Deceived by Kathi Oram Peterson

Author:Kathi Oram Peterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LDS, Clean, Suspense, Los Angeles, Idaho, Murder, Family, drugged, Killer, Ranch, Romance, Danger, Secrets
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2014-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

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When Joseph was a boy, his father built a sweat lodge to pray in. His father’s belief in God was based on teachings of a Great Spirit that had been passed down for generations. His father had used the sweat lodge to feel close to the Great Spirit, but years ago, the lodge was destroyed by a bad winter storm. Because Joseph had converted to the LDS faith, he didn’t rebuild it, but in a way, he wished he had so he could have kept something that meant so much to his father.

Joseph didn’t need a sweat lodge to feel close to God, but in the tradition of his father, he built a small fire of pine and aspen wood. Once the flames were strong, he gazed out at the lake and thought of his heritage, as well as being here beside the water—where he and his father had spent so much time—which turned his thoughts to the story of Wallowa Lake in Oregon, the lake his black Appaloosa stallion was named after.

Legend said the hand of the Almighty had lifted hills near the lake so high that glaciers with eternal snow still remained. The deepest gash on the surface of the earth was to the east, where the Snake River flowed. There the Nez Perce hunted deer drawn to the lake and river. He remembered his father telling him he was named after Chief Joseph, whose Indian name was Thunder Rolling in the Mountains. Joseph was a mighty chief, who, when pushed by the white man, rose up to defend his people, but his people lost the battle, and the government allowed only a few to return to their homeland at Wallowa Lake, where their teepees once crowded the shores. Joseph’s father left the area when he married Bear, and they settled here. This small lake must have reminded his dad of Wallowa. Joseph wondered if he should put up an old-fashioned teepee. Katelen would love to play in it, and it would serve as a reminder of her heritage.

The moon glittered off the shimmery water like fireflies dancing on ice, and he looked up to embrace the majesty of the sky. Sparks popped from the flickering fire, rising high on wafting air currents and then disappearing into the thick, black night. The scent of campfire smoke made him realize how much he missed coming here.

He placed the revered buffalo robe bundle on the long grass and unrolled it. On the smooth leather inside were drawings symbolizing four life circles. Two bags lay before him: one large, one small. He opened the large doeskin bag. Inside was the ceremonial double-tailed golden eagle feather headdress his great, great-grandfather Totoken wore. Carefully, he lifted it and ran his hand over the soft downy feathers, thinking of his father and how important ceremonies had been to him.

One important ceremony happened after a kid at school fought with Joseph. Joseph had received a severe cut on his right cheek, and his father had taken him down to the lake, where he’d made a fire like the one burning now.

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