by Linda Bridey
Sweet Jesus! Something snapped inside Marcus and he forgot that they were supposed to be play acting. He backed her up against the wall and ran his hands down her sides and back up. Then the door to the tack room opened and a male cleared his throat. It took twice for Marcus to heed it. Reluctantly he pulled his mouth from Claire’s and turned to see Dean standing in the doorway.
Marcus gave him a sheepish smile and Claire looked down bashfully. Marcus was acting, but Claire was not. Dean said, “You mind telling me what’s going on here?” His face was red with anger and his eyes were slits of blue fire.
Marcus’ Adam’s apple bobbed and he looked back at Claire a moment. “Uh, well, what does it look like?”
“Damn you, Marcus!” Dean stepped forward quickly, grabbed Marcus’ neck and marched him from the tack room. “Don’t you smart off to me, you stupid idiot.”
“Dean, I can explain,” Marcus said as he turned around and back-pedaled.
Dean kept coming, pushing him away from Claire, who was following them. He said, “I’m sorry about this, Claire. Get up to the house, Marcus. We’ve got a lot to sort out.”
“Listen, Dean, you don’t understand,” Marcus tried again.
“You’re damn straight, I don’t. Move it, Marcus,” Dean said with a last push that landed Marcus on his rear in the drive.
Dean couldn’t ever remember being so furious with Marcus. He grabbed the back of Marcus’ shirt and began hauling him up. Marcus finally had enough and his own anger flashed. He got ahold of Dean’s hand and twisted his wrist. Dean cried out and he released Marcus’ shirt.
Marcus jumped up and faced off against his brother. His gray eyes were stormy with rage. Claire had never seen anyone fight before and she stood back watching in fascination.
“Leave me alone, Dean. I don’t want to hurt you,” Marcus said.
Dean laughed. “Hurt me? I think you got that backwards.”
“I’m tired of you bossing me around. I’m twenty-nine years old. Too old for you to push around anymore,” he shouted.
“Then start acting like an adult,” Dean shouted back.
Tessa and Jack came out of their house and Seth and Maddie also came out to see what was happening.
“You act like you’re God’s gift to this place and that you know better than anyone else what needs doing, even though I’ve been doing it my whole life!” Marcus said.
“Someone has to keep you in line and keep this place running while Seth is away on drives and you’re always goofing around,” Dean said.
Marcus laughed. “Yeah. Goofing around by being out on the coldest damned nights of the year because you can’t hack it? Seth I can understand, but you?”
Tessa stepped forward as if to break things up, but Seth motioned to her to stay put. He and Maddie had joined them on their porch. “Leave them be. This has been coming for years. I have no idea what started it, but it needs doing,” Seth said.
“I can’t hack it? Who do you think used to do it before you were old enough?” Dean said.
“Well, I guess you’re starting to feel your age then, huh? Getting older now, Dean,” Marcus taunted him.
“I’ll show you who’s old,” Dean said, and came at Marcus.
Dean swung and Marcus ducked and rammed into Dean’s midsection, landing them both on the ground. Dean slammed a fist on Marcus’ spine and Marcus grunted in pain. He rolled away from Dean and jumped up. Dean gained his feet and Marcus began fighting Indian style. He’d spent many hours wrestling with his Lakota brothers and it was second nature to him now.
He dropped down and swept Dean’s feet out from underneath him. Dean crashed to the ground and Marcus got ahold of him and wrapped him up in a move that left their audience standing with their mouths open. Seth had never seen anything like it and had no idea where Marcus had learned it.
Dean struggled but couldn’t get loose. Marcus squeezed Dean’s midsection tighter with his legs, constricting his breathing. His lungs couldn’t expand enough to get a full breath. Dean began feeling lightheaded and his struggling grew weaker from lack of oxygen. Marcus waited until he knew Dean was on the verge of passing out and then released him and kicked him away from him.
His breathing was ragged and his voice raspy as he said, “You ever come at me like that again or take ahold of me like I’m some kid and I’ll do a lot worse to you than that. That’s a promise, Dean.”
When he turned towards the group on the porch, they had a hard time reconciling this Marcus with the affable, fun-loving man they all knew and loved. His black hair was wild and his eyes blazed. Marcus’ stance was defiant, as though he was daring anyone else to take him on.
He saw the shocked expressions on their faces and smiled. “He’ll be fine, folks. His head might hurt a little and his ribs might be bruised, but other than that, he’ll be good as new in a couple of days.”
Marcus walked over to Claire with a huge smile on his face. “Pucker up, darlin’,” he told her. He cupped the back of her neck, kissed her soundly and then patted her behind. Then he walked to the paddock and slipped through the fence. He caught Rosie and mounted. Leaning down, he undid the gate and passed through. Then he closed it and was off in a trail of dust.
Seth ran to Dean and got him up off the ground. He dusted him off a little. “You okay, Dean?”
Dean swayed as dizziness enveloped him. “What the hell just happened?” he asked, and shook his head to try to clear his foggy brain.
Seth laughed. “Little brother just kicked your ass, that’s what.”
“What was it that he did? That thing with his legs?” Dean asked, as Seth got up under his arm and started leading him towards the house.
“I don’t know, but I’d sure like to know how to do it. He did it slick as a whistle. I didn’t know he could move like that,” Seth said.
Tessa rushed out to meet them. “Dean! Are you all right?”
“Yeah. I think so. I’ll be okay. Just give me a few minutes,” Dean reassured her, although he felt it might take him more than a few minutes. “Stop! Seth, stop!”
Seth halted and Dean threw up right on Seth’s boots.
Chapter Eight
Claire sat on Dean and Tessa’s sofa as the rest of her family gave her the third degree.
“Claire, I’m afraid I don’t understand what’s happening between you and Marcus.” Tessa said. “Would you please explain it to us?”
Dean sat in his chair with a cold compress on his forehead. His head pounded and his ribcage hurt when he moved.
Claire cleared her throat and looked at the floor for a few moments.
Seth leaned over and put a hand on her knee. “Claire, you and Marcus have always hated each other, so we’re confused why Dean found you, um, doing that.”
“Yes, I can understand why you are surprised,” Claire said.
“I’d say we’re more than surprised, Claire,” Dean said from under his cloth.
Seth grinned at the funny picture it made. Tessa glared at him and his smile quickly faded.
“All right. Shocked then,” Claire amended. “I think ‘hate’ is a strong word. We’ve disliked each other. At least it started out that way. I’m not exactly sure when, but our relationship began to change. We still argued about many things, but it was less antagonistic.”
Claire found that her lies came easily because for her there was some truth behind them. She raised her eyes and looked at each of her sisters in turn. “The two of you know that one can be attracted to someone through letters. Is it really such a surprise that is would be the same for Marcus and me?”
Tessa thought back to the letters that she and Dean had exchanged. Although Marcus had actually written them, she’d come to understand that the sentiments in them had been Dean’s. She had indeed been attracted to Dean and had badly wanted to meet him and his children. Running away had been the best thing she’d ever done and she was thankful that she’d had the courage to follow her dreams.
Seth and Maddie exchanged lo
ving glances and held hands. Their letters had been of a slightly different nature. At Tessa’s insistence, Seth had reached out to Maddie in her time of need and drawn her out of the deep depression she’d fallen into after her terrible ordeal at the hands of Theo Wilson. Theo had been a close childhood friend who had turned vicious when Maddie had spurned his romantic advances.
Maddie looked at him and said, “I’ve never thanked you for what you did the night before you left to come back here.”
Seth said, “And what was that?”
“Don’t play dumb, Seth. I know it was you who took matters into hand with Theo and exacted your own kind of justice on him,” Maddie said.
Tessa looked at Seth and Dean even took the cloth off his forehead so he could see Seth.
“Is that true, Seth?” Tessa asked.
Seth looked uncomfortable as he said, “Yeah. It was me. I just couldn’t leave without making sure he knew what it felt like to have that happen to him.”
Maddie hugged him and said, “Thank you. You don’t know how much it meant to us. In many ways, it was better punishment that any court could have handed down.”
Seth kissed her cheek. “You’re welcome.”
Tessa turned back to Claire. “So you’re telling us that you and Marcus fell in love through your letters to one another?”
“I think that ‘love’ is also too strong a word,” she hedged. “However, we are quite enamored of each other. One reason I came back to Dawson was so we could spend more time with each other and see where things might lead.”
Tessa could imagine why someone would fall in love with Marcus. He was engaging, likable, and handsome. Marcus had a knack for making people smile and he was wonderful with children. Dean always said that it was because he was still a kid himself. Tessa thought that Dean had found out today that Marcus was no kid, however.
She hated to admit it, but she sometimes thought that Dean was harder on his younger brother than was necessary, but she didn’t want to interfere. Dean was kind and considerate to others, but he seemed to feel the need to be strict with Marcus. He was much the same way with Sadie and it was causing a rift between Dean and his daughter. Tessa knew it was over Tucker Foster, the boy Sadie had started seeing.
Dean was afraid that she was going to get her heart broken and kept saying that she was too young to be seeing anyone yet. Tessa tried to remind Dean that Sadie was almost seventeen and was becoming her own person. She also pointed out that him and his first wife, Sarah, had been the same age when they’d started courting.
Claire thought it was time for her to begin conducting her part of the bargain she and Marcus had made. She only hoped that he would live up to his as she sat up a little straighter and said, “Now, I have something to say to all of you. There are some things that Marcus needs to discuss with you that are of the utmost importance. He was going to do this today, but things happened that prevented him from doing so.” She gave Dean a pointed look that held strong disapproval concerning his actions.
Dean held her gaze and then dropped his eyes.
“Now, when he tells you his news, I beg of you to keep an open mind and remember that he is still the person you all know and love,” she said, looking at each one of them in turn. “You are all so important to him and he deserves your respect and understanding. It is not my place to tell you this news, but I feel that he will not be angry with me for saying this much. I’ve said all I’m going to say, so please don’t ask me any questions.”
She rose and left the room. They heard the kitchen door open and close. The four of them exchanged puzzled looks and wondered what Marcus had to tell them.
*****
Claire walked on shaky legs to the paddock gate and leaned against the fence for support. She took deep breaths to steady herself. She’d never told so many lies. Whether they were half-honest or not, they were still lies. Claire felt guilty, but also felt the ends justified the means. The deception was necessary in order for them to be able to achieve their goals.
She put her head on a forearm and thought about Dean and Marcus’ fight. She laughed over the fact that it had enthralled her to see something so violent. Claire admitted that she had been proud that Marcus had come out the victor. When Seth had helped Dean up, Claire had covered her mouth, not out of shock, but because she had to stifle the laughter that had bubbled up inside her.
Her smiled faded as she remembered Marcus’ hard kiss and pat on her behind before he rode away. That had been exciting, but in a different way. The possessive way that he handled her had been thrilling and she hadn’t minded in the least.
Suddenly Seth was beside her. He draped his forearms over the fence and looked down at her. “So, you want to tell me what’s really going on with you and Marcus?”
“What do you mean? I’ve already told you,” Claire said.
Seth nodded. “I think you’ve told some of it, but I’m good at reading people and I can tell that there’s more to the story.”
Claire looked down. She should have known that Seth would see through her. Still, she wouldn’t betray Marcus’ confidence. She also wouldn’t lie to Seth.
“I can’t say any more than I already have. I made a promise to Marcus and I’m going to keep it. You’ll know when the time is right and that time is up to him,” Claire said.
Seth sighed. “You know, a lot of people don’t know how crazy secrets drive me. Pa used to say that I was too curious for my own good. He was right, but I can’t help it. So this is really making me nuts. I hope he doesn’t wait too long.” He laughed then. “How about the way he took care of Dean?”
Claire looked at Seth. “It surprises me that you find it humorous.”
“I’m not the only one. I saw you laughing,” Seth said, and nudged her with his elbow.
Claire laughed. “Yes. I’m afraid it was funny. I couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s okay. I’m not mad about it. I love Marcus, but I’ll tell you right now, you’ve got your hands full with him. Dean’s half right about him. He has a tendency to start something and then not finish it. That really ticks Dean off. Dean is a little too serious about some things, but he means well. Pa always told us that we were going to have to make Marcus toe the line to get him to do the things that needed doing. I guess Dean took that to heart a little more than he should have. He can be a pain in the ass, but Marcus is the most fun person I know and can make you laugh even if you don’t want to. He’s always been like that.”
Claire said, “I can see that about him now. I didn’t before, but after today I do.”
“When he was little, he got away with all kinds of stuff that Dean and I couldn’t. He was so damn cute and used it to get out of work or to keep from getting yelled at. He’s good at talking in circles, too, and makes you forget what you were talking about. And pranks? He’s pulled some good ones on everyone, including me,” Seth told her.
Claire smiled as she imagined the antics of the three brothers as they grew. “If it’s as you say, then it looks like I’m in for quite an adventure.”
Seth gazed out across the pasture to the steer that grazed peacefully there. “I have a feeling that we all are.”
Chapter Nine
Black Fox heard Marcus’ familiar hoot owl call and smiled. His half-breed brother was back within the time frame he’d promised. He made the sound of a warbler to let Marcus know where he was located and waited. Suddenly Marcus appeared and Black Fox wondered again how Marcus walked soundlessly in cowboy boots. That ability and his silver eyes had earned him the Lakota name “Silver Ghost”.
Black Fox frowned as he looked at Marcus. “Looks like you’ve been tussling with someone,” he commented.
Marcus smiled. “Yeah, my brother Dean.”
“Were you practicing wrestling?”
Marcus laughed. “Something like that. Where’s my michunwintku?”
“Your daughter is with Wind Spirit,” Black Fox said. “She has been enjoying her.”
Wind Spirit w
as Black Fox’s wife.
Marcus said. “Thanks for watching her. I really appreciate it.”
“Did you speak to your sister-in-law’s sister?” Black Fox asked as they walked towards the Lakota camp.
Marcus got a lopsided smile on his face. “I sure did.”
Black Fox recognized that smile and put an arm around Marcus’ neck, shaking him a little. “I knew it. You do like her.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Marcus said seriously as he looked up at Black Fox. “You know, my brother Seth and you would get along. You’re a lot alike.”
Black Fox gave him a doubtful look.
“No, it’s true. You both like to tease the hell out of me and you’re about the same size. Well, you’re a little thinner than he is, but other than that,” Marcus insisted.
“That’s because I don’t eat as much as you say he does,” Black Fox said with a laugh.
Marcus said, “I don’t know about that. You just eat different things.”
Black Fox nodded. “True, but I do like that peach stuff your sister-in-law makes.”
“Peach cobbler,” Marcus said. “Say it: peach cobbler.”
“Peach cobbler,” Black Fox said. He’d found the English that Marcus had taught him over the years useful. He also enjoyed learning new skills.
Marcus smiled. “You got it. Good job.”
They’d reached the camp, where he was spotted by several of the children who came running to him.
“Uncle!” one boy said. “I have missed you!”
“Raven, I have missed you, too. Are you well?” Marcus said to his nephew in Lakota.
Black Fox’s son nodded. “Yes. Come see the carving I made.” The little fellow took Marcus’ hand and led him to Black Fox and Wind Spirit’s tipi. He disappeared inside and was back in seconds.
Marcus took the piece of wood Raven handed him. Raven had made a small horse and for an eight-year-old boy, it was a fairly accurate depiction. Marcus couldn’t resist sitting down so he could examine it closer. He crossed his legs and turned it this way and that, using the sunlight to see the imperfections.