by Ana Meadows
“That doesn’t sound bad,” Raine said.
“No, none of that is. What happened when they first moved up there, and they started building their houses, was a suspicious fire. It wiped out not only the frames of their houses they had put a lot of time and work into, but a huge portion of their trees and wildlife before it was contained. We didn’t have any fire department back then at all. All we got now is the volunteers; I’m going to bed every night praying this place don’t catch. It’d go up like a match box.”
“The fire was intentionally set?” Raine asked her.
“Well, on the books there weren’t nobody arrested for it. As a matter of fact, I think they listed it as “unknown origins.” Folks around here pretty much knew who was responsible. I was just a teenager then, but I remember there being a lot of chaos in town over it all. We have a lot of hunters here in town, and a lot that come in from out of town and make the businesses here money. My own business thrives off the hunters that come through during the fall. As you can see,” she said, waving her arm around, “It ain’t exactly a packed house in here otherwise. When the state put that land up for sale, the town council put in a bid for it. They wanted to keep it part of River’s End and they said it would “belong” to its residents. I doubted that, all those old men on the council were really only out for their own gain. They had a lot of money backing them, but the tribe won the bid. The people here in town believed there was no way the tribe could have had enough resources to outbid them. They picketed and lobbied and whatever to get those records opened to the public. They said they had a right to see what the bids were firsthand. They found out they was wrong. The tribe had outbid them.”
“They didn’t leave it alone there though. There was this mean old rich man named Silas Noble. He lived in that big mansion up on the hill on the west end of town. I’m sure you saw it coming in?”
“I did, yeah. I got a few pictures of it from the road. I’d love to see it up close. It’s really some amazing architecture from what I could see. It kind of looked deserted from the highway.”
“The guy who lives there now is Silas’s son. Silas died about twenty years ago and the son is a recluse. Anyways, old Silas was a bigot. He hated anyone that didn’t have a white face and blonde hair. He owned the wheat mill, the family still does, and over half this town’s population works there. He tried to bully them out and just about the time he found out they weren’t afraid of him or his money…the fire happened.”
“Was anyone hurt in the fire, I mean physically?” Raine asked her.
“The word was no, but the rumor was that Silas’s son Rick had showed up at the hospital over in Helena that same night with burns over seventy percent of his body.”
“And the law didn’t find that suspicious?” Raine asked, incredulously.
“Silas had the sheriff in his pocket back then too. Rick was whisked away somewhere and no one ever actually proved the stories about the burns. It’s like an old folk tale in town now. Kids sneak up there to the mansion and try to get a look at him. He’s a modern day Boo Radley.”
Raine was only twenty-five years old, but she knew who Boo Radley was. ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ has been one of her favorite books, and movies as a kid.
“What about the sheriff now? Is he lax too? Is that what the fence is about?”
“No, Sheriff Potter actually keeps a tight rein on things.” Raine could tell by Shirley’s smile that she was very fond of Sheriff Potter. “The tribe built the fence after the fires and it’s stood ever since. As long as everyone keeps to their own side of the fence, things run pretty smoothly here in town. It’s a shame though. This is their town as much as ours, far as I’m concerned.”
“Where do they shop, and what about school for the kids?” Raine wasn’t sure what it was about these people that fascinated her so, maybe just the brief glimpse of one that made her tingle all over, or maybe just because it was all so different than where she was from.
“Sometimes they come into town. The guy who owns the grocery store, Mr. Petty, he’s a nice man and he doesn’t give them any problems. It’s just such an unfriendly environment for them around here though they try not to come down often. They have a select few of the boys who volunteer to come down, like Jacy and Ben. Every time I see them I try to send ‘em up a pie or something. It’s just a shame.” Shirley said the last again with a shake of her head.
“I met Jacy and Ben today briefly,” Raine said. “There was a group of boys that seemed to be taunting Ben over a silver bracelet or something.”
“Oh those boys all need to be whooped!” she said. “Ben’s mama and daddy died when he was only four. That bracelet and medallion he wears all the time are all he has left of them. They didn’t take it from him, did they?”
“No, I tried to help him, but they turned on me. That’s when Jacy showed up.”
“Let me guess,” she said, “That’s when they scattered?” Raine nodded and she went on to say, “They’re good boys, both of them. As far as school, they have their own teachers in the tribe. They do a “home-school” with them. I don’t think there are very many kids left up there right now anyways, they’ve all grown up.”
“Would they have a problem with me taking photos along the fence?” Raine asked her. She would love to get inside the fence, but the last thing she needed was to get shot at or arrested for trespassing. “It’s just so pretty up there.”
“I doubt they’d care. Mostly they just don’t want hunters and poachers up there these days. During those hundred years or so the state allowed hunting up there, they nearly wiped the wildlife out.”
Raine thanked her, finished her pie and coffee and after leaving a ten dollar bill on the counter she went back on her way. She spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening walking along the fence line of the Native American land taking photographs. The landscape of their land was really a sharp contrast to the side Raine stood on. While theirs was still lush and green with trees and wildflowers, the land on Raine’s side looked like the trees had been harvested too often and now didn’t want to grow back and although it was green in places, some of it looked like possibly homeless people had been living and camping on it along the way. There were smudge pots full of ashes and trash littering most of the perimeter.
The side that belonged to the natives looked clean and inviting. Raine was delighted when she came to a small river that stopped just on her side, she supposed she figured out where the name ‘River’s End’ came from. The river looked as if it continued through the other side for miles. The water was so clear that Raine could see rocks on the bottom and she could even catch glimpses of fish as they swam by. A grassy bank surrounded it and off in the distance a ways she could see an old wooden bridge that had been built across it. Of all the photos she had taken today, she thought these would likely be the best.
She realized that it was getting late in the day. The sun was already beginning to dip low in the sky. She turned to leave when she caught a hint of motion out of her right eye. She spun back around, but there was nothing there. She felt like she was being watched though. Turning her back on whatever it was watching her didn’t seem like a good idea so she walked backwards slowly until she reached the trail. Just as she was about to turn around again, something moved along the tree line on the other side of the fence. This time she stayed put and only moved her eyes, trying to see what it was. She caught a glint of yellow, like the reflection off a big amethyst and something tan. Whatever it was had gone back into the trees. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of something lurking out there in the woods looking at her and for the first time, she was a little bit happy to be on her side of the fence.
***
Raine had dinner at the house with Miss May and the other guests when she got back. She chatted with the mother of the teen for a while and then went up to her room. She had already had another long soak in the old tub and was downloading her pictures to her laptop when Jack finally got back. H
e looked beat and at first Raine felt bad for him.
“Hey,” she said sympathetically, “Long day?”
“Definitely,” he said. “Much too long. This place may not be the haven that I thought it was, and that’s not going to make our share-holders happy.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his jacket and tie. “Why?” Raine asked him, putting her laptop aside.
“There’s a lot of land out here, but just not as much available as I was led to believe. The guy I talked to this morning had some old strip of land that he can’t grow anything on, out in the literal middle of nowhere. There’s no water, no electric or cable lines, nothing. It’s so far from town it would cost an absolute fortune to lay all of that, so it’s basically worthless for my purposes,” he said. Raine had gotten up on her knees behind him on the bed and was rubbing his shoulders. He leaned his head back into her and said, “Mm…that feels good.”
“So, that was this morning,” she said. “What did you do the rest of the day?”
“I drove out to Billings and had lunch with an executive from Logan’s.”
Raine stopped massaging his shoulders and said, “Billings? Isn’t that like a three hour drive from here?”
“Three hours and fifteen minutes,” Jack replied. “They’re courting me, and when he heard I was in the state he asked me to come and meet with him. I had a fabulous lunch and then we hit the Indian Gaming Casino before I headed back.”
Logan’s was an international corporation that was founded by a man in Montana. They built resorts like Jack’s company did, but had become so successful and wealthy that they began investing in almost every type of business you could think of. Raine could see why Jack, who was interested almost to the point of being obsessed with his work, would be happy they were interested in him.
“So you were just out having a good time all day?” she said. Raine knew that wasn’t really fair. Jack’s work was never the physical kind and the reason he was so good at it was because of his people skills. But he had come in acting like he’d been digging a ditch all day, and to Raine lunch and a casino wasn’t exactly work.
“It’s all work related, Raine. It’s not like I was out partying. Why are you in such a mood? Did your day suck?”
“Nice way to ask how my day was Jack,” she retorted. If she hadn’t have brought it up in the first place, he probably wouldn’t have even asked. “My day was fine, but as usual it was spent alone, from the time I woke up this morning until I ate dinner downstairs. Alone.”
“You didn’t think this was a vacation, did you Raine? I mean, you clearly understood that I was here to work, right?”
“I understood that Jack, and I’m fine with that until I’m eating dinner alone and you’re out at some casino.”
“Oh Jeez, I don’t want to do this tonight, Raine. I have to be back up at the crack of dawn to drive back to Billings. Does the fact that I turned down his offer to stay in a five star hotel tonight on his dime so that I could come back to you mean anything?”
Sarcastically she said, “Oh so much. Thanks.” Jack didn’t catch the sarcasm, of course. You have to really be paying attention for that to happen and of course he wasn’t. He never was.
Chapter Three
Raine spent the bulk of the week alone. The people at Miss May’s were all really nice and often invited her along on their outings. She always told them no politely and that she was there to work. She was sure that the invitations came because they noticed how much time her boyfriend left her alone and they felt sorry for her. Raine was embarrassed by that and didn’t want anyone’s pity. She explained every chance she got that this was a ‘working holiday’ for both of them. She enjoyed her time having meals with them, or chatting with them in the sitting room, but she had no intentions of being a fifth wheel on someone else’s vacation.
She did get a lot of good tips from both the locals and tourists who had spent time out exploring about where to take some gorgeous photos within walking distance. A few of the ones that she had taken already came out so well she was thinking about submitting them just as photographs to a travel magazine she sometimes did freelance work for. It would bring in a little much needed cash and she would be happy knowing people may find this pretty little corner of the world because of her. By Friday, Jack didn’t seem much closer to deciding on a spot for his resort, and she was running out of new material for her photographs. She could email the photographs out from her laptop anywhere, but what she was really excited about was getting home and back to her studio. Some of the photographs were calling out to her, wanting to be splayed across the canvas in vibrant colors. Taking photos was fun, but painting was her passion and she was itching to get back to it.
Jack made it back from his scouting expeditions and meetings in time for them to have dinner together Friday night. Raine wasn’t sure if it happened as an accident or if he had really put in the effort, but either way she appreciated it. They walked down to the diner and as they waited for their order to come up Raine asked him, “Do you think we’ll be going home soon?” She knew instantly by the look on his face that her question had been a mistake.
“As soon as I finish what I was sent here to do. I’m doing my best here, Raine,” he said, sounding very annoyed.
“I didn’t say that you weren’t,” she replied, not wanting to argue. “I’m just anxious to get home and work.”
Jack rolled his eyes and said, “The one of us who gets paid to work needs to be here right now, or neither of us will have an income.”
She hated it when he threw something that was his idea in the first place back in her face. “That was uncalled for,” she said. “I already picked out some of my photos to sell and will be working on that tomorrow.” Jack used to be the first one to tell her to stick to her guns about what she would and would not do for money. He was a firm believer when she first met him that once an artist compromises themselves their work will begin to lose value and ultimately fizzle out. Now he seemed to be resenting the fact that she wasn’t making much money.
“I’m sorry,” he said, not sounding very sincere. “I’m tired. It’s been a long week and I’m tired of being in that old, drafty house. I want to be home as badly as you do. I miss my own bed and my own car. Maybe we should move to Helena and get a real hotel room for the duration of our stay.”
“I like Miss May’s house and this town,” she said. Raine wasn’t sure why she felt so strongly about the house, but there was something about staying there that at least made her feel at home when Jack wasn’t around. It was likely that Miss May and the others noticed her and talked to her and treated her with respect. If she was stuck at some fancy hotel or posh resort, she actually thought that would be far lonelier.
“Then I don’t know what the problem is,” he said with a martyr’s sigh.
Raine sighed too. “There’s no problem. I only asked when we might be leaving. I’m not rushing you.”
“Are you ready?” he asked abruptly. “I can hardly keep my eyes open.”
“Sure,” she said. Jack paid their check and as they were leaving they ran into Shirley, the waitress that Raine had spoken to on her first day.
“Hello there,” Shirley said. “You’re still stuck out here in the boondocks with us huh? Did you get some nice pictures along the fence of the tribal land that day?”
“Yes, I got some beautiful ones,” Raine told her.
She introduced Shirley and Jack and when she and Jack stepped outside he said, “What did she mean by along the fence of the tribal land?"
“There’s some property just north of town that belongs to a group of Native American people. It’s not really tribal land. It’s a group of Native Americans that bought it years ago and made their homes there. There’s a big fence around the perimeter of the land. I took some really nice pictures out there. I would love a chance to take some inside the fence line. It’s amazing how much prettier it is inside than outside.”
