Category: Western Publisher: Ken Coleman
ISBN-10: 1534904123
Type: Fiction
Pages: 226
Copyright: June 1016
ISBN-13: 9781534904125
The story of a young woman forced to leave her husband and step daughter by a Cheyenne warrior. Then after 13 years the coming together of her daughter and step daughter with explosive consequences.
Rose is a young mail order bride who is taken away from her new husband and step daughter by a Cheyenne warrior and forced to accompany him across miles of Western Plains in order to reach his village where he plans to make her his bride. She makes several attempts to escape, but each time, her efforts come to nothing and she fears he may hurt her as punishment. But far from being the savage heathen he has been portrayed, she discovers a warm, gentle and caring side to his nature and also a sense of humour. Therefore, the only punishment he is willing to inflict is one of humiliation and embarrassment.
Rose has a violent temper and will go off half-cocked at the slightest provocation, so his boyish humour and easy laughter does nothing to quell her growing frustration. Therefore, he is never surprised and even welcomes her frequent attacks upon him. Her determination to hurt him with her small fists,only causes him to burst into gales of laughter, increasing her frustration even further. However her attacks on the Indian always accomplish the same outcome with the exhausted woman falling into his arms and despite her enmity toward him, enjoying his embrace.
As time passes, Rose, despite her wishes to the contrary, finds herself falling for the young Indian and on one occasion, saves his life when he is set upon by scalp hunters. After that, passion gets the better of them and it is Rose herself who instigates their first romantic and erotic relationship and eventually she becomes his woman.
However, Rose has a secret which she fails to divulge to him. She is already pregnant with her husband’s baby and fears her new man will shun her when he discovers the truth. But her fears are unfounded and he raises the child, Star Dancer as his own.
Thirteen years later, after tragedy strikes the small band of Cheyenne people she and her mother had been travelling with, Star dancer sets off to find her half-sister, Star, who owns a ranch somewhere near San Antonio, Texas. When the two volatile girls eventually meet, the reaction is like throwing dynamite into flames as they constantly argue and fight until they finally come together to fight a common enemy.
This is a story that scans nearly two decades and could be classed as two stories in one. The first part being about Rose and the second about her daughter who finds herself alone in violent and uncompromising situations as she seeks out her only remaining relative.
Excerpt
Rose felt as though she had been walking for hours, though in reality it was more likely, less than an hour. The Indian had kept her on a steady course along the bank of the creek and she began to wonder if he planned to make her walk the whole length of Kansas. It wasn’t just the walking that was so discomforting, though that was bad enough in her leather, ankle high boots. It was the uncertainty of what her fate would be once they arrived at wherever it was he was herding her. Each time she glanced over her shoulder he was close behind watching her back intently and she found it very unnerving to have somebody scrutinizing her movements so closely and she tried her damndest not to sway her hips too much, a legacy of her bar days and something she now did naturally. She had no idea how Indians viewed white women, or any woman for that matter. But she knew from experience, a hip swaying walk, more often than not set the pulses racing of many a cowpoke in the bars of Abilene and so she tried to appear as unattractive as possible to the Indian.
After what seemed like a lifetime of walking, her temper got the better of her and she finally, decided enough was enough, for she promptly sat down on the grass and folded her arms across her chest in defiance. She watched the Indian stop a few yards away and slide from the horse’s back before unsheathing a very big, wicked looking knife and stride purposely toward her. He looked very fierce and determined causing Rose to emit small squeal before scrambling to her feet and hurrying away on the course he had set her. After a few hurried strides, she risked a glance back and was relieved to see he had remounted and was following with a huge grin on his face.
Just when she thought she would not be able to go on much further, he came alongside her and turned her toward the creek. Once there, she stopped on the bank, but he nudged her with the shoulder of the paint and she staggered forward with a shrill yelp into the shallow, fast flowing water. He forced her to wade to the middle of the creek and then stopped her in the knee deep water before he dismounted and came to stand before her. Once more he unsheathed his knife and her eyes widened in terror.
‘Oh god,’ she whispered. ‘Please don’t kill me.’
He grabbed a handful of her dress front and pulled her toward him before slicing through the buttons that held it together and a squeal left her lips as he tore it apart and ripped it from her body leaving her standing there trembling in her chemise and drawers. He wasn’t finished yet though. For he sliced through the flimsy material of her chemise to leave her breasts exposed. Rose crossed her arms over her bosom and shook with fear and embarrassment as next, he cut away her drawers to leave her standing naked and fully exposed to his admiring eyes. She quickly, placed a hand strategically between her thighs to help defend her modesty while covering her breasts with her other arm. He walked twice round her as she trembled in the knee deep water. Then he stopped behind the attractive young woman and stayed there for what seemed an eternity and she wished she had a third hand with which to at least, partly cover her naked backside. He grunted in satisfaction and waded away from her. She turned her head and saw him mount his horse before riding past and urging the animal onto the far bank. There he dismounted and stood watching her while the hapless woman stood alone and vulnerable under his gaze uncertain of what she was supposed to do next. However, he soon left her in no doubt what he wanted her to do, for he indicated with hand signals and body movements, she should wash herself all over. She felt insulted by what she determined was an affront to her personal hygiene. Here was a filthy heathen telling her she must wash herself as if she was unclean. How dare he insult her so? Then she remembered her situation and concluded how laughable her indignation would seem if the situation wasn’t so serious. She knew to turn and run would prove to be futile so she turned her back to the Indian and knelt in the water so it covered most of her buttocks and then began to splash the cold water all over her body. When she had finished, Rose turned her head to look over her shoulder at the Indian who was sitting crossed legged on the bank watching. He signalled for her to come to him and she looked round frantically for her dress or undergarments, anything to cover her nakedness, but they had all floated away on the fast flowing water. She heard him call something in a deep, rich voice and when she turned her face to him, saw that he was beckoning furiously, for her to approach. She sighed resignedly and waded to the bank, with her hand and arm covering as much of her womanhood as she could achieve. Before she reached the bank, she noticed a fully laden pack horse close to the bushes behind him. He must have hidden it there before he came and found her and she began to wonder if he had specifically target her or had she simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time?
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Reviews for "The Star Girls"
Reviewed by E Harris
3/10/2019
The Star Girls is an exciting story that brings forth many aspects of what life was like for the Cheyenne and the settlers. Lives change in a heartbeat and often violently. This well written novel is populated with intriguing characters who face life threatening situations. They all share remarkable survival skills as well as a sense of loyalty. Carefully plotted and filled with colorful witty dialogue, The Star Girls is well worth reading.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through AuthorsDen. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Reviewed by Brittany Dalton
7/27/2018
This is a great book. It's easy to get threw and it's a page turner as well.
Reviewed by Mary Miller
1/1/2018
The Star Girls begins with a tragedy that is promptly forgotten as the characters are introduced and the story is woven. The characterizations are rich and deep giving the reader feelings of intimacy with the protagonists and a strong dislike of the antagonists. There is plenty of visualization provided, and the story never bogs down. The setting and times provide for action and danger as the author takes the reader through to the perfect ending. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
I like stories like this. Something that actually happened. The short excerpt left me wondering if the Cheyenne brave was going to provide her with an Indian dress so that she looked more like the maiden that he pictured.
Regardless of her boots, wading in knee-deep water would probably fill them with water and make it very difficult for her to walk, as well as very cold.
Story inspired by life of the author's great grandfather, a Black Cowboy who kidnapped his Native American bride after a cattle drive from Waco, TX to Dodge City, KS. Their story, him a master horseman and her a trained to be a healer with herbs and
Story inspired by life of the author's great grandfather, a Black Cowboy who kidnapped his Native American bride after a cattle drive from Waco, TX to Dodge City, KS. Their story, him a master horseman and her a trained to be a healer with herbs and
