the command that she leave. Instead, he came to her and pulled her to her feet. Was he going to physically throw her out?
She raised her head to look at him, and when she did, Andrew lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. He pulled her so close and held her so tightly that when Faith’s knees gave way, he simply held her in place. When he finally pulled back to speak, Faith could hardly breathe.
“There’s nothing to stop us now,” he murmured against her face. He kissed her cheek and then her temple.
“Stop us? Stop us from what?”
“Marrying. I want you to marry me, Faith Kenner. I’ve wanted you to marry me since you sewed up my arm.”
She shook her head. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I’m not the person you think I am.”
He chuckled and kissed her cheek again. “And I’m probably not the man you think I am. Only I didn’t have the courage to explain after our kiss. Instead, I stayed away, trying to convince myself it would never work out—we could never be together. But the truth is that Benjamin Littlefoot is my grandfather. He is my mother’s father.”
The truth dawned on Faith. “So you’re Nez Perce?”
“Among other things that add up to about half Indian, half white. Just like you. So now I can marry you and love you freely for the rest of my life, and no one can threaten us or force us apart.”
Faith could hardly comprehend what he was saying. She looked into his dark eyes and tried to figure out if he might be lying—telling her this just to make her feel better—but Andrew didn’t strike her as the kind of man who would do such a thing.
“I love you, Faith, and I feel quite certain you love me.”
“I do,” she barely whispered.
He grinned. “Then marry me. Nothing else matters.”
“But it does. There’s so much going on—Lakewood and poor Seth.”
Andrew’s eyes darkened. “You’ll never be Lakewood’s mistress. I guarantee you that. I’ll take care of him myself. I’ll make him understand the repercussions that will come his way if he should dare to pursue this. I won’t let him hurt you, nor will I let him hurt Seth again. I’m not without my friends.”
A sense of peace washed over her. She touched his cheek. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes to my proposal. We don’t have to wed this moment, but promise you will marry me. We can deal with the rest of these problems after we settle this one thing. I will help you figure it all out. Just say you’ll marry me.”
Faith nodded. Even if it never came about because of Lakewood, she at least wanted to promise herself to Andrew. “I will.”
He kissed her again, this time quick and to the point. When he released her, Faith felt a little unsteady on her feet. She reached for the chair and stared after Andrew as he crossed the room and called for his grandfather.
She sat down, not sure what was going to happen. There was still no answer to her problems. In fact, instead of simplifying things, they had gotten much more complicated.
But Andrew loves me, and he’s part Indian. We can be together and legally marry.
The thought chipped away at her sorrow and fears. She was in love with a man who loved her in return, despite her Cayuse blood. She could perhaps even say because of it.
“Grandfather,” Andrew said as Ben came into the saloon, “I want you to meet the woman I’m going to marry.”
The old man didn’t ask questions but instead laughed out loud. “That is good. She is a good woman and will make you a good wife.”
Faith shook her head. Ben didn’t seem the least bit worried or concerned about the details. She had no idea how all of this could possibly work out, but because no one else seemed to care, she was determined she wouldn’t worry about it either.
At least not for the moment. This moment was hers.
Andrew seethed at the thought of Lakewood’s threat to Faith. How dare he try to impose himself on the innocent? There were more than enough soiled doves to be had. He didn’t need to degrade a decent woman.
As he lay in his bunk, sleep eluded him. His anger wouldn’t allow for even the slightest peace. Lakewood was evil, and he deserved to be taken to task for what he’d done. Not only did he desire to force Faith into a