As soon as Sam and Jake made their way back into the village, Maxine waved them over.
"Sam, after you put the horses away would you be willing to help me prepare for dinner?" Maxine asked.
"I'd be happy too," Sam replied with a smile. It felt nice to be useful and have something to do. Sam didn't want to get in anyone's way, but at the same time, she knew she would get bored quickly if she didn't find at least a hobby to occupy herself with. Even if she was going to teach at the school, it would be a while before that got up and running. She wondered if Jake knew much about the wild mustangs in the area. And if maybe, just maybe, he'd help her gentle one so she could have a horse of her own. Sam made a mental know to ask him the next time they were alone.
As Sam and Jake made their way to the pasture with their horses, two little boys who looked identical ran up to them. They were both grinning and Sam couldn't help but smile at their exuberant expressions.
"Up, up!" they cried, holding their arms up towards Jake who was still astride Witch.
Jake gave a small laugh and swung down off of Witch before scooping up the two boys into his arms. "Wanna ride Witch the rest of the way to the pasture?" he asked them. The little boys nodded excitedly and Jake placed them both upon Witch's back.
Sam felt a tug in her heart watching Jake interact with the boys. They looked slightly younger than Cody, and she was reminded of how much she missed her little brother and the rest of her family. She wondered if she would be able to see them anytime soon. She would have to ask Jake about it along with if she could gentle a wild mustang. But probably not at the same time.
Jake looked over at her and introduced her to the two little boys. "These are Kit and Cricket's twins, Jackson and Jordan. But everyone calls them Jack and Jordy."
"My name Jack!" the boy sitting in front on Witch exclaimed excitedly.
"That's right," Jake said with a broad smile for the toddler before leading the mare towards the tack shed. Sam followed along behind them watching as Jake listened intently to a story the twins were telling him. From what Sam could gather it sounded as though one of the horses had gotten out of the pasture and ran through the village. Their Uncle Quinn had to chase down the horse on foot, much to the amusement of the twins and everyone else watching.
As soon as they all reached the tack shed, Jake helped the twins dismount off of Witch before they ran off.
"They certainly have a lot of energy," Sam stated as she watched the twins run towards the center of the village.
"Yeah," Jake agreed. "They certainly keep their parents busy. And the rest of us."
Sam smiled in response swinging her leg over Star's back and dismounting. She gave the mare a pat and checked to see if she wanted water from a nearby basket made of woven grass before untacking her. Sam and Jake then brushed down their horses and turned them out into the large pasture.
"We can wash up in the river. There's a shallow spot that we use for bathing," Jake said before walking off towards the water. Sam had no choice but to tag along, barely keeping up with his long strides. They passed a few men who were fishing and Jake nodded a greeting. Sam glanced over her shoulder once they passed and noticed the men had moved to stand next to each other. They were watching her and talking, clearly about her.
Jake noticed all of this and told Sam, "Don't take it personally. Everyone is just curious about you."
"It must be weird for everyone to have suddenly a white girl come live with them," Sam replied. Then she had a thought, "Am I ever going to be formally introduced to the village? Or will I just eventually meet everyone?"
"Everyone wants to meet you," Jake responded. "I'm sure they'll all introduce themselves to you in the next few days when they get a chance."
Sam began to chew on her bottom lip, suddenly worried that she would have a whole bunch of names to memorize. She had never been all that good with names. Or anything else about people for that matter. It seemed like she was always saying the wrong thing. And not remembering names certainly didn't help.
Jake looked at her out of the corner of his eye and said, "Don't worry about learning everyone's names right away."
Sam looked up at him in surprise; how had she known what she was thinking? But Jake just gave her a small grin and motioned towards the river. "Here's the part of the river we use for bathing."
Sam knelt down to scoop some water up so she could wash her face. The cool water washed away all of the sweat and dirt, and it felt refreshing, especially after having been out in the sun for so long. Sam vowed to come back for a full bath whenever she got a chance. Sam could have stayed at the river for the rest of the day, but she knew Maxine was expecting her and Sam didn't want to keep her waiting.
On their way bath to the village, Jake stopped to talk with the fishermen, telling Sam to go on ahead. "Mom will probably be by the fire pit where we had breakfast," he told her. Sam wished she didn't have to walk through the village alone, but she also didn't want to rely on Jake too much. It was weird being married to someone you didn't know. Jake was supposed to be her "life partner". They would spend the rest of their lives together. Yet he was still practically a complete stranger to her. As she was to him. Sam pushed her thoughts about Jake aside as she saw Maxine up ahead.
"Hello, Sam," Maxine said with a warm smile as soon as she saw Sam heading towards her. "Did you and Jake have a nice ride? I hope Star behaved for you."
"Star was wonderful!" Sam replied excitedly, "She's such a beautiful horse. And so well mannered."
"You know, she used to be wild. She ran with one of the herds that live around here. We have a tradition where the boys in our tribe do a task of sorts when they reach a certain age. It's a coming of age type of thing. Jake chose to capture and train Star as his task. He set her free again once he had proven that he had completed the task. But Star came back to him not long afterward, so he gifted her to me."
Sam listened to Maxine's story, fascinated. Jake must be even better with horses than she had first thought to have trained a wild horse so well. He could definitely help her train a wild horse of her own. Sam wondered if he even knew about the magnificent gray stallion she had seen, the one the color of moonlight.
"But that's enough chatter," Maxine said, ending her story and interrupting Sam's thoughts. "Why don't you stir this chili, and I will go finish making the cornbread."
Sam took over stirring the chili and looked around at the village surrounding her. Two girls about her age were walking up from the river, and they slowly made their way towards her. The taller girl was holding a basket that looked as though it was holding some type of cloth.
"Hello," the both of girls said shyly, smiling at Sam. Sam smiled back, eager to meet some girls close to her age. She hadn't had the easiest time making friends with the other girls at school in town, but maybe these girls would be different.
"I'm Kaya, and this is my little sister Kimi," the taller girl said.
"I'm Sam," Sam replied, "it's nice to meet you."
Kaya held out the basket she was holding and said, "Here are a couple of my old deerskin dresses that don't fit me anymore. I was wondering if you might like to have them."
"I would love them!" Sam replied, touched by the girl's generosity. "That's so kind of you. Thank you!" Sam looked into the basket and could see the beautiful, intricate beadwork on the top dress. She couldn't wait to try them on.
"I'll leave them with you," Kaya continued, setting the basket down. "Kimi and I have to do the wash tomorrow in the river. I know it doesn't sound like much fun, but when the weather is nice and there's a group of us the time goes by quickly. You can join us if you would like."
"Yes, I'd like that," Sam responded. She was glad to be included and to have someone show her how to do the wash in the river. At this point, she had been afraid she was going to have to ask Jake, and she wasn't sure if he knew how. At home, they always filled a tub full of warm water to soak the clothes in, but they were bound to have a different system here.
Kaya and Kimi smiled at her then said their goodbyes before making their way towards the teepees.
Sam went back to stirring the chili, checking to make sure it hadn't burned.
Jake's father approached a couple minutes later. He nodded at Sam before checking the chili. "I think this is about done. Thank you for keeping an eye on it for me."
"You made the chili?" Sam asked. She had never heard of a man doing the cooking. Her father would do the hunting and smoke the meat, but Gram always made the meals.
"Of course," Jake father replied. "When I was young, my sister got very ill. I stayed in the village to take her place in helping with the cooking. I quickly found a love for cooking and enjoy helping out when I can. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare this to serve."
Sam watched in amazement as the chief carried the pot of chili over to where bowls had been set up. One of Jake's older brothers joined his father and helped him pour the chili into the bowls.
Sam couldn't imagine a more different way of life from the one she had grown up in. Yet, she had never felt more welcome.