by Verna Clay
After that, she milked her goat, gathered eggs, fed and cared for the animals that had come to her for help, and again sat in Frannie's rocking chair to wait.
Several hours earlier Thomas and Amy had watched the red rocks miraculously materialize as dawn ignited the sky in shades of pink. The massive, towering formations were in a word—indescribable. As if their height and grandeur weren't sufficient, nature had painted them various gradients of orange and red. Depending on the angle of the sun, the colors flamed like fire or smoldered like dying embers.
Still following the trail they had been traveling for two days, they came to a creek of gently flowing water that was the same color as the red rocks. Thomas dipped his hands into the muddy stream and lifted a handful of red clay from the bottom. On his haunches, he scanned the "bell." They had first seen it the day before and he knew the healing woman's cabin wasn't far away. He pointed. "We need to go behind that outcropping to reach a valley northwest of the bell." He stood, stretched, grinned at Amy, and said, "Are you ready, honey?"
Amy's sweet smile warmed his heart. It was so reminiscent of her mother's. "I'm ready, Papa. This is a grand adventure."
Thomas pulled his daughter into a hug. "It certainly is, and someday we'll tell it to your children so they can tell it to their children."
They followed the creek until early afternoon and then the trail cut northwest, leaving the water. By late afternoon they were on the backside of the outcropping and had entered a verdant valley rich with varieties of juniper trees, pine trees, fir trees, oak trees, and bushes of mesquite, creosote, acasia, desert broom, and other plants he did not know the names of. The trail now turned northeast and when he spied cottonwood trees, he knew they would soon reach another creek; the one that would lead them to the healing woman. At the creek they refreshed and rested and then followed it upstream. Sometimes the trail meandered beside the water, but often it cut a path through boulders, brush, trees, and fallen debris. He lifted his gaze to the giant red edifice ahead of them and decided they were very close to the healing woman's cabin—all the landmarks were in place. Then he wondered how a woman alone could survive in such a secluded location.
They entered a copse of pines and firs and he paused, holding his breath. Through the branches he had spied the logs of a cabin. Glancing at Amy atop Stanton, he said, "I believe we're here. There's a cabin beyond these trees."
Excitement sparkled in Amy's eyes, but her voice wavered. "Papa, I feel so nervous."
"Li'l darlin', there's no need for you to be nervous. I'll do all the talking."
She nodded and bit her bottom lip.
As they moved through the trees, Thomas eyed his rifle in its scabbard. If this wasn't the healing woman's cabin and they had stumbled onto a miner's or trapper's cabin, he might need it as leverage to leave. Miners and trappers tended to be mean and ornery.
They reached a narrow entrance to the property and he led his animals into a clearing. A young woman with hair the color of blackest coal sat on the porch in a rocking chair. Slowly, she rocked back and forth, watching their approach.
Tana's heart jumped but her expression did not change and her rocking motion did not cease. A tall man leading a horse with a little girl in the saddle, and a mule following, approached her cabin. He was still too far away to distinguish his features, but the closer he came the more her heart raced. She concentrated on his eyes, the window to his soul, never removing her gaze from them.
He stopped several feet from the porch and her heart expanded. He was now close enough for her to distinguish clear blue eyes set beneath straight dark brows and framed by thick lashes. His eyes were not only beautiful, but there was a depth of compassion she rarely encountered in others. There was something else; suffering and grief. This man was well acquainted with that which could make or break a man.
She tore her gaze from his and studied the child. The girl was small-boned and thin. Tana could feel weakness in the little one's body and knew the father had brought her to the red rocks as a last resort. The man cleared his throat and she moved her gaze back to his, still rocking back and forth.
He removed his hat and held it to his side. "Ma'am, my name is Thomas Matthews and this is my daughter, Amy." When she didn't respond he said, "We heard about the healing woman of the red rocks and we've traveled a long way to see you."
The intensity of his gaze caused Tana to inhale long and deep. She stopped rocking, tilted her head, and did something she rarely did, she spoke to a stranger. "How long has your child had this weakness in her body?"
The man's eyes widened in surprise and he asked in a voice as rich and fertile as freshly tilled soil, "How do you know she's weak?"
"Because I can feel it."
His eyes widened even more and then he frowned. "How is it you can feel the illness of another?"
Tana rose from the rocking chair and ignored his question. Instead, she said, "I've prepared a guest room for you and your daughter. I'll show it to Amy while you unload and care for your animals. There are empty stalls near the back of the barn." She paused and added, "Don't be frightened by the animals. They won't harm you." She refused to remove her gaze from the stranger's and saw his indecision. Her heart yearned to comfort him. "I'll take good care of Amy, I promise. I'll help her wash up and then feed her before laying her down to rest."
The man named Thomas blew a breath, nodded, and then lifted his daughter off his horse. Holding her hand, he walked her to the porch. He was so close Tana could feel herself drowning in eyes the color of her lapis stone. Honesty and integrity as warm as a summer day radiated from him and she had a sudden inclination to cry. Frannie's words echoed across her mind. He will make you cry.
19: Barn Surprise
Thomas spoke to his animals, "Stanton, Petunia, let's get you settled in the barn." The horse and mule must have realized they were at the end of the trail and hastily followed him. Petunia moved faster than Stanton and reached the barn first. Thomas chuckled as he led them inside.
And then he stopped dead in his tracks and cursed. "What the hell!" The healing woman's words flashed across his mind. Don't be frightened by the animals.
In the third stall lay a male wolf eyeing the newcomers. Thomas half expected the animal to raise to his feet, regardless that he was wearing a splint, and either attack or snarl a warning to leave. The wolf merely stretched and yawned.
Thomas also expected Stanton and Petunia to bolt, but when he turned around, they were both waiting for him to continue forward, seemingly oblivious to the wolf. Thomas rubbed his jaw in confusion and then scanned more stalls. His confusion increased when he saw a mother rabbit with her litter, a fawn, a squirrel, and finally, a beaver floating in a large tub. There was also a goat and another mule. The squirrel wore a splint, like the wolf, and the fawn had his shoulder bandaged; the beaver had a large gash on his head that had been shaven and sewn. The mother rabbit and her brood had nothing noticeably wrong.
Thomas was stunned! The story he'd heard from the outlaw and also from George Rothrock about the healing woman and her animals, hadn't been a stretch of the truth. He scratched his head and wondered how it was possible for all these critters to be together in such close proximity. As he slowly walked forward, followed by his horse and mule, he made that question a top priority to ask.
For Stanton and Petunia, he selected stalls farthest from the wolf. He unloaded the packs on Petunia and removed Stanton's saddle. Most of the supplies would stay in a corner of the barn, but the satchel with his and Amy's clothing, the pouch with their remaining food, and his medicine bag, he set aside. Not wanting to leave both his guns in the barn, he hid the rifle behind his supplies, but stuffed his pistol in the satchel. Although the healing woman's cabin was secluded, there was no telling how many people had heard of her and would venture there to find help. He wasn't ready to become an unarmed man in this wilderness.
After he brushed his animals, he gathered the belongings he was taking to the house and gave a last a
pprehensive glance at the sleeping wolf as he exited the barn.
He knocked on the cabin door and waited nervously for the healing woman to open it. When she did, he blurted the first thing that came to his mind. "There's a wolf in your barn." Then he wanted to kick himself for saying something so obvious. Of course she knew there was a wolf in her barn.
Her lavender eyes twinkled when she replied, "Did he scare you?"
"Hell…er…heck, yes!"
"Did he snarl at you?"
"No."
"So you had no reason to fear, just as I said."
Although the woman's eyes continued to twinkle, Thomas had yet to see her smile. He asked, "How is it possible for all those animals to be together?"
"I don't know."
Her response was not what he'd expected. He decided to change the subject. "Ah, would you mind telling me your name, ma'am? All I know you by is the healing woman."
She stepped sideways and made a motion for him to enter. As she walked toward her sink, she called over her shoulder, "Please call me Tana." Reaching for a mug in the cupboard above the sink, she said, "You can set your things by the settee and put them away later. Have a seat at the table and rest."
"Thank you, but I'd like to see Amy first. Which room is she in?" He glanced at the door nearest them and then across the cabin to the other one.
Tana looked over her shoulder and motioned with her head toward the far door. She said, "The child was so exhausted she barely ate anything and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow."
Thomas started across the large room that had a stone fireplace taking up most of the back wall. He passed a dining table with six chairs, and then a couple of rockers facing a settee in the living area. Small tables were on either side of the settee. The room was modest, but cheerful with colorful scarves draped over the back of the settee and rocking chairs. Vases of wild flowers adorned all the tables. He set his belongings down and continued to the bedroom where Amy was. Quietly, he opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief. She was curled under blankets and sleeping peacefully. He returned to the dining table that was placed near a potbelly stove and said, "Thank you." Something bubbled in an iron pot and his stomach growled.
Tana motioned for him to sit at the table. Exhausted, he gratefully pulled out a chair and sank onto it. She walked to the stove and used a rag to lift a coffeepot and pour a steaming cup of coffee that she set in front of him. Then she began filling a bowl with stew from the bubbling pot. Thomas' stomach growled again, but he said, "Ma'am, I don't want to be a burden. I have food I can eat. I know living in the wilderness can tax one's reserves. If you'll just feed and house Amy, I'll pay you. As for me, I'll sleep in the barn."
Tana cocked her head sideways, studied him, and finally said, "I have an abundance of food and I prepared this meal especially for you and Amy."
Thomas frowned, "That doesn't seem likely, ma'am. How could you know we were coming?"
"My grandmother told me."
It still didn't make sense, but Thomas glanced at the door on this side of the cabin. "Is she in her room?"
"That's a matter of interpretation. She died when I was sixteen."
Thomas jerked his gaze back to Tana's unusual eyes and neither of them spoke as they stared at each other. Finally, he asked softly, "How do you communicate with a dead person?"
For the first time, Tana smiled, and Thomas felt pole-axed. She was a plain woman with a smile that made her beautiful. She responded with two words, "Through dreams."
20: Clash
In the end, Thomas decided to stay in the cabin with his daughter. After Tana's revelation that her dead grandmother talked to her, he wasn't sure of her sanity. Occasionally, he had treated miners and trappers who had lived alone for months or years, and for many, the state of their mind was questionable.
All night he tossed in bed, his mind and emotions troubled. There were questions he needed to ask to clear the air. If Tana was unstable, he should probably leave immediately. But where would he go? Back to Globe? Maybe to Phoenix to seek help? Frustration tied his stomach in knots and he wasn't in a pleasant mood when he woke at dawn. He slipped out of bed, pulled his trousers over his long johns, and entered the main room, expecting it to be empty. It wasn't. For proprieties sake, he reentered his room and donned his shirt.
When he returned, Tana stood by the potbelly stove. She wore a plain brown skirt and what appeared to be a man's plaid woolen shirt tucked into it. A white bodice apron covered the front of the shirt and halfway down her skirt. A single black braid reached past her waist. Her facial bone structure was Indian but her complexion, just as the outlaw had described it, was milky white. She lifted the coffeepot with a rag and poured black brew into a large mug. "Good morning, Mr. Matthews. I made coffee again because you don't seem the type to drink tea."
Thomas lifted an eyebrow. "And why do you think that?" he asked as he walked to the table and sat down.
The hint of a smile tugged at the healing woman's lips and started Thomas' heart thumping, but before it reached full bloom, she lowered her head and set the mug in front of him. She seemed to hesitate and then said, "I perceive you are a bold and outspoken man who finds my way of life quite unsettling. Please ask me whatever questions you like."
Thomas fumbled the mug and hot liquid spilled over. The woman was amazingly perceptive. Tana blotted the spill with the cloth in her hand and Thomas decided he needed to come clean about his vocation. "I didn't tell you yesterday that I'm a medical doctor with a practice in Globe. And please, call me Thomas since I've been calling you Tana. What's your last name?"
"Raven Sees"
"Excuse me?"
"My name is Tana Raven Sees. My grandfather was Apache and his name was Raven Sees. My grandmother adopted that as her last name and when my mother married, she liked it better than my father's last name of Schillinger, so she kept it."
"And what did your father think about that?"
"I never heard him say one way or the other. He seemed fine with it."
Thomas frowned. "That's seems most unusual."
Tana's mouth hinted at a smile again. "What's unusual to one person may not be to another. Since you are a doctor why did you bring your daughter to me?"
Thomas wasn't fooled by her question. "I think you know."
She nodded and stated, "Your skills have not helped her."
"That's correct. Her mother died of the same strange illness two years ago."
Thomas heard genuine concern in Tana's voice when she said, "I'm so sorry to hear that. How did you hear about me?"
"Truthfully, I was in a saloon downing a few drinks to curb my frustration, when I heard an outlaw relating a story. He said he'd brought an injured man to you." Thomas paused and tapped his thumb on the table. "And to be quite frank, his story was most unusual."
"But you were desperate and willing to try anything."
"Yes."
Tana reached for an empty mug on the table and returned to the stove to pour herself a cup. When she settled across from Thomas, she did something that stole his breath. She smiled in the same way she had the night before…and she was beautiful.
Seemingly oblivious to his impaired breathing, she said, "It's quite notable when a man of medical knowledge admits he may need help."
Thomas stared at his coffee, not wanting to meet her gaze. He was afraid of what it might reveal to this perceptive woman. "Your expertise was made abundantly clear and I was quite impressed."
Softly, she replied, "I wasn't referring to me; I was referring to you. Most doctors are dogmatic in their beliefs." She lifted her mug to her mouth.
Thomas couldn't remove his gaze from her lips. Forcing himself to look away, he considered what to ask her. "How do you decide on the best treatment for your patients? Do you perform a physical examination first?" He glanced back at her.
Her eyes, now violet, stared into his for so long that he wanted to fidget. Finally, she said, "No. I talk to them."
"To understand their symptoms?"
"To understand their heart."
Thomas frowned. "But how does that allow for a diagnosis?"
"I have no idea."
Thomas' frown deepened. "Tana, I have traveled many miles, sometimes against my better judgment, to bring my only child here, and I don't want to play word games."
"Dr. Matthews, if you think I'm playing word games, you're free to leave. I didn't ask you to come and I won't ask you to stay. I respect you as a doctor and I ask you to respect me as a healer. You are certainly welcome to ask about any treatment I believe would be helpful for Amy, but I may not have answers that a doctor would find satisfactory. I simply do what I am told."
Thomas was feeling like the devil's advocate, but he asked anyway, "Told by whom?"
Tana's gaze penetrated his defensiveness. "The Great Spirit, of course."
21: Elixir
"Papa!"
Amy's terrified scream interrupted the intensity of the moment and Thomas jumped from his chair so swiftly it toppled over. Jerking the door of the bedroom open, he rushed to her bedside.
"Amy, what's wrong?"
She was lying on her back staring at the ceiling. Turning her face toward her father she said, "Everything is so blurry. I can't even see your face, Papa. All I can see is your shape."
An arrow of fear pierced Thomas' heart. He grabbed his medical bag from a corner of the room and returned to his daughter. Vaguely aware that Tana had stepped inside the doorway, he unlatched the bag and pulled out a stethoscope to listen to Amy's heartbeat. Next, he retrieved his ophthalmoscope to examine her eyes. When he could discover no reason for her vision problem, he gently held her in his arms and said, "Amy, I want you to relax. I believe the spell will subside quicker if you do." He swallowed the lump in his throat, held her a moment longer, and then lay her back on her pillow.
