“Harold, this lawyer will call back. When he does I’ll give him your number, and I’ll get his.”
“That’s all we can do for now.” Harold’s breath sounded like static on the phone line. “Maybe you’re right and this is all a mistake. After today’s ride, Sally’s more in love with that horse. If there’s a problem, she’ll be terribly upset.”
“I won’t mention it just yet.”
“And tell Bird not to talk to her, either.”
Bird grinned at her aunt. As if.
Hannah said, “I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything more.”
Hannah and Bird sat in silence for a few seconds before Bird decided to show her the camera. Cliff & I R watching Sox 2night 2 make sure Dex doesn’t steal him, she wrote.
Hannah’s eyebrows shot up. “You think he’d do that?”
Bird raised her hands, palms up. Of course he would.
Bird wrote Hannah another note. I’m going 2 nap so I don’t fall asleep 2nite.
“What about dinner?”
Bird stuffed the cookie in her mouth and grabbed another. Wake me up at 8. Save me food!
Hannah chuckled. “Yes, my sweet child. Things are so dull when you’re not around!”
BIRD DIDN’T SLEEP A wink. She was too excited about the night watch ahead. She tried to rest, but every sound from outside her window caused her to jump up and look out. She fully expected to see Dexter sneaking around and trying to steal Sox right from under their noses.
Cooking smells from the kitchen finally ended her unsuccessful nap. Fried chicken, polenta, and fresh vegetables from Hannah’s garden. Too much goodness to resist.
Bird hopped down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“That was a quick nap,” said Hannah as she put a pot into the sink.
Bird grabbed a carrot stick from the table, noticing that the table was set for six. She pointed to it and looked at Hannah.
“Stuart called. Eva wants Julia to stay here tonight, so I invited them for dinner.” Hannah scrubbed at the pot.
Bird sat down. She picked up a piece of paper and a pen. What’s going on?
“Julia wants to stay here, and I said yes.”
I mean Eva. What’s up with her?
Hannah wiped her hands on her apron. “If I knew, I would tell you.”
Bird sighed.
“Remember, Bird. Your mother was always very difficult, until she met Stuart. Then she changed and now we’ve gotten used to her like this. But that change was only last year. Why are we surprised that she couldn’t stay like that forever?”
Bird could see Hannah’s point. Changing was hard — she put her hand to her own throat. She ought to know.
Will Stuart B able 2 put up with her real self?
Hannah chuckled as she read Bird’s note. “Time will tell, Bird. Time will tell.”
Minutes later the screen door opened and Stuart, Julia, and Eva walked in. Stuart and Julia were dressed casually in shorts, and Eva wore a ruffly pink dress that was cut very low, and very short. Bird thought it made her look like she was trying to be sixteen — a wrinkly sixteen-year-old tart. Bird cringed.
“Come in, come in!” Hannah rushed to the door. “You’re just in time. Dinner will be on the table the minute Paul comes home.” She indicated the chairs. “Keep me company in the kitchen while I finish up. Can I get anyone a drink?”
Bird thought she was being a little too cheerful. Eva obviously made her nervous.
“I’ll have lemonade or orange juice, if you have it,” answered Stuart.
“Me, too!” chirped Julia, trying to sound carefree. “Unless you’ll pour me a scotch on the rocks?”
Eva frowned. “Not funny.”
Julia’s smile disappeared.
“Doesn’t anybody offer alcohol around here?” asked Eva. She fluffed her blond hair and jutted out her chin. “To adults?” She sent an irritated glare in Julia’s direction.
Hannah raised her eyebrows at the tone. “What can I get you, Eva? Wine? Beer? Gin?”
“A glass of white wine.” She sniffed. “Chardonnay. Chilled.”
“I’m on it.”
Stuart had been looking out the window. “Are you getting some improvements done, Hannah?”
“No,” Hannah answered. “Why?”
“There’s a man taking pictures at the gate.’
Hannah and Bird exchanged a quick glance before Bird rushed out. A man was indeed standing at the road with a camera. He saw Bird and immediately ducked out of sight. Bird ran down the lane after him, but all that remained of his visit was a cloud of gravel dust.
Bird re-entered the kitchen and quickly wrote her aunt a note. Man taking pics. Now gone.
“What’s going on?” asked Stuart.
Hannah showed him the note. “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “Probably somebody out for a drive, and wanted a picture of an old Ontario century farm.” Stuart smiled at Bird. “So, what are you up to, young lady? You look like you’re up to something — more than usual.”
“Bird can’t answer,” said Hannah. “Her speech is gone again.”
“Oh, no,” said Stuart with real empathy. “Not again.”
Bird looked at her mother for her reaction, but Eva was busy studying her nails.
“I’ll answer for her,” Hannah said. “There’s a lot of excitement going on around here —”
Bird knocked over her lemonade, spilling half of it on the floor. While everybody was gasping and running for towels, Bird grimaced at Hannah. Hannah nodded. She got the hint.
Once the lemonade was cleaned up, Stuart asked again, “So, what’s so exciting around here?”
“Bird is all excited about the big show this weekend,” Hannah said, with a reassuring smile to Bird.
“Wonderful!” enthused Stuart. “Do you feel ready?”
Bird smiled and nodded brightly.
“You’ll win, don’t worry. The only problem you have,” said Stuart, “is that you’re the best rider and Sundancer is the best horse around. People might get jealous.”
Julia piped up, “They already are! Everybody convents him!”
Hannah stifled a laugh. “Do you mean ‘covets’? As in wishes they had him?”
Julia sighed. “Yes, I do. I can’t get it straight.”
“It’s a rarely used word, Julia,” said Stuart kindly. “Good for you for trying.” He looked at Bird. “If Sunny is so coveted, you’d better be sure he doesn’t get stolen.”
Bird took a short breath. Even joking about horse theft was too close to the truth.
“It does happen, sometimes,” said Hannah lightly. She looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. “I wonder what’s keeping Paul.”
The phone rang on cue and Hannah picked up the receiver. “Hello? … Oh, hi! I was just wondering where you were! … Oh … No problem … Just take care of the mare and come home when you can … Yes! I’ll save you some chicken.” She hung up with a soft look on her face. “He works so hard.”
“If you say so,” Eva snipped.
Nobody spoke.
Stuart tried again to make normal conversation, and returned to the topic of stolen horses. “Hannah, do you really think that someone might actually come here in the night and take a horse like Sunny?”
Hannah spoke carefully. “It would be highly unlikely.”
“And nobody could steal Sunny anyway!” exclaimed Julia. “He’d kill them first!”
Bird could picture someone trying, and laughed silently.
“Well, Bird,” Stuart teased, “if you were ever worried about losing Sunny before the big show, you could always hide him in an ‘undisclosed location.’ Don’t politicians do that when they want to avoid the press?”
As everyone but Eva chuckled, Bird’s mind raced. An undisclosed location … Merry Fields! The Piersons’ barn was empty. Dexter would never think of looking there. What a good idea!
Ur a genius! wrote Bird. Now I know what 2 do in case of horse theft!
“Glad to be
of help,” said Stuart. He made a play of blowing on his fingertips and patting himself on the back.
Bird and Julia laughed, but Eva stamped her foot. “It’s elementary!” she said. “Even a fool would know that.”
The kitchen went quiet again. Hannah stared at her sister in disbelief. Julia stood beside Bird with her head down, and Stuart exhaled slowly.
“And while I’ve got everyone’s attention …” Eva spoke to Bird, a steely glint in her eyes. “If anyone has questions to ask me, I prefer them to ask me directly.” She turned to glare at Hannah. “And if anybody asks any questions that should be directed to me, don’t answer on my behalf.” She pointed her finger at Bird. “Tell that person to ask me!”
Bird shrank back in her chair. Eva obviously knew she’d been asking about her father, and as Hannah had predicted, she wasn’t happy about it. Still, Bird felt unfairly accused. She had asked Eva those same questions, and Eva had flatly refused to answer.
Eva picked up the glass of white wine that Hannah had poured for her and drank it down. She emphatically held out the emptied glass in Hannah’s direction. “Another.”
Stuart rose from his chair. “I’m sorry, folks. Eva, we should be going now.”
“Don’t you dare apologize for me!” she shouted. “If I have issues with my family, I’ll discuss them! And I will go when I want to go and not before.”
Stuart’s face turned pink. He spoke so quietly that Bird could barely hear. “You’re upsetting everyone. If you choose to stay here, you’ll go home alone. And I will not be there.” He walked to the door and took his car keys from his pocket.
Hannah said, “Oh, Stuart. I’m sorry!”
“No, I’m sorry. I was hoping that Eva could be reasonable tonight. I suppose that was wishful thinking.”
“There you go, talking about me again!” Eva rushed to the door, as if she wanted to hurt him. “Get out of here!”
Stuart looked at her sadly. “Goodbye, Eva.” He turned and walked out.
“Good riddance!” Eva called after him.
Stuart strode purposefully away. Hannah turned to Eva. “You really want to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Let him go?”
“He won’t be gone for long. He’ll come crawling back.” Eva tossed her head. Bird knew Eva thought herself too beautiful for a man to resist, but right now, with her hard eyes and her downturned mouth, she looked ugly to Bird.
“I guess we’ll see,” answered Hannah.
“And I meant what I said. I’m so mad that you told Bird about my affair with that no-good cowboy!”
Bird shook her head. She didn’t want to hear anything more, and she certainly wasn’t hungry. All the energy had left her body. She walked outside in time to see Stuart’s car waiting at the end of the lane. He was giving Eva a chance to change her mind. If only she could speak, she would have yelled out to him that Eva wasn’t worth it. Instead, she waved to Stuart and he slowly waved back. Then he drove away.
An urgent whisper came from somewhere behind her. “Bird!”
Bird turned around to see Julia waving at her from the upstairs window.
“Bird! Come here!” Julia waited until Bird got close enough to hear her whisper. “Mom wants me to come home with her, but I don’t want to be anywhere near her. I want to stay here — that was the plan. Can you help me?”
Bird gave her a nod. Her younger sister wiped away a tear. She looked alone and scared. Bird understood how she felt.
But right now she had things to do. She held up her hands and formed a “T,” for time out.
Julia whispered, “Thanks. Come back for me soon?”
Bird smiled and held up her thumb.
14
NIGHT RIDE
Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents; it was loaned to you by your children.
— Chief Crazy Horse, Oglala Dakota Sioux
Now, Bird put her mind to her spy job. She’d have to let Cliff in on the new plan about moving Sox to Merry Fields — she didn’t want him to wake up at three in the morning only to find the horse missing. And what about Frank? Would he be upset that she hadn’t followed his orders?
But the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that Dexter was going to make a move, and soon. By now, the lawyer in Montreal, as well as his client, would surely have called Dexter, wanting their horse. And what about the man taking pictures? It couldn’t be a coincidence. She had to keep Sox safe, and Saddle Creek wasn’t safe.
She hurried to the other side of the property, past the hedges, to Cliff ’s house. His truck was gone. She pulled out the pad of paper and pen that she kept in her pocket, wrote him a note, and left it on his door.
She walked back toward the farmhouse as the evening dusk was falling. In spite of all the pressure she felt and all the things she had to do, Bird took a moment to absorb her surroundings. She loved the musky scent of cooling air mixed with horse smells. The fields and the woods were alive with bugs and bats and birds, as well as all manner of small and large animals. Her spirits couldn’t help but lift a little.
The light in the kitchen window reminded Bird that her mother and her aunt were alone, and probably deep in conversation. Bird crept silently over to the kitchen window, which was open to let in the breeze. She got comfortable in the soft garden soil, trying not to crush any of her aunt’s flowers. One thing Bird had learned over her years of being mute was that eavesdropping was an underrated skill. A person could learn a lot when people didn’t know anybody was listening.
At first, there was no conversation at all, but soon, after a lot of cleaning up noises, Eva spoke.
“He doesn’t really care about me. At all. Sometimes I wonder if he ever did.”
So that’s what’s going on, Bird thought. Eva’s marriage to Stuart is in trouble.
Silence from Hannah.
“He doesn’t even try to be nice. I don’t know why I should keep trying if he doesn’t.”
More silence.
“I went to see him today. He made me feel bad. He told me that if I couldn’t find a way to get him out, I shouldn’t bother coming again!”
Went to see him? Get him out? Now Bird was confused.
Eva continued. “He even suggested that I seduce the jailer!” She began to sniffle.
It suddenly dawned on her. Eva was talking about her father. Bird should have known. Kenneth Bradley always had a big effect on both his daughters.
Now she could hear her aunt’s voice. “Eva, listen to me. He’s made his choices in life. They were bad, selfish choices. Don’t wreck your life over him.”
Bird thought about Frank’s wolf story. She knew which one her grandfather kept feeding.
“If you’re talking about my life with Stuart, I’m not! This has nothing to do with Stuart!”
“It doesn’t? Don’t you see how it works? Whenever you’re upset about Dad, you’re horrible to Stuart. Like tonight.”
“No, I’m not! I’m just upset about the trial! You don’t know anything.”
“I don’t? Why do you think I never had a real relationship until Paul came along?”
Eva sniffed. “That’s your business. Blame Dad if you like.” She sniffed again. Her voice became very quiet. “Maybe you’re not totally wrong, Hannah. When I think about it. It does happen. I don’t know why I get this way!”
“It’s good you’re starting to put it together, Eva. It’s not easy.” Bird heard Hannah push back her chair and walk to the window. When she next spoke, Bird was startled. Hannah’s voice was right over her head. “The girls must be hungry. They didn’t eat a thing.”
“That’s their problem.”
Hannah paused before speaking again. “I haven’t even gone to see him. I called once but he didn’t want to see me.”
“I’m not surprised. I always had a better relationship with him.”
“You think so?”
“You’re jealous, admit it. He wanted me around, not you. He
always liked me better than you and Mom.”
Hannah sighed deeply. “If that’s how you see it, Eva.”
“So how do you see it?”
Hannah paused, and said, “I don’t think we have time tonight for that conversation.”
Eva said, “Whatever. I know … and you know … that I’m his favourite.”
“Totally true,” sighed Hannah. “Uncontested. Now that we’ve figured out why you were so mean to Stuart, can we get to why you’re so hard on Bird?”
Bird stiffened. This was what she’d been hoping for. She listened intently.
“Bird!” scoffed Eva. “How would you like those judgmental brown eyes staring at you? The girl hates me! I can’t do anything right! I tell you, Hannah, she could be such a pretty girl if she’d do her hair and wear the clothes I buy for her. But no! Nothing I suggest is good enough for her!”
Bird had not expected such a tirade. And there was more.
“People can’t believe I’m her mother — she’s getting so tall! She’s getting a figure, too. I’m too young to have a daughter with a shape. I’m still in my prime!”
Hannah spoke in a kind tone. “Eva, you have to listen to yourself. You almost sound jealous of your own daughter.”
“How dare you!” Eva hissed. “That’s a lie! You insult me! Jealous? What is there to be jealous about? Everybody says I’m a beauty. She doesn’t look anything like me!”
Now we’re getting close, thought Bird. Here it comes.
Eva’s voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. “Every time I look at her I see Fred. Like she’s there to remind me of my big mistake.”
“You were young and in love, Eva.” Hannah’s voice took on a stronger tone. “Having Bird was one of the best things you’ve ever done. She’s no mistake. Don’t make her feel like one.”
“I don’t! I never tell her anything!”
“Maybe you should.”
Bird waited, needing to hear more. She sat utterly still as several more seconds of silence passed. She even forgot to breathe.
Eva’s next words were difficult to hear. She was crying now, hard.
“I’ll never get over him, Hannah. He was my first, and maybe my only, true love. I never saw him again before he died!”
Dark Days at Saddle Creek Page 15
