he smiled at her. Hislove for Morning Song was deep, but nothing could touch the closeness he felt for his sister. They had been through so many heartaches and trouble together, but they had come through them with very few scars—at least, not the kind of scars that showed.
Joanna could feel Tag’s restlessness. It seemed to grow stronger each day. The thing that she feared most was beginning to happen. He was starting to remember how their Uncle Howard had forced them to flee from their own home, and she knew he had come to resent the past. His old life was beginning to beckon him. She knew he would never leave Morning Song to return to Philadelphia, and he couldn’t take her with him, because she would never be accepted by the white race. This thing would eat at him until he faced it once and for all. Joanna wished he could just put it out of his mind and be content with the way things had worked out, but that would never happen. She feared that before this thing could be brought to a conclusion, she and Morning Song might both lose Tag.
Tag realized by the look that Joanna gave him that she knew about his thoughts and was aware of his restlessness. He had never been able to hide anything from her when he had been a boy, and even though he was now a man, she could still see into his soul.
Standing up, he walked out into the night. Pulling his warm blanket about him, he watched as the snowflakes drifted lazily earthward. He could hear the sound of laughter coming from the other tipis and began to feel lonely. Where did he belong?
Would he ever find peace within himself? he wondered. Would this feeling of unrest ever release him from its grip? It was with him day and night now, and he wanted to rid himself of its dominance.
He felt, rather than heard, Morning Song next to him. She slipped her hand into his, and they both watched as the snow covered the ground. Tag smiled down into her lovelyface, trying to mask his thoughts from her, but he knew by the sadness in her eyes that he hadn’t succeeded entirely.
“I love you, Morning Song. I always will.”
“Come, let us go home,” she said, taking his hand.
Tag turned and looked at the outline of the tall mountains that separated him from the white world he had once known. Somewhere beyond those mountains was a man living in Tag and Joanna’s home—the food he ate and the clothes he wore were all bought with the Jameses’ money.
Tag knew that after his Aunt Margaret had died Howard Landon had remarried. The woman who was now his wife was none other than Claudia Maxwell, who had always hated Joanna. It bothered him too, that Joanna’s old enemy was living in their home.
Drawing in his breath, he tried to push his thoughts aside. “Come, we will tell the family good night,” he said, leading Morning Song back into Windhawk’s lodge.
Chapter Three
The Chinook wind was blowing across the land, bringing with it the warm, dry air from the nearby mountainside. The snow had melted into slush, and although there were dark clouds on the horizon Tag didn’t think it would snow today. Morning Song had been begging Tag to take her for a ride, and he thought this would be a good day since the weather was pleasant.
Tag had learned from experience that the weather could turn cold without any warning, and he didn’t want Morning Song to be exposed to a sudden norther. He decided it would be best to return to the village by early afternoon.
Tag noticed that Morning Song was having trouble mounting her horse because of her advanced stage of pregnancy. Helifted her up and placed her on the padded saddle, then tucked a blanket about her to keep her warm.
“Today we will not ride far from the village, Morning Song. It is too near the time for the baby to be born, and I would not want to be the one to deliver the child,” he teased her lightly.
“Please, Tag, could we not ride to the foot of the mountains? It has been so long since I have been away from the