Lowell slid down the trunk until he was sitting on the ground. He took a deep breath and bowed his head while dangling his arms across his raised knees. Now would be a good time for You to talk to me, Gud. What am I supposed to do?
❧
Marissa knew how tired Clari was of this isolation. She did everything she could to make their time together exciting, but Clari had gone too far this time. Dancing in the sunshine. Marissa supposed she had to join her. Their skin needed to be the same shade for the game to work. Maybe she should just stay in the shade. If Clari were too tan, perhaps Pierre would call off the plan. Marissa knew that wasn’t a possibility, but it felt good to think so.
This time when they were together, the sisters had talked more than they had ever done before. It was the first time Marissa told Clari what was deep in her heart. She wished they could just drive the wagon into Litchfield and tell their friends who they were. Gerda and Anna would understand, wouldn’t they? But what about Lowell and Ollie? Ollie was as important to Clari as Lowell was to her. Would telling them the truth destroy their fragile friendships? Marissa would never know. Pierre would see to that. As soon as the plan was executed, they would leave town, never to return again. If only there were a God who could take away her sins. Then maybe she would have a chance. But Pierre dashed that hope every time she tried to voice it.
Raising her hands above her head, she stepped into the sunlight and slowly turned around. Clari was right. It felt good to move around in the light and warmth, but Marissa could never move with the reckless abandon of her sister, even if they were alone in this obscure wilderness.
❧
Lowell sat still for a few minutes until a thought dropped into his mind. If he were to show himself, he probably would scare the young women. They might not even wait to see who he was. He had noticed a rifle leaning against the tree beside the wagon. They might shoot him in their haste.
He made his way back to the horses, took a long swig from his canteen, and untied them. He led the pack animal over to his horse, mounted him, then headed toward the slight trail that led in the direction of the clearing. He rode along as if he didn’t know anyone was there—as if he were a hunter who happened on the valley.
He didn’t look up until he was completely out of the trees and in the sunlight. Then he glanced around as if he were hunting for a place to camp. The young women still cavorted around the clearing. His horse saw the one staked near the caravan and whinnied.
The other horse raised its head and perked its ears, and the two young women stood as still as statues. After a moment, they turned and looked in his direction; then they ran into the shelter of trees beside their wagon.
“Hallo!” he shouted.
The women continued their headlong plunge into the shadows. One grabbed the rifle as she ran past. They took a position behind the wagon, and with the barrel of the rifle protruding, one leaned her head out so she could watch his approach.
“I’m not going to bother you,” he called out when he was closer. “I’ve been hunting and need to get some fresh water from the waterfall. I won’t disturb you.” He continued to ride past the campsite.
One of the young women stepped out from behind the wagon. She still carried the rifle, but it wasn’t raised so high. “Lowell Jenson, is that you?” The other young woman stepped up beside her.
Lowell stopped near them. He took off his hat and looked down at one of the women. “Rissa Le Blanc?” He glanced at the other one. “Or are you Rissa Le Blanc?”
In the face of the second young woman, he recognized the one he had been dreaming about. That hint of hurt was still in her eyes. Sky blue eyes surrounded by a smudge of long black lashes. She quickly averted her face but not before he noticed her slight smile.
The first woman still pointed the rifle at him, but he dismounted and stood beside his horse, patting his neck, watching them from the corner of his eyes. He didn’t want to spook the young woman into pulling the trigger.
“Where is Pierre?”
The women turned to each other, a look of fear in their eyes. The one with the rifle stiffened.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Lowell faced them. “I was just wondering. I don’t want to disturb you, though.” He continued to hold his horse’s reins and the lead line to the pack animal. “I just wanted to camp here, but if that isn’t all right with you, I won’t. I do need some fresh water for myself and my horses.” He continued walking toward the stream that led from the pool at the base of the waterfall. He forced himself not to look back at the two young women.
❧
Marissa heard the horse’s whinny, and her heart started to pound wildly. Then she saw a man riding toward them. Clari grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the wagon. When he spoke, Mari was surprised. The voice she had grown to love, the voice that echoed in her memory, was there in the campsite with them. Could it really be Lowell Jenson?
Even though she couldn’t look at him after she and Clari stepped away from the wagon’s protection, Marissa was happy to see him. She watched him longingly as he led his horses toward the pool; then she looked at her sister.
“What will we do, Clari?”
Clari turned toward her sister. “I don’t know. If we aren’t hospitable to him, he will wonder why, but Pierre would be angry if he found out.”
Marissa looked at the place where the man and two horses had disappeared into the shadows. “Clari, it’s Lowell.”
“Yes, I know, but now he knows there are two of us. What if he tells someone?”
“He won’t hurt us.”
Clari looked worried. “We have to tell him something when he returns from the waterfall. But what?”
“I wish we could tell him the truth.” Marissa couldn’t keep from glancing in the direction he had gone. “Maybe we could.”
“No!” Clari’s whisper was almost a shout.
Ten
Lowell had more on his mind as he headed home than he did when he left. The short time he’d spent with the twins filled his head—and heart—with a myriad of questions. At least he knew there were two girls. Come to think of it, he still didn’t know their names, except that one of them was Marissa. They were evasive and ill at ease while he was there, so he didn’t prolong his visit. The story they told him was nothing short of incredible. Incredible and unbelievable. Unbelievable and probably a lie.
The girl whose name was Marissa didn’t look him in the eye as they were telling their wild tale. He wished she had. He could hardly wait to get to the farm and talk to Ollie. But first he was going by town to ask August for a favor.
Lowell made good time getting to Litchfield. He stopped outside the blacksmith shop and tied his horse close to the watering trough. Lowell was glad no other horses were tied there. Maybe his future brother-in-law was alone.
When Lowell stepped through the door into the shadowy interior of the shop, he took off his hat and used it to fan himself. The summer heat was bad enough without getting close to the blazing forge. He didn’t know how August could stand it.
August looked up from the plow he was shaping. “What brings you here this time of day?”
“I need to ask a favor.”
August set the plow on the dirt floor, laid his tools on the workbench, then rubbed his hands on his jeans. “What do you need?”
Lowell combed his fingers through his hair. He didn’t want to tell August too much, but he also didn’t want him to be suspicious. “I want Ollie to go somewhere with me, and we need someone who is familiar with the farm to look after the animals. I know it’s asking a lot, but could you do that for us?”
“Sure.” August crossed his arms over his massive chest. “How long are we talking about?”
“Maybe just today, maybe longer.”
“I don’t have a lot of work right now. Let me bank the fire in the forge, and I’ll ride out with you.” August started toward the blaze. “You can show me what I need to do.
”
Lowell turned his hat around and around in his hands. “We’ll be really grateful.”
❧
Ollie looked out at the sound of horses’ hooves and saw Lowell and August riding up to the barn door. He laid aside the saddle he’d been cleaning and stepped out into the sunlight.
“Lowell, what are you doing back so—?”
“I need you to go somewhere with me,” his brother said quickly, interrupting him. “August will take care of the animals while we’re gone. I’ll tell you about it on the ride. Just saddle your horse, and we’ll head out. I have enough provisions for both of us.”
Lowell showed August what needed to be done while Ollie prepared his horse for travel. Within minutes, the brothers were heading northwest away from the farm.
When they were out of sight, Ollie pulled up under the shade of a tree in a small grove. “Are you going to tell me what’s happening? I’m not riding any farther without an explanation.”
Both brothers dismounted and tied their horses to a tree. Lowell walked over and sat on a fallen log near the horses. Ollie followed him but remained standing.
“You’re not going to believe what I have to tell you.” Lowell got a faraway look in his eyes. “I went up that canyon where Far took us camping that time, just before we started raising horses. You remember, near the waterfall.”
Ollie nodded.
“When I reached the clearing in the forest, someone was camping there. I was afraid it was outlaws, but it wasn’t. It was two beautiful young women.”
“What are you talking about? What young women?”
Lowell stood and paced near his brother. “Rissa Le Blanc has a twin sister. Both of them were there.”
Ollie dropped to the log. “Okay, come sit down and tell me about it.”
Lowell lowered himself to the log. “They have a caravan wagon, a horse, and a rifle. And they were dressed in shirts and trousers. Le Blanc was nowhere around.”
Ollie’s eyes widened. “What were they doing there?”
“Well, that’s where the story gets weird. They told me a tale about their being twins. One doesn’t live here. She’s been in New Orleans. But she came to visit her sister. They wanted time together, and Le Blanc took them out there in the wilderness to get to know each other better. He’s coming back in a week or so to get them. Supposedly, the one from New Orleans will return there when he gets back, and he and Rissa will come to Litchfield.”
Ollie quickly stood to his feet. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know.” Lowell stood again and brushed off the back of his trousers. “The sister called Marissa is like the Rissa I know. The other one is more like the Rissa you know.”
Ollie stared at his brother.
“Do you think one of them has been out there all the time—and they changed places sometimes?”
Lowell nodded. “It looks that way to me. I’ve never felt good about Le Blanc, and after I left the young women, I had more suspicions about him. The whole time I was in the clearing, I felt as if they were very disturbed about my being there. That they were hiding something. And Marissa wouldn’t look at me.”
Ollie let out a deep breath. “We have to find out what’s going on.”
Lowell started toward his horse. “That’s what I thought. That’s why I came to get you now. I want us to get there before they have time to run away. Somehow I have the feeling they’re in trouble and need help.”
“Well, what are we waiting for, Brother?”
❧
Marissa watched Lowell disappear into the trees. She wished she could have talked to him alone. Clari had done all the talking, and Marissa couldn’t even look at his face. She hated lying to him. Now she had no hope he would ever be interested in her. She knew it was only a fairy-tale wish, but she had a hard time letting it go.
She turned to her sister. “What are we going to do?”
Clari usually had good ideas but not now. “I don’t know.” She dropped onto the top step of the caravan.
Marissa crossed her arms over her waist. “Do you think he believed us?”
“I don’t know. I wish you had watched his face. You know Lowell better than I do. Maybe you could have seen if he believed.”
Marissa started wringing her hands. “Oh, Clari, I couldn’t look at him and lie to his face.”
“What do you mean? We’ve been lying to them all the time we’ve been here.”
“But I didn’t want to.” Marissa rubbed her sweaty palms down the sides of her trousers.
Clari stood and looked at the place in the forest where they had last glimpsed Lowell and his horses. “Do you think I like to lie?”
“What if he comes back?”
“Pierre gave us a lot of money. Maybe we should leave. We could go to Wayzata and take a train somewhere.”
For a moment, Marissa wished they could do what Clari suggested, but she knew it was no use. “And what would we do when we got there? Pierre said no one would give us a job. And I’m not going to. . .sell my. . .body as he said we would have to.”
Clari rubbed her hand over her eyes. “Maybe we could teach school. Some small towns have a hard time getting a teacher. At least Mother made sure we could read, write, and work arithmetic. A lot of people don’t know even that much.”
Marissa clutched her sister’s arm. “Pierre would find us. I know he would, and when he did, we would pay for running away.”
“How long has he been gone? It’s been over a week, hasn’t it?”
Marissa nodded.
“Maybe everything is okay. Lowell probably went somewhere else to camp, and he won’t bother us again.”
“I hope you’re right.” Marissa shook her head. “I really hope you are.”
❧
Ollie followed Lowell down the gully into the canyon that led to the valley around the waterfall. His mind was filled with memories. Even though it had been years since Father had brought them there, he remembered every detail with clarity. He and Lowell had laughed and pretended to be outlaws while they followed their father. Although Father was often a stern man, he seemed amused by the boys’ antics. These vivid scenes playing through his mind brought tears to Ollie’s eyes. He wished Father were with them today. He would help them know what to do when they reached the valley.
Soon they arrived where Lowell had left the packhorse. He pulled up the stake and put it back in the pack; then he took the horse’s lead and set off through the thick forest, with Ollie following.
By the time they rode out of the trees, it was nearing dusk. Ollie saw the caravan sitting under a tree with a horse hobbled nearby but no sign of the young women. The two men rode slowly across the clearing, scanning the area.
Ollie wondered why he had never come back to this peaceful place. A gentle breeze sighed through the trees, and he could hear birds settling down for the night and small animals moving around. Even the horse near the wagon seemed calm and not alarmed at their arrival, perhaps because of Lowell’s visit earlier that day.
Lowell stopped with Ollie beside him.
“What do we do now?”
Lowell dismounted, then looked at him. “We wait. They have to be here somewhere.”
Within minutes, the two young women came from the direction of the waterfall. Even though they wore shirts and trousers, they didn’t resemble men. Ollie had never seen a woman in trousers. The girls didn’t look as feminine as he thought they should, but they were still beautiful.
They were talking animatedly and didn’t notice the two men. Then suddenly they stopped, their eyes wide. One sister stepped behind the other, and the one in front moved forward.
“Lowell—Ollie, how nice to see you.”
Ollie tipped his hat. “Rissa—or whatever your name is.”
The girl blushed. “My name is Clarissa.” She gestured toward the other woman. “This is my sister, Marissa.”
Marissa didn’t look at him.
Clarissa turned toward Lowell. “Why
did you come back?”
Lowell kept staring at Marissa, but she refused to look up.
“We’d like to camp in this meadow. Perhaps we could set up our campsite a little ways from yours. We could share one fire—maybe even our supper.” He glanced at Clarissa.
Clarissa’s cheeks flushed scarlet. She looked at Ollie, then back at Lowell.
“How long will you be staying?” Her voice trembled.
Couldn’t Lowell see how uncomfortable she was? Ollie wanted to intervene, but he didn’t.
“Probably just for one night,” Lowell told Clarissa, then looked back at Marissa.
“Pierre may come back soon. He won’t like it.” She was beginning to sound like the Rissa Ollie remembered.
“Do you expect him tonight?” Lowell stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
Ollie was sure his brother intimidated the young women. Why couldn’t he let up a little?
“No.” The soft reply came from the woman named Marissa. She was looking at Lowell. “He won’t be back tonight. Maybe not for a few days.”
Lowell unfolded his arms and stuck his hands in his back pockets. “Then we’ll be gone before he returns.”
❧
Lowell was glad when Marissa and Clarissa agreed to let them bed down close by. It didn’t take long to set up their camp. Then he and Ollie gathered wood to make a fire.
The brothers cooked their canned beans while the sisters prepared their meal. Lowell opened a tin of peaches and offered another tin to the young women.
“Thank you,” Clarissa said, taking the can. “We’ve made enough biscuits, if you’d like some.”
They sat around the campfire and began to eat.
Lowell smiled and leaned forward. “I don’t want to hurt you, but Ollie and I don’t believe the story you told me this morning.”
The sisters stopped eating and glanced at each other; then Marissa turned toward him. He saw again the pain in her eyes and wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her.
Marissa lowered her head. “You’re right. It was a lie.” She looked up into his eyes. “I never wanted to lie to you, Lowell.”
Double Deception Page 9
