Chapter 1
Yuma Prison
Arizona Territory
Nathan Chasing Elk stared out the window, his hands fisted around the bars as he watched the setting sun slip behind the distant mountains in a blaze of bright crimson. One more day gone.
Moving away from the window, he paced the confines of his cell. Three long strides took him from one end to the other. There was nothing to impede his progress save for the narrow wooden beds that were stacked three high on the long sides of the cell. He glanced at one of the narrow cots with its bug infested straw tick. Given a choice, he would have preferred sleeping outside on the ground. It would have been cleaner, he mused, and far more comfortable.
He paced for hours, restless as a caged tiger, but it did nothing to cool either his rage or his frustration. Or calm the fear that threatened to engulf him. The fear that, in the end, he would stop fighting and they would win.
Sweat dripped from his brow, ran down his back. The summers in Yuma were like hell, with temperatures soaring above a hundred degrees.
How long until he lost the will to keep fighting, the will to live, and simply gave up?
He stared at the walls that surrounded him on three sides. They were made of granite, granite he had helped quarry with his own two hands. The granite had been plastered over and whitewashed. The doors were made of strap iron. Four years, six months and thirteen days since they had arrested him, four years of it spent in this hell hole. How much longer could he survive being locked in a cage, a cage that he had been forced to help build?
He swore under his breath. He thought it ironic that a number of the men who now inhabited the prison had helped to build it. The prison, situated on a bluff above the Colorado River, was located in what was surely the hottest, most isolated stretch of ground in the territory. The nearest town was Phoenix, which was over a hundred and fifty miles away. Prisoners from all over the country had been sent to the Hell Hole in the four years since the place had been built. There were even a few women confined behind the walls. One had been convicted of killing her brother, another for attempted robbery.
He stared out the barred door of his cell. Across the way, another prisoner stared back at him. Chasing Elk’s hands fisted around the bars. Did he wear the same disconsolate expression? Were his own eyes as sunken and devoid of hope?
Despair settled on his shoulders at the thought of never seeing his home or his daughter again. He knew that other prisoners had obtained pardons and been released early. So far, he’d had no such luck. But then, he’d been convicted of a far more serious crime than robbery or theft.
Escape. The word whispered through his mind, as fervent as the prayer of a dying man. Escape. It was his one hope. His only hope.
His hands tightened around the bars until his knuckles were white. There might come a time when he could no longer withstand the cold walls, the wormy food, the beatings, when thoughts of suicide would tempt him to put an end to his misery.
But it would not be today.
REVIEWS........
Romantic and easy-to-read, with good dialogue, DAKOTA DREAMS has an entertaining plot, and is peppered with real events of famous men from the West as well as some charming Indian fairy tales. There is adventure with the hero and heroine running from the law, and the book is a road trip through the wilderness and in the old Western towns of the 1800s. Most of all, it is a romance between two people who need each other for survival and happiness. Readers who like well-written Indian romances are sure to enjoy DAKOTA DREAMS.
Marilyn Heyman
Romance Reviews Today
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DAKOTA DREAMS by Madeline Baker is a captivating tale that will enchant and delight all western romance fans. You will love her intriguing characters that will capture your imagination as well as your heart.
Lose yourself in the vivid and detailed setting, and sigh over a romance that is truly memorable. This is one novel you won’t want to pass up.
Nadine from Romance Junkies
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---- DAKOTA DREAMS is a tense Indian romance starring a courageous heroine and a battered male with demons screaming at him to avenge the death of his wife and to bring his daughter home, which he wants to believe, is Catharine’s ranch. The character driven tale is loaded with plenty of action as the key players will converge in a showdown. Though the support cast seems somewhat one dimensional, Madeline Baker’s latest nineteenth century star-crossed romance contains a fresh fun story line. ---- Harriet Klausner
