The early April sun was warm. It was like a summer day. Joshua and Dusty tramped through the brush, content to explore every crevice and tree hole. Bruno loped on ahead, breaking the trail, sniffing out clues to the whereabouts of the elusive buffalo.
Joshua took his walking stick and pushed over a rotting log, sending the denizens beneath it squirming and wriggling against the bright daylight.
Both boys squatted and watched, fascinated by the flurry of activity.
“Them’s maggots,” Dusty said, his face intense.
“Naw, they’re just boxer bugs.”
Dusty nodded, obviously impressed with his older friend’s knowledge. “Let’s pee on ’em.”
“Yeah.”
Both boys opened their flies and drowned the bugs with urine, delighted to see that some of them floated, belly-up, to the top of the puddle.
Dusty eyed Joshua’s penis. “Mine’s browner than yours.”
Joshua pulled on his. “Mine’s bigger.”
“Yeah, but you’re older. Mine’ll get bigger, too. One day it’ll be real big.”
“Yeah, mine, too.”
Confident the bugs were dead, they shook off their little peckers, poked them back in their shorts, and rolled the log back where they’d found it.
They trudged on, their lunches safely hidden away in the makeshift backpacks strapped to their backs, and their pockets filled with treasures, both dead and alive.
“I’m hungry,” Dusty whined.
“Me, too. Let’s eat over there by that tree. Bruno!” Joshua shouted. “Stop your barkin’.”
The boys pulled off their backpacks and flopped to the ground, resting their backs against the big trunk while Bruno continued to bark.
“What’s he barkin’ at?” Dusty took a bite out of his sandwich and peered at the dog.
Joshua shook his head. “Prob’ly a coon or something.”
They ate hungrily. Joshua looked at his last bite of sandwich. “Here, Bruno,” he called, holding out the morsel. The dog ignored him. “C’mon,” he said to Dusty. “Let’s see what he’s barkin’ at.”
The boys slowed down when they saw the dog, his nose poked into the hole of a small cave hidden on the side of a rocky hill.
Dusty swallowed hard. “Maybe it’s a bear.”
Joshua tried to quell the fear in his belly. “Naw, a bear would’ve growled at him or somethin’.” He crept up behind the hound, trying to look inside the cave without getting too close. He caught a flash of something light.
Grabbing hold of Bruno’s collar, he tugged the dog sideways. “Dusty, hold Bruno back while I look inside.”
Dusty took a few tentative steps, just close enough so he could grab Bruno’s collar when Josh let go.
Arming himself with his walking stick, Joshua got down on his hands and knees and peered into the cave. “Well, shit my britches,” he whispered, unable to believe what he saw.
“What? What is it?” Dusty craned his neck but couldn’t see beyond Josh’s rump.
“A boy. Jeee-zuz cripes, Dusty, there’s a boy in here!”
Chapter Twenty
Joshua and Dusty coaxed the boy out of the cave with food. He was ragged, dirty, and half-starved. Unaware of who he was or where he lived, the boys urged him to come home with them.
As the three of them and Bruno trudged up the path that went to the kitchen, Concetta burst from the house, Joshua’s mother on her heels.
Concetta nearly smothered the boy with affection. “Dios! Dios! Poor little niño.”
Anna bent down and looked at the boy, whose face was so dirty it was hard to tell what he looked like. “Where did you find him, Josh?”
“In a cave. Bruno found him first. He don’t talk, Ma. He don’t say anything.”
“ ‘Doesn’t,’ Josh, not ‘don’t,’ ” she said absently as she continued to look at the child.
“What’ll we do with him?” Dusty asked.
“We keep him, that’s what,” Concetta said hotly, hugging the tiny boy to her ample chest.
“Concetta, he might have a family. We can’t just keep him. Someone must be worried sick about him.”
The elderly housekeeper peered up at her employer. “Can we at least give him a bath and a meal?”
Anna smiled softly. “Of course. And Josh, he looks to be about your size. Why don’t you go up and get him some clean clothes?”
As Josh and Dusty raced toward the house, Anna’s gaze went to the barn. “Jason just rode in. He’s in the barn with his father. After you’ve given him a bath, we’ll have Jason look him over to make sure he’s all right. Then,” she added on a sigh, “somehow we’ll have to find out who he is.”
Rachel was relieved when Jason told her Willy had been found and was currently staying at the ranch.
“Why do you think he ran away?”
Jason removed his jacket and tossed it on the bed. “Probably because he was threatened by whoever had given him that note.”
Rachel took Jason’s jacket off the bed and hung it up. “Poor little thing. What happens to him now?”
Jason chuckled. “Concetta won’t let the poor kid out of her sight. Dad said she’s acting the same way toward Willy that she acted toward him when he stumbled onto the ranch almost forty years ago, looking for his father.”
“Will he stay there?”
“I don’t see why not. He’s safer there, at least for now.” He laughed softly again. “Poor kid doesn’t know what he’s in for. Mute or not, Mother will see that he attends the vineyard school, and Concetta will make him take a bath once a week, whether he needs it or not. And,” he added, shaking his head at the thought, “she’ll keep him so full of tortillas and beans, he’ll gratefully sneak away with Josh and Dusty to eat dandelion greens in the woods.”
Rachel was filled with warmth. “Is that what you did?”
“Many times,” he said, answering her smile.
A horrible thought struck her. “What will happen if Bram discovers where the boy is? Would he try to harm him?”
“No one has to know where he is until Bram’s been dealt with, Rachel. And that’s another thing. You’re not to go anywhere alone. Anywhere. Is that clear?”
“Do you really think Bram Justice would harm a defenseless little child?”
Jason raked his fingers through his thick mane of hair. “I wouldn’t put it past him, honey. He’s tried to kill you, hasn’t he?”
He was right; Rachel knew it. When he began rubbing his neck, she gently shoved him into a chair and massaged it for him. “I can always tell when you’re tight as a rope, darling. As a doctor, you should know that all that tension isn’t good for you.”
He gave her a pleasure-filled groan and flopped his head forward onto his chest.
Rachel pressed her thumbs into the tight cords on either side of his spine and worked her way up into his neck and down his back. “What are we going to do?”
“We aren’t going to do anything. Is that understood?”
She stopped massaging his back just long enough to give him a fierce hug from behind. Nuzzling the back of his ear with her nose, she whispered, “Understood.” As long as Jason loved her, she wouldn’t jeopardize her own safety. She had too much to live for now.
“I have to go out to the reservation this afternoon. I want you to stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Not even to Ivy’s. Is that clear?”
She hugged him again. “I’m not a child, Jason. I understood you the first time.”
“Hmmm,” he grunted. “Seems to me I know someone who nearly got herself killed because she went off to a vacant cabin without telling anyone.”
“That was then. This is now. I won’t go anywhere alone.” Kissing the back of his neck, she added, “I have enough paperwork to keep me busy, anyway.”
He gently squeezed her arms. “As long as we understand each other.”
“Why can’t I go with you?” She ran her nails up and down
his back, loving his contented sigh.
“Because Birgit Toland is supposed to stop by with a sputum sample, and I want to make sure someone is here to take it.”
“Is she really better?”
“Yes,” he answered, getting up from the chair and moving away from her. “She’d be better off in a warmer climate, but her husband takes good care of her. He’s hired June to help with the children.”
She smiled. “Oh, that’s wonderful. June is such a sweet person.”
“And she needs the distraction right now. With Molly gone, she just doesn’t have enough to keep her mind off the past.” He gathered some things into his black bag.
“Oh, darling,” Rachel said quickly, “I have to pick up something from Ivy’s. Can you stay until I get back?”
He gave her a stern look. “All right, but if you have to visit, tell her to come over here. I want to leave by noon.”
Rachel crossed to the door, then stopped, turning to look at him. “Aren’t you going to kiss me goodbye?”
He gave her a heart-stopping look of hunger. “It won’t distract you from your mission?”
“I would hope so,” she said with feeling, reaching out for him as he came to her. She went into his arms and raised her face to his. “You have the most beautiful, incredibly sensual eyes of any man on earth,” she whispered. “It’s the first thing I noticed about you.”
He grinned and pushed his pelvis against hers. “What was the second thing?”
She reached down, squeezing him gently through his jeans. “I didn’t notice that until much, much later.”
They kissed, a deep, wet tonguing that left them both intoxicated.
“I’ll finish that tonight, when I get back,” he warned, his eyes black with arousal.
“I can’t wait.” She tamped down her excitement as she left the office.
Less than forty-five minutes later, she was on her way back from the cafe, so ecstatic her feet barely touched the ground. She felt a little guilty stretching the truth about picking up something at Ivy’s, but she wanted some “girl talk,” and she wanted it now.
She’d missed her monthly cycle. It had been two weeks, and until now, she’d never been late by more than a day or two. Even at the most stressful times in her life, she’d still gotten her menses on time. She prayed she was pregnant. It was too early to tell, Ivy had told her. Oh, but she wanted Jason’s baby. Not just one, but many, many babies.
It would be hard to keep it a secret for very long, especially from a husband who was a doctor. But she wanted to be sure. She wanted to miss two periods before she said anything to him at all. She also hoped he wouldn’t curb his lusty lovemaking after he found out.
Giving her flat stomach a happy hug, she went into their apartment through the side door.
She heard voices in the office. She crossed the room, intending to enter the office until she heard her name. Sucking in a startled breath, she stopped and listened.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
It was Jason’s father’s voice. He sounded angry and disgusted.
“I did what I had to do.” Jason’s voice was cold.
“But did you have to marry the girl? Wasn’t that just a little extreme?” Nicolas Gaspard swore. “Most men would have hired a bodyguard or a nursemaid to protect her. Why in the name of hell did you have to marry her?”
Rachel felt sick. Pressing her hand over her mouth, she slumped against the wall, briefly closing her eyes. She should have known. It had all been too good to be true. Quietly, she hurried back outside. Her joy and happiness had evaporated like steam on the wind. She cursed herself for eavesdropping. She’d only learned awful things that way, things that hurt her deeply. One would have thought she’d learned her lesson the first time.
So, she didn’t have the perfect marriage after all. But, she thought with a little hope, it was still a marriage, and she loved Jason fiercely. That he didn’t love her also hurt, but she would make him love her. It surely wasn’t the first time she’d had to work for something she wanted. She thought back to her wedding day, to his answer to her question about loving her.
Would I marry you if I didn’t?
Yes, of course he would; he had. She thought of their nights together, and she knew he desired her. And she thought of the child she might be carrying. She still hoped she was pregnant, but all of the excitement and anticipation had gone out of her dreams. Living with Jason would hurt, but she’d put up a good front. She’d make him happy, and hope he would never be sorry he’d married her. But he could never know that she’d overheard him talking with his father. It would only make things worse—for both of them.
She’d make the best of this; she’d been making the best of bad situations since the death of her parents. Her first marriage had been a sham. This one wouldn’t be. She wouldn’t let it be.
Biting back tears, she realized that as long as he didn’t love her, letting him be intimate was going to be the hardest thing she’d have to endure. It would be hard to get lost in the glory of passion now that she knew he only married her to keep an eye on her.
Composing herself, she walked purposefully to the office door and stepped inside. Feigning surprise, she met her reluctant father-in-law, who was on his way out.
His smile was somewhat warmer than she’d expected. “Welcome to the family, Rachel.”
“Why, thank you, sir,” she said with forced enthusiasm.
He pulled back, surprised. “Sir? Now, we can’t have such formality. Please call me Nicolas.”
She smiled gaily, and bravely returned his wave. Inside, she felt empty and nauseated. Turning toward the office, she found Jason in front of her, studying her.
“Is something wrong?”
Laughing quickly, she brushed off his concern. “Of course not. What could possibly be wrong?”
He frowned. “I don’t know. I thought maybe someone had said something to you. I know people are still snickering about your marriage to a half-breed.”
She melted at his concern. “Oh, don’t be silly. What other people say doesn’t bother me.” She gave him a sad little laugh. “I’ve developed a pretty thick skin since I moved here.”
“Well,” he said, shuffling nervously, “if everything’s all right, I’d better leave for the reservation.”
She had to force herself to kiss him. Not because she didn’t love him, but because, in spite of everything, she loved him too much.
“Is that all I get?” He touched her shoulders. “You weren’t even gone an hour, and you got much more than that. I’ll be gone all afternoon. Come here,” he ordered softly.
Rachel moved easily into his arms. His kiss was as passionate as always. The moment their lips touched, she was lost—and confused. She was glad when he left, for she immediately burst into tears.
The chime clock had just struck two when the office door opened.
Looking up from Jason’s desk, Rachel was surprised to see Nell. “Nell? Is something wrong?”
Nell’s gaze flitted nervously around the room. “I’ve just come from the reservation. Jason wants to see you, right away.”
Alarm spread through Rachel. “He… he does? What does he want?”
She cleared her throat. “I have no idea. He just told me to tell you to come.”
Rachel rose slowly. Nell’s animosity toward her hadn’t changed. “Now, that’s odd. He told me not to leave the office alone under any circumstances.” But, she thought, already thinking ahead, Birgit Toland had dropped off the sputum sample, so there was nothing to keep Rachel there.
“Well,” Nell said after a pause, “I’m to take you there so you don’t have to go alone.”
“Oh, that makes sense, I guess.” Rachel went to get her cape, then glanced at Nell’s mannish pants. “How are we getting there?”
“I’m afraid I just have my horse. Do you ride?”
Rachel grimaced. “Not very well, but I can hang on. If
you can wait just a minute, I’ll change into something else.”
She went into their apartment, changing into an old linen shirtwaist and a pair of twill trousers she’d found in one of Jason’s drawers. Going back into the office, she shrugged into the fleece-lined jacket she’d borrowed from Ivy, and strode to the door.
Nell’s gaze fluttered over her before she turned away. “Oh, one other thing. The money you found?”
Rachel faltered and her insides went cold. “The… the money?”
Nell quickly attempted to calm her. “Don’t worry, Rachel. Jason told me all about how you found the stolen money.”
Rachel felt a twinge of annoyance that Jason would confide in Nell so quickly and easily. “Oh, he did, did he?”
“We’ve been friends for a long time. There’s hardly anything we don’t tell each other.”
Rachel narrowed her gaze at the Indian woman. She wondered if perhaps Jason had also confided the real reason he’d married her. No doubt he had. A slow burn simmered inside her.
“What about the money?” Rachel refused to just take her word for it.
“He wants you to bring it.”
Nell’s gaze was straightforward and honest. Rachel could think of no reason why she’d lie to her. “Did he tell you why he wanted it?” She tried to curb the anger in her voice.
Nell shrugged. “Something about using it as evidence against someone.”
Rachel hid her feelings as she crossed to the safe and took out the money, which she’d replaced in the original leather pouch. She wasn’t a bit comfortable about this. “I suppose he told you who?”
“Of course he did.”
Rachel shoved the pouch into her jacket pocket and met Nell at the door. She stood, staring at Nell for a long, tense minute, trying to decide whether or not to trust her. “Who is it?”
Nell gave her the faintest flicker of a smile. “Bram Justice.”
The wind went out of Rachel’s sails and she felt limp as a dishrag. She began to wonder if Jason told this woman everything that went on between them. “Let’s get going, then.”
Heat of a Savage Moon--The Moon Trilogy--Book Two Page 31
