By Cheryl McCreary
Copyright 1999
Buck had learned a lot about Jennifer in the last week that they had shared at Ft. Laramie. He knew that he had duties and Isaac to return to in Rock Creek. He wouldn’t miss the work, but he would miss her. And he knew that he would quickly return, not to work but to see her again. She was slowly creeping into his heart and soul. Buck had a feeling that the same was true with Eagle Feather.
He would ride out in the morning for home, for Isaac and for Rock Creek. But for tonight he was still in Ft. Laramie and still with her. And right now that was all that mattered to him.
He could have taken Jennifer out to dinner again at the hotel, or the saloon, but they had done that before. Buck wanted to have her to himself. He took her to a place that few, if any, women would understand. Earlier in the day he had cleared a place out of town by a gentle brook, in a stand of trees alone in the prairie that surrounded it. The trees would provide them with protection from the outside world for the night. In the center of the clearing he had set up a campfire. He had traded with Two Ponies for a bit of buffalo meat. And it now cooked slowly over the hot coals. Buck had made simple bread from flour, oil and water and jam from wild berries to coat it. He had made lemonade from the juice of sumac berries that had just come into bloom and a salad of wild greens. And then to top it all off he had gotten a candlestick and white sheet to set as a table upon the ground.
Buck had collected her in town and blindfolded her. Then the two of them had both rode on Rolling Thunder out to the clearing. Jennifer’s arms holding him close and tight as the horse trotted along. He had seen the look of amazement in Eagle Feathers eyes as he had removed the blindfold. She looked back at him with love in her eyes, and Buck knew that it was perfect.
“It’s lovely, Running Buck,” she finally managed to say to him. Buck simply smiled back at her. He sat down on the blanket set as a table and gestured for her to follow him. Jennifer slowly lowered herself to the ground. She sat much closer to Buck than he had planned, but he soon found it nice.
And together like that they had shared the dinner made of the land around them. They had talked and ate and laughed and enjoyed having each other for company. As the sun was setting through the layers of trees around them, its light shining off the brook, they sat close and shared the evening, the last in a long while, with each other. Jennifer was sitting between Bucks legs, her back leaned against his chest, her head tilted back so that it lay on his shoulder. Buck’s arms held her tightly and her arms held his. His face was buried in her soft hair, his mouth inches from her ear as they talked gently to each other.
The embrace was one of love. They were comfortable enough with each other to sit like that. It was something that the white culture would never let them get away with and the red culture would require marriage for. Buck told himself that the embrace meant nothing. They were still friends that were falling in love. That was all.
But Buck was a man, and Jennifer was a beautiful woman. It didn’t take long for that embrace to mean more, to be more. Buck softly graced Eagle Feather’s ear and neck with kisses. And then she turned her head and their eyes meet then their lips. That kiss started sweet and gentle, but soon it was filled with passion and desire, something their kisses had never possessed before.
Before either of them knew it they were laying on the sheet, kissing and touching. As the sounds of the night and the stand of trees surrounded them, they made love. Their bare bodies moving together for the first time in the light of the fire. The brook gently babbled along its way as their soft moans filled the still air. And then they lay in each other’s arms, neither saying a word, both holding on as if letting go of each other would end it all.
Buck awoke still in Jennifer’s arms, surrounded by her sweet scent. The light of dawn was just beginning to filter through the thick stand of trees that had protected and anchored them last night. Buck knew that he had to leave. He didn’t want to. He wanted to be able to live forever in that stand of trees surrounded by the arms of Eagle Feather. But that was not the way that things were intended to go. His home was in Rock Creek with Isaac, not here with Jennifer Morgan.
Still Buck lay silently there beside this lovely woman that was slowing meaning more to him every day. He had to leave, but it could wait awhile longer. For right now he just wanted to be for a moment. He didn’t want to think or wonder, he just wanted to be loved and held.
Rolling Thunder shifted his weight impatiently, tired of waiting for Buck to awaken, longing to stretch his legs on the ride back to Rock Creek. The slight sound caused Jennifer to stir beside him and with a light moan awake. She reached out and pulled Buck even closer to her, then sat up on the sheet they had spent the night on.
She looked down at Buck her golden hair, damp from the morning dew, flowing down her shoulders and almost covering her naked breasts. She smiled at him, ran a hand lovingly over his bare chest. Buck simply lay there as her eyes ran over the length of his body. He felt very exposed in his nakedness in the light of morning. Was he feeling guilty for his actions last night? It was not what he intended at all. But the truth was it was a prefect ending to a prefect evening and perfect week.
“Thank you,” Eagle Feather lightly spoke to him, “I didn’t think that I could feel that way again.”
Buck knew exactly what she meant. He wasn’t sure himself if he could ever feel that way again. But he realized that last night he hadn’t felt that way. He cared about Eagle Feather. She was a lovely and caring woman. And Buck knew that given time he would warm up more to her. But the truth was for him last night had not been like that. He had not been simply using her to fulfill his manly desires, but he still did not love her.
“Did I say something wrong?” Jennifer asked as she saw the far away look in Buck’s eyes.
“No,” Buck answered a little too quickly. He could see that she doubted that it was the truth. “No,” he repeated again as he rose to sit in front of her. He enfolded her with one arm as his other hand gently caressed her face.
“I have to be leaving,” Buck stated to her. It was not his choice but the way that things must go.
“I know,” Jennifer replied, quiet and sad.
“I’m going to miss you,” Buck added. He knew it was true he was going to think of Eagle Feather every moment until they could be together again. His life wouldn’t be complete without her by his side at this point.
“I know,” Jennifer responded again this time her voice light and less sad. A smile spread across her face, “How could you not?” she added as she snuggled closer to Buck, then kissed him sweetly on the lips.
Buck smiled back at her. She would miss him too. But both of them knew that they had no reason to be getting upset about the matter. They would be together later, but for now their paths must temporarily part.
To be continued...
