A love between two very different men is put to the test. John Strobaw, a young mixed-blood, grows up in the relative security of a family farm after the Civil War. His mother raises her family as Americans, but his foster brother, Matthew Brandt feels his red blood more keenly and leaves to ride with Crazy Horse. John doesn’t understand the longing he feels for his absent companion until he has his first sexual experience with a man and he only thinks of Matthew. After the murder of Crazy Horse, Matthew makes his way back home. John fights hard against a growing lust for Matthew, but when he ultimately succumbs, he is lost to this handsome, dusky warrior. Just when the future looks bright, another suitor appears -- a handsome Cheyenne army scout, and trouble looms on the horizon.

Echoes of the Flute

After the evening meal, I moseyed along with Otter and James to their cabin. James went on inside, but Otter and I sat a spell on the porch. My legs hit the ground solider than his. Dang, I was taller than he was. He waited me out.


“I read Grandpa’s journal. Pa said it was okay to keep calling Billy grandpa.”


“I learned a lot from reading it. But…but…”


“But you didn’t find your own answers. You’re feeling like Billy when he first set eyes on Cut Hand. Yearning…but not certain of anything,” he said.


The darkness made talking easier. “And it’s got worse now.” I told him about Matthew and me at the river.


“Now I understand,” Otter said. “After Bear left here, he stopped by the farm for a visit. I felt like he wanted to talk.” He gave a short laugh. “We even sat in Turtle Crick like he and his brother and I used to do. Thought it would loosen his tongue. It did, but he talked of other things. Dangerous things.”


Chapter 13