Chieftain (Historical Romance) Read Free Page A

Kiowa chief, Old Coyote. Both Bright Feather and Old Coyote held a special place in Maggie’s heart.
    Outside the classroom, Maggie had easily made friends with the officers’ wives as well as with many of the soldiers garrisoned at the fort. And, of course, there was James W. James, the fort’s Indian agent and the man responsible for her being at Fort Sill.
    Called Double Jimmy by everyone, the fifty-seven-year-old agent was honest, hardworking and truly cared about the Indians’ welfare. Maggie’s closest ally and fervent protector, Double Jimmy was an old and dear family friend. He had served with Maggie’s father, Major Edgar Bankhead, in the Grand Army of the Potomac. The two men had become like brothers and the widowed Double Jimmy had visited often—staying weeks at a time—in the Bankheads’ stately Virginia home.
    A natural-born storyteller who spoke English, Spanish and Comanche, Double Jimmy had painted such vivid pictures of the frontier that young Maggie’s interest had been piqued. His stories of life in the West and of the bitter conflict between the whites and the Indians had made her decide what she wanted to do with her life.
    From theminute Maggie had arrived at the fort, her flaming red hair and fair good looks had captured the attention of several young officers eager to court her. She was flattered, but her head was not turned. Maggie was used to having handsome young men buzz around her.
    Maggie enjoyed the company of males and was totally comfortable in their presence. She found men were generally much better company than women and she could hold her own in their lively conversations.
    But she was not interested in finding a sweetheart. The only officer she had allowed to escort her to the rare fort picnic or party was the mannerly Lieutenant Dave Finley.
    A quiet trustworthy young man from Jackson, Mississippi, the tall, slender, sandy-haired Lieutenant Finley was boyishly handsome and a dedicated soldier. A proud West Pointer, he had a sterling reputation, was well liked by his fellow officers and considered to be a “good catch” by the officers’ wives.
    Maggie was not looking for a good catch. She did not, she would tell anyone who asked, intend to get married. Ever. She had no desire to be a wife and mother. Furthermore, she had no need of a man to take care of her. She could take care of herself, thank you very much!
    Maggie had, right from the beginning, made it clear to Lieutenant Dave Finley that while she thoroughly enjoyed his company, they would never be anything more than friends. The infatuated lieutenant took what he could get and hoped that one day Maggie might change her mind. Until then he was determined not to upset the applecart and be banished from her sight. She could be, he had quickly learned, quite volatile and unpredictable, traits that tended to make her all the more exciting and appealing.
    Now as thefull moon climbed higher in the Oklahoma sky, Maggie and Lieutenant Finley sat on her porch steps and talked as the hour grew late. Her arms locked around her knees, Maggie gazed dreamily at the stars twinkling overhead while the lieutenant gazed dreamily at her.
    “I should go in,” Maggie finally said, not moving.
    “Stay awhile longer,” coaxed Dave Finley. “It’s so nice and peaceful out here.”
    “Yes, it is,” she agreed. Maggie inhaled deeply, unlocked her arms from her knees, lifted her hands and swept her untamed red hair back off her face. She smiled with pleasure when a cooling breeze stroked her cheeks. “Finally the weather is beginning to change. There’s almost a nip to the night air. Lord, let’s hope the searing heat of the summer is behind us.” Her head swung around. “I arrived at the fort in late April and it was already quite warm. You’ve been here in the winter, Dave. What’s it like?”
    Lieutenant Finley grinned. “Cold. As cold in the winter as it is hot in the summer. The wind comes sweeping across the prairie and goes