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“Do you truly think that I would?” Fire Thunder said, his eyes softening into hers. “That I could?”
The look in his eyes and the way he spoke to Kaylene made her eyes widen in wonder. Did he mean what she thought? she marveled to herself.
Had he truly had no intention of killing her?
Had he used her only as a ploy to ensure his escape into the dark with her and her father?
Did he plan to release her once he had returned his warriors home, safely among their people—their wives . . . their children?
Not wanting to let her guard down and be taken in by soft, alluring talk, which surely was lies, Kaylene again turned her eyes quickly away from him.
Fire Thunder understood. Trust had to be earned. Having taken her captive would make her trust come slowly, if ever.
It was a chance that he had to take. Now that he had her, he would never let her go. In time, his dreams of her in his arms would become a reality.
He smiled and his eyes warmly gleamed, having learned the art of patience long ago. Patience had been learned through the years of having to deal with white people.
Finally arriving at where he wanted to make camp, beneath a sprawl-branched tree where there were windfall branches for firewood, Fire Thunder drew a tight rein and slid from his saddle.
Black Hair dismounted beside him and helped Little Sparrow to the ground.
Little Sparrow ran over and watched Fire Thunder lift Kaylene to the ground, then took Kaylene’s hand and held it as she smiled up at her.
They stood together, their hands clinging, until a warm campfire was built, its coals glowing a deep red under a steaming coffeepot.
“Come, little sister,” Fire Thunder said, placing a gentle hand on Little Sparrow’s shoulder. “Bring your friend. Sit by the fire. We will eat a few bites, then get some sleep before heading on to our village tomorrow.”
Little Sparrow gave Kaylene’s hand a tug, to encourage her to go with her and sit down with the others who had circled around the fire, sitting on blankets, and taking food from their parfleche bags.
Kaylene stood stiffly, her jaw tight, as she glared at Fire Thunder. She had seen the warriors take their bedrolls from their horses. She had seen Fire Thunder remove his own.
She had to wonder if he was going to force her to sleep with him.
If he tried, she would fight him every inch of the way. For certain she would not allow him to fool her with his gentle voice and sweet talk. She would never trust him.
Never!
After Little Sparrow yanked on Kaylene’s hand enough times, and Kaylene finally looked at her, Little Sparrow gazed up at her with pleading in her dark eyes.
Touched by the child’s sweetness and innocence, Kaylene found it hard to refuse her anything. She went with her and sat down on a blanket before the fire, truthfully wishing she had not waited so long. Her bare feet stung from the cold. Her cotton nightgown was not enough to ward off the chill wind.
She placed her feet next to the fire and sighed as the warmth bled into the soles.
Fire Thunder sat down and watched Kaylene, thinking that he had been lax in not realizing how cold she must be. The way she was soaking up the warmth of the fire was proof of that.
He went back to his horse and grabbed another blanket from his supplies and took it back to Kaylene.
She started when his hand grazed against her cheek as he bent and gently placed his blanket around her shoulders.
Loving the feel of the wool blanket, Kaylene grabbed the ends and drew it more snugly around her shoulders. She smiled a weak thank-you up at Fire Thunder, then looked quickly away from him when, as before, she felt his mystical blue eyes troubling her sensually.
It was as though they caressed her.
And his smile seemed genuine enough.
Kaylene’s heart thumped wildly within her chest. She was finding it harder and harder to fight off her attraction to Fire Thunder—his handsomeness, his noble presence, his demeanor.
She had never been as attracted to a man as now, and she had been approached by many men. Dressed in her seductive outfits while performing on her panther at the carnival, many men became intrigued by her and had approached her with invitations—some to sleep with them; others to marry them.
