Leoti Page 6

  “Hi. Come in.” she rose from behind her desk and walked over to the door. She pulled it shut. He sat down. “This is a surprise. What’s up?”

  “Have you heard from Josie?”

  “No, Mama is driving me nuts. She should be calling soon.”

  “I’ve called her and she hasn’t called me back. That’s not like her.”

  “Oh.” Tiffani forced a smile. Why was she so invisible whenever Josie’s name was mentioned? “I’m sure she’ll call you back.”

  “Actually I think I might go see her.” Carlton said.

  Tiffani paused. She blinked and recovered. “Really? On the news they said you were headed to Colorado next.”

  “The band can miss me for a couple of days. We all agreed we needed a break. I owe that bit of clarity to you. That talk we had opened my eyes, I need to fight for her. I can’t let her go.”

  “She doesn’t want to see you. I mean she doesn’t want to see us.”

  “I think she does,” Carlton smiled. “She’s tired of my bullshit. I understand why. Can you tell me where she is?”

  Tiffani gave a half-smile. She turned from him to hide her disappointment. It was ridiculous. She shouldn’t be acting this way. Josie loved Carlton. A blind person could see their love. Why was she so lost because of it? “She um, well I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  Tiffani returned to her seat. “She said she wanted to escape, to get away from us all. No interruptions. She didn’t even tell her agent.”

  “That’s not safe.” Carlton frowned.

  “Wait.” Tiffani rocked back in her chair. “Of course I know where she went.”

  “Where?”

  She pointed to the map tacked on to the board. Carlton followed her point. She shook her head smiling. “She said she wanted to go to a cabin in the woods. When she visited my office last month she was leafing through my sketches and asked me questions about a mountain town we’re rebuilding. It’s called Mission Creek in Montana. I’m sure that’s where she is.”

  He rose. “Cool. I’ll bring her home.”

  He started for the door. “Carlton.”

  He paused.

  “She’s a lucky girl. I mean it, treat my sister right.”

  He winked and was gone.

  Healing

  Josie rolled over to find Elu out of bed. They took a short walk yesterday. It was the highlight of Po’s day. The husky raced across the land and played under the bright sun. That night he’d tried to teach her chess. She picked up on it quick. It was evident that she had played before but neither commented. Then the game got so slow they abandoned it and settled for the porch swing where they watched the sun set. She liked turning in early with him. Just to be close. And when she dressed for the night and he came to bed in his pajama pants she was in heaven.

  There was a wet tickle to her uncovered toes. Josie rose on her elbows. It was Po, “Morning sweetie,” she said.

  Po jumped up on the bed and knocked her back, trying to lick at her face. She laughed, shoving the husky off of her.

  “Po down!” Elu snapped. He arrived with a breakfast tray.

  Po jumped off the bed and whimpered in disappointment walking out with his tail down.

  “He was just giving me a morning kiss.”

  “I volunteered for that job,” Elu said placing the tray over her lap.

  “What’s all this?” she asked smiling at the biscuits and gravy with thick sausage.

  “Just a little something to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed the week with you. You are the best patient I’ve had in a long time.”

  She grinned and picked up a fork. He watched her eating and his smile faded. His eyes narrowed. “Does the name Carlton mean anything to you?”

  Josie blinked in surprise and that feeling of overwhelming sadness and regret gripped her again. “Carlton?” she asked, softly.

  “You said his name in your sleep.”

  “I did?”

  “Maybe he’s who you were running from? Maybe you were escaping something terrible he did to you? Or maybe I’m a jealous man with an active imagination.”

  “Elu,” she reached for his hand. “The name means nothing to me.”

  Elu hid his elation. He wanted Carlton to be a monster, someone he could protect her from. If this Carlton person was a husband or existing lover he couldn’t compete.

  “ELU TAKOTIE!” a voice boomed from the front of the cabin.

  Elu looked up.

  “Who is that?” Josie gasped.

  “Stay here,” he said and then walked out, closing the door.

  Josie moved the tray and eased out of bed. Opening the door she peeked into the living room. A tall white man with a Stetson that shadowed his face stood beyond the opaque porch door.

  “Get off my land Rex.” Elu said in a low voice, approaching the door with clenched fists. Po growled at the stranger. It was the first time she heard the sweet animal utter a threatening noise.

  “I sent a land surveyor here, and you sent him away. Now Elu, the courts have been clear. Enough of this bullshit, Indian.” The stranger said.

  Po bared his teeth snapping his jaws at the man. The entire scene was strange. Elu patted the dog’s head to either encourage or comfort him. “I’m not selling my land. I don’t care what you or those courts say. This is my land. The next time you come I will consider it trespassing.” Po took a threatening step forward. Josie couldn’t see the stranger’s face. She parted the door just a little wider and tried.

  “We aren’t done, Indian!” Rex spat, and was gone.

  Elu turned and saw her. He flashed angry eyes at her and glared for a long pause. Then he walked away. Of course she came out the room. In nothing but her nightdress she hurried into the living room over the cool hardwood floors. Elu sat in the large chair that faced the fireplace, staring inside.

  “They want to take this place from you?”

  “They can try.”

  “Have you gotten a lawyer, someone to help?”

  “It’s not your problem.”

  “Elu, talk to me.”

  He closed his eyes. She went to him. Her hand went down his mane as she rubbed his head. “I know how much you love this place. You’ve shown me. How can these people do this?”

  “Eminent Domain,” he said sadly.

  “Did you go through condemnation proceedings?”

  The question shocked her. Elu looked up. Josie saw the puzzlement in his eyes when she walked around his chair and sat before him on the coffee table.

  “How did you know?”

  “I – I don’t know.” She gave a small shrug to her shoulders. “But I do.” She thought of those research papers and the people along Sea Island who were forced from their homes. Maybe that’s how she knew?

  “I’ve had due process, they made an offer. I’ve refused it.”

  “You need an attorney. These courts can just come in and take—.”

  “That’s stealing! How can this government call itself just when time and time again it uses men like Rex Teagle to rob from men like me? My people left here on a government promise. They were herded into camps they call reservations, their history erased. This land is more than grass and trees. It’s me. It’s Blackfoot. It’s everything promised to my people before your government decided differently.”

  “Elu, you have to be realistic.”

  “Realism? You speak of it but you don’t even know your own name, and you hide from the truth of who you are. If I have to be realistic so should you!”

  Josie tensed at the bitterness in his voice, but she knew he was in pain. Deep long pain that lived with him in his loneliness on this land. She touched his knee, wanting to fold him up in her arms. Wanting to show him she cared.

  “This place is the root of my history, my wife’s history, it is as much a part of me as the blood in my veins. I will not leave it. I will not!”

  Josie felt as if she could help him. But how was beyond her
understanding. He was so hurt. She was so lost.

  “If you get an attorney you can start an inverse condemnation. It will give you the opportunity to be heard before the state justices. You can fight this, but you have to try to do it through the law.”

  “How do you know these things, Leoti? Are you an attorney?”

  “Yes,” she said and it sounded right. Saying she was a professor didn’t feel right. An attorney fit in ways that were just organic. Deep inside she felt it. She was an attorney. Some kind of an attorney. “Yes, I think I am.”

  He stared at her. “The most beautiful attorney I’ve ever seen.”

  Josie sat back on her hands and smiled. “Don’t change the subject.”

  “Yes, let’s change the subject. For starters, today is the day. We can remove those bandages.”

  “Really? At last.” She cheered.

  He rose offering her his hand. She stood and accepted it. Together they walked out of the room with Po following.

  “You can put on your pants and bra. I will return when you are ready.”

  “Why?” Josie said stopping him. He turned to look at her. She pulled her gown over her head and cast it aside. Now she stood in nothing but her panties. Her bandaged chest gave no cover to her exposed breasts.

  His eyes were glued to the loveliest pair of breasts he’d seen in quite some time. Nipples dark like raisins set upon cinnamon brown skin. He salivated. After the accident he struggled with undressing her. Tried hard not to see her for the beautiful woman she was. He could not deny his desire for her now.

  “Sit.” He pointed at the bed. Josie ignored him and approached, drawing his eyes back to her body. “I don’t think I’m a virgin, Elu, but with you I will be. It’ll be like my first time. Does that excite you? It excites me.”

  “We aren’t having this discussion.”

  She chuckled. Her curves and the natural sway of her hips tempted him. He lowered his eyes then lifted them and met hers. Her skin was a deep golden brown, flawless besides the bandages that concealed her bruising. She took his hand and led him to the bed. He was the one to sit. She came in between his parted knees for him to remove her bandages.

  “I have nothing to hide,” she said softly. Elu sucked in a breath understanding that she knew full well what she was doing to him.

  “Ready?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “This may hurt. I will try to be gentle,” he warned, running his hands slowly up and down her side looking for where he taped the bandages. “Yu-you’ll have to turn around, so I can remove them.”

  Josie did as he asked. Her back to him was just as lovely as her front. But at least she wasn’t staring at him. His forehead was dotted with moisture as his hands went up to the edge of the tape. He tugged. Underneath was cloth bandaging that protected her skin. It gave and he unwound the wrap. She sucked in breaths when he pulled too hard and he cursed himself for not going slower. But soon it was done.

  “There. How’s that feel?” he asked and stood. He ran his palms up and down her back. She held her breasts in her hands and looked back at him.

  “It’s still a little sore, but much easier to breathe.” She turned and he could see the bruising had faded. Instinctively he touched her tender skin. Josie lowered her arms and allowed his touch.

  “A good sign. You are healing nicely.”

  “I feel like I’m healed, Elu. Not just from the bruises.”

  He blushed. She wished he didn’t hesitate so much with her. He handled her as if she’d break. And she understood why. The man had lost so much, and stood to lose even more. He just didn’t want to invest in something he didn’t know was real.

  “Your forehead’s next. Have a seat,” he ordered.

  She stepped closer. Her nipples grazing over his chest, she tired of the patient doctor relationship. The kisses were nice, but she wanted him. She knew he wanted her too. “Go ahead, Elu, take care of me.”

  Elu smirked at her tease. He lifted her bandage.

  She waited for the diagnosis. “So, am I going to live?”

  “Yes. You will be fine.” He kissed the wound.

  She wrapped her arms around him. The embrace was a shared one, a release. When his hands traveled up and down her spine she found it to be just as erotic as his speaking in her ear. Josie kissed his neck. A soft sweet kiss that lead to another and another traveling over his chin, and it was Elu again who pushed back, kissed her forehead then stepped out of her arms. “I can get something to make sure it doesn’t leave too much of a scar.”

  “That’s okay I don’t…”

  “I’ll be right back.” He put his robe around her shoulders. Josie pushed her arms through, frowning at the way he avoided her eyes. She sat down on the bed and waited. When he returned she didn’t disrupt.

  “Can we get out of here today, again? Go for a walk or something? I really just need some fresh air.”

  “A walk?”

  “Yes. Let me dress,” she said.

  He nodded and left. Josie felt better and she planned to prove it.

  “Po!” Elu called. Po came running out of the house up to where Elu and Josie were standing. She linked her arm in his and he led her to his truck, then opened the door for her to get in. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “We’ll walk the best trail in Mission Creek.” He closed the door and Po hopped in the bed of the truck. The drive out didn’t take long. She thought to ask where her accident was but decided against it. Ten minutes into their hike she had to use his strength to make it up the incline. He stopped at her panting.

  “Are you okay? Come here.”

  “No, I want to walk.” She swatted at his hands. “I’m feeling better.”

  He watched her closely but allowed her the space she requested. He remained near enough to catch her if she slipped or fell. After another ten minutes she frowned. “Where are we going?”

  “Close your eyes.”

  “Why?”

  “Leoti, just close your eyes, I promise you won’t be disappointed,” he said gazing at her with love.

  “Fine.” She closed her eyes and placed a hand over them.

  “I want to show you something.” He helped her into the right position. Po went running past them. “Ready?” he whispered in her ear.

  She nodded and removed her hands from her eyes. They were standing before the most spectacular view. A lake was spread before them. Cypress grew around it with grass and other trees, and north of it were snowcapped mountains that made it picture perfect.

  “Sometimes when I need to breathe I come where the air is purest.” He dropped his chin on her shoulder and held her. “My ancestors looked upon the same view. This is a place where time stands still. My grandfather often said he'amâxhoo'êstse, which means he sits above.”

  Josie’s gaze lifted to the blue heaven above the mountains and lake. In this spot she could feel the presence of peace as if it were a third person, angel, hovering above and shielding them from the world.

  “Look,” he whispered.

  An eagle or large winged bird flew from one tree out over the still waters and dove down; its talons snatched a fish and then flew away.

  “Oh wow,” she said softly. The side of his face rubbed against her own. She could feel his uneven breathing against her cheek as he held her close. The warmth of his muscular arms became a force field against the wind whipping up out of the cliffs and over them. He felt so male, so mightily strong and protective.

  “Feel the way the wind speaks to you here, hear its touch across the waters, listen to the way the lake whispers back.” She did, as he asked. She listened, she inhaled and more importantly she felt everything strongly, especially her blooming feelings of adoration for him and this life. “I can never let this land go. Never. Do you understand now?”

  “I do.” She swallowed. “And you won’t, Elu, I promise you. It’s beautiful.”

  After a moment of standing they took a seat. Josie between Elu’s granite tight thighs
, rested back against him, staring out at the lake. The three of them were so content. Po stretched from his front paws and yawned then lay in front of them. She could see a life here, living in the mountains, making a home for him and Po. Babies, lots of babies raised by him.

  “Where is the land your family owned?” she asked.

  “West of that mountain,” he said holding her.

  “You lost it?”

  “My father was a weak man. He sold it for nothing. Yes, we lost it.”

  “So your wife’s land is the only place left.”

  “It is.”

  “Then we have to find a way to fight for it. Together,” she said firmly.

  He kissed the back of her head. “Together, huh?”

  As she sat there she considered the feeling. How fleeting life was. If she hadn’t been hurt, on that road, that morning, she wouldn’t be sharing this moment. What would her life be if she never shared this moment with him?

  “Why don’t things last?” she asked softly.

  “Feelings do.”

  “But everything fades, Elu. I don’t remember much, and that proves it. My past has faded. Maybe someday soon this will too. That’s what holds you back? Isn’t it? I want our time to last. To never fade. I don’t ever want to lose what I found here with you.”

  “Change is inevitable. We are both on borrowed time, and a day will come when we will have to face the truth. How else will we know if what we feel now is real if we don’t? My feelings for you are timeless. You’re my Leoti, how could it not be?”

  She closed her eyes and inhaled. Folded in his strong arms with his kisses to the back of her head and the side of her face she ignored the warning, for the moment. She wouldn’t let anything taint what they shared. As the sun lifted higher in the sky the lunch hour drew close. “Ready to head back down?” he asked and she lifted with him helping her to her feet.

  “I guess,” she said, disappointed. He helped her rise and they ventured along the path whence they came. Josie noticed a small cabin positioned close to the lake.