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“I’m Colonel Deshong,” Patrick said as he stepped from his cabin in his full uniform. His coat shone with brass buttons, the shoulders gold with cord and tassels. “What can I do for you?”
Hannah turned her eyes quickly to the man, finding him dignified in appearance. His complexion ruddy, he was stout, with neatly groomed reddish blond hair that hung to his shirt collar.
“I’ve come to speak in behalf of Strong Wolf,” she said. “I want to prove that he did not kidnap me. My brother was wrong to send his cowhands here with false accusations. Strong Wolf is innocent of the crimes he is accused of.”
She swallowed hard when she caught a look of surprise in the colonel’s eyes, and then tightened inside when his brow knitted into a frown.
“First, my day is interrupted by Tiny Sharp, who seemed hell-bent in having Strong Wolf incarcerated,” Colonel Deshong said, twining his fingers around the handle of the saber that hung at his right side. “And now I have a woman coming to speak in the Indian’s behalf.”
“And what is wrong with that, sir?” Hannah said, boldly lifting her chin.
“Nothing, nothing,” Colonel Deshong said, a slow smile tugging at his lips. He nodded toward one of his soldiers. “Help her down from her saddle.”
“Sir, I am quite capable of mounting and dismounting my horse by myself, thank you,” Hannah said, grabbing her reins from the man who held them. “And, sir, I didn’t come to pay you a social call. I just need to know your plans for Strong Wolf. Have you, or have you not, sent a battalion of men to arrest him?”
“No, and I don’t intend to,” Colonel Deshong said, clasping his hands together behind him. “You see, ma’am, I would trust Strong Wolf’s word before I would trust Tiny Sharp’s.”
Hannah sighed with relief. “Thank goodness,” she said, her shoulders relaxing.
“Come on inside and have a cup of tea with me,” Colonel Deshong encouraged. “I know your brother well. I admire the man. I would like to become more acquainted with his sister.”
“Thank you for the invitation,” Hannah said, her tone having softened since she saw Colonel Deshong as no threat to Strong Wolf. “But I’m sure I’ve distressed my brother terribly by having taken off so quickly on horseback to come and speak in behalf of Strong Wolf. I must hurry back and apologize to him, and set his mind at ease that I am all right.”
“I have to know, ma’am, how you know Strong Wolf?” Colonel Deshong asked, forking an eyebrow.
Again Hannah stiffened. She looked guardedly around her, feeling the men’s eyes on her, awaiting her answer.
“I . . .” she began, but was reprieved for the moment when a commotion behind her drew all of the attention away from her.
She looked over her shoulder and paled when she discovered Chuck entering the courtyard. A cowhand was driving his horse and buggy too recklessly through the crowd of gawking soldiers.
“Chuck,” she said in a loud gasp.
“Hannah, damn it, you’ve got to quit doing these reckless things,” Chuck scolded as he squinted up at her through his thick eyeglasses. He waved his cane at her. “Get in here with me. You can take the reins. Adam will take the pinto home for you.”
Colonel Deshong stepped down from the porch and went to Chuck. He placed a gentle hand on his arm. “And besides being angry at your sister, how are you doing, Chuck?” he asked, his voice filled with concern. “Your eyes. Have they worsened?”
“I wish I could say no to that question, but the truth is, Patrick, I can scarcely see one inch ahead of me,” Chuck mumbled as Hannah climbed into the buggy beside him and took the reins.
“You’ve got quite a spirited sister there,” Colonel Deshong said, chuckling. He smiled over at Hannah. “I don’t believe I got your name, ma’am.”
“Hannah,” she said, returning the smile. “Please call me Hannah.”
“It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Hannah,” Colonel Deshong said, reaching over to take Hannah’s free hand. He squeezed it affectionately, then dropped his hand back to his side. “Chuck, you’ve got to tell your sister the dangers of riding alone. Not all Indians are as peace-loving as Strong Wolf and his people. And most certainly she can’t trust all white men. It’s dangerous as hell for her to be taking off on her own like she did today.”
“Yes, I know,” Chuck said. “What about Strong Wolf? Have you sent men to arrest him?”
“Do you think your sister would be sitting there all calm and collected if I had?” Colonel Deshong said, laughing softly.
“And so Strong Wolf isn’t going to be arrested?” Chuck said.
“Naw,” Colonel Deshong said, again clasping his hands behind him. “And let me tell you something about your foreman, Chuck. He came here with a pack of lies about the Potawatomis leader.”
“Lies?” Chuck said, forking an eyebrow. “What lies?”
“He said something about Strong Wolf blowing up a dam, and about Strong Wolf having abducted your sister,” Colonel Deshong said, his voice filled with sarcasm. “You’d best tell him to watch his mouth or it’s going to get him in trouble.”
“Patrick, I sent him here,” Chuck said thickly. “I was scared to death that something had happened to Hannah, because she didn’t arrive home when I expected her to. I . . . I . . . should have known better than to think that Strong Wolf would have anything to do with her disappearance.”
