Born into a society tolerant of homosexuals, River Otter is confused by the white culture’s persecution of such men. As the war begins to wind down, Otter leaves the only home he has ever known to help Major James Morrow, commandant of Ft. Yanube, build a farm north of the fort. He begins a new life with the handsome major while coming to grips with growing hostility toward natives and rising danger from a local militia bent on eliminating all bloods from the territory.<br><br>As his physical attraction for the blond soldier slowly grows into a love perilous to both of them, Otter is distracted by personal challenges. As he struggles to survive the social and political upheaval sweeping the plains, can remain true to his own set of values?

River Otter

I remained in hiding as the riders grew small in the distance. If they continued in their present direction, they would pass the Mead. Could they be headed there? If so that boded ill.


As the distant riders passed from view, my sense of unease increased. I unhitched the draft animal from the buckboard and hobbled her near a small rill in a hollow somewhat distant from the wagon. She would have both grass and water until my return.


Without a thought for abandoning my worldly belongings, I headed east back down the wagon track, chugging White Patch, named for the bit of white circling his left eye, into an easy lope the pinto could maintain for hours, despite the summer sun. A scraggly line of trees on the north bank of the Yanube provided some relief from the heat.


Chapter 9