by Linda Bridey
Marcus saw Seth’s inquisitiveness and grinned. “I know you would. Do you want to meet them?”
“Yeah. I do. Pa always said my curiosity would get me killed, but I gotta meet this other family of yours,” Seth said.
Marcus got all excited. “Okay. We’ll go whenever you want to. Just say the word.”
Seth laughed at his enthusiasm. “Okay, calm down. You love them, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. You will, too.”
“More than us?” Seth asked.
“I have enough love for all of you,” Marcus said.
“I can believe that about you. I just have one more question for you,” Seth said.
“All right. What is it?”
“Are you cookin’?”
Marcus laughed and got up. “I can. We gotta teach that wife of yours how to cook. Speaking of that, come with me, Claire. You might as well start learning now,” he said as he grabbed her hand and started leading her inside.
Seth saw a flash of something shiny on Claire’s ring finger and gripped her wrist. “Hold up!” He recognized their mother’s engagement ring and gazed at Marcus. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
“What do you think?” Marcus responded.
“I think it means there’s gonna be a wedding soon,” Seth said.
Marcus said, “You’re smarter than you look,” and then ducked into the house before Seth could react.
Chapter Fourteen
After they’d eaten, Claire changed back into her regular dress but didn’t put all of her petticoats on. She’d gotten used to the freedom of the Indian dress and didn’t want to be quite so encumbered as they rode to the ranch. She looked around at Marcus’ house. It was a mess, but she thought it could be charming with some work.
She ran her fingers over all of the books that lined the shelves and looked at the titles of a few that sat in stacks on the floor. Claire wondered if he’d read all of them and she wouldn’t be surprised if he had. She was amazed at how intelligent Marcus was and how much he had retained. That he was self-taught and could hold his own with her impressed Claire. She thought it a shame that he hadn’t had the opportunity to attend college. He would excel in his classes, she knew.
Marcus told Seth that he wanted to go get his things from the ranch and Seth said that they should come with him so he could act as a buffer for Marcus. Marcus was unsure of taking Aiyana with them, but Seth said that Maddie could watch her at their place in case things got heated with Dean.
Seth also offered to carry Aiyana so Marcus and Claire could ride double.
Marcus said, “Why? I have another horse.”
Claire looked at him and said, “Marcus, I can’t ride alone.”
“You’re gonna have to learn. You never know when it’s going to be necessary for you to do so. What if I’m not around?” he said.
Seth nodded. “He’s right, Claire. Maddie learned and you will, too. It just takes some practice.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “All right.”
Marcus had brought Arrow out of the barn. The horse wore only a hackamore. The black horse tossed his head. He pawed the ground, a sign that he was anxious to be off.
“Where’s your saddle?” Claire asked.
“I don’t need one,” Marcus answered.
“You don’t?”
“Nope. Let’s get you up on that horse,” Marcus said.
She went over to Rosie and stroked her neck. “Please don’t make me fall off,” she said.
Marcus stood close by, ready to offer assistance. Claire’s mount was a little shaky, but altogether not too bad. She settled into the saddle and took up the reins. Marcus smiled up at her. “Well done.”
“Don’t praise me just yet. As long as I don’t fall off ,I’ll consider it a job well done,” Claire responded.
“We’ll call it an auspicious start then,” Marcus said.
Claire nodded. “Agreed.”
Marcus gave her thigh a little squeeze and turned to his own horse. He took a couple of quick steps, grabbed Arrow’s mane and pulled himself up onto the horse’s back. Seth shook his head and said. “That’s amazing. I didn’t know you could do that. Of course, there’s a lot I still don’t know.”
Marcus avoided his gaze and said, “In due time, Seth. In due time.”
*****
Maddie hung wash on a long line. She would have never thought that she would enjoy chores like washing clothes or cleaning, but she did. Her experience with sewing and embroidery came in handy and she had made beautiful curtains for their house. Tessa and Lydia both envied her talent and had gotten her to make them curtains, too. Her only problem with running a house was cooking, and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Tessa had tried to teach her, and though she’d listened and practiced and made notes, it hadn’t seemed to make a difference. She felt bad about it, but Seth kept reassuring her that it wasn’t a big deal. Maddie knew he sometimes ate at Dean’s house, but she didn’t mind. Seth was a big eater and she cared that he got enough to eat. She also ate over there quite a bit.
As she put clothes pins on a shirt, Maddie smiled as she thought about the tiny life growing inside her. She knew Marcus was to thank for that. Her smile faded as her thoughts turned to the terrible events of the previous evening. All of them had been stunned over Marcus’ incredible news, but Dean’s reaction had been frightening. She hadn’t witnessed it, but as Tessa recounted it to her over breakfast that morning, Maddie’s shock had been profound.
Dean was honest, reliable, and usually good-natured. He’d always been kind to Maddie and she could see how much he loved his wife and children. The ranch wouldn’t have kept going without all the hard work he put into it while Seth was away. He was a good provider and brother to his siblings. There were times when he was annoyed with Marcus, but she didn’t understand from where the sudden rage at Marcus had come from the day before.
She knew that Dean had been angry with Marcus even before he’d found Claire and him in the tack room. There was something that didn’t add up about her little sister and brother-in-law’s suddenly amorous relationship. She felt that Seth was right about that. Then her smile returned as she remembered how precious Marcus’ baby was. Marcus’ face had glowed with pride as he’d held and played with her. He was a natural father.
Maddie finished hanging the laundry and was on her way back inside as Seth, Marcus, and Claire came riding up the lane. She stopped and watched the procession. Seth was carrying something on his back. As they got closer, Maddie recognized that it was the cradleboard in which Marcus had carried his baby last night.
She put a hand to her mouth to hide her laughter. Her husband looked funny with it on his back. They stopped in front of her and Seth said, “Hey, good-lookin’. You wanna watch an Indian baby for a while?”
Maddie’s face lit up. “I’d love to!”
Seth swung out of the saddle as Marcus helped Claire down. Claire put up a fuss over Marcus doing so, saying that she got up there so she guessed she could get down. Seth walked over to Maddie and planted a kiss on her full mouth. Then he carefully took off the cradleboard and brought it around so that she could take Aiyana from it.
Maddie was able to get a good look at the baby in the light of day. “Oh my! She’s beautiful! And she looks so much like her pa.”
“Don’t she?” Seth said. “I told Claire and Marcus about our good news. They were real excited about it.”
“So am I,” Maddie said. Her eyes shone with happiness and Seth kissed her again.
Marcus came up to her then. His demeanor was hesitant. He knew Seth’s position on the situation, but didn’t know what Maddie thought. He needn’t have worried.
“Marcus, she is such a little angel! Look at the mischief in those eyes. You’re going to have your hands full with her,” Maddie said, and kissed his cheek.
He looked a little bashful. “Thanks.”
“Marcus, did you really think that I would think any less of
you because you happen to be half Indian?” she asked.
Marcus shrugged. “There’s a lot of bigotry about that, against them, and I didn’t know how any of you would feel if you knew that I shared that heritage.”
She said, “You’re still the Marcus I know and love. And, it’s even better having you in my life now because you come with an adorable little girl!”
That made Marcus smile. “You say the nicest things, Maddie.”
“It’s true,” Maddie said.
Seth took Claire’s left hand and held it out for Maddie to see. “We’re not the only ones with good news.”
Maddie’s eyes got huge and then she handed Aiyana to Marcus and hugged Claire. The two women rejoiced and Maddie kept looking at the engagement ring and hugging Claire. Then she turned to Marcus and embraced him.
“I won’t say welcome to the family, because you already are my family, but I’m so happy for you and Claire. I know you’ll both be very happy,” she said, despite her niggling doubts.
No sooner had Marcus thanked her then she grabbed Claire’s hand and started pulling her towards Dean’s house. “We have to tell Tessa.” Then she stopped and came back and took Aiyana from Marcus. “And we have to show Aiyana to her, too.” Then the two women were on their way to give Tessa all the good news, leaving Seth and Marcus to shrug and smile.
“I think it’s a woman thing,” Seth said.
“Must be. Well, I should get my stuff. At least some of it. Damn, I didn’t think about not having a wagon,” Marcus said.
“You have a wagon. It’s in the barn,” Seth said.
Marcus said, “No. That belongs to the ranch. I didn’t buy it.”
“You’re right. We all bought it. You still own a third of this place, Marcus,” Seth said. “C’mon.”
He started towards the barn and Marcus was about to follow when he saw Dean come out of it. They stared at each other for long moments, neither budging. Dean looked at Marcus and saw that Marcus wasn’t afraid of him. That was fine with him.
Seth said, “Dean, don’t start anything. He doesn’t have to, but he’s come to get his stuff. There oughta be a way to work all this out. You’re being an ass, Dean.”
Dean said, “Do what you want, Seth. If you want to socialize with a liar, fine by me, but don’t expect me to do it.”
Marcus felt his heart crack a little more, but didn’t give in to the pain. “Dean, won’t you even try to understand? Pa didn’t think any less of me, why do you?”
Dean walked right up to Marcus and Seth got ready to intercede if necessary.
Dean said, “Marcus, my problem has nothing to do with you being half Indian. It’s the fact that you didn’t tell us for so long. That’s what hurts. After Ma died, I helped finish raising you and we taught you everything we knew about ranching. We looked after you, cared about you.” Dean’s voice cracked as he said, “Loved you. And you stabbed us in the back by keeping secrets and telling lies. That was something I thought we didn’t do with each other. And if that’s not bad enough, you tell us that you have this Indian family and that wouldn’t be so bad either, but they know about us. You didn’t keep us a secret from them.”
Marcus said, “Dean, it was different.”
“Yeah, it sure was. As you would say, you didn’t afford us the same courtesy as you did them. You thought more of them than you did us,” Dean said. His nostrils flared. “I can’t trust you, Marcus. I thought I knew you, but I don’t. Not really. I’m sure that what you told us last night doesn’t even begin to cover the amount of things we don’t know about you.”
Marcus nodded. “You’re right. There’s a whole ocean of information I want to tell you because I want you to know all of me, Dean. I want you to know. Finding out that I have a daughter has freed me and given me the courage to do what I should have done long before now. Trust goes both ways, though. I trusted you with my secrets now because I thought that deep down you’d see my side a little bit and be willing to listen. I guess we were both wrong.”
He stepped even closer to Dean. “And regarding my daughter? If you ever do anything that even remotely puts her in danger again, you’ll regret it. She is completely innocent in all this and you throwing dishes and stuff around last night was reckless. She could have been seriously hurt. You’ve always accused me of being reckless and I am, but not when it involves someone else’s life. You keep that in mind. I’m getting my stuff now and borrowing the wagon. I’ll have it and the team back before sundown.”
Marcus turned and walked away to the barn and went in. Dean looked at Seth. “So you’re really on his side?”
Seth shook his head. “I’m not on his side, Dean. I’m on the side of what’s right. It just so happens that you’re not on that side right now. You’re right. There’s a lot more he has to tell. He told me some this morning, but I’m not going to tell you anything. When you’re ready, you sit down with him and talk, Dean. That’s what Pa and Ma would want us to do. Oh, and by the way? He and Claire are engaged now, so you act happy about it for Claire’s sake because if you hurt her feelings, Marcus won’t be the only one who’s kicked your ass.”
Dean watched Seth walk away and seethed with anger. He stayed away from the barn. Instead he walked through one of the pastures to a stand of trees. Sitting down in their shade, Dean began turning things over in his mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Geoffrey O’Connor entered the family home in the Shady Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. As he came into the foyer, he checked the mail. It was always put in a basket on a table near the door. There were several envelopes in the basket and Geoff picked them up. He was hoping for some news from his daughters, but there was no letter from any of his girls. There was however, a letter from Marcus Samuels.
Geoff’s eyebrows rose as he noted the formal way in which the letter was addressed. The letter had been sent to both him and Maureen, and he went in search of his wife. He asked Mrs. Duncan, their head housekeeper, if she knew where Maureen was and she informed him that she was in their garden.
“There you are,” Geoff said as he saw Maureen strolling along by her rose bushes.
Maureen turned and smiled and Geoff was struck by her beauty, which hadn’t diminished over the years. “Hello, Geoff. How was your day?”
Geoff kissed her and said, “Fine, and yours?”
Maureen’s smile slipped a little. “I miss our girls, Geoff. I feel so alone here.”
Geoff hugged her close. “I feel the same way. I was hoping for a letter from them, but there wasn’t.” He released her and said, “However, Marcus has sent us a letter.”
“Marcus? I wonder what that’s about.”
Geoff said, “Let’s sit down here on this bench and find out, shall we?”
“Yes.”
They sat and Geoff opened the letter. Aloud he read:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. O’Connor,
I hope this letter finds you both well. I send this letter because I have much to tell you and something to ask you. I hope when you read this that you will not think less of me. My identity is not quite what I have led everyone to believe. When I was sixteen I discovered that Ralph Samuels was not my biological father. My biological father was an Indian brave from a local Lakota Indian tribe who raped my mother. I know this is shocking, but I beg you to please bear with me.
Maureen uttered a gasp of surprise. “How horrible for his mother,” she said, and instantly thought of Maddie and was grateful that things hadn’t gotten that far when Theo had attacked her.
Geoff continued reading. He was as affected as Maureen by Marcus’ revelation.
My mother had kept journals and after she passed, I found them. While reading them, I found out the truth about my heritage. I have known for thirteen years, but I have been unable to tell my white family for fear that I would lose them. My family now knows and while most have been accepting, it has caused a deep rift between Dean and me. I don’t know that it will ever be repaired.
I have other sibl
ings from the Lakota tribe, with whom I have good relationships. They know about my white family and do not hold any animosity towards me or them. I also recently found out that I have a daughter by an Indian woman named Redtail. We spent time together early last year and she is the result of that liaison. You have to understand that in the Lakota culture, these kinds of relationships are not looked down upon. Redtail was killed in a Cheyenne raid almost two weeks ago from the time I’m writing this letter. My brothers, He Who Runs and Black Fox, brought Aiyana to me. Aiyana means “eternal blossom” in Lakota. She has my eyes and she is beautiful.
I hope now that you know the truth about me, that you will not think any less of me and realize that I am still the same man you met and that my heritage is a positive part of me. There is much more to tell about all this, but I prefer to do that in person.
Now on to the main reason that I am writing this letter; as you know, Claire and I have been writing ever since Maddie and Seth’s wedding. Our relationship started out with much conflict. Over time, we grew to respect one another and to appreciate each other’s unique perspective on many subjects. We challenged each other and pushed each other to work and study harder. It made us better students, and I like to think that perhaps I helped Claire in some small way to achieve her degree. I am very proud of her for her accomplishments and do regret that I was unable to attend her graduation ceremony.
Our letters became less contentious the longer we wrote and we began exchanging personal information about our respective lives. Since Claire has been here, I’ve discovered what a charming and kind person she has become. Don’t get me wrong, we still push each other’s buttons, but there is no longer any real animosity towards one another.
We have developed strong feelings for each other. I have asked her to marry me and she has accepted my proposal. I know that it is traditional to ask the lady’s father before proposing, but I’m an impetuous person and I could not wait to ask her. I am asking the both of you for your blessing. It would mean so much to us if you were to give it.
