The conclusion of "Struggles With Ropes":

- - - -
    A time later, Quiet Waters quickly slipped into the door of the ranch house, praying to all the gods who might possibly help her that she wasn’t seen by one of the ranch hands that were emerging for the day’s work.  She quickly closed the door and turned to speak to her sister to outline her plan of escape.  The sight she was greeted with shocked her and her heart sank.
    Black Fox was standing before her, squirming impotently within the confines of tightly drawn leather thongs that held her prisoner.  She angrily chewed on the cloth between her teeth, trying with no success to vent her rage at once more being a prisoner.  The blonde rancher was behind her, one arm around Black Fox’s waist to hold her prisoner in place, the other hand on the handle of the pistol in the gun belt she was now wearing.  Seeing her free and her sister prisoner was enough to tell Quiet Waters what had happened and fears of their valiant effort to return home being all for naught welled up within her.
    But then the unexpected happened.  Destiny released her hold on Black Fox and slowly emerged from behind her.  She walked over to Quiet Waters slowly, keeping eye contact with her the entire time and smiling reassuringly.  At a neutral distance, she extended her hands.  When Quiet Waters didn’t take them as offered, not understanding what the rancher had in mind, Destiny slowly reached for the Indian’s hands and grasped them in friendship.  They looked at one another and Destiny managed to communicate that she wasn’t a threat, that she understood.  A deep sigh of relief escaped and the Indian’s lips curled up into a smile.
    [“So you let her escape and tie you up,”] Quiet Waters said, giving her sister a verbal jab.  Black Fox’s retort was strangled by the gag, but her sister guessed at the gist of it and threw her head back in laughter. [“I may just leave you like that, so you do not cause me more trouble on our journey home.  No doubt Buffalo’s Horn would love to see you this way.”] Black Fox reddened with embarrassment and got both women giggling at her predicament.
    Quiet Waters turned to her host and new friend.
    [“I wish I could speak in your speech, to tell you how grateful I am.  We did you a great wrong and you aided us in return.  I have nothing to give you in return, save to leave you to your life as I entered it.  Should the opportunity occur, know somehow that I will repay you in kind for all that you have done for us.”]
    “I don’t understand you,” Destiny replied, “but I think I can guess some of it.  I don’t blame you for tying me up.  It was kind of fun in a scary way.  But the important thing is to see that you get home.  And I intend to do just that.”
    Impulsively, Destiny hugged the surprised Indian.  Quiet Waters was taken off-guard at first and didn’t respond for a moment.  When she realized the gesture Destiny was making, the embrace was returned with the gratitude given.  It did her heart good to know that somehow the canyon of their differences had been bridged and they would leave, perhaps not as friends, but as something other than enemies.
    When the released one another, Quiet Waters quickly went to her sister and began untying the girl, partly to conceal the tears misting up in her eyes.  The sight of her sister trussed up like a captured deer was still an amusing one and she had to stifle another laugh as she worked with the knots in the leather straps.  Black Fox gurgled something through the gag as she worked, but Quiet Waters assumed that she was merely impatient to be released.  After freeing her hands, Quiet Waters looked up and noticed that Destiny had disappeared.  She wondered why: Was there still some lingering resentment or fear in the rancher?  She hoped not.
    [“We have to leave now!”] Black Fox gasped as she pulled the gag from her mouth. [“That woman has gone to get the men who work for her!  She is going to have us imprisoned for what we have done!”]
    [:I do not think so, but perhaps it would be better to end this unfortunate time and be on our way,”] Quiet Waters replied.  Black Fox scrambled into the kitchen and returned with the sack of provisions she had gathered. [“No.  Leave them.”]
    [“What?  Sister, it is still a long journey to our home and we will need these provisions!”]
    [“Leave them.  We have taken enough from this woman.  We will make our way on our own.”]
    Knowing further argument would be useless, Black Fox heaved the pack down in disgust and the two emerged from the ranch house.  Upon gaining the porch, each one was amazed by the sight that greeted them.  Destiny Peterson stood there, backed by eight men.  Quiet Waters’ heart pounded. She had thought - - but what other reaction could she expect.  A wrong only begets another wrong.
    [“Did I not tell you this would come to pass?”] hissed Black Fox.
    Then Destiny, sensing the tension, walked right up to Quiet Waters, pulled one of the pistols out of its holster and handed it to her.  She then pointed to the Indian, then to one of the saddled horses.  Again to Black Fox, then to another of the saddled horses that waited behind the gathered men.  To herself, then to a third; to one of her hands and to a fourth.  Quiet waters thought she understood, but still looked on in confusion, as she couldn’t dare to believe it.  Frustrated, Destiny pushed past them into the house, returned with the pack of provisions and shoved it into Black Fox’s hands.  Then she pointed to Quiet Waters and herself, then made a sweeping pass of her hand in the direction Quiet Waters once pointed to as home.
    [“She is letting us go?”] asked Black Fox.
    [“And she will accompany us in our journey,] beamed Quiet Waters, new respect born in her eyes for this feisty blonde.
    [“Perhaps I have been wrong about her,”] Black Fox whispered, chagrined.
    [“You grow in wisdom, little one,”] Quiet Waters replied.  She then locked eyes with Destiny and took her hand, bringing it up between them about chest high.  She grasped it tightly
    [“And we have another sister.”]

THE END

Hoped you liked it.  Reading it again, I can spot a couple of sequences where I was gearing the story toward Harmony's "Love Bondage" mindset in order to get it published.  Not a big thing, I guess.