Chase Wheeler's Woman by Charlene Sands Read Free Book Online

you.”
    “I know. Mama’s always been overprotective. Ever since father was murdered, and, uh, the other attack.”
    “You were both very brave.” He braced his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, shaking his head. “That must have left you with some bad memories.”
    She became thoughtful, tilting her head, heaving a heavy sigh. Her voice was soft, sweet. “I was very young. I don’t remember much. Mama was the brave one.”
    “She’s a special woman.”
    “I never thanked you properly.”
    “No need, Letty Sue.” He straightened to look into her eyes. “I’d do it again if I had to.”
    “You went against your own kind.”
    “Dog Soldiers weren’t my kind. They were ruthless renegades out for revenge. Both white men and Indians have been brutal at times, but my Cheyenne mother always taught me that violence wasn’t the answer. She’d hoped for peace, had trusted in the Cheyenne and white leaders to come to terms. But that really never happened, did it?”
    Letty Sue shook her head. “I don’t know.”
    “I do,” he said adamantly. “There are Indians dying of starvation and disease on the reservations.”
    “Oh Chase…your mother?”
    “She didn’t suffer long. For that I’m grateful.”
    “I’m sorry. If anything happened to Mama I don’t know what I’d do.”
    “And she feels the same way. You’re her only daughter, her only child. I’m here to see to your safety.”
    “Can’t we come to a truce of some kind?”
    “A truce?”
    “Yes. I’m tired of all the fighting. I want you to treat me like the woman I am, and not as a child.”
    He took a leisurely tour of her body with his eyes, and thought of dozens of ways to treat her as a woman. But that was out of the question. Letty Sue Withers with the bright blue eyes and pretty face was completely off-limits.
    “Okay.”
    “Okay?” She sounded astonished.
    “If you behave like a grown-up, then I’ll treat you that way. I won’t tuck you in at night, but I will check your doors. Just be sure to lock up carefully before you turn in. If you go into town or to a neighboring ranch, let someone know, if I’m not around. And no more Albert incidences.”
    Letty Sue blushed, but held her head high. “That was not entirely my fault.”
    “Humph.”
    “Do we have a truce?” she asked quickly, obviously not intending to rehash the day they’d met.
    “We have a truce.” He stood up and put a hand out to help her up.
    “A truce,” she repeated, taking the hand offered and rising up to stand close to him. He released her hand slowly, their eyes meeting.
    “Will you tell me about the scars now?” Her gaze fastened on his chest, softening as she looked at his wounds.
    “They’re from the sun dance. It’s believed that performing the ritual will bring revitalization to the earth around us. The tribe builds a sun dance lodge with a tall pole in the center, topped with buffalo robes celebrating our most respected warriors. After the lodge is blessed and prayers are offered to the Great Spirit, the dance begins.”
    Letty Sue reached out and touched a scar on the right side of his chest. Her delicate fingers slid over its length, her gaze focused on the place her fingers traveled. She said softly, “But that doesn’t explain these.”
    Immediate heat shot through him and his body tightened. Her innocent touch created an unwelcome stirring in his blood, a potent flame he could only name as fierce desire. He should back away, tell her to leave, anything that would take her hand away. Yet he didn’t. Instead he endured the torture of having her caress him. “After four days, young Cheyenne men engage in a ceremony thought to arouse the pity of the spirits. Sharpened skewers are hooked under the skin on different parts of the body. It’s a display proving Cheyenne bravery and endurance.”
    “It sounds very painful.” She outlined each scar, staring at them intently.
    “It’s meant to be.”
    “I didn’t notice them the