Renee Thompson has published natural history pieces in publications such as "Nevada" magazine and "Bird Watchers Digest," and has sold work to "Sacramento" magazine, "Woman's World," and more. She was a Top-10 winner in the 2001 Writer's Digest Writing Competition, Mainstream/Literary Fiction category.

Renee recently completed "Muddy Lagoon," a novel set in South Texas.

When Captain John Isaiah Coulter first arrived at Fort Abraham Lincoln in the fall of 1875, he never imagined a smile from Lily Bryce would cost him everything. The man was pure of heart - naive, some would later say - and demonstrated a demeanor so exceptional hed immediately drawn the admiration of the posts female residents.

The captains reputation as a gentleman circulated among the officers, as well, but Major Marcus Drake was less impressed with the captains propensity for etiquette than his interest in cards. It was for that reason the major invited Captain Coulter to his quarters to play a game of dime-ante poker only a week after the captains arrival in September. And that is where Captain Coulter first met Lillian Anne Bryce.

Lily was a petite woman with hair the color of spun taffy and lips as lush as a Santa Rosa plum. The blush on her cheek was remarkable in its depth, and her voice as captivating as a dandelion tuft. How a man so ordinary as Major Drake, with his moon face and musket-ball nose, had come to acquire Miss Bryces attention was a mystery to Captain Coulter. He watched her as she stood behind the major, her hands resting on the mans shoulders and then slipping, altogether absentmindedly, down the sides of his arms - a gesture too familiar, perhaps, for an unmarried woman with a reputation to protect. As it happened, Captain Coulter had overheard the uncharitable speculation concerning Lily before hed ever set eyes on her.

Sporting girl from a house of ill repute, Mrs. Wainwright said to Mrs. Williamson between bites of a warm, buttered biscuit in the commissary.

Only a matter of time before she separates Marcus Drake from his money, noted Mrs. Williamson.

Why else would she live with the man if she didnt intend to lay claim to his inheritance? Mrs. Wainwright stuffed a hefty morsel into her mouth. When she glanced up and noticed the look of consternation on Captain Coulters face, she scurried out the door without brushing the crumbs from her bosom.

There was no denying Lily Bryce fascinated John Coulter; made him forget, for a moment, that hed lost his beloved Emma to pneumonia two years earlier. And, now, when Lily reached a slender bare arm across the table to freshen the captains drink, John Coulter allowed himself to believe she smiled just for him. The pleasure he derived from this small supposition stirred his soul and made him realize just how lonely he really was.

After the men had played a dozen hands or more, Lily gave the majors shoulder a squeeze. Marcus, dear, she said. Its after two. Shouldnt you call it a night? Major Drake dismissed her with a scowl and a wave. She hesitated a moment before tidying up the table, and then picked up two empty glasses. She tapped a gold coin at the majors side. For my trouble, darling? she said, before plucking it from the table and tucking it into the lacy folds of her dress. Before she turned to leave, she glanced over her shoulder and bade the men good evening.

Captain Coulter rose a little too quickly and knocked his knee against the table. Pleasure making your acquaintance, maam, he said.

When Lily turned the corner and was no longer within earshot, the major removed the cigar from his teeth. Almost imperceptibly, he narrowed his eyes and said, Lets raise the stakes, shall we, Captain? Separate the men from the boys?

Captain Coulter stood, and then tapped the leg of his trousers. Im afraid my pockets are empty, Major. Perhaps its time I took my leave.

Major Drake dropped his cigar to the floor and crushed it with his heel. Why Captain, how do you hope to impress a pearl as precious as my Lily if you possess so little stomach for battle?

The captain gave the major a hard look. With all due respect, sir, I assure you my appetite for combat is exuberant. He thought of Lilys smile and added, And as for my ability to impress Miss Bryce, why, I surmise Ive already done so.

The major pushed himself from the table, stood, and drew himself to his full height. Youll do well to keep your distance from her, Captain, or pay a price for having ignored that advice.

The captain drew a breath but did not speak. Instead, he turned and walked from the room. Months later, the lieutenant seated next to the captain that night at the card table would testify in court that to Captain Coulters credit, he hadnt slammed the door but shut it in quiet confidence. I was impressed by that, said the lieutenant. Made me wish I was under the captains command instead of &well, being an officer and a gentleman, I cant really say now, can I?

*********

After the captains noontime meal of cornbread and buttermilk on Wednesday afternoon, he wandered across the parade ground to the sutlers tent, where Lily Bryce was in discussion with Baptiste Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader. The tent was filled with items not offered in the commissary, and Lily sorted through a pile of deer, beaver, and coyote pelts. Oh, Baptiste, she lamented, is this all you have? I so wanted to surprise Marcus with a new rug.

Them shabby hides over yonder is the best I can do, what with the herds getting scarcer ever day. He scratched his chin. Might have something to show you next month, but I doubt it. Easterners have dern near shot ever last buffalo from some train window or other. Reckon fur traders and buffalo alike are about whupped.

Ill pay top dollar, Baptiste. Just bring me something, will you?

Although she had her back toward the captain, he recognized her voice at once and seized the opportunity to say hello. Why, Miss Bryce, he said, removing his hat and smoothing into place a thatch of coal-colored curls, I hear bear skin makes a spectacular rug. I cant imagine Major Drake finding fault with a gift so fine as that.

    Baptiste picked his tooth. Cept I aint got no bear skins, neither.

Lily glanced at John Coulter, quickly drew her hand to her face, and turned away. The gesture was not lost on the captain, however, for in that instant hed noticed the narrow, inch-long gash flanking her right cheek. He grasped Lilys arm and pulled her around. Did Drake do that to you? he demanded, suspecting the wound - healing now, but edged with the remnants of a yellowish-purple bruise - was the price shed paid for his own careless remark to the major five days earlier.

As for my ability to impress Miss Bryce, why, I surmise Ive already done so.

Lily pulled away. Really, Captain, I dont see where its any of your concern.

At that moment, Elizabeth Custer strolled into the tent, and Captain Coulter released Lilys arm. Elizabeth was the wife of the commanding officer, and as such, a woman to whom such discussion would arouse unwelcome attention. All at once, Lily stepped away and feigned interest in a rabbit skin strapped to the tents wall.

Elizabeth beamed as she extended a gloved hand. If it isnt our dear Captain Coulter, she said. The captain bowed, and then pressed his lips to Mrs. Custers hand. Elizabeth turned a glacial eye toward Lily and then gathered her mouth as tightly as a purse string. I trust Im not interrupting.

Lily collected her skirts and passed between the captain and Mrs. Custer. Excuse me, she said, her chin pointed downward, her eyes on her shoe tops. Elizabeth stepped back, but the captain stood firm. When Lily brushed past, he remained a moment, watching the hem of her skirt stir the dust on the ground. All at once he turned, apologized to Custers wife for his hasty departure, then exited the tent.

Lily scurried across the parade ground, her bonnet ties flapping in the breeze. Even with his long stride, Captain Coulter could scarcely keep up. Miss Bryce, he said, kindly allow me a moments conversation.

Lily stopped short, her eyes lingering on the revolver at the captains hip. I know you mean well, she said, looking up, but its imperative you understand my situation is both delicate and complicated. Please dont interfere where you have no basis for doing so.

While I appreciate your circumstances may be delicate, he said, you must know I hold myself responsible for your injury. So I absolutely will interfere. Not only that, I will demand compensation on your behalf.

Lily gripped the captains forearm. You will not. I provoked Marcus, otherwise he never would have struck me.

Are you saying you somehow warranted this beating? That you deserved a quirting, like some sort of mule?

Lily dropped her hand. You exaggerate, Captain.

I speak the truth, Miss Bryce. Drake is an idiot, and I for one, do not suffer fools lightly.

Lily looked at the captain a long while, and then pulled the bonnet from her head. A cascade of coils tumbled down her back. When she spoke, her voice was matter-of-fact. Id be dead now if not for Marcus Drake. He took me in when nobody wanted me, fed me, put clothes on my back - even gave me the first ten-dollar gold piece Id ever carried in my purse. If it werent for him, some drunk in Junction City wouldve used me up long ago and thrown me into the street - or worse, taken what little money I had and cut my throat.

In that moment, it was as if the captain were held captive in a field of lilacs, so enamored was he with Lilys fragrance, the curve of the slender bone beneath her collar, the wispy tendrils that lingered on her lips when the wind blew. It was me who deserved the beating, he said, not you.

    Id sooner suffer a beating than a knifing, Captain. Now, if youll excuse me, she said, and with that, she gathered her skirt in her fist and walked away.

*********

John Coulter lay awake on his cot, ruminating over his conversation with Lily Bryce, thinking of all he wished hed said by the banks of the river that day, but hadnt. And because Captain Coulter was not the kind of man to allow an opportunity to slip through his fingers twice, he sent a note to Lily five days after their meeting at the sutlers tent.

That the captain neglected to include his rank in the salutation was surely perceived by Miss Bryce as evidence of his growing ardor, yet she did meet him - repeatedly - and over time, allowed their conversations to turn to affairs of the heart. Even so, she steadfastly refused to leave Marcus Drake. I owe him, John, she said each time the captain pressed her. Hes all Ive got.

If your financial well-being is the issue, I will gladly lend support, he said.

Lily sat a little straighter upon hearing this news, but when the captain said he loved her and then hinted at a proposal, she stated, rather abruptly, that she wasnt of a mind to marry - at least not yet.

Well, if youre waiting for a proposal from Major Drake, I suspect youll first see snow in San Francisco. He props you on his arm like a porcelain doll and whips you at his whim - I dare say, that is hardly the stuff of love or romance.

He cares about me, despite what you think &what youve seen.

Captain Coulter stiffened. Why do you make excuses for him? The man is a demon. He pressed his back against the tree and after a moment, leaned forward. Ill kill him, Im afraid, if I learn hes laid his hand upon you again.

Lilys eyes grew wide. Dont even suggest such a thing.

The captain placed his hand on Lilys knee. Then put my mind to rest - promise youll meet me here tomorrow and every day after that.

Lily outlined the captains lips with her finger, and then kissed the corner of his mouth. Will you insist on being my protector, now, as well as my lover?

I will, he said. He smiled tenderly and hoped, perhaps, that Lily might do the same.

Instead, she turned her face toward the boughs of the huge oak and sighed. Liberty Tree, she said. How do you suppose it got its name?

The leaves on the tree were almost gone, now, shaken loose by wind and weather. When the captain looked up, his face was covered in checkered sunshine. A man by the name of Jackson was hanged on that branch, there, above your head. He pointed to a thick, gnarled limb that jutted from the trees trunk. When the rope broke on the second swing, it was taken as a sign that Jackson was innocent after all, and so he was granted his freedom that very afternoon.|

Liberty.

The notion likely appealed to Lily more than she let on. Major Marcus Drake was, indeed, a brute, but he was also a wealthy man, and Lily, his beneficiary. She no doubt thought about the things a woman could do and the places she could go - Louisville or maybe even San Francisco - if her purse contained a hundred ten-dollar gold pieces instead of the two that now clanged about its empty chambers.

The majors money may still have been on her mind when she agreed to meet John Coulter on the bank of the river the next day, and all the days thereafter. When Marcus voiced his suspicion at her comings and goings one afternoon that second week, it was with a swollen lip and blackened eye that she next returned to Liberty Tree.

The moment John spotted Lilys tender bruises, he turned away in agony. I will kill him, I swear it! Lily clung to the captain, protesting that any act of retaliation would result in additional beatings. The captain pummeled his fist against the tree. Then leave him, I beg you.

It wasnt until John finally agreed to lie beside her on the blanket that Lily was able to console him. An hour later, she withdrew her pen from its case and began to sketch the horizon on an illustrators pad. She studied the skyline, and then, time and again, applied pen to paper. When shed finished, she held her work up for inspection.

The captain nodded his approval. Now that you have something to show Marcus at the end of the day, he said, perhaps hell think youve spent your time alone and keep his hands in his pockets, where they belong.

*********

With the arrival of winter, John and Lily no longer met beneath the branches of Liberty Tree, but in an abandoned shanty a few miles from town. The makeshift cabin provided cover from the elements and was furnished with a table, cot, and a small but functional woodstove. The couple met there three times a week for over a month, but despite Johns pleadings, Lily steadfastly declined his repeated proposals of marriage.

One afternoon, when the shadows of the day had grown long and the captain had only just arrived at the cabin, Lily tossed back the blanket and prepared to go. Marcus grows more suspicious by the day, she said. I mustnt give him an excuse to come looking for me. When the captains cheeks grew hot, Lily stroked his face and said, Please dont make this harder than it already is.

If you leave me now, it will be the last time youll do so, he said. I will not tolerate this continued rejection - not from you, not from anyone, Lily.

She stepped back, hesitated, and then threw her cloak around her shoulders. As you wish, then. She trudged into the snow, leaving Captain Coulter to his deep, dark regret.

*********

Decembers spirited snowfall settled into a bone-chilling freeze in January. It had been weeks since Captain Coulter had declared his refusal to again meet Lily, and his unwillingness to acquiesce on this point increased, rather than abated, his suffering. As he had in October, he thought of little besides Lily. His inability to concentrate on his work - or to sleep or even eat - resulted in a perpetual gathering of his brow and shadowing around his eyes.

In an effort to loosen the grip the weather held on the soldiers dismal states of mind, Mrs. Custer arranged a soiree. The officers and their wives were invited, and everyone was in attendance, including Mrs. Wainwright, Mrs. Williamson, and their husbands. Major Drake was there, too, as was the resplendent Lily Bryce.

Perhaps it was the cheerful encouragement of the fiddles and mandolins that inspired Captain Coulter to approach her; more likely, it was the vision she presented him. She was, without exception, the most beautiful woman hed ever seen. One look at her, and Captain Coulter wondered what could possibly have possessed him to rebuke her. When Lily paused a moment beside the punch bowl, Captain Coulter walked over to her and lightly touched her elbow. She looked up, lifted a brow, glanced over her shoulder.

Drakes outside, said the captain, looking to strike up a card game.

Lily solemnly inspected the contents of her drink. What brings you here, John? Surely you werent hoping to see me.

On the contrary, I was hoping to see none other.

If Lily was troubled by the captains miserable appearance, she didnt say so. She merely set her glass on the table and spoke in a low, soft voice. If I meet you again, it must be on my terms. Agreed? The captain glanced at the floorboards and said yes, it was absolutely agreed. The cabin, then, she said. Two oclock, tomorrow. Under the watchful gaze of Mrs. Custer, Lily smiled, squeezed Johns arm, then walked away.

*********

Captain Coulter spent a glorious hour with Lily Bryce that next afternoon in the shanty. He savored the feel of her hair as it lapped his body in corn-silk waves, the scent of clove that lingered in the air after each adjustment of the blanket, the curve of her hip as she settled in and lay quietly at his side. If he ached to again broach the topic of marriage, however, he kept the notion to himself.

The sound of hooves pounding the frozen ground outside soon shattered the comfortable silence. Lily jumped from the cot and looked out the window. Its Marcus, she cried. She quickly reached for her clothes, but made no move to put them on. John leapt from the warmth of the bed to peer outside. He pulled on his trousers and shirt while Lily scurried to the door and bolted the latch. Let me do the talking, she urged. Hell listen to me.

Aghast, Captain Coulter said, Ill do no such thing. Ill be damned if Ill allow that scoundrel to interfere with you again. The horse came to an abrupt halt, and at the sound of Major Drake stomping toward the door, Lily stood, motionless.

The door quivered as Drake hurled his fist upon it. Open up! he demanded. I know youre in there, Coulter&by gawd if I didnt warn you!

Captain Coulter pulled his revolver from its holster and aimed at the door. Stand back, Drake, or Ill shoot. In his fervor to defend Lily from Major Drake, the captain failed to notice that shed stepped to the other side of the shanty, well out of harms way.

Major Drake thrust his boot against the door and all at once, it shivered and burst open. The captain, dressed in his trousers and unbuttoned shirt, his suspenders grazing his thighs, balanced the guns muzzle at the major. Drake took three seconds to assess Lilys state of undress, and then lunged at the captain. Coulter pulled the trigger, and an explosive violence echoed through the room. Blood cascaded from a hole in Major Drakes neck, and he stumbled sideways before falling to the floor. Long moments passed, and when Lily finally inched forward, she stood over the major, inspected the wound, and said, Is it done, then? Is he dead?

Coulter fixed Lily with an incredulous gaze and then staggered back. What are you saying? That you wanted him dead? That you planned this?

Lily bunched her dress to her breast and turned her face toward the window. I planned nothing, John. It was you who pulled the trigger.

*********

Captain Coulters hair, disheveled and badly in need of a wash, fell across his forehead in thick clumps, and the shadow on his jaw looked to be of at least fifteen days duration. His tunic, once crisp and adorned with the accouterments of meritorious service in battle, now hung soiled and limp from his shoulders. Every so often he looked up with red-rimmed eyes and blinked uncertainly, as if bewildered by his surroundings. Some in the courtroom that morning speculated he no longer comprehended the charges against him; said that his reluctance to speak had less to do with the impending sentence against him than Lily Bryces betrayal.

On the sixteenth day of March, Mrs. Custer huddled with Mrs. Wainwright, Mrs. Williamson, and several dozen soldiers at Liberty Tree. They had gathered an hour earlier and now waited together in the cold. The damp, dreary chill served as a reminder that the Territorys harsh environment was as unforgiving as the captains situation was cruel.

Twenty minutes passed.

Where is that Lily Bryce? asked Mrs. Wainwright.

Nowhere to be seen, said Mrs. Williamson.

Mrs. Custer clucked her tongue. Oh, for heavens sake. If shes anywhere, shes in Louisville by now.

The crowd grew quiet. When the sergeant of the guard slipped the noose around Captain Coulters neck, the captain seemed not to have noticed. Instead, he stared blankly at the Missouri River, his thoughts as murky, perhaps, as the cold, deep water itself.

And when they hanged him, the rope swung twice but did not break.

*~*~*~*~*
Copyright © 2003 Renee' Thompson. All rights reserved.