““The Indian reached to his belt and pulled something loose. Lifting it high, he stared straight at the window where Loretta stood. She had the uncanny feeling he could see her. Something golden streamed from his fingers, shimmering in the slanting sunlight. “ Pe-nan-de ,” he yelled. “Honey, you call it. Send me the woman whose hair I hold.” “Oh, sweet Jesus,” Tom whispered. Unable to drag her eyes from the strands of gold trailing from the half-breed’s brown fingers, Loretta pressed a trembling hand to her throat. This isn’t really happening, she thought fuzzily. In a minute I’ll wake up. It’s just a bad dream. “We’re outnumbered fifty to one,” Henry said. “What in hell we gonna do?” Tom shifted at the window. “Ain’t no matter if it’s a hundred to one, you can’t send him the girl.” “Better just her than all of us.” A trickle of moisture dripped off Henry’s nose, and he made a quick swipe with his white sleeve. “I got Amy and Rachel to think of. You know what those savages would do to Amy, Tom.” “And what about Loretta?” Loretta reached to the wall for support. He wanted her? ””
