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"Do you even believe in marriage?" she asked softly.
He came back toward her, staring at her. "Of course, I do."
Spellbound, she sat there sipping the rest of her coffee and wondering exactly what he meant by that. If he believed in it, why hadn't he married?
The way she felt about Aiden was so different than anyone else in her life. She knew about men and women and how they made love, the Indians were not shy about it. But she'd never found anyone she wanted in that way… except…
She thought about Claw Hand suddenly. They'd never made love. They were both too shy and the timing just wasn't right. She didn't love him that way, and she was pretty sure he didn't love her that way either. They were simply companions that took care of each other. They had a good life together, but… there was something lacking.
But Aiden was the man she'd waited a lifetime for. She had loved him so long, and so deeply for so many different reasons. And their kisses sizzled against her heart when she thought about them. Even if he never kissed her again, she'd hold those kisses close. He was the only man that kissed her like that, the only man she'd let kiss her like that.
When she'd kissed Aiden that day, jumping from the tree, she kissed with all her heart, and strangely he hadn't scolded her for it. She wondered why.
She had no business kissing him like that, but she loved him so much, so hard, she could do no less when she saw him. After all, it had been four long years.
Four years of missing Aiden, God, she was pitiful.
She had longed for the day when she was old enough to tell him how she felt, but now she wasn't sure she could. She knew if it was meant to be, it would happen, sooner or later. And if it wasn't, she would have to satisfy herself some other way. They flirted with each other, and it was fun, but he had no idea that she really meant all the things she said to him.
Aiden would have a beautiful woman. A woman more like Gloria. She was a real lady. And he deserved someone like her, someone who could warm his bed and make love like an adult.
She had wondered how making love would be. She knew she would throw her whole heart into it, just like she had with the kiss. She would be wild, reckless even, engaging, but what kind of man would want that from a woman?
But she knew now, after seeing Aiden again, that she would never love another. And it saddened her.
She got up and started cooking and the others began to rouse.
Pumpkin came to help her, and they talked. Gloria was fixing her hair and adjusting her clothes. This was not the kind of life she was used to.
But the one thing Lucy smiled about was that perhaps Gloria and her husband would get along better now. Already they were clinging to each other more and Gloria hadn't mentioned the child in a couple of days now.
Perhaps the lie between them was gone and they could move on with their lives together. She prayed it was so. She liked happy endings.
But along about noon someone busted the doorway of the cave and walked in with guns loaded. It was two very big men with sizable guns in their hands. They weren't good men either, Lucy sized them up quickly. They had dirty looking hair and teeth and smelled like a buffalo hunter.
Angus bristled. But the men didn't hesitate to aim their guns at him if he tried anything.
"What we got here?" one of the big ugly men asked. They walked around the women, ignoring Frank and watching Angus. They didn't see Aiden in the back by the horses.
"Bunch of misfits, looks like. A lady and a dandy, an old trapper and his squaw, and well now… " One of them that was doing the talking moved toward Lucy.
He eyed her sharply up and down.
She didn't back up, she didn't show fear, but inside she was shaking.
"You don't look like no lady. No sir, you look like some kind of white squaw."
Lucy held her head high.
"I wouldn't touch her mister, if I were you." Aiden came from the back of the cave toward them.
"Oh, and why the hell not?"
"Well for one, you don't know who you are dealing with." Aiden smirked.
"Oh, and who is that?"
"She's the White Silver Fox." Aiden told them.
