Brave Beginnings Read online

  “I cannot touch you but you touch me?”

  “I’m not hunting right now.”

  “Oh. In that case...” He pulled her closer to him and led the buggy to another area where several turkeys waddled through the prairie. “You want one of those?”

  She sat up straight and tightened her hold on the bow and arrow. “There’s a good one. Right there.” She used the arrow to point to the pretty male one.

  As soon as he stopped the horses, she jumped down and made her way over to her target. She tried to keep her steps quiet and was relieved when Chogan kept his distance. When she reached her destination, she held the bow and arrow up. She released the arrow and it hit the turkey.

  Jumping in excitement, she pointed to the fallen turkey and shouted out, “I got him! I did it!”

  She caught the amusement in his eyes as he walked past her and went to the animal. She went along with him.

  “I did it on the first try,” she unnecessarily added. “It was an amazing experience! Not as amazing as when I got Hothlepoya, but it was just the second most amazing experience I’ve ever had.”

  He knelt down and checked the turkey. With pride in his voice, he said, “You will be expert hunter.” He lifted it. “We will eat good tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait until Aunt Erin sees this. It’s a beautiful bird.”

  Julia brushed some of the feathers, noting the array of red, purple, green, copper, bronze, and gold colors that seemed to show through depending on how the light hit them. She imagined how they’d appear in a headdress. Chogan would look wonderful with it on his head. He turned to carry the turkey back to the buggy, and she couldn’t help but plea with him to be careful so that he didn’t crush any of the feathers.

  “And can you position him on those papers so that he doesn’t bleed all over his body?” she asked as he settled the game onto the pile of papers they’d placed in the buggy.

  “Yes. I do that.”

  “Just wait until Gary sees what I got. Has he ever caught a bird this big?”

  “He does not hunt.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “He doesn’t?”

  Chogan’s smile widened. “If you two get stuck out here, you will fend for him.”

  “Well, he can use a gun, so I’m sure he’d manage fine.”

  “Guns are easy. Real hunters use bow and arrow.”

  “You’re right. Guns are easy. My brother’s a wimp,” she joked. “Let’s get home so I can show off what I caught!”

  ***

  Julia watched in amusement as Gary’s jaw dropped at the sight of the large cooked turkey that Aunt Erin placed on the dining table.

  “You caught that by yourself?” Gary asked his sister.

  “She did,” Chogan replied with an unmistakably proud smile on his face. “She is a great hunter.”

  Julia blushed. “I had a good teacher.”

  Aunt Erin laughed. “Pick your jaw off the floor, son,” she told Gary. “You underestimated your sister’s abilities.”

  Woape put a squirming Penelope into the highchair and grinned. “You have the spirit of a Mandan in you.”

  Chogan nudged Julia in the arm and gave her a knowing look. “You see? I tell you that too.”

  The doorbell chimed.

  Aunt Erin clapped her hands. “That must be my brother and his family. I’ll go get it.”

  “I’ll finish setting the table,” Julia said.

  “Need any help?” Woape asked.

  “No. You have your hands full as it is with a one year old that refuses to sit still.”

  “I’ll help,” Gary offered.

  Surprised, Julia agreed and led her brother into the kitchen. “It’s nice to have you and Woape over,” she said as she picked up the large bowl of stuffing and the smaller bowl of cranberry sauce.

  “It’s nice coming here.” Gary turned to the tray where the coffee pot and cups were neatly arranged but didn’t pick them up. “I wanted to say something that’s probably long overdue.”

  “Oh?” The bowls suddenly felt heavy and she wondered if she should put them back down. Her brother looked unusually serious, and she wasn’t sure if this was going to be good or not. She thought they’d worked through their differences. Maybe she’d been wrong.

  “Woape just found out she’s expecting another child.”

  “That’s wonderful, Gary,” she replied, thrilled for the two of them.

  “Yes, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  She frowned. “Is something wrong?”

  “No. But when Woape told me, it occurred to me that Penelope will have a brother or sister, and I want them to be friends. Then I thought about us and how we seemed to have one problem right after another. I didn’t realize how much you did for me while I was growing up, and looking back, I can see you gave up a lot. At the time I thought you were trying to take our ma’s place. But you weren’t. You were being a big sister, fussing over me and loving me the way I hope Penelope will fuss over and love her little brother or sister.” He cleared his throat and shifted from one foot to another. “Anyway, I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done for me. I didn’t appreciate it then, but I do now. I love you, Julia.”

  Tears came to her eyes, and he took the bowls from her so she could wipe her eyes with her apron.

  “It’s been a long time in coming for me to tell you that, hasn’t it?”

  More tears fell and she struggled to find her composure. How long had she hoped her brother might one day look at her and tell her he loved her? And now that he had, she couldn’t stop crying.

  He put the bowls on the table and wrapped his arms around her. “You know, I thought this was going to be good news.”

  She laughed and hugged him back. “It is good news, Gary. The best, really. I love you too, Gary. I never once stopped.”

  “I know. We might have argued, but underneath it all, you always did.” He pulled away from her and grabbed a clean cloth. Once he pumped water so it was wet, he wrung it out and handed it to her. “I don’t want that tall husband of yours coming in and finding you crying. He might take it the wrong way and run me off.”

  At that, she laughed again and pressed the cool cloth to her face. “Chogan’s incredibly sweet. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  “You don’t see him the way men do. He’s tall and strong. Just the kind of thing that makes lesser men shake in their boots.”

  “You jest. Men don’t fear him.”

  At that, he chuckled. “Not all but most. And I happen to be one of them.” He paused and gave her a good look. “Did you really threaten him with a knife when you thought I was dead?”

  “Sure. I thought he was the one who killed you.”

  “There you go. Playing big sister. Facing formidable opponents to save your little brother.”

  She noted his amusement, so she didn’t mind the teasing. “If people bother you, then they have to deal with me. I can shoot really well with a bow and arrow now, so it’s not an idle threat.”

  “It’s good to know I have you on my side. Between you and Chogan, no one stands a chance.”

  Grinning, she set the washcloth down and retrieved the two bowls. “No truer words were ever spoken. So you better get to work or I’ll send in Chogan to intimidate you.” She giggled, still unable to see how Chogan could scare anyone but taking her brother’s word for it.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied and turned to the bowls of mashed potatoes and yams. “There’s enough food here to feed an army.”

  “Aunt Erin wanted to be sure no one went hungry.”

  “Of course. Remember how she used to insist we have another helping of dessert to fatten us up?”

  “I think she gave up after she realized we were never going to be as plump as she wanted. These dinners make her happy, you know. More than cooking, she loves to watch people eating.”

  “I purposely didn’t eat breakfast at the tribe this morning so I could have the extra slice of pumpkin pie.”

&
nbsp; “It’ll make her Thanksgiving complete.”

  “Woape will have to roll me home.”

  “You aren’t staying the night?”

  He picked up the bowls and headed for the door. “Yes, but I’m going to eat so much I’ll still be comatose tomorrow.”

  “Wow. Then you’re really going to make our aunt happy.”

  “That’s the plan.” He pushed the swinging door open and motioned for her to go first. As she passed him, he said, “Happy Thanksgiving, Julia.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Gary.” Smiling, she walked out to the dining room.

  ~~********~~

  Chapter 12

  Chogan went to the Tribune after delivering his newspapers and noticed the decorated tree in the corner of the room. Right after Thanksgiving, Julia and her aunt made a big fuss over getting a tree so they could put it in the parlor and pretty it up. The whole process amused him. It seemed frivolous, but it made them happy, and apparently, even the men joined in this tradition.

  Thinking no more of it, he went to the potbelly stove, took off his gloves, and warmed his hands.

  Noah soon joined him and asked, “Have a good Thanksgiving?”

  “Yes. Did you?”

  “I ate myself into oblivion.”

  Chogan hadn’t heard the word oblivion before, so he watched Noah’s face to detect whether this was a good or bad thing. When Noah laughed, Chogan smiled, assured that eating oneself into oblivion was a good thing after all.

  Their supervisor came by and Chogan got ready to head on out to get the donuts like usual, but the supervisor said, “Chogan, Mike over there will show you how to run the printing press. Noah, I want you to do the donut run today.”

  “But sir...?” Noah began and ran up to the supervisor before he could head to his office. He glanced at Chogan and gulped. When he looked back at their boss, he asked, “Can I speak to you alone?”

  Chogan frowned. He didn’t like it when people spoke out of his hearing, and there was no doubt whatever Noah had to say, it was in direct relation to him, and that meant he had the right to know what it was.

  “Not now, Noah,” the supervisor replied. “I have to meet with the editor. Whatever you have to say can wait until after lunch.” He waved Chogan forward. “Mike’s expecting you.”

  Nodding, Chogan obeyed and went down the hallway that led to the printing room. To say he was surprised that their supervisor picked him instead of Noah was an understatement. Chogan worked hard and faithfully did the tasks given him, but he never expected to be chosen over a white man. He assumed he might work his way up slowly but only after Noah promoted before him.

  What was even more surprising to Chogan was that Mike offered him one of the donuts upon Noah’s return. Noah gave Chogan a slight scowl when Mike handed Chogan the food and asked Noah to bring them all some coffee. Chogan decided he would not drink the coffee Noah brought for him. He’d seen Noah in the past and knew the man had a spark of vindictiveness in him.

  Shortly after Chogan started working there, Noah was sent to sweep the printing press floor. He was nursing a hangover and did a half-hearted job. When the supervisor returned and told Noah to do it over, Noah ‘misplaced’ their supervisor’s mail. Without Noah knowing about it, Chogan put the mail back where it belonged.

  It was then that Chogan knew the type of man he was dealing with. In many ways, his pettiness reminded him of Sarita. No amount of ‘she has full Mandan blood’ argument would ever make up for her lack of qualities that truly mattered in a woman. The irony wasn’t lost on Chogan. He’d went to Bismarck and found that the same types of people kept popping up. When his shift was over, he could go home and get away from Noah.

  So when Noah handed him a cup of coffee, Chogan thanked him and set it down. Later on, he tossed the coffee out. But Noah was easily forgotten as Mike showed him how the printing press worked, how to put ink into it, and how to lay out the printed articles and ads to make a page in the paper. Chogan found it fascinating, even if it had nothing to do with going out into the fresh air and hunting like he was raised to do. This was different work, and he’d adapt to this just as he’d adapted to other aspects of his new life.

  At the end of his shift, he found his coat and hat. He inspected them to make sure nothing was out of place or torn. They looked fine.

  Noah retrieved his own hat and coat from the spot next to Chogan’s things and asked, “How was it?”

  Chogan remained still for a moment. “How was what?”

  “Learning the ropes. How’d it go?”

  Chogan was suspicious of the man’s friendly disposition. “Fine. It is work.” He watched as Noah put his things on. “I did not expect it.”

  “I saw how shocked you were.” Noah shrugged. “Maybe they decided to teach us what to do in case one of them gets sick and they need us to assist.”

  “Maybe,” he answered uncertainly.

  “See you tomorrow.”

  Once Noah was out of sight, Chogan slipped his coat on and went home, sensing that what had been a pleasant place to work at was about to change.

  ***

  A week before Christmas, Julia picked up the paper and showed it to Millicent. “Chogan was in charge of printing this! Didn’t he do a wonderful job?”

  Millicent stopped by the newsstand as Julia paid for two papers. “Don’t you have one delivered to your door?”

  “Yes, but this is a special edition.”

  “How so? It’s not Sunday.”

  Julia smiled. “No, but it’s Chogan’s first paper.”

  Millicent laughed and tightened the hood on her coat as the snow softly fell around them. “Oh for heaven’s sakes. From the way you’re acting, one would think he wrote the whole thing himself.”

  “If it weren’t for him, this paper wouldn’t be out today. He’s the one who got everything printed out.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t buy all the copies.”

  Julia glanced at the man standing behind the newspaper stand and decided to buy another three copies.

  “I was jesting, Julia!” Millicent said, her eyes wide.

  The man took her money and thanked her before she collected five of the neatly folded papers and closed the strings of her purse. She slid the papers under her coat so they wouldn’t get wet and folded her arms over her chest to keep them from slipping. Then she turned to her cousin and headed down the sidewalk with her.

  “Gary and Woape will want a copy. Then there’s your aunt and uncle and you—”

  ‘“We already get the paper,” Millicent teased.

  “True. But that one was thrown carelessly on your doorstep. These copies are well-preserved.”

  “Oh, you are a hopeless cause, my dear cousin.”

  “I won’t do this with tomorrow’s edition. If I did, then I’d be hopeless. But this is the first paper he’s printed, and that makes it special.”

  “I suppose a woman has a right to be proud of her husband.”

  “Well, he’s worked hard. He’s much better than Noah Hawk. I heard about how lazy he is, doing as little as possible to get paid. If his uncle wasn’t one of the editors, I doubt he’d have gotten hired at all.”

  Millicent stopped in front of the bank and approached the entrance.

  “Do you need to go in there?” Julia asked, feeling uneasy. She’d only run into Ernest on four occasions since she married Chogan, and fortunately, those had been during times when they’d merely been passing by. But if she had to go in there, she’d risk having to converse with him.

  “I must withdraw a small sum of money so I can purchase supplies for finishing a quilt. Time is quickly running out.”

  Julia sighed. She couldn’t fault her cousin’s reasoning. “I’ll wait out here then, if that’s alright with you?”

  Millicent shrugged. “Oh, I would not insist you go in. I suppose things are apt to be uncomfortable, what with Ernest and all.”

  Grateful she understood, Julia nodded.

  “I will be out
shortly.”

  Once she went into the bank, Julia stood by the entrance and wondered what she might do with her time. The bench was covered in snow, so she had no desire to sit. Deciding it was best to get out of the patrons’ way, she edged further away from the door and leaned against the building where she had adequate protection from the snow.

  She shifted from one foot to the other to keep warm, and when the wind blew directly in her face, she turned around. As soon as she did, she realized that Ernest was walking across the street. He hadn’t seen her yet, but when she got ready to turn around again, his gaze met hers and she knew it was pointless to pretend she didn’t see him. For a moment, she thought he might ignore her and go right into the bank. When he strode in her direction, her hopes plummeted. So much for that idea!

  What could he possibly want? Surely, he didn’t think fondly of her after she turned him down twice.

  Ernest tipped his hat and stopped in front of her. “Good morning, Julia.”

  “Uh, hi Ernest,” she replied, wishing she’d gone in the bank. At least then, she’d be with Millicent and Millicent would help break the tension. “Are you having a good Christmas?”

  “It’s fine. Not as good as yours, I hear. I ought to congratulate you on your marriage.”

  Her face flushed despite the chill. “Yes.” What exactly was she supposed to say? She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “Um...I didn’t have an actual wedding. It was a very small affair with the preacher.” She glanced at the door and wondered just how long Millicent’s business would take in there.

  “Can I ask why?”

  Surprised, she looked at him. “Why what?”

  “Why did you pick someone like him?”

  Frowning, she asked, “Someone like who?”

  “You know. A redskin. I don’t get it. I’ve tried to figure it out, but I can’t think of what he has that I don’t. He has no viable skills, and your life won’t be as comfortable as it could have been had you married me.”