Thunder on the Plains by Rosanne Bittner

wouldn’t want to go on living if something happened to my Sunny.”
    Colt finished wrapping her leg, wondering how he was going to forget the sight of her slender thigh, or how smooth her skin was. Forbidden thoughts raced through his mind, how he would like to hold her himself, see the rest of that satiny skin, make a full woman of her. He pulled her skirt back over her leg. “Get some rest,” he told her, picking up the tin cup in which he had mixed the poultice. “We’ll check the wound tomorrow night.”
    â€œThank you again,” she told him, shivering.
    He nodded, a new look in his eyes she could not quite read. “I’m glad you’re all right,” he answered. He seemed to want to say more, but he glanced at her father and his eyes changed again. “Let’s all get some sleep.” He climbed out of the wagon.
    â€œStuart and I will be right outside, honey,” her father told her, kissing her cheek. “You just yell if you need anything.” He drew a blanket over her, and Sunny relaxed into the feather mattress, thinking about how Colt had looked at her, as though it had hurt him deeply to have to bring her pain. There was something in that look that told her what she needed to know, that he cared about her after all, much more than she had thought. She wished he wouldn’t leave them when they reached the fort, wished she were older and knew more about men. If Stuart’s wife were here, she could tell the woman about her feelings. Vi would understand. Since she had married Stuart, Vi and Sunny had become close. Vi was nothing like Vince’s wife, who could be cruel.
    For now, she could not even talk to Vi. She could only pour out her feelings in her journal. She wondered how she would feel years from now when she got out that journal and read it…and remembered Colt Travis.
    ***
    â€œWell, it’s too bad about all your misfortunes, Mr. Landers. I’ll find you a good scout and authorize a few of my men to accompany you back through Nebraska, at least to Fort Kearny.”
    The words came from the fort commander, a Lieutenant Amber, who had invited Sunny and her father and brother, as well as Colt, to supper. His cook had prepared a special meal for them of venison, potatoes, and carrots, followed by apple pie. After rationing their meager food supplies for weeks, the food tasted wonderful to everyone; but Sunny was unable to eat. Knowing that Colt would be gone tomorrow brought an ache to her stomach.
    â€œThank you for your offer,” Bo told Amber. “I’ll never quite forgive myself for bringing Sunny out here. If I had known all that would happen, well, let’s just say I’m more determined than ever now to build that railroad.”
    â€œThat will be a sight to see, a great boon to the army, I’ll say that.”
    Sunny was hardly aware of the conversation. All she could think about was how she could speak alone to Colt before he left them. Somehow she had to have a last good-bye. She wondered if he thought she looked pretty tonight. Here at the fort they had gotten new supplies and wagons, and Sunny was given the luxury of a room where she could take a real bath again. From her salvaged belongings she had retrieved a yellow cotton day dress that was one of her favorites. One of her father’s cooks had ironed it for her, and she wore it tonight. It fit her blossoming form perfectly, and she had pulled back the sides of her hair with yellow bows. She was becoming more aware of her femininity, thinking of herself as a woman now, not a child. Colt Travis himself had called her a woman, and she was proud that he thought of her that way.
    â€œI’m sorry about your tutor, Miss Landers,” the lieutenant said. “And your own accident. It must have been quite an ordeal for you. You’re lucky you had someone along who knew what to do about that infection.”
    Sunny had been staring at Colt,