She had hurt him with her sharp words–she saw it on his dark, stoic face. Well, she didn’t care. Maybe now he would leave her alone. The trouble was she did care. It made her feel cheap and small that she had said those things. The hurt on his handsome features bothered her.
“I do not deny what you say, Star Eyes.” His voice was very soft. “You, too, are a ‘white man’s Indian.’ Have you ever been in a Cheyenne village?”
Now it was her turn to be defensive. “A few times, we visited my mother’s brother, Ta Ton Ka Haska. He rides with the outlaw Dog Soldiers.”
Johnny Ace frowned. “The outlaw Dog Soldiers are killers of women and children.”
“The Pawnee are killers of women and children! Now stay away from me, you wolf for the bluecoats!” She stalked into the trading post and left him standing there holding the reins of the big horse.
Johnny stood staring after the irate girl. Why did he bother? He ought to either forget about her or drag her into the barn and take her, whether she fought him or not. Surely after he had mated with her several times, he could get her off his mind. After all, she couldn’t be that different from any other woman.
With a curse, he turned and walked toward the barn to stable his horse. The sun which had showed itself so briefly at the burial had disappeared behind gray clouds and snow began again. At least Luci would be moved to comfortable quarters. She’d ask questions, of course, but no one would tell her, he’d seen to that. He’d even bribed old Mr. Bane to throw her out of the store room if she elected to stay there. Johnny was afraid some of the men who hung around the trading post to drink and gamble might see her and decide she was too much of a temptation to resist.
The snow fell faster. He knew from looking into the ominous sky that the weather might turn into a full blizzard. At least the fiery little blue-eyed half-breed would be warm and comfortable.
The snow came down for two days and he paced his own quarters like a restless animal; Eager to be out again. What he didn’t want to admit even to himself was that at night, he saw that small face in his dreams. Her arms reached out to him. Her lips were soft and moist, opening up for the thrusting of his warm tongue. Neither of them cared anymore about Pawnee and Cheyenne, about old tribal hatreds.
In his dreams, he took her for the first time, very slowly and gently, and she wept against his chest. It was so very wonderful, Johnny . . . I hadn’t known it could be like this. . . . The wind rattled the windows and he held her very close against him and stroked her hair, then kissed the tears from her small face.
Don’t cry, Star Eyes. I’m here for you; I’ll always be here for you. You need never be afraid or alone again. He held her against him, feeling her heart beat through her small breast. If anyone even looks at you, I’ll kill him. You’re mine now–only mine. . . .
And then she was kissing him again, arching against him eagerly. Make love to me again, beloved enemy . . . I want you.
He reached for her. You’re safe now, Small One, I’ll look after you. Neither of us will ever be lonely again.
She came into his arms, whispering, sighing, Johnny . . . Johnny . . . Johnny. . . .
He came awake with a start. Someone was really calling his name; someone was banging on his door. “Johnny! Johnny Ace, the major wants to see you!”
He sat bolt upright in bed, realizing it was dawn and some soldier was shouting to him. He had been alone as always, after all. The soft sighing had been only the wind around the buildings. “I’ll be right there!”
Whatever it was that Pani Le-shar wanted, Johnny Ace would do his bidding. He looked outside. The weather seemed to be clearing but the snow lay in drifts, driven by the wind. He got dressed and went to see Major North.
The officer wasted no time as he gestured Johnny to a chair. “There’s a Union Pacific train stranded in a drift a few miles up the line. The army’s been called upon to go rescue them.”
Johnny frowned. “That’s one of the hazards of traveling these plains in the spring–late storms. Why can’t they just sit there until the rail crews dig them out?”
“Because that may take a while.” Major North paced the office. “And there’s some fairly important people on board, or so the message says. Some rich man’s daughter on her way to Colorado. Her papa might raise hell with important people in Washington if his little girl freezes her tootsies while waiting for the train to be dug out.”
“What kind of man would let a child travel alone in this country?” Johnny leaned back and rolled a cigarette.
North shrugged. “Something about her mother dying and her going to Denver to live with her father. The Easterners on the train are scared some war party will find the stranded train and they’ll be sitting ducks.”
Johnny threw back his head and laughed. “Cheyenne’ll stay by their fires until this is melted off. No Indian would get out voluntarily in weather like this, even the army knows that. That’s why Custer attacked them in the dead of winter down on the Washita last year.”
“You know that and I know that, but no one’s interested in anything but this spoiled kid being inconvenienced on a stalled train. I hate to do it, but I’ll have to send a patrol out.”
He already knew the answer, but he asked automatically, “You want me to scout?”
North nodded. “These plains look like a trackless white ocean right now, Johnny. No one is more aware than I am of the danger. You know my own father died in a Nebraska blizzard. But if I don’t send someone who knows the country with the soldiers, they’re liable to end up either in Texas or Wyoming.”
That was true. But it didn’t make him feel any better. With the weather breaking, he had hoped to find an excuse to see Luci again. “Can we drop these civilians off at North Platte or are we to bring them back to the fort?”
“Let them make that choice. Since most of them would be taking the train on to Cheyenne when the track is cleared, a lot of them will want to stay in town. But the little girl is to catch a stage on to Denver, so she would have been getting off the train soon anyway.”
“But the stage will be delayed because of the weather.”
“So we have to entertain the little girl awhile until I can free a patrol to escort the stage on.”
Johnny fingered the hilt of his knife, thinking. “When they finally get that spur line to Denver finished next year, we won’t have to worry about protecting stage coaches with army patrols anymore.” Johnny stood up, tossed away his smoke. “Well, this is what the army pays me for. Besides Pani Le-shar, I owe you for the favor you did me about getting quarters for the girl.”
Frank North’s eyes were bright with curiosity but he didn’t ask. “That new lieutenant needs some experience and I think you’re the man to give it to him.”
Johnny paused, the cigarette halfway to his lips. “Osgoode? That snooty one from Boston? Major, I’d rather not–”
“Someone’s got to break him in, Johnny. He hasn’t had anything to do but polish his brass buttons since he arrived here, they tell me. Carter Osgoode thinks the army is all pretty uniforms and military balls. Maybe it’s time he found out differently.”
Johnny didn’t answer. Carter Osgoode made no secret of his contempt for the Pawnee scouts and the feeling was mutual. If Johnny had ever met a man he disliked more than that handsome, arrogant son of Boston society, he wasn’t sure who it was.
Major North put one hand on Johnny’s big shoulder. “You’re the best scout I’ve got. I want you to teach our brash young lieutenant enough to survive on the frontier before his inexperience gets a bunch of soldiers killed.”
“According to him, he already knows everything worth knowing,” Johnny griped, tossing the cigarette away.
“I’m sorry to have to send men out in this cold, Johnny. If that brat on the train didn’t have a grouchy father who’s already telegraphed three times–”
“I understand, sir.” Johnny moved toward the door, paused with his hand on the doorknob.
“If it makes you f
eel any better, I hope Carter Osgoode freezes his brass buttons off!”
Johnny laughed and went to saddle up.
The ride through the drifts toward the rail line was slow going in the cold. Johnny’s great black stallion, Katis, did much better than the other horses. Still it was difficult and the wind felt cold on his dark face as the sun slowly broke through the gray sky.
Lieutenant Carter Osgoode was not only arrogant but stupid, Johnny thought in disgust as he watched the handsome officer.
Osgoode’s curly brown hair blew across his forehead under his hat. “This way, to the right, men,” he said, pointing. “We’ll go rescue that train!”
Not two miles from the fort and already the lieutenant had lost his sense of direction. But a scout could not embarrass an officer in front of his men. Johnny resisted the urge to tell the officer he was incapable of tracking a fat girl through deep snow. Instead Johnny rode up next to him. “Sir,” he said softly, “didn’t you mean to say, ‘Column left’?”
Osgoode glared back at him with his pale-colored eyes. For a moment, Johnny saw the contempt and dislike there. But he knew even Osgoode was aware of Johnny’s reputation as the best scout on the frontier. “Ye Gods! You misunderstood my order, scout. What I meant was we’ll turn right here–to the left.”
Johnny kept silent. But the men knew. He saw the knowing looks on their faces. No doubt Carter Osgoode had been sent to this out-of-the-way fort because of his lack of ability when he had hoped for some more romantic and important assignment.
It took several hours’ riding through the crusty drifts to find the stranded train. Johnny thought it looked like a dead black snake lying helpless in the whiteness of the snow swirls.
A quick check with the crew found that they and some of the passengers had elected to stay with the train until work crews could dig it out. The few passengers who wanted to would go back with the cavalry patrol on the extra horses that had been brought along for that purpose.
Johnny followed the lieutenant into one of the passenger coaches, wondering about this child they were to bring back. He hoped the little girl could ride.
A beautiful woman in an elegant pink cloak whirled around as they entered. “Land’s sake! Well, I must say, it’s about time!” she seethed in a deep Southern accent. “Wait until I let everyone know how slow the army was in coming to our rescue!” She twirled a silly pink parasol.
Johnny stared at her. He had never seen such an aristocratic and haughty girl. If it hadn’t been for her attitude and pouty mouth, he would have thought her a great beauty with her bright blue eyes and dark curls tied up with rose ribbons.
Carter Osgoode made a sweeping bow. “The army regrets its lack of speed, ma‘am. If we’d had any idea such a beautiful lady was waiting to be rescued, we’d have come at a gallop.”
That seemed to mollify her. Johnny stared at her. Why did the girl look so familiar to him?
“Have we met before?” he blurted out.
Lieutenant Osgoode turned on him, seething. “It isn’t proper for a scout to address the passengers.”
Johnny gripped the backrest of the seat, willing himself not to slug the man. There’d be big trouble if he did that.
The girl looked him over with such frank curiosity that it made Johnny uneasy.
The officer seemed suddenly to remember why the patrol had come. “We’re here to take off any passengers who don’t want to wait for the train to be dug out. In fact, we were actually sent to rescue some brat of a kid named–”
“Winnifred Starrett?” The girl smiled a little too sweetly and curtsied.
Johnny couldn’t control his own grin at the officer’s obvious embarrassment and the girl smiled back at Johnny, seemingly amused at the joke.
“I–I didn’t mean–” The Lieutenant brushed back his curly brown hair with confusion. “Ye Gods! I thought we were here for some child. They said some wealthy man in Denver was worried about his daughter–”
“And I’m sure he is,” the girl replied, and smiled archly.
The lieutenant apologized again. “We’ve brought several horses, Miss Starrett, I do hope you can ride.”
“Oh dear, my riding habit is in my trunk in the baggage car. Certainly I can’t ride without a proper outfit!”
Some of the other passengers snickered. Their facial expressions indicated Miss Starrett hadn’t been too popular on the train.
The officer made a gesture of embarrassment. “You won’t need the riding outfit, ma’am. You see, we neglected to bring a sidesaddle.”
“You expect me to ride astride?” The elegant beauty looked horrified.
Johnny spoke up. “I reckon you could stay on the train.”
Lieutenant Osgoode glared at him. For a moment, his weak face mirrored an expression that made Johnny think the Bostonian was about to strike him across the face with his gloves. He’d kill him if the officer did that, no matter what the consequences. Johnny’s hand went to the knife in his belt.
The lieutenant seemed to reconsider, turned back to the girl. “Miss Starrett, The army regrets the inconvenience caused by the blizzard, but we simply can’t do anything about the conditions we have to deal with. I’ll have the troopers get your luggage.”
“There are three trunks,” she said, staring with open curiosity at Johnny.
Johnny said, “The lieutenant should tell you we had a hard time even getting here and it’ll be the same going back. Take the bare necessities. I doubt there’ll be a cotillion while you’re at the fort.”
“On the contrary,” Lieutenant Osgoode snapped in his arrogant Boston accent, “I just may ask General Carr to put on a small social to honor Miss Starrett.”
“Land’s sake, Lieutenant, how gallant you are!” She took his arm, closed the dainty parasol with a snap.
But when they went out on the rear coach platform, it was Johnny she turned to even though the lieutenant was already positioning himself to help her from the train.
She looked up at Johnny, standing very close. He could smell the scent of her expensive perfume. “You’re big,” she purred. “I’ll let you carry me through the drift.”
He hadn’t expected this. Almost awkwardly, he reached for her. As he took her in his arms, Winnifred Starrett turned slightly so that her breasts brushed his arm. He almost jumped back, sure she had done it by accident. For an Indian even to look at a white woman was cause to lynch him. His face must have registered his fears, because she smiled and turned her body just enough so that her right breast was against his wide chest.
Johnny glanced around. The lieutenant was busy leaving orders. No one was looking at Johnny as he carried the girl down the steps to her mount. When he stood her on the ground by the horse, she managed to brush against him again and the way she smiled let him know that none of it had been done by accident. The lady was a tease.
A girl like this could cause him a lot of trouble. For a long moment, he looked down at her, fighting to keep his maleness from going hard at the touch and scent of her. He had been a long time without a woman and the little Cheyenne had started a fire in him that hadn’t been put out.
Winnifred Starrett looked up at him and ran the tip of her tongue along her lip. He could tell from her amused expression that she knew exactly what effect she was having.
A soldier brought her horse up. She held out her small foot to Johnny and he automatically cupped his hands, lifting her to her stirrup. Winnifred sat the regular saddle awkwardly.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “If we’d known we weren’t dealing with a child, we’d have brought a sidesaddle.”
She looked at him a long moment and took a very deep breath that made her breasts move under the pink velvet of her outfit. He tried not to look at them, knowing instinctively that she had done it for his benefit.
Johnny turned away, hoping she didn’t see the hard bulge of his maleness. Behind him, she laughed softly and he realized he was being taunted . . . or being made an offer.
Lieuten
ant Osgoode walked briskly from the train. “The weather’s warming, Miss Starrett. I trust your stay at our fort won’t be too terrible.”
“On the contrary, perhaps it will be interesting. I’m joining my father after many years, so I’ve never been west of Alabama.” When the officer looked away, she caught Johnny’s eye, but he pretended not to see it.
He had a terrible urge for a woman. He wasn’t sure exactly how far the lovely Miss Starrett was willing to go with her teasing.
But with his need, if she wanted him to make love to her, would he be able to turn her down?
Chapter 3
Looking through the small window of her quarters, Luci watched the patrol ride across the parade ground and wondered where they were going in such weather. It must be urgent to send men out into the aftermath of this blizzard.
She stared after the handsome lieutenant from Boston and Johnny Ace on his black horse leading the patrol through the fort gates. Big, stupid Pawnee . She tried not to think of how he had helped her and concentrated on the fact that he rode with white soldiers against her people. In weather like this, war parties would not be out attacking trains or settlers, so where was that patrol headed?
The riders disappeared in the distance and Luci sighed, poked up her fire, and sat down to stare into the flames. Quarters were generally reserved for officers’ families. Luci had asked why she had been given this nice place, but no one would tell her. Someone with influence, no doubt. Now why would any officer bother with her and what did he want in return?
Do you have to ask? she thought dejectedly. She ran through the post’s officers in her mind. Only one–Carter Osgoode–had gone out of his way to speak to her and she didn’t trust his motives because of the way he leered at her.
Certainly she didn’t intend to make the same mistake her mother had made. On the other hand, if the handsome lieutenant had honorable intentions, it would solve her whole problem. Her only alternative seemed to be return to the Cheyenne band led by her uncle, whom she had met only a couple of times in her whole life. For all intents and purposes, Luci was a white girl in a brown skin.
Cheyenne Caress Page 4
