Wind Rider Read Online Free PDF Page B

regret having helped him. He was a savage, for heaven’s sake, capable of all sorts of depravity.
    “Come here.” The authority in his voice was unmistakable.
    Slowly, Hannah approached Wind Rider, her expression wary. “What do you want?”
    “Sit down beside me.”
    Hannah stopped in her tracks. Did he intend to attack her? Had she kept her virginity only to be raped by a heathen Indian? “What are you going to do? If you intend to rape me, 111 fight to the bitter end.”
    Wind Rider looked astonished. “Rape you! Ha!” The air exploded from his chest in a harsh burst of laughter, “Only a blind or desperate man would rape a woman as ugly and unde sirable as you, and I am neither. I merely want to tie you so you can’t escape.”
    His words were like a punch to the gut. She had deliberately tried to make herself as unat tractive as possible, but for an Indian to tell her she was ugly and undesirable was a blow to her pride. “If I displease you so much, why not let me go?
    The answer was as much a mystery to Wind Rider as it was to Hannah. Releasing her would be a simple matter, and probably best for both of them. He had no idea why he resisted the idea, except that he had convinced himself that he truly needed a slave. He had carefully avoided the Sioux maidens who would have gladly joined with him. Under Sioux law he was allowed more than one wife, but he pre ferred none. Times were too precarious for him to take wives and raise a family. He had no idea if he’d be alive a day, a month, or a year from now. If he had a family, who would see to their welfare if he was killed in a raid? And living on a reservation like the white eyes wished wasn’t an option.
    “Could you survive in the wilds by yourself?” Wind Rider asked bluntly. “This is Indian coun try. You could encounter someone who isn’t as disposed to keep you alive as I am. You are far too scrawny and weak to be of much use as a slave. Most Indian men have wives to see to their needs, so your life will be of little value to them. It might be different if you were beautiful, but you are not,” He sent her an inscrutable look. “But if you truly wish to leave, you are free to go.”
    Hannah gave him a startled look. “Do you mean it?”
    “I have said so.”
    Hannah didn’t know what to make of Wind Rider’s words. He sounded sincere, but how far could one trust an Indian? “Thank you,” she said, deciding to take him at his word.
    Narrow-eyed, Wind Rider watched Hannah slip into the woods. He had thought her too intelligent to believe she could survive on her own, but obviously she was so anxious to escape that she gave little consideration to his warning. After she had disappeared he continued to stare at the place where he had last seen her, a grim smile stretching his lips.
    Hannah wanted to run like the wind but bowed to caution as she slipped from tree to tree, following a moonlit path through the woods. She had no idea what or whom she might run into, and crashing heedless ly through the underbrush might alert some unknown enemy. She recalled Wind Rider’s warning and wondered if she had, indeed, been foolish to leave the protection he had offered, such as it was. But she couldn’t help thinking the handsome savage had some ulterior motive where she was concerned. She had never heard of an Indian kindly disposed toward whites, and Wind Rider’s companions had been all for killing her.
    Cautiously, Hannah made her way through the woods, wondering if she’d ever find a trail she could follow to a town. She stopped to rest twice, the last time falling asleep for several hours. She awoke at dawn, disgusted with herself for sleeping when she needed to put distance between herself and the silver-eyed savage. When she heard the rush of water she grew excited. Elated, she raced toward the sound and found a stream, realizing that if she followed it long enough it would eventually lead her to a town.
    Bursting from the trees, Hannah slid to