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

As I started for the building housing the jail, the crunch of a boot sent me ducking into a darkened doorway. Either there was a night watchman, or the sergeant had got the place stirred up about a renegade redskin following the prisoner detail. Either way, a man emerged from an alley onto the street. A badge on his chest glinted in the light of a lantern in a nearby store window. Praying the glare of that lamp hid me from his sight, I stood stock still. He paused a minute before turning and sauntering off in the opposite direction. I exhaled silently and headed around behind the jailhouse.


Chapter 88