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eea5a1f
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Meat broth. Hunter cradled her in one arm and held a steaming cup to her lips. Loretta filled her mouth. Her throat refused to work. She rested her head against her captor's shoulder, then with great concentration managed to swallow. The broth hit her belly, resting there like a lead ball. "No more. Sick, I'm going to be sick." "One more," he urged. "Then you will sleep." Loretta tried to focus. The rim of the cup pressed against her lips. ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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81f638b
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Don't even think it, Loretta Jane." "That's Hunter out there, Uncle Henry." "You don't know that. You wanna part with you hair, girl?"
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Catherine Anderson |
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ea8b197
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Don't even think it, Loretta Jane." "That's Hunter out there, Uncle Henry." "You don't know that. You wanna part with you hair, girl?" He seized her arm. "Not only that, but you gotta think about us and how it looks." Several other men gathered around. Loretta glanced at their taut faces, feeling trapped. She heard the coyote again. "I'm going. He's out there calling me, and I'm going."
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Catherine Anderson |
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5440b02
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She heard the coyote again. "I'm going. He's out there calling me, and I'm going."
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Catherine Anderson |
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cc8c8b5
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Don't shoot," Tom cautioned again. "That brave in the lead has a crooked lance with a white flag. Whatever it is they're wantin', it ain't a fight. You speak any Comanch'?" "Not a word," Henry replied. "I don't know much. If they do a lot of tradin', they can probably talk English, but if they don't--all we can do is hope my Injun will get us by." Tom spat a glob of chew onto Rachel's bleached floor. Then he bellowed, "What do you want?" Lo..
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Catherine Anderson |
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8163ba7
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My heart is on the ground, Hunter. My uncle can't find Santos. He says no one but a Comanche would know how to find him. That's why I came here--to you." "It is good you come. It is in the song, eh?" "No--no, you don't understand. I came to ask a favor." She grasped his hand in both of hers, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, will you find Santos and bring Amy home to me?" His facial muscles drew taut. "To your wooden walls?" "Y..
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Catherine Anderson |
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77c8123
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This is why you come? To ask this favor?" "Please, Hunter, don't say no. I'll do anything, anything you ask." All trace of warmth left his eyes. Loretta stared up at him. She had come so far. She couldn't bear it if he said no. Amy was out there. "Please, Hunter, I'll do " He said nothing, just studied her, his expression stony. Exhaustion and defeat sent Loretta to her knees. Still clinging to his hand, she bowed her head. "Please, Hunter..
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Catherine Anderson |
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295737a
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Looking skyward, he searched for Loretta's Great One, the Almighty Father to whom she gave thanks for her food. At first he had been disgruntled by her prayers. Her God didn't bring her the food; her husband did.
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Catherine Anderson |
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ec9083f
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Please, Hunter, please, I wouldn't ask if I had anyone else to turn to. I thought you were my friend." Hunter studied her blond hair, braided and coiled like a snake around her crown, long curls escaping the combs to trail halfway down her back. He had walked to meet her believing she had returned to him. Now he realized she had come only to ask his aid, that she had no intention of remaining beside him. He felt like a foolish young boy, hu..
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Catherine Anderson |
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acc3cd0
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Stand, Blue Eyes," he told her gently. She tipped her head back. Tears shimmered on her cheeks. "I'll do anything, Hunter. I'll serve you on my knees. I'll be your loyal slave forever. I'll kiss the ground you walk on, anything." He disengaged his hand from hers and grasped her shoulders, hauling her to her feet. "I want you in my buffalo robes, not making kisses in the dirt." Her eyes darkened. "I'll do anything." Hunter was about to tell ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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14e3ae6
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He dipped his hand into the grease and leaned forward to smear it on the woman's tortured skin. His hand hovered above her leg. He couldn't help but remember how jealously she had guarded her ruffled breeches that first day or how painfully ashamed she had been this morning when the hem of her had ridden up on her thighs. If she had any idea that she was lying here naked, he felt sure her face would turn redder than the sunburn had alread..
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Catherine Anderson |
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ec3a1de
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I'm not your woman yet. Have you no shame? It's broad daylight. People might see." "They will see you are my woman." "They'll see my drawers, that's what they'll see!" He abandoned his hold on her skirt to run his palm up her back. "No bones. That is good." Loretta's face flamed when she realized he was referring to the whale bones of a corset. A decent man didn't mention such things."
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Catherine Anderson |
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65f1528
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Dawn came in wisps of pink against a blue-gray sky. Through the trees, shafts of misty sunlight formed luminous motes of warmth along the river. Birds sang. Squirrels chattered. The low rush of the water was ceaseless. Loretta woke slowly, aware before she opened her eyes that something was horribly wrong. Amy wasn't this big. The arm around her was hard and heavy, the warm hand that cupped her breast distinctly masculine. She frowned and w..
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Catherine Anderson |
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ee0003d
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Your heart holds great love for her." "Yes. Those terrible men-- She's just a little girl. They've already had her for eight days. I can think of nothing else. Even in my sleep I dream about what could be happening to her, hear her calling for me. I try to find her, and I can't." He grasped her chin, his touch deceptively gentle, as it had always been. "This night, you will sleep without dreams. I have said I will find her. , it is finishe..
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Catherine Anderson |
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8bf63f9
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Lowering his hand to her belly, he pressed his palm against her spasm-stricken muscles and kneaded away the tightness. She felt like a sensitive harp string, thrummed by expert fingers. Horrified by her body's reaction, she tried to twist free, but he threw a damp, buckskin-clad leg over both of hers and pinned her to the fur. Her back stung each time she moved, the pain so sharp it made beads of sweat pop out on her brow. Her thighs felt a..
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Catherine Anderson |
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170aa30
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Do not fight." His voice was so close, it seemed to come from within her own mind. "You cannot win, eh? Rest." His sleepy whispers invaded her whole being, slow, hypnotic, persuasive. He rubbed her in a circular motion, pausing in sleep, then coming awake to rub some more. "Lie still. Trust this Comanche. It is for the burn, no? To heal your skin." As he slid his palm slowly downward, she realized she was slick with some kind of oil. Her he..
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Catherine Anderson |
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c994922
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Can I ask something?" Hunter's mouth lifted at one corner. "If I say no, you will be silent?" "Are you saying I talk too much?"
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Catherine Anderson |
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652c229
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The joy of Loretta's homecoming was overshadowed by Henry's rage. Friends with a murderin' savage, was she? A Comanche slut, that's what, kissin' on him in broad daylight, comin' home to shame them all with her Injun horse and heathen necklace. His land looked like a bloomin' pincushion with all them heathen lances pokin' up. He was gonna get shut of 'em, just like he had those horses. Half of 'em stole from white folks! Some trade that was..
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Catherine Anderson |
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258ed18
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To the west, the sinking sun was a red orb, streaking the evening sky with wisps of dark gray and pink. Loretta no longer sat erect on the horse to keep her breasts from touching the Comanche's naked back. She slumped against him, her lolling head pillowed by the muscular cleavage of his spine. Pain shot up her cramped legs from the bonds of coarse wool braid. The rawhide around her wrists had cinched tight, cutting into her skin. Her tongu..
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Catherine Anderson |
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dc486ca
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Hunter was sitting under a brush arbor, tossing dice with several men, when Blackbird came tearing up the path between the lodges, screaming, "The yellow-hair! She's back, Uncle! She's back!" Accustomed as he was to Blackbird's mischief, Hunter ignored her while he finished a throw. Then he swept the child onto his lap and growled like a bear, playfully biting her belly. He knew something was amiss when Blackbird didn't let loose with her u..
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Catherine Anderson |
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623cccb
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He shaded his brow against the sun. Up on the plateau, he could see the distinct silhouette of a white woman on a horse. As he walked up the path between the lodges, the breeze caught her hair and lifted it. Gold glinted in the sunshine. Hunter's throat tightened. He nearly tripped over Blackbird, who danced excitedly about his feet as he walked. A mixture of gladness and dread filled him, one emotion as powerful as the other. His little b..
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Catherine Anderson |
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ed00f93
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Fate. Today it had brought him a woman, a woman like no other, with skin as white as a night moon, hair like honey, and eyes like the summer sky. woman, and this time she came freely.
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Catherine Anderson |
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9641ba9
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From the hilltop Loretta watched the lone man walking toward her from the village. Relief flooded through her when she recognized Hunter's loose-hipped, graceful stride. She crossed herself quickly and murmured thanks to the Holy Mother for her intercession. A dozen emotions surging through her, she urged Friend down the embankment. Hunter met her halfway across the flat. As Loretta rode toward him, she couldn't stop staring. Even though sh..
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Catherine Anderson |
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84b458a
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He was a Comanche, first, last, and always. Yet she had come to him.
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Catherine Anderson |
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4319226
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Blue Eyes?" He slowed his pace as he got closer, his indigo eyes traveling the length of her, taking in every detail of her dress, from the high neckline down to the bit of petticoat and black high-topped shoes showing below the hem of her full skirts. His eyes warmed with the familiar gleam of laughter that had once irritated her so much. She fastened her gaze on his face and, resisting the need to blurt out her troubles, searched her mind..
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Catherine Anderson |
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4110d44
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Does Warrior mind my staying here? What will his wife say?" "She welcomes you. It is good. Be easy, Blue Eyes. My mother is close. She will come with her spoon." He steered Loretta through the doorway. "Warrior? She has come." From out of the shadows Warrior emerged, so dark of skin and hair that for a moment Loretta couldn't discern his features. He was eating something, and before he spoke he pocketed the food in his cheek. She was reliev..
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Catherine Anderson |
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9d3576d
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My heart rides with you, " Hunter moved his hands in a light caress down Loretta's arms, then released her. "And mine remains here."
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Catherine Anderson |
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b17a361
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Even at a distance he recognized the way she sat a horse, the tilt of her head. He couldn't believe she had come so far and so quickly. Fate had indeed led her in a circle back to him. Ordering Blackbird back to his mother's lodge, Hunter increased his pace, the dread of leaving his people forgotten. Destiny. A month ago he had railed against it. Now he wasn't certain how he felt. Resentful, yet pleased. And relieved. Deep in the quiet plac..
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Catherine Anderson |
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4fb1d7c
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You make lies of your promises, Blue Eyes." "Not this time. I swear it, Hunter. I swear it before God, I'll be your woman. Anything for Amy." He caught her chin. "You make a God promise? You will lie with me in my buffalo robes?" Loretta closed her eyes. The words stuck in her throat. She was sacrificing her self-respect. Her own people would forever scorn her if they knew. But what choice did she have? "Yes, I'll lie with you." "You will s..
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Catherine Anderson |
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1408c1c
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He glided his greased hand up her thigh to her hip, acutely aware of how hot her skin was and how fragile her jutting hipbone felt against the leathery surface of his palm. She tossed her head and moaned, her sooty lashes fluttering on her flushed cheeks. He studied her face for a moment, then lowered his gaze to her breasts. The tips were the delicate pink of cacti blossoms. In all his life, he had never seen such nipples. The anger in his..
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Catherine Anderson |
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c2727ef
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To her horror, the man lifted the edge of the robe to look at her shoulder. Frantic, she jerked at the leather that held her hand behind her. This was her worst nightmare. Not one, but two. And she couldn't even fight them. If he yanked the robe off her, there would be nothing she could do but lie there in shame. Hunter stirred and yawned, then rose up on one elbow to bark in Comanche, "What is it, ? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" "..
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Catherine Anderson |
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b29991f
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Hunter grew impatient with his struggling captive and caught a handful of her braid to hold her still. "There, I've got her. The nose is worst. On the end where it curves up. Her forehead, too, " Warrior dabbed juice and smiled. "She doesn't like me. Come to think of it, she doesn't seem any too fond of you." Leaning farther forward, Hunter took another look at her face. Her eyes were as big as a startled doe's. Twinkling laughter lit up h..
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Catherine Anderson |
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3a57c3c
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So, we will camp here? Has anyone scouted the area? You're sure it's safe?" "Swift Antelope and Red Buffalo checked for trackers last night and this morning. As crazy as it sounds, Red Buffalo claims the girl's hasn't even gone for help yet." "He's such a coward, he's probably waiting to be sure we're gone. I'm surprised his women haven't ridden to the fort for help. They are by far the better fighters." Scarcely aware he was doing it, Hu..
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Catherine Anderson |
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8efe1b0
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What does the paint say?" she asked. "That this Comanche rides for war."
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Catherine Anderson |
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dd55469
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She turned her face to touch her lips to his neck. "Make a memory with me, Hunter," she whispered huskily. "One more beautiful memory." Cinching an arm around her waist, Hunter stretched out with her on the fur. Never before had she initiated lovemaking. His hand trembled as he skimmed his palm down her spine. As he dipped his head to kiss her, he wondered why it was that those words had a ring of farewell. "
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Catherine Anderson |
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bf82a31
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Six days later, two full days after her food supplies had run out, Loretta rode onto the plateau that overlooked Hunter's village. She reined Friend to a halt and stared down at the river valley. She had come so far and been through so much, spending all her time praying she would get here in time to save Amy, that she hadn't spared a thought for the danger she would face upon arrival. Comanches. Hundreds of them. A white woman who rode dow..
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Catherine Anderson |
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ad1d12f
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He shaded his brow against the sun. Up on the plateau, he could see the distinct silhouette of a white woman on a horse. As he walked up the path between the lodges, the breeze caught her hair and lifted it. Gold glinted in the sunshine. Hunter's throat tightened. He nearly tripped over Blackbird, who danced excitedly about his feet as he walked. A mixture of gladness and dread filled him, one emotion as powerful as the other. His little b..
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Catherine Anderson |
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365ae86
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Your wooden walls are far away, Yellow Hair. If you try to slip away, this Comanche will find you." Until that moment, the thought of swimming off hadn't occurred to her. She shot a glance over her shoulder at the swift current. If only she had clothes... "You do not make like a fish so good. Save this Comanche much trouble, eh?" She thought she detected laughter in his voice, but when she looked back at him, his gaze, blue-black and pierci..
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Catherine Anderson |
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a83c205
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The laughter left his eyes. He caught her chin and turned her face, his gaze tracing the faint bruise on her cheek. His jaw tightened. "He struck you?" Loretta had forgotten about the shiner Henry had given her. "No, no, that's not important." His grip tightened. "He struck you." "Yes, but that's not why--" She flinched as his fingertips explored the curve of her cheekbone. "It's nothing, Hunter." "He will sure enough die." "No! That isn't ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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b4ef4a4
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Your eyes say I lie when I call you my woman. This is not good. It is our bargain, eh?" He plucked a wisp of grass and ran it slowly between his fingers, watching her in a way that suggested he would soon touch her--just as slowly. "It was a promise you made for me, and now you make a lie of it? This is the way of your people, to say empty words. , honey talk, eh? But it is not the way of the Comanche. If you make a lie, I will carve out y..
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Catherine Anderson |
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db62db8
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You do not like me too good. This is a sad thing, eh?" With a sweep of his hand, he indicated the world around them. "The sky is up, the earth is down. The sun shows its face, only to be chased away by Mother Moon. These things are for always, eh? Just as you are my woman. The song was sung long ago, and the song must come to pass. You must accept, Blue Eyes."
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Catherine Anderson |
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c1a566a
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Still studying her with the same unnerving intensity, he said, "When the wind blows, the sapling bends, the flowers lie low against the earth, the grass is flattened." He thumped his chest with his fist. "I am your wind, Blue Eyes. Bend or break."
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Catherine Anderson |
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9406fe4
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As the Comanchero cupped his hands around the fullness of her breasts, his attention shifted to the medallion she had been wearing, concealed from Uncle Henry under her dress. His bleary eyes sharpened, then went wide. He jerked his hands away and quickly crossed himself. " " He scrambled backward, his gaze riveted to Loretta's heaving chest. "El Lobo!" he cried. "Do not touch her." As if by magic, Loretta found herself unhanded. She blinke..
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Catherine Anderson |
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6d76973
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You do not like me too good. This is a sad thing, eh?" With a sweep of his hand, he indicated the world around them. "The sky is up, the earth is down. The sun shows its face, only to be chased away by Mother Moon. These things are for always, eh? Just as you are my woman. The song was sung long ago, and the song must come to pass. You must accept, Blue Eyes." Loretta yearned to break eye contact but found she couldn't. The silken threads o..
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Catherine Anderson |