Dance on the Wind

by Brenda Jernigan

  Brandy threw the towel to the side and stood still while the water ran over her head and down her body. When she opened her eyes, Helen had wrapped the sheet around her and it was amazing that Brandy did feel a little warmer.

  When she was dressed, Helen took Brandy to be near the fire. Brandy sat on a blanket that had been warmed by hot stones placed beneath the blanket, and Helen began drying Brandy’s hair. A peaceful feeling of contentment settled over Brandy as her hair was dried. She had never had a mother to do these things for her. She realized that a mother’s touch was a special thing that she had never experienced. It was a wonderful feeling.

  “What did Bonnie look like?” Brandy asked.

  “Exactly like you,” Helen told her. “Bonnie’s hair was the color of yours except it was more of a dark brown, but the man she married had red hair, so that would explain your reddish color. Her eyes were exactly like yours. I’ve never seen such a rare color. You have been blessed with beautiful eyes.”

  “Thank you,” Brandy replied to the compliment. “What else can you tell me?”

  “Let’s see,” Helen said as she continued to brush Brandy’s hair. “Bonnie was shorter than you are, and she was very sweet and rarely raised her voice.”

  “Well, that’s where we are different. I don’t think the children would say that I’m sweet.” Brandy chuckled.

  “I think you are too hard on yourself,” Helen leaned down and whispered in Brandy’s ear. “When I left to come west, Bonnie had started teaching school, and she had absolutely no desire to go west. That is the one thing that bothers me—how she ended up in Independence.

  “I guess we will never know for sure, but thank you for sharing the information with me. I have been so long without a mother that I grew to accept what fate had in store for me.”

  When her hair was dry, Brandy thanked Helen. “Were you surprised to see Thunder?”

  Helen nodded. “I was,” she said with a smile. “But after a while, I could see that he was not happy.”

  “I’m surprised to hear you say that. All he talked about was returning home.”

  “That is because he expected things to be the same as when he left. He did not take into account that he’d changed. He left a young brave and returned a man. Things are not as we always remember. But he had to go home to realize that he had changed.” Helen looked at Brandy for a long moment before adding, “I think he longs for something more, perhaps a thing he really isn’t sure of.”

  Brandy really didn’t know what his mother meant. “He tells me that he is taking you home.”

  Helen smiled at her in a funny way. “I have asked him, but I’m in no hurry.”

  * * *

  They all gathered for dinner, and Brandy soon discovered that Helen was a wonderful cook, almost as good as Nettie. While they ate, Thunder and the girls told Billy and Scott what had happened at the trial. When they got to the part about the children leaving, everyone grew quiet.

  “What are you going to do?” Billy asked.

  “I don’t know, but I have five days to find out. Besides, Thunder said he had a plan.” Brandy looked at Thunder.

  “What’s that?” Billy persisted.

  “I will tell you later,” Thunder said. “Let’s finish our meal. We can worry about problems tomorrow.”

  Scott licked his fingers. “You know what I miss?”

  “What?” Ellen asked.

  “MacTavish’s stories,” Scott told her with a sigh.

  “Who is MacTavish?” Helen asked. All the children jumped into the conversation, explaining about the wonderful stories that MacTavish used to weave for them.

  Helen nodded slowly as she put down her plate. “How about if I tell you a story? I’m pretty good, or so the children of our village told me.”

  “My mother is a great storyteller,” Thunder said as he stood. “But if you’ll excuse me, Mother, I need to speak with Brandy while you keep everyone entertained.” He motioned for Brandy to come with him.

  She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her as they headed away from camp. They strolled down to the river where a huge water oak towered over the bank. The full moon filtered in through the bare branches, making it easy to see Thunder in the dark.

  Leaning against the tree, she dreaded what he was about to say. She just knew he was leaving. First, he’d tell them how to solve their problems, but then he’d leave. Could she let him walk out of her life again?

  Could she stop him?

  Thunder stood gazing out at the water. The moonlight made his hair look so black that it shone with blue highlights. After several minutes, he turned to face her. “I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to say, but now I’m not sure.”

  He was leaving her. She just knew it.

  But she couldn’t bear to hear those words just yet. She looked at him with all the love she had. “Did you miss me?” she finally whispered, breaking the silence.

  Thunder wondered if he really knew what he was about to do. This was the point he’d gotten to once before when Elaina had turned on him. He sensed that Brandy was different. He was getting ready to make the biggest decision of his life, and he’d come up with all kinds of reasons why he shouldn’t marry Brandy, but in the end his heart had won out over his head. And though he might not be good at expressing his feelings, he hoped maybe his actions might speak louder than mere words.

  He turned and braced his arm on the tree as he gazed down at her. He brought his right hand up and gently touched her face. “Did I miss you?” he repeated to himself as if he didn’t know the answer to the question and had to think it over.

  “I missed your lips,” he said softly tracing her bottom lip with this thumb. Then he picked up a lock of hair that rested on her breast. “I missed your beautiful hair, too.” Next he looked into her eyes. “Most of all, I missed your bewitching eyes. Every morning when the sun rose and tried to match their color with the sky, I thought of you even though I tried very hard not to,” he said as he lowered his head.

  He was so close to her mouth, she could feel his breath, yet he still hadn’t touched her. “Did you miss my kisses?” she whispered.

  His mouth melted into hers as he gathered her into his arms. He moved his mouth over hers, devouring its softness. The pressure of his mouth pushed her back against the tree.

  The shock of being in his arms made her tremble. She kissed him with unrestrained ardor, her arms going around him. His kisses were as warm as she remembered. They were teasing and tormenting as waves of passion flowed through her.

  Suddenly, he pulled away and the cold air swept between them, causing her to open her eyes.

  “I didn’t miss you at all,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

  Her feelings would have been hurt if he hadn’t been smiling. The harder she tried to ignore the truth, the more it persisted. She loved this man, and she couldn’t let him walk out of her life again. She just couldn’t. She had to make him want her enough to stay. “Then maybe we should try the kiss again. We probably didn’t do it as well as we could have.”

  “I have something to say to you first.”

  “You’re leaving?”

  “No.”

  “But I thought you were taking your mother back—”

  He placed a finger over her mouth to silence her. “That will wait. Let me finish. We have been together for a long time and I have grown fond of you.”

  Brandy laughed. “Fond?”

  He nodded. “I do not have much to offer, but together I think we could brave anything.”

  Brandy’s heart leaped in her throat. She wasn’t exactly sure what Thunder was trying to say. He definitely hadn’t said he loved her. “You want a business partner?”

  “I want you to marry me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that is what men and women do.”

  “Not unless they are in love with each other,” she pressed. She reached out and grabbed both his arms. “How do you feel about me? I need to hear the wo
rds.”

  “When I was away from you things were not the same. I thought of you. I thought how much I wanted you in my arms. I tried to forget about you. God knows, I tried, but I couldn’t.”

  Brandy wanted to leap into his arms, but she was cautious after the last time. “What about the children?”

  “I want them, too.”

  A slow smile touched Brandy’s lips. “It would help if you loved me.”

  He swept her into his arms. “I do love you—you should know that,” he said as he nuzzled the side of her neck.

  “Sometimes you have to hear things to believe them,” she said with a smile and a light kiss on the lips. “I accept your proposal on my behalf, but we’ll have to ask the children.”

  Thunder hugged her so close, she melted in his embrace. “We don’t have much money. Are you sure you won’t be sorry you married me?”

  “Money seems to be something I hear about but have never really had, so that won’t make any difference to me. And I won’t be sorry that I married you, but . . . you might be sorry to be saddled with me and the kids,” she whispered.

  Thunder didn’t disagree. He simply sealed his promise with an earth-shattering kiss.

  * * *

  The next morning after breakfast, Thunder got to his feet and said, “I am supposed to ask your permission to marry Brandy.” Thunder looked at the four stunned faces and wanted to laugh He couldn’t remember them all being quiet at one time. Certainly not Scott. Of course, Thunder’s mother was smiling.

  “Does this mean I have your approval?”

  “What about us?” Scott asked.

  “You are part of Brandy’s family, so we will all be one big family. And this time, for good,” Thunder said.

  “In that case,” Billy said, “it’s about dang time you two realized you couldn’t live without each other. I want to be best man.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Thunder said, grinning.

  They all gathered around and congratulated them. Thunder looked at his mother. Her smile was brilliant, and her eyes twinkled so he knew she was happy. And so was he.

  “We don’t have much money,” Thunder said. “We will have to rely on the things around us.”

  Billy chuckled. “We’re used to that by now.”

  “I did have enough money to buy a small piece of land outside of town. As soon as we eat breakfast, we can start for our new home.”

  Mary looked at Brandy. “Does this mean the judge will not separate us?”

  “If we can prove we have a home, I don’t think the judge will have a reason to,” Brandy said with a smile.

  “You also have one more thing that you didn’t have before,” Helen said and they all looked at her. “You now have a mother who will look after you. I’ve always wanted a big family. Now I have one.”

  Brandy hugged Helen. “Thank you for everything,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “Especially Thunder.”

  22

  The place Thunder had bought was beautiful. . .

  Well, the land was beautiful. . .

  The house—the house was standing. Brandy smiled at her first impression of the small house in need of repair. No matter what kind of shape it was in, it was home.

  The house had a lovely wraparound porch that was only collapsed on one end, and there were beautiful trees all around the house which was set on a small rise, so that you could see in every direction. And there was a river below that would provide them with plenty of water.

  Billy pulled the wagon to a halt and everyone tumbled out. As Billy and Thunder unhitched the team, Billy yelled, “Scott, put the rocks under the wagon wheels so it won’t roll backwards.”

  Before Scott could get the rocks, a small brown- and-white puppy with big floppy ears ran out of the house. “Look, a puppy,” Scott said as he ran for the bundle of fur.

  Thunder and Billy were not paying attention to Scott and his distraction. As they released the horses, the wagon started to roll backwards. Shouting for help, they ran to grab the wagon’s tongue but they were not strong enough to stop the wagon, and Scott and the puppy were directly in the wagon’s path. “Get out of the way, Scott.”

  But the child didn’t move. He seemed frozen to the spot.

  Brandy heard the shout and swung around. Her heart lodged in her throat as she ran toward Scott.

  She was the closest

  She had to make it before it was too late.

  “You have to move, Scott! The wagon!” Brandy screamed.

  Scott looked at her and then bent over to pick up the puppy, who was whimpering.

  But there wasn’t time to get the puppy!

  The wagon bore down on Scott. A loud crash sounded as the wagon’s wheel hit a large rock, stopping its backward movement. The impact dislodged some of the contents of the wagon, sending them spilling to the ground.

  “Nooooo,” Brandy screamed as she reached the wagon and frantically searched for Scott. By now, everyone had reached the wagon, and for a moment the stricken look on everyone’s face confirmed Brandy’s worst fears.

  “I’ll look behind the wagon,” Thunder said in a solemn voice.

  Tears streamed down everyone’s face, especially Brandy’s. Scott was just a child. She should have given him more attention instead of treating him like an adult. Reaching out, she placed her hand on the side of the wagon to brace herself. This had started out to be the happiest day of Brandy’s life, and now it was the worst day. She would never forgive herself.

  Helen came up and put her arm around Brandy. “It wasn’t your fault. It was an accident.”

  “But I was responsible,” Brandy cried. Something tugged at her skirt and she couldn’t move. She must have caught her dress on a piece of wood, she thought as she looked down.

  There, staring up at her, were two big brown eyes and two small brown eyes. “Is it safe to come out now?” Scott said, the puppy still clutched to his chest.

  Brandy half-laughed, half-cried as she pulled the child out from under the wagon and hugged him. The puppy licked her face.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot the rocks,” Scott said as the puppy squirmed in his arms.

  “I’m so glad you are not hurt,” Brandy admitted and hugged him again. “I thought the wagon had crushed you.”

  “Nope, I just ducked between the wheels” He grinned. “It pays to be small sometimes.”

  “What is all that wood?” Billy asked from behind the wagon.

  Thunder bent over and started brushing the wood away. “I’m afraid it is what is left of your trunk, Brandy,” he said, looking up at her.

  Scott puckered up and started to cry. “I’m sorry, Brandy. I didn’t mean to.”

  Brandy knelt down and looked at the child and the puppy. “I can see how you could have been distracted.” She rubbed the puppy’s head. “You mean more to me than any old chest, Scott,” she said. Reaching up, she wiped the tears from his cheeks while the puppy licked his chin. “What are you going to name your new friend?”

  Scott grinned. “How about Buddy?”

  “I like that,” Brandy said. “He’ll be your buddy.”

  “Brandy. Thunder. You better come see this,” Billy said in an odd-sounding voice.

  They both moved closer to where the remains of the trunk and a few other things were strewn. Billy was holding up the end of one of Brandy’s dresses as he looked at something beneath it.

  Brandy stooped over to see what had gotten Billy’s interest, and there, shining up at them, were six gold bars. “Gold,” Brandy whispered. “Where did it come from?”

  Helen had moved over behind them. “I saw some gold bars like those in Boston one time. I had a wealthy friend who liked to show everyone his money.”

  Thunder picked up a gold bar and handed it to Brandy. Her hands immediately sagged toward the ground from the weight.

  “Do you remember how heavy that chest was?”

  Brandy nodded.

  “Evidently, the gold bars were hidden in a false
bottom. This could also be the reason that your parents were killed.” Thunder looked at his mother.

  Helen added, “That could also be the reason your mother left you at the parsonage. She feared for your safety.”

  “And all this time, I thought it was because she didn’t love me,” Brandy whispered as she experienced a gamut of perplexing emotions.

  The unspoken pain in Brandy’s eyes touched Helen, and she was about to comfort the young woman when she spotted a blue-and-white blanket that had a “B” embroidered in the middle. She picked it up and ran her hand over the “B.”

  “That was in my trunk,” Brandy explained. “I think my mother made it for me.”

  “No, Brandy. I recognize this,” she said with a note of incredulity in her voice. “I made this blanket for your mother and stitched her initial in the middle,” Helen said in a choked voice. “The ‘B’ stands for Bonnie.” Helen gave Brandy a smile. “Now I know that my friend and your mother are the same. Somehow, she has made it possible for us to find one another,” Helen told her with tears in her eyes as she hugged Brandy. “I think things are going to start looking up for us,” Helen finally said as she wiped away her tears and started picking up some of the things that were on the ground.

  “This means we don’t have to worry about money no more,” Billy said with a grin.

  “We can have a big ranch.” Brandy smiled. “Now I know what Mother meant when she said to keep the chest with me always.”

  Helen smiled as she straightened. “She is still taking care of you even though she isn’t here.”

  With tears in her eyes, Brandy nodded.

  “The funny part is you’ve had this money all along,” Billy laughed. “We wouldn’t have had to go without any of this.”

  Brandy thought for a moment. “No, but we would still be fussing and fighting with each other, so I’m glad we didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, when you put it like that, so am I,” Billy agreed. “We may never have gotten to see Mary’s other side.” He chuckled.

  “Oh, shut up,” Mary said, her hands full of clothes. “Does this mean we’re rich?” Scott asked as he put the squirming puppy back on the ground.