“I suppose you’re going after Hannah.”
“I must.”
His great anguish was clearly visible in the darkening of his silver eyes.
Zach searched frantically for a way to keep
Ryder on the farm until he was fully healed.
“Are you forgetting your commitment to the
governor? One of the conditions of your release
is that you work for the government.”
Zach had revealed to Ryder, once they had
reached the safety of the farm, that the only
way the governor would grant amnesty was if
Ryder agreed to put his expertise to work as
an Indian agent to the Sioux and Cheyenne nations. He hoped to put Ryder’s vast knowl
edge of Indians to good use.
“As Indian agent you’ll be able to work closely
with the People to bring about a lasting peace/
1
Zach continued. “Have you forgotten that you
are to confer with the governor as soon as you’re
well enough to travel to Denver?”
“I have not forgotten,” Ryder said. “And had
I known beforehand about the conditions
attached to my amnesty, I might not have
accepted. The white eyes want no honorable
peace. They wish to annihilate the People. At the very least they want them confined to res
ervations where living conditions are dismal.”
“Now you will have the opportunity to
improve those conditions,” Zach reminded
him. “You know yourself the day is approaching
when all Indians will be living on reservations,
or be killed resisting. If you want to help your
adopted people, you must accept the governor’s
terms.”
“For the sake of the People I will accept the
position, but I will not compromise my honor like some of these men who hold the same
position. I will see that the People have warm blankets and food for their bellies. I will fight
for what is right.”
Zach slapped him on the back. “I expected no less from you. When the day arrives there is always a place for you with Mercer Freighting
Company. And a piece of land waiting for
you down by the river. Rest a few days
longer, and when you are fully recuperated
we will go together to call on the gover
nor.”
Ryder’s face hardened, ‘ì will see your governor, but in my own good time. First I must find Hannah. If you give me the supplies I need for a journey to Fort Laramie, I will bid my sister good-bye and go.”
Zach shook his head. Never had he seen a more stubborn brother and sister. “Go if you must, Ryder, but I have to know if you really intend to return. It would hurt Abby if you
rejected amnesty and returned to Powder River country.”
Ryder sent him a disgruntled glare. “I will return, Zach Mercer. With or without Hannah, I will return to honor my promise to your gov
ernor. No one but my sister, who has experi
enced the same fears, knows the anguish and
confusion I suffer because my skin is white
and my heart is Cheyenne. We have both felt
the despair of not knowing in which world we
belong. But with your help she has bridged the
gap and seems happy. I may not like it, but I
will strive for the same kind of understanding.
But first I must find Hannah and learn if she truly wants that blue coat.”
“Take what supplies you need, Ryder. They
are yours for the asking. And I hope you find the answer you seek. If Hannah had a reason for leaving, I know you will find it. But don’t let your emotions blind you to the truth.”
Ryder tried to keep Zach’s admonition in
mind when he rode away from the farm a
full four days behind Hannah and Lieutenant
Gilmore. But no matter how hard he tried to
find an excuse for Hannah’s behavior, the rage was still there. If only he could make sense of
her abrupt departure. Was something escaping him? Had he failed her again by questioning
her loyalty? No matter how hard he tried to
find answers, it all came down to the ines
capable fact that Hannah didn’t love him. She
really didn’t love him. The difference in their
upbringing was obviously too vast to allow true
love to flourish.
Trent Gilmore sent Hannah a sidelong glance,
thinking that it wouldn’t be long before he’d
have her in his bed. He’d fantasized about it
for so long, he didn’t know how much longer
he could control his desire. For propriety’s sake
he’d not tried to bed her these past few nights on the trail. He intended to make her his wife and didn’t want the men gossiping about their
intimacy before marriage. “We’ll stop overnight
in Cheyenne,” he said to Hannah when they were within a few miles of the city. “I imagine
a hot bath and a bed will be welcome after the
discomfort of the trail.”
Hannah barely heard him. Discomfort was hardly the word she’d use to describe the trip from Denver thus far; hell was more like it.
Being pregnant didn’t help matters any. Or the
stifling heat. At the end of the day she was
so tired, she could barely eat her supper, and
she was asleep minutes after crawling into her
bedroll. The uneven motion of her horse kept
her stomach in a constant state of turmoil.
“Did you hear me, Hannah? Does a bed and
bath tempt you at all?”
This time Hannah concentrated on his words
and answered accordingly. “It sounds won
derful, Trent. There’s nothing I’d like bet
ter.”
Gilmore sidled his horse closer to Hannah’s mare. “Perhaps we’ll have the privacy in Chey
enne that we lack on the trail.” His voice was
husky with desire as he placed a hand on her knee and smiled into her eyes. “The men will
be billeted with the militia, but I can stay wher
ever I like. I’ll arrange a room for us at the best hotel in town.”
Hannah stiffened. The thought of sleeping with Gilmore was abhorrent to her. Unfortu
nately, it was too soon to tell him that she
didn’t intend to honor her promise. She had
to make sure Ryder was safe before she did
that, and she wasn’t certain Ryder had had enough time yet to reach safety. His injuries were severe enough to keep him in bed for at
least a couple of weeks.
”I-I don’t think that’s wise, Trent. I’d pre
fer to wait until we’re married. It wouldn’t be
right.”
A flush of anger crept across Gilmore’s face. “Right? How can you question my right when
you’ve slept with that white Indian? Was that
right?”
Hannah glared at him. “Ryder and I were
married at Red Cloud’s camp.” When he opened
his mouth to protest she added, “I know the
marriage isn’t considered legal in white society, but while I was in the Indian camp I lived according to Indian law, and in Red Cloud’s camp I was Ryder’s wife.”
Gilmore fought to control his temper. Just
thinking about Hannah spread beneath the
white savage, taking him into her body, made
him burn with jealousy. He hated it that the
white savage had been the first with her.
Swallowing his anger, he tried to answer
her reasonably, without earning her hostility.
Giving offense at this point was definitely not
in his best interest.
“You can’t help what you were forced to do,
Hannah, but I’d prefer that you didn’t act as if you were the man’s legal wife. I am trying to
forget what happened to you and I want you
to forget it too. You’re going to be my wife. You’re never to speak about or think of Wind Rider again.”
Hannah bowed her head. She knew her face
would reveal the rage she felt over Trent’s
words. Forget Ryder? Never! How could she when his child rested beneath her heart? The moment they reached Fort Laramie, she fully
intended to tell Trent that she could not marry
him; then she’d find passage back to Denver.
If she was fortunate, she’d be able to convince Ryder she had left with Gilmore for his sake.
She prayed he would believe her.
Hannah was dirty, tired, and hungry when
they finally reached Cheyenne. The sun was
just setting and the town was teeming with
people. Some had come to work on the railroad,
some were cowboys coming into town after a
hard day’s work, and others were drifters. She
and Gilmore parted company with the patrol
at militia headquarters after Gilmore made arrangements to meet them the next morning
to continue their journey. Then they continued
on to the hotel, where Gilmore engaged rooms
for them.
“I paid for two rooms, Hannah, to save you
embarrassment, but I intend for us to use only
one,” he told her as he carried her bag up to
her room. “I have to report to Major Delaney at
headquarters, but I’ll not be late. I’ve ordered
a bath for you.” His eyes glowed hotly. “Rest
while you can and I’ll join you as soon as possible. We’ll have dinner together and then ...” His words fell off, leaving no doubt about how he intended to spend the night.
Before Hannah could offer a word of protest,
Gilmore kissed her hard and left.
When her bath came she hurried through it, fearing Gilmore would return before she fin
ished. Her mind worked feverishly, searching
for a way to keep Trent from claiming her in
the most basic way. She feared that when she
told Trent she didn’t intend to marry him, he
would wire Denver and have Ryder seized and
confined. Then all that she had sacrificed for Ryder’s sake would have been for nothing.
Hannah dressed hurriedly. She had just finished buttoning the front of her gown when Gilmore burst into the room, cursing loudly.
“Trent, what is it?”
“Damn army brass. Major Delaney invited me to spend the night in his home and there’s
no polite way I could refuse. Believe me, I had other plans for tonight. He’s eager to discuss
Indian activity in the area and what the army
is doing to defuse the situation. Thank God
for our escort. I wouldn’t relish traveling the country between Cheyenne and Fort Laramie
without one.”
Hannah nearly collapsed in relief.
“We’ll still leave at dawn tomorrow. That
hasn’t changed,” Gilmore continued. “I’m sor
ry, Hannah; you’ll have to eat alone. The major
has invited me to share dinner with him and
his wife.”
It was all Hannah could do to keep from shouting. Once again God had heard her and
given her the reprieve she’d so desperately
prayed for. Afraid to trust her voice, she merely
nodded.
“I’ll return for you at dawn,” Gilmore in
formed her. “Get a good night’s rest. We’ve
still got a long way to go to reach the
fort.”
The hours Hannah spent in the saddle those
next days were among the most miserable she’d ever experienced. Not only was the traveling
difficult, but Hannah sensed Trent’s unease.
To Hannah’s relief, they hadn’t crossed Indian
tracks, and she felt fortunate to be traveling
with an armed patrol.
As if reading her mind, Gilmore rode up
beside her and said, “I know you’re worried
about Indians, but since we are within a day or two of the fort I anticipate no trouble. If
there were Indians in the area, they would have
attacked by now/’
“I’m sure we’ll be safe,” Hannah said, not at all as certain as she sounded.
The afternoon sun blazed down on her with
relentless fury, and Hannah swayed in the sad
dle. Her mouth was dry, her face and clothing
coated with dust. Despite her wide-brimmed
bonnet, she felt her fair skin reddening. She
hated to think about making the return trip to
Denver, but she’d brave anything to be reunited with Ryder. She fervently hoped she would be
able to make the trip before her belly got in
the way of her traveling. Taking off her bonnet
and fanning her flushed face, she let her mind
wander back to the last time she and Ryder had
been together in the barn on the Mercer farm.
Though inexperienced, she knew of no man
who could make her tingle and burn in her
most private places the way Ryder did. She
recalled the way he touched her, as if he knew
just how much pressure to apply to certain
areas to bring her the most pleasure. His hands were firm but gentle, his mouth hot and wet.
When he thrust into her she had welcomed
him eagerly, her receptive body taking all of him and demanding more. There was nothing in her vocabulary to describe the climax she
attained in his arms.