“Are we gonna ride without talkin’ the whole way?”
“What is it you wanna talk about?”
“I’d like to know why you’re doin’ this for my father. You say he ain’t payin’ you anything. So why are you doin’ it?”
“I already told you.” Wolfer relaxed his hold on the reins as the large paint he rode threw up his head with a loud snort. “If I didn’t come after you, Eathen would. Where do you think Two Spirits’d be right now if your father rode beside you ‘stead of me?”
Her stomach tightened at the thought. “My father’s not a killer, Wolfer. He’ll be angry, of course. But he won’t harm Two Spirits.”
“If believin’ that makes you feel better then, by all means, go on deludin’ yourself.”
“You can’t be serious!” Her breath rushed from her lungs. “My father wouldn’t lower himself to commit murder! I mean…for someone to do somethin’ like that…” she stammered, at a loss for words, “they’d have to be deranged. I’ll have you know my father’s not crazy!”
“When a man’s daughter’s been defiled, there ain’t no tellin’ what he might be capable of. You’ve lived in a sheltered world, Jessie. Now you’re gonna get a glimpse of the real world.”
Something in his voice convinced her he told the truth. “Oh God! We can’t let that happen, Wolfer! We just can’t!”
“I’ve done all I can do to try’n talk him out of it. I came out here on my own to give Two Spirits a chance for his life. If he’s smart he’ll take it. If he ain’t,” he shrugged his massive shoulders, “his life’s as good as gone.”
“I’m sorry for almost shootin’ you,” Jessie told him, a slight niggling of guilt gnawing at her. “I thought you wanted to take me away because of my father. I see now you’re tryin’ to help us.”
“I’m glad you missed.” He smiled over at her for the first time. “Yeah, you’re Eathen’s daughter all right. Just like him, you don’t bluff.”
“Wolfer, do you think Two Spirits’ll come after me?”
“Yep!”
“I’m so afraid for him. I love him with all my heart, but if it means he could lose his life over our love,” she shuddered at the thought, “then I hope I never lay eyes on him again.”
“I believe you do love him, Jessie.” The horse shied off to the side of the trail as a rabbit bounded across their path. “I didn’t at first. But I believe all this has made you grow up a little.” Wolfer gave the horse a gentle slap on the side of his neck to calm him. “It’s a sorry mess. No gettin’ ‘round that.” He breathed deep against the raw feelings forcing him to admit he felt something for these two.
“If Daddy killed Two Spirits,” Jessie’s stomach churned with fear, “what’d happen to him?”
“With Eathen’s money and the power he holds in the state of Montana? Not a damn thing!” With one hand, he flipped up the collar of his heavy wool coat, adjusting the thick neck scarf more evenly around his throat. “There ain’t a judge in the state who’d convict him over killin’ an Indian. And for damn sure not one who put his hands on a white girl.”
Jessie felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. “Even if he didn’t touch her against her will?”
“Wouldn’t even enter into it.” Wolfer’s wide mouth tightened in disgust. “Tell you the truth, Jessie, I doubt anyone’ll know about you and Two Spirits. That’s the last thing Eathen wants to happen.”
“Won’t he even care about how I feel?” She felt as if they talked about two different men.
“Nope.” Wolfer refused to soften the truth. “In his eyes you’re still a little girl. To him, ain’t none of this your fault.”
“But, Wolfer, it is my fault!” Jessie saw herself as she behaved in the tack shed the morning of the storm. How she had ground her hips against Two Spirits, refusing to let go of him no matter how hard he tried to push her away. “Two Spirits tried to keep us apart. I’m the one who refused to stay away from him.”
“I kinda figured that’s the way it played out. Two Spirits is young, but he ain’t stupid. He didn’t grow up sheltered like you. He knew what’d happen if he touched you.”
“If you knew how many times he tried to walk away from me. I wouldn’t let him.” The tears fell unheeded down her face. “I kept throwin’ myself at him until he stopped walkin’ away.”
Her voice sounded so sad, he looked over at her. For the first time, some of the anger he had harbored for this girl pouring out her heart to him disappeared.
“Wolfer,” she reined in her horse, “why can’t you let us go? Please let us be together,” she pleaded with him. “You can tell my father you couldn’t find us.”
“I wish I could do that, Jessie,” he told her with all sincerity, pulling up on his horse’s reins. “But in the long run, I know it’d still turn out the same. Your father won’t rest until he finds you and brings you home. When you see him again, you’ll understand why I can’t let you go.”
“Are you tellin’ me my father’s ill?” Her blue eyes widened in alarm.
“Not physically, no. He’s filled with anger until it’s all but consumed him. Until he has you back safe, there’ll be no livin’ with him. I really don’t think you want to put your mother through that. Do you?”
“Do you want the truth?”
His eyes narrowed as he nodded.
“Right now, the one I’m worried about’s Two Spirits. My mother’s a strong lady. Always has been. They’ll both come through this one too.”
“I think you’re wrong this time, Jessie. The pain they’re sufferin’ over this could just tear them apart. Would you want that on your conscience?”
“No,” she brushed a long strand of hair out of her face, “but I don’t want Two Spirits on my conscience either.”
“The way I see it, you’re gonna find for the first time in your life what’s most important to you.”
“I don’t understand why it has to be this way.” She blinked against the hot tears threatening to fall again. “I’m a grown woman with a baby on the way. Why can’t they see that?”
“They can’t see it, Jessie, ‘cause the only child they’re concerned with right now is the one they brought into this world sixteen years ago.” He slapped the reins against the horse’s side, cursing Eathen beneath his breath as he saw her fall in beside him.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Miz Charlotte! Mist’ Eathen! She’s home!” Hattie called out, dropping the kitchen curtain back into place.
Throwing the dust cloth down on the large buffet, Charlotte ran to the front door, to find Eathen there ahead of her. “Eathen,” she cried, taking hold of his arm, “don’t go out there like a ragin’ bull. Let her come to us,” she tried to reason with him.
“Get outta my way, Charlotte.” Eathen jerked away from her.
“Eathen!” She grabbed the back of his shirt as he tried to open the door. “You’re gonna make things worse!”
“Goddamnit, woman!” He whirled on her. “If you don’t turn loose of me, I swear I’m gonna knock you on your ass!”
“All right then!” she yelled, releasing her hold on him. “Go ahead! Let her see what a deranged idiot her father’s turned into.”
Jessie had just stepped from the saddle when she looked up to see her father striding towards her.
Wolfer stepped in front of her and, holding up his hands, tried to reason with the out of control Eathen Thornton. “Now, calm down, Eathen. I didn’t bring her back so you could act like this.”
“Get the hell outta my way, Wolfer!” he growled, trying to push his way around the man standing his ground against him. “Jessie’s my daughter! Your business in this is finished!”
“Not if this is the way you’re gonna act, it ain’t.” Wolfer shifted his body sideways into Eathen’s way.
“Goddamnit!” Eathen yelled, his fist catching Wolfer in the side of his head. “I said get the hell outta my way!”
Dazed, Wolfer felt his legs buckle beneath him just before he h
it the ground.
“Mama! Do something!” Jessie screamed, running towards the house. Eathen reached out, grabbing her by her hair to jerk her backwards.
“You ain’t goin’ no where, little girl!” he snarled.
“Daddy,” she whimpered, “you’re hurtin’ me!”
“Not half as much as you’ve hurt me, goddamnit! Layin’ up with a fuckin’ Indian!” Eathen roared, tightening his hold on her. “Where the hell’s your brains, girl?”
Without warning, Eathen felt himself pulled backwards. Turning loose of Jessie and shrugging the hand from his shoulder, he spun around in time to see Wolfer’s fist barreling towards his face. As his head snapped back, he heard Wolfer growl.
“Come on, Eathen. I’m more your size. Take me on!”
Wiping the blood from his split nose, Eathen lunged, his fists balled and ready. “Yeah! I’ll take you on! Right now you’re just what I need!” he grunted, swinging once more, but this time his fists missed their target as Wolfer swung, catching Eathen in the mid-section to send him sprawling face first onto the hard ground.
“Mama!” Jessie wailed, at the sight of her mother running towards her.
Wrapping her daughter safe in her arms, Charlotte cried, “Jessie! Thank God you’re home!”
“Miss Charlotte,” Wolfer sniffed, wiping a sleeved arm beneath his bloodied nose, “I think you should take Jessie and go to the house. Eathen’ll be along soon as we’re through beatin’ the hell out of each other.”
“All right, take your time,” Charlotte said over her shoulder as she led a frightened Jessie to the house.
As they walked through the door, Hattie shuffled towards them.
“My baby chile!” Hattie pulled the slender girl into her big arms. “Ah’s so happy you’s home!”
“Oh, Hattie! I’m so sorry I lied to you,” Jessie gulped, trying to get the words out.
“Ah know you din’ mean ter lies ter ole Hattie, chile. Ah knows.” She rocked Jessie back and forth.
While Hattie and Jessie consoled one another, Charlotte glanced out the window to see how Eathen fared with the big man who had been kind enough to return their daughter.
“Eathen, now, goddamnit, this’s gone far enough!” Wolfer held up his hands as Eathen came at him again.
“You’re the one who wanted to mix it up,” Eathen snarled, his big fist already swinging to catch Wolfer in the mouth. “Now let’s see what you got!”
“Why…you…son-of-a-bitch!” Wolfer shook his head, spit blood.
“Come on, big man! Swing!”
Like a raging bull Wolfer lunged, driving into the other man so hard they both lost their footing. Panting and grunting, they continued to throw blows back and forth until neither of them could stand. At last they rolled away from each other, trying to catch their breath.
Dropping the curtain back into place, Charlotte turned away. “Maybe now he’ll be more reasonable.”
“Is Daddy comin’ in?” Jessie’s eyes widened with fear.
“Yes, sweetheart, he is. Don’t worry though. The discussion he had with Wolfer’s taken all the fight outta him for the time bein’.”
As Eathen walked through the door, Jessie took a step towards him. “Daddy, ain’t you glad to see me?”
“Right now, I don’t care to see anybody. Hattie, I need you to heat me some water so I can get cleaned up.”
“Yes suh, Mist’ Eathen.” Hattie already moved towards the kitchen. “Ah’ll go does it right now.”
Trailing Hattie through the door, he stripped off his torn shirt. “It don’t need to be hot. Just get the chill off.”
“You’s gwing ter needs sumpin’ on dem cuts,” she told him, pumping water into a large teakettle. “Soon as ah gets dis on de stove, ah’ll go gits whut wes gwing ter needs.”
Glancing up, he saw Charlotte standing in the doorway. “I thought you’d be in the other room consolin’ Jessie.”
“I’m not the one she wants right now, Eathen.”
“I’ll talk to her soon as I get cleaned up.” He lifted the teakettle off the burner. After pouring the tepid water into a washpan, he set the empty kettle on the sideboard to begin scrubbing his face and hands, wincing as the soap stung the opened cuts.
“Ah gots it, Mist’ Eathen.” Hattie set the small medicine chest down on the kitchen table.
“All right, just leave it, Hattie. When I’m through here Charlotte can help me.”
Shrugging her shoulders, she turned toward the door. “Awright den, effen y’all doan needs me no mo’, ah’ll gwan back in der wid Miss Jessie. Dat po’ chile needs all de love she can gits right now.”
Eathen glared at the woman’s reflection in the small mirror hanging over the washpan. “What she needs is a swift kick ‘n the ass! But I guess in her condition that’s outta the question.”
“Yes it is. She’s got enough problems without you addin’ that.” Charlotte handed him the fresh towel she had waiting nearby.
Eathen straddled a chair, waiting for Charlotte to tend his wounds.
“I hope you’re proud of the way you acted out there with Wolfer. The man spent over a week out in the cold to do you a favor and this is how you repay him.” She dabbed at an ugly cut over his eye with a piece of gauze soaked in iodine.
“Ouch! Goddamnit!” He pulled back. “If you’re doin’ this just so you can cause me more pain, forget it. I’ll get Hattie’s ass back in here.”
“Shut up and hold still.” She grabbed his chin, turning his face back around. “If you’d been actin’ like a man ‘stead of a hot-headed kid, you wouldn’t be needin’ any body’s help!”
“The way I handle situations in this house’s my business not yours, Charlotte.”
When she started to reach for him again, he blocked her hand. “That’s good enough. If I need anything else done, I’ll have Hattie do it.”
“Suit yourself.” She gathered up the soiled gauze. “Since I’m no longer needed, I’ll go back in with Jessie. As Hattie said, she needs all the love she can get right now.”
“Call Hattie off to the side and tell her we need to be alone with Jessie for awhile. I know she’s part of this family, but right now I think Jessie’d cooperate better if it’s just the three of us.”
“I’m sure Hattie’ll understand. Eathen,” she halted him as he lifted the wash pan from the stand, “I want your promise you won’t lose your temper. Jessie’s in a bad way right now, and I don’t want you upsettin’ her anymore’n she already is.”
“I can’t promise anything I’m not sure of myself.” He dumped the soiled water into the sink. “Every time I think of that son-of-a-bitch putin’ his hands on her, I lose all reason!” He banged the empty pan down on the stand. “I’ll try. That’s all I can promise.”
The loud ticking of the clock sitting on the small table next to Jessie’s chair echoed throughout the quiet room, its monotonous drone seeming to grow louder with each second that passed.
“Jessie, your father and I’d like to know what you’re plannin’ to do about your situation.”
With real fear, she chanced a quick glance at the man seated across from her. The unreadable gaze meeting her own increased her fear.
“I tried to do what I thought best.” Her eyes darted from one to the other. “But you sent Wolfer to bring me back. I want both of you to know, right now, I don’t wanna stay here.” Jessie laid a hand over her flat stomach, gathering the strength she needed. “I wanna be with the man I love and who loves me.”
Before either of them could move, Eathen lunged from his chair to pull an unsuspecting Jessie to her feet. “Now, you listen to me, little girl! And you listen to me good! I love you with all my heart, but you’ve shamed this family for the last time! Do you hear me?” He shook her, his fingers digging into her shoulders. “The last time! That red-son-of-a-bitch you think you’re in love with’s gonna die! You get that straight in your mind now! So when it happens, you won’t be surprised!” He shoved her away from him.
“Destroy you? What the hell do you think you’ve done to me? Do you think I want it known my own daughter laid up with a goddamn Indian?”
“See?” She spread her hands, staring at him in amazement. “You admitted it! What will everyone think? Eathen Thornton’s daughter went and got herself pregnant by an Indian. My God!” She whirled gazing at Charlotte. “The shame of it all!”
“You’re goddamn right, the shame of it all! This is Montana, girl!” He ignored Charlotte’s silent plea for him to calm down. “You knew better’n to pull your dress up for trash like that! Your mother and Hattie taught you about the facts of life! Why the hell didn’t you listen?”
“Yes, they told me what I needed to know about bein’ a good girl! And I am a good girl!” she cried, feeling her strength in the heat of his anger begin to dissolve. “I fell in love. Can you really fault me for that?”
“Love!” he snorted, rolling his eyes to the ceiling. “You don’t know the first damn thing about bein’ in love! If you did, you’d realize bein’ in love means you don’t go outta your way to get him killed!”
“I’m not the one threatenin’ him!” she screamed out her frustration. “You are!”
“I’m gonna do more’n threaten! I’m gonna kill him!”
“I don’t think you’ll get the chance,” Jessie challenged him. “Two Spirits’ll never come back here now. He knows what you got planned.”
“Oh he’ll come.” Eathen cocked his head to the side. “It might take him awhile. But sooner or later, he’ll make his move. When he does, I’ll be waitin’.”
“You’ve never loved me, have you?” She watched him, trying to glean the truth. “I mean not really. I’ve heard the arguments between you and Mama when you thought I’d already gone to sleep, about your wantin’ a son. All these years you just pretended to love me, and all the while wishin’ I’d never been born.”
Fated Memories Page 33
