“I see. So I’ll be sleeping out here all alone,” he said.
She looked down and said, “Perhaps.”
“Do you know something I don’t know, Lily?” he asked.
“Well . . . Chief Clarence wanted to send a woman to you,” she said, “to keep you warm.”
“Uh-huh.”
“When I heard him say that . . . I volunteered to come to you.”
“Oh,” he said. “Well, I’m flattered that such a pretty girl like you would do that.”
She had been looking down the entire time, but now she raised her head and asked, “You think I’m pretty?”
She had an extremely pretty face, but at some time in her life her nose had been broken, and had not been properly reset. For that reason it was a bit crooked, but to him that did not take anything away from her. Her body, beneath a buckskin dress, was full and round in the right places. He judged her to be in her late twenties.
“I think you’re beautiful,” he told her.
“Then . . . you do not reject me?”
“Why would I reject you?”
“I can prepare your sleeping place for you . . . for us,” she said.
All he needed to do was untie his bedroll and lay it out, but he said, “That would be fine.”
She rose quickly and ran to his gear. She found the bedroll and unrolled it, smooth it out, then found his blanket and placed it on the bedroll.
He wasn’t quite sure what she was offering. Was it just a body for warmth for the night, or was it more?
“I just have to finish my coffee,” he told her, holding the mug up to illustrate his point.
She knelt down on his bedroll and said, “I will wait.”
TWENTY-SIX
Gabe Colter removed his wife’s dress and she shyly covered her small breasts by crossing her hands in front of her.
“You don’t have to cover up from me,” he told her.
She was young, and had come to him unbroken. They had been married for only a matter of weeks, and he was going slowly with her.
And this surprised no one as much as it surprised Gabe himself. He was used to whores, and he was the first to admit he misused them. He never spoke to them, and usually took them hard and fast.
But this woman—girl, actually—was totally different. She was quiet and gentle and, although she knew nothing about being with a man, she did not resist him at all. She submitted to him, even though it was shyly.
She took her hands and moved them away from her breasts, which were little more than pink-tipped buds. He touched her nipples with his thumbs and she shivered, as goose flesh covered her.
Slowly, gently, he moved her down on her back and, naked, lay down next to her. He took her hand and moved it to his swollen penis.
Neither of them was aware of the audience they had...
Gene Colter’s main problem with his brother Gabe was jealousy. Not that he would ever admit that.
But while he watched the two naked lovers through the window, he found himself growing more and more angry. Running Deer was closer to his age, not Gabe’s. His brother was much too old for her. Running Deer should have fallen in love with him, not Gabe. But Gabe had been forceful with her. Gene was inexperienced with women, something his old brothers always teased him about. He’d been with a couple of whores, but he still wasn’t confident when he was with a woman. Even the whores giggled at his ineptness. Well, that last one hadn’t giggled for long. He’d beaten her to within an inch of her life, and it had taken a lot of money to pay the madam off and keep his ass out of jail.
He watched as Gabe ran his hands over Running Deer’s smooth flesh. He wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.
Running Deer’s little pink nipples reacted to Gabe’s touch. She closed her eyes and moaned as he leaned over and touched his tongue to them. Then she groaned as he slid his hand down between her legs and found her wet.
Without further preamble, he slid his leg over her, mounted her, and drove his penis into her. She gasped, her eyes going wide, and then he started to move in and out of her. As gentle as he thought he was being, he was soon snorting like a bull as he fucked her hard. She cried out, but to him her cries of pain sounded like the sounds of pleasure, and he was sure she was enjoying what they were doing.
Running Deer closed her eyes tightly as her husband entered her. She knew she was supposed to like what they were doing, but that had not happened yet. She didn’t know what was wrong. Obviously, her husband was experienced, so he had to know what he was doing. She had never been with a man until him but, after all, only seventeen moons had passed since she was born.
It hurt.
Was it supposed to hurt?
She was afraid to ask her husband that question. If she did, he might get angry at the fact that she was not enjoying herself.
Soon she learned that he liked it when she made sounds. Moaning, crying out. Sometimes, when she cried out in pain it seemed to urge him on. She decided that he mistook her cries of pain for cries of pleasure.
Often, when he was done with her and rolled off, she was sore all night and into the morning. She also did not know if that was normal.
Abruptly, as he moved faster and faster, she turned her head to the left, anticipating that her husband was about to finish. But before she could close her eyes she saw the face in the window, and recognized him. It was Gene, the youngest of her husband’s brothers. He was watching them, and suddenly she felt shame.
She closed her eyes so she could not see his face anymore.
Gene locked eyes with Running Deer and didn’t know what to do. Should he duck down? Run? He found he couldn’t do either. So he continued to watch, and he was convinced that what she was feeling was not pleasure, but pain.
Now he knew he not only had to take the gang over from his brother, but he had to save Running Deer as well.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Clint finished his coffee while Lily obediently waited on his bedroll. She was on her knees, her hands once again clasped in front of her, an expectant look on her face.
Expecting what?
He finished his coffee, tossed the remnants into the fire, but before he could do anything she was on him.
“I will take that and clean it,” she said, grabbing the cup from his hand. “I can clean the pot, as well.”
“No,” he said, “that’s a fresh pot. Just leave it there. I might want some later, during the night.”
“Very well,” she said. “I will just clean the cup. You can get ready to go to sleep.”
“All right,” he said. “Thank you.”
All he needed to do to prepare himself to turn in was take off his gun belt, which he set down right by the bedroll.
He lay down on the bedroll and watched as Lily cleaned the cup and set it aside.
When she was finished she turned, saw him on the bedroll, and smiled happily. She rushed to him, got down on her knees, and then lay down next to him with her back to him. Immediately, he felt the heat of her body through both of their clothes.
He lay down behind her, leaving just a little space between them, but immediately she moved back and closed the distance. She pressed herself up against him, wriggling her butt a bit to get comfortable.
“Is that all right?” she asked.
He swallowed and said, “It’s fine.”
He could feel himself swelling inside his pants and knew she must have felt it, too. How could she not? The outline of his now-hard penis was pressed right up against the crease in her butt.
“You can put your arms around me,” she said, reaching for him.
She grabbed his right arm and brought it around, holding onto his hand. He slid his left arm beneath her, but wasn’t quite sure what to do with his hand. Normally, in bed with a naked woman, he would have cupped her breast in that hand, but now . . .
She sighed comfortably, moved her head so that his nose was in her hair. It smelled of burning meat and other things, not at all unple
asant. She released his hand and he put it on her hip, just to see what she would do. She didn’t do anything but sigh and snuggle back against him even more.
“Are you comfortable?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She reached her hand back between them and placed it on his crotch. She found his hard penis and rubbed it through his pants.
“Lily—”
“I am supposed to make you very comfortable,” she said. She rolled over to face him, put her hand back on his crotch. “And I volunteered, remember?”
She kissed him then, her lips warm, her breath fragrant, her tongue avid. They kissed for a long time, and during the kiss his hand wandered down between her legs. Underneath the buckskin dress she was wearing nothing. His fingers danced over her heavy pubic patch and found her wet.
“I thought Indian girls didn’t kiss?” he said.
“We are beginning to accept some of the white man’s ways,” she told him.
“Well,” he said, “you do it very well.”
He kissed her again, and during this kiss he slid his middle finger inside of her. She gasped into his mouth and he felt her body go taut. He wriggled his finger around, causing her to moan. Then he broke the kiss, pushed her dress up her hips, and slid down between her legs.
“This is something else white men like to do,” he told her.
“Wha—ohh,” she gasped as he removed his finger and touched her with his tongue.
She couldn’t keep still after that as his tongue moved up and down her moist pink slit, paused only to flick in and out of her. Finally, he brought his tongue up in a long lick that ended at her swollen clit. She jumped beneath him, but he kept his tongue moving, used his arms to pin her to the ground so she couldn’t get away from him.
She couldn’t move, which intensified the sensations. She reached down and tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t let her. Then she started beating on him with her fists, but he still didn’t stop. The pleasure was building up in her so much that her body was as taut as an Indian bow. She stopped trying to push him away and grasped his head in both hands, wrapping her fingers in his hair.
When she finally exploded she lifted both hands and covered her mouth so no one in the settlement would hear her scream.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Clint woke the next morning with Lily’s head on his chest, his arm around her. A blanket covered them. He had slept very well.
Abruptly, she lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes seemed remarkably clear and bright.
“Breakfast,” she said. “I must go and make breakfast.”
“Can’t it wait?” he asked, holding her tightly.
“No,” she said. “I must go and prepare the meal with the other women.”
He released his hold and she sat up. She kissed him, tossed back the blanket, then got up and ran back toward the settlement.
He had not had more coffee during the night, so what was in the pot was undrinkable. He poured it out and prepared a new one. He had a cup, waited to see if Heck was going to return. When he didn’t, Clint assumed he would see him at breakfast.
He finished his coffee, then walked toward the settlement.
Gabe woke that morning with Running Deer’s head on his chest. He woke her gently.
“Time to go,” he said.
“Yes,” she said.
“Get ready,” he said. “I have to go and talk to the others.”
“Yes,” she said again.
When he left, she stood up and stretched. As usual, after he’d had his way with her, she felt stiff and sore, especially between her legs. She did not believe this was the way a wife was supposed to feel after a night with her husband.
This was not right.
Outside, Gabe found his brothers sitting around the fire, eating breakfast. Someone had gone fishing at the nearby river and brought back fish for breakfast.
“Gimme two plates,” he said. “Be ready to move out in half an hour.”
“You want coffee?” Joe asked.
“Yeah,” Gabe said. “One cup.”
He balanced the two plates and the cup and carried them back to the shack.
“Have you boys made up your minds yet?” Gene asked when Gabe was gone.
“About what?” Brett asked around a forkful of fish.
“About me takin’ over from Gabe,” Gene said. “Are you gonna back me?”
Joe and Brett looked over at their younger brother.
“You mean, you were serious about that?” Joe asked.
“Yeah, I was serious,” Gene said angrily. “Whaddaya think I was doin’, just talkin’?”
“Well . . . yeah,” Brett said.
“Jesus . . .” Gene said.
He stood up, dropped his plate and utensils to the ground, and stormed off.
“He must be crazy if he thinks he can take over from Gabe,” Joe said.
“What if he does have the others behind him?” Brett asked.
“He don’t,” Joe said. “They know better.”
“But what if they don’t know better?”
“Even if they want to back him, they’re gonna stay here.”
“They’re supposed to stay behind,” Brett said. “What if they don’t? What if they follow us?”
“Brett,” Joe said, “why are you tryin’ to think? That’s Gabe’s job.”
“But—”
“If Gene was a danger to him, Gabe would know. The same goes for Andy and the others. Now, why don’t you just finish your breakfast so we can clean up and get ready to move out?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Gene stormed off. His anger was growing, but he felt impotent. His brothers wouldn’t back him, and Andy and the other men wouldn’t back him. If he wanted to take over from Gabe, if he wanted to take Gabe’s wife, he was going to have to face his older brother on his own.
He thought he had the courage to do that, but the truth was, he just wasn’t sure. He was going to have to wait, and watch for his chance.
He didn’t want to kill Gabe, he just wanted to take over. But in the end, if killing him was the only way to do it, he would.
If he could.
TWENTY-NINE
When Clint reached the settlement, the table was once again set up with food. As he approached it he saw that there was fruit, and meats and, to his surprise, eggs. Seated in the center of the table, already chowing down, was Heck Thomas.
“Hey, Clint,” Heck shouted. “How was your night?”
“It was fine,” Clint said, sitting across from his friend.
Lily appeared at his elbow with a cup of coffee, then set a basket of warm biscuits right to that. He filled his plate with meat and eggs. Lily leaned against him, then turned to go back to work.
Clint saw that Heck was smiling at him from across the table.
“Where were you last night?” he asked.
“I found a place to sleep inside,” Heck said. “What about you?”
“I spent the night in camp.”
“All our gear safe?”
“Yes,” Clint said, “safe and sound.”
“Told you,” Heck said. “These people don’t steal.”
“Yep, you were right.”
Other men joined them at the table, and then Chief Clarence appeared and sat next to Heck. He seemed to be in a very jovial mood.
The women continued to serve food. Breakfast went on until, one by one, the others left to go to work. Finally, there was only Clint, Heck, and Chief Clarence.
“I have had work of some men camping near a small lake called the Black Hawk.”
“The Colters?” Clint asked.
“I do not know that,” Clarence said. “All I know is that men have been seen there.”
“Where’s that lake?” Clint asked.
“Between here and where the Wolf Clan are camped.”
“You know where they are?” Clint asked. “Well, that’s all we need, then.”
“If we go to this camp near Black Hawk Lake
, we might be able to stop them before they get to the Wolf Clan,” Heck said.
“Or if we go directly to the Wolf Clan, we can be there waiting for them.”
“If one of them is married to a Wolf Clan squaw,” Chief Clarence said. “The Wolf Clan will consider him family. You would have to fight them.”
“But if he can catch up to them before they get to the Wolf Clan,” Heck said, “we can avoid that.”
“The Cherokee are not at war,” Clint said.
“Maybe not,” Heck said, “but they’ve still been raiding ranches. They still know how to fight, and they’ll fight for family.”
“So then we go to the lake?” Clint asked.
“Yes,” Heck said, “we’ll head for the lake. It’s on the way.”
“Then we better break camp and get going.”
Heck slapped Clarence on the back. “Thank you for the hospitality,” he said, “and the information.”
“I will have someone come to your camp with some supplies,” Clarence said.
“Thank you, my friend,” Heck said.
He and Clint stood up and walked back to their camp.
They had the fire out and the horses saddled by the time some of the Delaware appeared, carrying sacks of food. One of them was Lily.
“Thank you,” Clint said as he and Heck accepted the sacks.
“When you have finished,” Lily said to him, “come back this way.”
“We’ll try, Lily,” Clint said. “But I can’t promise anything.”
“I understand.”
The Delaware waved to them as they rode off.
“Did Lily keep you comfortable last night?” Heck asked.
“And who kept you comfortable?” Clint countered.
Heck grinned and said, “Fair enough, partner.”
“Do you know where this Black Hawk Lake is?” Clint asked.
“I had an idea,” Heck said. “The chief made it a little clearer for me.”
Fort Revenge Page 7
