The woman turned her head, so she looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “You whore.”

I felt my stomach turn over as if someone had jabbed me there. There I was again, flat on my back, helpless, and trying to protect myself from the wrangler, who hated me, too. “No. No. You don’t understand,” I said over and over.

Poker Joe came to my defense. “The woman was forced to go with us through no fault of her own. No one has harmed her.”

I guess the man felt he had a leg to stand on, or maybe he didn’t want to appear less forthright than his wife. “Yeah, well, explain that shiner she’s sporting.”

Poker Joe had no idea what a shiner was, but I had a little brother. “That was from a white man who tried to do me harm,” I told him.

“And what if I don’t believe you?” he countered.

What could I say? Joseph spoke to Poker Joe again, more emphatic this time.

“We must leave her here with you. The Bluecoats will be here soon enough,” Poker Joe explained. “You can turn her over to them. We will leave you her horse for your troubles.”

There followed one of those long silences which are only comfortable if you are sharing them with someone you care about. I was afraid to look at the woman again.

You might wonder why Hawk didn’t say anything. His English was at least as good as Poker Joe’s, but he remained silent. Remember, please, that Hawk hadn’t yet been invited to speak in the tribal council. His role now was to listen and learn. I did notice that his breathing had become louder. He was not a happy man.

The woman was obviously in charge in that marriage. She cleared her throat. “I suppose it is our Christian duty. Come here, you.”

She reached out to draw me into the soddy. Her hand closed around my wrist like a talon and I shuddered. I couldn’t help myself. Her hands were dirty and she smelled bad. I had become accustomed to being around The People, who smelled of woodsmoke and leather.

I know I shouldn’t have shuddered. She jerked herself up straight and said something under her breath I couldn’t quite hear, maybe because I didn’t want to.

I started to back up and bumped into Hawk. I know it was an involuntary move – at least I think it was – but he put both hands on my shoulders. When the white woman saw that, her mouth worked a little and she spat on me.

What followed can only be categorized as a tense moment. There. I just underlined it. Tense moment. Hawk dropped his hands like my shoulders burned and drew out his knife. I didn’t see that, but I heard it. I reached behind me to wave him off.