*When Black Stone returned to his lodge, he didn't speak to Laura or Sugar Girl, nor glance in their direction. Sitting cross-legged at the fire, he leaned forward to stare into the flames. Sugar Girl seemed to take his disregard in stride, but Laura wondered if perhaps she had become invisible.

Not that she was about to complain or try to draw his attention. He was a fierce-looking man with glittering black eyes, chiseled features, and a cruel, humorless mouth. Laura could easily picture him marauding and murdering, and the image made her blood run cold.

Star hurried to prepare the man supper, chattering gaily at him while she mixed and stirred a potful of stew over the low flames in the fire pit. Since Star spoke in Cheyenne, Laura had no idea what she was saying, but when she occasionally laughed, Black Stone's stern expression didn't soften and he seldom looked at her while she talked. All and all, Laura didn't see how the poor girl stood him.

A few minutes after Black Stone had returned to the lodge, a plump little boy of about three came bursting inside. He was dusty and red-cheeked from exertion, his eyes dancing with mischief, his shoulder-length black hair in a stir. He made a beeline for Black Stone and leaped onto the man's crossed legs, jabbering and gesturing with his hands, giggling to punctuate whatever it was he was saying.

"Me baby," Star said proudly, thumping her chest. "He name Oshas qua, Muskrat."

Laura fell instantly in love. With those fat, dimpled cheeks, he was the cutest little fellow she had ever seen. His great, shoe-button eyes followed his mother about the lodge. Then he assumed a woebegone expression, asked his father something, and touched his dirty little belly.

"Mah-tah'!" Black Stone growled, and gave a shake of his head, which clued Laura that mah-tah' meant no. He said something more, ruffled the little boy's hair, and finished with, "Oshas qua, psai-wi' skillewaythetha!"

Star seconded that statement, then, for Laura's benefit, translated. "Muskrat big boy, yes? No baby." She shook her head and smiled.

Muskrat's face puckered, and an instant later, huge tears were making rivulets of mud on his face. He rubbed with a plump fist to make things worse, wailed, and clutched his tummy as though he were in great pain. Black Stone gave him a slight shake. Muskrat cried harder.

Pushing to his feet with the little boy hooked under one arm, the warrior strode to a basket, fished about, and produced an apple, which he moved about under Muskrat's snubbed nose. "Meshemenake, eh?"

Muskrat pushed the fruit away. Black Stone glanced at Star, who was happily oblivious to the commotion. He spoke softly to her. She held up a staying hand, shook her head, and said, "Mah-tah'."

Muskrat, clearly a great loss to the stage, ceased his screeching for a moment to monitor the exchange between his parents. Fixing his father with tear-filled eyes, he gulped and asked something in a pleading, quavering voice. Black Stone's mouth twitched. Then he shot a measuring glance at his young wife's slender backside where she was bent at the fire. He whispered something to Muskrat, set the child carefully down, and then advanced on Star. She squealed when he pounced and caught her around the waist.

"Mah-tah'!" she cried.

Black Stone growled again, sounding very like an enraged bear. Laura shrank against the leather wall, frightened for Star. Sugar Girl giggled. And Muskrat danced excitedly around, one pudgy hand clamped over his loincloth, as he watched his father sit cross-legged near the fire with Star on his lap.

Star laughed and gave up the battle. Situating herself more comfortably in the cradle of Black Stone's thighs, she opened her arms to Muskrat. The little boy galloped over to her, jumped in her lap, and eagerly began nuzzling as Star unfastened her bodice. Black Stone enfolded both his wife and child in his arms, rested his chin on Star's shoulder, and watched with an indulgent smile as Muskrat settled in for a snack.

Laura was appalled and horribly embarrassed. A child that age? Did they have no sense of decency? Yet for all her judgments, Laura couldn't look away. While Muskrat nursed, both his parents stroked him, every touch of their hands on his chubby little body bespeaking a love that could never be expressed with words.

Watching them made Laura ache inside. She finally bent her head and hugged Jonathan more closely to her, wishing with all her heart that he could have what she had missed and Muskrat took for granted, a father who cared, even about small things, about his child's need to be held close by his mother at the end of a long day, about his hunger, which could never be appeased with an apple or the warmth of his father's arms. Muskrat was far too old to actually need his mother's milk, yet Black Stone understood his son's longing went beyond the physical and saw to it that he had his moment, which Laura was just beginning to realize had been stolen from him by Jonathan's intrusion into their family circle.

Black Stone nuzzled Star's neck and whispered something close to her ear that made her smile and close her eyes. He grinned and tweaked his son's little nose. Muskrat, who obviously wasn't all that hungry, chortled and abandoned his mother's breast to nip at his father's knuckles. Black Stone growled again and began to tickle him. Soon Muskrat was screeching and flailing, his original reason for seeking Star's lap completely forgotten. Star refastened her dress and joined in the play. Then the three of them settled down for a few moments of quiet, wherein Muskrat's real need, that of physical closeness, was addressed and satisfied.

When Star wiggled free to return to her cooking, Black Stone kept Muskrat on his lap, stroking the child's hair, wiping at the muddy streaks on his chubby face, and whispering to him. Muskrat drifted to sleep, content and smiling.

Laura smiled as well. There was no doubt. Black Stone was a murderous sort, savage through and through.

Deke, apparently invited by Black Stone, showed up for supper, Chief trailing along behind with the ever-present bone clamped between his teeth. As his host had done earlier, Deke sat cross-legged at the fire upon entering the lodge and, after nodding to Laura, virtually ignored her and the other two women present. At mealtime, Star and Sugar Girl served both the men, the child, and the dog large metal bowls of stew accompanied by chunks of bread, after which they dished food for Laura and themselves. The males ate by the fire, the women on the fur pallet, a segregation that suited Laura just fine.

After the meal, Star took Jonathan from Laura to feed him. The instant Laura's arms were empty, Black Stone looked over and said, "Sister, come here."

Laura couldn't miss the twinkle of laughter in Deke's eyes. Well, she had news for him. She was no longer intimidated by Black Stone and wasn't the least frightened by the clipped order. The man might seem as hard as nails at first, but one soon saw what a pussycat he was. A better and more loving father than her own, by far, and a gentle husband. Laura would bet that Black Stone had never threatened to flay the hide off Star's fanny.

Her legs still a bit unsteady from her recent illness, Laura pushed up from the furs and approached the fire. Black Stone motioned for her to sit, which she managed, although with a bit less grace than Star or Sugar Girl because of weakness and the confines of her skirts. But sit, she did, as an Indian might, ankles crossed, her knees bent and raised to support her arms.

"This lazy man wants you for wife," Black Stone informed Laura, his expression not betraying even by so much as a twitch that he might be teasing. "I be good brother, ask you. Does begot favor in your eyes?"

Laura glanced at Deke, completely baffled by this turn of events. The way she had understood it, she and the man were already married. "Black Stone, are you implying that Mr. Sheridan is not yet my husband?" At the note of hope in her voice, Deke's gaze sharpened on hers. "Well? You can't blame me for asking." She looked back at her newly acquired brother. "Am I to understand that you don't consider us to be married, Black Stone?"

Deke intervened and repeated what Laura had said in Cheyenne to be sure Black Stone understood.

"Married white way"Black Stone replied, then pretended to throw something away, his expression filled with disgust, "no good. Whiskey Woman, my sister, marry Cheyenne way."

Laura fastened startled eyes on Deke again. He gave her a sultry look that was filled with promise of reprisal should she prove difficult. Laura chose to ignore him and shifted her gaze back to Black Stone. "What would occur if I didn't wish to marry this man the Cheyenne way?"

Deke coughed, but Laura pretended not to notice. At her question, Black Stone looked mildly surprised. He looked questioningly at Deke, then refocused on Laura. "You no wish marry this man Cheyenne way?"

"Laura," Deke said beneath his breath, "this is nothin' to trifle with."

She kept her attention fixed on Black Stone. She knew she had to be extremely cautious. The last thing she wanted was to jeopardize her claim on Jonathan, after all. But at the same time, if there was a way to keep her son and her freedom, she would be a million times the fool not to take it. The difficulty would be to learn what she desperately needed to know without burning any of her bridges.

"Not that it's at all the case, Black Stone," she said carefully, "but out of curiosity, I simply must ask. If I didn't wish to marry this man, would I, um, still be your sister?"

His face settling into hard lines that might have been chiseled from granite, Deke turned toward his adopted brother to translate Laura's question.

Black Stone appeared to be offended that she would question the validity or the permanency of her new status. "I say words. Words make Whiskey Woman sister of Black Stone for always." He thumped his chest for emphasis, the blow one of such force that Laura winced. "White man talk?" He pretended to throw something away again. "White man talk, no good. Cheyenne talk? Big good. Never die. Black Stone chief of horse soldiers. Big respect man. Whiskey Woman, sister of Black Stone. Big respect woman.

"I see," Laura said thoughtfully.

"No, goddammit, you don't see," Deke inserted.

Laura sent him a withering look, then turned toward the warrior. "If I am your sister for always, Black Stone, does that mean I can..." Laura hesitated. This was a very thin line she was walking. "Well, will I be allowed to go back to the white people for visits? Like DekeI mean Flint Eyesdoes?"

At the question, both men look relieved and chuckled indulgently. Flashing a reassuring smile, Deke said, "Is that what's worryin' you? Honey, just because he's claimed you as his sister, he ain't gonna keep you here. You'll come and go with me. A woman always goes with her husband."

Black Stone slugged himself lightly on the chin and rolled his eyes back. "Black Stone keep Whiskey Woman? Flint Eyes big mad! Whiskey Woman go with her man. Always. Yep."

"No, you misunderstand." Laura made a motion with her hands as if to erase all that had been said. "Not to say it would be my wish, mind you. Please bear that in mind. But what if I weren't married to Flint Eyes? No husband for me? Could Whiskey Woman still come, still go? Like Flint Eyes?"

"Laura, goddammit"

"Just repeat what I said to him, please," Laura asked sweetly. Deke's gaze turned flat and hard. Signaling with his hands and speaking in a low voice, he did as she asked.

Black Stone looked totally bewildered. "No marry Flint Eyes?"

Careful, she cautioned herself. "I'm just"she smiled at Deke again"playing 'what if.' Remember the game you taught me last night, Flint Eyes? How important you said it was for me to look ahead and understand the consequences of my actions?" She pretended to be meek and confused. "Isn't that what you said? I'm just trying to be obedient. I thought you'd be proud of me."

A dangerous glitter entered Deke's eyes. For Black Stone's benefit, he translated. Something he said made his brother laugh. To Laura, he added, "Like most women, give her a choice and she gets plum bogged down tryin' to make up her mind."

Laura leaned around the edge of the fire and, in a whisper she meant only for Deke, said, "And like most men, you conveniently omit details so I'll be certain to make the choice you want me to."

"What the hell does that mean?" he whispered back.

Laura leaned closer. "It means that today certain things came to light, and I want to investigate their possibilities. Does it worry you, my asking questions?" she challenged. "Are you afraid I might discover you neglected to inform me of viable alternatives to marriage?"

His jaw tightened. Gazes locked, their faces mere inches apart, they regarded each other for several tension-packed seconds. Then he rasped, "Hell, no, darlin'. Ask away. Just don't hang yourself with the rope."

Laura's gaze turned contemptuous. Straightening, she smoothed her skirt, taking advantage of the moment to gather her composure. Then she smiled at Black Stone again. "Do you mind my asking questions, Black Stone? I'm not refusing Flint Eyes as a husband, mind you, at least not as matters stand. I'm simply curious about all your delightful Indian customs."

Deke translated, then muttered in English, "Who set your tail on fire?"

Laura ignored the remark. To Black Stone she said, "Now that I am your sister and a Cheyenne woman, I wish to learn all I can so..." She moistened her lips. "I want you to feel proud of your new sister, you understand? If I accept Flint Eyes' offer for my hand, I want to accept him as a Cheyenne woman would, with a full understanding of all your ways."

Coming in behind Laura, Deke spoke softly in Cheyenne to clarify all that she had just said. At least Laura hoped that was what he did. As he finished, he leaned toward Laura and whispered, "I ain't never seen the bullshit stacked so deep. Did you bring shovels, or do I gotta wade my way out?"

Laura felt a flush touch her cheeks. "Will my asking foolish woman questions make you angry, Black Stone?"

"First smart thing you said yet. Foolish."

"No make angry," Black Stone replied indulgently. "Whiskey Woman ask, I say answer."

Laura managed to smile again despite her yearning to grab up the coffee can and dump its contents on Deke Sheridan's head. "Well, then..." She considered her next query carefully. "What if I chose not to marry Flint Eyes the Cheyenne way? Would you take my child from me?"

"No take baby. Never. Flint Eyes take."

Laura's stomach dropped. "Oh."

Deke's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "He is my son. In poker, honey, I think the sayin' is, 'I call.'"

After doing some fast mental footwork, Laura said, "I could live with your taking our son."

"You could?"

"But of course. You'll be such a wonderful father. Roping a milk cow so you can feed him every three, maybe four hours. Changing his diapers. Holding him when he cries. When you're busy herding or branding, you can hang him off your pommel. I have every confidence. And at those times when it all just seems too muchwhy you could always return him to me so I could care for him."

Deke's dark lashes swept closed, and the corners of his mouth quirked.

Turning back to Black Stone, Laura gave an airy wave of her hand. "So if I chose not to accept Flint Eyes, he would take our son. And what of me? As your sister, would I be permittedon rare occasion, of courseto return to the white world for visits?"

Deke translated that into Cheyenne. Black Stone smiled at Laura and nodded. "Husband take to white world, you go. Yep. Husband no take, you stay."

"Oh, I see."

Deke chuckled. "You got a hankerin' for one of them handsome braves out there, darlin'?"

Laura shot him a glare. "What if I should never marry?" she asked Black Stone.

Apparently not feeling there was a need for him to translate that, Deke chuckled again and shook his head as he bent forward to refill his coffee cup.

Black Stone grunted. "Whiskey Woman marry. Black Stone no want feed for always."

Since Laura had no intention of hanging around, she didn't see room and board as becoming a problem. Of course, she couldn't tell Black Stone that. "I don't eat very much," she assured the warrior. "Hardly anything at all."

"That's good to hear," Deke murmured. "I don't gotta worry about keepin' much food on the table then." He took a sip of coffee and winked at her over the rim of his tin cup. "You ever danced to the tune of a razor strap? It takes some real fancy steppin'. Much more of this, and I'm gonna be ready to go hunt that cougar I told you about with a butter knife."

"You're such a charmer."

"I don't need charm, darlin'. You might not know it, but your tit's in a wringer and the washer woman's crankin' the handle."

Laura had the unholy urge to hit the bottom of his coffee cup. She took a deep breath. Here went nothing. But she had to at least give this her best shot. Returning her gaze to Black Stone, she said, "Is it always necessary for a Cheyenne woman to marry?"

Deke translated. Black Stone considered the question. "Some ugly woman, never no marry. Brother feed for always." He gave Laura an appraising look. "Whiskey Woman no ugly. Many brave like hair. Come with horses. Big want. You marry quick."

"But what if..." Laura's pulse escalated. "What if I didn't like any of the braves?"

Black Stone blinked as if he found that thought inconceivable. "No like any?"

"Actually, Black Stone, what I truly, truly want..." Laura pressed a fist over her skittering heart to show him how deeply her yearning ran. "What I would really like, above all else, is to be made a free woman, just as Sugar Girl is."

Deke choked and spewed a mouthful of coffee into the fire. Black Stone, who obviously understood what had been said, looked appalled. Star and Sugar Girl, who sat listening to the exchange on the furs, both gasped. Laura smiled at all their stunned expressions.

"I realize it probably strikes all of you as an amazing thing for me to request, but I"

"Christ!" Deke inserted in a gritty voice. "Amazin' ain't the word. Shut up, Laura. Now."

"Don't tell me to shut up. You deliberately tried to hoodwink me."

Deke tossed the contents of his cup into the fire, dropped the tin container onto the encircling rocks, and shot to his feet. "Black Stone, excuse us for a minute."

"I'm not going anywhere. Let Black Stone address my question. Can I be made a free woman?"

Clearly at a loss, Black Stone turned the matter over to Deke. "You say?"

"I don't got nothin' to say," he snarled. "Tongue That Waggles has said enough for both of us."

Laura sputtered with indignation. "Tongue That Waggles?"

"From mornin' to night without never stoppin'," Deke ground out as he seized her by the arm.

Jerked to her feet and hauled along behind him, Laura had no choice but to follow the man. As he pulled her toward the lodge flap, he grabbed a folded blanket from off a stack along the wall. In Cheyenne, he barked something over his shoulder as he launched Laura out the doorway before him, his grip on her shoulders biting and cruel.

"You're hurting me!"

He gave her a light shove as he released her. With a violent snap of his wrist, he unfolded the blanket and then drew it over his shoulders like a cape. The dying flames of Star's outside cooking fire played across his dark face, washing his features in amber, casting the planes into shadow. His eyes gleamed like burnished silver. Staring up at him, Laura retreated a step.

"You oughta be afraid," he snarled.

"That comes as no surprise. Why do you think I pursued the possibility of becoming a free woman? Because you're such a mellow sort?"

He took a step toward her. "Keep your goddamned voice down. You'll have every man in the village who speaks English standin' in line."

"For what?"

"For a turn at you, you stupid little fool. For once in your life, Laura, tie off that tongue." He advanced another step and said in a raw whisper, "We're smack in the middle of a fuckin' Cheyenne village, in case you ain't looked. That mouth of yours is gonna dig a hole so deep, I won't be able to haul you out. I'm one man against seventy, for Christ's sake."