“Collin went in looking for Mattie and never came out. He died. She—my mother—went crazy, Matthew. I was afraid for her. She acted as though nothing had happened—that she hadn’t done anything. Only when she learned that Collin had gone in and died, she did go crazy.”
“Yet you told no one!”
Crying, using her skirt to wipe her eyes, Brenna shook her head. “I wanted someone else to find out. She was saying things, horrible things. I knew what they meant. I prayed that someone would ask questions.”
She paused. “She is my mother,” she whispered. “I couldn’t say anything. Mattie didn’t die. If she had, I’d have told someone. Only Collin died. He was her favorite of us all, and I figured that was her punishment. Telling anyone wouldn’t bring him back or make Mattie see again.”
She looked at Matthew, then away. “When Mattie and Gil decided to marry, Mama started acting funny again. I thought if I got you guys to leave, or got Mattie to change her mind about marrying Gil, then Mama would leave Mattie alone.”
Matthew glanced at the church. “Wait here, Brenna, while I go get Tyler. You leave, I’ll find you,” Matthew snarled. He took off at a run.
* * *
A wall of people stood between Reed and the church. He shoved his way through, ignoring startled gasps and angry shouts. The closed doors seemed so far, his steps slow, as though he moved through molasses.
If anything happened to Mattie, he would blame himself, for he should have questioned what he’d seen with his own eyes: Katherine O’Leary being friendly, too friendly.
Yesterday, after returning Mattie and her siblings to the cabin, he’d ridden back out to where searchers were gathering around the area where the dead men lay. He hadn’t been surprised to see Leo’s body.
When he’d first seen Patrick O’Leary, dead from a gunshot, he’d first assumed Leo had killed Mattie’s father-in-law when he’d tried to rescue the kids. But one of the searchers who’d arrived first on the scene had held out the old wig and beard, saying he’d taken it off Paddy.
Reed recognized that disguise from the bank robbery. As he’d glanced down at Patrick O’Leary, he realized he’d truly found the man who’d killed Anne. His search for Malcolm was ended.
But when he and the rest of the search teams had returned with the news, Katherine had gone crazy. She’d screamed, accused him and everyone else of killing her husband.
Mattie had gone to try to comfort her, but the woman had turned on her, blaming everything on Mattie—the death of her son, and now her husband. Reed had taken Mattie away while others had helped the hysterical woman home.
Today, he’d been relieved to find Katherine quiet, a normal grieving woman. After yesterday and all that Mattie had told him about her relationship with her mother-in-law, Reed should have suspected all was not right.
Breaking through the crowd, he took the steps leading to the double-wide church doors in one long bound, crashing through the door. He hadn’t taken the time to see if it was locked or not. He was moving purely on the fear pumping through him.
Flying through the broken door, Reed landed hard, skidding across the polished floor into the back row of pews. Standing, his chest heaved. He inhaled the strong aroma of oil.
“Stay away,” a shrill voice screamed.
Reed’s heart stopped. At the front of the church, Katherine stood with a lantern in her hand. Oil dripped from its base. In her other hand, she held a match.
“Wait,” he said, his gaze finding Mattie on the floor. The altar where Katherine stood with the lantern was behind her.
His heart flipped when he saw Mattie open her eyes. She looked right at him.
Alive. She was still alive!
“Mattie, come to me. The way is clear. Run straight to me.”
Katherine screamed when Mattie scrambled to her feet. She shrieked, “No! No! You killed them. You’ll die. You’ll all die!” The woman struck the match.
Reed rushed forward. Mattie slipped on the oil-slicked wooden floor that Katherine had doused. She grabbed the corner of the altar to gain her footing. With a burst of speed, she ran down the aisle toward Reed, her eyes never leaving his.
Reed grabbed her as she fell into his arms. He pulled her behind him, shielding her in case Katherine had a gun. To his horror, he saw Katherine hold the flaming match over the altar where the lamp sat.
“No,” he shouted. “Don’t do it! It’s not worth dying over.”
Katherine stared at him. She was calm as she dropped the burning match. “Die, savages. Indian pigs! Burn in hell!”
The flames shot to life, feeding eagerly on the oil spreading out over the floor, then licking at the dry hewn-timber pews. Katherine’s mad laughter rang out. She grabbed the lantern and heaved it over her head. Taking a step toward them, preparing to toss it, she yelled, “No escape. You’ll both die!”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Reed said, scooping Mattie into his arms.
Rushing forward to toss her weapon, Katherine gave a horrified shriek as her foot slid across a patch of flaming oil. In horrifying slow motion, Reed watched her feet go out from under her. She fell, landing on her back beneath the burning altar. The lantern crashed down on the floor at her head and exploded.
Reed set Mattie down and took one step toward the woman, now on fire and shrieking in pain and terror, but it was too late. The entire front of the church roared into a thick wall of flame. Intense heat kept him from trying to get closer to the crazy woman. Smoke billowed out, making his eyes water.
A hand on his shoulder, a cough, and the tremble of fear coming from Mattie spurred Reed back to action. He grabbed Mattie and ran out of the burning building as people ran to see what was going on.
“It’s too late for her,” he choked as Tyler and Matthew pushed themselves forward through the crowd. “She tried to kill Mattie. I couldn’t reach her in time.”
The low buzz of talk started, grew. Men found pails and formed a line from the river behind to try to save the burning church.
It was too late. The building was engulfed. Reed carried Mattie far from the commotion. He sat beneath a tree, with her still in his arms. “I will never let you go, Mattie.” He bent down and kissed her, uncaring who might be around to see.
“You won’t have to,” she said, her hands all over his head and face. She traced his eyes, his mouth, each line the fright had put there on his face. “When you leave, I’m going with you.”
Reed hugged her tightly. “Thank God,” he murmured. “I don’t have the right to ask you to leave your family, but I can’t live without you.”
Mattie pulled away, her hands framing his face. She smiled up at him. “As the man I love, the man who holds my heart in his hands, you have every right.”
“Well, I love you, Mattie.” And Reed did. All of her. He no longer saw her as blind, but as a strong woman with incredible gifts and the intellect and ability to use all of them with a wisdom that made her the most incredible person he’d ever known.
And she was his.
“You hold my heart and my soul, Mattie. I couldn’t live without you in my life. But what about your family?” He was surprised that Caitie and Kealan were not there. The two had barely left her side since their ordeals. He framed her face with his hands.
Mattie smiled. “They will come with us.” She reached out and put a finger to his lips. “You worry about supporting us, about finding us a place to live. Do not. What is mine now becomes yours. We will find a place to live while we sort out what is best for Danny and Lizzie. If it takes years, so be it. If we can return here, then return we will.”
“You are beautiful, Mattie. Here.” He kissed her mouth lightly, then placed his palm over her beating heart. “And here.”
“No more so than you are to me, Reed,” she whispered back.
Reed
stared at the wild scene around them. People were crying as their church burned. He saw the minister and sheriff standing off to one side.
“Guess we won’t be getting married for a while,” Mattie said. She sighed.
Reed scooped her up. “The hell we won’t,” he said. He wasn’t waiting. Not a single day. Not an hour. He was making her his. Right now.
* * *
Matthew stalked back over to where Brenna sat facing the stream that ran behind the church. Her shoulders stiffened at his silent approach.
He should have been surprised that she knew he was there, but he wasn’t. The moment the O’Learys had become their neighbors, all the children had grown to be friends, and Brenna and her brothers had loved learning the stuff he took for granted.
Matthew had always walked like the Sioux, being able to approach anyone on silent feet. Usually, he startled most people who didn’t hear him. Especially Brenna, whom he’d loved to make shriek when he scared her. Brenna, finally having enough of him, had demanded he teach them all the ways of his people.
Matthew had agreed, believing it to be good for them to know how to survive in the wilderness. Now, what he’d taught had been used against him and his family. He was beyond furious. Inside, he was cold. And deadly intent upon exacting punishment.
Matthew didn’t touch her. “Your mother. She’s dead. By her own hand. I won’t lie to you, I am not sorry.”
Brenna’s shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Part of Matthew wanted to join her, to sit beside her and offer a friend comfort over the loss of not one, but two parents. He did neither. “Had you said something when all this started, we could have helped you.”
“I’d have lost her anyway,” Brenna whispered. “This way, there was hope.”
“No. Your way put others in danger. Again. Your silence could have claimed more lives.”
Brenna ducked her head. “I was afraid. I didn’t know what to do.”
“Are you afraid right now?” Matthew’s hands were fisted. He deliberately relaxed them.
Brenna didn’t answer. Matthew reached down and yanked her to her feet. When she still refused to answer or look at him, he forced her chin up. “Answer me!” He closed off his heart to the fragility that seemed so much a part of his young friend.
Brenna looked at him then. Her eyes, a mix of green, yellow and brown, like fall leaves, grew wide. The green from inside turned bright.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Matthew stared into her eyes. He saw the fear. The regret. He saw pain, and grief. He also saw confusion and a small spark of defiance.
“Good,” he said. “Be afraid.”
He stalked away.
* * *
Mattie was back home, sitting in her bed. She was fine, without even much of a headache. She’d been a bit dazed after Katherine had hit her in the head, but her slight movement before being hit had kept her from being knocked out.
She’d pretended to be unconscious, staying down to wait for her chance to escape. The first splash of oil had nearly frozen her with fear. Just the thought of facing another fire had almost made her jump up right then and there.
But she’d been afraid that if Katherine was given a second chance to hit her, she might succumb. So Mattie had used all her will, forcing herself to be calm. She’d silently called Reed to her.
He’d arrived just as Katherine was pouring oil from the lamp over the altar and floor. As soon as Mattie heard his voice, she’d waited for his command. And he’d saved her!
She smiled when she felt someone plumping the pillows at her back. Reed not only refused to let her out of bed, he refused to leave her alone. It didn’t matter that her entire family was here, in her bedroom. Reed was not leaving. The thought warmed her from the inside out, chasing away the chill of the ordeal. Instead of allowing her thoughts to linger on what was over and done with, she thought of her family.
Renny sat on the edge of the bed, and Caitie and Kea were on either side of Mattie. Daire sat at her feet, while Matthew paced back and forth across the small alcove.
“I’m fine,” she repeated. Inside she was still reeling. Not just from Katherine’s attempt today, but from learning that the woman had hated her so much that Mrs. O’Leary had tried to kill her last summer.
She stared at Matthew. What still shocked her was Brenna’s involvement in all of this.
“How did you know Brenna was involved, Matt?”
Matthew’s voice when he spoke came from the window. “Whoever was sneaking onto our land was too good. No footprints. No sound. The night the rock with the bird was thrown through Mattie’s window, I knew it was her. I couldn’t prove it, so I said nothing.”
He laughed, a low, harsh sound. “Whoever was behind it all had the skill of a Sioux warrior. It only made sense that it would be Brenna or Gil, as they’d each learned those skills from us.”
He sounded disgusted with himself. “The night you were shot at, she seemed paler than normal. And when she came back down from her room and suggested you leave as well, I suspected her most.”
Mattie smiled sadly. “She did like learning about our way of life.” They’d had many contests between them, including ones where one person ran to hide. The others had to find him or her by using their tracking skills.
“I thought Padd—Patrick was responsible for all of it.” Mattie leaned her head back against her pillows.
“I’m sure he was responsible for the poison. We won’t ever really know. But Brenna was the one pulling all the pranks. She wanted us to leave, but for a different reason: she knew if Mattie married Gil, her mother would make another attempt to kill Mattie.” Matthew sounded furious.
“Matt, she was trying to protect me.” Mattie felt sorry for her. And afraid. She’d never heard Matthew so angry and barely in control. Her brother prized control most of all.
“She shot at you. What if she’d not missed?”
“No. She’s too good. She missed, and missed on purpose. You know that she’s good.”
“Best of us all,” Renny muttered.
“Don’t be hard on her. She needs us. Now more than ever.” When Matthew remained silent, Mattie leaned forward. “Matt! What are you planning to do? It will serve no purpose to go to the sheriff. It will only hurt her and Gil.”
“Her silence almost cost you your life.”
“But it didn’t.”
“She will be punished.”
Mattie sighed. “There’s been enough pain. No more, Matt. No more.”
Matthew went to her. “The punishment will fit the crime, sister.”
Mattie felt his features. They were hard, unyielding. “As the one who was affected, I have final say.”
“Agreed.” He returned to his pacing.
They all waited. When he stopped, Mattie held her breath. She would not allow any harm to come to Brenna.
Matthew decided. “She will come with me to our people. There she will learn to live as one of us, and in doing so, she will learn how to use her skills for the good of all. She needs to learn right from wrong. What she did was wrong.”
“From her viewpoint, it was all she could do. She’s young yet.” Mattie stopped her brother’s protest by holding up her palm. “However, I agree. There is nothing but shame for her here.” She speared Matthew with a sharp glance. “But she must agree to go with you. And after one year, if she wants to leave, you must bring her back.”
Matthew remained silent so long that Mattie was afraid he’d reject her wishes. Then he spoke. “Agreed. We leave when the sun rises.” He left the room.
“Wow,” Renny said. “I’ve never seen him like this. Are you sure it’s safe for her to go with him?”
Mattie grew quiet for a moment. Then she smiled softly. “It’s the safest place for her, Renny. It’s
the only place for her to go.”
“What did you see?” Renny demanded.
Mattie shook her head. “Some things are best revealed in their own time.”
“Come on, Mattie.” Renny edged closer. “Just a hint.”
Mattie grabbed one of her pillows and tossed it at her sister. “Mind your manners, Renny.” With a flurry of activity, the bed came alive as everyone grabbed a pillow.
Laughing, Mattie held out her hands, grabbing pillows to toss or attacking sensitive bellies with her fingers.
Watching the playful antics, Reed laughed and imagined being in that bed with Mattie, his new wife, and with her three young siblings mock fighting with his kids. He grinned. And maybe one or two of their own kids. Lost in dreams of what he hoped to be, he didn’t see the pillow that smacked him.
“Got you,” Daire called out.
With a playful growl, Reed launched himself onto the bed. He pulled Kealan over on top of him and tickled the boy’s soft belly. Then the unthinkable happened. Daire was on him, giving back in kind, finding just the tender spot in his side that had him shouting out his own laughter until tears ran down his face.
Mattie smiled through the antics taking place on the bed. She even heard Caitie’s shrill giggles. Then it happened—with a loud groan, then a snap. The bed collapsed.
Stunned silence gave way to shrieks of laughter. Renny had landed on top of Mattie. She pushed herself up.
“Okay, enough. Daire, Kealan, Caitie—let’s go!”
Protests came loud and swift.
“Out,” Renny repeated. Her voice softened. “I think it’s time to let the married couple be alone.”
Daire made some smacking sounds. “They’re gonna be kissing all night,” he teased.
Mattie tossed one of her pillows at the voice. His muffled “hey!” told her she’d gotten him in the kisser.
Kealan scrambled over her. “Are you really gonna be kissing Reed all night?” he asked.
Reed’s low growl came, “Yes, she is. And I’m going to be kissing her too! A lot!”
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