Tykota's Woman (Historical Romance) (33 page)

"I know!" Makinna cried. "At least I was
there. I'm not sure if I could find them again on
my own. But if someone could take me to the
mesa where the Apaches held me captive, I
believe I could find the cave from there."

Mangas rose up, his eyes bright. "Send John
Kincaid to me. I will tell him how to find the
mesa. You must hurry!"

Hannah took Makinna's arm. "You are my
son's only hope. I would go with you, but I
would only slow you down. I will prepare food
and everything you will need if you find him
wounded."

Makinna felt fear for the man she loved. What if she never found him, or found him
too late? "Pray for me that I might find him
alive."

Makinna rode away from Biquera just before
sunup. John Kincaid and two heavily armed
ranch hands galloped at her side. One of the men
led a packhorse. Makinna wished she was riding
an Indian pony so she could simply race across
the desert to Tykota.

On the third day out, they were in sight of the
wide mesa. Makinna halted her mount and
studied the lay of the land. She looked to the
south. She remembered Tykota telling her that
the cave was two days' ride south of this mesa.

"In the morning we ride south," she told John.

He nodded and prepared to make camp with
the ranch hands.

"John, wait. I have to tell you something, and
I don't know if you will understand."

"I will try, Miss Hillyard."

"Tomorrow we will ride for a day and a half.
Then I must ride on alone."

He looked worried. "It could be dangerous for
a woman alone."

"That's the way it has to be, John. You and the
others can't come with me."

"This cave Mangas and you were talking
about-could it be the sacred cave of the
legendary Perdenelas?"

"I don't know. It could be."

"And Tykota took you there?"

"I saw nothing of value there. But I know
Tykota has strong feelings about that place. And
if there is the slightest chance that it is the sacred
cave, I can't take you or anyone else there." She
looked into his clear, honest eyes and knew she
could trust him. "Do you understand, John?"

"I do. And I surely don't want those two"-he
nodded to the cowhands, who were drinking
coffee from tin cups-"to learn about the cave."

"Neither do I." She was quiet for a moment. "I
ride the last few miles alone."

"Yes. But what will you do if Tykota is
injured?"

"I'll have to manage. I promised him I would
not share the secret of the cave with anyone, and
I cannot break that promise."

"Miss Hillyard, I do believe you'll accomplish
whatever you set your mind to do."

She nodded, though she felt utterly inadequate
to the task at hand. "I can." She straightened her
shoulders. "I can do anything if it will help
Tykota."

When they had ridden for the appointed time,
Makinna told John that they would make camp,
and that she would go on the next morning
alone.

As dawn broke, Makinna was ready to ride. She turned back to John, who had been loading
the packhorse for her, as he finished securing the
supplies. "Tell me the truth, and I will know it if
you lie. Do you think he's alive?"

John smiled at her. "I can tell you that Tykota
is a stubborn man and one hard Indian to kill."

"Yes." She let out the breath she'd been
holding, feeling a glimmer of hope. "He is
stubborn."

Makinna had been riding for hours, and she was
becoming frantic. Where was the cave? Tykota
had told her it was in this direction. She would
recognize the mountain if she saw it.

She halted her mount and uncapped her
canteen, taking small sips as Tykota had taught
her. Somewhere out there he might be severely
wounded, and she had to find him.

What if she never found the cavern? What if
she wandered aimlessly and was lost in the vast
desert?

It was almost sundown when she spotted the
mountain looming out of the sand. Urging her
horse forward, she began laughing and crying at
the same time.

She had found the cave!

Tykota woke slowly to the sound of the water
spilling into the pool. He groaned and tried to sit
up, but pain seemed to pin him to the ground. He
licked his dry lips, wondering how long he'd
been there. He had no sense of the passage of
time.

He closed his eyes, wondering if Coloradous
would come in time to save him. No, probably
not. His thoughts turned to Makinna. Makinna
laughing. Makinna angry. Makinna soft and
loving in his arms.

If he was going to die, his last thoughts would
be of her.

Tykota heard her calling his name, and he
smiled. He felt her soft touch on his burning
forehead. He felt her near him, bending over
him.

Yes, he thought wistfully, let the memory of
her essence walk with me into the shadow of
death.

Makinna placed a hand on Tykota's forehead. He
was feverish. She saw the rise and fall of his
chest and called out his name.

He was alive!

She saw the angry wound in his shoulder
where he'd been shot. "Tykota, open your eyes.
Talk to me!"

He listened to her voice as if in a dream.

"Tykota! Open your eyes!"

It took great effort to raise his eyelids. Yes,
there she was, looking frantic. She was as
perfect in his imaginings as she had been in
person.

"Tykota, I need to ask you something."

He blinked. Her hand on his skin felt so real.
"Are you a dream?" he whispered through dry,
cracked lips.

"No, I am here, Tykota. I need to know if the
bullet is still in your shoulder."

He tried to concentrate on what she was
saying. "I... was shot." He tried to rise, but he
was too weak. "Santo... killed Mangas."

"Tykota, listen to me. Mangas is not dead.
He is the one who told me I would find you
here."

"I was coming to you," he said, closing his
eyes. "I just had... one more thing to do before
we could be together."

"We are together now."

"You left me."

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she bent to
kiss his lips. "I will never leave you again unless
you ask me to."

Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he gripped her
arm. "Makinna, you are not a dream?"

She gently touched his face. "No, I am not a
dream." She pushed his dark hair away from his
face and smiled through her tears. "Tykota, is the
bullet still in you?"

He licked his dry lips, feeling joy spread
through him. If she was a dream, he didn't want
to awaken. "The bullet is still there."

She sat back on her heels, gathering her
thoughts. She had watched Hannah dig the bullet
out of Mangas. But could she do the same? Yes,
if it meant saving Tykota's life. She could do
anything.

"Tykota, I have supplies at the bottom of the
mountain. I am going to get them. I will be right
back."

His hand tightened on hers. "You said you
would not leave me."

She placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Only long
enough to get what I need to remove the bullet."

She hurried out of the cave, unwilling to dwell
on the difficult task ahead of her. She prayed that
God would give her a steady hand and a strong
will.

When she reached the bottom of the hill, she
gave the horses water from a waterskin,
unsaddled hers, and took the supplies from the
packhorse.

All the while she was praying silently that she
could save Tykota.

Makinna placed a blanket beneath Tykota's
head, then turned to the fire she had built. She
gripped the handle of his knife and thrust the
blade into the flame. Gathering her courage, she turned back to Tykota to find him watching
her. His dark eyes were liquid, and she saw the
love shining there.

"Tykota, I have never done this before. I don't
want to hurt you."

His lips formed a smile. "You are too stubborn
to let a little thing like a bullet stop you."

She nodded, feeling her stomach tighten in
dread.

"Just do it, Makinna," he urged.

"I think your wound may be infected."

"That is because I did not have the strength to
remove the bullet. You must do it for me."

He watched her swallow hard and nod.

Makinna's hand was shaking, and she felt sick
inside. She avoided Tykota's eyes as she called
on all her strength.

"Just do it, Makinna."

She knew in that moment that this was the
hardest thing she'd ever been called on to docause him pain.

When the blade touched his wound, he
flinched. "No," he said between clenched teeth.
"You are not a dream. This is all too real."

Makinna knew she had to do it quickly, so she
wouldn't prolong his agony.

With a downward probe she felt the bullet
against the blade of the knife. She became dizzy
but would not give in to weakness. She probed
deeper and felt him go limp.

Tykota had passed out.

She had to get the bullet out before he
regained consciousness. She dug deeper and was
finally rewarded for her efforts when she felt the
bullet move. Slowly, painstakingly, she glided
the offending object out. Then she eased away
from Tykota, blotting the sweat from her
forehead with her sleeve.

She saturated the wound with alcohol and
washed most of the blood away. Then she
bandaged his shoulder and arm. Now she could
do no more than wait. Her hands were shaking so
violently that she had to clasp them together to
still them.

She went to the pool and washed her hands
and face, then wet a cloth and placed it on
Tykota's forehead because he still had a fever.
When she made him as comfortable as possible,
she prepared him something to eat. Hannah had
thought of everything-her basket was
overflowing with biscuits, dried meat, apples,
and cheese. Tykota probably hadn't eaten in
days.

Makinna sat quietly watching Tykota. He
could be unconscious, but he seemed to be
sleeping peacefully. Her gaze ran the length of
him, his masculine perfection. He was lean yet
beautifully muscled and undeniably handsome.
His thick, dark hair fell to his shoulders, and she
wanted badly to touch his bronzed cheek.

Sitting there in the waning light, she knew that she would never love anyone the way she
loved Tykota. He was a man of honor, in his
commitment to the Perdenelas, in his love for
her. She didn't know exactly why God had
brought her back into Tykota's life, but she was
glad He had.

She reached forward to touch his cheek. She
wasn't sure, but it felt a bit cooler. She rewet the
cloth, washed his face and chest, wet the cloth
again, then reapplied it to his forehead. It was so
difficult to just wait.

Makinna stood and walked to the outer cavern.
She moved to the entrance and stood on the
ledge as she had done when she and Tykota had
been here before.

The sunset bathed the desert in golden light,
and she closed her eyes, absorbing the beauty of
this land that now called to her and it gave
sustenance to her spirit. She was not the same
person she had been when she first came to this
land.

Fearing that Tykota would wake up and need
her, she went back to the inner cavern. He had
not moved, so she sat down beside him and
braced her back against the wall. Laying a hand
on his, she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

Makinna felt a presence and opened her eyes.
From a darkened corner, an Indian emerged, and
at first, she thought it was Tykota. But a quick glance showed her that Tykota was still
sleeping.

She scrambled to her feet and hugged the wall.
Then she saw it was Coloradous!

"What are you doing here, white woman?" he
asked in a cold voice.

"I... Tykota was wounded, and I... took the
bullet out."

"How did you know of this place?"

"I... Tykota brought me here."

Coloradous bent down and laid a hand on his
brother's chest. "How bad is he?"

"I don't know."

"How did this happen to him?"

"Mangas told me that Santo did it."

Coloradous nodded. "Yes, Santo would have
done this." He rose to his full height, and she
was struck, as she had been before, by how much
he looked like Tykota.

"I don't know how bad his wound is. He has
not regained consciousness since I removed the
bullet," she said.

"His breathing is very shallow."

"Is that bad?"

"It could be." His dark gaze settled on her.
"You removed the bullet and bandaged him?"

She nodded.

"You did well. But I will look to my brother
now. You may leave."

"I can't leave without knowing if he is going
to live."

"You do not belong here. I will take care of
him, and when he is well enough to travel, I will
take him to the healing woman, Huara."

"He must not be moved," she argued. "It could
kill him."

He took her arm and led her to the narrow
passage. "I will do all I can for him. He is my
brother, and I would give my life if it would save
him."