Falcon was not a naturally cruel man. In fact, the Wyandotte Nation was one of the most civilized of the Eastern Tribes. He never would have gone on the raid if his wife had not been stolen in the unprovoked Iroquois attack. Nor yet would he have ever taken a captive if he did not need to replace what he had lost.

Had Maggie looked past his stoic exterior and met his eyes, she would have seen gentleness in their charcoal depth. Love was not something he intended to force. The ...