A Heart so Wild by Johanna Lindsey

Author:Johanna Lindsey [Lindsey, Johanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“CUT my hair, old man, and I’ll kill you!” Courtney had heard him say that before, that and so many other things that, altogether, painted a sad picture of Chandos’s life. He was talking in his sleep and running a fever.

At some time during the night she had fallen asleep, though not for long. She had leaned her head on the back of Chandos’s legs, and the next thing she knew, Chandos was shouting at something in his mind, saying he couldn’t die until they were all dead. She tried to wake him, but he pushed her away.

“Goddammit, Calida, leave me alone,” Chandos growled. “Go crawl into Mario’s bed. I’m tired.”

After that, she didn’t try to wake him again. She changed his cold compress once more, and listened to his rambling as he relived gun-fights, a beating, and encounters with the one he called “old man.” And there were women he spoke to—Meara, respectfully, and White Wing, gently admonishingly. There was such a change in his voice when he talked to them that she knew he cared for them a great deal.

White Wing wasn’t the only Indian name he mentioned, either. There were several others, and one he repeatedly called “friend.” He even defended the Comanche man to the “old man,” defending with such passion that suddenly Courtney remembered that Chandos had never answered the question when she’d asked if he was part Indian or not.

She hadn’t given it much thought before, but it was possible. She realized that the strange-sounding language he sometimes used might be an Indian dialect.

Surprisingly, it didn’t disturb her. Indian or not, he was still Chandos.

When rose streaks of dawn heralded the morning, Courtney began to have serious doubts about Chandos’s recovery. She was exhausted. She didn’t know what more she could do for him. His wound was just as ugly as it had been last night, and the swelling had barely lessened. He was still running a fever, and his pain seemed worse, but he groaned and thrashed about so weakly that it seemed he had no strength left.

“Ah, God, he broke her arms so she couldn’t fight him… Goddamn bastard… only a child. Dead, they’re all dead.” His ramblings were whispered now, as if he barely had the strength to speak. “Break the link… cateyes.”

She sat up, staring. It was the first time he had mentioned her.

“Chandos?”

“Can’t forget… not my woman.”

His difficulty breathing terrified Courtney more than anything else. And when he wouldn’t wake up when she shook him, she began to cry.

“Chandos, please!”

“Goddamn virgin… no good.”

Courtney didn’t want to hear what he thought of her. She couldn’t bear it. But what he had already said hurt, and she took refuge in her anger.

“Wake up, damn you, so you can hear me! I hate you, and I’ll tell you so just as soon as you wake up! You’re cruel and heartless, and I don’t know why I’ve wasted a whole night trying to save you. Wake up!”

Courtney pounded on his back, then sat back, shocked and appalled.

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