Redbird

by E. E. Burke

  Jake shook his head. “Am I dreaming? Or did you just compliment me for stealing your father’s money?”

  She shifted her gaze as though his observation made her uncomfortable. “You might’ve come up with a better plan that didn’t involve stealing, if you hadn’t been concerned about protecting Charley.

  “I owe him a debt.”

  “Owe him? Why? Because he’s your cousin?”

  “No, not just that…” Jake tried to swallow past the knot in his throat. He also owed Kate. The whole truth. Except, if he told her, she wouldn’t be impressed, and she sure as hell wouldn’t call him brilliant. There was only one word she could use.

  Coward.

  Chapter 19

  Kate shifted into a seated position as close to Jake as the bars would allow. Beads of perspiration slid down the small of her back from the sweltering heat. How could he stand it? And that atrocious stench coming from the straw, even animals had cleaner stalls.

  Dirt and blood stained his shirt, nasty cuts marred his cheekbone and lower lip, and his right eye was puffy and bruised. Judging from his shallow breathing, he had several broken ribs. Had no one sent for a doctor? As soon as she left, she would see to it.

  But she wasn’t leaving yet. Not until she had the answer to why Jake felt he owed Charley. This, she suspected, would reveal a great deal about what had driven him to violate his conscience and become a thief.

  “Will you tell me what happened?”

  Her question was met with silence. Apparently, the answer was more complex than she realized, or he was reluctant to share the story.

  She leaned her shoulder against the bars. “I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

  He turned his head, which brought him close enough to kiss her. He didn’t. Perhaps he no longer wanted to, or he was in too much pain, or…

  He felt unworthy.

  She could see that now, being close to him and seeing past her own doubts and insecurities. Why hadn’t she seen it earlier? His reluctance to care for her didn’t come from being an Indian. He was proud of that. He felt unworthy for another reason. “You’ve trusted me with so much. Will you not trust me with this?”

  His contemplative gaze shifted to some point just past her shoulder. As usual, he would consider his words before he spoke. “It happened during the War of Rebellion, or the Great Cause, depending on which side you supported. We didn’t support either side. Didn’t matter. Our leaders couldn’t keep us out of the white man’s war.”

  “During the war?” This could mean anywhere from five to nine years in the past. “How old were you?”

  “Fifteen when Charley and my uncles left to join General Watie. With the older men gone, Charley said I ought to stay home and watch over the women. I promised him I would.”

  A sense of doom took hold. Kate gripped the bars. Suddenly, she didn’t want to hear the rest. Yet, she’d insisted.

  Jake didn’t seem to notice her distress. His eyes were trained on a place in the past.

  “One day, bluecoats came to the house. They were loud and rude, waving their guns around, demanding something to eat. Charley’s wife, Ocoee, tried to calm them. They cursed at her. I told them we wouldn’t feed them if they were disrespectful. One of the soldiers knocked me down and took my gun. He said he would shoot my parts off. Ocoee pleaded with him. Promised she’d fix them dinner. Said she’d give them whatever food they wanted if they’d leave us alone.”

  Jake turned his face away, but not before she saw bleakness in his expression. She reached out to reassure him. He leaned away from her touch.

  “While Ocoee fixed dinner, she sent me to get water. Then she met me by the creek. The soldiers had found the corn liquor. They got roaring drunk. She’d made up an excuse to leave the house. The soldiers followed her. They said she wasn’t finished cooking for them. I told them to leave her alone. One pulled a gun and shot at me. He was drunk and missed. Ocoee wrestled with him. She yelled at me, told me to leave, to stop causing trouble. The man kept firing. The others were laughing. I could tell they enjoyed watching me jump.”

  “A bullet grazed my shoulder…” Jake’s throat worked. “I ran.”

  Kate’s constricting heart throbbed with horror and sympathy. He’d been little more than a boy. Scared, outnumbered, unarmed.

  “I hid in the woods. After the soldiers left, I slipped back inside the house. I found…” His voice cracked. He swallowed before continuing. “I found Ocoee sprawled on the floor. Naked...with blood on her thighs. Flies were crawling on her. I carried her to the creek to wash them off.”

  Bile surged up the back of Kate’s throat. She covered her mouth.

  Oh God. Poor Jake, and that poor woman.

  “Ocoee was beautiful and brave, like you. But...I can no longer remember what she looked like. When I close my eyes, all I see is her head twisted as if they’d tried to take it off.” Jake’s voice had gone flat, devoid of emotion. He could’ve been telling someone else’s story.

  It hadn’t happened to someone else.

  Kate struggled to maintain the tenuous grip she had on her emotions, which required calling on every ounce of willpower not to break down and weep. Jake didn’t need her tears. He needed her strength. “If you’d stayed, they would’ve killed you, too.”

  “Would’ve been better if I’d been the one to die. More honorable.” Harsh lines etched on his face revealed the depth of his self-loathing.

  She understood why he felt guilty. Anyone with a shred of compassion would feel the same. Yet, he had to let go of the past and move on, not waste his life trying to make up for something he couldn’t change. “Choosing to live isn’t dishonorable.”

  When his expression remained wooden, she reached through the bars and gripped his shoulder to get his attention. “If you had died trying to protect her, what good would have been accomplished? Those men would’ve raped and killed her anyway, then her sacrifice would’ve been useless. She gave you a chance to live. If you wish for death, it shows contempt for that precious gift.”

  “I don’t wish for a useless death. I wish I could’ve traded my life for hers.” The pain threaded through his words tore at Kate’s heart.

  “I know you do.” She couldn’t manage more than a whisper. “But that’s not what happened. You weren’t given that choice.”

  “No, you’re wrong. I was given a choice. I made the wrong one.”

  Kate slid her palm down his arm until she reached his hand and placed her fingers over his. “You have a choice now, as well. I pray you’ll choose to accept Ocoee’s gift. Bring honor to her memory by embracing life, not death.”

  Jake laced their fingers together. His grip became painfully tight. The pain spread until it encompassed her entire body. She’d arrived here tonight prepared to mete out justice. Her outlaw had completely disarmed her—and with the truth, no less.

  Despite what Jake thought, he was one of the most honorable men she’d ever met. He’d kept her safe, returned her, and even fought his cousin—the one he felt he owed so much—to protect her. Even if he hadn’t been entirely honest, he had trusted her enough to give compromise a chance. He had come with her, knowing full well that he risked his freedom and his life.

  According to the law, Jake should go to jail. If convicted, he would be there for a very long time. Her heart told her he’d been imprisoned long enough, having locked up his self-respect and self-worth years ago.

  “It’s late.” Jake spoke softly. “You should go.”

  With ponderous movements, he came to his feet. Then he reached through the bars to offer her assistance. Given his injuries, she would pull him down. She took his hand, but maintained her grip on a bar to support her weight.

  “Your injuries require tending. You need sleep. Neither of which you’ll get in here.” She picked black bits of straw off her skirt.

  Jake’s lips twisted in a wry smile. “Don’t imagine I’ll leave anytime soon. I do feel better since you came to see me.”

  “If that�
��s so, then I’m glad I came.” Kate felt no better. In fact, she couldn’t imagine feeling worse. Her plans lay in shambles, her hopes destroyed. There’d be no partnership with Jake to forge a negotiated settlement. She could hope for no relationship of any kind.

  She lifted the lantern off the hook. Light slashed across his face. His flat expression conveyed more hopelessness than any sign of emotion might’ve done.

  “Goodbye, Kate.”

  Knife-like pain pierced her chest. She recalled telling him, in anger, not to call her Redbird, and he hadn’t since. As much as she longed to be his Redbird, she couldn’t. However, there was something she could do before they parted ways. She could give him a gift like Ocoee had done years ago. What he chose to do with it would be up to him.

  Chapter 20

  “Release that Indian? Are you crazy?” Henry stood with his fingers spread on the desk the way her father did whenever he wished to tower over her to rant about something. “You can’t be serious. That man and his partner stole our payroll.”

  “We don’t know that.” Kate left her chair and crossed to the window. If Henry saw her face, he’d see the lie in her eyes.

  Of course she knew what Jake had done. He’d admitted as much. But there were other things he’d revealed, as well—his love for his family, his sacrifices, his commitment and devotion to his people. Those qualities defined his life. Not his crimes.

  Jake’s heart called to hers in a way she couldn’t explain. It had something to do with who he was, with who they both were. She couldn’t turn her back on him any more than he’d been able to turn his back on her.

  “Is that why you’re here?” Henry demanded. “Because of that Indian?”

  Yes. No, she couldn’t say that. Henry would flat-out refuse to help. She wouldn’t have approached him at all, had she not been desperate. Only with his support would she stand a chance of getting her father to bend.

  But first, Henry would have to bend. She would fare better at gaining his cooperation if she appealed to reason. He was, above all, a practical man.

  Kate stared through the window at the busy workers outside Henry’s railcar. She hid her hands in her skirts while she wrung them. “Why should we press charges against Mr. Colston? We need him on our side. He has ties to the Cherokee Tribal Council.”

  “And I’m President of the United States.” Henry approached her from behind. He cupped his hands around her shoulders. “Come now, Kate. We both know that Indian’s an outlaw.”

  She escaped the unwelcome touch when she spun around. “He’s the nephew of a council member. We’d be foolish to pursue a case against him.”

  “He could be the head of their blasted council and I’d still press charges. If we don’t punish these heathens for breaking the law, they’ll steal us blind before we make the Texas border.” Henry pushed back his morning coat and gripped his sides. The holstered gun on his belt made him look like a well-dressed gunslinger.

  When did guns or violence solve anything?

  “They’re not heathens. I’d wager Jake is more educated than you are.”

  Henry’s startled reaction, though quickly covered, suggested she might’ve struck a nerve. He stroked his hand over his beard, which could imply thoughtful consideration. Or he was plotting revenge. “Since when are you on a first name basis with that Indian?”

  Kate’s patience, worn threadbare over the past few days, snapped. “He is not that Indian. He has a name.”

  “I’m sure he does. I’m just surprised you’re familiar with it.”

  Her familiarity with Jake went beyond his name. She wouldn’t say that. Even if she were inclined to confide in someone about the wreck her heart had become, it wouldn’t be the suitor she rejected.

  “Do you wish to save this railroad? Then work with me. Don’t waste your time pursuing charges against Mr. Colston.” She paced in front of the desk. “We will never get to Texas if we throw everyone in jail that we think might have stolen from us. We need to make peace with these people. Show them we understand their concerns.”

  “Their concerns? What about ours?”

  “If we assure them that we won’t take their land, they’ll address our concerns. We’ll find a way through.”

  “Without right-of-way? How do you propose we get to Texas? Fly?”

  She ignored Henry’s snide remark. “We’ll negotiate for the use of their land.”

  “What do you think I’ve been doing?”

  “You’ve tried to bribe them and trick them. Father is fighting them in court. Not once have either of you suggested a compromise, which is what I’m proposing.”

  In the stretch of silence came a tapping sound. The telegraph operator in the small office in front of Henry’s railcar was sending her father the message she’d painstakingly written. Everything hinged on what he decided to do. Not once in the whole time she’d been out here had she been able to bring her sire around to her way of thinking. Why would he listen to her this time? He wouldn’t if Henry opposed her.

  She would get down on her knees to beg if she had to. Had she felt less threatened by Henry’s close relationship with her father, she might’ve recruited his support much earlier.

  “Henry, please.”

  He stared at her for a moment, as if she represented a puzzle to be solved. Without a word, he walked to the door between his office and the telegraph room, shut it and turned around. “What’s come over you, Kate?”

  Even if she told him, he would never understand. “I want to ensure we make it to Texas without going bankrupt.”

  Henry propped his hip on the edge of the desk, a casual pose intended to disarm visitors and invite them to let down their guard. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. Why is this Indian important to you?”

  He’d seen her reactions when they’d talked to the major. He knew she’d gone to the jail to visit Jake. Henry was many things, but he was not a fool. Still, she couldn’t admit her interest was personal. His pride wouldn’t let him come to Jake’s aid.

  “We have nothing to gain by ensuring Mr. Colston goes to jail.”

  “Nothing to gain?” Henry arched a sable eyebrow. “How about no more payroll thefts?”

  “Mr. Colston isn’t a threat to anyone.”

  “He’s a threat to me.” Henry crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not about to make a deal until I know what’s going on. And don’t tell me that ridiculous story you told the major about secret negotiations. He didn’t buy it. Neither do I.”

  Kate dabbed a handkerchief on her forehead. The urge to seek the open window was strong. It wouldn’t be any cooler over there, and avoiding Henry’s question would only fire his suspicions. She brushed back a damp curl, and carefully chose her words to remain as close to the truth as possible. “I met Mr. Colston the night of the party. He provided me with an opportunity to get to know his family.”

  “You went off alone with a stranger? An Indian?”

  “Things aren’t always as they seem, Henry. Sometimes circumstances that appear dangerous at first turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Now, I know why Jake risked so much. His people have suffered the cruelest treatment. They’ve been betrayed repeatedly. They’re sick and tired of the lies and the greed.” She gestured to the window. “This is their land. If we want to pass through it, we should ask their permission then compensate them for the use.”

  Henry didn’t move from where he’d perched on the desk. His face could’ve been carved in stone. “Is that all you have to say?”

  “What did you expect me to say?”

  He sighed audibly. “Kate, I know you have a bleeding heart for every lost cause. This one…” He shook his head. “Your father will never approve.”

  Distress tightened her throat. “He doesn’t approve of a great many things about me. You, on the other hand, can do no wrong, it seems.”

  Henry’s expression shifted. Was that sympathy or a trick of the light? “You could change his opinion.”

  Could she? I
f she managed to save her father’s railroad, he might grow to respect her. He might even accept her if she married Henry and gave him grandchildren—boys, of course. Neither her father nor Henry would ever love her in the way she needed to be loved.

  Being with Jake had opened her eyes. He valued her for who she was, not who he wanted her to be. He cared about her enough to put his safety aside and accompany her into enemy territory. Now, too late, she realized why he’d done it. For her sake more than his. Even if she could never have him, he was the man she wanted. None other would be first in her heart.

  She shook her head. “No. I don’t think I can change how Father views me, because I’m not willing to be the one who changes.”

  “Kate…” Henry’s voice dropped low, no longer businesslike. “I don’t mind your soft heart. Actually, I respect you for it. You remind me of my—” He cut himself off before he finished, though she knew what he’d been about to say.

  His sisters. Henry’s only tender spot. He’d told her little of his impoverished background. Enough for her to know he’d been the sole provider for three younger sisters since he was little more than a boy. It had endeared him to her. She found little else endearing about the ruthlessly ambitious operations chief. But her father hadn’t chosen Henry for his sentimental side.

  Henry removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves. He had picked up a hammer and lent a hand to the remaining crew after they had let go of workers to preserve their resources. He would barter, bargain, cut corners, drive spikes, do whatever it took to make this railroad succeed. She wouldn’t. Not if it meant trampling on the rights of others.

  “Why are you here?” He asked the question a second time, then proceeded to answer it. “This isn’t about some ragtag band of Indians. It isn’t even about the railroad. You’re here because of one man.”

  Shivers stole over her despite the oppressive heat. She couldn’t keep pretending, not to Henry, not even to herself. She had come to beg for Jake’s life, and would do whatever it took to save him.