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| Link | Quote | Stars | Tags | Author |
| b29991f | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 3a57c3c | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 8efe1b0 | What does the paint say?" she asked. "That this Comanche rides for war." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| dd55469 | 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. " | Catherine Anderson | ||
| bf82a31 | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| f0f41ed | women cannot become liberated one by one. But individual revolt is not simply futile. | Adrienne Rich | ||
| ad1d12f | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 365ae86 | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| a83c205 | 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 .. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| b4ef4a4 | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| db62db8 | 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." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| c1a566a | 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." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 9406fe4 | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 6d76973 | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| d05eb07 | 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." In all her life, she had never felt quite so helpless. Her attention moved to the knife on his hip. If only he would drop his guard--just for a moment. As if he sensed what she was thinking, he smiled another humorless smile and lowered his gaze to her chest .. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 6bb8dea | He gazed into the darkness at the flickering shadows. Above the tops of the trees on the opposite side of the river, he could see endless stretches of starlit sky. He longed for home where the plains stretched forever, where the wind sighed through the river canyons, sweet with the smell of grass and mesquite. If only his friends hadn't come across a mute yellow-hair and ridden to tell him. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 5c7aaff | I'll do anything." Hunter was about to tell her he would find Amy, that she need not beg, but her last words stopped him. He was not a stupid man. He searched her pale face. "I'll be your woman. That's what you want, isn't it? I'll stay with you. Freely. If you'll find Amy and bring her back to me. I promise, Hunter." Her desperation made him feel ashamed. She had come to him for help; he couldn't turn her away. He needed no reward for find.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 9f507ce | Hunter bent his head and pressed his face against her hair. The next instant she felt his lips on her neck. She also felt his hand on her posterior. Frustrated by her high neckline and her full skirts, he made a fist in the calico. "So much Where are you, Blue Eyes?" | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 83f5dbd | Frustrated by her high neckline and her full skirts, he made a fist in the calico. "So much Where are you, Blue Eyes?" He started to lift her dress. Loretta reached behind her and caught his hand. "Wha--what're you doin'?" He lifted his head, eyes alight with teasing mischief. "I search for my woman. You are in there." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 6431f30 | She saw Hunter reaching toward her out of the corner of her eye. She looked at him as he lowered his medallion necklace over her head. The flat stone was still warm from where it had rested against his chest. She pressed her palm over it. "You will wear it? For always? And remember Hunter of the Wolf? It is a promise you make?" | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 781ecc7 | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 9743970 | Loretta awoke shortly after dawn, alone in a cocoon of fur. She had only the haziest memory of Hunter carrying her to bed after making love to her last night. She sat up, clutching the buffalo robe to her naked breasts. Her clothing lay neatly folded on the foot of the bed, the rawhide wrappings for her braids resting on top. Her blond hair fascinated Hunter, and he had never yet made love to her without first unfastening her braids. A sad .. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| d8ebbcb | She stared at the crude stone medallion that rose and fell against her bosom. And then it struck her. El Lobo, the wolf. Hunter of the Wolf. Her friend had protected her with something more than just lances in the yard. He had left his mark on her person. A hysterical laugh welled in her throat. And then relief swept through her. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 8bba746 | Suddenly it struck her as hysterically funny. She had been captured by savages and dragged halfway across Texas. Never once, not even when he had just cause, had Hunter hit her with enough force to hurt her, and never in the face. She'd had to come home to receive that kind of abuse. She sank onto the planked bench and started to laugh, a high-pitched, half-mad laughter. Aunt Rachel crossed herself, and that only made her laugh harder. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 46f3dd5 | Loretta awoke shortly after dawn, alone in a cocoon of fur. She had only the haziest memory of Hunter carrying her to bed after making love to her last night. She sat up, clutching the buffalo robe to her naked breasts. Her clothing lay neatly folded on the foot of the bed, the rawhide wrappings for her braids resting on top. Her blond hair fascinated Hunter, and he had never yet made love to her without first unfastening her braids. A sad .. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| d56b448 | Hunter, if you leave signs for other Comanche bands, why do white men have so much trouble finding you?" "They are not smart." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 1c52e24 | Do you bleed from within?" Her face flamed, and she bit her lip. Hunter would have traded every horse he owned at that moment to have a woman there." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| fd88bec | His knife cleared its sheath before he realized he had drawn it. He held the razor-sharp blade to her throat, his body atremble with the effort it took not to kill her. She had her eyes squeezed closed, awaiting death. Her fear clung to the air he breathed, so intense he could smell it, taste it. Yet she was biting his arm? Another tremor shook him. He wasn't sure whose body convulsed, his with rage or hers with terror. And then realization.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| fef96e7 | His people or Loretta? His mother's and father's faces flashed in his mind. Then others crowded in, Blackbird, Pony Girl, Turtle, Warrior, Maiden of the Tall Grass, and Red Buffalo. As much as he loved them, he had come to love Loretta more. When had it happened? He had once told Loretta that he would be as nothing without his people, and that was true. He would be giving up all that he was to be with her. Yet how could he live without her?.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 30ecbc8 | His people or Loretta? His mother's and father's faces flashed in his mind. Then others crowded in, Blackbird, Pony Girl, Turtle, Warrior, Maiden of the Tall Grass, and Red Buffalo. As much as he loved them, he had come to love Loretta more. When had it happened? | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 5763bab | He had once told Loretta that he would be as nothing without his people, and that was true. He would be giving up all that he was to be with her. Yet how could he live without her? The prophecy had come to pass. Without her, he had no tomorrows. How could a man live without them? He sighed and closed his eyes. From the moment she had stepped out from her wooden walls, the path ahead of him had been clearly marked, but he had been too blind.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 7e1813e | 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.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 82ffa96 | You will eat"--unmistakable laughter played upon his face--"so you will stay strong. We cannot fight the big fight if you tremble from hunger." Loretta lowered her gaze. A rush of conflicting emotions assailed her. She detested this man. She shouldn't care if he didn't get enough to eat or feel in the least guilty for having wasted his stupid meat. Yet she did. And for the life of her, she couldn't accept part of his meager portion only to .. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| b2a3c83 | Hunter tossed another piece of wood onto the fire, sending up a spray of live coals, a few of which fell in Tom's lap. Tom scrambled backward and tried to shake them off, no easy feat with his hands tied behind him. In the process he lost his balance and toppled sideways. Hunter squatted by the fire and draped his arms over his knees, his gaze fixed on the feeble flames while Tom struggled to sit back up. The Comanche's eyes shone with that.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| c3072d3 | Please," Tom whispered. "There's other gals you can steal. Don't take this one. Let her go home to her family." Breaking off, he licked his lips. "She ain't done you no harm." After a long while, Hunter returned his attention to the fire. "This Comanche does not sell his women. Not even for rifles. She goes with me." "Why this girl?" Hunter tossed a sliver of wood onto the flames. "Another will not do." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| a04c333 | Why this girl?" Hunter tossed a sliver of wood onto the flames. "Another will not do." | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 6569a36 | You got no choice, girl. Don't think ya do. He's not treatin' ya too bad right now, but as God is my witness, he will. Just pray you go before they start in on ya." He swallowed again. "I don't know why he's held off. Maybe he's takin' you back to his village for some kinda ceremony or somethin'--to his squaws. Or maybe he just fancies a wife with golden hair. Either way, believe me when I say dyin' of thirst will be kinder." Loretta hugged.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| c45ac42 | Ultimate audacity: to want to love a person--to say nothing of one's neighbor!--as God loves him. | Adrienne von Speyr | ||
| 7552b4a | If the time comes you need to talk about it, you can share anything you need to with me. I won't judge you--not for anything." Loretta stiffened. "What could you judge me for?" She pulled away. Rachel averted her face. "Oh, Aunt Rachel, not you, too? Is it a crime to live through something like this and emerge unharmed? I starve myself. I chose death, just like any self-respecting woman would. But then he promised to bring me home, and I .. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 34c1cef | Hunter would never have told her to come to him if he hadn't believed she could find him. Between her and Friend, they would make it. Loretta mounted up, no longer feeling so horribly alone. As crazy as it was, she felt as if Hunter rode beside her. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| af849f9 | Swinging to his feet, Hunter scattered the fire so the flames licked feebly at the wood and threw the lodge into gentle shadows. Then he turned to regard his wife, forcing his hands to curl loosely at his sides, his stance deliberately relaxed. "Blue Eyes, come here," he whispered softly. She threw up her head like a startled doe, her eyes huge and wary. Hunter's guts clenched, and with one stride he closed the distance between them. Catchi.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 03c09cc | Swinging to his feet, Hunter scattered the fire so the flames licked feebly at the wood and threw the lodge into gentle shadows. Then he turned to regard his wife, forcing his hands to curl loosely at his sides, his stance deliberately relaxed. "Blue Eyes, come here," he whispered softly. She threw up her head like a startled doe, her eyes huge and wary. Hunter's guts clenched, and with one stride he closed the distance between them. Catchi.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| 43718d9 | In the dim light he could see tears shimmering on her pale cheeks. He bent his head to catch their saltiness with the tip of his tongue. "Ah, Blue Eyes, , don't cry. Has my hand upon you ever brought pain?" "No," she whispered brokenly. Determined to finish what he had begun, Hunter swept her slender body into his arms and strode to the bed. Lowering her gently onto the fur, he stretched out beside her and gathered her close, his manhood t.. | Catherine Anderson | ||
| dc9c5f3 | In a voice that rasped with frustration as well as tender amusement, Hunter said, "You have such a great want for me that we must hurry, yes?" | Catherine Anderson |