If so, would the burden of the pain and sorrow she was carrying in her heart be lessened? And was this man the right one to tell such a thing to?
Yet it did seem so right to talk to him and even share her grief with him.
She had never met a man who seemed so sincerely kind and caring. Surely it was because she had been the same to him.
“It was not my intention to be alone,” Nicole finally blurted out, lowering her eyes so that he would not see the wetness of tears as she fought the urge to cry.
“Then why is that you are?” Eagle Wolf asked, lifting an eyebrow. “Surely you know the risks for a woman traveling alone in this land where so much danger is present.”
“Yes, I truly know the danger,” Nicole said, slowly raising her eyes, so that she could look into his. She swallowed hard. “I now know it much better than most people would.”
“Do you mean that you are in danger with me, because I am an Indian?” Eagle Wolf asked, hoping that his assumption was wrong. He had not wanted to put fear in her heart, but trust.
“Oh, no,” Nicole quickly said. “Certainly not. You have given me no reason to be afraid.”
“Then what did you mean?” Eagle Wolf asked, now truly curious.
Then a sudden remembrance came to him. He recalled seeing this woman riding toward the burning town called Tyler City. He had not yet asked her the purpose of her journey.
And then he recalled her last name.
Tyler!
The name of the town that had burned had been Tyler City. Was she associated with that town somehow?
“You seem hesitant to answer me,” Eagle Wolf said. “I saw you riding toward Tyler City as it burned. Your last name is Tyler. Did you have family there?”
That question stunned Nicole into silence.
He had seen her even before she had found him on the mountain. He had actually seen her riding toward Tyler City. She was sure he had guessed who her father was.
Did that mean that he knew her father by reputation? Did he know him as a gambler, known for cheating while playing poker?
She inhaled nervously, for she was suddenly awakened to just how widespread her father’s reputation might be. Would his shame now follow her around for the rest of her life whenever she was asked her last name?
At this moment she could not help resenting her father as much as she mourned him. He was at peace in death, while she would never know who might point an accusing finger at her because of who her father had been.
She would have to live with his bad reputation forever.
“I see that my question has made you uncomfortable,” Eagle Wolf said. “I can understand why. Surely upon your arrival in Tyler City you saw the worst thing possible for a daughter. Surely your parents did not live?”
“No, they didn’t, and I truly do not wish to talk about it,” Nicole murmured, slowly looking up into his dark eyes. “It causes such pain in my heart even to think about it, much less…talk about it,” she said softly.
“I do understand,” Eagle Wolf said thickly. “I, too, have lost those I loved. I have told you that my wife died from measles. I also lost my father and mother.” Eagle Wolf gazed sadly into the dancing flames of the fire. “It is now only myself and my brother…”
He stopped at that, guessing that she did not even have a sibling to share her grief. In life, there were so many things that could cause heartache, but one must learn go on living.
The same philosophy applied to him. Although he had recently lost his wife, he could not help noticing the beauty of this woman, Nicole. Should it be the will of the Great Spirit that he love this woman, and that she love him, then so be it.
But it was too soon, just now, to think about such possibilities. Their relationship was too new to consider being in love.
He must never forget that being a chief required many things of him. He must use utmost care choosing a woman to bring into the Owl Clan as his future wife.
“I am suddenly hungry,” Eagle Wolf said, glad that he had found a way to break through the awkward silence that had fallen between himself and Nicole.
He nodded toward his tethered horse and the parfleche bag that still hung at its right side. “My bag is on my horse,” he said. “In it is food that I packed for my journey. It is called pemmican. I would share it with you tonight if you can get it for us.”
Nicole was so glad that all talk of her parents, especially her father and how they had died, was forgotten by Eagle Wolf.