“I am not cranky,” Tyler said. “Just don’t want to talk about women.” Especially one woman in particular.
Casey grinned. “Saw you standing out in the meadow last night.”
“Don’t start, Casey,” Tyler warned. Great, he thought, whole damn town was watching what went on between him and Renny O’Brien.
Before anyone could say more, there was a loud commotion outside. A breathless boy burst into the kitchen. “Doc, you’re needed at the Jensens’. Quick.”
Casey jumped up, his chair flying back and over. “I’ll get my bag.” He rushed out.
“What’s wrong?” Tyler rounded the table and grabbed Renny’s younger brother Daire by the shoulders.
The boy’s eyes were a wide, bright blue. “It’s Mattie. A vision. Started screaming then passed right out.” Daire took a deep, gulping breath. “She’s never done that before.”
“Let’s go.” Tyler ran out the door with Daire at his heels.
* * *
Renny stared down at Mattie’s white face. Her sister’s dark eyes were big, black, unseeing. She didn’t seem to be breathing yet Renny could feel the wild pounding of her sister’s pulse.
Frightened, Renny shook Mattie gently. “Mattie! Mattie! Snap out of it,” she demanded.
Mattie’s pupils retracted. Her lashes fluttered, eyes closed then reopened as she moaned. Her eyes were full of pain and confusion, but Mattie was back from wherever this latest vision had taken her.
Renny sagged against her in relief. Never had a vision struck Mattie so violently. Renny tried to deny what this vision meant. Mattie had screamed Matthew’s name. Over and over. Something had happened to him.
“No,” Renny whispered. Nothing could have happened to Matt. The thought of losing her brother, another member of her family, made her tremble.
“Matthew,” Mattie whimpered, tears streaming from her eyes.
“He’s safe. He has to be,” Renny said fiercely. She met Mattie’s dark, fear-struck gaze and knew true terror. None of her sister’s visions had ever been this sudden. Or violent. There were usually warnings, time to stop the vision. Somehow, Renny knew this one was different.
“Renny! Please no, not Matthew,” she sobbed.
“God, Mattie, it can’t—”
“Out of the way,” a deep voice ordered.
Renny was grateful when Reed pushed his way through the growing crowd, but when he scooped up his wife into his arms and strode off, Renny felt a wave of shock at the abrupt separation. The growing crowd swarmed after him.
Shakily getting to her feet, she was shoved to one side as more people from town swarmed onto the front lawn. Renny tried to run after Reed. Mattie needed her.
Hands tugging at her shirt stopped her. She was surrounded by concerned townfolk who’d heard the screaming. Questions were tossed at her like rocks in a pond.
“What happened?”
“Is she hurt?”
Then the questions turned into ripples of speculation.
“Maybe she’s losing her baby.”
“What baby—”
“Attacked. Broad daylight.”
“What?” Several women screamed.
Renny covered her ears with her hands as gossip was passed from one person to another like a hot potato, each rumor more outlandish until the voices became an angry buzzing in her head. If she didn’t get through the mob, she was liable to do some serious injury.
“Move it,” she threatened, taking a woman by the arm to pull her out of the way.
“You heard the woman,” a deep voice boomed. “Everyone back. Now! Return home. At once.” Tyler used one hand to clear a path, the other to push Renny ahead of him.
For once, Renny didn’t mind his pushing her around. She ran up the steps and burst through the door, nearly colliding with Miss Martha as she hurried from the keeping room where Mattie sat on the couch.
“Mattie?” Breathless, Renny skidded to a stop.
Her sister was cradled in Reed’s lap. She had her eyes closed. Reed was running his fingers through her hair, murmuring softly to her. Kealan sat on the arm of their chair. Behind them, Daire stood rigidly at their backs with Caitie in his arms. The O’Briens had formed a tight unit—one that didn’t include her.
Renny tried to shove aside her own insecurities where her family was concerned. It was a new feeling, one that she’d ignored over the last couple weeks. But the truth was there for her to see and she couldn’t dismiss it. They had formed a unit, and they didn’t need her. Not like before. The realization frightened her far more than she cared to admit.
A low voice came from behind her. “She’s okay, Renny. She’s safe. Everything is okay.” Tyler’s hands were on her shoulders, rubbing gently.
Renny shook her head as she met Daire’s gaze across the room. He looked years older than he actually was. His eyes were hard. Flat. Kealan and Caitie looked scared and ready to cry, and Mattie clung to Reed like moss to a tree.
No, none of them were the same, and never would be again after the events of the last year. The very foundation of their world had been cracked, starting with the deaths of their parents.
Renny went forward, dropped down onto one knee to take one of Mattie’s hands in hers. Her sister glanced toward her and though she couldn’t see her, she reached out a hand. “Renny?”
“I’m here, Mattie. I’m here.”
Mattie closed her eyes, tears trickling down the side of her face. Renny wiped them with her finger. “Tell me, Mattie. We have to know. Is he alive?”
Mattie pulled her hand away to press her fingers to her mouth. “I don’t know. It was fast. So sudden. Never been like that before.” Her voice shook.
Reed spoke up. “She needs to rest. Ask questions later.” He tightened his arms around his wife.
Renny shook her head as she stared into his worried gaze. “It can’t wait,” she said fiercely.
“Renny is right,” Mattie said, struggling to sit. Reed shifted but didn’t release his hold on his wife, keeping her safe within the circle of his arms.
Renny waited, as did all the others. They knew it often took Mattie time to put the thoughts and images of her vision into words.
“A storm. Rain, thunder, flashes of light,” Mattie began. She closed her eyes as if willing the vision to return. Reed’s arms tightened around her as she shook her head back and forth.
“The thunder. So loud.” Her voice rose, trembled.
“Not from the sky. A gun. A gunshot.”
She muffled a scream behind her hands but they all heard the horror of her next words.
“Blood. Rivers of blood.”
Chapter Seven
Tyler wasn’t sure what to do. He had no experience with visions. This was out of his realm. All he could do was watch. And wait.
His gaze settled on Renny as she talked softly to her sister. While she talked, her hand found Kealan’s and she held on to the boy.
Something shifted inside him. The love she had for her family, the compassion she showed to those in need, had drawn him to her a year ago when he’d stepped into his brother’s shoes to become sheriff.
And it was that bond that she shared with her family that had put the two of them at odds. Watching her with them, seeing Daire set Caitie down onto the chair so Renny could take her into his arms, made him think of his own family.
He and Grant had always doted on their baby sister. His mother had had several miscarriages, and death had claimed two brothers and a sister as babies. Then his mother had given birth to Gracie. The joy that filled their house in the wee hours after two days of agonizing birthing was something he’d never forget.
Nor would he ever forget holding his tiny baby sister. His arms moved up to his chest as though cradling an infant. For just a moment he was back in
a two-room cabin, holding the baby, staring into those squinting eyes and watching tiny rosebud lips tremble as she mewed weakly.
That sound, and the slight weight in his arms, had given birth to a deep, protective love. Gracie had always been fragile and they’d all lived in fear that sickness would take her from them as well.
But she’d survived infancy and had grown to be a fragile, but otherwise healthy child. Even the illness that claimed their parents had passed over her.
The room darkened as a cloud passed over the sun. He’d vowed to keep his sister safe. Alive. But he’d failed.
Remembering the day she’d died in his arms shattered his heart all over again. Watching this young family, the pain from losing his own felt as fresh and raw as the day he and Grant buried first their parents, then Gracie.
A gentle nudge from behind him startled Tyler back to the present. “Excuse me, Sheriff.” Miss Martha sidestepped him. She carried a small tray with a steaming cup of tea over to the table next to where Reed sat with Mattie.
“Here, dear, I brought you some tea. Added some cool water and a splash of father’s brandy.”
“Thank you. Miss Martha,” Reed said.
Tyler showed his respect by giving Mattie time to pull herself together. It also gave him time to observe the family who’d come to matter so much to him over the last year.
Reed took the cup, put it in his wife’s trembling hands, and then cupped her hands with his. He murmured to her, encouraging her to sip. Slowly the color returned to her face.
Daire stood stiffly. Kealan was wide-eyed and quiet, and Caitie slumped over Renny’s shoulder, her thumb in her mouth.
For the first time since he’d met the O’Brien siblings, he had to admit that there were differences between these brothers and sisters and his own.
The kids, including Mattie and Renny, were all strong. Healthy. Each one possessed an inner strength, a core of courage that only enhanced their appeal and made them seem even stronger.
For the first time he realized just how much he truly admired them. Maybe it was that strength and courage that had drawn him to them, not just his fear of watching them make the same mistakes he and his brother made.
He shifted, growing restless and uneasy with his own private revelations. Perhaps Renny had been right to keep her family together. They were survivors. Their combined strength was formidable, and no doubt responsible for the courage shown in the last year.
The urge to approach Renny and do as Maze suggested burned hot in Tyler. He’d go to her, first chance, and ask for her forgiveness. He’d admit to being wrong. And maybe she’d give him a chance to explain that he’d reacted out of fear.
He’d learned the hard way the cost of pride and pure stubbornness and he hadn’t been able to sit back and watch them make the same mistakes. Finally, he was ready to take the first step toward a truce.
But first, this situation needed to be dealt with. He stepped forward. “Reed, don’t want to intrude, but I’d like to know what’s going on.”
Renny stood, handed Caitie back to Daire then faced Tyler with legs spread, hands on hips. “Mattie’s fine.”
“Not now, Renny. Something’s wrong. With Matthew. Tell me,” Tyler demanded.
“Go away, Troll. Not your concern.” Renny took one step forward.
Tyler’s patience plummeted. He stalked over to her slowly, then deliberately stubbed the toes of his boots into hers and leaned over her.
“Need to hear it again, Miss O’Brien? Let me repeat. Anything and everything that goes on in this town is my business. And if I understand correctly, Mattie had a vision and in that vision saw Matthew get himself shot.”
He drew a deep breath. He didn’t really know what to make of Mattie’s statement, but he’d seen enough in the last month to not dismiss anything she said.
He pointed a finger at her. “Someone gets shot, that’s a crime, and crimes fall under the jurisdiction of the law. And in case you’ve forgotten, around here, I am the law.” He sidestepped Renny, dismissing her.
“Mattie—”
“She’s told all she can. She needs to rest.” Renny moved with him. Her blue eyes blazed with anger. And fear.
“Dammit, Ranait.” Tyler wanted to reach out, grab her by the shoulder and shake her senseless but she shoved past him. Snaking his hand out, he caught her by the arm.
“Where are you going?”
“None—”
“So help me God, Ranait O’Brien. One day you’re gonna push me too far.”
Renny jutted her chin out at him. “It is none of your concern. But just so the law is dutifully informed, I am going home. I am going to get some supplies, then I am going to go find Matthew.” Renny stomped on his foot then strode out the door.
Tyler bit back an oath, but he didn’t follow her. He needed to know more. “Mattie,” he said gently, remembering that she couldn’t see him looking at her. “Where is Matthew?”
Mattie pulled herself out of Reed’s arms and stood. “I’m not sure. You know he left with Brenna to return to our people. He always goes by the same route: the James River, then smaller rivers and streams until he reaches the Missouri. He’ll stop at the home of our aunt and uncle on his way.” She drew in a deep breath.
“He won’t have been in a hurry. The journey to our people is as important to Matt as reaching them, and I also made him promise not to make the journey hard on Brenna—so he’ll be traveling slower than if he’d been alone.”
Mattie took a deep breath and pushed herself out of her husband’s arms. “We’ll follow, and pray to both the God of your world, and the spirits of my world that we find him before it’s too late.”
“We?” Tyler and Reed asked the question at the same time. Both wore frowns.
Tyler shook his head, remembered that she couldn’t see the gesture. “Tell me the route he took. I’ll get some men and go after him.”
Smiling sadly, Mattie shook her head. “Doesn’t work that way. Many things could make Matthew change course. Weather, animals, other tribes.”
“Then how do you propose to find him?” He didn’t want to point out that she was blind and certainly couldn’t track him.
Reed sighed. “She’ll see more, know more the closer she gets to him. As much as I hate the idea, she is the one person who needs to go.”
Mattie leaned back against her husband. “Reed is correct.” She closed her eyes, looking young and vulnerable. “I’ll see more. Much more.” Her voice was soft, so soft he could barely hear her.
“I’m going with them.” Daire moved to stand beside Mattie.
“And so am I.” Kealan took his stand beside Reed. His hands were fisted and he looked like the fierce warrior he hoped to become.
“My Sioux name is Matohoksila. It means Bear Boy.” Kealan pulled a leather pouch out from beneath his shirt. “And I have my own medicine bag, and that means I can go too.”
Caitie just reached out to Mattie. Mattie took her into her arms. “We all go, Sheriff Tyler,” she said softly. “My brother needs us. There is no more to be said.”
Tyler ran his hands through his hair. He sent Reed a frustrated glare. “This is crazy.”
Reed sighed. “Yep. That’s what marriage does to your life,” he said, not looking the least bit put out.
“Fine. Reed, find someone to take over the office of deputy. Mattie, get together a list of supplies we need from Hank. We’ll send someone to fetch them for you.”
“We need to return home, Tyler. We need clothing and—”
“I’ll ride out now. I can go faster alone. You all come with Reed. I’ll help Renny gather supplies.”
Glancing at each of the three young siblings, he frowned. “Matthew has a long head start. If we are going to find him, we need to ride hard.”
Daire nod
ded. “We can handle it.”
For a moment, Tyler stared in his eyes then nodded before turning on his heel. Could things get any more complicated?
* * *
Renny arrived home shaken and scared. She moved as though a dream bogged her down and she had to force herself forward.
First, the house. What to take? Food, herbs, bandages, blankets, a change of clothing, two rifles and a pocket pistol that had belonged to her father.
She paused for a moment and let herself see the fun and happiness that had once been a part of her daily life: her mother at the stove, singing softly or telling stories to whomever was gathered at the table, teaching them their heritage in the way of her people—through stories.
Her pa, sitting in his chair each night with his children gathered around. The time with her father had been fun, for he’d loved to talk and listen to his children talk. They’d discuss everything from lessons to politics. Sometimes the mood was serious, other times, light and full of nonsense.
She’d had so much, but lost most of it and wasn’t sure she could handle another loss. To keep from dwelling on it, she gathered the supplies piled on the wooden table and hurried out of the house.
With her heart aching, she hurried out to the barn. There wasn’t time for her to waste. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Matt was in trouble.
A wave of nausea struck her hard. Renny dropped to the hay-strewn floor of the barn and put her head between her knees. She felt sick. What if she couldn’t find him? What if she was too late?
Lifting her head, she stared bleakly around her. “Haven’t we had enough?” she cried out. Hot, burning tears pricked the back of her eyes but she fought the urge to cry. For the first time in her life, she just wanted to lie down and ignore it all. She couldn’t go through this again.
Death and tragedy had filled the last year. Worry and fear had become her way of life. But before, it had driven her, kept her going. Now it paralyzed her. Still she sat, her heart pounding, the pain in her stomach sharp.
“How will I find you, Matt?” What if she failed him? All of them? A small movement near her boot drew her gaze downward. A small, black beetle scuttled up and over the toe of her boot then stopped, its antennae moving back and forth.
White Vengeance Page 7