looked back at Zeke.
“We aren’t all like him,” he added. “I … uh … I want you to know I didn’t yell at my daughter because you’re part Indian. I’d have done the same with any stranger. Abbie’s a little too trusting—too young to know the difference, I guess.”
Zeke smiled a little and Abbie looked down at the ground, embarrassed.
“I expect there will be more at Sapling Grove when we get there tomorrow,” Trent added.
“I expect so. And I understand about your daughters, Mr. Trent. I’d do the same.”
To Abbie’s relief, her father finally smiled at Zeke. “The one who got you the coffee is Abigail. She’s fifteen. The other daughter is LeeAnn. She’s seventeen. But it’s Abbie who’s kind of taken over since their ma died. She’s the strong one of the two.”
Zeke looked over at Abbie again, seeming pleased with the remark. “I sensed that,” he told Trent. Abbie blushed again and turned around to climb into the wagon, where LeeAnn sat in a robe brushing her hair.
“Abigail Trent!” she said right away in a loud whisper. “I was peeking and I saw you hand that coffee to that half-breed! How could you do such a daring thing!”
“I think he’s wonderful,” Abbie replied, unbuttoning her dress.
“Abbie! Why you don’t have any sense at all?” LeeAnn scolded. “You stay away from that one, orhe’ll be making a woman out of you before you’re wanting to be one, and he’ll have that long hair stuck in his belt!”
“That’s hogwash!” Abbie shot back. “He’d do no such thing! I’m not one bit afraid of him!”
“You make eyes at that half-breed, and you’ll be sorry; mark my words!” LeeAnn answered. “Besides, he’s got no more than the clothes on his back, I’ll bet. There’s no future in a wandering, penniless half-breed, who’s probably twice your age, I might remind you!”
“Twenty-five,” Abbie replied with a grin. “I already figured it out.”
“You see? He is almost twice your age!”
Abbie giggled. “Oh, LeeAnn, a man like him wouldn’t look more than once at something like me anyway. But I can still dream. You can have your fancy men. Me, I’m not after fancy, perfumed, ruffled men. When I take a man, he’ll be all man, strong and brave, a man who’d die for me in a second if it meant saving my life and my virtue. I’ll bet that’s the kind of man Zeke is.”
“You’re talking dumb!” LeeAnn replied. “You don’t know beans about men!”
“And what do you know!” Abbie shot back, suddenly jealous of her sister’s looks.
“A lot more than you do!” the girl replied. “I’ve been kissed, and that Leonard Brown touched my breasts once.”
“LeeAnn!” Abbie chided. “What a brazen thing to let a boy do to you!”
LeeAnn smiled smugly. “A girl has to learn a few things, doesn’t she? When the right man comes along,now I’ll know how to handle him. A woman has to have a little experience if she’s to be able to handle a man. I don’t intend to be a bumbling nincompoop when my fancy man comes along. I’ll be a real woman for him.”
“A man of experience would surely understand when a girl hasn’t ever had a man before. He wouldn’t blame her or laugh at her. If he was really in love with her, he’d be patient and kind with her. And if he was all that experienced, then he wouldn’t be in a hurry to rush at her and scare her to death.”
LeeAnn’s eyebrows went up. “Well, aren’t you the big know-it-all. If you think that’s how a man like Cheyenne Zeke would be, think twice. Half-breeds are always panting after white women, and don’t forget they’re part savage! So they’d make love like a savage, and they don’t wait around to find out if you’re willing or not. They don’t give their women any choice!”
“Oh, what do you know?” Abbie said quietly. “So what if you’ve been kissed and touched,” she pouted. “Those were stupid, back-hill boys who don’t know what they’re
“We aren’t all like him,” he added. “I … uh … I want you to know I didn’t yell at my daughter because you’re part Indian. I’d have done the same with any stranger. Abbie’s a little too trusting—too young to know the difference, I guess.”
Zeke smiled a little and Abbie looked down at the ground, embarrassed.
“I expect there will be more at Sapling Grove when we get there tomorrow,” Trent added.
“I expect so. And I understand about your daughters, Mr. Trent. I’d do the same.”
To Abbie’s relief, her father finally smiled at Zeke. “The one who got you the coffee is Abigail. She’s fifteen. The other daughter is LeeAnn. She’s seventeen. But it’s Abbie who’s kind of taken over since their ma died. She’s the strong one of the two.”
Zeke looked over at Abbie again, seeming pleased with the remark. “I sensed that,” he told Trent. Abbie blushed again and turned around to climb into the wagon, where LeeAnn sat in a robe brushing her hair.
“Abigail Trent!” she said right away in a loud whisper. “I was peeking and I saw you hand that coffee to that half-breed! How could you do such a daring thing!”
“I think he’s wonderful,” Abbie replied, unbuttoning her dress.
“Abbie! Why you don’t have any sense at all?” LeeAnn scolded. “You stay away from that one, orhe’ll be making a woman out of you before you’re wanting to be one, and he’ll have that long hair stuck in his belt!”
“That’s hogwash!” Abbie shot back. “He’d do no such thing! I’m not one bit afraid of him!”
“You make eyes at that half-breed, and you’ll be sorry; mark my words!” LeeAnn answered. “Besides, he’s got no more than the clothes on his back, I’ll bet. There’s no future in a wandering, penniless half-breed, who’s probably twice your age, I might remind you!”
“Twenty-five,” Abbie replied with a grin. “I already figured it out.”
“You see? He is almost twice your age!”
Abbie giggled. “Oh, LeeAnn, a man like him wouldn’t look more than once at something like me anyway. But I can still dream. You can have your fancy men. Me, I’m not after fancy, perfumed, ruffled men. When I take a man, he’ll be all man, strong and brave, a man who’d die for me in a second if it meant saving my life and my virtue. I’ll bet that’s the kind of man Zeke is.”
“You’re talking dumb!” LeeAnn replied. “You don’t know beans about men!”
“And what do you know!” Abbie shot back, suddenly jealous of her sister’s looks.
“A lot more than you do!” the girl replied. “I’ve been kissed, and that Leonard Brown touched my breasts once.”
“LeeAnn!” Abbie chided. “What a brazen thing to let a boy do to you!”
LeeAnn smiled smugly. “A girl has to learn a few things, doesn’t she? When the right man comes along,now I’ll know how to handle him. A woman has to have a little experience if she’s to be able to handle a man. I don’t intend to be a bumbling nincompoop when my fancy man comes along. I’ll be a real woman for him.”
“A man of experience would surely understand when a girl hasn’t ever had a man before. He wouldn’t blame her or laugh at her. If he was really in love with her, he’d be patient and kind with her. And if he was all that experienced, then he wouldn’t be in a hurry to rush at her and scare her to death.”
LeeAnn’s eyebrows went up. “Well, aren’t you the big know-it-all. If you think that’s how a man like Cheyenne Zeke would be, think twice. Half-breeds are always panting after white women, and don’t forget they’re part savage! So they’d make love like a savage, and they don’t wait around to find out if you’re willing or not. They don’t give their women any choice!”
“Oh, what do you know?” Abbie said quietly. “So what if you’ve been kissed and touched,” she pouted. “Those were stupid, back-hill boys who don’t know what they’re
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