He knew he was out of shape when he started to feel his lungs burn and the beginning of a deep stitch in his side. The muscles in his legs screamed for rest and his feet hurt in the army boots. He desperately wanted to stop, but every minute counted. In his heart, he was afraid he was already too late. He cursed himself for not doing this ride earlier. He should have done it the first night, instead of sending an inexperienced trooper. He had sent the young man to his death as if he had shot him. At least the man and those who followed him could have died from a bullet rather than the torture he knew they suffered.
He could not let that happen to those few left at the fort. He could not let that happen to Lucretia. How had he let that white yellow-headed female get under his skin? How had he wanted her even though she was married—and married to his commander? How did his dreams always become so real every night that he woke wet with sweat? Finally, he faced the fact that he loved her more than life itself.
Yes, he needed to think about her body and ignore the pain. Think of her full tits pressed against his chest, her downy legs wrapped around his waist, her soft stomach as he kissed his way down to her delightful pussy. Think of her delectable smell, the taste of her mouth, the way her head fit his shoulder, the feel of her arms around his neck, the scratching of his back in her wild climaxes. Just think of her and keep running.
Eagle lost track of time, but the sun was beginning to paint the eastern sky in pinks and reds as he saw his destination ahead. He tried to shout to the men he saw on the train tracks and outside the building, but his voice failed. He had no choice but to keep going. He fell to the ground, exhausted, a few yards from the station, but someone saw him, and shouted.
He awakened on a cot inside the depot. An older woman, ugly with scars he could see up under her veil, was feeding him water. It hurt even to drink, but he had to communicate, so he drank to relieve his parched throat.
“Need to telegraph St. Louis. Tell army we are under attack and most dead. Need immediate help. Hurry, no time to waste.” He lay back and waited. The reply was that help was on the way. He wanted to go back to the fort immediately, but his body would not permit it. He closed his eyes and slept the sleep of the dead.
* * * *
The gunfire became spasmodic as the day ended. This evening, there was no burial of the army dead. The three dead Indians remained on the ground where they fell. Only Corporal Dryer and Private Jones were standing. Everyone else was dead.
Lucretia climbed out of her cocoon and walked outside. The two men began to pick up the bodies of their dead to take to the stables. “Ma’am, it looks like we are the only three left. Is there anything we can do for you?”
Scared to her inner being, she forced a smile. “Why, yes, there is. The horses…yes, the horses. Go get them and bring them to the officers’ quarters. It is the warmest place I can think of. And blankets for them. Both for over them and under them. We can cover the windows with blankets, too, to help keep them warm. Bring them grain and buckets of water. At least when this is all over, the horses will have lives.”
She left them to follow her orders, without thinking they might not. She ran back to the cabin and began to dress against the cold. She put several of her jackets on first, then added Jeffrey’s heavy coat. On her head, she pulled on her warmest fur-lined bonnet, followed by one of Jeffrey’s. Her skirts she wrapped around her legs before jamming them into her stockings and shoes, over which she forced a pair of her husband’s boots.
She followed the two into the officers’ quarters as they finished tethering the horses near the stove. They turned to look at her. Their laughter came in a roar of volume that caused the horses to start. “Mrs. Sawyer, are you in there?” Jed asked. “You are wider now than you are tall with so many clothes.”
Lucretia looked down at herself, seeing what they did. Her smile turned into a grin as she joined their enjoyment. The laughter released their tension, even as they pushed their plight away, at least for a few minutes.
“We need to get serious again. Water, now, we need water. After the horses have theirs, drag one of the water troughs over by my cabin door. Every drop we find anywhere in the fort, we can put there.”
“But, ma’am, it is all frozen solid. What good will that do?” Private Jones looked confused.
“We can melt it with just enough warm water from the stove to break it apart, then we can heat it. But for that we need wood. All you can find, even break up the furniture. It should be easier because it is not frozen solid yet.
“Now, what am I forgetting? Ah yes, food.” She sent them in search of water and wood while she went to the cooking shack to look for something…anything she could find. There were a few potatoes and prairie turnips, together with some onions and a variety of spices she found in jars. There was no meat left and she did not want to think what had happened to the mangy pair of mutts that used to wander everywhere. But the vegetable soup would fill their hungry stomachs at least one last time.
The few sticks of wood in the old cooking stove might be enough. She struck the flint to the kindling, both of which were on the table nearby. Soon the meager soup was heating.
“All done as ordered, Major Sawyer, ma’am.” Jed grinned. “Anything else?”
“Yes, there is, Corporal. If tomorrow I am going to meet my dear Lord, I would like to be clean. Would you mind dragging the tub into my cabin and putting some water on to heat? After we eat, I will scrub myself clean, although it will be a waste of time if it turns out I am going the other way.”
The men laughed. “Not a chance of that, Mrs. Sawyer,” said Private Jones. “An angel like you has nothing to worry about.”
“I appreciate that you think I am an angel, but let me assure you I am not. I have done things I regret and wish I could forget, but God makes me remember them so I can suffer, as I should.”
Corporal Dryer said, “No, I do not think so. The Lord only forces the evil to suffer.”
“I think not,” answered Lucretia. “If that were true, then why are you suffering from that gunshot wound? Why did it take so much time and pain before Jeffrey finally died? Why did Deke and Molly have to die, Corporal?”
“God makes His decisions to test us. The lucky ones are like Deke and Molly. He took them without pain. That is good. Why your husband suffered…well, I do not know, but the good Lord does. We must accept those things and live the best we can until He is ready for us.”
“My goodness, Jed, I have never heard you speak that many words at a time ever before. I had no idea you were so God-fearing. Look, the soup is almost ready. Let us eat before we move the tub and water. I will carry the bowls if one of you will carry the soup pot. There is no reason we cannot be warm while we eat.”
She hurried to her cabin and set the spoons on the table. Jones put the soup pot on the stove, along with a bucket of water Jed carried. She filled the bowls as the men moved the small table to the end of the bed so that, with the two chairs, there were three places to sit.
She motioned Jed, with his long legs, to sit on the bed, but he shook his head no. “It is not proper for me to sit on a lady’s bed.”
Lucretia’s laughter erupted like a merry volcano. “Nonsense. Is it any more proper for a lady to sit on her bed with two men not her husband or family in the room? Do you think under the circumstances there is anything proper or improper here? Now, just sit down and eat. I am sorry it is not better, but it will warm us and fill our stomachs. In the morning, none of this will matter, now will it?”
* * * *
Eagle Grant awoke, knowing he had slept far too long. The two hours he gave himself had lengthened to four hours. He jumped up, nearly falling. He was hungry and dizzy. He asked for water. The strange lady handed him a canteen full of cool liquid. He nodded his thanks and started out the door.
“Hey, Captain, where are you going?” asked the telegraph operator.
“I have to get back to the fort. I cannot let them get her. It may be too late already, but I have
to go.”
“No, sir. While you were asleep, your orders came. Major General Stanley Cotton wired that you are to remain here to wait for him and the troops stopping here on the late train before it goes on to the south.”
Eagle ignored him. “Where can I get a horse?”
“Over at the stable, yonder. But did you hear what I said? You are to stay here.”
Eagle grabbed the sandwich the telegraph operator apparently intended for his own meal and left the building without another word. Within minutes, he rode by the window, heading east as fast as the horse could run. It would take him hours to reach the fort, but in his heart, he could not believe they were all dead.
Chapter 52
Lucretia and the men ate in silence, devouring every drop of the soup. Jones gathered up the dirty dishes and utensils. The two soldiers left, only to return in minutes with the bathtub. They filled it with hot water, then cold until she said it felt just right. Lucretia felt the blast of cold air that rushed into the cabin as they started to leave.
“Is there someplace warm where you can stay tonight? I hate to think of you freezing under those thin military-issue blankets you have. At least you can gather up several, since there are so many not being used anymore,” she said.
“No place warm, but yes, we can use the blankets,” Private Jones replied. “We reckoned we would stay with the horses. Their bodies will help warm us.”
“We used up all the wood the last few nights in the barracks. What you used to make the soup tonight was the last of what we brought in before the attacks started. Captain Grant would not allow anyone to look for any after dark, because he said it was not safe to go that far away from here. He said they would not attack us after dark, but that if we were out there, they would enjoy capturing and torturing us. Just for the hell of it, he said. Oh, sorry, Mrs. Sawyer,” Corporal Dryer explained. “I guess we can start taking the place apart and burning the lumber and such.”
“That is not a good idea. I am sure Captain Grant will be back soon with the army to rescue us. So there is no reason you cannot stay here with me until they arrive. Now, one of you go to the officers’ building and bring that whiskey that my husband had in his desk. Look in the other desks, too. They will not care. Oh, and some more blankets, too. When you get back, we will divide the cabin so that you two have half of it and I have privacy for my bed.”
As soon as they left and without thinking, Lucretia took off her clothing. She settled her body in the warm water. She bent forward to soap her hair and then rinsed it. She toweled it to remove the excess water before wrapping it tightly while she washed the rest of her body. She lay back as far as the tub would allow, her towel-wrapped head on the back. Her breasts floated as white and pink balloons on the water and her bent knees exposed her legs.
When the door opened, she jumped up, unthinking. The two soldiers stood inside looking at her water-sparkled naked body. No one moved. Lucretia finally recovered enough to ask, “Can you please turn around while I get out? I am sorry. I should have waited until the blankets were hung, but I was so eager…”
The men turned away but the image of her still filled their minds and fed their growing cocks until both men hurt with desire. Lucretia continued talking as she dried herself and pulled on a long flannel nightgown and robe. “It is not like you have never seen a naked woman before. After all, you are soldiers and surely you met many women in your travels. You can turn around now.”
“No, Mrs. Sawyer, I ain’t never seen a naked woman before,” Jed replied. That was not a lie, because the women he paid for the use of their bodies simply lifted their skirts for him to slide between their legs, from either the front or back.
“Me neither, ma’am,” said Private Jones. “You are just beautiful. No wonder the major could not leave you alone. We crept up outside, some nights, and listened to you.”
“Jones, you shut that up. I am sorry, Mrs. Sawyer, sometimes he is dumber than a rock.” Jed’s face was a brilliant red. Neither man could take his eyes off her as she finished drying her hair and began to brush it.
Lucretia had no idea how fetching she looked with her face scrubbed clean and her hair curling as she brushed it, lifting her arms. Her breasts moved upward with her arms and strained against the cloth, showing her nipples like little flower buds.
One of them moaned. Lucretia did not know who, because all she heard now was the sound of the door opening. Standing there, dripping sweat and panting for breath, was Black Eagle Grant. He took in the scene with one look and began to shake his head.
Lucretia jumped out of bed and ran to him, trying to put her arms around his neck, but he grabbed her wrists and held them away. “Did I interrupt something here? Apparently, I did. Well, men, carry on.” He closed the door behind him and let himself drop to the ground, exhausted. Even in his anguish, he asked himself why he had ridden the horse to death and ran himself nearly that hard, only to find that she already had replacements in her bed. He was nothing to her, he knew now.
Lucretia followed him, only to have him push her away again. “Go away. I do not want you near me. I thought we had something between us, but it seems as if all I was to you was a hard cock. Go back inside and let those two service you. How many men does it take, Mrs. Sawyer, to satisfy you? Your husband was right about you. Apparently, I was not enough last night to scratch your itches. Go away, just go away.”
His words tore through her like knives and were as painful as stab wounds. She stood and backed away slowly, not believing his cruel words. Was this the same man who had loved her so tenderly such a short time ago? Was this the man she dreamed of all night and cried for when she found out he was gone? No, this could not be the same man.
She ran back inside and flew to the bed, sobbing. Dryer and Jones stood like rock statues, not knowing what to do. Jones moved over to the bed and sat down beside her. He patted her back as he had done to his sisters when they cried. She was not his sister, for sure, but she was hurting nevertheless.
Corporal Dryer went outside and stooped beside the Captain. “Sir, it is not what you think. Mrs. Sawyer never—”
“I do not want to hear your excuses for her. She, Corporal, is a slut, no different from the ones who fuck in rooms above taverns. She is just better-looking, better-smelling, and younger. No, get back inside and finish what you were starting to do when I interrupted you.”
“Sir, please, no. Let me explain.”
Eagle pulled his knife so quickly that Jed did not see it coming. “Corporal, I am telling you this only one more time. You will go back inside and fuck her. Both of you will fuck her. She will like that. Hell, I will just sit by and watch. Maybe I can learn something about how to please a woman.”
“Sir, you can use that knife on me, but I will not force myself on her or any woman.”
Eagle lowered the knife and turned away from the corporal, ashamed of what he had said. His was an emotion of pure jealousy as he thought of her giving herself to anyone else, even as he remembered how she had given herself to him both before with her husband and after his death as well.
Chapter 53
Both men returned to the room. Eagle took a chair and leaned it back against the wall on two legs. “Lucretia, turn over and look at me.” She did not reply. “Very well, then, we will do it another way. “Jones, stand her on her feet and turn her so I can see her face. Very good. Now remove her clothes.”
Lucretia looked calmly at Eagle, eyes now tearless. “Is this what you want, Captain? Do you hate me so much you will have these young men rape me while you watch?”
“Since when do you have to be raped? I have seen no sign of that before. I am tired, but if that is what you want, I can do it myself.”
“No, Captain Grant, that will not be necessary.” Lucretia’s voice was cold. Her eyes narrowed into slits of sparkling midnight as she looked at him. Her hate was evident and he basked in it. “What you are doing to your soldiers is wrong, but since it is an order, I think it only fair th
at they enjoy themselves.”
“The water is still warm, Corporal Dryer. I suggest you take a quick dip, as the lady likes her men clean. Then you also, Private. Would you like her to wash you? She does it very well, as I recall.” Eagle’s voice filled with loathing as he looked at her, standing brazenly naked in front of them all. The men stripped and stood, trying to cover their genitals with their hands. Jed stepped into the water and sat down, legs over the end. “Just clean your faces and your cocks. Never mind the feet and legs. She will probably not suck you there. At least, I do not think so.”
Lucretia never took her eyes from his as she sank to the floor and began to wash Jed, first his face, and then down his body. He moaned as her hand touched his penis and even more when she soaped him. In his life, never before had he felt anything to compare to her ministrations. He cried out, ashamed, as his semen exploded outside the tub, hitting the wall with force.
“Good, Dryer, now you will have more lasting power for the next bout. Out now, and Jones in.” Eagle met her gaze from a face as unmoving as a mountain.
Jones fared no better than his friend, but his explosion dropped his cum onto the floor at the end of the tub. Lucretia stood. “Now what?” she asked Eagle in a soft voice.
“I think I will let you direct them in the ways of pleasing the beautiful Mrs. Sawyer. Maybe if you do it well, I just might fuck you again myself. Would you like that? Yes, of course you would. Never too many cocks for Miss Lulu.”
Her nickname was reserved for only those who loved her and she reacted. She ran toward him and dug her nails into his face, drawing blood. “You can call me every filthy name in the world, but do not call me Lulu.”
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