A Love Forbidden by Kathleen Morgan

crunching beneath their feet, the sun finally piercing the clouds to shine warm and bright upon their faces. He had matured into a strikingly handsome man, with his dark good looks and finely wrought features. He was tall, strong, and proud. And he seemed, for all his surly ways with her, at least content to be where he felt he belonged.
    Thank You, Lord , she silently offered up a prayer. Thank You for bringing us together again, just so I could know he lives and thrives.
    “I’ve been meaning to mention a few things,” she said, deciding it was time to clear up any misconceptions he might have about her.
    “Really?” He slanted her an inquiring look. “And what might they be?”
    “I wasn’t the one who asked for you to assist me. After how you acted toward me when we first met at the Bear Dance, I’ll admit I wanted nothing else to do with you.”
    He halted and turned to her. “Look, I’m sorry if I came across rather harshly. I just . . .” Jesse sighed and shook his head. “Well, it doesn’t matter. You know as well as I that no good can come of us resuming our friendship. Too much time has passed. Besides, you’re not a little girl anymore.”
    For a brief moment, Shiloh was confused about what point Jesse was trying to make. Then her words to Josie last night rushed back with a vengeance, and she understood.
    “If the man was good and strong and brave, and God-fearing too, of course, I wouldn’t care what or who his ancestors were,” she had told her friend. “But I also wouldn’t go out of my way to seek someone of mixed or different blood. The cruel, intolerant people would make a life together difficult. And not only for us but for any children we might have.”
    Was that what Jesse was skirting, Shiloh wondered, when he made mention that she was a grown woman now? But if he was, did it mean he now found her attractive, even desirable? At the consideration, joy surged through her before she firmly quashed it.
    No, it wasn’t possible. Jesse had surely meant only that they were now both adults and knew how poorly looked upon a friendship between a half-breed and an unmarried white woman would be. He had only her best interests at heart. A serious involvement with Jesse, even a serious if platonic friendship, would surely jeopardize her employment here.
    “You’re right, of course.” She turned and resumed their trek down to the Ute encampments. “I just wanted you to know I never brought up your name to Mr. Meeker.”
    “Well, I can guess who did then. Not that that matters either.”
    “No, it doesn’t.” Shiloh hesitated, choosing her next words carefully. “I also wanted you to know that nothing you ever confided in me will be shared with anyone else. I won’t dishonor the friendship we once had by indulging in gossip about you.”
    “I appreciate that, Shiloh.”
    She wanted to say more, about how she’d always cherished his friendship, had cared so much about him, and had always wanted the best for him. But she also feared what might rush out if she dared crack open those floodgates. No possible good would be served if she did, so Shiloh clamped down hard on any response and nodded instead.
    Fortunately, they drew near the house of Chief Johnson just then, which put an end to further conversation. It was a tidy little log cabin with a pen on one side, in which Shiloh noted chickens industriously pecking at a scattering of grain thrown atop the frozen ground. Two goats were tied nearby, calmly munching on a pile of dried brush. And behind the cabin was a corral that held several horses and three cows. A fallow garden patch stood on the other side of the corral.
    Their approach must have been noted from a distance. As they paused before the front door, it opened, and a Ute male walked out. He was of medium height and wore the usual braids, buckskin leggings, and moccasins, and a dark blue trade cloth shirt with a yellow bandanna around his neck.
    He extended his arm to Jesse and