything from me." Bo opened the screen door and a rush of cool air blew in. "You know where to reach me, Sis. Take it easy." He walked out to The General and slipped inside, then drove off.

Min sighed as she walked into the kitchen and set the tray down on the table. She hated keeping things from her brother and she rarely did but this was one time she just couldn't be honest with him. She walked back to the boys' bedroom and opened the door.

There was no sign of Daniel, so she opened the closet. He sat there on the floor, shivering and wrapped up in her comforter. She knelt down, and he looked up at her. "I am not sure what was worse, this small room or the thought of your brother seeing me."

Min nodded and stood up, reaching out her hand to him. "Come on; let's get you back in bed."

The words I should go were on his lips, but he knew they were foolish. He had nowhere to go. He let Min lead him back into bed where he lay down with a sigh. Min smiled at him, and Daniel sat up a little. "Min, what is this place?"

The young woman sat down on the edge of the bed. "This place is my Uncle Jesse's farm. He died not too long ago, no one had been living here until I moved back in last month. I was living with my friend but she and her boyfriend are going to get married so I had to leave our apartment."

Her words made little sense, and he shook his head. "Women do not live alone. Where is your husband?"

Min thought about how happy Lily was with Tom and the fact she had no one. Daniel's question only hammered home that fact. "I don't have a husband."

Daniel looked her in the eye. "It seems strange to me that you are not joined with someone. You are young and attractive. Do you not wish to be married to a fine Bluecoat soldier who could buy you many things?"

Min was looking down at the bed; she was tracing her finger over the design on her comforter. "I don't want someone to buy me stuff Daniel." She lifted her eyes to look him in the face. "I want someone in my life that will accept me and love me, and I want to give someone my love in return."

"I understand." Daniel nodded, pushing his long hair away from his face. "And you have found no man to do this for you?" He glanced out the window. "Is your farm far away from a town or a fort, where you do not meet many men?"

"There's plenty of men around here but no one that I'm interested in or have shown any interest in me." Min realized what he had said earlier about Bluecoats and a fort. "Daniel, there are no Bluecoats around here or forts."

"There is a fort only two sleeps away from my father's camp." Daniel argued.

Min shook her head. "There are no forts around here, not for a very long time."

Daniel struggled to sit up a little more. "Woman, have you never traveled from your own home? The soldier fort the Bluecoats call Fort Beaumont is only two sleeps away! Many bluecoats live there!"

"Daniel there hasn't been any forts around here for over a hundred years!"

Daniel's eyes went wide and he wondered briefly if this woman lived alone because she was soft headed. However she hadn't seemed that way before, and it made him afraid. "I am not sure I understand what you mean."

Min sighed and wiped her hands down her face. She saw the confused look on her house guest's face. "Daniel, I don't know what year you're from, but this is the 20th century. The year is 1981! Do you understand what that means?"

"That cannot be!" Daniel shouted, and jumped out of bed. He limped to the window, and what he saw made his heart slam painfully in his chest. The landscape was essentially the same, but there were differences that were hard to ignore. Houses, farms, fences. His hands gripped the windowsill until his knuckles were white. "Great Spirit." He breathed. "Min . . . the night I rode off on my father's pony, the white man's winter-count was 1860."

Min's eyes grew wide as her mind scrambled to do that math. She swallowed hard. "Oh my God..." A genuine person straight out of the past was right there next to her. She gently touched his hand, making sure he was really there. She got up and stood beside him looking out the window. She could see the look of astonishment and horror on his face. She could only imagine what was missing from the landscape that he was staring out into. "Is that what you are looking for out there? Your home?" She put her hand gently on his back.

"You believe me?" Daniel asked, putting his hand to the glass.

Every cell in the young woman's body was yelling at her that this was all nothing but a lie. There was no humanly possible way he could be from the past. But she ignored those feelings, something deep inside her mind and heart told her that this young man was speaking the truth. She gently put her hand on top of his. "Yes...I believe you."

"I am not so sure I believe it myself." Daniel said quietly, and tried to think about the night Little Horse had died. He remembered the tipi bursting into flames and galloping off on Swift, and then . . . nothing. He shook his head. "If it is true, then I am not sure what brought me here."

Min shook her head slowly, she didn't have any answers to give him and she really wished she did. "I don't know Daniel but whatever did had to have a purpose for doing it. You just have to find what it is."

"If you are wrong about that and this is a mistake, then may The Great Spirit have mercy on me." Daniel sighed as he looked out on a world that was no longer his.

Two weeks passed, and Daniel's slight injuries healed quickly. He was reunited with his father's horse, which was now his. The rugged little buckskin was obviously glad to see him, and it relieved Min to see that Daniel still had something familiar to hold onto in this strange new place where he was trapped. Still, it wasn't all terrible. Things like television, cars and airplanes fascinated Daniel, and he asked Min endless questions about all of them. He was tentative but curious, and Min could sense in him a deep intelligence. There was also a sadness about him, something she couldn't place. He sometimes cried out in his sleep but could never tell her why. Min thought that he was perhaps hiding something, and hoped they would grow close enough where he would confide in her. Meanwhile, the weather grew warmer and Min began to consider taking Daniel into town to meet other people. She mentioned this one day as Daniel sat on the bed in his room, staring out the window as he often did.

"Daniel..." Min walked into the room and sat down in front of him on this bed.

"I have ears." Daniel replied, which Min had come to recognize as meaning he was listening.

She smiled at him and touched his hands. "I need you to do me a favor. Will you come into town with me so we can buy some food and maybe you'd like to meet my brother?"

"Town?" Daniel repeated, and looked down at himself. He had been naked the night he'd run off and had no skins, not even a clout. Min had found him a few old shirts of Bo's and a pair of leggings she called 'sweat-pants,' but he missed the soft comfort of buckskin. "I look different from the people who will be in town, yes?"

"Well, maybe a little." Min gave his hands a squeeze. "Please? I really want you to meet Bo."

"When I came here you hid me from him. Why do you want me to meet him now?" Daniel asked as he tugged on a lock of his long blond hair.

Min sighed and nodded a little. "That day was really crazy Daniel and I wasn't ready to explain why a naked man was in my house. But now you're not just some naked man I found. You're my friend and Bo is my brother and I think it's time you met him face to face."

"If he does not approve of me and makes you send me away, where will I go?" Daniel asked softly. It was common knowledge that well bred white women like Min usually had nothing to do with men of mixed blood.

"Daniel, my brother can't make me stop being your friend nor can force me to make you leave."

"The opinions of one's family are strong. Sometimes . . . " A strange, fey look came over Daniel's face and he sighed. "Sometimes the opinion of one person among many other voices is not enough. However, I will go if it pleases you."

Min smiled widely as she gave his hands another squeeze. She wanted to do more than that but she wasn't sure how he would take it. Finally she decided to try it. She reached out and put her arms around Daniel's neck and hugged him. "Thank you, it does mean a lot to me."

Daniel stiffened and jerked backwards at her hold, a Cheyenne word tearing from his throat. He half-turned, his hands coming up to either strike her or hide his face, Min wasn't sure. Then he seemed to come back to himself all at once, his chest heaving as he breathed in short, quick pants. His hands trembled, and he put them behind his back. "I . . . forgive me, Min. You startled me."

The young woman moved away from him. "I'm sorry Daniel I should have asked before I did that. I was just really happy that you're going to come to town with me."

"Happy? Then, that gesture you made with your arms . . . it is meant to display good feelings?"

Min nodded a small smile coming to her lips. "Yes, there are many things we do to show happiness and love, affection."

"To put hands or arms around a person's neck would be a fighting posture among The Cheyenne." Daniel mused.

The young woman laughed loudly. "Oh? That doesn't sound too romantic at all." She realized what she said and her face flushed. "Umm I mean.. well to us it's a gesture of friendship and affection."

"I understand." Daniel nodded, and looked down at his bare feet. "Min, what will I wear for foot covering in town? I have no moccasins and it is raining." He glanced out the window to see fat drops of water spattering against the glass.

Min looked around the room. "Uh... well..." She got up from the bed and opened the closet. There were a couple of pairs of the old boots that her brother had left behind. She picked up two pairs and showed them to Daniel. "These will probably fit you, my brother doesn't have feet, he has skis."

Daniel tried both pairs on with Min's help. One pair was too small, but the other fit well enough. Daniel stood unsteadily and frowned deeply as he took a few steps. "They feel stiffer than year old pemmican!" He complained.

Min looked down at the light tan boots. "Well, let's see what else we have in the closet." She went over to the closet and got down on her knees. She rummaged through it until she found a pair of her brother's tennis shoes. "Aha! These should feel much better."

Daniel sat down on the bed, longing for his own butter-soft doeskin moccasins that fit his feet like a second skin. His father's cousin's Crow slave, Crying Woman, had made them for she knew that Daniel's father had no woman to sew for them. He took the strange looking shoes from Min and pulled them on. They were made from the same strange material as the other shoes, but were a little more comfortable. Some long strings were hanging loose, and he bent down to tie them around his ankles.

"No, here, let me do that." Min untied the shoes and tied the sneakers the correct way. "There, how do they feel?"

"They feel better than the other tall shoes." He admitted, and looked in the mirror hanging nearby. After a moment's hesitation, he turned back to Min. "Min, do you have a strip of rawhide or perhaps a piece of string?"

Min nodded. "Sure, hang on a second." She disappeared from the room and reappeared with a leather string off of one of her old purses. "Will this do?"

"Yes, thank you." Daniel lifted his hair and braided it with such quick and deft movements that it left Min's mouth hanging open. He tied off the braid with the leather string, and turned back to Min. "I suppose I am ready."

Min smiled and reached down; she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry it'll be all right, you just have to trust me."

Daniel nodded and glanced down at her hand, wondering if that was one of the ways that whites expressed affection. A part of him deep inside secretly hoped that it was.

Min took Daniel with her to Rhuebottom's General Store. She was low on food and decided to get it from there. The store was busy as always and she tried very hard to ignore the stares and whispers. She had a good hold on Daniel's hand as the two of them walked up and down the aisles picking up the items she needed. She finally let it go when it was time to pay. She put her filled basket up on the counter and smiled at the older gentleman behind it. "Good Afternoon Mr. Rhuebottom."

"Hi there, Min!" Mr. Rhuebottom smiled. The Duke family had been customers of his for a long long while, and he doted on every single one of them. "Say, how's that pretty cousin of yours making out up there in California?" He asked as he rang up her purchases.

The young woman smiled widely. "Mrs. Enos Strait is doing just fine. Her shop is really getting off the ground and so far has been pretty successful."

"She always did have an eye for pretty dresses and things." The old gentleman replied, and gave her a warm smile. "I always knew that she'd end up with Enos one of these days!"

Min nodded. "Yes sir, we all knew it would only be a matter of time." She looked beside her. "Mr. Rhuebottom this is a good friend of mine, Daniel Painted Horse." She smiled at the young man. "This is a dear old friend of the family Daniel."

"Pleased to meet you!" Mr. Rhuebottom smiled, and stuck his hand out. Daniel had seen enough white traders come through his father's camp to know that they shook hands as a greeting. He shook the man's hand, feeling awkward. "Greetings." He offered, feeling the stares of the other people in the store on him.

Min's small hand once again found his; she curled her fingers around it. "How much do I owe you Mr. Rhuebottom?"

"That'll be . . . " The shop keep adjusted his glasses. "Thirty-seven fifty." He smiled, and looked up at Daniel. The young man looked to be about nineteen or twenty, and Mr. Rhuebottom reflected that he had never in his life seen such a tall individual. Min's brother Bo was about the tallest in town, but this boy looked as though he had Bo beaten by at least two inches or so. The older man smiled. "So, Daniel! Do you play basketball?"

"Basket-ball?" Daniel repeated, and glanced at Min unsurely. He didn't want to insult anyone by saying the wrong thing.

Min grinned. "Oh he loves to watch it Mr. Rhuebottom but that's all. Daniel is into horses; he's very good at caring for them and knows a lot about them."

"Horses, huh? Well, Hazzard is a great place to think about starting a farm. You know, Min, back when your Uncle Jesse was still a young man, he had a couple of fine looking bay mares! He and Martha, God rest her soul, used to go out riding sometimes on a Sunday. Yep . . ." The man sighed, and scratched his head. "Town lost something special when that man passed on." He bagged Min's groceries and blinked, as if coming back to himself. "Well! There you are young lady. Tell Bo and Luke I said hello, won't you?"

"Yes sir, I surely will. We're going to go see them right now." Min picked up one bag and Daniel picked up the other. "See you later Mr. Rhuebottom." She gave the older man a wave as she and Daniel left the store.

"Was your uncle a man of great importance?" Daniel asked as they loaded the groceries into the back of Min's car.

"You can say that." She closed the trunk and sighed. "Uncle Jesse was well known and loved by everyone in town."

Daniel thought of his own uncle, the fierce war chief Scalp Taker. "I have an uncle. He is well known and respected by The People and our enemies alike." Daniel paused as he thought of how ashamed his uncle was that his own brother had lain with a white woman and had allowed a half breed son to live among them.

"Jesse took care of all of us like we were his own. I wish you could have met him." They walked up the street and crossed it. Bo and Luke's shop was next door to the Courthouse.

"He sounds like he was a good man." Daniel agreed, and looked up at the building where Min was headed. Many of the buildings had signs over them, but although Daniel could speak English, he couldn't read it. People walked up and down the sidewalks and went in and out of buildings. Something occurred to Daniel and he turned to Min. "People do not carry weapons in this time?"

"Not really Daniel, most of the people that live here in Hazzard are honest country folk that only want to raise their crops and their kids and live in peace."

Daniel looked around at the buildings and businesses as he thought of his father's people. "It was the same for the Cheyenne." He sighed, and looked away. "All of this used to belong to The People. Now it belongs to the whites, and after years of fighting and the bloody slaughter of many Indians, they wish to live in peace." Daniel shook his head. "I will never understand it."

Min stopped walking and looked at him. "You're not the only one who doesn't understand Daniel."

"I know that not all whites are like the Bluecoat soldiers, Min. I meant no insult." He assured her, and looked up at the building that stood before them. There was lots of noise coming from inside. Shouts and the clanging of metal and those strange mechanical noises Daniel had come to associate with cars.

"Well here we are." Min took Daniel's hand as she walked him through the open bay doors. She looked around the cars for any familiar body parts that belonged to either Bo or Luke. There were at least 4 cars with legs sticking out from under them. "Hello?"

Dobie Dobrough looked up from under the hood of his old Challenger at the sound of Min's voice, and his eyes grew round. "Well I'll be a two-headed mule!" He exclaimed, and nudged his friend Pete who stood nearby. "Hey Pete, looky there at what Min Duke's caught herself." He chuckled. Pete looked up and exclaimed loudly, pushing his grease smeared baseball cap back. "Shoot-fire, look at the size of that boy!" He tossed his tools aside. "Come on. She's headin' over to the office, I don't want to miss this."

Min saw the open door and peeked her head in as she knocked. "Bo? Luke?"

"Hey Min!" Luke smiled at her from behind the ancient office desk. He had a stack of papers and an adding machine in front of him. "Come on in!" The phone rang then, and he picked it up as he waved them into the office. "Hello? Oh, hey. What? Next week? But we need those parts by Thursday at the latest!" Luke turned away slightly, running his free hand through his dark hair.

Min and Daniel both walked into the office and stood in front of the desk. Luke was in jeans and a white button down shirt. She sighed and waited patiently for him to hang up.

"Uh huh . . . uh huh." Luke leaned back in the chair. "Okay then. Do the best you can. I appreciate it, Bill. Take 'er easy." Luke hung up the phone and jotted some notes down on the desk calendar that also served as a blotter. "Damn wholesalers, can't get a thing here on time." He mumbled, then threw his pen down. He glanced up at Min and started to smile. "Hey cousin, what's-" He stopped short when he saw Min standing there, holding hands with a towering blond. He blinked, and was momentarily speechless. Min smiled at him, and Luke managed to smile back. "What's, uh . . . going on?" He asked.

"Oh not much Lukas, we were shopping at Rhuebottom's and decided to come see you. Mr. Rhuebottom sends his greetings." She grinned at the look on her cousin's face. "Luke Duke I want you to meet my friend, Daniel Painted Horse." She turned towards Daniel. "Daniel this is my cousin Luke."

Daniel stuck his right hand out, feeling a bit more at ease with a man closer to his own age. Luke took Daniel's hand and shook, feeling as if Min's new friend could probably use that hand to crack open a chestnut without even trying. "Pleased to meet you." He smiled, but Daniel didn't smile back. He only nodded. "Greetings, Luke." 

"So where is Bo Luke? I want him to meet Daniel too but I didn't see the General out in the yard. Can you give him a call on the CB and get him to high tail it over here?"

"He's here. The . . . " Luke found he couldn't take his eyes off his cousin's friend. He'd never seen such an odd looking fellow, especially in Hazzard. He noticed a lot of the guys who had come in with their cars had gathered in a small crowd outside the office and were staring as well. "The, uh . . . The General was a little sluggish last night so Bo's out back with him, cleaning the fuel injectors."

Min turned around and shot the peeping men a look, she raised an eyebrow. "Something I can help you with Gentlemen?"

The men instantly looked elsewhere, and even Dobie blushed. "Uh, no . . . we just wanted to say hey is all."

The young woman only nodded. "Oh I see... well you said hey didn't you?" She fluttered her eyelashes at them.

Daniel sensed the growing tension and knew that he was the cause of it. It was normal for the white men to be curious, of course, but he didn't want Min to have to defend him to anyone. He stepped up beside her and spoke quietly. "It's all right, Min. They are just curious about me."

Min nodded her head and narrowed her eyes at the snooping men as she once more took a hold of Daniel's hand. "We're going to go talk to Bo."

"I ain't seen hair like that since my last Playboy came in the mail." Pete snickered, and the other men guffawed as well. They stood there laughing until Luke stepped out of his office with an angry gleam in his blue eyes and reminded them they were being charged by the hour for their tools and space. The group scattered, and Luke gave them another warning glare before stepping back into his office.

"One o clock that truck is rockin two is comin' ain't no stoppin' break and check the clock at three, right on where they wanna be . . . " Garth Brooks wailed on the radio as Bo bent nearly waist deep into the General's engine. His shirt was off despite the light rain, and drops of it gleamed in his blond hair. He sang along with the radio, his hips jerking from side to side with the fast tempo tune.  "Ain't goin' down till the sun comes up, ain't givin' in till they get enough! Goin' round the world in a pickup truuuuuuuuuuck . . . " Bo whipped around, whaling on an imaginary guitar . . . and came face to face with his grinning sister.

"Hello Garth, can I have your autograph?" Min grinned widely at her brother's sudden cherry red face.

"Get in line." Bo grinned, and reached up to turn down the radio. "So! What are you doing down here? I told you that those custom rims you ordered for Darlin' won't be in till next week."

"I'm not here on business Bo, I'm here to answer the question you asked me a couple of weeks ago about the man that was in my house." Min looked beside her only to see that Daniel wasn't there. "I think..."

"One of those imaginary men, huh?" Bo chuckled, then gasped aloud as he realized he'd left the dogs out to roam around while he was working. The two big Shepards, Rip and Shredd, were devoted only to Bo, and would run off or bite anyone else who came in the back lot. "Oh no." He groaned, and whistled for the dogs.

Min swallowed hard and looked around. "Um... these dogs of yours, they don't have a craving for flesh do they?"

"They took a chunk out of Dobie's rear end last week, but that's because he climbed the fence. Rip! Shredd! Come!" Bo called, and headed for the chain link fence that sectioned off the back lot. "I just hope they didn't bite your . . . " Bo blinked as he rounded the corner and stopped dead at what he saw. "Friend . . . "

A tall blond man was squatting on the ground near the fence, and Bo's two dogs sat facing him. The dogs weren't barking, or even growling. They just stared at him, their heads cocked, and the man was smiling as he whispered to them and made odd hand gestures. Bo scratched his head. "Uh . . . is that yours?" He asked his sister.

Min's eyes were wide as she saw the two normally vicious dogs sitting there calmly. "Yeah, that's who I was talking about." She swallowed hard, not knowing if it was safe for her to approach. "Daniel?"

Daniel looked up at them, a pleased expression on his face. "Homaste ipewa, these are fine dogs!" He exclaimed, and held his hands out palms down with his fingers curled in. The dogs stood and walked into his hands, their tails wagging. Daniel scratched their ears and backs, and Bo glanced at his sister. "Those dogs won't even let Luke pet them!" He laughed, and went over to where Daniel knelt. He hauled the dogs away and put them back in the run, then returned with his shirt. He pulled it on and looked at Daniel. "Let me guess . . . K-9 cop . . . no! Vet?"

Min smiled and shook her head. "No Bo he's not a Vet, he's into horses." She held out her hand offering to pull him up. He took it and she hauled him to his feet, still holding his hand. "Daniel Painted Horse, meet Bo Duke my brother."

"Nice to meet you." Bo said a little faintly, realizing he was looking up at Min's friend. He was used to being taller than most other people, and it was a strange sensation.

"Greetings." Daniel nodded, and craned his neck to where the dogs stood in their run. They were still wagging their tails. "If you ever breed those animals, I will trade you something for a pup." He offered, and Bo looked at his sister curiously.

"Or we can buy one from you Bo, whichever." She tried not to pay much mind to the look on her brother's face. "Luke told us about the General running sluggish so we better let you get back to work Bo. I just wanted you to meet Daniel."

"Are you . . . both staying at the farm?" Bo asked, and Daniel nodded. Min saw her brother's lips tighten in disapproval and she sighed.

"That really isn't any of your business now is it Big Brother?" She shook her head. "But if you insist on knowing Daniel has nowhere to go right now. He lost his place so I'm letting him stay in your old room."

"I didn't say a word!" Bo protested as they walked back around front to where Darlin' was parked. He saw Dobie standing near the bay doors staring at Min, and smiled a little. "Looks like some of the guys are jealous of your, uh . . . friend." He laughed.

"Well, they'll just have to get over it, won't they?" She opened the driver side door and got in.

"Oh, quit being such a shrew, I was just saying!" Bo laughed, and made room for Daniel as he passed by to get into the car. "Nice to meet you." He called, and Daniel nodded back. "And you as well."

Min started up the engine, waved and they drove off. Bo stood there and watched them go, and Dobie came up to him.

"Now just what the hell do you make of that, Bo?" He asked, and Bo shook his head. "I'm not sure, but . . . well, I know my sister, and by the way she was looking at that big boy?" He clapped Dobie on the back. "Looks like your plumb out of luck, buddy roe."

Late spring gave way to summer, and one morning Min awoke to the scent of blooming honeysuckle and roses that grew outside her window. She smiled as she sat up and stretched, her thoughts on a good old fashioned Sunday breakfast. Daniel had grown to like the taste of chicken eggs and bacon, although he'd told her he missed the taste of buffalo meat. Shrugging on her robe, Min padded down the hall and into the kitchen. Daniel was nowhere in sight, and the door to his room was still closed. She went back down the hall and knocked.

"Daniel? Are you in there?"

There was a rustling sound and quick, purposeful steps, and Daniel opened the door. He wore a robe that Min had bought him in town, and his long hair was rumpled. "Good morning, Min." He greeted her, then stepped aside in case she wanted to come in.

"Morning." She played with the tie on her robe as she walked into the room. "I didn't wake you up did I?" She sat down on the edge of the bed.

"No. I wake every morning at dawn to pray." He replied, pulling the robe a little tighter around himself. She had caught him off guard, and he no doubt looked it. "Do you need help with making the morning meal?"

Min shrugged as she played with the blanket on the bed. "Sure you can help." She stood up and started to leave the room. "Come on."

"I will be there in a moment." He replied as she left the room. The door shut halfway, and Daniel untied his robe. It slipped off his broad shoulders, and he stood there in his new white briefs. As he turned away from the door to reach for a shirt, Min poked her head inside the room.

"Daniel do you want sausage or bac-" She saw his uncovered body and the 6 prominent criss crosses on the skin of his back made her gasp loudly.

Daniel whirled around, his dark blue eyes wide and surprised. He bent down to pick up the robe and held it close to his body, and it seemed to Min that he seemed to actually shrink as he backed away from her. "Hoonotse, hoonotse!" He shouted, and his gestures left no doubt as to the meaning of the word.

Min started to close the door as he'd ordered, but something made her hesitate. She just couldn't walk away after what she'd seen.

Min shook her head as she opened the door all the way and walked into the room. "No...I can't." She stood there simply looking at him.

"Get out!" Daniel shouted, and cursed aloud in Cheyenne as his back bumped into the wall behind him. He was out of room. "I do not come and stare at you while you try to dress!"

The pain in Daniel's eyes was very clear to the young woman. She was shaking her head as she slowly approached him. "I'm not going to leave you like this Daniel. You're hurting, I can see that." She was getting closer and closer to him with every step she took.

"I am not hurting!" He scowled at her. "And it is not right for you to be here while I am not dressed!"

"I don't care if you're dressed or not. I want to know what happened to your back." Min was standing directly in front of him.

"You have no right to question me about personal things." Daniel said through gritted teeth as he looked away from her. Shame washed over him like a spring flood in the mountains.

"I think I do have a right." She reached out and gently touched his chin, turning his face towards her. "I'm your friend Daniel and friends trust each other."

I do not want you to be my friend. I want you to be my woman. The thought raced through Daniel's mind as it often had in the weeks past. Of course it was foolish . . . he wasn't a warrior, and he had nothing to offer her. Women wanted warmth and protection and children . . . Daniel could give her none of these things. Great Spirit, he could not even tell her why. He shook his head. "I trust you, Min, but I do not think you will understand."

Min shook her head, her face growing sad. "Someone beat you didn't they? They beat you with a whip right?" She recalled how he was when she first found him, his hands were tied, possibly by the same person that had beat him. Obviously his escape had prevented him from suffering more at the hands of this person. Her eyes grew wet. "They did that to you because of who you are, right?"

"I cannot discuss it with you!" Daniel snapped, deeply ashamed that she'd seen the marks of his dishonor. "It is simply the way things are done among The People." He sighed heavily, realizing that the laws and ways of The Cheyenne were hundreds of years in the past now.

Min wiped her face, her cheeks were wet with tears. "The way of The People? To be cruel to you and to beat you bloody with a whip? You're right, I don't understand!" She turned her back to him; the tears were flowing freely from her eyes.

"Min . . . " He wanted to reach out to her, to touch her. He couldn't. "It was not an act of cruelty. I deserve to wear the marks. I deserve them because my father's people could not make me a warrior." He forced the words out.

Min turned back around. "You don't deserve them Daniel." She hung her head, looking down at the floor.

"It is hard to explain the ways of The Cheyenne to those who are not Cheyenne." Daniel said simply, touched by her tears but confused by them at the same time. No one had ever shed tears over the likes of him.

Min nodded, wiping her face. "I guess then I'll never understand your people." She lifted her head. "No one deserves to be beaten like that; I don't care why they did it."

Daniel smiled a little. "No one has ever cried for the marks on my back before." He admitted, and another tear formed in Min's left eye and dangled from her eyelash like a drop of rain. Carefully, Daniel reached out and wiped it away with his fingertips.

Min was staring into his eyes; they looked like two dark star sapphires. They were a dark blue in color and she could see light emanating through them; like the rare gem she had once seen in an Atlanta museum as a child. She swallowed hard realizing for the first time now much she truly cared for him. "I can't help it, I'm sorry. It always upset me when..." She stopped what she was saying.

"When what?" Daniel asked, and sat down on the bed.

The young woman shook her head. "When..." She sighed. "It's nothing, just being silly I guess."

"If you told me this thing, I would not laugh at you." Daniel replied, and Min smiled. His voice was lilting and euphonic, as if his words were set to some inner music that only he could hear.

Min sat down on the bed, turning sideways to look at him. "When someone I care about is treated like that."

Daniel's heart seemed to pause at her words. She cared about him, and the thought of it caused him joy and sadness at the same time. Joy because he cared for her too, sadness because he could never be the man she needed. "It happened before I knew you, Min, and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it if you had been there."

The young woman narrowed her eyes. "Ha! I probably would have gotten in a lot of trouble or worse marks then yours if I had been part of your time. Who would want a wife that speaks her mind freely and had a really big mouth?"

Daniel gazed hard at her lips, but her mouth seemed no bigger than anyone else that he had met so far since he'd been here. "No. The People do not beat their women. If we did, who would bear our children and continue the bloodline?"

Min shrugged, looking down at the blanket. "No one would have wanted me to do either of those things Daniel."

"Perhaps . . . perhaps it would have taken a certain kind of man to look inside you, and to see how good your heart is." Daniel said carefully, and reached out to gently touch her hand.

Min looked down at the hand that was touching hers. She turned it over and curled her fingers around it. Her heart was racing within her chest. "Daniel...I want to show you another sign of affection. Remember how we talked about hugging?"

"Aee, yes." He replied, combining the word with the nod he had seen Min use more than once.

Min leaned forward, closing her eyes. She pressed her lips to the soft skin of his cheek.

Daniel's eyes widened at the contact and he pulled away slightly to blink at her. "You . . . you put your lips on me." He said with a kind of wonderment, and touched the place she'd kissed with his fingers.

This made the young woman smile. "Yes I did, it's called a kiss."

"Kiss." Daniel repeated, his eyes never leaving Min's face. He leaned forward then and brushed his lips against her cheek, then her forehead.

Min closed her eyes briefly; the touch of his lips on her face was gentle but powerful. Her legs suddenly felt as if they weren't there anymore. She swallowed hard as she put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his.

"Mmmph!" Daniel exclaimed in surprise, then gasped as his body was suddenly flooded with feelings he didn't understand. His heart began to race, and blood pounded in his head like a buffalo stampede. It was a strange thing, this kiss, but yet it was also a powerful thing that stole his senses.

Min's face was a little pink as she pulled away from him. "I better go get breakfast started." She stood up on shaky legs. "If you still want to help, I'd appreciate it."

A blush rose to Daniel's face. "I will be there in a moment." He said quietly, and Min nodded as she left the room. Daniel watched her go, then sat there until he got control of his body again. As pots and pans rattled in the kitchen, Daniel dressed slowly and prayed for The Great Spirit to give him the courage to tell Min about his past. He wanted her and needed her . . . but the memory of a grinning, pockmarked face stood in the way.

The weeks that followed were a strange, thundery time for Min. She could hardly think of anything but Daniel . . . his touch, his voice, the smile in his eyes when he looked at her. She was sure he cared for her, but since that day they had kissed he had become quiet and almost shy around her. Not wanting to force the issue, Min could do nothing but wait. Sometimes at night she could hear him cry out in his sleep, and knew that his hesitancy concerning their relationship had something to do with those dreams. Since he couldn't or wouldn't confide in her about it, she grew more and more frustrated as time wore on.

One morning, Min arose early and left to go to the market on her own. Daniel had vanished almost before dawn on Swift, and a part of Min wondered if he'd even return. Sullen and blue, she drove into town in the cool of the morning.

Min parked her mustang beside Rhuebottom's. The sidewalk was crowded with people she usually smiled at and greeted but not today; she wasn't in the mood for chit chat. She put her purse on her shoulder and walked into the store. She picked up a basket and began walking up and down the aisles.

"Good morning, Min!" A sugary voice said behind her, and Min turned to see Susie Dobrough standing there. Susie was whip-thin and tall with squinty brown eyes and a gossipy nature. Min had seen her at the garage a lot with her brother Dobie, but since Bo had started seeing Michelle steadily, the young girl had snubbed them both. Now she was smiling at Min with those squinty mean eyes. "How've you been? I haven't seen you around town much these days!"

Min inwardly cringed, Susie's voice sounding much like a cat trapped in a microwave oven. She really didn't want to talk to Susie but she had little choice. "I've been busy, Cooter being County Commissioner and all, we do a lot to keep this town running."

"Yes . . . it must be hard, being so all-fired important all the time." Susie sighed, then lifted her left hand. "See my ring? I'm engaged to Bobbie Spencer! We're havin' a July wedding. We might even rent the town's gazebo. Won't that be exciting?" She giggled, and ran her fingers through her short black hair. "Y'all are invited, of course . . . .unless you have some other town business to attend to." Her gaze turned sharp suddenly, and a slow smile spread across her face. "Being Cooter's secretary must keep you busy, seein' as how you haven't settled down with a man yet."

Min could feel her heart breaking into a thousand pieces at those words. It was just another painful reminder of the fact that she was in love with a man that didn't feel the same way about her. She had to get out of there before Susie got a whole eyeful of gossip to spread around town. "Yeah, I have to go now Susie, see you later." She turned around and quickly walked up the aisle.

"Bye now!" Susie called, and giggled to herself. It served that uppity Min Duke right, acting as if she and her family ran the entire town! Humming to herself, she turned in other direction and continued her shopping.

"A dozen ears of corn, a jar of mayonnaise, four cans of tuna . . ." Bo read the shopping list aloud as he climbed the steps to Rhuebottom's. With the garage so busy that he was unable to get away, Luke had sent Bo down to get some groceries for the apartment. Bo was glad to do it, sometimes the place got a little too crowded.

"A six pack of beer-just a six pack? Make that two." He grinned to himself, and opened the door to the general store. Someone ran into him hard, and he stumbled back a few steps. "Scuse me!" He apologized almost without thinking, thanks to Jesse's firm upbringing.

"I'm sorry." Min had her hand against her face, shielding it from whomever it was she ran into. She didn't want anyone to see how upset she was.

"That's-" Bo looked down and then his eyes widened when he saw his sister. "Hey, Min!" He laughed, then frowned when he saw she was crying, or damn close to it. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Min closed her eyes briefly. "It's... it's nothing Bo really, I'm fine." She started to leave, wanting very much to get out of there.

"You sure don't look fine." Bo said as he caught her arm gently. "What happened?" He frowned angrily. "Is it Daniel? Did he say or do something to hurt you?"

Min looked around, feeling as though every eye in town was on her. "Not here, I don't want to talk about it here."

"Fine." Bo dragged her outside, then into the alley between Rhuebottom's and the hardware store. "Now, you tell me what he did to hurt you Min, and I'll see to it that he eats his next four or five meals through a tube!" Bo raised one big fist to show his sister his intentions.

Min shook her head, bringing her brother's meaty hand down. "No you aren't going to touch him." She wiped her hand across her forehead, looking down at the ground. "Susie Dobrough showed me her ring and started bragging about being engaged to Bobbie Spencer. She was asking me when I'm going to settle down and all that."

"Oh." Bo replied, furrowing his brow. "Are you sure that's all it is? Seems to me that you usually wouldn't let the likes of Ol' Foghorn Dobrough get the best of you like this. Besides, it's not like you're an old maid! You and Daniel are dating, right?"

A fresh batch of tears was the answer to Bo's question. "I don't know what we are!" Min leaned forward leaning her head against her brother's chest.

Bo put his arms around her, hating to see a person as strong as his sister break down like this. "Hey . . . hey, it's okay! It's all right." He lifted Min's chin with one long finger. "What do you mean; you don't know what you are? I've seen you hold hands; I've also seen the way he looks at you. Believe me, a man who looks at a woman like he looks at you isn't interested in being her pal, know what I mean?"

Min sniffled as she wiped her face. "That's what I thought too and we even kissed but that's all. It's like he's scared of me or something." She looked at her brother. "I'm just so frustrated!"

"Well . . .I like Daniel, but he's definitely a different sort of guy. You told me he practices Indian religion and culture, right? Maybe that's got something to do with it."

"Maybe, this wouldn't be so hard if I didn't..." The words stopped on her tongue as she looked at her brother. "Never mind."

"If you didn't what?" Bo scowled, having heard this many times before. "Min, I've told you before, your powers make you special, not different, and they don't have anything to do with this! I bet Daniel would tell you the same thing!"

Min wiped her hand down her face in frustration. "This has nothing to do with my powers Bo!"

Bo thought back to the night when he turned his back on Michelle out of duty to his family, and realized that Min had the same look on her face now as Michelle had that night when he'd driven away and left her alone in front of her apartment house. "Min . . . if you love him, maybe you should let him know."

The young woman shook her head and sighed. "I do Bo, I really do but how can I tell him that? Right now not knowing is hard. If I find out he doesn't feel the same, it'll destroy me."

"You're really hung up on him, aren't you?" Bo sighed, and patted her shoulders with affection. "Well, Uncle Jesse used to say that it's better to jump in the pond and get wet, no matter how cold the water is. Talk to him, Min. Maybe he's just shy."

Min nodded her head as she hugged her brother around his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'll give it a try."

"Good!" Bo gave her one of his sunny grins. "Besides, I wouldn't be too envious of Susie Dobrough being engaged. Bobbie Spencer has three teeth and lives in a one room trailer with his momma and three huge hound dogs."

Min started laughing a little, she truly loved her brother for making her feel better. "Oh the lucky woman." She gave her brother a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now get on out of here and let me do my shopping!" Bo grinned and gave her a swat as he headed back to Rhuebottom's.

Min headed back to the farm after buying her groceries, her heart feeling a bit lighter. She rehearsed in her mind what she would say to Daniel, and was determined to make him see that she cared for him. However, when she arrived home, Daniel was nowhere in sight. Swift was gone as well, and Min bit her lip in despair as she started to unpack the groceries. It was nearly two p.m., and she tried desperately to convince herself that he would return.

Afternoon became evening, and it began to rain. Min sat in her room, tears running unchecked down her face as she watched rain fall against the window. Daniel hadn't returned, and it was apparent now that he had decided to move on.

"He's gone Min; you were mean and cold to him and ran him off. He's never going to come back." She sat on the edge of the large window. She drew her legs up and hugged them. She touched her forehead to her knees and began to sob. The love of her life was never coming back and she knew she was the cause of it.

The thunder and lightning moved off, but the gentle rains remained. Min opened her window to let the cool breeze in, the air drying her tears. Somewhere nearby a bird called, and it made Min pause. It was well after dark, and no birds sang after sunset. She listened, and then heard it again. A soft trill, then another, and another . . . until they blended together and made a song.

A soft yet hauntingly beautiful melody began to play, it drifted in the air through the open window. Min smiled, it was gentle and stirring. She looked around, wondering where it was coming from, then her heart seemed to stop as she glanced out the window. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked again, but the sight didn't go away.

Daniel was sitting in the grass under her window, his broad shoulders wrapped in a thick woolen blanket. His hair was loose and decorated with a single feather. He held a small wooden pipe to his lips, and the music he made drifted up to Min's window like joyful butterflies. Swift stood next to Daniel, contentedly munching grass as his master played the flute for the beautiful woman standing at her window above.

Min smiled, covering her mouth with her hands as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. These weren't tears of sadness; they were of joy inspired by the enchanting music. Min got up from the window and ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

Daniel's heart swelled with happiness as Min came out the front door and ran to him, and he lowered the pipe. She stared at him, her eyes glowing, and he adjusted his trade blanket carefully so that it fell over one shoulder. The rain was moving off and it had gotten warm. "I hoped that my music would bring you to me." He said softly.

Min didn't know what to say no one had ever done something so sweet or beautiful for her. She swallowed hard, a thousand feelings were racing through her and she couldn't lend a voice to a single one. She saw his bare shoulder; she reached out and gently laid her hand on it.

A smile touched Daniel's eyes. "When a young man in my village wants to show his love for a maiden, he plays the flute for her. I spent the day at the caves you showed me in the woods, carving this flute . . . so that I could come back here, and show my love for you." Daniel reached behind him and pulled the blanket forward so it covered both of them. "Min, my heart is full of good feelings for you, but there are things you must know before we can be together."

Min nodded, her heart was beating so hard she thought for sure Daniel could hear it. "I understand but no matter what you tell me, it won't change how I feel." She looked down at the ground briefly. "There's something I have to tell you too."

"Then we should talk, I think." Daniel swung up onto Swift's back, then lent Min a hand as well, pulling her up behind him. They rode down to the pond together, where Daniel dismounted and spread his blanket on the ground for them to sit on. Min slid off the little buckskin and sat beside him, and he picked up her hand. "Min, I want to court you, but I do not know if it is possible."

Min reached out and gently laid her hand against his cheek. "It's possible Daniel as long as we are honest with each other." She glided her hand down his face. "I love you, and as long as we have that there isn't anything we can't do."

"You . . . you love me?" Daniel asked in a near whisper, then turned his head away. He was quiet for several minutes, then spoke without turning around. "No one has ever spoken those words to me before."

Min creased her brow. Had she said the wrong thing? She touched his hair gently. "I mean it Daniel."

"I know you mean what you say, but there are things I must tell you." He said, and took a deep breath. "Min, my mother was a white captive that my father took from a wagon train two years before I was born. My father is . . . was, chief. She was white, but he loved her. When I was born, the elders of our tribe told my father that I must be put to death, for to let one of mixed blood live among them was bad medicine. My father refused, and my life was spared. My mother died when I was four, and after that my father tried everyday to make others in our band accept me."

His words painted a disturbing image and she put her hand on his shoulder. "But they didn't did they?"

"No." He replied quietly, staring out at the water. "As much as my father tried, he could not make anyone see the Cheyenne in me. There were a few boys in the beginning that seemed willing to play with me, but were soon discouraged or forbidden by their fathers. All they could see was my yellow hair and white man's eyes."

Min nodded her head slowly. "I know how it feels to be rejected, Daniel. I know how much it hurts."

"Perhaps by a group or a circle of friends." He replied, not looking at her. "It was especially difficult for me, Min, because I was turned away by my own people. I suppose I could have left and found a white town, but there is enough Cheyenne in me that they would have driven me away as well. I stayed because I had nowhere else to go." He pulled the blanket around him suddenly, as if chilled. "I stayed with my father, who loved me but did not dare show it. He made sure I had enough to eat, and was warm in the winter. Then came my fourteenth winter when I was forced to leave my father's tipi."

"Why were you forced to leave?" Min asked, and Daniel's mouth set into a grim line, as if his next words were hard to say.

"It happens to all of us. Girls turn into women and are able to bear children, and boys turn into men and become fathers. After that change, no young man may stay in his parent's home.  My father supplied me with hides to make my own tipi." He sighed and hung his head, the memories as sharp as if these things had happened only the day before. "It is also the time when young men may begin to prove themselves and become warriors. Thanks to my father, I was also given that chance . . . but I failed."

Min realized what he meant as she recalled the marks on his back. "That's when they whipped you, isn't it?"

"I failed to seek a vision, or bring back any meat from my first hunt. The leader of our war society told my father that there was too much white blood in me, that I could never be a warrior. The women in our tribe began to say that I was bad medicine and that my white blood would begin to curse the entire tribe. The Bullwhips saw only one other solution . . . they would beat that white blood out of me." He shook his head sadly. "It is a strange thing, Min. My looks mark me at first glance as a white man, but what is inside me drives me to live like my father's people. I could never live the way you and your family do."

"Why would they think that whipping you would get rid of your white blood? It's part of who you are, Daniel, and no amount of beatings would change that." Min said angrily, then looked up at him. "If you can't live the way I do, does that mean you aren't going to stay with me?"

Daniel smiled gently and touched her face. "Min, I have come to realize over the past few suns that I could no more live without you than I could live without breathing. I will find a way to live among you. After all, even if I could return to my father's people, they would put arrows into my heart before I even reached his tipi."

Min touched the hand that was stroking her face and she closed her eyes like a contented cat. "They despise your white blood so much that they'd kill you on sight?"

"No. They would kill me because . . . because on the night that I ran away, I killed a man." Min's eyes flew open at his words and he rushed ahead. "I did not mean to kill him, Min! It was an accident. I was in his tipi when it collapsed and caught on fire. I escaped, he did not."

"Who was it?" She almost whispered, and Daniel gritted his teeth.

"A warrior called Little Horse. You see Min, after I failed at becoming a warrior, it was understood by everyone that I would never become one of them. I was an outcast, and an outcast among The People is someone who is lower than a slave. Only my father spoke to me, and even he could not show me any affection in public. It went on like that for two seasons, until I turned sixteen winters. It was then that Little Horse took notice of me." He ground the words out as if they were made of glass.

Min took his hand and looked into his eyes, sensing that he was battling with some inner turmoil that was nearly impossible for him to express. "What did he do?" She asked softly.

"He took notice of me." Daniel repeatedly simply, then sighed heavily. "He took notice of me in the same way a young man would take notice in a woman that he wishes to court."

Min gasped and her eyes widened. "You mean he . . . wanted you?" She almost whispered, and a blush heated Daniel's cheeks.

"Yes. He wanted me, and he meant to have me. It was not a difficult thing for him. After all, who was I? A half breed with no future among The Cheyenne. I was not the son of a war chief or a young brave who had a large family to protect him. I only had my father, and Little Horse threatened to have him killed if I breathed a word to anyone." Daniel swallowed hard. "He came for me that first night, and nearly every night after. He . . . he would tie me down and force himself upon me." Daniel's words became choked with tears. "Every night I fought him, but he was older and stronger than me. It always ended the same." The tears overflowed in his eyes and dripped down his cheeks. "I would end up on my belly, and he would take what he wanted."

"Oh My God." Min breathed, and pulled Daniel to her. She put her arms around him tightly as he began to sob. There were no words now, no explanations, just heartbroken sobbing.

"Shhhh . . . it's all right, Daniel. It's all right. I understand. I don't blame you, either! I'm glad for what happened to him! He got what he deserved!" She said fiercely as she stroked his hair. Something else occurred to her and she shook her head. "My God, this is the first time you've ever told anyone about this, isn't it? How many years-" She broke off and lifted his chin. "How old are you, Daniel?"

"I turned nineteen winters the last time the snow flew." He replied, and Min nearly groaned aloud.

"Three years! This went on for three years and no one ever knew about it!"

"No one would have cared if they had." Daniel said, and wiped his eyes.

"I care." Min smiled, and touched his face. "And you know something else? I think you're better off here."

"Why is that?" Daniel asked

"Because I'm going to care no matter what. I'm going to care the rest of my life, and so is my family. You will live however you want, and no one here will turn their backs on you."

"Then . . . it does not matter to you? What happened to me? You would still be with me, and not find it disgusting or shameful?"

"Of course not. Bad things have happened to us all. That shouldn't change the way I feel about you."

"I am glad you feel that way." He looked up at her. "You also said that you had something to tell me?"

Min closed her eyes briefly and sighed. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that."

"I am many things, but forgetful is not one of them. I suppose that is why those memories of Little Horse are so bad for me. Now tell me, what is it you wanted to say?"

"It's hard. Very hard, and I'm afraid."

Daniel considered this, then squeezed her hand. "I was afraid too, but you did not run away or turn your back when I told you about my past. I can promise you that I will do neither of those things if you tell me this thing."

Min kept staring at the ground. Where do I begin? She thought to herself, and finally started to speak. "When I was four, I had a dream that my grandfather died. I told my mother about it but she told me that it was only a dream." Min raised her head and looked at Daniel. "It wasn't just a dream. My grandfather died two days later. My mother thought it was just a coincidence, but after that the dreams came more frequently. She took me to a friend of hers who worked for a university . . . a place of teaching." She explained quickly when the word 'university' got her a blank look. "This friend tested me and found that I had special gifts. I could do things that very few other people could do. For awhile my mother pretended that my gifts didn't exist. She never spoke of them and wouldn't let me speak of them either. I thought she was all right, maybe just afraid. It was more than that. A week after my fifth birthday I went into my mother's room and she was gone. I didn't see her again for ten years."

Daniel blinked, amazed. "Min, among The Cheyenne, a child with gifts such as those would be protected and held in the highest honor! True men and women of vision are a gift from Maiyun, not something to be thrown away!" He leaned forward a little. "Tell me about your gifts."

Now it was Min's turn to look amazed. "You're not afraid? You . . . you won't leave me?"

Daniel shook his head. "Min, you are a vision woman! A person blessed with special gifts! Why would that frighten me? I might not have much knowledge about your people, but even I know what a medicine man is! Please, tell me about these gifts!"

"There's not much to tell. I see things in dreams, sometimes I get feelings if danger is near, I can touch something and tell you about it's history." Min put her hands on the sides of Daniel's face and closed her eyes. "I see rows of buffalo hide tipis . . . nestled in a valley near a wide river. It's summer, and there's buffalo grass everywhere, as high as a man. It waves gently in the breeze." She smiled suddenly. "And horses! Hundreds of horses, in every size and color! They're in a big herd near the river."

"That is my father's tribe." Daniel said in wonderment as she took her hands away. He opened his eyes. "You described it exactly as it is! Amazing!" He laughed, then put a hand to his mouth as if to hide his smile. It was a trait that Min had begun to associate with him, and she wondered about it.

Swift nickered and nudged Daniel's back with his nose. Daniel smiled and reached up to pat his neck. "Swift tells me more rain is coming, and that we should get inside." He stood up and offered her his hand, which she took. He helped her up, and their eyes met.

"What is it?" Min asked softly, and Daniel touched her face.

"I have been thinking about that thing you call a 'kiss.' I think that perhaps I would like to try it." He said, and leaned forward. His lips brushed against hers, then met with a pressure that was firm but gentle. His hands slipped around her waist and held her close. Min made a small noise deep in her throat and felt like she might have fallen down if Daniel's arms weren't holding her. Finally, he broke the kiss and she smiled up at him.

"Not bad for a first try. We'll work on it." She grinned, and Daniel touched his forehead to hers briefly before mounting Swift and pulling her up in front of him. Lightning flashed in the distance and Daniel kicked Swift into a quick walk. As they headed back to the barn, Daniel had the strange sensation that he'd traveled this path before.

This is still the same land. My father and The People are still here; their voices are in the wind and the thunder. He thought, and slipped his arms around Min's waist. Now I am here . . . and our children will run and play on the same ground as I did when I was a child.

The thought of children made him smile, and he leaned forward and whispered in Min's ear.

"I will teach you the Cheyenne language, Min. Nemehotatse."

"What does that mean?" She asked as she stroked the big hands that encircled her waist.

"It means I love you." He replied, and nuzzled her neck. "You will hear it often, I promise."

"Ne-meho-tatse." She repeated uncertainly, and he nodded as they reached the barn. He took Swift inside, and then the two of them headed for the house just as the rain began again. Water dripped off the eaves, making music as they reached the porch and Daniel took her into his arms.

"Not bad for a first try." He teased, and bent his head forward. "We both need much practice, I think, and now is a good time as any to start."

"I couldn't agree more." Min laughed, and they kissed again as summer rain beat down on the farmhouse roof, as if it were celebrating their love.

THE END