just before twilight fell. Watching her, he nearly forgot why he
straddled her.
She didn't believe him. He had come to rescue her from the Comanche, and
she didn't believe him.
'Listen, now, lady, I am with the cavalry--these men, all of us, we're
with the United States Cavalry' -- 'Your uniform doesn't mean anything!'
'Lady, you are crazy!' That was it, she had lost her mind. She had
watched the savage attack and she had retreated into some fantasy world
of fear.
'You're all right now, or you will be if you quit trying to hurt me.'
'Hurt you! Oh!'
'The Indians are gone' -- 'There never were any Indians!'
'No Indians?'
'They dressed like Indians, but they weren't Indians. And you were
probably in on it! The law is corrupt, why not the cavalry?'
'Lady, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm Lieutenant Slater out
of Fort Vickers, and we've just stumbled upon your present difficulty.'
She blinked, and her gaze went guarded. He still held her locked beneath
him. His men were coming near, alerted by the commotion.
She gazed around her, past his head, and it seemed that she slowly
realized that they really were a cavalry company.
Everyone was staring at her with silence, with sympathy. She looked at
Jamie, and a slow flush spread into her features. They were now both
painfully aware of the way their bodies came together. Her legs and hips
burned against his, bare beneath the thin cotton shield of her
pantalets.
She wore no corset, he knew that very well, and her breasts seemed to
swell, as if with realization of their intimate contact against his
chest. She touched her dry lips with the tip of her tongue, and even
that seemed an intimate gesture. She squirmed beneath him, but he wasn't
about to give her any quarter. He had tried to be as gentle as possible
and he was bleeding as if he had been gouged by a mountain cat because
of it. A drop of blood from his chin fell upon her bodice even as he
thought that he should show her some mercy.
'Lieutenant, let me' -- 'What's your name?'
'If you would just' -- 'What's your name?'
Her eyes flashed with a silver-blue annoyance as she realized that he
was going to hold her until he chose to let her go.
'Tess,' she snapped.
'It's Tess.'
'Tess what?'
Her eyes narrowed.
'Tess Stuart.'
'Where were you going and where were you headed f~om?'
'Wiltshire. We were bringing some cattle and a printing press. We were
heading home from a small town called Dunedin, nearly a ghost town now.
That's why we bought the printing press. They didn't need it anymore.'
'You said we. Who were you riding with?'
'My' -- She hesitated just a moment, her lashes rising and falling
swiftly.
