All Roads Lead Home

by Christine Johnson

  “Perhaps,” Talltree hedged.

  Hendrick’s heart raced. “Mariah and my sister are with him. They’ve been with him all day.” Judging by the angle of the sun, it had to be midafternoon. “Gillard was supposed to bring them to town after showing them his property.”

  Talltree’s silence only made the tension worse.

  “Maybe they’re at the Mountain View.” Hendrick hoped rather than believed. He hadn’t seen Gillard’s car travel down the town’s single street, but maybe he’d passed while Hendrick was working on the motor. “I’d better check.”

  “They’re not at the hotel.”

  Fear shivered up Hendrick’s spine. “How do you know?”

  Talltree pointed to the building across the street. “That’s the Mountain View. Gillard’s car never passed.”

  Fear turned quickly to panic. “I’ve got to find them.”

  He didn’t think, just ran out into the street. He looked left and right. No Packard.

  “Where would he take them?” he asked Talltree, who’d followed.

  The Indian shrugged.

  Hendrick tugged a hand through his hair. Where were they? “He took them on horseback to look at his land. Where would that be?”

  Talltree pointed toward the mountains and then swept his hand east.

  Hendrick’s jaw dropped. “He owns all that?”

  “He calls it his.”

  “That must be the whole reservation,” Hendrick stammered. He’d never find them.

  Talltree shook his head, the braids rolling side to side. “The reservation is ours, but he wants to take it.”

  “Take it?”

  Of course. Gillard was a vulture, taking everything he could. The artwork, the fancy china. That’s how Gillard made his fortune, by bilking the desperate and the less fortunate. Gillard didn’t do it for wealth; he did it for power. Was Mariah just another conquest to him?

  Hendrick flung open the Overland’s door. “I need to get Mariah and my sister away from him. Where would Gillard take them?”

  Talltree’s eyes narrowed. “Only the eagle knows.”

  Now was not the time for cryptic answers. He got into the driver’s seat of the Overland, set the spark and throttle and pressed the ignition. The engine cranked and started. “Point me in the most likely direction.”

  Talltree placed both hands on the door. “Where they go, there are no roads.”

  As Hendrick scanned the vast plains, he realized the odds of finding Mariah and Anna were infinitesimal. From what Talltree had just told him, the chances he’d find them unharmed were even less. Still, he had to try.

  He revved the engine and pushed in the clutch.

  “I’ll go with you,” said Talltree. “From Chief Firestorm hill we might see them.”

  Hendrick would take any help he could get.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Not only did Gillard have Luke’s birth record, he’d answered most of her questions. Mariah’s mind whirled on the car ride back to town.

  He whistled while he drove, confident and secure. She stared out the window, trying to piece together some way to keep Luke from his father.

  How much easier this would have been if Gillard had been rough and disreputable. Instead, he appeared respectable, prominent and well-spoken. His grief over his family seemed sincere. He’d shown her Luke’s room, filled with toys a boy Luke’s age would love. The schoolroom overlooked the vast plain stretching north and contained a chalkboard, books and even a globe. He took her on a tour of the stables and outbuildings. She found nothing to point to criminal activity, nothing wrong at all. He asked how tall Luke was, if his hair was still dark and curly. He wanted to see a photograph. In short, he was everything a father should be.

  Her only unanswered questions were if Gillard would publicly recognize Luke’s Indian heritage, how he made his money and why Luke was so afraid of him. The first was easy enough to test. Townspeople might be able to answer the second. The latter could prove impossible to discover. Luke wouldn’t talk, and Gillard certainly wouldn’t tell her. No one in Brunley knew about Gillard’s past. The agency report didn’t mention where he’d lived before Detroit, but the birth record came from Onondaga, New York. Maybe that was the avenue she needed to pursue.

  “You said you came to Detroit, looking for work.” She tried to make it sound like small talk. “Where did you originally live?”

  He stopped whistling. “New York.”

  That much matched. She’d try for more. “Is that where your wife passed away?”

  His jaw tightened. “Yes.”

  Whatever had happened, he clearly didn’t want to talk about it, but she had to know. “I always wondered because Luke never speaks about his mother.”

  “He probably doesn’t remember her that well,” he said tersely. “She died when he was six.”

  “Six?” That didn’t fit with the agency report. “I thought your wife died just before you left Luke at the orphanage. He was eight then.”

  Gillard fixed his gaze on the rutted road. “She died in New York, near her homeland. Her people buried her.”

  “Her people?” Mariah’s stomach fluttered.

  “Seneca, though she was part Blackfeet.”

  “Blackfeet? How could she be part Blackfeet and part Seneca? The two tribes are thousands of miles apart.”

  His mouth ticked up in one corner. “The train. Indians can travel, too.”

  Mariah flushed with embarrassment. “Of course. How silly of me.” She’d assumed the tribes never left their reservations. What a ridiculous, stereotyped thought.

  They rode in silence for some time before she dared speak again. “It took you two years to get to Detroit?”

  “After my wife died, I don’t remember much. The following year is a blur. I worked, existed, I guess you’d call it, and took care of Luke, but I wasn’t really there for him. Then I realized I needed to pick myself up, so I came to Detroit.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’m not proud of my actions. I know it’s hard for you to understand. A woman’s strongest tie is to her child. A man needs to know he can provide. I couldn’t, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love Luke. It means I cared enough to ensure that he has a good life. I thought I did the right thing at the time, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I’d made the biggest mistake of my life.”

  “By not bringing Luke here,” she whispered.

  He nodded. His gaze was still fixed dead ahead. His lip trembled in an attempt to quell his emotions.

  Sympathy mixed with dread. He must love his son. But Gabe and Felicity loved Luke, too. Which option was best? She fought back tears.

  “Thank you for caring,” he said softly. “That’s what drew me to you from the start—how deeply you care for people. I can tell you have Luke’s best interests in mind. You would love him like your own.”

  Like her own. Mariah bit her lip. She did love Luke like a son, but Gabe and Felicity were his real parents. They didn’t just enjoy visits. They loved him through the good times and the bad, when he was acting up and when he was sick. They tied his shoes and comforted him at night. They taught him and prayed for him. He sat at their table and in their pew at church.

  A lump formed in her throat. “Luke’s foster parents love him very much.”

  Gillard snorted. “They’d change their minds if they knew he was mixed-blood.”

  “No, they wouldn’t. They haven’t a prejudicial bone in their bodies.”

  “It’s true,” Anna piped up from the back. “Pastor Gabriel and Mrs. Meeks adore Luke.”

  Mariah gasped. She’d forgotten that Anna was there, listening to everything she’d asked Gillard. No wonder the girl felt compelled to contribute her support, but she’d unwittingly revealed the last of Mariah’s secrets. She could only hope Gillard didn’t notice.

  Unfortunately, he did. “Mrs. Meeks?” Gillard applied the brake to stop the car. He then turned to her, fire in his eyes. “You are Mrs. Meeks?”

  Mariah cring
ed, her cheeks hot. There was no getting out of this gracefully. “I’m Miss Meeks. Mrs. Meeks is my brother’s wife.”

  “I thought you were an agent for the orphanage.”

  “I am.” Her heart thudded hard against her ribs. Please don’t demand Luke yet. Please give me time to know deep in my soul that I’m doing the right thing.

  “And your brother is taking care of my son.”

  Her whitened knuckles ached. “He is.”

  “I see.” His voice was flat, the anger latent and dangerous, like a coiled snake poised to strike. “Just how well do you know my son?”

  The time for evasion was over. Though her ears rang, she must answer. “I took care of him for three months, before my brother married.” That time still brought to mind joyous memories. Luke running after Gabe’s dog. Playing hide-and-seek in the park. Tucking him into bed at night. Telling Bible stories and teaching him to pray before sleep, silently at first, for he would only speak to Gabe’s dog. Then one day he prayed aloud. She blinked back tears. “That’s when he began to speak again.”

  “To speak?” Gillard shouted before lowering his voice to a more normal level. “He stopped speaking?”

  His reaction gave her the answer she needed, though not the one she wanted. He was clearly shocked that Luke had gone mute. That meant the separation had been the cause, not some horrible abuse. Luke stopped talking because he’d been abandoned.

  Mariah absently smoothed her skirts, trying to wipe away her disappointment. She was fast losing every hope of keeping Luke in her family.

  “When did it happen?” Gillard asked.

  “At the orphanage. Apparently, the moment you left.”

  “But he’s speaking now?”

  Mariah shot a glance at him. Did she just hear a tremor in his voice? Emotion or fear? His expression betrayed nothing. “Yes. He’s a normal little boy.”

  Instead of being relieved, his jaw tensed and his brow drew low.

  Mariah didn’t understand. “I thought you’d be pleased that he’s back to normal.”

  “I am,” he said hastily. “I’m just wondering what he said about…my leaving?”

  “He never talks about it.”

  This time he did sigh in relief. “That’s good to hear. I was so afraid he blamed me. I can’t wait to bring him home.” Gillard released the brake and edged the car over a small rise. “I hope that will be soon. I want to hold him in my arms and let him know he’ll never need to be away from me again. I hope you understand by now, Miss Mariah, how important this is to me.”

  She was fighting a losing battle. “I do.”

  “Then you’ve finished your evaluation? I’ve reconsidered his schooling. I’ll send him to school in Cut Bank, but I also want to hire a tutor for bad weather.”

  “That’s wise,” she had to admit. He was taking every step possible to ensure Luke’s welfare.

  “You’ll understand that I want to get him here by the end of the month so he’ll have time to settle in before the school year begins.”

  “So soon?” she gasped. The end of the month was less than two weeks away. So little time. How would Gabe and Felicity cope?

  “I’ve waited over two years.”

  “Yes, but the trains aren’t running regularly.”

  “Often enough. Surely your brother can bring him.”

  She had a hundred reasons why Gabe couldn’t, but none of them would make any difference to Gillard. She stared dully at the ochre-colored fields as they crested the hill. Brunley lay before them, baking in the late-afternoon heat. If she couldn’t figure out something soon, this would be Luke’s home.

  “Mariah, is that your car?” Anna’s question jolted her from her thoughts.

  Mariah peered across the shimmering plain and saw a car speeding toward them. No doubt. That was her Overland.

  Hendrick slowed the car the moment he spotted Mariah. She looked pale and near tears. What had Gillard done to her? He slammed on the brake and brought the vehicle to a stop in front of Gillard’s Packard. If that man had laid a finger on her, he’d beat him to a pulp.

  Within seconds, he’d leapt out of the Overland, run to the Packard and whipped open Mariah’s door. “Come with me. You, too, Anna. I’ll take you the rest of the way.”

  Neither woman moved. Anna stared at him, and Mariah looked dead ahead at the Overland.

  “What happened?” she said softly.

  “What happened? You’re late. I got worried.”

  “Is that why you’re racing my car over these hills?”

  Hendrick felt like an idiot. She wasn’t in any danger. Gillard was bringing her to town, just like he said he would. Hendrick had jumped to conclusions. He looked at the Overland to hide his embarrassment. The car was surrounded by clouds of dust that were just now beginning to settle. Talltree, whose head almost touched the canvas roof, hadn’t budged from the passenger seat.

  In the Packard, Gillard slid an arm behind Mariah’s shoulders. “I don’t recall giving you a specific time, Mr. Simmons, as if it’s any of your business what Miss Mariah does.”

  But it was his business, wasn’t it? He’d promised to protect Mariah, even though she didn’t seem to want protecting. Reluctantly, he realized Mariah could do as she pleased. She could up and marry Frank Gillard, and he couldn’t do a thing to stop her.

  “I thought you were coming back earlier.” The excuse sounded as lame as it was.

  Anna rolled her eyes but crawled out of the backseat. “I’ll go back with you.”

  He suspected that had more to do with Talltree’s presence than any concern over her brother.

  He stuck his hands in his pockets. “Well, I guess everything’s under control, then. See you at the hotel.” He hated to leave her with Gillard, but he had no choice.

  “Oh, Hendrick,” she called out before he took more than one step. “Were you able to make your telephone call?”

  For a second, he didn’t know what she meant, but then he remembered the call to Mr. Isaacs. “Yes.” He didn’t dare say more with Gillard hanging on her every word.

  “Any problems?”

  He wished he knew what he could and couldn’t say. He settled for a simple no.

  “Good.”

  “I hope there’s no trouble at home.” Gillard smirked at him.

  “No.” Hendrick wasn’t about to converse with the man. He turned to Mariah. “Are you sure you don’t want to ride with me?”

  Gillard took Mariah’s hand without asking and raised it to his lips. “If you wish to go with him, I will try to endure the separation. Don’t forget my offer to show you the park tomorrow.”

  Another day together? Hendrick couldn’t let her fall prey to that man. “I can take you.”

  Gillard laughed. “You’ll need horses, Mr. Simmons.”

  The man rubbed Hendrick the wrong way. Gillard took every opportunity to cut him down a peg. Not this time. If Mariah and Anna wanted to go to the park, Hendrick would find a way to take them, even if it cost every cent he had. “Then I’ll rent horses.”

  The corner of Gillard’s mouth quirked up. “Suit yourself. Miss Mariah, I am at your service.”

  Hendrick understood the unspoken insult, that he wasn’t good enough or rich enough to entertain Mariah. Well, he didn’t have to stand by and take this.

  “Let’s get going,” he barked, grabbing the bags from the backseat of the Packard.

  Mariah didn’t budge. “My car looks pretty full.”

  Hendrick could have kicked himself. With Talltree, Anna and the bags packed into the Overland, there wasn’t room for Mariah.

  “It does look like a tight squeeze,” Gillard noted. “I’d be glad to drive you to the Mountain View.” He shot a gleaming grin at Hendrick.

  That scoundrel had outwitted him again.

  “That will be $4,” the hotel clerk stated. Stodgy and middle-aged, she was likely the proprietress or the owner’s wife. She was also chewing something. Mariah hoped it was chewing gum, not tobacco.
r />   “For one night?” Mariah had expected to pay at most a dollar a room.

  “That’s right, plus fifty cents per day per person for meals.” The woman resumed chewing. “More if you want tours or box lunches.”

  Five-fifty a day. Mariah fingered the few remaining bills in her handbag. The ride into Brunley had been painfully silent. Gillard expected her to confirm that she would have Gabe bring Luke here at once. She couldn’t think of a reason to deny him except the sinking feeling in her stomach. Now, she faced a financial dilemma. At five-fifty a night, she could afford only three nights’ lodging. She had to wire for funds—if that was even possible in Brunley.

  “Are those your least expensive rooms?” she asked, eyeing the cluster of tourists in the lobby, their trunks piled high while the bellhop, a scrawny lad in his early teens, tried to sort out which trunk went to which room. “We don’t require meals or a private bath.”

  “Allow me,” said Gillard. Apparently he’d followed her into the lobby. Now he stood to her left, a dominating presence in the noisy room.

  “Thank you, but I can take care of this.”

  “I’m perfectly willing.” A grin snaked across his lips. “Mrs. Pollard, send me the bill.”

  “No, thank you,” Mariah reiterated. “I cannot accept your generosity. Agency rules.” That much was true.

  Gillard shook his head. “That agency of yours ought to pay its agents better.”

  “I am well provided for,” she said stiffly, though the truth was that Mr. Isaacs was barely keeping the agency afloat. She turned her best smile on Mrs. Pollard. “Perhaps you have less spacious rooms.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Hendrick came up on her right and pulled three one-dollar bills from his pocket. “Four for two rooms? Make it one room and two for meals. I have somewhere else to sleep.”

  Mariah clutched her bag. Dear, wonderful Hendrick, willing to give up his comfort so she and Anna could have a room.

  “Two rooms,” she insisted as she shoved Hendrick’s money out of Mrs. Pollard’s reach. “We don’t require a view.”

  Mrs. Pollard frowned as Mariah forced the bills into Hendrick’s hand. “Three-fifty is as low as I can go.” Her lips curved into a smirk. “We’re busy.”