On the Mountain

by Peggy Ann Craig

  He searched his mind but couldn’t recall the name, however, at the time he was consumed with the legalities of taking over his father’s inheritance. At the tender age of twenty it was far too overwhelming. In addition, a mother who became withdrawn and dependent on her eldest son. Looking back, he did recall just shortly before his death, his father was terribly displeased at discovering his mountain had been taken over by a community of drifters who refused to leave. One man in particular had crusaded for the people to remain on the mountain. If he recalled correctly, Prescott was right. His name was James Nicholson.

  “I’m afraid you’re correct, Mr. Haddock,” the officer conceded before Wade could reply. “They were a sorry lot that came from the banks of the Red River, but were a decent Christian group. Ended up encountering far more hardships than they ever expected and were lucky to make it as far as they did. By the time they arrived at Mount Louis, they had sold or traded all their possessions. They were left with nothing. Only their prayers and faith in a higher power.”

  Wade’s mind traveled back to the past and remembered his father had started court proceedings to have the people legally evicted when he died unexpectedly from a stroke. With everything else to concern himself with, the mountain people became a minor issue for Wade. The matter was put aside until eventually forgotten and no longer a concern. They lived quietly and without issue ever since. He found no solace knowing that his father’s death was the answer to a group of people’s prayers.

  Wade looked at the woman lying lifeless on his bed. Heedless of the fact his mother brought him up a Christian, he wasn’t much of a religious man, but at that moment felt an anger fill his heart toward a merciless God. If ever there were a time for restitution, he believed it was now.

  The officer turned toward the door to leave. “Let’s hope she survives and able to shed some light on what happened up on that mountain.”

  Prescott shook his head. “She won’t be any help. She’s a mute.”

  Wade had not offered the fact that what had alerted him to the incident down by the river was Anna screaming his name. The officer, however, was not in need of that detail as he proved to know more about Anna than Wade.

  “Anna can very much speak. As a matter-of-fact, she has a very sweet and gentle voice and loves to sing, in particular every Sunday when the community gathered for worship.”

  “That’s impossible,” Prescott declared. “She hasn’t spoken a word since she arrived at the Circle H.”

  The doctor who had been listening, offered, “Many times when someone has witnessed an event so traumatic, it leaves them the inability to speak. Depending entirely on what she saw or the details of the situation she came from, could in fact have frightened her terribly to the point of not speaking.”

  “Is it possible, she simply chose not to speak?” Wade quietly asked.

  “How do you mean?” The doctor tiled his head to look at Wade. “As I said, she could have chosen not to talk born from a fear of speaking.”

  “Yet, still had the ability?”

  The doctor frowned. “A person who is incapable of speaking due to a fear of it, has the ability but lacks the power to talk. It’s as if something inside shuts down when they go to speak.”

  Wade nodded and glanced at the woman on the bed. “How do you know for certain? I mean, how do you know when someone lacks the power to talk, or simply chooses not to.”

  Again the doctor frowned, obviously confused by Wade’s questioning. “I’m not certain why anyone would purposely refuse to speak, however, the answer to your question is no. There is no physical or technical method to determine a person’s ability to speak.”

  “Let me understand this,” the officer said. “Are you implying that Anna, who I assume has remained silent since the incident in the fall, has done so on her own free will?”

  Wade released a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure. All I know is that if she hadn’t screamed my name today, I would have never known anything was wrong.”

  Chapter 19

  “Anna spoke?” Prescott was the first to react. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Considering all that happened, it seemed a minor detail.”

  “Well, that’s wonderful.” Prescott’s face broke out into a bright smile.

  Wade didn’t nearly see it the same way, considering what she had to endure before speaking for the first time.

  “That still doesn’t prove anything.” The doctor told him as he packed up his black bag. “It can take something just as traumatic to jolt speech back.”

  Like rape and brutal force. A bolt of anger shot up and down his spine.

  “If I were to make a professional guess, I would determine that was the case.” He started to head for the exit and all four men parted the room at the same time. Wade could not look at Anna as he quietly shut the door. “This woman more than likely witnessed a very harrowing event that took not only the lives of her family but her community as well. She then fled with her life and found herself on a ranch full of men. If those two characters who did this to her had anything whatsoever to do with what happened on the mountain, then she more than likely had a fear of men. A very real and founded fear. Hence, her need for the disguise. In addition, she was hiding from the murderers who massacred the people on that mountain. With her identity concealed and her silence guaranteeing her anonymity she probably would have found sanctuary in her disguise.”

  “Invisible,” Wade quietly stated.

  “Exactly. Unseen and unheard.”

  “I don’t understand,” Prescott stated when they reached the bottom step. “She couldn’t remember what happened.”

  “Very possible.” He nodded. “Her mind would have blocked out the events that were too painful and unbearable. Though I’m certain no amount of amnesia could erase the fear she must have felt.”

  Wade conceded the doctor’s words. Fear was one element rarely missing from her eyes. They had reached the front entrance and the RCMP officer placed his hat back on his head and turned toward Wade. “As soon as I know anything, I’ll be in touch.”

  He nodded his gratitude while Prescott escorted the officer to the wagon. The doctor was slipping back into his coat and Wade noticed the blood stain on the front of his shirt. He looked away instantly.

  “I appreciate you coming out, doc,” he told him.

  “Not a problem.” The man smiled, placing his derby hat on top of his head.

  “Doctor,” Wade began and hesitated, not sure if he could ask the question. It was the answer he wasn’t entirely sure he could handle. “Was she...?”

  The doctor looked at Wade closely and seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. “No. Other than her nudity, there was no indication of rape. You got to her just in time.”

  He felt a flood of relief, but remained cold stoned on the surface. “If I had gotten to her in time, she wouldn’t be lying up in that bed.”

  The man had nothing else to offer to console Wade so placed a reassuring hand on his arm and said, “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on her.”

  “Thanks.” He watched as the man went outside to his carriage. Prescott stopped to have a few words with the doctor after returning from seeing the RCMP officer off. Turning away from the entrance Wade went into the great room and poured himself another drink.

  “You might want to cut back on those.” Prescott stated as he entered the room.

  Wade ignored him and dropped down on one of the large chairs in front of the fireplace. The weather was far too warm for a fire so Wade stared into the cold interior of the hearth and allowed his mind to go over the conversation he had with the doctor and the officer. He had learned more about Anna in an hour than he had over the past seven months.

  “Or perhaps I shall join you.” Prescott made a funny face and went over to make himself a drink. “Today has been shocking to say the least.”

  Wade made no reply.

  “The men returned from town earlier and very curious as to why there were two de
ad men down by the river and the presence of the RCMP.” Prescott took a small swallow of his drink. “I took it upon myself to inform them what happened.”

  Wade nodded.

  “Admittedly, they were shocked but very understanding. They asked on how she was doing.”

  “Then the secret is out.” Wade stated rather than asked.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s over.” He quietly said.

  “Yes.”

  He should have felt relief, but couldn’t find any comfort in the knowledge that Anna nearly paid the price of her life to set herself free.

  * * *

  Wade remained awake all night in the guest bedroom. He was mentally and emotionally tired, but his body refused to sleep. A fear that she would not be alive when he woke had him visiting his bedroom several times during the night just to ensure she was breathing.

  Shortly after sunrise Kathleen arrived on the first stagecoach and upon seeing her brother’s spent appearance slipped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. For the first time, Wade did not have the strength to brush her aside. He held her for several moments before she released him to step back and look up at him with concerned eyes.

  “How is Anna?” she asked.

  “Alive.” Though they were meant to be words of good news, he looked far from relieved.

  “Thank God. I was so worried I would be too late.”

  He ran a weary hand through his tousled hair. “It’s not over yet. Her breathing is still quite shallow.”

  Kathleen gave him a sad anguished look and reached out to touch his arm. “I’m here now. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  “Thanks Kathleen.” He offered her a weak smile. “She would like that.”

  “Why don’t you try and get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

  Giving his beard a rub he nodded, then headed back to the guest bedroom, however doubted sleep would come any easier. The day brought more individuals to the homestead than he had seen at one time since the Christmas party. Elizabeth had come from town once she heard of the horrible events and offered to nurse Anna. Between the two ladies, they took turns nursing the injured woman. Elizabeth also made herself useful in the kitchen and ensured everyone had a nutritious meal in their stomachs. At breakfast and lunch, she heated up a broth for Kathleen to spoon feed Anna.

  Joe and the rest of the ranch hands had wandered up to the house several times during the day, inquiring as to Anna’s well-being. Surprisingly, Wade had not expected such a reaction from his men. He had always known they were a decent lot and would have treated Anna’s female state as any other woman, with respect and courtesy. But they seemed generally concerned. In particular Joe, who like Wade, had taken to the boy in a fatherly manner.

  The doctor had also made a return trip and was relieved to see she had made it through the night. According to him, she had mastered the first hurdle, all they could do now was wait for her to awaken.

  Late afternoon, the RCMP officer made an unexpected stop at the ranch to inform Wade the constable had gone missing. He had packed his things and vanished at which point he was now considered a wanted man. Not officially charged with anything other than suspicion of involvement in a criminal act. Admittedly, it didn’t surprise Wade. Something about the lawman had not added up.

  By the time the sun set and evening rolled in, Anna had still not woken. He could see in his sister’s eyes her concern, and tried not to let his own get the best of him.

  “It’s been twenty-four hours,” she told him as she put an untouched bowl of broth on the kitchen counter. “Shouldn’t there be some sign of movement?”

  Wade placed his dinner plate in the sink. That very same worry had crossed his mind several times that day as he waited for her to wake. But for his sister, he put up a brave front. “Dr. Patterson said in addition to losing a lot of blood, she has a fractured jaw. Perhaps it has something to do with her delayed recovery.”

  “How long does he think she’ll be unconscious?”

  “Hard to say. Depends on her own ability to pull herself out of this.”

  Kathleen’s eyes looked so sad and Wade wanted to reach out and comfort, but he feared his own ability to remain composed. Movement from the back staircase had them both turning to look. Prescott and Elizabeth descended from the top floor where they had been visiting Anna for the past hour and a half.

  “How is she?” It was the first question out of Kathleen’s mouth whenever someone emerged from Anna’s room. He knew that she continued to wait anxiously for Anna to awake. Only then would she be out of the woods.

  “The same,” Prescott stated matter-of-fact, and Wade turned aside so as not to allow his siblings see the grim look on his face.

  “We thought perhaps if she heard some familiar voices, it would help give her the strength she needed,” Elizabeth said.

  Kathleen nodded and put the kettle on for coffee. “After everything she’s been through, I can only imagine how difficult it is for her. With her family gone, we are all she has left.”

  “Wade,” Prescott said and had him raising his eyes to look over at his younger brother. “She needs all of us.”

  His mouth set in a firm line. He had refused to visit her room all day. There were people around who could help her so much more than he could. She didn’t need him. He had thought she did. Hell, he had promised to do just that and she believed him as evidenced when she called out his name in her hour of need. She had trusted him. However, he had failed.

  Kathleen was studying his face closely and sighed. “We understand you’re hurting, Wade, but Anna needs you. Probably more than anyone.”

  He didn’t want to hear anymore. Turning abruptly from Kathleen he headed for the staircase with the parting words, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help Anna.”

  “Wade, please, stop,” Kathleen tried to call him back.

  “Look, I’m tired and heading to bed.” He stopped on the bottom step to add, “Wake me if there is any change.”

  He went upstairs and paused only momentarily outside her bedroom door, before shaking his head in self-disgust and entered the guest bedroom. Stripping off his clothing down to his undergarments, he tossed back the blanket on the bed and crawled underneath. He wasn’t lying when he claimed exhaustion. Without sleep the night before he thought all he would have to do was close his eyes and he would be gone instantly. However, the only thing that happened was he was haunted with images of a blood splattered Anna lying motionless in the tall grass.

  After several hours, he eventually gave up trying to sleep and left his room. The house was quiet, indicating that everyone had retired for the night. He lit a lamp and headed down the grand staircase to the reading room. Perhaps reading would get his mind off Anna. As he entered the room, the bright moon outside lit the room more effectively than his lamp. He wandered over to the titles that were his usual choice and came across one of the books he had read to Anna last winter. Unconsciously, he reached out and stroked the spine.

  It had been such a lovely period. None of the ranch hands had returned that winter, leaving only Wade, Prescott and Anna. With Prescott spending most of his free time in Lantern with Elizabeth, Wade and Anna were given the greater part of winter to themselves. He smiled as he looked at the book. They had spent the time reading. Actually, he had read and she had listened. It was such a calming experience. Never before had he ever met anyone whose presence brought such a soothing calm into a room.

  He found a book he hadn’t read in years, then hesitated before sitting down in one of the large red velvet chairs. The chair opposite remained empty. He frowned and tried not to let the hint of fear creep up his spine. Turning he left the room and headed back up the main staircase. On the top landing instead of turning toward the guest bedroom, he went down the hall to his own room. He listened to the silence on the opposite side for several seconds before he quietly turned the knob and went inside.

  She lay in the same position as he had last seen her, however, he noticed
her face appeared even paler than before. He frowned and approached her, checking her pulse at the base of her neck. Visibly sighing with relief at the detection of a heartbeat, he dropped down in the chair next to the bed. He sat there simply looking at her and couldn’t remember feeling this grief-stricken since his father’s death.

  Sighing, he told her, “I’m sorry, Anna.”

  Of course he received no response and he wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to him again. He dropped his eyes, feeling a strong ache pierce his heart. If she were gone, he knew at that moment, there would be a gaping hole in his life.

  Seeing the book in his hand, he raised it and opened to the first page. Then began to read out loud.

  * * *

  He awoke with the realization that he must have fallen asleep while reading to Anna. His head lay on the side of her bed, brushing against one slender arm. Blinking rapidly, he straightened and immediately looked down at her face. She remained unchanged. Placing his elbows on the bed he ran both hands through his hair and rubbed his throbbing temples. He sighed heavily and got to his feet. The book which had fallen unnoticed to his lap, fell the remainder of the way to the floor. He bent and picked it up and laid it on the bedside table. Something caught his attention in his peripheral vision. He turned and looked down at her lifeless body. She lay completely still. He frowned, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, then left her to go downstairs for some coffee.

  He had just shut the door quietly behind him when he saw Kathleen heading towards him. The look on her face reflected her shock at seeing him emerge from Anna’s room so early, then quickly turned to concern. “Is she all right?”

  “Yes.” He nodded, “But no, she hasn’t woken.”

  Her eyes became fidgety as she darted a worried look between the door to his room and Wade. “Maybe we should send for the doctor.”

  He hesitated, before nodding sadly. “I’ll send Neil.”

  They parted then, Kathleen going in to see Anna, while Wade headed for the back staircase to the kitchen. Putting the kettle on, he went over to the back door and began slipping his boots on, when he heard footsteps running overhead.