Chase Wheeler's Woman Read Free Page B

this?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
    “Can’t have you freezing to death.”
    “I…I didn’t think you liked me.”
    He let out a wry chuckle. “I don’t.”
    “Oh,” she said, sounding sincerely hurt by his admission. Something unraveled in his gut from that one small word.
    For years he’d thought kindly of the woman and child he’d rescued from the two renegade Cheyenne who’d struck down white settlers in retaliation for Lean Bear’s untimely and unjust death. Chase, too, had been appalled that Lean Bear, who’d fought for peace and had worn a medal given to him by the white man’s leader, had been brutally slain. Lean Bear had died holding a written letter of peace given to him by President Lincoln.
    But even then, more boy than man, Silver Wolf had realized murder wasn’t the answer.
    The brave white woman and child he’d rescued had stayed with him in his heart, filling it with a sense of peace. Somehow, in his mind, he’d remained theirprotector, feeling a kinship, a special bond to those whose lives he’d saved.
    Hurting Letty Sue now hadn’t been planned or calculated. He’d only spoken the truth. He didn’t know her, but he’d known her kind before, having firsthand knowledge of women who played one man against another. Still, the need to protect and keep her safe warred with the contempt he’d felt for her when he’d watched her tempt that young man the way she had earlier today.
    She shifted restlessly, wedging herself closer to him.
    “Try to rest.” He lifted up slightly, stroking life back into her shoulders and neck, warming her, but attempting to relax the stiffness, too.
    “Do you think the storm will last long?”
    “With the way it’s thundering, we might be here for a time.” A booming thunderclap seemed to prove his point.
    There was silence inside the shack while the rain pummeled the roof above, and Chase thought she had finally fallen asleep. He closed his eyes.
    “You don’t speak like an Indian,” she whispered softly, minutes later.
    “My mother was Cheyenne. I never knew my white father. But after Snow Cloud died, I lived with the white man. Got a job breaking horses on a big spread in Abilene.”
    “Is that when you changed your name?”
    “I’ll always be Silver Wolf to the Cheyenne. ButI took a white name when I started at Seth Johnston’s ranch. Been Chase Wheeler for ten years.”
    “Mama thinks the sun sets on your shoulders.”
    There was resentment in her tone. It was something he was accustomed to, the price he paid for his mixed heritage. He would never quite measure up, and no matter how much good he might do in the world, a single questionable deed would see him hanging high from the rafters.
    Or maybe he was mistaken. Perhaps it was the woman’s own inadequacies that caused her resentful tone. Could it be that Joellen, with her kind and generous heart, had spoiled her daughter overly much, and high praise came on a short rope where she was concerned?
    “Are you going to tell her about today?” she asked with trepidation.
    He began working the chill out of her legs. Stroking gently, massaging up and down, he heard a small moan escape her throat. Damn. He’d never felt softer skin. His hands slid over the smooth contours, bringing an unwanted surge of pleasure. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard on her question, the distraction of her body more than taking up all the space in his addled brain. “Haven’t decided.”
    “W-will you tell her about before, with Albert?”
    “I should,” he said, in a warning tone.
    “Please, I don’t need another lecture right now.” She twisted around to face him, her eyes bright, the blue orbs capturing his gaze with determination.
    “Damn well deserve a lecture.” But it wouldn’t becoming from him. He’d learned a hard lesson from getting involved with a beautiful, spoiled woman once before. He’d not be a fool again.
    Snow Cloud’s dying words were always with him. He’d