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“Well, let’s see, there’s Mrs Ketchum, and”

By the ti exactly who the other four women at the fort were, Millie was full of additional questions, which he readily answered

She listened carefully as he explained that the fort had been built ten years ago, when General Sheridan was ca to stop Indian raids on white settlers in Kansas and Texas He also explained Grant’s peace policy How it promised tribes provisions if they ents had been assigned to oversee the activities

Cutter went on to tell her hohen General Shero, he’d found several chiefs boasting about the raids they’d initiated on wagon trains and when he’d ordered their arrests, the general had almost been assassinated

Soreement, but others didn’t, and considered the reservations safe havens A place where no one could retaliate against them

Millie was fascinated by all this General Sher one of his visits to their Richned to this fort

Years ago she’d learned that Seth was a West Point graduate, and had been in Richmond, the day he’d married Rosemary, to deliver a report to their father about the raids and how rations weren’t being delivered

Millie asked a few more questions,thewith various tribes The man made it sound as if everyone at the fort was alive because of Seth’s valor

Having plenty to think about, Millie thanked Mr Cutter for all his information, and allowed him to move her trunks into her room before he took his leave

Papa had rarely spoke about such things with her, but Lola did The housekeeper insisted Indians were as ros, and that white folks shouldn’t talk about things they didn’t understand

Mr Cutter had just explained that the army was the only law in Indian Territory He’d also said their duties included protecting the Indians and civilians, while teaching the former how to farm in order to feed their families More importantly, he’d told her Indians didn’t steal women

Pacing the floor of the dreary cabin, Millie iined just how irritated Rosemary would be by all this Her sister wouldn’t just be frustrated with the surroundings, she’d be furious at the way Seth had purposely frightened her

A hint of a grin for Rosemary could be fun, after all

The report Jasper was reading aloud—about how the declining cattle drives would leaveSeth’s attention It wasn’t anything he didn’t already know At one tih Indian Territory, and the ranchers had been e a few head of cattle for safe travels, but the growing rail lines were replacing the drives They’d had only half as many this year as last

The as what held Seth’s interest More so, the activity happening across the courtyard His so-called wife had beckoned to Ben Cutter a short tis’s maidens to the cabin Since then Seth had barely been able to keep up with the cos Clean linens were carried in—he’d noticed them in one of the bundles—but for the number of trips the women made there would have to have been a dozen beds instead of one Well, two if you count his, but he highly doubted she’d have his bedding changed

Intuition was gnawing at hiain If this was Millie, as he still believed, as she here, if she was engaged to Martin Clark? Or was Rosened his divorce papers? Or was this Roseed

His un as he watched the door of his cabin Over the years, reotten her looks Every man in the fort had noticed her beauty That had been overly apparent during the introductions

What he did clearly remember was that the woman he’d married was too full of herself to be concerned about anyone else Yet the one he’d introduced to hisat the fort

Frustrated, Seth ran a hand through his hair Had he been out here so long, gotten so used to deciphering the cause behind every action, he could no longer accept actions—or people—without overanalyzing them?