Chapter Eighteen

"Chase, if I didn't know better then I would swear you were nervous." Leah said as she glanced over at Chase riding beside her. Town was in sight and he had been quiet all day. Quieter than usual anyway. He looked over at her and raised his brow.

"I am never nervous." Leah rolled her eyes.

"I know, that's why I said if I didn't know better. There is something wrong with you though."

"I want you to be prepared. Not everyone is as accepting of my skin as you are and those that are not will not be accepting of you either."

"They can think and say what they want, Chase. I won't leave you."

"I know you won't. I think I already said once that I wouldn't allow it."

"Now you're just trying to get me angry." Leah stated with a smile. "And it won't work. Today is going to be the best day of my life so far and I won't let you get me worked up."

Chase nodded and offered her a small smile but his worries were not eased. He hated towns. He hated being around so many people. He hated the stares, the looks, the whispers. He just hoped they'd find a judge or a preacher that would wed them despite his heritage.

***

Leah instantly noticed the looks she and Chase received as they walked hand in hand down the road. They had put their horses up at the livery and were now making their way down the fairly crowded streets of Billings. The town was fairly well off and a frequent resting place for those heading to California.

Women in fancy dresses with parasols and giant hats moved to the other side of the street to avoid walking too close to Chase. Men put their hands on their guns or shielded their children and wives with their bodies as he passed by them. Leah glanced up at Chase but he was just walking proudly with his shoulders thrown back and his chest out.

He looked proud and handsome and yet she could see what those people saw. There was a wildness about him. His dark skin, sharp black eyes and long, dark as night hair. His buckskin pants and thin cotton shirt were much different than what most were wearing and he had a confident air about him. Everything about him screamed 'man' and 'wild'. Untamable.

Untamable to all but her of course. Leah smiled to herself and moved closer to him and he released her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders in response.

Chase looked down at her and wondered if she realized that she looked more savage than white as they walked the streets of this town. The sunlight had darkened her skin and while her long dark hair was pulled back, the pride with which she held her shoulders and stuck up her chin gave her a look so different from the 'civilized' women walking past them.

"Being with me has almost turned you into an apache." he whispered, stooping down to breath the words into her ear. Leah smiled proudly.

"I will take that as a compliment since you are the best man that I know."

"You think too highly of me. I am good to you but no one else will be treated that nicely."

"Since you seem to be in such a good mood why don't you take me to the dress shop and let me pick out something pretty to wear?" Leah asked.

"You do not need fancy clothes." Chase replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"No but I would like them." she replied.

"You want to waste money on something you do not need?" Chase demanded with annoyance and Leah glared up at him.

"How many times am I going to get married, Chase? I would like to do it in something other than a dirt covered work dress and worn out boots!"

"You are beautiful in your dirt covered work dress and boots and I love you just as you are. I see no reason to waste time finding clothes." Leah smiled and leaned against him.

"No woman will ever say that looking for clothes is a waste of time. So come on chief and let your squaw get a dress." Chase rolled his eyes and sighed with defeat.

"Yancy had a bad effect on you."

"I don't' know, I think I would make a very good squaw."

***

"Can I help you both?" A man in a sharply tailored black suit asked as Leah and Chase stepped into a small church nearly two hours later. Leah had finally found a white lace and cotton dress that hugged her ample curves and made her feel very much like a bride. She had washed her hair and stuck little white beads through it before pulling it all back in a fancy chignon on the back of her head.

Chase thought she looked pretty but what he really wanted was to see her in his buckskin pants and thin cotton shirt again with her hair let loose and shining in the sun. He wanted to see a dirt streak on her cheek and the sunlight glinting in her green eyes. All of this dressing up and being in town was not for him. Chase couldn't stomach the noises, the smells the looks and the closeness. It was like a shirt that fit too tight around your neck and slowly cut off your air until your lungs burned in protest.

"We would like to get married." Leah replied to the preachers question. "Here's the license." She held out the piece of paper that only needed a preacher and a witness's signature to be legal. The preacher looked at both of them in turn and then he folded his hands in front of him and shook his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you." Chase was going to turn and walk away but Leah crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground, giving him no choice but to stand beside her.

"Why not? You are a preacher aren't you? It is your duty to join together under Gods witness those that want to be joined together isn't it?"

"Perhaps you should try the justice of the peace. He may be able to help you." Chase had wanted to try the justice of the peace but the folks in town had informed him that the man was currently out of town and would be for some time. There weren't many laws around these parts but Chase wanted this marriage thing done right so that Leah's parents couldn't one day say she wasn't married to him and again try to pair her with someone else.

"Sir, I don't understand the problem." Leah said matter of factly. "Could you explain it to me?"

"My dear," the preacher said with just a bit of nervousness as he glanced quickly at Chase. "I perform wedding ceremonies everyday. This is the only town for miles and miles so many folks choose to get married while they are here... Unfortunately I cannot marry the two of you."

"Why not?" Leah snapped as she glared at the older man. Chase knew that she knew why he was refusing and yet she clearly wasn't going to back down. He wanted to grab her arm and leave with her. Let her know that over one hundred years of prejudice against Indians was not going to be fixed just because she refused to back down to a preacher... But then again she looked so damn adorable and a little scary with that fire in her eyes that Chase wanted to see just what the outcome of her stand would be.

"This man is different than you and I." the preacher offered uncomfortably.

"He's a man isn't he?" Leah demanded. "He has skin and blood and I guarantee if I jabbed him real hard between the legs that he would cry just the same as you so I still fail to see what the problem is."

The preacher was clearly taken aback by her comments but Chase was amused.

"I cannot marry two folks of different races. It is wrong and sinful and will not be done in my church." The preacher finally stated firmly after he had recovered himself.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, sir, but for something to be sinful doesn't it have to be written in the bible that it is against God's wishes?"

"Yes of course." the preacher replied. Chase just stood there calmly with his arms crossed while Leah walked over and plopped herself down in one of the pews. She crossed her hands in her lap and smiled sweetly.

"What are you doing?" Chase asked with a raise of his brow and Leah's smile grew broader.

"I am going to sit right here until the preacher can find the part in that Bible he knows so well that says God does not support different races getting married. Since I know that he will not find it I will expect him to marry us just as soon as he's done looking."

Chase had never read the white mans bible and so he had no way of knowing whether the preacher would find the answer he sought or not but Leah looked so certain of herself that Chase nodded and sat beside her.

The preacher sniffed and looked quite irritated as he grabbed a bible and began rifling through the pages and mumbling under his breath.

"I'll find it!" he assured them.

Nearly an hour later the preacher sat the bible down and ran his hand through his graying hair.

"I couldn't find it." he stated with defeat.

"Because it is not there." Leah replied as she stood up and Chase copied her movement. "Now if you would be so kind as to get us married so that we could go and enjoy a meal then I would be most appreciative."

"I've never met a bigger brat..." the preacher stated and while Chase stiffened at the insult, Leah laughed.

"I've heard that quite a few times." she admitted.

"I'd say you have." the preacher agreed with a nod. He looked back and forth between Chase and Leah and then finally threw his hands up. "Fine! Fine, if it will get you out of my church then I'll do whatever it is you want me to do."

"Thank you." Leah said with that sweet smile on her lips once again. "I knew you would see things my way."

The preacher called up two stable hands to be the witnesses and true to his word he performed the ceremony for Chase and Leah. He came to the portion of the ceremony when they would exchange rings and Leah gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"We forgot rings!" she explained.

"They aren't necessary, we can continue." the preacher stated quickly, he was eager to have this sinful joining over with so he could get back to the card game he had left downstairs.

"Wait." Chase stated sternly and instantly the preacher's mouth clamped shut. Leah smiled. Chase was the type of man that everyone listened to. It was impossible to stand your ground when up against him because he had a way of making even the toughest man shake in his boots.

"I do not have a ring for you but I have something." Chase reached in his pocket and fished something out. Leah frowned with curiosity as she looked at his closed hand and then moved her gaze up to his face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Something that my father gave to my mother on the day he took her as his life mate and something that I have wanted to give you for a long time but wanted to wait until we were safe and out of danger."

Leah was practically bouncing with impatience and anticipation and Chase bit back a laugh. She was still so childlike in so many ways that he found endearing.

He unfolded his hand and her eyes immediately widened as she looked at the necklace laying across his palm. His father had carved the bone wolf trinket for his mother and she had worn it on this leather string until the day she had been murdered.

"This was my mothers and my father made it for her." Chase said as he held the necklace up. Leah's eyes filled with tears as she reached out and ran her finger over the off white wolf.

"It's beautiful." She frowned. "Are you sure your mother and father would want me to have it?"

"Yes." Chase replied simply. "You are mine and my father told me to one day give this to my mate. I have found her and I want her to wear this necklace."

"I would be proud to wear it." Leah vowed and she turned as Chase slipped the necklace around her neck and tied it securely in place."

"Well if that's that then I say we finish this up." the preacher stated, though his voice was warmer then it had been before and he seemed to have a genuine smile on his face.

Leah turned back around and smiled up at Chase who was gazing down at her with so much love and pride that it took her breath away. And when the preacher finally pronounced them man and wife Leah nearly cried out with joy before Chase took her in his arms and kissed her with a passion that had the preacher and stable hands clearing their throats and adjusting their collars.

As she and Chase left the church Leah knew that she had found her forever and she knew that nothing and no one would ever come between them again.

"Holy shit, Chief is that you?!" Leah and Chase turned on their way to the hotel to see Yancy running toward them.

"Yes it is me." Chase replied.

"Hot damn am I glad to see the squaw with you again. I've been scared to death worrying about you and trying to find the damn chief and couldn't find hide nor hair of either of ya...."

"Is there a point to this rambling or do you just like to listen to yourself?" Leah asked with an impatient tap of her foot. "Chase and I just got married and we're kind of on our way to the hotel...."

Yancy looked uncomfortable as he shifted his feet. Just then Tig came up to them as well.

"Boom. Boom. Things are about to get real bad." Tig said with a shake of his head. Chase felt a nagging feeling come back into his stomach. He didn't want things to get real bad when they were finally getting real good.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Leah asked feeling her own uneasiness rise. Tig and Yancy both seemed to be very worried about something and even Chase had stiffened, picking up on their moods. Leah didn't want anything else to go wrong! She and Chase were finally moving forward in a good way and she didn't want to be pulled back into that dangerous life.

"Chief, maybe we should go talk in private." Yancy warned as he rubbed the back of his neck and spared a glance at Leah.

"I say you say whatever it is that's on your mind. Leah is my wife and I have nothing to hide from her." Yancy sighed and looked at Tig who nodded.

"Boss had a son, Chase, and that son is out for blood. He beat poor Louisa half to death before she finally broke and told him what he wanted to know...."

"Then he killed her!" Tig exclaimed.

"What did he want to know?" Chase growled as his arm instantly went around Leah and pulled her closer to him.

"Your weakness." Yancy replied with a sigh.

"And did she tell him?" Chase asked, his voice cold and even.

"Yep she sure did. Sang like a canary that one!" Tig replied with an overly animated nod.

"I don't understand." Leah said with frustration as Chase cursed under his breath. "What is your weakness?" Leah felt a shiver run down her spine when all three men looked at her.

"Okay but I'm with you, Chase, so that means I'm as safe as I could ever possibly be."

"Yes." Chase replied, his jaw tightening. Yancy spit into the dust and put his thumbs through his belt loops.

"But your family ain't, little squaw, and that's where Tobias was heading." Leah felt her head begin to spin and her heart fell into her stomach. Her family? Her mother, father, Chance and Benjamin; they were all in danger!

She looked up at Chase and saw the muscles in his jaw flexing and popping.

"We might be able to get there in time." Yancy offered and Chase nodded.

"Let's go."

"Aren't you gonna leave her here where it's safe?" Tig asked, nodding toward Leah.

"No. She would not stay and the safest place for her to be is with me." Leah didn't even hear their conversation as she thought about her family and prayed they would get to them in time.