turned to Long Belly and thanked him for the clothes, then huddled with Sissy again.
Daniel had, of course, recognized that Josie needed something other than the flimsy dress—why the hell did she think he was sitting here stitching up a pair of damned boots? The fact that Long Belly, whom Josie feared and loathed, had thought of a solution to her lack of clothing, much less provided that solution out of his own meager wardrobe, stuck in his craw like the thigh bone of a chicken.
"Shall we go outside, my brother?" Long Belly suggested, heading for the door. "And leave Broken Dishes her privacy for dressing in her new clothes?"
Irritated all over again, this time by the fact that he hadn't thought of the simple courtesy himself, Daniel nearly broke his other leg in his haste to join his perplexing brother-in-law outside.
"All sight, you sneaky bastard," said Daniel the minute the cabin door was closed behind them. "Why the sudden change of heart about Josie? It wasn't an hour ago that I had to all but chain you to the wall to keep you from beating her."
Laughing to himself, Long Belly stepped off the porch and took the opportunity to relieve himself as he explained. "You said to be nice, did you not?"
"Well, yes." Daniel joined him, even though working his way down the icy steps was slow work. 'I figured nice couldn't hurt, but the way you're spoiling her, she won't be worth a damn. She already wasn't worth a damn when you brought her here—now she'll be even more worthless."
Turning his back to the furious snowstorm, Long Belly said, "Broken Dishes was a very bad gift. I have already told this to you, and I believe it still, but I also think she may be a good woman yet. A very strong woman, in the Cheyenne way."
Daniel stood there staring in shock for so long, his dick damn near froze in his hand. As he adjusted his clothing, he recognized that something ugly and foreign was warming inside him, an insidious thing he ought to stamp out before it caught fire. Still, he couldn't help wondering—was Long Belly trying to claim Josie as his own? He had, after all, and on more than one occasion, offered to take her to his bed and teach her a thing or two. The very thought made Daniel want to tear out the man's throat.
"Just what happened out there in the barn, brother?" he demanded. "The truth—all of it."
Long Belly's head snapped up as if he'd been slapped—something Daniel sorely wanted to do. "I do not know what you speak of."
"Yes, you do." Daniel hobbled a step closer to him. "You think I don't know that Josie somehow put that lump on your bead? What did you do to make her so mad?"
The big Cheyenne simply stood there, his outline a fading photograph in the swirling snow, "I did not beat Broken Dishes, nor shall I."
Of that, Daniel had no doubt, Feeling both hot and cold, a madman in a suit of ice, he shouted, "How about this, you red-skinned son of a bitch? Did you try to sample her, maybe show her the proper way for a woman to bed a Cheyenne warrior?"
Long Belly's mouth dropped open. "Why do you think this of me, brother?"
"Because you know that Josie's the Deadwood Stage—any man can ride her." Out of control, Daniel raged on. "Maybe you ought to know something else about her before you go dipping where you're not wanted again—that gal has the clap. How'd you like to take that back to your friends on the reservation?"
"The clap?" Long Belly puzzled over this a moment.
"Disease," Daniel said, all too happy to clarify the situation for him. "You go poking around in that one and you'll get a disease guaranteed to rot your pecker right off your body. Now how much do you want her?"
Long Belly shuddered. "My Brother, I do not want your woman now, and I did not—"
"What you did," Daniel said, interrupting, "was bring those two here in the first place. It was the worst, the stupidest thing you've ever done, you hear? You owe me for this—and one hell of a lot more than your miserable hide is
Daniel had, of course, recognized that Josie needed something other than the flimsy dress—why the hell did she think he was sitting here stitching up a pair of damned boots? The fact that Long Belly, whom Josie feared and loathed, had thought of a solution to her lack of clothing, much less provided that solution out of his own meager wardrobe, stuck in his craw like the thigh bone of a chicken.
"Shall we go outside, my brother?" Long Belly suggested, heading for the door. "And leave Broken Dishes her privacy for dressing in her new clothes?"
Irritated all over again, this time by the fact that he hadn't thought of the simple courtesy himself, Daniel nearly broke his other leg in his haste to join his perplexing brother-in-law outside.
"All sight, you sneaky bastard," said Daniel the minute the cabin door was closed behind them. "Why the sudden change of heart about Josie? It wasn't an hour ago that I had to all but chain you to the wall to keep you from beating her."
Laughing to himself, Long Belly stepped off the porch and took the opportunity to relieve himself as he explained. "You said to be nice, did you not?"
"Well, yes." Daniel joined him, even though working his way down the icy steps was slow work. 'I figured nice couldn't hurt, but the way you're spoiling her, she won't be worth a damn. She already wasn't worth a damn when you brought her here—now she'll be even more worthless."
Turning his back to the furious snowstorm, Long Belly said, "Broken Dishes was a very bad gift. I have already told this to you, and I believe it still, but I also think she may be a good woman yet. A very strong woman, in the Cheyenne way."
Daniel stood there staring in shock for so long, his dick damn near froze in his hand. As he adjusted his clothing, he recognized that something ugly and foreign was warming inside him, an insidious thing he ought to stamp out before it caught fire. Still, he couldn't help wondering—was Long Belly trying to claim Josie as his own? He had, after all, and on more than one occasion, offered to take her to his bed and teach her a thing or two. The very thought made Daniel want to tear out the man's throat.
"Just what happened out there in the barn, brother?" he demanded. "The truth—all of it."
Long Belly's head snapped up as if he'd been slapped—something Daniel sorely wanted to do. "I do not know what you speak of."
"Yes, you do." Daniel hobbled a step closer to him. "You think I don't know that Josie somehow put that lump on your bead? What did you do to make her so mad?"
The big Cheyenne simply stood there, his outline a fading photograph in the swirling snow, "I did not beat Broken Dishes, nor shall I."
Of that, Daniel had no doubt, Feeling both hot and cold, a madman in a suit of ice, he shouted, "How about this, you red-skinned son of a bitch? Did you try to sample her, maybe show her the proper way for a woman to bed a Cheyenne warrior?"
Long Belly's mouth dropped open. "Why do you think this of me, brother?"
"Because you know that Josie's the Deadwood Stage—any man can ride her." Out of control, Daniel raged on. "Maybe you ought to know something else about her before you go dipping where you're not wanted again—that gal has the clap. How'd you like to take that back to your friends on the reservation?"
"The clap?" Long Belly puzzled over this a moment.
"Disease," Daniel said, all too happy to clarify the situation for him. "You go poking around in that one and you'll get a disease guaranteed to rot your pecker right off your body. Now how much do you want her?"
Long Belly shuddered. "My Brother, I do not want your woman now, and I did not—"
"What you did," Daniel said, interrupting, "was bring those two here in the first place. It was the worst, the stupidest thing you've ever done, you hear? You owe me for this—and one hell of a lot more than your miserable hide is
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