Page 133 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

Jacob’s Girl by Alyssa Bailey

Chapter One

Jacob walked out onto his cousin’s ranch and felt his heart pound and his lungs fill with clean air. He spied the tree on which the girl of his youth had carved ‘Sage and Jacob’ inside a heart using his knife. Sage had loved Jacob Red Eagle. She’d told him enough times during high school that he’d finally believed her.

He knew why he thought she caused the sun to rise every morning, but he didn’t understand why she would love him. Jacob came from a family heritage that carried some shame with it. A shame he’d intended to continue to haul regardless of the rest of his family, who said it wasn’t his burden to carry.His father added “Running” at the naming ceremony, which confused Jacob. Jacob Running Red Eagle made no sense. Eagles soared.

“Grandfather, why did my father add to my name?”

Jacob’s grandfather smiled wisely. “To teach you that running is not the way of the Red Eagle, who has pride and doesn’t hang his head in disgrace. Because, my grandson, you are part of an honorable family who holds our head high and soars over the difficulties of this life for ourselves and our people.”

“Why do I feel so responsible for the past?”

His grandfather leaned back in his chair. “We accept our mistakes and do better the next time. We own the responsibility for our choices but feel any misdeed deeply. You bear an ancestral past that many have run from, thinking it is their shame, but I tell you it is not.”

“How do I get rid of this feeling?”

“This is what I want you to remember. You have a noble name, and the path we guide you to take demands you work hard but hold your head high. The shame is in the past and has no place in your life, so run from it. Embrace your future. Do not spend so much time running from your family's past that you miss your future.”

“Then why does it feel that others know my history and hold me responsible?”

“That is you, grandson. You think everyone sees things as you do. They do not. Have pride in where you came from, and others will follow your lead. Learn to look ahead to where you’re going and stand tall when you arrive.”

As a young boy, Jacob didn’t understand his grandfather’s explanation. His ancestor was a turncoat, someone who turned in others to save himself when the Indian and white men were fighting. That’s not something people forget about in a tribe, community, or family. The community knew the Red Eagles as protective and caring people, available for the most demanding jobs.

Jacob still felt the heavy shame of his ancestor. And it was with this shame that he entered public high school. He stayed with his father’s cousin, Richard Red Eagle, more than he ever went home. Richard never treated Jacob with less than familial love, while Jacob and his father had difficulty connecting.

Richard, whom all the kids called Até, father in Lakota, was a fair man. And even though they were Nakota, he never corrected them to Adé, the Nakota word for father, like Jacob’s father did. To Richard, it didn’t matter, nor did Richard care that all the boys weren’t his sons. He was a natural teacher and a good parent. He taught Jacob just as he taught his sons: Stryker, Declan, Seamus, and Callen, along with Stryker’s best friend, Carter. There were six boys and one daughter, Saoirse Renee. She liked not having to help people pronounce her name, so she went by Renee.

If the boys ever thought Até was unfair, it was when handing out chores to them. Renee didn’t like it either. She wanted to be part of the group, but her father often sent her back if the task was dangerous or overly taxing. Renee met with her father’s wrath enough times as they grew up. There were two strikes against her for participating in the fun adventures. She was not simply the only girl but also the youngest.

Carter, an only child who lived in town and didn’t seem to have much to do at his own home, practically lived at the Red Eagle Ranch. He comfortably hung out with his best friend’s family, who included Carter in the fun and the chores. Jacob also wondered if Até kept Carter close because the high schooler had a crush on his youngest child. Richard was always a wise man. He seemed to catch on when Sage began coming around as well.

Like Carter and Stryker, Jacob was a senior and nearly eighteen. And like Stryker, Jacob had an eye for the girls but did more avoiding than connecting until Sage.

“Jacob, a man needs to plan out his life and make sure he’s headed in the direction his path leads him. Too early, and you disrupt both your paths. Too late, and you both go in different directions. Decide the path for you, and if Sage is to be part of that road, then she’ll come alongside you when it’s the right time. Take your time and learn about her. If she is to be the most important person in your life, then choosing carefully will not be a mistake.”

He’d taken his mentor at his word, treading carefully with Sage while Richard taught them to be good men, straight talkers, and fair dealers. Richard expected hard work and honesty from the boys to stand together in adversity and protect the women of the family. The women included Richard’s wife, Kayleigh, and Renee, but they all knew Richard meant the women they dated and ultimately married were included in that group. The correction would be swift and memorable if they didn’t follow these rules. For that reason, the rules were rarely broken.

Sage loved Kayleigh and Sage and Renee liked each other, but being best friends was not about to happen soon. Jacob often brought Sage home so she could have dinner with them and hang out. The teens would sit on the porch after dinner, or Jacob would take Sage home with an escort because Até didn’t want too much temptation. Jacob appreciated that. Sage, not so much.

As Jacob stood today, letting the slow-moving river take his stress away, he looked back on his high school years. From the outside, some thought it was a terrible existence because the Red Eagles were stricter than many parents. And yes, there was hard work, but there was also hard play. Richard Red Eagle never allowed his children too much of either for a good balance of work, school, and free time. Looking back, Jacob knew it was an idyllic and life-changing four years.

He’d tried to forget Sage, relegate her to his high school sweetheart history, but she wouldn’t stay there. He’d found no female that affected him the way she did. After ten years, he hoped to reacquaint himself with life at the Red Eagle Ranch as he took a breath from his hectic schedule and recharged.

Jacob Running Red Eagle had a degree in ranch management. Then he added hospitality industry management to his schooling when he saw where many of the largest ranches were going for profits. Adding lodges, cabins, and recreational activities often brought in more money than cattle. He’d gotten tribal leadership training to advise the council and those running the tribe. His hours were more than full, but he needed something else. He needed a wife and a family. He hoped it would be with Sage.

Jacob had plenty of his own money. He had a lucrative business in consulting, and he found he had a voracious need to gain knowledge. After long hours of counseling in college, he’d risen above his past shame. His future was out of focus even though he no longer ran from past family acts. In some ways, he wanted to return and show the rest of them he’d grown into the man Richard Red Eagle had tried to make him.

A man of honor. As his counselor and later Richard encouraged him, he substituted that previous dishonor with tribal leadership, which enabled him to be a spokesman in his tribe. He carried on the Red Eagle tradition to help where he could by engineering improvements for his people and offered management consulting for some of their businesses. He wasn’t a stick around, sit down and stay a-while kind of guy, but when he was there, he was all in and worked hard.

When he arrived today, he’d seen how much his cousin trusted his offspring. Jacob admired that Richard Red Eagle felt confident enough to leave his sons and daughter in charge of the enormous ranch. But Jacob knew he shouldn’t be too surprised because that’s who Richard had raised them all to be. All the children, including Carter, had gone to college, graduated, and were now back at home doing various jobs for the ranch.

Stryker was the CEO/business manager, and it had turned into a bigger job over the recent years. His degree was like Jacob’s, ranch management, but without the added training Jacob had. It was Stryker who had reached out to Jacob and asked what he had on his plate for the next little while. It must be his fate, for it was at just that time Jacob had decided he would try again with Sage.

“I could use your consultant skills, man. At a family rate, I hope.” Stryker’s penchant for always trying to save a buck was apparent.

Jacob laughed. “I’m sure we can work out a free room and board deal.”

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