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f031946
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You aren't going to get her? She's your wife. Her place is beside you." "A man cannot own a woman, cousin. He can only..." Hunter's words trailed off. A picture of Loretta's face flashed in his mind. "He can only love her." --
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Catherine Anderson |
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1c8a3a1
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I need your strong arm. Can you set your hate for her aside and ride beside me?" Red Buffalo wiped his cheeks dry with the heels of his hands. "You want beside you? After all I've done?" Hunter clamped a hand around his cousin's arm. "I'm afraid to go without you. Her life depends on us." Red Buffalo straightened his shoulders. "Then I am with you." Hunter nodded. "Once again my brother, yes?" Red Buffalo pushed to his feet. "Yes--your br..
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Catherine Anderson |
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bca773e
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Hunter's name drifted to him on the wind, the call barely discernible yet shrill, like the whisper of a lost soul searching for solace. He reined his stallion to a halt, bracing himself against the sound, teeth clenched, eyes closed, his trapped breath searing his throat. His woman still called for him. When he began killing her people, would she ever call for him again? It took all his strength not to go back for her. The last thing he w..
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Catherine Anderson |
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8251c5a
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Instinctively she tried to push him away, only to find that he was too strong to be so easily dispatched. By the time she realized that, the delicious pull of his mouth swept her mind clean of all rational thought. Instead of shoving, she made fists in his hair and drew him closer, her body arching against the solid wall of his. He slipped an arm around her waist and drew her even nearer, one large hand splayed on her buttock. The familiari..
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Catherine Anderson |
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ca4608a
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Go into the house, Aunt Rachel," Loretta called. "Why? What is it?" "I'm not sure. He comes in anger." "You come with me, then!" Loretta swallowed an upsurge of fear. One Indian was taller on horseback than all the rest, broader across the shoulders and chest. She kept her gaze on him. A month ago she would have fled in panic. She would never run from him again. "Go to the house, Aunt Rachel. Pull the shutters. Do as I say!" Loretta bega..
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Catherine Anderson |
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dfcf220
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Go into the house, Aunt Rachel," Loretta called. "Why? What is it?" "I'm not sure. He comes in anger." "You come with me, then!" Loretta swallowed an upsurge of fear. One Indian was taller on horseback than all the rest, broader across the shoulders and chest. She kept her gaze on him. A month ago she would have fled in panic. She would never run from him again. "Go to the house, Aunt Rachel. Pull the shutters. Do as I say!" Loretta bega..
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Catherine Anderson |
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ece30c9
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Once again Hunter had come to mark her home. Loretta no sooner realized that than she also realized that Hunter wouldn't mark the property if he intended to take her with him. She bolted into a run. "Hunter! Hunter, please..." She gained the gate and watched in helpless despair as the warriors sped past on their mounts, sending up such a cloud of dust that she couldn't tell which man was Hunter. "Hunter, at least talk to me!" If Hunter he..
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Catherine Anderson |
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a065dde
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Loretta! Get back in the yard," Rachel called. Loretta turned, hugging her waist, her body bent slightly to contain the sobs that tried to escape her. "Aunt Rachel, he's leaving me. He's leaving me!" Rachel came running. Wrapping both arms around Loretta, she cried, "Oh, honey..." "He's leaving me!" Loretta once again threw back her head. "Hunter-rrr!" The cry carried on the wind, shrill and mournful. Suddenly he crested the hill, a lone fi..
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Catherine Anderson |
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9038914
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The wind brushed her cheeks, catching his name and carrying it away from her. She crossed her arms over her breasts and sobbed, her gaze fixed on the rise. She would never again look at the horizon without seeing him outlined there.
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Catherine Anderson |
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7daa1d0
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A rock jabbed Hunter in the belly, but he scarcely felt it. Pressing low to the earth, he kept his attention on the glow of firelight and the small woman who lay by the flames, her face turned in his direction. In his mind he was beside her, cupping her cheek in his hand, whispering his love to her. He wished now that he had taught her how to recognize his animal calls so she would know he was with her, that he had been for over six days. H..
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Catherine Anderson |
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be0f2f2
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Home was where Hunter was, anywhere he was.
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Catherine Anderson |
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14b2cfd
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Knowing what he wanted, he went after it with single-minded intensity, until a hoarse moan ripped from her and she arched toward him, her body jerking with every pass of his tongue. His, at last. Hunter rose over her, his gaze riveted to her flushed face and dazed blue eyes. Skimming his breeches down his hips, he undressed quickly and took off his medicine pouch. Then, positioning himself over her, he seized her hips and drew her toward h..
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Catherine Anderson |
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fa7d025
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She was a slightly built woman, narrow of hip. He was not a small man.
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Catherine Anderson |
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b0aedff
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Knowing what he wanted, he went after it with single-minded intensity, until a hoarse moan ripped from her and she arched toward him, her body jerking with every pass of his tongue. His, at last. Hunter rose over her, his gaze riveted to her flushed face and dazed blue eyes. Skimming his breeches down his hips, he undressed quickly and took off his medicine pouch. Then, positioning himself over her, he seized her hips and drew her toward h..
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Catherine Anderson |
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52157e4
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In a husky whisper he recited the prophecy to her. When he finished she stirred in the crook of his arm. " is your song?" " , yes." "But, it's beautiful!" With a start, Hunter realized he thought so, too. "Since my boyhood, I had much hate for the words." He twined a length of her hair around his finger, smiling. "And great hate for the honey-haired woman who would one day steal my heart. I wished to kill you, yes?" "But I'm not the woman ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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4fbdcc2
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Amy talks about that bastard Hunter like he's reg'lar people," Henry hissed. Loretta walked over to the window and unfastened the doeskin membrane to gaze out into the twilight. She curled her fingers around the windowsill, digging her nails into the wood. Gazing up at the rise, she remembered Hunter's gentleness with Amy when he brought her back to the village after her ordeal with Santos. "Uncle Henry, you may as well know. That bastard y..
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Catherine Anderson |
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0f78d71
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Pray your words, old man." The priest licked his lips and glanced fearfully at the crowd of savages around them. Perhaps it was the stark contrast of black robes against pallid flesh, but Loretta thought he was losing color at an alarming rate. Indeed, he looked as if he might faint. "Say the God words, old man!" Hunter snarled again. "Don't you dare bully him," Loretta hissed. "He's a man of God, Hunter! You don't at a man of God." "It's..
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Catherine Anderson |
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8eb974d
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I'm in no need of matrimony, Father. I still my honor." Hunter jerked her to his side and, in an ominously even voice, said, "Your honor will soon go the way of the wind, Blue Eyes. You made a God promise. You are my woman! Now I say you will be my wife!"
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Catherine Anderson |
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2843bc6
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If you hunger, we will have nuts and fruit, eh?" Loretta swallowed a lump of air. Fruit and nuts were better than the alternative. Maybe, if she ate one nut at a time..."All right, fruit and nuts." He spread a buffalo robe beside the fire while she put the pot away and dug up a parfleche of fruit and nuts from his store of preserved edibles. Kneeling beside him, Loretta munched industriously, staring into the leaping flames, aware with ever..
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Catherine Anderson |
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73cd301
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She swallowed, trying to avoid his gaze and failing miserably. When their eyes met, she felt as if the ground fell away. There was no mistaking that look in his eye. The moment of reckoning had come.
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Catherine Anderson |
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0302b35
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Now they were married, even in the eyes of people. For forever. The thought panicked her as she pushed her dress down her hips and stood to step out of it. She would have to go through this disgusting ritual not just once, but thousands of times. Now she wished she hadn't tricked him into promising he would take only one wife. Plural marriage might have its benefits. With several wives he might lose track of her in the shuffle and never ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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89c10d9
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Loretta was stuffing her belongings into her satchel when Hunter stepped into the lodge. He stood in the shadows a moment, watching her. The firelight fell across her, shimmering in her golden hair, flickering across the leather that skimmed her bent shoulders. She was sobbing. The sounds cut through him. "Blue Eyes?" His whisper snapped her head around. She sprang to her feet, his eyes huge with shock, her lips pale. "I'm leaving, Hunter."..
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Catherine Anderson |
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def937f
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If you flee, this Comanche will follow you. Anyone who tries to keep you from me will die. Think long and hard on this. I paid a fine bride price. You are my woman. What is mine, I keep." "You wouldn't!" She said with a gasp. "My family, Hunter?" The stunned disbelief that crossed her face nearly made Hunter retract the threat, but he knew if he did, she would run at the first opportunity. If she feared for her loved ones, she would be less..
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Catherine Anderson |
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460758b
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You will lie beside me. This night and for always. You cannot run. If you do, death will ride beside you, wherever you go.
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Catherine Anderson |
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b8510d5
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Opening it, she withdrew her neatly folded bloomers. Creeping to the bed, she laid them on the fur beside Hunter. Tears stung her eyes as she straightened. So many memories. Sadness twisted through her. Hunter, saluting her at midnight, her bloomers trailing behind him. Hunter, lifting them to his nose and sniffing the flower scent, his eyes alight with laughter. One day, when the bitterness left him, perhaps he would look at those drawers ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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2706bdf
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One disastrous marriage in this family is aplenty.
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Catherine Anderson |
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fb8d505
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Tears sprang to Hunter's eyes when she reached up to hug his neck, clinging to him even though he was the one hurting her. He had asked her to trust him this one last time. And she had.
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Catherine Anderson |
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53eb57e
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Someone must preserve the ways of the People," Warrior rasped, "someone who will sing our songs and teach our ways. Unless you do that, all that we are will be lost. You must go get your woman and take her far away into the west lands where this war does not reach." Warrior's voice shook with emotion. "To a new place, Hunter. You know the words of the song."
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Catherine Anderson |
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8ea7dcd
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They drifted back to reality slowly, limbs entwined, heartbeats erratic, bodies shimmering with sweat. Hunter drew her head onto his shoulder, unwilling to let her go. A half smile settled on his mouth. He knew this first coupling had fallen far short of what it could have been, what it would be the second time. He had been tense, and so had she, not to mention the pain he had inflicted. His smile broadened. This small woman filled the empt..
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Catherine Anderson |
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7552846
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Over the next few weeks, the Comanches attacked with a vengeance. News came that the mercenaries, en route to attack another village, were all killed. Tales of Hunter filtered to the Masters farm, some horrible, some heartbreakingly familiar. As fiercely as the Indians waged war, Hunter still spared women and children. Loretta's eyes filled with tears when she was told by the border patrol from Fort Belknap that somewhere along the Red Rive..
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Catherine Anderson |
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75408a2
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Over the next few weeks, the Comanches attacked with a vengeance. News came that the mercenaries, en route to attack another village, were all killed. Tales of Hunter filtered to the Masters farm, some horrible, some heartbreakingly familiar. As fiercely as the Indians waged war, Hunter still spared women and children. Loretta's eyes filled with tears when she was told by the border patrol from Fort Belknap that somewhere along the Red Rive..
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Catherine Anderson |
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986e3ee
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She realized now that there was no good or bad, no right or wrong, just people fighting for their lives. Wonderful people, who lived and loved and laughed.
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Catherine Anderson |
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7cda709
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As she lifted the skirt to examine it, Hunter stepped into the lodge, sending her scurrying for cover under the buffalo robe. Flashing her a mischievous smile, he said, "Maiden sent the clothes. Next time, you will not be wrapped in so much , yes? It will take us much less time to do nothing." He turned and left the lodge before Loretta realized he had made a joke. It took even longer before she smiled. There was a promise behind the light..
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Catherine Anderson |
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c38d037
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As she lifted the skirt to examine it, Hunter stepped into the lodge, sending her scurrying for cover under the buffalo robe. Flashing her a mischievous smile, he said, "Maiden sent the clothes. Next time, you will not be wrapped in so much , yes? It will take us much less time to do nothing."
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Catherine Anderson |
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bed6860
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Flashing her a mischievous smile, he said, "Maiden sent the clothes. Next time, you will not be wrapped in so much , yes? It will take us much less time to do nothing." He turned and left the lodge before Loretta realized he had made a joke. It took even longer before she smiled. There was a promise behind the lightly spoken words. "
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Catherine Anderson |
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6ac365c
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If it's a draw between a baby and Henry, I'll kick his ornery butt all the way to the fancy house in Jacksboro and tell him to stay there this time." Appalled and uncertain how to react, Loretta said, "Fancy house?" "You don't think he goes there to get tobacco and coffee and the for us, do you?" Rachel touched Loretta's shoulder. "Don't look so woebegone. He leaves me alone for nigh on a month after. I consider it a blessing." Loretta ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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a056fb7
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Uncle Henry visiting a fancy house? Oh, Aunt Rachel, I bet those ladies double their rates when they see the likes of him coming!" "No doubt," Rachel said grimly."
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Catherine Anderson |
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b222f4d
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Hunter! Take me with you! I love you!" she called. "I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!" He remained there, his arm still lifted, for several heartbreaking seconds. Then he wheeled his stallion and disappeared from sight. Hollow-eyed, Loretta stared after him. She had asked him to choose, and she had lost. Her legs buckled under her weight, and she fell to her knees, the pain inside her so excruciating that she couldn't breathe. " " The win..
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Catherine Anderson |
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7d860e3
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Can I have just a moment with the priest?" "For why?" "Just to ask him something." Hunter's grip on her arm relaxed. " , hurry." Loretta cupped a hand over the priest's ear and quickly whispered her request, then stepped back to Hunter's side. The priest considered what she had said, then nodded. A moment later he blessed the young couple before him, and the ceremony began. The words bounced off the walls of Loretta's mind, making no sense..
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Catherine Anderson |
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0cdede3
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Hunter, I think I'd better leave you, yes? So you can make peace with your woman." With a grimace, Hunter nodded. "Her heart is laid upon the ground." "Is it me? I will make talk with her." "I don't think it would be safe," he said wryly." --
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Catherine Anderson |
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5fb109b
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I am Comanche, yes? A , cruel one. This is what you run from? A heathen. A man who will beat you? Or maybe throw you to his friends? That would be good, eh? I could find a man so stupid he would take you!" Releasing her hair to cinch a bruising arm around her waist, Hunter fell silent, nudging his horse forward into a jarring trot. His hand on her hip was heavy, the bite of his fingers uncomfortable but not cruel. Loretta leaned against ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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81a7bda
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I am Comanche, yes? A , cruel one. This is what you run from? A heathen. A man who will beat you? Or maybe throw you to his friends? That would be good, eh? I could find a man so stupid he would take you!
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Catherine Anderson |
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3a4f6cc
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You belong to me. Forever, for always! Within you is my seed. A Comanche man does not give up his woman.
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Catherine Anderson |
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7f68dac
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Loretta Jane, I got me this deep-down feelin' that we've bit off a hunk too big to chew." "We're fine. Trust me. I rode to Hunter's village, didn't I?" "With directions from Hunter!"
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Catherine Anderson |