by Gem Sivad
"What took you so long?” was her first question, followed by seventeen more before she slowed down to notice him.
They stood beside the buckboard. The rest of Eclipse had disappeared some time before, at least as far as they were concerned.
"You cut your hair.” He'd sat on a stool in his mother's kitchen and let her cut it. He touched his neck self-consciously, feeling bare.
"What kind of man has prettier hair than his woman?” he repeated her question to him from sometime before.
When he'd been crouched Indian-style riding into Eclipse, and she'd swerved to protect him from guns held in the hands of white men, he'd made some hard decisions. He now also wore white men's denims, boots, and Sam had bought him a fancy Stetson with some of their Jericho bounty.
But none of that mattered at this minute. There would be time for telling later. Right now, he needed a room and two or three hours of uninterrupted showing of how much he'd missed her.
He kissed her, savoring the feel of her mouth beneath his. “Mi corazon,” Charlie murmured into her ear holding her closer than decency allowed. “I missed you."
"I missed you too.” Naomi hugged him. And then in honeyed tones unlike her usual self asked, “Mi corazon ... What did you say that meant?” She said it casually, as though it was unimportant. He knew from her change in manner that she hoped to trap him into divulging a secret.
"Chattering badger,” Charlie grinned down at her, ready for the next skirmish. Her face primmed up and she glared at him.
"The last time, you lied and said it meant ‘sharp-tongued woman.’ You can't keep your stories straight, Mr. Wolf. I will expect better of you in the future."
Whatever else she might have said was silenced by his kiss.
Two women stood watching from the porch of the CQ Boarding House. Comfort Quince turned to Rachel Wolf McCallister and asked, “What does he keep calling her?"
Rachel smiled a memory of joy. “When his father spoke it to me, ‘mi corazon’ meant ‘my heart.’”
[Back to Table of Contents]
Historical Notes
Although the characters in Charlie Wolf McCallister's family are fictitious, history records that Black Kettle, the Cheyenne Chief mentioned in Wolf's Tender, was present at Sand Creek, the site of a massacre that took place on November 29, 1864. While Chief Black Kettle sought peace with the U.S. government at nearby Fort Lyons, his village along the Sand Creek in Colorado Territory became the focus of an unprovoked attack in which 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho women and children were slaughtered.
The life of mystic, healer, and woman warrior, Lozen, is well-documented. It is written that as the sister of Apache chief, Victorio, she used her supernatural powers to heal wounds, communicate with animals, and detect the proximity of the enemy.
Naomi's choice of reading material, Godey's Lady's Book, published from 1830 to 1898 in Philadelphia, was the defining voice of civilization for the early American woman. The most popular magazine of its day, it included recipes, sewing patterns, advice concerning social congress with men, and rules for women of all ages on proper conduct and deportment.
The End
[Back to Table of Contents]
About the Author:
Visit www.gemsivad.com for more Gem Sivad books and upcoming events in this author's world.
* * *
Visit www.atlanticbridge.net for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
Table of Contents
Prologue: The Bounty Hunters
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Historical Notes
About the Author:
[Back to Table of Contents]
Table of Contents
Prologue: The Bounty Hunters
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Historical Notes
About the Author:
[Back to Table of Contents]
Table of Contents
Prologue: The Bounty Hunters
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Historical Notes
About the Author:
[Back to Table of Contents]