Dream Warrior: His Savage Kiss

by Bobbi Smith

  "Is that what you want, Cari? To stay here?" It was the question he'd been wanting to ask her for days. He had to find out what she was thinking and feeling so he could know what his chances were with her.

  A niggling of guilt washed through Cari, for she knew she was keeping Elliot dangling. She hadn't really meant to. She liked him, liked him a lot, but she still wasn't sure that she wanted to marry him. "I care about you, Elliot. You mean a lot to me . . ."

  Elliot was about to urge her to be totally honest with him and give him an answer, when a powerful hand clamped down on his shoulder and a deep, hard voice interrupted them.

  "I believe this dance is mine."

  Silver Wolf had gone to refill his drink while Little Snow had finished her dance with Larson. Intent on seeing her, he'd set the glass aside and started across the crowded room to where she stood with her parents, Ben, and the stranger who'd kissed her at the creek. He was only halfway there, when another melody began and the stranger took her in his arms. At the sight of him holding Little Snow again, the low-burning fury Silver Wolf had kept banked within him ignited to a raging inferno.

  Silver Wolf had been aware that people were watching him as he crossed the dance floor, but he didn't care. He was going to dance with Little Snow, and nothing and no one was going to stop him. He'd suffered through her dance with Larson. There was no way he was going to stand by and watch her dance with this man.

  As he reached them, he heard Little Snow say, "Elliot. You mean a lot to me . . . "

  A violent emotion shook him, and he had to restrain himself from doing more than just putting his hand on this Elliot's shoulder to cut in.

  "I'm sorry, but . . ." Elliot began, stopping in the midst of the waltz to face the man who would take Cari from him.

  "Silver Wolf?" At the sound of that familiar voice, his name escaped her in an excited gasp. He'd come to her at last!

  "Hello, Little Snow." He said her name softly.

  An expression of pure radiance lit her lovely features as she pivoted to see him, coming face-to-face with her dream warrior for the first time in seven years. Cari could only stare at him with a mixture of joy and surprise. She'd known that he must have changed in the time they'd been apart, but she'd had no idea he would look like this. Her blue-eyed gaze swept over him, taking in every detail of his appearance. Her warrior was gone, and in his place was a man who appeared as civilized and sophisticated as Elliot. Cari wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or happy. Silver Wolf's shoulder-length black hair had been cut, the style he wore now only a little longer than that of the other men in the room. His suit was expensive, his manner totally proper. She almost felt like she was meeting a stranger for the first time, until she looked into his eyes. They were the silver-gray she remembered so well, and right now they were warm and welcoming upon her. "It's you. . . . It's really you."

  "Yes, Little Snow. Will you finish this waltz with me?" he asked, totally ignoring Elliot who was standing in silent confusion beside them.

  "Cari?" Elliot bristled at being so coolly dismissed. He glanced at Cari and felt a flare of primitive jealousy, for her expression was rapt, and in all their time together she'd never looked at him that way. "Do you want to dance with him?"

  Elliot remembered James saying that Silver Wolf had gone to the East to college and was now working for the Indian Bureau, but he'd never expected him to look like this person. He'd expected him to look like the braves they'd seen at Tall Shadow's village, not a debonair, sophisticated gentleman.

  "Yes, Elliot, please. This is Silver Wolf, the friend I told you about."

  Silver Wolf turned his guarded gaze to the white man as he waited for his response.

  Unable to do anything else without making a scene, Elliot reluctantly handed Cari over. "It's nice to meet you."

  The two men's eyes met as Silver Wolf took Cari's hand. The look they exchanged was fleeting yet powerful and spoke of possession and dominance, and Elliot knew he had a more than worthy rival in this man.

  Silver Wolf drew Little Snow to him, his hand settling possessively at her waist as he whirled her expertly out onto the dance floor. They paid no attention to the gossips who were watching them with only barely concealed outrage. The rest of the world with its prejudices and hatreds faded away. It was only the two of them, wrapped up in themselves and the beauty of this much longed-for moment.

  Cari had never known a waltz could be so exciting. She was in heaven as she followed Silver Wolf's smooth lead. His arm around her was strong and sure, and the heat of his hand at her waist sent tingles of awareness through her. He danced as well as he seemed to do everything in life, and they moved in perfect unison, as one to the music.

  "I'm so glad you came tonight. I've been home for over a week, and I was beginning to think I'd never see you again," Cari told him, the happiness she felt at being reunited with him shining in her eyes. She was thrilled to be with him, and she didn't care who knew it.

  "I was busy at the fort, but I'm back in town now."

  "I missed you while I was gone," she confessed in all honesty, completely forgetting all the things she'd learned about how to flirt and attract men. This was her Silver Wolf, and none of that mattered.

  "You were away a long time," he replied. As genuinely happy as she seemed to be to seeing him, he still could not forget the scene at the stream. He wondered if she'd become a sophisticate like Hilary, a woman learned in the art of seduction, a woman who looked at every man the same way she was looking at him right then—as if there was not another man alive in the world but him, as if he were a king among men in her eyes. He wanted to believe she hadn't, but . . .

  "I was away too long," she admitted freely. "School was nice, I guess, but I'm glad to be home." Cari met his eyes then, and the intensity of his silver regard took her breath away. It was almost as if he were trying to look into the very depths of her soul.

  "What did you learn while you were away?" His question was double-edged.

  "I took the usual subjects at school, but Mother insisted I take dance lessons, too, and though I hated it at the time, right now I'm glad for them. I never knew a waltz could be so wonderful. You're a very good dancer."

  Unwelcome thoughts of Hilary intruded again. He tried to push them away, reminding himself that this was his Little Snow.

  "My father told me that you went to school in New York. Why didn't you write to me? We were just in Philadelphia, and I might have been able to visit you." A little of the hurt she'd felt over his not answering her letters was reflected in her voice.

  Her words surprised him, but before he could reply, the tempo of the music changed and he knew the waltz was about to end. Unwilling to relinquish his claim to her, he maneuvered them toward a side door.

  "Let's go outside so we can talk."

  Cari didn't even consider refusing his suggestion, though she knew her mother would be scandalized if she found out. Being with Silver Wolf was much more important than anything else.

  Silver Wolf took Little Snow's hand and they slipped from the hall, escaping into the black velvet night. He knew others would come looking for them soon, but at least they'd have some time alone together before they did.

  "You didn't answer my question, Silver Wolf," Cari said as they moved away from the lights and noise of the hall. "Why didn't you write to me? Why didn't you answer my letters?"

  He stopped and looked down at her, studying her face in the softness of the moonlight, searching for some sign of deception, but he found none. "Little Snow, the only letter I ever received was the one you wrote right after you left. There were never any other letters."

  "But I wrote every week . . ."

  "And I wrote to you, too, several times a month at first."

  "There's no need to lie about it," she began, not wanting to argue about the issues. She supposed now that they were back together again, it really didn't matter anyway. She was startled when, the words having barely left her lips, he gripped her by the upper arms
, his expression hardening.

  "There's one thing you've apparently forgotten about me, Little Snow. I never lie," he told her brusquely as he released her.

  Confusion marred her lovely features for a moment, and then understanding dawned on her. If Silver Wolf had written to her, there was only one person who could have kept his letters from her.

  "My mother . . ." she said slowly, the ugly truth hurting her. She put her hand on Silver Wolf's arm and could feel the tension in him. "It had to have been my mother. I wrote to you every week, telling you how much I missed you and begging you to write back and tell me how you were. But I never received an answer. She must have destroyed them all." Her gaze lifted to his as they came to grips with the injustice done them. "I'm sorry . . ."

  At last Silver Wolf understood. Her mother had hated him for as long as he could remember. It didn't make the lonely years apart any easier to accept, but the knowledge that Little Snow hadn't abandoned him did ease the tension in him. All that really mattered was that she had written to him. He touched her cheek with a gentle caress. "So am I."

  "I should have realized . . . should have known she would try to keep us apart," she agonized, humiliated. "I should have believed and trusted in you."

  "It's over now."

  "But we missed so much. Can we start again?"

  "There's no need to start again. We're here, together. Nothing's changed."

  His hand dropped away from her cheek and they walked on to a secluded place behind the hall where they could talk without fear of interruption.

  "It really is a beautiful night," Cari sighed as she gazed up at the moon and stars above them. She was home and she was with Silver Wolf.

  "Not as beautiful as you are," he said softly, coming to stand close beside her.

  She laughed lightly as she turned to him, her mood happy once again. "You said nothing's changed, but you have. My Silver Wolf would never have said anything so . . ."

  "Do I have to keep reminding you? Your Silver Wolf always spoke the truth."

  She looked at him through the eyes of a woman now, and not those of a child. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, as she asked, "Do you really think I'm pretty now?" Somehow, suddenly, it was very important to her to hear him say it again.

  "You were a pretty child. Now, you're a beautiful woman."

  The stars, pale moonlight, and the distant strains of the music from the dance all came together, swirling around them with intoxicating intensity. Silver Wolf gazed down at her, seeing in her all the simple truth and beauty that had been missing from his life for so long. His Little Snow had grown into the most lovely woman he'd ever seen, and he could no more have stopped himself from kissing her right then than he could have stopped breathing. The tension and the wanting had become too powerful. He had to kiss her. With infinite care, Silver Wolf bent to her, his lips seeking and finding hers.

  It was a tentative exchange at first, their lips meeting in a gentle test, a gentle exploration. Cari had kissed Elliot many times, and it had always been a pleasant experience. But this one simple kiss from Silver Wolf shattered all her notions about how kisses were supposed to be. As his lips touched hers, drew away, then sought hers again, she sensed he was holding back, and she was filled with a longing to know more.

  A small sound escaped Cari, a whimper almost, and it was all the encouragement Silver Wolf needed. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her fully against him as his mouth covered hers, hot and demanding. His lips parted hers, and when his tongue sought the dark, honeyed depths of her mouth, Cari swayed weakly against him. She clutched at his shoulders, glad for his strong arms around her. As she clung to him, she knew a vague and distant thought that this was what she'd always wanted . . . that this was what she'd always needed—to be in Silver Wolf's arms.

  Silver Wolf felt the eagerness in her response and tightened his arms around her. The fullness of her breasts crushed against his chest excited him, and he had to force himself to remember where they were. He ended the kiss to save his sanity, yet unable to bring himself to release her, he remained holding her to his heart.

  "The last time I held you like this, you were almost frozen to death, and I had to keep you warm while I took you home," he told her in a husky voice as he fought to quell his raging desire for her with memories of her as a child.

  "I don't have to be home just yet," she whispered, remembering that night, too, how he'd saved her and how wonderful and safe she'd felt in his arms. She'd only been a little girl, but somehow, instinctively, she'd known even then . . . "Silver Wolf . . ."

  His name on her lips fired the flame of his desire for her to white-hot pitch, and he cast his intention to stop aside. His mouth slanted over hers, searing her with the power of his need, and she returned his passion full measure. They strained together, caught up once more in the vortex of emotion that swept them along beyond the realm of reality to a place where only they existed.

  Ten

  "Are you having a good time?" James asked Elizabeth as he squired her about the dance floor.

  "Of course, I always have a wonderful time with you." She'd been looking forward to tonight for she loved dancing with her handsome husband.

  James's hand tightened at her waist, letting her know he felt the same way. "I know this isn't Philadelphia, but I was hoping you'd enjoy yourself."

  At the mention of the city she loved best, a flash of longing shone in her eyes. "I won't lie to you and say that I don't miss it. I do. I'm just sorry you couldn't get away to be there with us for the season so you could have seen Cari. She was so popular, you would have been proud of her."

  James heard the disappointment in his wife's voice, and pain stabbed at his heart. It seemed no matter how hard he tried to make the Circle M home for Elizabeth, she would never think of it that way. It saddened him, even as it frustrated him. "Young Elliot seems to have won her favor."

  "I hope so. He's a fine young man. The perfect choice for her actually. I hope she doesn't take too long deciding to accept his proposal. He's proud, and while I do believe he loves her, I don't think his patience will last forever."

  "Does she love him?"

  "I wish I knew," Elizabeth said slowly, her gaze seeking out her lovely daughter as she danced with Elliot. Cari looked as if she were having a good time.

  The dance ended, and Elizabeth and James moved to the side of the room. He left her alone for a moment while he went to get them drinks, and while he was gone, Elizabeth took the time to look around the hall. Festooned though it was, the hall was still terribly rustic compared to the fancy ballrooms in Philadelphia. A pang of discontent stung her. She loved the life she'd left behind, and no matter how she tried, she would never feel the same way about life here in the territory. James returned to her side with a cup of punch and, after taking a sip, she turned to him.

  "James, do you suppose we'll ever live in Philadelphia again?"

  Elizabeth's question caught him off-guard, and he was hard pressed to mask the hurt. He'd done everything he could to please her—everything except give up his dream for the ranch, and that was the one thing he wouldn't do. He was building up the Circle M for her and Cari, and Cari's children. Why couldn't Elizabeth understand he was building a dynasty for the future generations of McCords?

  "No, Elizabeth," he finally responded. "We'll visit there, but the Circle M is home."

  "All right," she agreed in subdued tones. Resigned to spending the rest of her life there, she tried to lift her spirits by searching the dance floor for Cari. "Have you seen Cari?"

  "Not for a while." He glanced around the room. "There's Elliot, but Cari's not with him."

  "I wonder where she is . . ."

  Before she could say anymore, several of James's friends from town gathered around. After introducing Elizabeth, James was drawn into conversation with them.

  "I'll go see if I can find Cari." She smiled as she left him to his ranching talk and went to speak with Elliot.

  Elliot's mood had n
ot been good when Silver Wolf cut in, and it deteriorated to positively surly when Cari disappeared with the man at the end of the waltz. Elliot knew the Indian was her friend and that they probably had a lot to say to each other, but enough was enough. He'd give her a few more minutes and then he was going after her.

  Glancing up, Elliot found Elizabeth making her way to his side. He smiled at her. "Are you enjoying the evening?"

  "Oh, yes. James and I are having a wonderful time. He's with some friends now, talking about the ranch, so I thought I'd come see what you and Cari were doing. She is here with you, isn't she?"

  "No, " he answered curtly.

  "Where did she go?"

  "Her friend Silver Wolf showed up and she went off with him."

  Elizabeth gasped, growing pale.

  Elliot wondered why she seemed so distressed. "He cut in on our last dance, and when it ended, I looked for her, but I didn't see her."

  Elizabeth went cold. Cari had gone off with that filthy Indian! Didn't she know what that would do to her reputation? Didn't she realize that people would talk? "We have to find her . . ."

  Together they began to make their way around the room in search of Cari.

  As Cari had begun to dance with Silver Wolf, horrified whispers had swept the hall, and when Nettie Jones, a sharp-eyed, gossipy matron, had seen them disappear out the side door, she'd quickly relayed the news to others. It was bad enough that the half-breed had asked a white girl to dance, but to take her outside was unthinkable. Of course, Nettie realized that Cari McCord was probably just being her father's daughter, for everyone knew how James McCord felt about the Indians. For that reason she hadn't spoken directly to James and Elizabeth about it, but when Elizabeth asked her if she'd seen Cari, Nettie took the opportunity to tell her every juicy detail she knew.

  "Yes, my dear, I'm afraid I do know where your daughter's gone."

  "Excuse me?"

  "She's outside with that . . . that half-breed Daniel Marshall. They've been gone quite a while, too," Nettie informed her with glee. "You know, it really wasn't proper for her to dance with him, let alone go outside unchaperoned. Of course, knowing how savage 'they' are, he might have forced her to go, though I certainly didn't think she looked as if he were making her do it against her will."