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 must find some way of returning to Virginia to visit my home back there. I don’t even know if there is any family left to oversee it.”


“No, I’ve kept an eye on that. An old acquaintance of mine from the Point has watched over the matter for me. Headquarters has denied me leave thus far, so I shall have to call upon my Point contact to intercede for me again. He’s on Sheridan’s staff, and Phil Sheridan carries weight with Grant.”


“I was sorry to hear of the loss of your brother.”


“He was a good man. A good man caught in a hopeless cause.” He paused. “As I would have been but for the counsel of Billy Strobaw. I’ll retire from the army as a major while my classmates—those who survived—wear eagles and stars. But that bothers me not a whit. I should not have liked killing my friends and relatives in useless bloodshed.”


He looked suddenly exhausted. “Yes, I want you, Otter. Terribly.”


Chapter 55