by Connie Mason
“Very well. I promise. How soon can you leave? We’ll travel overland to the nearest railhead and take the train to Cheyenne.”
“I can leave whenever you like,” Storm said. “Now that Sweet Grass is well she no longer needs me. Perhaps they will accompany us. Life on the reservation is very difficult for them.”
“I’ve already asked,” Blade said. “Jumping Buffalo wishes to remain on the reservation with the People. But one of the young braves expressed a desire to work on the ranch. He is unhappy with the slim opportunities that exist on the reservation for an ambitious young man, and I have promised to teach him the art of raising horses. His name is Soars-Like-An-Eagle.”
“I know him,” Storm said. “He is a fine young man. We have spoken many times. He wishes to marry Laughing Brook.”
“It’s settled then. We’ll leave in two days,” Blade decided. “I don’t like leaving Shannon alone any longer than necessary.”
“You must love her very much,” Storm said wistfully.
“Little Firebird is my life and my salvation,” he said with such feeling it brought tears to Storm’s eyes. To be loved like that by Grady would be all that she could ever ask for in life.
Blade reined in at the crest of one of the hills surrounding Peaceful Valley, his dark eyes gleaming with pride. Storm drew her mare up beside him, and Soars-Like-An-Eagle joined her. The large, rambling ranch house was set on a level piece of ground next to a bubbling stream surrounded by numerous outbuildings and paddocks. Horses of all sizes and description grazed on the hillsides and valley for as far as the eye could see. A carefully tended garden surrounded by a white fence spread out behind the house, basking in the afternoon sun.
“There it is,” Blade said expansively. “Peaceful Valley. Shannon and I moved here before Grady was born, and it’s been our home for nearly thirty years.”
Storm was visibly impressed by the prosperous ranch that Grady had given up to become a renegade. “You have a right to be proud, Blade,” she said sincerely. “I don’t know how Grady could have left all this behind.”
“Come along. Shannon is expecting us. I wired her from the train station before we boarded.” Blade led the way, anxious to greet his wife. He hated being parted from Shannon for more than a few hours. But one good thing had come of his trip to the reservation: He was returning with Grady’s wife, and soon there would be a child in the house again. Shannon would be ecstatic.
The three riders had just entered the yard when the door to the house burst open and Shannon came hurtling toward them. Bending low, Blade scooped her onto his lap and kissed her soundly. Peals of delighted laughter floated past her lips as Blade kissed and nuzzled her neck.
“Put me down, Blade,” Shannon scolded when it became apparent her bold husband wasn’t about to let her go. “What will our guests think?”
“They’ll think that I love my wife and haven’t seen her in a long time.” Blade laughed as he carefully set Shannon on her feet. He quickly dismounted and joined her, one arm draped possessively around her waist.
Storm could feel Shannon Stryker’s inquisitive blue eyes on her as Soars-Like-An-Eagle helped her dismount. Her first glimpse of Grady’s mother gave her quite a start. Shannon Stryker looked young enough to be Grady’s sister. There wasn’t one strand of gray in her gleaming chestnut hair. Her skin was smooth and unlined and her figure was as slim and supple as a girl’s. But it was to Shannon’s eyes that Storm was drawn. Her eyes were the same incredible shade of blue as Grady’s.
Shannon’s smile was warm and welcoming as she held out her hand to Storm. “Welcome, my dear. I’m so pleased you could come. Blade’s telegram gave me quite a shock. I had no idea Grady had remarried, but I couldn’t be more pleased. Later you must tell me all about my son and grandson. It’s been so long.” The wistful note in her voice tugged at Storm’s heart.
“I’m sure Storm will tell us all about Grady and Tim once she’s had time to rest,” Blade said. “Why don’t you take our daughter-in-law upstairs to her room, Little Firebird, so she can rest before dinner.”
“Forgive me,” Shannon said, “you must be exhausted. Come along, Storm, you can have Grady’s old room.” Blade followed with Storm’s bags as Shannon led the way up the stairs.
Grady’s room was filled with childhood mementos, but Storm saw nothing that reminded her of the proud, ruthless man Grady had become after he left the ranch. The possessions in the room belonged to a youth with dreams untarnished by reality. The man Storm loved displayed no youthful softness and had no fanciful dreams to nurture. Grady Stryker was a man who battled personal demons, a man who had found no room in his heart for love.
Storm was silent so long, Shannon asked, “Would you prefer another room, Storm?”
“Oh, no, this is fine,” Storm assured her. “I was just trying to picture Grady in this room. He’s changed, you know.”
Shannon’s face fell. “I expected as much. Do you think he’ll ever return home?”
“I believe he will,” Storm said with such heartfelt conviction, Shannon felt her heart constrict with the first stirrings of hope.
* * *
If not for missing Grady so desperately, Storm would have been truly happy at Peaceful Valley. Shannon and Blade were wonderful. Storm wondered if Grady knew how badly he had hurt his parents by refusing to communicate with them. He had spoken often about his parents, and deep in her heart Storm felt that Grady intended to reconcile with them one day. Both Shannon and Blade were eager to hear everything she could tell them about Grady and Tim and hung on her every word. She told them about the land rush, their homestead, and mentioned how much Grady doted on Tim. She tried not to dwell on the code of violence by which Grady lived, or the men he had killed in Guthrie. She also saw no reason to tell them that Grady didn’t love her, that their marriage was strictly one of convenience. And she damn sure wasn’t going to admit just how desperately she had come to love her husband.
Storm still hadn’t found the courage to talk to Shannon about the baby she carried, though she realized Blade had surely imparted that bit of information to his wife. Since she was nearly three months pregnant, the baby would soon make its appearance known in the most basic way. Though still slim as a reed, Storm knew it wouldn’t be long before her body would expand. Already her clothes were becoming snug at the waist and bust, but if one didn’t know her well it would be difficult to tell that she was increasing. The one thing Storm continued to insist upon was that neither Shannon nor Blade inform Grady of her presence at the ranch. Though they gave their reluctant consent, Storm knew that one day they would refuse to honor her request.
At the end of two weeks Storm felt extremely comfortable with Blade and Shannon. Their love for one another was so tangible it reached out and touched her. She had never known two people so profoundly in love after nearly thirty years of marriage.
It was a blistering hot afternoon in July when Storm wandered out to the porch to catch a breath of air. She had tried to nap in her room, but it was too stifling inside for sleep. Finally she rose and wandered downstairs to see what Shannon was up to. She knew Blade was out on the south range branding horses, and at this time of day Shannon could usually be found in the office, working on the books. Blade hated confining book work, but Shannon found it stimulating. Deciding not to disturb Shannon at her work, Storm had stepped outside to the porch.
Pausing at the rail, she saw Soars-Like-An-Eagle working in the paddock with one of the horses and was quite impressed with the young man’s patience with the animals. He was working out well on the ranch, and not for the first time Storm wondered why Laughing Brook had spurned his offer of marriage. Then, in her mind’s eye, she saw Grady, so handsome, so strong and virile, that Soars-Like-An-Eagle paled in comparison. She, too, would be reluctant to accept a substitute.
Why did every waking hour of every day have to be filled with memories of Grady? Storm wondered bleakly. Why did each night become a reservoir of painful reminders of how
wonderfully he made love to her and how hotly her body burned for his touch? In her dreams his strong arms held her, his mouth kissed and teased every inch of her body, and when he thrust inside her his flesh felt like the softest velvet stretched taut over a pillar of tempered steel.
“Storm, I thought you were upstairs napping.”
“Oh,” Storm said, startled from her erotic daydreams. “I didn’t hear you, Shannon. I couldn’t sleep; it’s too hot. I hoped to catch a breeze out here on the porch.”
“I’ll get us a pitcher of lemonade and join you,” Shannon said. She started to turn away when she spotted riders approaching the house. “I think we have guests. I didn’t know Blade was expecting anyone.”
Storm scanned the hillside and saw a cloud of dust trailing behind two riders. A thrill of anticipation danced along her spine as she watched the riders approach. Though they were still too far away to identify, her senses leaped in joyful recognition.
When the riders entered through the gate, Shannon started trembling and her mouth dropped open in wordless shock.
“Grady.” Storm was the first to speak his name.
He had come for her.
Entertaining similar thoughts, Shannon and Storm started forward at the same time. When Shannon broke into a run, Storm deliberately held back, allowing mother and son a moment of privacy for their first meeting in several years. Tears came unbidden to her eyes and she looked away when Grady slid from his mount and opened his arms wide. Then Shannon was swept into his embrace, weeping and laughing at the same time. Several minutes later, when Storm dared to look again, they were still embracing and Grady was whispering into Shannon’s ear. Then he set her aside and moved away so that she could greet her grandson, who still sat astride Grady’s horse, smiling shyly. Shannon held out her arms and Tim slipped happily into them.
Storm had been so swept up in the tender reunion that she had failed to notice the second rider. It wasn’t until Laughing Brook dismounted and sidled up beside Grady that Storm realized the Indian girl was still with Grady. Her loud gasp ended in a sob, making her presence known as surely as if she had called out. Slowly Grady turned and saw Storm. Visibly shaken at finding his wife at Peaceful Valley, his face turned white. His shock at seeing her was so obvious, Storm realized he couldn’t have come to Peaceful Valley on her account. His mouth formed her name, but no sound emerged.
She could feel the searing heat of his piercing gaze as it settled upon her, and a shudder of primitive yearning shook her to the very depths of her soul. Grady had grown so still, Shannon turned to look askance at him. It was Tim who finally spoke her name.
“Storm! What are you doing here? Papa said we’d never see you again.”
The excitement and unexpectedness of the moment was too much for Storm. Turning abruptly, she fled into the house and up the stairs to her room, where she slammed the door behind her and threw herself on the bed in a tearful rage. Nothing had changed. Grady and Laughing Brook were still together. He hadn’t come for her as she’d first supposed. Finding her here had been a complete shock to Grady. Sending Laughing Brook home to the reservation had never been Grady’s intention.
Storm’s furious tears flowed freely while Grady fought for composure. Not in his wildest dreams had he expected to find Storm at Peaceful Valley. He had so many questions to ask he didn’t know where to begin.
Shannon solved the problem handily by asking, “Why have you waited so long to come for Storm? Your father and I don’t care what brought you here, we’re just grateful you’ve come. Go to her, son, your wife needs you.”
Grady lifted one shoulder in a dispirited shrug and looked away. “I had no idea Storm was here, Mother. If I had, I might not have come. She made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing more to do with me.”
Shannon looked bewildered. “But her note. I assumed you traveled to the reservation first and Jumping Buffalo told you where to find Storm.”
“The reservation? What are you talking about, Mother? What in the hell would Storm be doing at the reservation? She left no note.”
Shannon glanced purposely at Laughing Brook, who refused to meet her eyes. “I think I understand. What do you know about Storm’s note, Laughing Brook?”
Grady’s face turned stony as he rounded on Laughing Brook. “Answer my mother, Laughing Brook. Did Storm leave a message for me?”
“I saw nothing,” Laughing Brook said sullenly.
“I can’t abide liars.”
“I didn’t think it was important,” Laughing Brook whined.
“Where is it?”
“I put it under your mattress and forgot about it until your mother mentioned it just now. I’m sorry, Thunder. I meant no harm.”
“Take Tim to the kitchen, Laughing Brook,” Shannon said, diffusing a volatile situation. “I imagine he’s hungry after the ride from town.” Sending Shannon a grateful look, Laughing Brook took Tim’s hand and hurried off.
“Don’t be too hard on her,” Shannon said. “She’s young and fancies herself in love with you. You’re here now, and so is Storm.”
“Why did Storm go to the reservation? How did she get there? This is all so confusing.”
“I can only tell you what I know,” Shannon said as she gave a brief explanation of why and how Storm went first to the reservation and then came to Peaceful Valley. She concluded by saying, “You have chosen wisely, son. Both your father and I have grown to love Storm. She will make a wonderful wife and mother. You must reconcile with her.”
Grady’s expression hardened and his eyes grew cold. “I don’t think reconciliation is possible, Mother. Storm left me, I didn’t leave her.”
His words gave Shannon hope. Grady thought Storm had left him, yet Storm said that Grady had asked her to leave. Something was very wrong somewhere. “You’re as stubborn as your father,” Shannon said with a hint of exasperation. “When your face is set like that you look just like him. Go to Storm, son, while I reacquainted myself with my grandson. Blade will be ecstatic when he returns and finds you’ve come home at last. We have so much to talk about, Grady, so many wasted years to make up for.”
“And I’ve much to atone for, Mother. I hope you and Dad can forgive me for hurting you. My life these past six years has been a far cry from what you and Dad wanted for me. If you knew how I conducted my life, you’d order me from your house at once.”
“I doubt that,” Shannon said succinctly. “We’ll talk later. Go to your Storm.”
When Storm had first fled to her room her tears were those of pity, hurt, and shock. But her tears had ceased and her self-pity had changed to raging anger. How dare Grady flaunt his mistress before his parents? Had he no respect for the wonderful couple whom she had grown to love? Rising from bed, she began to pace.
When Grady opened the door and stepped into the room Storm whirled to face him, her cheeks blazing, her eyes glowing like twin flames. Her expression was so hostile, Grady recoiled in shock. But that didn’t stop him from admiring her. Storm looked absolutely magnificent. Not at all like a wife who had been pining for her husband. He snorted derisively. Why would Storm miss him when it had been her choice to leave him?
He opened his mouth to spit out a scathing retort, but what came out was the complete opposite of what he intended. “I’ve never seen you looking more beautiful.” Where did that come from? he wondered distractedly.
Storm bristled indignantly. “I know you didn’t come here for my sake, so there’s no need for pretty words. You have some nerve bringing your mistress with you. Have you no feelings at all for your parents?”
Her words sliced cleanly through his confusion, bringing him to a rigid state of awareness. “I had no idea you were here. Mother told me you were with Jumping Buffalo and the People. She explained why you went to the reservation and I’m grateful for what you did for Sweet Grass, but that doesn’t excuse you for abandoning me when I needed you.”
“My note explained everything,” Storm said succinctly.
&
nbsp; “I saw no note.”
Storm made a derisive sound deep in her throat. “I placed it in plain sight. How could you not have seen it?”
“Let’s forget the note for a moment. Let’s discuss the fact that you left without so much as a good-bye.”
“I told you I would leave if you met Bull that day. It was something I had to do. Living with violence and fear would kill my lo—would make staying with you a virtual hell on earth. I’d never know when someone would sneak up behind you and challenge you. Or blow you to kingdom come without warning.”
“You could have trusted me. I told you I was finished with violence. Taking on Bull was something I had to do for Summer Sky and my own peace of mind.”
“You told me to leave. You said you didn’t want me.”
“I what?” He was beside her in two steps, grasping her shoulders, giving her a little shake. “I said no such thing. I begged you not to leave. When I came to my senses Laughing Brook told me you had already left. Even Tim begged you to stay.”
“I heard you, Grady. I distinctly heard you say you didn’t want me. You told me to go away.”
“I realize I wasn’t in full control of my mind, but I certainly don’t recall saying that. In fact, just the opposite is true.”
“I thought you hated me for not being the kind of wife you wanted. I just wanted you to understand that I couldn’t live with a man who openly courts danger and violence.
“I did understand, but facing Bull was something I had to do. I had hoped you would understand my need.”
“Then we’re still at an impasse,” Storm said bitterly. “If you cared for me, why didn’t you come to the reservation? My note told you exactly where to find me.”
“I told you before, I saw no note. I suspect Laughing Brook made sure I never saw it.”
“Laughing Brook,” Storm repeated with scathing sarcasm. “Why did you bring your mistress here?”
Grady sighed in exasperation as he explained with commendable patience, “Laughing Brook never was my mistress. She’s like a little sister to me. I’d never bed her.”
