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He paled and gasped when he saw Flame riding in a hard gallop along the horizon, away from the fort.
Fear struck at his heart at her being alone. He wondered what had caused her to leave in such haste, her flight seeming to be one of anger and desperation.
“Her father . . .” he whispered, thinking that her father may have fiercely questioned her about being gone so long on her horse today. If he forbade her to go again, White Fire knew her rebellious nature could have caused this hasty flight, careless though it was.
Closing the door behind him, White Fire ran to where he had left his horse. He leaped into the saddle and rode in pursuit of Flame. He could never get the threat of the Sioux from his mind.
He couldn’t understand why she didn’t understand the extent of the danger. Was she too stubbornly blind to realize what could happen to her out here, alone?
From the time it took to get to his horse and mount it, Flame had ridden out of sight.
Desperation filling his heart, White Fire searched in all directions, seeing her nowhere. Frustrated, he finally drew a tight rein.
His eyes searched the forest.
Had someone grabbed her? Was she already a captive?
These thoughts sent him into a breathless gallop. When he still did not find her, he rode to a high bluff, and watched the fort, hoping that he would see her return.
Then he finally saw her riding toward the wide gate, and quickly entering. His shoulders relaxed and he sighed heavily with relief. This time she had made it safely home. But what about the next?
His jaw tight, White Fire knew now that he must not hesitate for too long in asking her to marry him. For certain she would be much safer with him than her father.
He understood how hard it would be to reason with her father about the quickness of their marriage. But haste must be taken, or Colonel Russell might not lose his daughter to White Fire, but to renegade Indians instead!
The thought sent chills up and down White Fire’s spine.
Chapter 16
When this life is o’er, love,
With all its joys and jars,
We’ll leave behind the wind and fire,
To wage their boisterous wars,
—R. W. Raymond
For the second day in a row White Fire was abruptly awakened from his sleep. Again, someone was knocking on his door.
Recalling Flame having come so early the day before, he wondered if she had come again. He then remembered his concern about her, when he had seen her leave the fort in a frenzied flight on her horse.
He wondered again what might have caused her to leave the fort in such a rush. Her father?
His heart skipped a beat when he thought of who else it could be this morning. The colonel could have sent for him for a talk, if Colonel Russell had learned that she had been with White Fire yesterday.
The knocks persisted at the door, and his jaw tight, White Fire left his bed and dressed quickly in his buckskins and moccasins.
Pushing his long hair back from his face and shoulders, he went to the door. He hesitated before opening it.
Then he swung it open and his heart sank to see that his guess had been right about who might be there.
It wasn’t Colonel Russell, but it was a soldier from Fort Snelling. The colonel had sent the lieutenant to fetch him.
“Sir, Colonel Russell wants you to accompany me to the fort,” Lieutenant Green said, standing square-shouldered in his blue uniform. The saber at his waist picked up the shine of the sun and reflected it up into White Fire’s eyes.
Not questioning the soldier as to why the colonel would summon him, White Fire lingered long enough to grab his rifle. Stiffly, he went outside, and saddled, then mounted his horse. Then he rode off with the young lieutenant. “How long have you been at Fort Snelling, Lieutenant?” White Fire asked, trying to ease his anger over being summoned. White Fire expected to be scolded by the colonel like he was some mischievous schoolboy. Today he would make sure this never happened again. He would put the colonel in his place.
