“Lieutenant! Lieutenant! Wake up! Mrs. Brownley is gone!” “What? Not again!” Colt came out of bed in his drawers and stumbled to the door, opened it to chubby Doc, his bald head shiny with sweat, the white fringe all disarrayed. “What happened?” “I tell you, she’s gone. Must have run away again in the middle of the night.” “Well, damn it all to hell!” Colt walked over to grab his pants and boots. “She promised me she’d stay until we could mount a patrol to get her little boy back.” “Dag nab it, I don’t care what she promised, she’s gone.” Doc rushed into the room as Colt stepped into his trousers and sat down on his bunk to put on his boots. Then Doc seemed to hear Colt’s words for the first time. “Boy? What boy?” “She’s got a son in the Comanche camp.” Colt was more than annoyed with the blonde; he was disappointed. He would have bet his life the girl would keep her promise. “Ohh.” Doc nodded in understanding as Colt pulled on his boots and the two walked out onto the porch.
