Savage Summer (9 page)

Wild unbridled fear took over Danielle’s reasoning when she realized the Indian was taking her away from the village. She bit the hand that was clamped over her mouth, and the Indian muttered harshly in her ear. His grip tightened about her waist mercilessly.

Danielle didn’t feel the hand that came down hard against her temple until her head exploded in pain. Blackness engulfed her and she slumped back against the man in unconsciousness.

As the buggy pulled up in the circular driveway, Skyler could hear the beautiful music coming from inside the huge brownstone house. She felt nervous and unsure of herself as a footman rushed forward and helped her out of the buggy. Skyler gave her hand to her Uncle Tag and he helped her up the steps with an encouraging smile.

“You aren’t to feel frightened, my dear. You are going to have more fun tonight than you can imagine.”

Skyler smiled slightly, wishing she didn’t have to go to the ball tonight. Suppose she were to shame her aunt and uncle by committing a faux pas. She was so unaccustomed to the white man’s ways. She had listened intently to the dance master as well as her Aunt Alexandria when they had instructed her on etiquette and manners. But could she remember everything they had taught her? She had decided the best way to proceed was to talk as little as possible, and speak only when spoken to.

The ballroom was crowded when Skyler entered on the arm of her Uncle Tag. She noticed that every man under forty wore a blue army uniform, while the ladies wore gowns made up of every color in the rainbow.

Feeling her hand tremble, her Uncle Tag leaned close to
her ear. “Don’t be frightened, honey. Just remember you are a princess. The way you carry yourself and the proud tilt of your chin will prove to the people here that you are someone special.”

Skyler was encouraged by his words. Yes, she had nothing to fear; no one here would know who she really was. If she could just get through this evening without shaming her uncle, she would have accomplished something.

“I wish Aunt Alexandria could have come with us tonight,” she said wistfully.

“She wanted to be with you, but you know the doctor ordered her to stay off her feet for a while. I will be the perfect escort and introduce you to all the most eligible young gentlemen.”

Uncle Tag was proud to introduce Skyler to his friends and business associates. They were all startled at the close resemblance between Skyler and Danielle, commenting on how the two girls could pass for twins.

Skyler danced with several gentlemen and found that she could easily keep step with them.

Midway through the evening, Skyler found it stuffy in the ballroom. Her feet were hurting and she wanted a breath of fresh air. Seeing the door that led out to the balcony, she made her way across the room, hoping no one would stop her and ask for a dance.

Skyler stood on the balcony, overlooking the garden with a feeling of déjà vu. She had been here before—stood on this very spot! Looking around expectantly she held her breath and waited for something to happen.

There was a strange sweet aroma in the air, and she knew it came from the many flowers in bloom. Turning her face up to the moon, she felt a loneliness in the very depths of her being. Somewhere, far away, this very same moon shone over the Blackfoot village. What were her mother and father doing at this moment, she wondered. Was Danielle standing under this moon, wishing they could change places again, as Skyler wished?

Colonel Morgan Prescott stood in the shadows of the balcony and watched whom he thought to be Danielle James. He hadn’t seen her in over a year. He had no way of knowing that the girl he was watching wasn’t Danielle at all, but her cousin Skyler.

Morgan watched almost breathlessly as the bright moon shone down on her lovely face. He saw what could only be a wistful look in her eyes. He had never thought of Danielle as anything other than a spoiled, overindulged little girl. But as he watched her now, something stirred to life within him.

Stepping into the light, he moved to her side. “I wonder what you were wishing for just now? A new gown, perhaps, or maybe a new bonnet?”

Skyler slowly turned to face the stranger—but he wasn’t a stranger. She had heard his voice before, but when? He was a head taller than she was and wore the blue uniform of a Cavalry officer. She didn’t know the bars on his collar signified he was also a doctor. She couldn’t see his features very well since they were cast in shadows, but his eyes seemed to sparkle with mirth. She had been taught enough of the white man’s ways to know it wasn’t acceptable for a young unescorted lady to converse with a man she didn’t know.

Suddenly her heart started pounding and she waited for him to step into the light. She was frightened because she remembered her dream when she had stood on this balcony with this man.

“I do not know you, sir,” she said, stepping around him with the intention of returning to the ballroom. She was frightened and wanted to get away from him.

He reached out and captured her hand, stilling her movement. “What new game is this you are playing, Danielle? Surely you couldn’t have forgotten your old friend in only one short year.”

“You are mistaken, sir. I am not—”

“I know, don’t tell me.” He laughed down at her. “You are not glad to see me. If my memory serves me right, you said
you wished a Rebel bullet would find my heart, and you consigned me to the devil.”

Skyler looked into laughing silver-gray eyes. The man, whoever he was, had mistaken her for Danielle. “You do not understand, sir, I am not—”

Again he interrupted her. “I know, Danielle, you aren’t interested in talking to the likes of me. You told me repeatedly that you weren’t interested in a man who wasn’t marriage-minded. Well, I haven’t changed; I still don’t contemplate marriage. But we have said all this before. If my memory serves me right, you called me a rake and a rogue.”

All of a sudden Skyler began to lose patience. How dare the man in her dreams—the man she had loved—how dare he mistake her for her cousin. Shouldn’t he have known who she was? “You have an irritating habit, sir, of not allowing one to finish a sentence. Had you allowed it, I would have explained to you that I am not Danielle, but her cousin.”

Morgan frowned while he studied her face carefully. “Now I know you are playing a game with me. No one else in the world could look like you. I’m not put off by the fact that you are even trying to disguise your voice. You can drop the phony accent, Danielle.”

“I told you I am not Danielle! If you will just move aside and allow me to pass, I would be most appreciative.” Skyler was beginning to be irritated with the man and wanted nothing more than to join her uncle. If he were the man in her dreams, he wasn’t supposed to mistake her for Danielle.

His silver eyes gleamed as he gathered her in his arms. Skyler stiffened, too taken aback to react at first. He was going to kiss her just as he had in her dream!

“There is one sure way to end this discussion, Danielle. I have once tasted your lips, and I believe I shall just do so again. I never forget the way a woman’s lips taste. Every woman is unique.”

Skyler wanted to leave, but she seemed hypnotized by the deep chord in his voice and the way he was looking at her.
Since she had never been kissed by a man—no Blackfoot brave would ever have dared touch her—she wanted to run but couldn’t.

As Morgan looked into her luminous blue eyes, he remembered the other time he had kissed Danielle. She had flirted with him outrageously, as if she had been begging for him to kiss her. When their lips had met, he had felt nothing past a pleasant sensation. In the year since he had seen her, she’d hardly crossed his mind. Now he felt intrigued and touched by her soft beauty.

When their lips met, he felt her mouth tremble beneath his. Somewhere deep inside he felt a sweetness and longing to do more than kiss her. He wanted to deepen the kiss and tap her sweetness to the fullest. Startled by his strange reaction, he lifted his head and stared at her in amazement.

Skyler was bewildered by the touch of this man’s lips on hers. A warmth seemed to surround her heart, and it frightened her so much that she pulled away from him. Yes, her heart sang, this was the man she was to love. She didn’t know why, but the Great One had picked him out for her. As an Indian she put a great deal of importance on visions.

Placing her hand to her lips, she looked at him quizzically. What should she do? Surely he must know she wasn’t Danielle by now. Did he also know the two of them were destined to meet?

“My father will kill you for this,” she said, voicing the first thought that came to mind.

Morgan laughed. “Tag might be a bit miffed with me, Danielle, but I shouldn’t think he would go so far as to kill me.” He looked down on the garden below. “Even if he did call me out, Danielle, it was worth it for the stolen kiss.”

He turned his strange silver eyes on her. “It is odd, though, Danielle. You have changed somehow. I would swear you had never been kissed before, and you and I both know that isn’t true. Perhaps what you need is to be kissed more often. Haven’t the young gentlemen been taking care of you while I’ve been away?” The mocking laughter danced in his eyes.

Her heart ached at his mistaken assumption. “Sir, I have told you repeatedly who I am. I do not intend to stand here and take any more of your insults. If my cousin Danielle called you a cad and a rake, she had well-founded reason!”

His laughter followed her when she brushed past him and reentered the ballroom. Edging herself along the wall, she made her way to her uncle, who was talking with a group of men. Not wanting to interrupt him, she stood at his side, allowing herself to relive the incident on the balcony. Her face was flushed, and she placed her hand to her lips.

The music was playing, and Skyler watched the people dance by in a haze. Everything about this white world was a mystery to her. The man on the balcony had indicated he’d kissed her cousin before. Was it considered all right for a young woman to give her kisses so freely to a man in this white society?

As Skyler reached her Uncle Tag’s side, he turned to her and smiled. “You certainly haven’t sat down from lack of dancing partners. Are you enjoying yourself, honey?”

She hesitated, not wanting to seem ungrateful since he had planned on her having a good time. “I love the music, Uncle Tag, and the ladies’ gowns are so very lovely.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Skyler caught the flash of a blue uniform. Turning a defiant glance on the man who approached, she found herself blushing at his rakish smile. His smile was slow and his eyes gleamed with merriment. When they had been on the balcony, she hadn’t been able to see him all that well—in her dream his face had always been in shadows. Now, under the brilliantly lit ballroom, he seemed to stand apart from all the gentlemen in the room. The blue uniform fit his broad shoulders and six-foot frame to perfection. His features were bold and handsome. His hair and sideburns were golden in color. His most disturbing feature was his silver-colored eyes. They reminded Skyler of the color of a frozen pond, except there was warmth and humor in his glance. How well she remembered those mocking eyes.

Tag turned to the young officer, delight written on his face. As they shook hands vigorously Skyler could tell they were glad to see each other.

“It’s good to see you, Morgan—or should I say Colonel Prescott. I’m delighted to see some trigger-happy southern youth hasn’t parted your hair.”

Morgan smiled and caught Skyler’s eye. “Danielle doesn’t share your wish for my good health.” There was again the twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

Tag winked at Skyler, sending her a silent message of humor. Realizing at once that Morgan had mistaken his niece for his daughter, he decided to play the game to its fullest. “Morgan, you are said to be an authority on beautiful women. Tell me, do you think my daughter has changed much?”

Morgan’s eyes now seemed to caress Skyler’s face. “I find her more beautiful, if possible, but…I’m not at all certain I care much for her newly acquired accent.”

Tag grinned down at Skyler, who was unaccustomed to being the butt of a jest so therefore had said nothing. She was mulling the man’s name over in her mind, knowing she had heard it somewhere before—but where?

“I’ll tell Danielle you said so the next time I see her, Morgan. She is away just now visiting my sister. I don’t believe you have had the pleasure of meeting my niece, Skyler Dancing.”

Tag could hardly control his facial muscles as he watched the color drain from Morgan’s face. Morgan’s eyes seemed to sparkle like quicksilver when he looked at Skyler through half-closed lashes.

“No, I have not had the pleasure,” he said, bowing slightly. “I am at your service, Miss Dancing,” he added gallantly. He seemed truly humble and embarrassed at the moment.

Suddenly Skyler caught the irony of the situation and decided to make Morgan Prescott squirm even more. “But you are mistaken, Mr. Prescott. Have you forgotten we met moments ago on the balcony. I believe you said something about not being marriage-minded.”

The twinkle was back in his eyes. “Perhaps I should clarify that statement, Miss Dancing. I should have told you that I had not yet met the woman for whom I would wish to give up my freedom.”

“What a pity, sir. The young ladies must be pining away for you to take notice of them,” she stated flippantly.

Tag flashed Morgan a smile. “You can see that Skyler is like Danielle in more ways than one. I believe she can give tit for tat, should the occasion call for it.” Tag turned to his niece. “Skyler, Morgan is a neighbor of ours. He is a doctor in the Cavalry. Danielle has pestered him since she was small, and has looked up to him much like an older brother. If you can fool him into thinking you are Danielle, then you could fool anyone.”

“That’s true, Miss Dancing. Danielle always delighted in causing me grief. When she was small, she put frogs in my saddlebags and a burr under my saddle.”

Skyler gave Morgan a cold stare and it seemed her eyes had turned to blue ice. “Do not expect me to look on you as an older brother, Mr. Prescott. I have a brother of my own.” She still hadn’t forgiven him for taking liberties with her, even if he had thought that she was Danielle at the time. Most of all she couldn’t forgive him for not knowing her. If she had dreamed so often of him, shouldn’t he have known her?

“No, Miss Dancing,” he said, smiling. “I wouldn’t want to be your
brother.”

Skyler caught the hidden meaning in his words. She was more than a little disturbed by this man. She was having a difficult time standing there having polite conversation with the man when she had visioned the two of them making love. Her face burned red when she remembered the intimate parts of her dream.