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1d13d67
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You wish to go?" His jaw felt hard and warm. "I--yes, I wish to go." He moved her hand from his cheek to his chest, forcing her palm flat against the vibrant muscle of one breast. His eyes held hers, relentless and piercing. Loretta yearned to move away but knew she had little hope of breaking his hold. She could feel his heart thumping, a steady, sturdy beat in contrast with the uneven flutter of hers. "You will walk backward in your foots..
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Catherine Anderson |
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163d6c3
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When they reached the river, he turned left. " , Blue Water River. You call it the Brazos, eh?" He pointed ahead of them. " , upstream." Jabbing a thumb over his shoulder, he said, " , downstream. You will listen good, Blue Eyes, and learn. talk is dirt in my mouth." His tone set Loretta off balance. Dirt in his mouth? If he hated the whites so much, why on earth had he taken her? Upstream, downstream, she couldn't remember the words. She..
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Catherine Anderson |
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f440836
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Strangling fear surged up his throat. Amy, skirts flying, blond hair a gleaming target, was running in a straight line for the wagons, Loretta right behind her. The white, spying the women, had stopped shooting, but in his peripheral vision Hunter saw a brave aim his rifle. " , no!" Hunter zigzagged his mount into the man's line of fire. "No!" With a vicious kick, Hunter sent his black into a mighty forward lunge, gaining several yards on..
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Catherine Anderson |
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add0213
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Still trailing Amy, Loretta spotted Hunter the moment his horse drew out in front of the others. Heaving for air, she stumbled to a stop and glanced over her shoulder. Hunter, broad back to the wagons, sat tall on his stallion, waving his rifle above his head. As if in a dream, she whirled. The sight of Hunter making a target of himself would be painted in full color across the canvas of her mind for the rest of her life.
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Catherine Anderson |
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eda2ea0
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When he finished his portion, he retrieved the other buffalo fur from where he had kicked it earlier and stretched out on his back beside her. Snapping his fingers, he pointed to the space next to him. Loretta curled up on her side, as close to the edge of the pallet as she could. She jumped when she felt his hand in her hair. When she realized that he had wrapped a length of it around his wrist, helpless rage welled within her. Miserable, ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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0499f4d
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Slowly the heat from his body chased the chill from hers. Loretta's eyelids grew heavy. The wind whispering in the treetops seemed peaceful now, not frightening. The shifting shadows that had terrified her for hours became just that, shifting shadows. A branch cracked somewhere in the darkness. A large animal of some kind, she guessed. It didn't matter. Wolf, bear, coyote, or cougar, Hunter the terrible was beside her. Nothing would dare c..
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Catherine Anderson |
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7c1f553
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I'm quite a hand on names. Let me think on it." "Something impressive for a boy, Ma." Amy pursed her lips. "You know--like Mighty Fighter. Or Wise King. You gotta remember how Hunter thinks. They give boys grand names." "Swift Antelope, for example?" Loretta grinned."
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Catherine Anderson |
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9c306ac
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If he was alive, Loretta knew he would come after her. And he had to be alive. She couldn't bear it if he wasn't. Life without him was inconceivable. She prayed as she had never prayed in her life, ceaselessly, with all her heart--for a man she had once hated.
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Catherine Anderson |
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68cc7bc
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If he was alive, Loretta knew he would come after her. And he had to be alive. She couldn't bear it if he wasn't. Life without him was inconceivable. She prayed as she had never prayed in her life, ceaselessly, with all her heart--for a man she had once hated. She implored God to give her just one more chance--a chance to tell Hunter she would stay beside him and love him, forever with no horizon. If he had died in the attack without knowin..
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Catherine Anderson |
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b0605d7
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You will walk backward in your footsteps and go forward a new way?" "I--" He slid her hand upward so it rested on his shoulder, forcing her closer. His height was such that she had to tip her head back to see his face. If he had been a white man, she would have been worrying that he planned to kiss her. But he wasn't a white man. And she doubted gentle persuasion was what he had in mind. He seemed a yard wide at the shoulders, a looming wal..
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Catherine Anderson |
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9fb9fc6
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You will walk backward in your footsteps and go forward a new way?" "I--" He slid her hand upward so it rested on his shoulder, forcing her closer. His height was such that she had to tip her head back to see his face. If he had been a white man, she would have been worrying that he planned to kiss her. But he wasn't a white man. And she doubted gentle persuasion was what he had in mind. He seemed a yard wide at the shoulders, a looming wal..
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Catherine Anderson |
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0380639
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I would have you beside me," he told her huskily."
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Catherine Anderson |
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35301ce
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Are you hurt anywhere?" Rachel demanded. "No, not a scratch. Just a little grimy around the edges." "Lands, you are in a tangle. Don't those Injuns have soap?" "Not a sniff." Loretta laughed, feeling giddy, not quite able to believe Hunter had brought her here as promised. "Maybe that's a bad choice of words. I bet I smell to high heaven." "Like a little smokehouse."
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Catherine Anderson |
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dd216a5
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He looked over at her. "Strong is right?" "Well, yes, I suppose you could say that." "You say a woman cannot be bought. I say she can. I am strong. I am right."
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Catherine Anderson |
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b81dca3
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Strong is right?" "Well, yes, I suppose you could say that." "You say a woman cannot be bought. I say she can. I am strong. I am right." Just when she started to relax around him, he jerked the rug from under her. "That's different." "I say it is not." Mischief twinkled in his eyes as he slowly ran his gaze from her ankle to her waist. The way his attention lingered on her hips brought a flush to her cheeks. "You believe a different way. Bu..
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Catherine Anderson |
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21b1209
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I would have you beside me," he told her huskily. "But you promised to take me home." The stallion nickered and sidestepped, pulling both of them off balance. Hunter released the horse to catch her, his arm encircling her waist. Loretta snapped taut when his hard thighs pressed intimately against hers. He bent his head and nuzzled her hair, his breath sifting through the strands to her scalp. A shiver ran through her. For a moment she strug..
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Catherine Anderson |
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bb4eeaf
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The shock of his hand on her bare back brought her to her senses. Her eyes flew open, and she gasped. She tried to arch away from him and succeeded only in accommodating his mouth when her head fell back. He pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat, where her pulse beat a rapid tattoo. His callused palm slid slowly but inexorably to her side, his thumb feathering against the underside of her breast. Horrified, she groped for his wrist, ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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c965106
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Ah, ," he whispered. "You tremble." His mouth continued its downward path, lips like silk nibbling her collarbone. Acutely aware that the generous neckline of her shirt provided little barrier against him, she abandoned her hold on his wrist and caught his face between her hands. Forcing his head up, she met his gaze, disconcerted even more by the longing she saw in his eyes. "You're frightening me." "It is , this fear." Beneath her shirt..
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Catherine Anderson |
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0da2711
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Why can't you understand that? A woman must come freely." Lowering his hand to her waist, he leaned away from her, his dark eyes searching, thoughtful. "And when you come freely, you will have no fear?" "I--" She stared at him. "I suppose if I--not that I ever would, mind you--but I came to you freely, then, no, I probably wouldn't." Loretta knew she was babbling. He looked confused, and she didn't blame him. She broke off, and her gaze c..
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Catherine Anderson |
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1963615
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Then this Comanche will wait. Until the Great Ones lead you in a great circle back to him.
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Catherine Anderson |
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67f0d95
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Well, I guess this is it." "For this little bit time." She looked up. "Hunter, you mustn't--" He leaned toward her and crossed her lips with a finger. "You can read my trail, eh? You can walk in my footsteps and come to me. I will leave you signs."
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Catherine Anderson |
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c0c7e9b
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You will tell me of this anger that burns within you, eh?" "As if you don't know!" He propped his elbows on his bent knees. He'd never understand them. If she was still angry because he had mentioned taking other wives, why didn't she say the words to him? It wasn't as if he planned on marrying someone else today. "Blue Eyes, you are my woman, eh? This Comanche wishes for your heart to be filled with sunshine." She threw him a contemptuou..
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Catherine Anderson |
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30e2272
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Thank you for bringing me home. My heart will sing a song of friendship when I think of you, Hunter--for always into the horizon." He gestured toward the stallion. "You will take him. He is strong and swift. He will carry you back to Comanche land, eh?" "Oh, no! I couldn't. He's yours!" "He walks a new way now. You are his good friend." Tears sprang to her eyes. "I will never return to Comancheria, Hunter. Please, keep your horse." "You kee..
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Catherine Anderson |
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4bfad20
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Good-bye, Hunter." Reluctantly he released her and watched her lead the horse down the hill. At the base of the slope she turned and looked back. Their gazes met and held. Then she turned toward home and broke into a trot, the horse trailing behind her. Hunter shook his head. Only a White Eyes would walk when she had a perfectly good horse to ride."
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Catherine Anderson |
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0bc2fd6
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Many Horses was putting the finishing touches on a bow he had been making when Hunter entered the tepee. Setting the weapon aside, he fastened his wizened old eyes on his eldest son and pursed his crinkled lips. "You look like you've been eating She Who Shakes's plum pudding and bit into a plum pit." Hunter was in no mood for jokes. "My woman has my hackles raised." Sitting cross-legged, he picked up the iron poker next to him and began pro..
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Catherine Anderson |
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56446a3
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I have the strongest arm in my lodge circle. Her pouting will not sway me. If that's being bullheaded, then I sure enough am." Many Horses rolled his eyes. "You think my arm is not the strongest?" "I think you should fight your battles with men on the battlefield, my son, where you have a chance of winning."
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Catherine Anderson |
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80a2a69
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It's a very small bow. Who is it for?" "Turtle," Many Horses replied with a mischievous smile. "At my age, there is little pleasure in life. It is time I watched my grandson learn to shoot. I and my friends are placing bets. I have two horses that say he will shoot Warrior in the thigh. Old Man thinks it will be in the rump. Want to wager?" Hunter's smile turned wry. "I don't think so. If I recall, I told Warrior that would teach Turtle h..
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Catherine Anderson |
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10ba8fd
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Come here, little one." "I want to go back." He hoped she stood there arguing for a time. "Obey your husband." She wrinkled her nose. "It's broad daylight." " , come." Growing tired of just looking when he could be touching, Hunter cocked his head and let her see him leering. He was awarded a fetching glimpse of slender, creamy thighs and honey gold. She gasped and dropped to her knees as if someone had dealt a blow to the backs of her legs..
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Catherine Anderson |
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5949cc1
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Have you no shame?" His answer was a slow grin."
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Catherine Anderson |
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b5473b1
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Loretta Jane, if you'd like to come back in, Henry said you could. All you gotta do is apologize." Loretta glanced toward the rise again. Hunter would come. "Thank you, Aunt Rachel, but no. I've made my choice. Besides, he'd only say more things about Hunter, and I'd be out here again before I knew it." "You truly do love him, don't you?" Rachel bunched her skirts in her fists and sat down, settling her back against the well. "Tell me. Help..
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Catherine Anderson |
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6c6987a
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Patience. Over the next five days, Hunter's became as elusive as dandelion fuzz caught in a high wind. He was living with not one but two angry yellow-hairs, Loretta because he refused to take Amy home and had made mention of the possibility that he might marry more than one woman. Amy because he was forcing Swift Antelope's company upon her. On all counts, Hunter felt justified and carried on with implacable determination, trying to ignore..
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Catherine Anderson |
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f5f9d97
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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.
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Catherine Anderson |
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6268ed5
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Ah, Blue Eyes." His voice, muffled against her neck, went raw with emotion. "I made no tricks against you. My heart sings only good things. It is the truth I speak." "I you at the fire!" They were back to the fire again? Hunter tried to think what it was she thought she had seen. "I was at the fire, yes. This is bad?" "You were announcing our marriage and promising your people you would scalp me and Amy! Just like Red Buffalo said you wou..
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Catherine Anderson |
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07ed904
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Loretta closed her eyes and braced herself. Whatever it was the other Indian was saying, he was clearly arguing in her behalf. There hovered in the air a charged expectancy, turbulent, tingling along her nerve endings to the core of her, so that, for a suspended moment, she felt a peculiar sense of oneness with the man above her, perceiving his tumultuous emotions, his indecision, as if she were an integral part of him. He wanted to spill h..
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Catherine Anderson |
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b0e55ad
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You ever seen what they do to a captive white woman? If you ask me, them Injuns got exactly what was coming to 'em." Mr. Steinbach lifted a quizzical brow. "You ever see how some white men treat a squaw?" "It ain't our doin' that Injuns sell off their women to no-accounts." " them off," Steinbach corrected. "Indians don't sell their women, Mr. Masters. They accept a bride price, which is entirely different. The gifts are taken in good fait..
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Catherine Anderson |
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3ebca45
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Hunter had been proud of few possessions during his life. He had, of course, been proud of his first bow and his first coup feather. And he had certainly been proud of his wonderful war pony, Smoke. But the feeling that coursed through him now surpassed hat. This golden woman was bound to him by her God promise, his and only his, forever with no horizon. Desire, hot and urgent, flared to life inside him as he contemplated the coming night. ..
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Catherine Anderson |
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3f77201
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Hunter enfolded Loretta's hand in his and nudged his stallion into a walk, pulling her along with him toward his lodge. He had forgotten how small her hand felt, how fragile the network of bones, how soft her skin. His stomach tightened with delicious anticipation. No brave he knew had a woman such as this.
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Catherine Anderson |
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23df8a3
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Loh-rhett-ah is here, eh?" Hunter reached to take Loretta's hand, pulling her close to the bed. "Her heart has been laid upon the ground, and she has wailed and wept. You will see into her, yes?" Hunter joined Loretta's hand with Amy's. The touch was all it took. Amy disentangled herself from his embrace and threw herself at Loretta, sobbing and shaking. Loretta clasped the girl to her, swaying from side to side. "You're here, Loretta! Real..
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Catherine Anderson |
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5a383b3
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Seeing that he was about to leave, Loretta worked one arm loose to touch his shoulder as he stepped around them. Their eyes locked. Pausing midstride, he touched his hand to her cheek. Once again Loretta felt curiously detached, disoriented. She wanted to lean toward him, to feel the steely warmth of his arms around her, to hear his voice saying all would be well, to feel safe--as only he could make her feel. She wanted those things with su..
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Catherine Anderson |
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b448886
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Over the course of the day, he revealed to her a boyish, mischievous side that she found enchanting. One moment he played the lover, sliding his fingers lightly across the nape of her neck or down her arm as they walked. The next he was a rascal, sweeping her off her feet and threatening to toss her in the water or jumping out at her from the brush, ferocious as a bear.
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Catherine Anderson |
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3358b73
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Over the course of the day, he revealed to her a boyish, mischievous side that she found enchanting. One moment he played the lover, sliding his fingers lightly across the nape of her neck or down her arm as they walked. The next he was a rascal, sweeping her off her feet and threatening to toss her in the water or jumping out at her from the brush, ferocious as a bear. Loretta's pulse quickened at those times. She knew Hunter was only play..
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Catherine Anderson |
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332413b
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You are my woman!" He swept his hand toward the door. "I have spoken it before my people. You must walk always in my footsteps. That is the way of it. A woman does not leave her husband. It is forbidden." Loretta lifted her chin. "According to your ways!" "My ways are your ways. My people are your people. I am your husband!"
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Catherine Anderson |
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d463962
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Hunter disappeared once, returning a few minutes later with a bouquet of wild flowers. When Swift Antelope and Amy weren't watching, he dragged her behind bushes to kiss her. Several times, on toward evening, he pressed his palm against her belly and raised a questioning brow. Loretta blushed, well aware of what he was asking. She was still tender from his lovemaking, but not so much as the night before. Yet how could she tell him? Ladies d..
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Catherine Anderson |
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0565c9a
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At dusk the four of them stopped en route home to sit on the riverbank under a canopy of cottonwood trees. Loretta hugged her bent knees, gazing at the reflection of leaves and fading sunlight on the water, only half-aware of Amy and Swift Antelope's chatter. Hunter stretched out beside her, head propped on one hand, his eyes never leaving her. She was acutely conscious of his gaze, and when it started to unnerve her, she finally turned to ..
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Catherine Anderson |