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

Once the framework of the barn was lifted into place, Cuthan and Alex helped Lucas and me start hammering the siding in place. The younger boys’ task was to haul buffalo grass hewn from the prairie and mud dug from the crick to the site. Then they helped the women mix a tabby and pack it between the inner and outer walls for insulation. The barn began to look like a proper outhouse rather quickly after that. I decided to construct a gambrel roof as I’d seen in some of Billy’s books—one with two different angles joined at a hip. This allowed for the storage of more hay in the loft than in a barn with a simple steepled roof.


Chapter 23