Westward Dreams Read Online Free Page A

moving. 
                  “Where are you going?” Dean called after the Indian.  “I thought you were going to help me?”
                  “Do not worry!  I will catch up!” Owl yelled back as he trotted down the street. 
                  During his forced stay with the Samuels, Owl had developed a sweet tooth and he wanted to get some more candy.  Owl made quite a picture running down the street in his leggings and deerskin shirt.  His black hair flowed behind him like a dark banner.  As he ran, a lady came out of a boutique almost right in front of him and slipped in the mud. 
                  Owl tried to stop so he could catch her, but his feet began sliding.  He did the next best thing and grasped her shoulders and spun around with her so that when they landed she was on top of him and he would take the brunt of the fall.  They landed with a jarring thud.  Owl’s bad shoulder protested and he grunted as pain shot down his arm.  He pushed the pain aside and looked down to check to see if the woman in his arms was all right. 
    Hannah hadn’t seen Owl and didn’t know who had ahold of her.  As her shock from the fall faded, she pushed off the hard chest she’d landed on and looked down into intense dark eyes that held a healthy dose of humor in them.  As Hannah’s eyes travelled over his other features, she realized that he was an Indian.
    His sensual mouth was curved in a smile.  “Are you ok?” he asked.
    Hannah blinked.  She hadn’t expected him to speak English.  There was an accent to his speech that was pleasant to the ear.
    Owl laughed as he saw her bewilderment.  “I talk pretty good English, huh?”
    His smile was irresistible and her mouthed curved of its own accord.  “Yes.  I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to stare.  I’ve never met an Indian before.”
    “It is ok.  We need to get you up,” Owl said.
    Bernie Jacobs the shop keeper of the store Hannah had hurried from his shop to help them.  Between the two men, they were able to get Hannah on her feet with only a minimum of mud getting on her skirts.  Bernie reached down to help Owl, but he waved Bernie off.  He didn’t want to pull the shop owner over.  Owl threw his weight forward with great force and came up onto his feet.
    Mud slid off his shirt and fell to the street with soft plops.  Hannah watched him in fascination.  Owl wasn’t nearly as tall as Black Fox but his six-foot-two height was tall compared to her height.  His buckskin shirt had been incredibly soft under her hands.  The color of it contrasted nicely with his dusky skin.  She noticed that he wore a small amulet of some sort and wondered what it meant.
    Owl’s shoulder throbbed from the exertion and he rolled it a little.
    “Are you hurt?” Hannah asked.
    “Yes, but not from fall,” Owl said.  “Old wound.  Still healing.  I am fine.  Are you ok?”
    “Yes.  I’m fine. Thank you for helping me.  I’m not sure how you managed to catch me, but I’m glad you did,” Hannah said.  “I’m sorry your clothes got dirty, though.”
    Owl shrugged.  “It is ok.  They can be washed.”  He watched her expressive face.  Her eyes were a very light brown shade, almost amber in color.  Owl thought that her smile was very pretty and he liked her figure.  He remembered Dean was waiting for him and thought it best to go help his host so he didn’t change his mind about letting Mikey have a horse.  “I must go.  Goodbye, pretty lady,” he said and ran down the street.
    Hannah stared after him with an open mouth.  Then she turned to Bernie and said, “Who was that?”
    Bernie laughed and said, “That’s Owl.  He’s a half-brother to Marcus Samuels, our doctor in training.  Their tribe doesn’t live far from town.  He sure seemed to like you, miss.”
    Hannah felt her cheeks flush and turned to look in the direction Owl had run.  However, he was long gone by this time.  Then she