by Aimée Thurlo
“My father wasn’t afraid of anything. Had you really known him, you would have understood that.”
“Everyone has a weak spot. For Paul, it was his rediscovered love for you and your brother. He was committed to finding a way of getting all of you to reconcile.”
“There’s got to be more to it than that. My father just wasn’t the type to pay blackmail money. What he would have done was find a way to get the diary back, no matter what it took.”
“If you’re right, then maybe he was just stalling by making a few payments. It’s possible that the reason the blackmailer hadn’t received his money this last time was because your father was about to turn things around. If only we could find the evidence Paul told me about.”
“It could be anywhere. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be in the house. It could be somewhere on the property. Let’s face it, it could take a lifetime to find it. We don’t even know what we’re supposed to be looking for.”
She started to answer, but then gasped, her eyes closing.
“Are you okay?” he asked quickly.
She nodded, took a deep breath and let it out again. “It’s nothing. I get these contractions every once in a while. They’re nothing to worry about. They’re not the real thing.”
“How do you know?” he demanded, going to her side in a flash.
She smiled. “Because they go away, and they’re not really painful. They’re more like an uncomfortable tightening.”
“Let me call Elsie,” he said, helping her back to the sofa.
“No, don’t. I’m telling you, it’s nothing. I’m fine again now.”
“You sure?” The last thing he wanted to do was try to deliver a baby.
She laughed. “Stop looking so concerned. It’s perfectly natural. They’re called Braxton-Hicks contractions. They happen.”
“Can I get you anything? Milk? Juice?”
“No, relax. I’m fine.”
“You’re in absolutely no discomfort?” he pressed.
“The only part of me that aches are my feet. They swell up like balloons these days.”
He knelt in front of her, and carefully slipped off her shoes.
“What are you doing?” she asked in alarm.
He didn’t answer. Instead he began to gently massage her feet.
The gesture took her completely by surprise. She knew she shouldn’t have allowed him to continue, but his touch was so gentle and soothing she didn’t want him to stop.
“You don’t have to do that...but it does feel wonderful,” she said with a contented sigh.
“I can do all kinds of wonderful things. You just haven’t given me a chance,” he answered, his eyes twinkling.
“Hmm. I’ll try to remember that.” She leaned back into the cushions, only half aware of footsteps coming down the hall. “It feels heavenly. You have such an expert touch.” She closed her eyes. “More. There. Just like that. Oh, that feels so good!” Suddenly aware that the footsteps had stopped, she sat up slowly and reluctantly, expecting to hear a knock on the door. But the footsteps began again, only this time going away from them and fading down the hall. “That’s odd,” she said, glancing at Jake.
Jake smiled. “My guess is Martin heard you and decided not to bother us.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh, no! Do you realize what he must have thought?” she asked, recalling her own words. “Poor Martin! He undoubtedly thinks we’ve both lost our minds.”
Jake shook his head and grinned. “I have a feeling he would approve.” He began to massage her feet once again. With a sigh, she leaned back and surrendered.
He felt her relax. “Why don’t you tell me about yourself?” he asked softly. “It’s not fair, you know. I’m sure my father told you a lot about our family, and you know far more about me than I do about you.”
She conceded the point. “Your father loved to tell me stories about you and your brother, and what you were like when you were growing up.”
“So, how about it? Will you even things out just to be fair?” he asked gently.
As he began to massage her other foot, she gave in. Annie told him about her days at the foster home, and her long relationship with Bobby. Last of all, she told him about Bobby’s death. Sorrow was laced through her words. “I lost a friend, the only one I’d had since childhood. It really hit me hard. For a while I didn’t even want to get up in the morning. Then I met Paul. He helped me focus back on my work. He allowed me to live in the bunkhouse in exchange for restoring it, and for the first time in my adult life, I had no rent or utility bills to pay. I chose to help him around the house after the housekeeper left, and did clerical work for Paul from time to time, too, but every other moment I spent on my carvings. It was more time that I’d ever hoped for. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.”
“My father made a good deal. You’ve done a great job of restoring the bunkhouse.”
“Paul could have hired anyone to do that, but he chose to help me out in a way I could accept. I’ll never forget him for that.”
“He found a way to help you without injuring your pride,” he acknowledged.
“Yes, I suppose, but it was more than that. Paul helped me because he believed in my work. To a struggling artist, that kind of validation means the world.” She sat up and slipped her shoes back on as a knock sounded at the study door.
Martin came into the room at Jake’s invitation. “The Winter Chief sent word that he’s coming over to talk to you tonight about the funeral rites.”
Jake nodded. “I notified him when the authorities released my father’s body. Now it’s only a matter of waiting for Nick to arrive.”
After Martin left, Annie stood. “I better get back to the bunkhouse. I’ve got work to do on my carving. I still have a December twenty-second deadline and that’s just eight days away.”
“Let me drive you back,” Jake offered.
She shook her head. “Fresh air will be good for me,” Annie said, then left without another word.
Jake knew she was pushing him away emotionally and strengthening the barrier that stood between them. And, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right to do so. He cared about Annie, but he wasn’t prepared to be a family man. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t be as bad a parent as his father had been to his brother and him—and he couldn’t do that to Annie and her child.
Alone again, he stood at the window and stared outside. The sun peered through the clouds, dappling erratic shadows on the ground. As he turned and walked back to the desk, he glanced around aimlessly. The silence in the house was oppressive and the room seemed unspeakably empty.
He’d never minded being alone, had never felt lonely, but now whenever Annie was gone, it seemed as if a piece of himself was absent. What on earth was happening to him? What magic did Annie have that urged him to turn his back on caution and rush headlong into what was surely a disaster?
He remembered the words in his mother’s diary. Her greatest unhappiness had come from loving. Maybe the past was already repeating itself, inevitably bringing together another two people who could only cause each other pain.
He watched the winter storm that was brewing over the mountains, knowing it would soon reach them. All the signs pointed to it.
Then, as if in defiance of the angry skies, a bright, clear ray of sunlight stole out from between the dark clouds and peered into the study. As it shimmered over the xayeh on the bookcase, it created a rainbow that flashed on the wall in front of him. The colors danced over the whitewashed adobe walls before fading as the sun disappeared from view.
He smiled slowly. Some would have said that his ancestors had just spoken. By bursting through the storm clouds, the sun had reminded him that the inevitable was made up of many sides, and often held its own gentle surprises.
Chapter Nine
Annie went to the main house early the next day. Martin had invited her to have coffee with him, and it was such a rare invitation she suspected it had something to do w
ith last night. Maybe he was worried about Jake and her.
She was feeling a bit nervous as she knocked on the kitchen door. Martin greeted her immediately and invited her inside. The moment she stepped in, the aroma of fresh hot coffee and muffins baking in the oven made her mouth water.
“I hope you remembered that I’m eating for two,” she teased.
“I made enough for an army, including Jakey and the wranglers.”
“Will Jake be joining us?” she asked, looking around.
“Eventually, if only for coffee. He took one of the horses out as soon as he was up. That was over an hour ago, so I expect he’ll be back before long.”
She studied Martin’s expression. “What’s troubling you? This is more than curiosity about what you heard last night, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “You’re both adults. Whatever happened is between you two.”
“Nothing happened,” she answered. “My feet were sore and he massaged them. It felt wonderful,” she said with a sheepish smile.
“At least you two are getting to know each other. To be honest, I’m for anything that’ll help Jake see this ranch as his home. Any personal relationships that keep him here will be good for everyone.”
She realized how much was behind the matter-of-fact statement. Martin’s life was tied to this ranch. “Then what’s bothering you?” she asked gently. “Why did you want to talk to me this morning?”
“I’ve been wondering if Jake and Nick will close down the ranch,” Martin said, placing a steaming cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin in front of her.
“I’ve wondered about that myself.” It made her sad to think of Jake leaving, but he had a right to follow his own dreams.
“Maybe after they’ve been here a while, they’ll decide to stay and run the operation themselves,” Martin said, giving her a hopeful look.
“Based on what I’ve learned about Jake, I don’t think so.”
“Well, either way, the brothers will have to wait until the will—if there is one—is read,” Martin said. “Jake, for example, can only sell what’s his and there’s no telling how things will be divided. In the meantime, maybe he’ll begin to appreciate the ranch. Taking one of the horses out is a good first step. The way I figure it, the longer he stays, the better our chances are of him changing his mind about leaving.”
“What about Nick? Do you think he’ll want to keep the ranch?”
“I don’t know. Nick is very different from Jake. This ranch would never consume him, not like it could Jake, if he’d let it. Nick is an idealist who likes to fight for causes he believes in. He started the job training centers, I heard, because he discovered what it was like having no real job skills after he was on his own after high school. While working at two dead-end jobs, he put himself through business school. He knows what people need to get and keep a good job. I have a feeling that Nick will probably want to sell the ranch’s assets to provide funding for one of his programs. The simple truth is that this ranch holds many bad memories for the twins. There are good memories for them here, too, but, as it often is, the bad has overshadowed the good.”
No matter how she looked at it, it all spelled the same thing. She had to start looking for a new place to live. If the land reverted to the tribe, she wouldn’t be allowed to stay. She was only on the pueblo because of Paul’s hospitality. “I wonder what kind of time frame Jake has in mind. Liquidating the ranch shouldn’t take too long, I think.”
“I plan to stay until the first of the year, maybe three weeks at the most,” Jake’s voice boomed from the hall. “If my father’s killer hasn’t been found, I’ll stay longer, of course. I’m not leaving until that’s resolved.”
Annie jumped, and turned her head to see Jake standing in the doorway. “How long have you been there?”
“I just came in.”
His coal-black hair was windblown and his eyes shone with a bright, inner fire. As she looked at him, her pulse began to pound and her skin tingled with excitement.
Giving her a knowing smile, he poured himself a cup of coffee and took a muffin from the tray. “I have my own business to look after, so I’ll have to start traveling back and forth after the first.”
Jake looked directly at Martin. “I’d like you to be caretaker of this place until everything is settled, since that could take months. Then, after the ranch is disposed of, I’m hoping you’ll come work for me. I can use someone with your management skills, Martin. You’re familiar with construction, so all you’d need is on-the-job experience.”
Martin shook his head slowly. “My family is here,” he said slowly. “It would be hard to leave.”
“You’d bring them with you, of course.”
He shook his head. “My wife, yes, but the others...” He let the sentence hang. “Let me think about it.”
Jake looked at Annie. “And my offer to you still stands,” he said. “My company could use a reliable caretaker. You’d live on-site in a company trailer while construction was under way. Then, when the job was completed, we’d move you to the next site at company expense. Think about it.”
She wanted to say no, but the fact was she couldn’t afford to refuse any business offer that would give her a reliable source of income. Her options were limited and, with a baby on the way, she couldn’t afford to take too many risks financially. “You’re being very generous. But it would be hard making room for my work in a trailer. Give me some time to think about it, okay?”
“Sure. There’s no rush. Nick’s not even here yet. I tried to call him again this morning, but there was no answer at his home. I tried the job training center he runs, too, but I kept being put on hold. After that happened four times, I gave up.”
Annie stood slowly. The baby had been restless lately, and after another sleepless night, she was even more tired than usual. But there was still work to do. “I better go back. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
As she headed out of the kitchen and down the hall, she heard Martin’s voice as he spoke to Jake.
“Do you realize what a difficult situation you’re putting her in? As an artist, she’s known locally, but out of state it’s a different story. She’d have to work from the ground up to establish herself in Colorado. It would take time before she could get the same kind of prices she gets here for her work.”
“If I owned property here, I’d be glad to let her use it.”
“You do. This ranch.”
“It’s the tribe’s land, you know that.”
“Not while there’s a Black Raven here,” Martin answered.
Annie listened for Jake’s reply, but none came. She took a deep breath, trying to ease the tension that gripped her as she realized that was his answer. Lost in thought, she stepped outside, and walked to the gate.
Jake caught up to her a few seconds later. “Do you have a few more minutes? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”
She followed him back inside to the study, and sat on one of the straight-backed chairs, trying to ease the pressure on her back. “What’s up?”
“I want you to think back carefully and try to remember exactly what my father told you about the evidence he hid. Are you certain that he gave you no indication of where he’d stashed it?”
“I’m positive. There was so little time,” she said, her voice a sad whisper.
“I searched the study because it seemed the most likely room, and I did find one hiding place,” he said, telling her where he’d found the address book. “But he must have hidden the evidence he spoke about someplace else because there was nothing else in there and all the address book listed was the places Nick and I lived at over the years.”
She considered it for a moment. “Your father was a great fan of mystery novels and may have used one to inspire him. Is there any chance that the hiding place you found has a false bottom or side?”
He looked at her in surprise. “I don’t know. I never checked. Let’s look right now.”
He reached
for the top shelf, cleared off the books and uncovered his father’s secret place. Jake tapped the back panel and it sounded solid, but the left end of the recess had a hollow tone. “We may have something behind this board.” He pushed on both sides of the wood, hoping to find a catch, but nothing happened.
“Let me take a look,” she said.
“You’re not tall enough. You’d need to stand on something.”
“So help me steady this chair,” she said, sliding one toward the bookcase.
He helped her up, and although it was difficult for her, Annie managed to balance herself enough to lean forward confidently. Like him, she tapped the inner walls of the small crevice, then pressed lightly on the corners. Nothing happened.
“See? My guess is that they hollowed out more of the adobe wall than they needed when they built this hiding spot. The hollow area isn’t very big at all. Now, come down.”
“One more minute.” She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the smooth wood. Her sense of touch was sensitive. Sometimes while carving it guided her more reliably than her eyes.
Suddenly she felt it. There was a slight indentation in the center. She opened her eyes but found it was barely visible, even when she was looking directly at it. Following her instincts, she pressed against it. The wood panel popped open and fell into her hands.
The crevice beyond was barely large enough to hold the cache it contained. “There’s a folded sheet of paper and a ring in here.”
He helped her down, then took the items from her hand. He stared at the silver ring in surprise. It was crafted with an intricate raven design in its center.
“Do you recognize it?”
He nodded. “This was my father’s. I remember when my mother gave it to him on his birthday many years back. He never took it off. But then, one day, I noticed he didn’t have it on. He said he’d lost it.”
He opened the letter and, as he began to silently read it, raw emotions flashed across his face. Once finished, he handed her the letter, not trusting his voice.
Annie read it.