Thirty-two-year-old mixed blood John Strobaw, known to the Sioux as Medicine Hair, returns to his Turtle Crick Farm after a six-year exile on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Grief-stricken at the loss of his mate and lover Matthew Brand, known as Shambling Bear, at the Battle of Wounded Knee, he struggles to become a farmer again while fighting an internal battle to let go of the past and face his future. Will that future be with his best friend Winter Bird or with Pretty Face, an outrageous flirt who hasn’t yet decided who he is?<br><br>But before he can come to grips with this, John faces several battles. Will his former friends and neighbors accept him now the Indian War has come to an end? Can John forgive those same friends and neighbors after the murderous ambush of the Sioux by the 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee? Or survive the hostility of an Indian-hating sheriff named Charles Landreth and protect himself against the mindless fear and loathing for Two Spirits, men who love men?

Wastelakapi…Beloved

Iron Hand went on to explain he’d been a guest of Dog Fox at Teacher’s Mead before the unrest started. Dog Fox had been my father’s Indian name before Billy rechristened him Cuthan to give the youngster a measure of protection by claiming him as a son.


The sun moved across the sky for an hour before Iron Head came around to the reason for his visit. He wanted to sell cattle to the Indian agencies, specifically, Pine Ridge. He heard of Matthew’s and my efforts to build a herd at Rivers Bend before the harsh winters and troubles brought our efforts to naught.


“Medicine Hair,” he said, “I see your animals out on the range and know you understand how to do this.” With that he shut up and rocked back, arms folded.


“Do you have the support of the agent?” I asked after hesitating long enough to allow him to see I took his implied question seriously.


“He has told me that if I have cattle, he will buy them from me.”


Chapter 16