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knew, but he gave no indication that he understood. She fell silent, and he looked away from her toward her horse.
    He moved over to examine Blackstar, and she called, “He was given to me by White Thunder.”
    The brave said something at last, but she didn’t understand. He reached out and ran a hand over the horse’s flanks, laughing when Blackstar turned his head and tried to bite him.
    Jessie lost her patience then and snapped, “Damn it, you can stop looking my horse over right now. You can’t have him!”
    The anger in her tone was unmistakable, even if the words were alien. She had managed to get his attention again, and he sauntered over and stood in front of her. This time he was so close she was forced to look up to meet his eyes.
    His expression was not so austere now. He spoke again, indicating with signs that he was telling her his name. She tried to decipher hiswords, and finally grinned as she came up with the English equivalent.
    “Little Hawk!” she said proudly, but he shook his head. He had not understood.
    Jessie smiled as she indicated again that he was welcome to share her food and fire. This time he acknowledged her offer and sat down by the fire. Jessie returned to her place, wrapping the blanket around her legs again. She had only one plate, and she added more food to it and gave it to him. When all that was left of the food was what had been on the plate when he took it from her, he gave it back. He watched her as she quickly finished eating, and when she was done she got up to clean the utensils and put them away. She could feel his eyes following her every move.
    When she came back to the fire, she found him stretched out in the grass, leaning on an elbow, facing her place by the fire.
    She might have moved to another spot, but she was too wary to make any changes. She lay down and faced him. Their eyes met, and it seemed they stared at each other forever. His look grew bolder. Hadn’t Blue looked at her that way? It was obvious that Little Hawk desired her, yet she was surprised when he patted the grass beside him, indicating he wanted her to come to him. She shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving his. Little Hawk shrugged, gave her one long look, then lay down and closed his eyes.
    Jessie continued to stare at him, relieved, yet oddly disturbed. What was the matter with her? It was his eyes, she decided at last, the way hehad looked at her, making love to her with those dark, compelling eyes.
    But as Jessie drifted off to sleep, it was not Little Hawk’s eyes she saw, but other eyes, as dark, the eyes of Chase Summers.

Chapter 5
    “Y OU should have seen him, Jeb,” Jessie was saying as she unsaddled Blackstar. She had just returned and had been talking nonstop since her arrival, ten minutes before. “He was so proud and arrogant, so utterly Indian, if you know what I mean.”
    Jeb crooked a single brow at her. “And you weren’t scared, him bein’ a Sioux?”
    “Well a little, especially when he made it known he…wanted me.”
    “Did he?” Jeb said. “Well, you sure don’t look any the worse for his havin’ you.”
    “Because he didn’t,” Jessie said simply. “I refused, and he respected my wishes.”
    “Is that right?”
    “You don’t believe me?” she demanded. “The fact is he couldn’t very well attack me after I had fed him. They do have a very rigid sense of honor, you know. Or is it that you doubt that he wanted me at all? Some men find me attractive, Jeb Hart, even dressed like this.”
    “Now, don’t get riled, gal.”
    She wasn’t. “Well, anyway,” she went on, “he was gone before I got up the next morning. I even thought I might have dreamed it all.”
    “You sure you didn’t?”
    She gave him a withering look. “Yes, I’m sure. The grass was still matted where he’d slept, and he left this behind.” She brought out the blue feather she’d been keeping in her pocket.
    “Why’d he leave that, do you think?”
    Jessie shrugged. She