Jude

by Linda Warren

  “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”

  “When you get some spare time, you can come spend the night with me in the house. It will be like old times.”

  “Pleeeease. Old times I do not want to relive.”

  Paige laughed and it was great to find humor in their terrible childhood. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  When she pulled into her driveway, Mr. Jenkins drove in behind her. A teenage boy helped him and within fifteen minutes they had the bed and mattress set up.

  “Nice seeing you, Ms. Wheeler.” He tipped his baseball cap to her.

  “Thank you, Mr. Jenkins.” Nothing else was said and Paige was grateful he didn’t ask a lot of questions.

  She put away all the stuff she’d brought and then made the bed, placing the old worn teddy bear in the center. Blinds were still on the windows, so she didn’t have to worry about anyone peeping in. She glanced at her handiwork and even though it wasn’t stylish, it would do. It was crisp and clean and would be all she needed as she waited for her son.

  *

  SATURDAY MORNING DAWNED bright and early. Too early for Jude. Zane woke him up at ten to five and Jude pulled him into the bed and pretended to smother him with a pillow. Zane laughed and squirmed and they roughhoused as they often had when he was little.

  “Come on, Dad. You have to get up. It’s Saturday.” Zane wiggled out of his arms and off the bed and stood there smiling with his hair in his eyes. No one would know his little heart was breaking.

  Jude swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. “The race isn’t until two.”

  “But we’re having lunch there and everything. The whole town will be there to celebrate Founder’s Day. We have to get there early so I can walk Bear around and he can get used to everything. You know he’s kind of fidgety and nervous. I want him to be relaxed.”

  Jude reached out and caught his son’s arm and pulled him down beside him. “I’m glad you’re so excited about this, but we need to have the talk about winning and losing.”

  “Aw, Dad, we’ve had that talk. Winning is great, but there’s no shame in losing.” Eyes as dark as Jude’s glanced at him. “Do you think I’m going to lose?”

  “No, son, but I’m proud of you whether you win or lose and so is everyone in the family. Sometimes, though, you have to be prepared for both.”

  “I am, Dad.”

  “I’m also proud of all the energy and effort you’ve put into making Bear a faster horse. That shows maturity and it shows me how important this is to you.”

  Zane frowned. “Don’t get mushy.”

  Jude hugged his son. “That would be terrible.”

  “Yes.” Zane jumped up and slid across the hardwood floor in his socks and underwear and it reminded Jude of an old Tom Cruise movie. “We gonna have a par-ty,” Zane sang.

  Jude wished Paige could see her son like this, all happy and excited with no worries in the world. After talking to Paige yesterday, Jude couldn’t get her and all the pain she’d suffered over the years out of his mind. He’d never dreamed her life had been like that. He would talk to Zane on Sunday about his mother and make him listen. He had to face the fact that he had a mother and they needed to meet. It wasn’t going to be easy, but he had to do it. It was the right thing to do for all of them.

  “Dad, you have to wear a white shirt today.”

  Zane brought him out of his thoughts. “Why?”

  “Because we’re all wearing white shirts.”

  “Who’s all?”

  “The Rebel family.” Zane dragged the words out slowly, as if his father might have a hard time grasping the fact.

  “And whose idea was this?”

  Zane thumbed into his chest. “Mine. Everyone on Team Zane is wearing a white shirt. Erin and Jody are wearing white and some other kids.”

  Erin was the DA’s daughter and Jody was the sheriff’s daughter. They were older than Zane, but because Zane had been moved up a grade, they were now in the same classes and had become friends.

  “Well, then, I better find a white shirt, because I’m definitely on Team Zane.”

  The morning turned into a circus with Zane buzzing around like a pesky mosquito, annoying everybody. He was just so excited he couldn’t calm down. He insisted on washing Bear and brushing his tail and mane so he would look beautiful. Jude finally sat him down and made Zane take a couple of deep breaths.

  Paige had been just like that in school over tests and school activities she was involved in. She’d get all excited and break out in a rash and she’d cry and get overemotional. Her son was just like her. He panicked easily, except he rarely cried.

  Finally, they made their way to the fairgrounds with Bear in the horse trailer. Jude’s mother and Phoenix rode with them to help calm Zane. The fairgrounds were three blocks off Main Street. The land had been donated by Delbert Miller, whose ancestors had been one of the town’s founding families back in the 1800s. He’d willed twenty-five acres and a house to the town of Horseshoe. The house had been redone and it was now used for weddings, parties, reunions and things like that. The race started at the house and went around the property and back. It was for kids nine to eighteen and all the Rebel boys had raced over the years, as every kid in Horseshoe had.

  Bubba Wisnowski and his friends always set up a barbecue stand at the event. Usually everyone brought food, but the barbecue was the big deal. There were games and fun activities for all the kids. The Rebel family gathered beneath a big live oak tree by the house and everyone wore white shirts. Zane was happy.

  His mother had brought fried chicken and the others contributed potato salad and sweets. They settled on quilts and ate lunch. There were a few chairs, occupied mostly by the women and Grandpa. Being pregnant, Rachel took a chair. Egan teased her that he’d never be able to get her up off the ground. They laughed and savored a spring afternoon with family.

  Zane talked incessantly and Jude had to make him stop. He was nervous—that was very evident. The McCray family gathered on the other side of the house and Jude watched as Malachi McCray unloaded Dudley’s horse. She was a brown mare with a blaze on her face and long legs. Just by looking at the horse, Jude could tell she was fast. A grain of doubt lay on his conscience and he knew his son had his work cut out for him to beat that horse.

  The mayor gave a speech, as did Judge Hollister. Then everyone visited and talked and enjoyed the day.

  “Fifteen minutes to race time,” Wyatt, the sheriff, announced over the loudspeakers.

  “Don’t forget to watch me,” Zane shouted to the family, and ran to the trailer where Bear was waiting. Jude and Quincy followed more slowly.

  “Tuck your shirt in,” Jude said. Zane’s shirt was hanging out of his pants and there was a stain on it, but he didn’t point that out. Ever since he was a little boy, Zane couldn’t keep a white shirt clean more than fifteen minutes. Jude should have remembered that when Zane had asked about the shirts.

  “Now, remember, partner, stay calm and focused and Bear will do the rest.” Quincy was talking to Zane.

  Jude pinned Zane’s number on the back of his shirt.

  “My lucky number.”

  Jude wanted to hug his son, but he didn’t, because he knew that would embarrass him. “You can do this. You’ve worked hard and you can ride that horse to victory.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Zane, for the first time today, seemed to calm down. He put his foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle. He rode to the starting line without another word.

  His son looked so much older atop the horse, sitting in the saddle like a pro. And Jude stood there staring after him, wishing Zane’s mother could see him now.

  *

  PAIGE SAT AT the kitchen table eating a salad and wondered how the race was going. She picked at the salad and then threw it into the garbage. Her nerves were tied into knots and she had to get back to painting. It would take her mind off the race. But that didn’t help. She wanted to see her son. Jude hadn’t invited her and she didn’t w
ant to go and cause a scene. But she wanted to see him so badly.

  Ten minutes later she was in her car and driving into town. Nothing looked to be open, because everyone was at the fairgrounds, but she was hoping Mr. Jenkins’s antiques shop was. She’d seen some old hats in his place yesterday and one of those was just what she needed to disguise herself. Her luck held. Mr. Jenkins was in front sitting in a rocking chair, watching the town. Usually several merchants stayed behind to keep an eye on things because even in Horseshoe there were thieves.

  She bought a big floppy hat that tied beneath her chin and made her way to the fairgrounds. Her car was small, so she was able to find a parking spot near the starting line. Riders on horses were milling around waiting for a signal. She could see clearly, so there was no need to get out.

  Her eyes scanned the riders and then she saw him on a paint horse wearing a white shirt. No one had to point him out. Her son was a clone of his father. She stared, soaking up every little detail. He was thin, which he must’ve gotten from Jude, too, because Paige had never been thin until grief had killed her appetite.

  He was so handsome she couldn’t look away. He handled the horse expertly and guided him to the starting line. Most of Horseshoe was here today, but only one person held her attention. It might have been wrong for her to be there, but she was going to watch her son win this race.

  *

  JUDE FROWNED AS the boys lined up. Zane was on the right and Dudley on the left. The other racers were in between. Jude didn’t like that positioning and he wished he’d talked to Zane about that, but it was too late. He felt Zane was going to get crowded out. Now Jude was nervous.

  Wyatt spoke to the boys and told them the rules. Then he stepped back and everyone waited eagerly. The Rebel family stood together, their attention on the race. Even baby John stopped toddling around, as if he knew something important was about to happen.

  Wyatt pulled his revolver from his holster and pointed it toward the sky. On the count of three, he fired. The thunder of hooves echoed and the race was on.

  Just as Jude feared, Zane was pushed to the side, but he made up time quickly. The race went around the property and was more like an obstacle course as it went uphill and then down through Yaupon Creek. The riders were soon out of sight but Jude caught a glimpse every now and then through the mesquite and the oaks. But he had no idea who was leading the race.

  Quincy slapped him on the back. “Stop worrying. Zane has this.”

  “He was just so excited about it and I don’t want him to be disappointed.”

  “He’s not.” Phoenix joined the conversation. “He’s the best rider out there.”

  They saw the dust billowing before they saw the riders. Zane and Dudley were out front, neck and neck, racing toward the finish line. But something was wrong. Zane wasn’t straight in the saddle as Jude had taught him. He’d leaned slightly and that wasn’t like his son at all.

  “Here they come!” Grandpa shouted. “There’s Zane right in front. Come on, boy!”

  “Something’s wrong,” Jude muttered.

  The Rebel brothers gathered around him. “Zane’s leaning,” Falcon said.

  “I know.” Jude moved toward the finish line and watched as his son suddenly leaned forward and Bear, with a burst of energy, shot away from Dudley. By the time Zane crossed the finish line, he was ahead by two links. But Bear kept running. Zane didn’t pull him up and there had to be a reason for that.

  Jude took off running for his son and looked on in horror as Zane slipped from the saddle to the ground, one boot caught in the stirrup. When that happened, Bear finally stopped and Zane was dragged only a few feet. Jude fell down by his limp son and stared at the blood on his face and shirt. Fear climbed inside him and held his heart in a vise.

  Quincy grabbed Bear’s reins and Phoenix gently removed Zane’s foot from the stirrup. His other brothers had reached them by then and they knelt as Jude half lifted Zane into his arms, carefully cradling his head.

  “What the hell happened?” Elias asked.

  There was a cut on Zane’s forehead and it was bleeding. The left sleeve of his shirt was shredded and it was caked with more blood.

  “Zane,” Jude called, and had to clear his throat as his emotions twisted into a painful knot. “Zane, son, wake up.” But Zane lay still, unmoving, and the bright sunshiny day full of hope turned into a nightmare.

  “Get Jenny!” Jude shouted. She was a nurse and would know what to do. But someone else pushed in beside him and he didn’t have to look to know who it was.

  Paige.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Get some towels and water,” Paige ordered.

  Jenny crouched down beside her with the items. Paige took a towel and pressed it against the cut on Zane’s forehead. “We have to stop the bleeding first. Hold it while I examine the other cuts.”

  Jude just watched as Paige dealt with their injured son. She undid the buttons on his shirt and removed it so she could see Zane’s arm. “Another bleeder on his neck. We’re lucky it missed the main artery.” She applied another towel to his neck and held it.

  “There’s so much blood,” Jude said.

  “The are many blood vessels on the face and skull, and once the skin is broken, it tends to bleed excessively. Hopefully, we can stop it with pressure.” She glanced at Jude then. “Remove his boots to see if his ankle is swelling from getting caught in the stirrup.”

  Her voice was firm, in control. This wasn’t the anxious girl he’d known. This was a professional doctor.

  He quickly stripped off Zane’s boots and socks. “There’s a slight bruise, but it’s not swelling—yet.”

  “Good. He’ll need an X-ray.” She continued to look at Zane’s arm. “Slashes have broken through the epidermis and the cuts look superficial, but I’m worried about his head hitting the ground. And it looks as if someone has beaten him with something.”

  Jude looked up and saw Dudley still on his horse holding a riding crop. Rage filled Jude. He got to his feet and marched to Dudley, who didn’t have enough sense to ride away. Reaching up, he grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of the saddle and onto the ground. Dudley tried to hit him with the crop, but Jude jerked it out of his hand and pressed his boot down on Dudley’s throat.

  “I’m going to show you what it feels like to be whipped!” He pushed his boot down harder and the boy gasped for breath.

  “Jude,” Quincy called. “Don’t do this.”

  “Look at Zane and tell me not to do this. I’m going to teach this piece of crap a lesson.” He leaned even harder on his foot and the boy started to turn blue.

  “Jude, Zane’s going to be okay. This isn’t worth it.” Quincy kept up his plea.

  “Do something,” Malachi said to Wyatt, who had finally made it to the scene.

  “Let him up,” the sheriff ordered. “I’ll take care of this.”

  “Daddy.” A little voice, Zane’s voice, came out of nowhere and brought Jude to his senses. He was hurting a kid. He let up the pressure on Dudley’s neck. “Tell me why you hurt Zane.”

  The boy coughed but didn’t say anything. Jude pushed his boot down again and Dudley moaned, “O-kay.”

  “Why did you beat Zane with the crop?”

  “Dad… Dad…said…if I didn’t win…he’d beat me.”

  Jude looked at Malachi and all the years of the Rebels and McCrays fighting seemed to escalate in that moment. He threw the crop at Malachi and it bounced off his chest to the ground. Jude walked away to his son without another word.

  Over his shoulder he saw Jericho pick up the crop and poke it into Malachi’s chest. “You better watch your back.”

  “He’s threatening me,” Malachi told the sheriff.

  Egan pulled Jericho away.

  “You have a lot more to worry about than Jericho,” the sheriff said. “I’m taking Dudley to the jail and you and your wife had better be in my office in thirty minutes.”

  Jude knelt once again by his son, who
was now awake, and took a second to let the anger subside.

  “Dad-dy, did… I win?” Zane asked.

  “You bet you did.”

  “I want…my trophy.”

  “He needs to go to an emergency room,” Paige said. “Keep something under his head and keep him awake. Make sure they do a CT scan of his head. And he needs a tetanus shot if he hasn’t had one.”

  “Maybe you should come with us,” Jude said.

  Zane glared at Paige and cried, “No, Daddy.” Zane never called him Daddy unless he was upset. “I want Aunt Jenny to come with us.”

  “I’m right here, sweetie.” Jenny kissed the top of Zane’s head.

  Paige seemed undeterred by her son’s outburst. A large purse was beside her and she pulled something out of it.

  “The bleeding has stopped,” Jenny said.

  “Good.” Paige poured some water over a towel and dabbed at the cut on Zane’s forehead. “This is an alcohol wipe. I’m going to clean the cuts and apply some surgical strips. This might sting a little.” She thoroughly cleaned the cut on his forehead and the one on his neck and applied the strips with the utmost care and concentration. Zane frowned and winced but didn’t say another word.

  “This will keep the cuts from opening again and maybe you won’t have to have stitches or much of a scar.” She sat back on her heels. “That should do it. Remember to keep his head supported at all times until you reach the ER.”

  “Daddy, what about Bear?”

  “Don’t worry about Bear,” Paxton told him. “I’ll take him back to the ranch.”

  “Is he hurt?”

  “Nah. Bear’s tough.” They really hadn’t looked at the horse yet and Jude was grateful that Paxton had gone with his gut on the answer.

  The whole family had gathered around. Even Jude’s mother and Rachel were kneeling on the ground beside Zane. Falcon had a close hold on Grandpa, who had a shattered look on his face.

  Kate held Zane’s hand and Jude could see tears in her eyes. Egan helped Rachel to her feet and she buried her face in his chest so Zane couldn’t see her cry.