Judith Pella, Tracie Peterson - [Ribbons West 03] by Ties That Bind

Author:Ties That Bind
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

19

When Jordana next awakened, she found herself lying warm and snug beneath a pile of furs. She shifted her weight to roll over and the fur fell away from her shoulder. The air was quite cold and caused her to shiver. Then realization dawned on her. She wasn’t wearing her clothes. Feeling along the lines of her body, Jordana realized that she wasn’t wearing any clothes at all.

Startled, she opened her eyes and focused on the room. An old Indian woman sat not two feet away from her. She watched Jordana with curious eyes and spoke in halted English.

“You no move. You hurt.”

Jordana reached up to her head and felt a sticky concoction. Pulling her hand away, she wasn’t at all sure what the substance was, but it appeared to be some kind of poultice.

“Where am I?” she asked, her voice croaking from disuse.

The old woman shrugged. “You rest.”

“I need clothes.” Jordana clutched the fur tight to her breast. “Where are my clothes?” She motioned to her body, then to the woman’s layered outfit of buckskin.

“You no man. You woman,” the woman replied matter-of-factly.

Jordana nodded. “Yes, I am a woman.”

The old woman grunted and went to the far side of what Jordana now recognized as an Indian tepee. The woman brought a bundle of clothes and thrust them at Jordana. “These for woman.”

Jordana smiled. “Thank you.” She realized quickly that she wasn’t about to get her old clothes back, and being in no position to make demands, she simply smiled and accepted the woman’s offering.

After the woman left, Jordana struggled against a blinding headache to put on the mismatched outfit. The clothes, apparently those taken in a raid on white settlers, were mostly too big. Pulling on a cotton chemise, Jordana laughed as it fell down to her ankles. The design was fairly straight and didn’t allow for a great deal of movement, so Jordana tore a slit up each side to give her more mobility. Next, she pulled on a well-worn calico dress that had apparently suited a much heavier woman. The length wasn’t so bad, but the width of the waistline left Jordana’s petite frame swimming within the garment.

The old woman returned, and seeing the way the clothing fit, or rather did not fit, she went again to the far side of the room and rummaged amidst a collection of goods before bringing back a leather belt.

Jordana smiled and again thanked the woman as she pulled the belt around her waist and caught up the bulk of the material with it. Then she turned and asked the old woman if she could help button up the back. The woman didn’t appear to understand until Jordana turned and pointed to her back.

Grunting, the old woman did up the buttons, then pointed to the closed flap. “You rest plenty. Now you come.”

Jordana nodded and followed. There seemed no other choice.

Stepping outside the relative warmth of the tepee, Jordana shivered as her bare feet touched the snowy ground.

“May I have my boots back?” she asked the old woman.

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