Jenny Cussler's Last Stand by Bess McBride Page B

community area. He shot a look and a quick smile in her direction before he worked his way around the picnic tables and over to the left, where several Native American men had gathered in a large open graveled area next to some smaller wooden buildings. She watched him with a barely suppressed sigh of admiration as he moved to stand beside the shorter Indian man she’d seen him with at the tribal headquarters, Gary something or another.
    Gary held a hand up in greeting and began to speak.
    “Welcome to Camp Chaparral. I hope you have found your cabins. Come on over here and gather around. It’s time to introduce you to some of our elders and camp leaders.”
    Kate nudged a transfixed Jenny forward, and the foursome moved out of the shade of the patio enclosure and into the graveled area. With so many people around, Jenny was free to keep her eye on Clint—an enjoyable pastime.
    “As I mentioned before, my name is Gary Ward, and I’m the veterans’ representative for the Yakama Nation.” The small man projected his voice clearly and succinctly. “I’m a veteran myself. I was in the Army in Desert Storm along with my pal Clint Hastings here.” He nodded his head toward Clint, who raised his hand in a brief wave.
    “To my right is John Glover, a fellow Yakama and a veteran of Vietnam.” The short, stout man to Gary’s left, his short hair all but hidden by his cowboy hat, nodded but kept his hands folded together in front of his round belly as Jenny had seen many of the men do already.
    “And that’s Robert Hall there, also Yakama, and a veteran of Vietnam.” The tall, slim man wore a bright green baseball cap, and he tipped it before returning to his position of clasped hands in front of him also.
    “That’s Sam Two Dogs. He’s Lakota, out of South Dakota, but we let him come here as well.” Gary grinned. “He’s a Vietnam veteran.” A dark-skinned man in vest and baggy blue jeans, with long and distinctive thick gray braids, grinned and waved a hand.
    Gary moved down the line.
    “This is Auntie Sis. Auntie is Yakama, and she is the elder here. You’ll be lucky if you’re in her family.” Auntie Sis flashed a toothy grin, her gray hair covered by a bright red scarf tied under her chin. She wore a loose, flowing, blue print dress under a baggy gray sweater and sported beaded moccasins on her feet.
    “And here’s Auntie Martha. She’s Nez Perce, from over in Idaho.” Auntie Martha, a fair-skinned woman with a sweet smile, held up a dainty hand and nodded shyly. Her lavender scarf covered shoulder-length brown hair, and beaded necklaces decorated a loose-fitting white dress.
    Auntie Sara stood next to her and waved to the crowd on her introduction. Then Gary introduced a white man named George, who he said was part Cherokee. Several other folks were introduced, but Jenny found it hard to keep her eyes off Clint, who continued the tradition of clasping his hands in front while he listened to Gary, who soon finished introducing the rest of the elders and leaders of the camp.
    “Okay, we’re going to break you out into families now. I’ve got the list here. So when I call out your name, I’ll give you a leader’s name, and you can go stand by that leader.”
    Jenny clutched Kate’s hand nervously. “I hope we’re in the same family.” She fervently hoped she was in Clint’s group...at least she thought she did.
    Kate grinned. “Yeah, me, too.”
    Jenny strained to hear the names as they were called out. She heard Tim’s name, and he gave them a brief wave before he headed off to his leader, Robert Hall. Brad’s name came up, and he was assigned to John Glover’s family.
    “Okay, let’s go see what’s going on. I’ll see you guys at dinner. Save me a spot, okay?” Brad grinned and moved away.
    Jenny heard a name called out and watched Celia dash over to Clint’s family. Clint looked down at the blonde at his side and nodded with an expression of resignation. Jenny dropped her eyes