Free Indiana Wild (Spirit Pass Book 1) by S. E. Smith

wood off the roof of the lean-to.
    “ Maikoda,” he replied, reaching up and taking the pieces of aged wood from her and piling them up next to the side of the stall.
    “ Well Maikoda, can you hand me some of those wood shingles over there? It would make the job go a lot faster if I had some help,” Indy said with a small, hopeful grin. “I’ll make you dinner in return, how’s that?” Indy asked looking down at the handsome brave who was frowning up at her with a bewildered expression on his face.
    “ Why do you do the work of a man?” Maikoda asked curiously even as he handed a piece of shingle up to Indy.
    Indy shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been working on a ranch my whole life,” she replied nonchalantly. “You learn how to fix things. Why should I have to depend on a man to fix it for me when I am perfectly capable of fixing it myself?”
    Maikoda handed Indy another shingle. “You are different from other white women I have seen,” he admitted ruefully.
    Indy chuckled at his reluctant admission. “I guess so. I like who I am and I don’t feel like I need to explain myself or answer to anyone.” Indy looked down on the Maikoda with a sad smile. “My grandpa and my godfather both used to tell me I was born to the land and this way of life. Who am I to argue with such wise men?”
    *.*.*
    Maikoda and Indy worked for the next two hours side by side, talking quietly about a wide range of things from fishing and hunting, to the weather, to his family. Indy enjoyed his company and they were able to finish not only the roof of the lean-to but the fencing around the paddock as well.
    Stepping back to look at the finished product, Indy couldn’t help but grin with pride at all they had accomplished in such a short time. Life sucked at times but usually not for long. She might be out of a job again and back to living in the mountains but at least she had met some really nice people along the way. Smiling at Maikoda as he carried the ladder over to the cabin and slid it underneath, she thought it would have been nice to introduce him to Sam’s daughter Aleaha. She was currently doing her residency at a hospital in Billings but would soon be home to help Doc Emerson at the local clinic in town.
    “ Come on in and I’ll make you some dinner. It won’t be anything fancy, I’m afraid. My supplies are getting a little low,” Indy said moving towards the cabin. She pulled off her gloves and tool belt and set them both on the shelf near the door.
    Within minutes, she had a thick beef stew simmering over the little Sterno stove and was slicing some bread she had left over from the range. It wasn’t the softest but it would be good dunked in the stew. Setting the table, she turned to Maikoda and motioned to the old metal pail sitting on the end of the counter.
    “If you’d like to wash up the water is fresh. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. You have a choice of beverages: water, tea, or coffee. I don’t have anything else, I’m afraid,” Indy said with a smile.
    Maikoda liked the easy way Indy moved about. She acted like she had known him for years. Unlike the few white females he had encountered, she was not hesitant at all around him. She was even more unlike the Indian maidens. She did not try to catch his attention in any way. He was considered a catch among the females of his tribe as he was an excellent hunter and could easily provide for a family. He was not sure what to make of the slender white female who treated him as if he was her ‘brother’ as she called him earlier.
    “Why are you so comfortable with me? You are not afraid to be near me, not even as it grows darker outside. Yet, you have not tried to make me want you like the young women of my tribe. I do not understand you,” Maikoda blurted out as he sat in the chair across from Indy.
    “ Why shouldn’t I be comfortable with you?” She asked in surprise. “If you tried anything the boys would tear you apart,” she said