Austin cocked his head. “I appreciate you telling me that. That's the kind of guy I need on this project. I need someone who can think, who won't back down from a new idea. This race I designed is like nothing on the mountain. It will process hundreds more logs per season.”
“Can I see the design?”
Austin narrowed his eyes. “What do you want to see it for?”
“I'm just curious. I want to understand the concept.”
Austin softened. “I would show it to you, but I don't have it here. I'll show it to you when I take you to the harvest tomorrow morning.”
Riskin brightened. “Thanks. I won't blow your idea all over the mountain, if that's what you're worried about.”
“I'm not worried. I know I can trust you.”
Riskin leaned back. His shoulders spread, and his eyes sparkled. “I never thought I'd be talking about this stuff again. I thought I left all that behind when I left the Mackenzies’.”
“You did good work at the Mackenzies’. A lot of people on this mountain have been waiting a long time for you to come back from the forest. They want to use your skills in their businesses.”
Riskin froze. “They do?”
“Sure. You and Azer managed that ranch on your own for years. There's not many men who could do as well as you did.”
Riskin moved his fork back and forth on his plate. “Mattox doesn't seem to think so.”
“Of course, he does. Mattox knows perfectly well what good work you did for the Mackenzies.”
Riskin's voice cracked. “Then why did he have to drive me off that way?”
Austin lowered his voice to a gentle murmur. “You know the answer to that as well as I do, son. You challenged him to an open fight for his chosen mate. He couldn't stand by and let you do that. That doesn't mean you didn't do good work for the ranch. You're a talented and experienced manager and a hard worker. Everybody knows that. You've been wasting yourself all these months with your head under a rotten log. You've got a life to live and a lot of good people waiting to help you live it.”
Riskin cast a glance over his shoulder toward the bed. Briar's eyes gleamed in the firelight. She heard. Maybe she was right. Maybe Austin was right, too. Life called him back.
Chapter 15
Briar heaved herself up on the pillows when Austin entered the cabin. Deep purple-grey darkened the clearing outside, and the cabin fell in shadow when Austin shut the door. “Where's Riskin?”
Austin jerked his thumb toward the door. “He's out there splitting firewood. He said he wasn't finished for the day.”
Aurora straightened up from the fire. “It will be dark soon, and supper's on the table. Tell him to come in.”
“He'll come when he's ready.”
“But he's been gone all day,” Briar protested.
“He's been with me all day,” Austin replied. “He's been working at the harvest since I dropped him off this morning, and I just picked him up right now. When we got back, he said he wanted to keep going.”
“He'll wear himself out like that.”
Austin dropped into a chair. “He's got amazing energy, that boy. He must have been going out of his mind in the forest all these months with nothing to do, and now he's making up for lost time.”
“How long will he keep working like that?”
“Maybe he'll keep working until he passes out. I don't know. He wouldn't do it if he was tired. My guess is he's not tired enough. That's why he wants to push himself.”
Aurora shook her head. “He's crazy.”
“He's young,” Austin countered. “I remember being like that. He wants to pack as much as he can into every day.”
“I don't like it,” Aurora remarked. “He'll burn himself out working like that.”
“It's a good sign,” he told her. “It means he's coming back to life. He's not hiding anymore.”
Austin and Aurora ate together at the table. Aurora put a tray on Briar's lap, and she ate in bed, but she couldn't settle down to rest after Aurora cleaned up. Austin and Aurora went to bed, and Aurora left a plate of food and a candle on the table for Riskin, but Briar sat up waiting for him for hours.
After the sounds of day faded, she heard the steady plunk of the axe outside. On and on it went, like a steady clock ticking. He never slowed down. He never flagged or stopped except when he stacked the wood against the house. The thump of the wood falling against the wall led to another steady tap of the axe.
How long could he go on like this? Would he work all night? She got tired long before he did. She slipped back down in the bed and closed her eyes. What kind of monster did she saddle herself with?
She started to drift off but woke to see him shutting the door as he came in. He slipped out of his boots and tiptoed to the table. He ate standing up. The candlelight glowed on his cheekbones.
Briar whispered in the dark, “You're back.”
His head shot up. “Are you awake?”
“I waited up for you.”
He took another bite of mashed potato and crept over to the bed. “You should be asleep.”
“I wanted to see you, but you've been working out there for hours.”
“I wanted to get it done. I want to do something for Austin and Aurora to thank them for putting us up.”
“You shouldn't work so hard.”
He set the candle on the table by her pillow. He whispered low, “I've been thinking. I want you to do something for me.”
“What is it? I'll do anything for you.”
“I want you to fix my leg.”
Briar gasped. “You do? What made you decide that?”
“I'm not strong—at least, I'm not as strong as I could be. I want you to fix me up.”
“You know I'll be happy to do that.”
“Do you need anything from your ma's to do it? Maybe Austin can go get us anything you need.”
“I don't need anything. Aurora already went down to the Homestead to get stuff for me. We can use the same on you.”
He stood up and took hold of his pants. “Great. Let's do it.”
She held out her hands. “Not now. We need daylight so I can see what's going on with you.”
He frowned. “Can't you do it now? I want to go back to work in the morning.”
“You'll just have to wait a few extra minutes before you leave so I can take a look at it.”
Austin's voice boomed out of the dark, “You can't go to work tomorrow, anyway. It's Saturday, so you'll have all day to work on your leg. Now, be quiet and go to sleep. Some of us are tired.”
Riskin jumped at the sound. He faced Briar with a stunned expression. Then they both dissolved into muffled giggles. She put out her arms and drew him down on the bed. He snuffed out the candle, and darkness closed over their heads.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Riskin supported Briar on one arm while she limped outside. He helped ease her down on a wooden bench near the water pump and sat down next to her. “Your leg is much worse than mine.”
Briar shook her head. “Mine is clean and fresh. I took a look at it yesterday when Aurora changed the dressing. It's knitting together nicely, and there's no infection—unlike yours. Now, let's take a look, but I'm not looking forward to what I'm gonna find.”
Riskin hesitated. Then he took a deep breath and slipped off his pants. He laid his leg across her lap. Briar touched the puffy scar with tender fingers. She prodded and pocked until he flinched, but she didn't stop until she found all the pockets of infection.
“What's the prognosis, Doc?”
Briar didn't smile. “It's pretty bad, Mister Dodd. I'm afraid I have to amputate.”
Riskin's face turned white as a ghost.
Briar stroked his cheek. “I'm joking, but you’ve got some serious abscesses here. I should lance them.”
“Lance them! You're not coming anywhere near me with anything using the word 'lance'.”
She shook her head. “Sweetie, please. You want me to fix your leg. The bes
t way we can do that is to drain these abscesses and then treat them with my mother's salve. It might hurt for a minute or two, but after it's done, it will hurt a lot less.”
“Is this what you would do to your own leg if this happened to you?”
She looked him straight in the eye. “Yes, I would. I would do it to myself if I thought I needed it. You can't keep on with your leg like this. You've let it go far too long as it is. If you don't get it cleaned up soon, it could turn your whole body septic and eventually kill you. Is that what you want?”
He planted a kiss on her lips. “Of course not. I'm going to stick around and make your life miserable for a lot more years before I quit. Besides, I need to be in top shape when I go off to fight Rhys.”
Her head snapped around. “Fight Rhys?”
He nodded. “You're right. Austin is right. You're all right. I've been sticking my nose in the ground all these months. I don't want to run from him, and that means I have to be ready to fight.”
She hooked her hand around his head and kissed him. “Hallelujah! I thought you would never come around. I'm so pleased! We're gonna get you in fighting form in no time.”
“Don't celebrate yet. He might kill me.”
“He won't kill you. You'll beat him.”
Riskin stared down at his leg. Angry bubbles of seething infection boiled under the skin. Even now, they poisoned his blood and sapped his strength.
Briar touched his shoulder. “Are you in there somewhere?”
He lifted his eyes to her face. “How do you know I'll beat him? What makes you so sure?”
“I don't know. I guess it's just a hunch. When I saw you fighting him before, I thought for sure you were stronger than him.”
“I am.”
Her eyes popped open.
He nodded at her reaction. “I always have been. I've known it for years. Maybe that's why I didn't want to fight him. I didn't want to beat him or have to kill him.”
Briar listened and waited for him to continue in his own time.
“I can't exactly remember, but I think maybe that's why I didn't go home after I left the Mackenzies'. I didn't want to face him because I knew I would have to dominate him. I might have to discipline him, and I didn't want to have to use my strength against him. The longer I stayed away, the easier it got to just stay away.”
“Have you ever fought him before?”
“Not since we were kids. I was always stronger, but I didn't want to shove it in his face. Most of the time I let him win. That must be why he thought he could beat me.”
“And when he fought you in the forest, he must have realized you were stronger. That's why he came after you with guns and dogs.”
Riskin nodded. “If I fight him in an open challenge, I'll win. I might have to put him in the ground.”
“Are you ready for that?”
His face cracked into a grin. “Not yet, but I will be as soon as you fix up my leg. Get lancing, Doc. I want to be back at work Monday morning.”
She made him go inside and come back with Aurora's sharpest knife. She draped a towel over her lap, and Riskin selected a stout stick from the woodpile. He clamped it between his jaws and nodded to her.
Briar couldn't look at him. She bent over his leg and sliced. His breath caught in his throat, and he groaned into his stick, but he didn't flinch. The knife scored deep into the knotted scar tissue. Blood and sticky green ooze gushed out into the towel. Briar milked the abscesses with her thumb until the blood ran clear and bright.
She dabbed away the excess and smeared the wound with a concentrated mixture of dried chili powder, lavender flowers, and dried comfrey leaves. The chili powder stopped the blood, and Briar held the wound closed until it sealed.
When it was all over, she turned to Riskin. “Hold this while I wrap it up.”
He pinched the skin together and spat out his stick. “You're a sadistic dominatrix, aren't you?”
Briar smiled and wrapped his leg in clean cloth bandages. “You better stay off this until Monday.”
“Stay off it! Never!”
Briar's mouth fell open. “Don't tell me you plan to chop more wood today after I just cut you open.”
“It's not my fault I married a wicked witch. I've got a job to do, and I'm gonna do it.”
Briar shook her head. “You'll spoil all my good work.”
“Try to stop me.” He stood up, but he had to sit right back down again. “Holy Jesus!”
She lay a hand on his shoulder. “I mean it. Take it easy.”
He puffed out his cheeks and heaved himself up, but he limped much worse than he ever did before. “I'll lick this thing if it's the last thing I do.” He hobbled off to the wood pile.
Briar blinked in the sunshine and listened to the steady beat of his axe. He groaned a lot more than usual, but he didn't quit. If he survived this, he could certainly face Rhys.
Chapter 16
Briar carried an armload of wood into the cabin and dropped it into the basket by the hearth. Aurora looked up from a frying pan set among the coals. “Thanks.”
Briar grabbed a bucket and headed out to the well. She worked the pump up and down. The strength moving through her arms and legs felt good after lying on her back all these long days. She lugged the water back inside and set it in the corner just as Aurora put the frying pan on the table.
The door swung open, and Austin came in with Riskin behind him. They left their boots at the door. Riskin kissed Briar and went to wash his hands. Austin sat down at the table. “I got a message from your brother Silas. He called Brody to tell me to tell you Dana had her baby and your ma wants you to come home to help out.”
Briar compressed her lips. “Thank you for delivering the message.”
Austin nodded. “I thought you would say something like that. At least send word that you got the message so they don't get mad at me.”
“All right.”
Riskin sat down. “You don't have to worry about the MacAllisters getting mad at you. We're leaving in the morning.”
Briar looked up. “We are?”
“We've imposed on these good people's hospitality long enough. We've got business to attend to, and the sooner we attend to it, the better.”
Briar sank into her chair. “I always knew this day would come. Now that it's here, I don't want to leave.”
“You've been here three weeks,” Aurora pointed out. “Riskin's leg is better, and your injuries don’t slow you down anymore. You don't have to stay here any longer. Don't get me wrong. I love having you around. It gets lonely here all by myself all day long, and now that you're better, you're a big help around the place. You don't have to hide anymore, though. You've got your own lives to live.”
Briar turned to Riskin. “Are you positive you want to do this?”
He nodded. He didn't show any signs of being unsure. “I'm ready. I'm not going to get any more ready.”
Aurora started serving the food. The group fell to their meal, but Briar still sat stunned. So, it happened. Her blessed escape with Riskin into peace and safety came to its natural end. The problems and complications and difficulties of life wouldn't wait any longer.
She stared across the table at Riskin. Even as she stared, she heard her own thoughts coming out of Austin's mouth. “You've changed. You're not the scared hermit you were when you came. You're bigger, stronger, more sure of yourself. You've matured, and you've done great work on the harvest. I really appreciate it. You saved my bacon more than you can know.”
Riskin shrugged. “I'm just glad I could do something to repay your hospitality. You've given me a lot more than I've given you. I never could face going back if you hadn't built up my confidence.”
“You did that all by yourself, son. You worked your tail off, every day from sun-up 'til sundown and beyond. You never shrank from any challenge I gave you. You're man enough to take over your tribe, and I ought to know.”
Riskin glanced over at him. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from y
ou.”
Austin took a bite of his bread. “It's too bad you're leaving in the morning. I wish you could talk to Brody before you go, but I suppose that can wait until after you talk to Rhys.”
“Talk to Rhys!” Riskin snorted. “That's a good one.”
Austin smiled. “As soon as you two come to an understanding, you come and see Brody. I know he'll back you.”
Riskin muttered down at his food. “I wish I could say the same for Mattox.”
“Don't underestimate Mattox. He's not the man you think he is.”
“Oh, I don't underestimate Mattox. I made that mistake once, and I won't make it again.”
Austin shook his head, but he didn't argue.
Aurora jumped up. “I want to celebrate. Let's open a bottle of wine.”
“You don't have to do that,” Briar told her. “You guys have done enough for us already.”
“I want to.” Aurora hurried to a cabinet near the bed and came back with a bottle. “I'm sorry I don't have any crystal champagne flutes. We'll just have to drink it out of the old clay mugs.”
She placed a clay cup in front of each person and the burgundy liquid gurgled out. Aurora help up her cup. “Here's to you guys. You should find all the success you want, and let nothing stand in your way.”
Riskin raised his glass. “Here, here, and here's to you guys. May Austin become the biggest timber tycoon on this mountain.”
Austin humphed. “Yeah, right.”
They all clinked their glasses together and sipped their wine in silence.
Briar set her cup down. “How's the race construction going?”
Austin bent over his plate. “It's going fine. Mason is as good as Riskin said he would be.”
Riskin waved his hand. “Don't listen to a word he says. The race is almost complete, and it's the most brilliant design the world has ever seen. It will revolutionize the timber industry. As soon as Austin's fir plantation comes up for harvest, the Farrells will be the richest tribe on this mountain.”
Briar on Bruins' Peak (Bruins' Peak Bears Book 7) Page 10
