Broken Feather told his tale when he brought Bradford’s body back to the ranch, explaining that Morton went for the sheriff. Vanessa ran up to her room, and sat shivering on the bed, while MacGregor helped Broken Feather put Bradford in his room, and pulled the sheet over his body. Then Broken Feather went upstairs and tapped on Vanessa’s door, after MacGregor returned to the kitchen, shaking his head at the unexpected news of Bradford’s demise.
“How are you holding up?” Broken Feather asked Vanessa, as she opened the door and threw herself into his arms.
“This is just horrible,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“Morton saw scratches on Bradford’s back and could tell they were fingernail scratches. Did you scratch him?”
“I may have, I don’t really remember, everything happened so fast.”
“I just hope the Sheriff doesn’t notice them or say anything if he does. I have him laid out on his back, so I don’t suppose the Sheriff is going to turn him over to inspect his body after we tell him how we found Bradford at the bottom of the canyon and suspect he fell to his death, because he had been drinking.
“Morton could only come to the conclusion that you may have scratched Bradford, since there are no other women around, but he can’t bring himself to believe that Bradford would try to harm you. I told him it was best if he didn’t say anything, and I was not going to ask you about it, because I didn’t want to upset you. It is best if all of this is forgotten and not even spoken about until Jason returns, and then we say as little as possible. By the way, we found your pantaloons and there was no explanation for them being in the river. I suggested to Morton that they may have blown into the river when you were swimming and since you couldn’t find them you left them behind. We should stick to that story, and make sure it took place sometime last week, if anyone asks.”
Vanessa nodded. “Jason is going to be devastated. Bradford was his close friend. They knew each other for about forever!”
“He should have kept his hands to himself, then,” Broken Feather muttered.
Vanessa clung all the tighter to Broken Feather, and he found himself putting his arms around her to try and comfort her. Not only had she been traumatized by Bradford’s treatment of her, but now he was dead and she had been the cause of it. He could well understand how she must feel.
“It will soon be over with,” he soothed, as he stroked her hair, liking the way her curls felt beneath the palm of his hand.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispered, enjoying his fingers in her hair.
“Only not enough to leave Jason and come with me to Mexico.”
“You know I can’t now.”
“Then don’t tell me how much you miss me,” he half moaned.
“I can’t help how I feel about you. And I can’t help that society would never allow us to be together. I just want you to know that even though I am staying with Jason because of our child, I can never forget you.”
“Which only makes it all the harder, because I can never forget you either,” Broken Feather groaned, and then he broke down and did what he vowed he would not do, once he got there. He enfolded Vanessa in his arms and found her lips, devouring them in a passion that seemed to overtake him.
Vanessa welcomed his kiss, hating herself for not giving in and leaving with Broken Feather before Jason could return home, and letting Broken Feather help her raise her child, somewhere in Mexico among the Black Seminole tribe. However, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She realized her feelings for Jason were too strong, and she couldn’t hurt him by taking his child away. Despite the fact that she loved Broken Feather, they would have to remain star-crossed lovers, never meant to be together.
Only for now, she had him there, holding her and kissing her, taking her breath away, for whatever amount of time they had together. She would have him there for the next two or three weeks, and the thought thrilled her in spite of the guilt she felt for betraying Jason, and disappointing Broken Feather by not going with him to Mexico.
She would have to be careful, though. It was bad enough that Bradford found out about her and Broken Feather. It would be devastating if anyone else found out about it.
“I don’t know why I allow you to affect me like this,” Broken Feather murmured, against her cheek. “If anyone discovers us, it will be worse than Bradford dying.”
“I know,” Vanessa murmured, straightening up and pulling out of his arms. “I suppose you had better go. I just can’t wait until we can be together again without worry of someone seeing us. If you stay, we will have plenty of chances to be with each other.”
“It isn’t right,” Vanessa.
“I know, but I can’t help myself. Soon you will leave, and then when you go to Mexico, I will never see you again.”
“I wish I was Jason,” he groaned.
“So do I, it just isn’t fair.”
“I’m going to go down stairs to wait for the Sheriff. Since you aren’t expected to know anything about Bradford’s accident, I suggest you remain in your room, unless the Sheriff wishes to talk to you for some reason, seeing as how Bradford worked for your husband.”
“Yes, I really don’t want to face anyone right now. I may say the wrong thing and give myself away.”
“I agree. I will tell the Sheriff that you are in shock and are in a delicate way, so we don’t want to upset you any more than necessary.”
“Thank you, Broken Feather. You always come through for me. You got here just in time. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
“Just my crazy luck,” he chuckled, and then straightened his face. “We will just have to get through this, and when Jason comes home, be extra careful about what you say.”
“I don’t even want to think about Jason coming home, because then you will have to leave again.”
“Then don’t think about it. It will come soon enough,” he smiled, and then opened the door and left her watching him walk down the hall, loving the way he moved his body, and those muscles that always had attracted her.
It made her think of Seth. She wondered whatever happened to him after the war. He had always been so thoughtful to her and her mother. Even after her mother died, Seth had been there to comfort her. Aunt Mildred had never really liked her mother for some reason and had been rather distant to both her and her mother. It seemed like Seth was the only one who cared. He had hugged her and cried when it came time for the slaves to leave the plantation. He seemed almost like family to her because she had known him all her life, only she figured she would never learn where he went. Having slaves was all behind her now, and besides, she most likely would never return to Louisiana again.
When Morton returned, he informed Broken Feather that since the death had been assumed an accident, the sheriff had said there wasn’t much reason for him to come out all that way, and to just bury Bradford in their family burial plot. Broken Feather breathed a sigh of relief that they wouldn’t have to go through some sort of investigation, and he and Morton worked at building a box to put Bradford in. They knew they could not wait until Jason returned, so the ceremony was rather small and simple.
Morton gave a few words about Bradford and his experiences of the man, and then MacGregor gave a semblance of a prayer, saying he wasn’t much good at giving funeral services, but would try. Vanessa cried silently, not because she would miss Bradford but because it had all suddenly hit her that she had killed him, mixed with the relief that it was all over and no one could question how the death actually happened. Also, now, Jason would never discover what Bradford knew.
She glanced over at Broken Feather, feeling happy that he was there and glad she had sent for him, only the look he gave her was not very comforting. He must be angry that he had been dragged into all of this and now there were more secrets to keep.
CHAPTER TEN
Three weeks went by way too fast for Vanessa. Broken Feather was kept busy most of the time helping Morton out, and
when the day’s work was over, and supper was eaten, he usually went straight to his room. Vanessa came to the conclusion that he had no intention of being with her alone at any time while he was there, and it hurt her feelings. Yet she couldn’t really blame him. Their love for each other was a hopeless dream unless she consented to going with him to Mexico, and she knew she could never raise her child in an Indian village, and there was no way she would agree to leave it behind. Therefore, she was bound to her marriage vows whether she liked it or not, and would have to resign herself to the fact.
She would watch Broken Feather from afar as he worked, and smile at him over the kitchen table joining in with small talk as they all ate their meal. There were times she went to the river to cool off, hoping Broken Feather would come and join her, but he never did. She made it a point not to go back to the part of the river where Bradford had died. Yet even so, being at the river just brought back sad memories. Either she would try to relive the time she spent with Broken Feather there, feeling empty when she knew it was merely a memory, or shiver at the thought of Bradford dragging her to the bank.
She turned her thoughts to her future child, but even that could not distract her. Jason was always so busy working, she barely saw him, and it would be like living her life all over again when only she and her mother shared their lives together because her father was always away. She feared the same fate would befall her and her child, once it was born. As it was, she only had a fond feeling for Jason, and if he was never around, even that feeling would grow weak, she worried.
Every time Broken Feather even looked her way, her heart would lurch and she would lose her breath, trying to slow her heartbeat. Then when he glanced away, her heart fell to her stomach, and she had to hold back her tears of disappointment. He was set on avoiding her as much as possible, and then when Jason came back, he would be gone for good.
Perhaps he was doing it to weaken her into agreeing to leave with him to Mexico when Jason came back. The thought of how devastated Jason would be if she did that, was the only thing stopping her, beyond the distasteful thought of living with Indians. Only if she went with Broken Feather, there was no other place to go, and if she left Jason, now that she was carrying his heir, Jason would not leave a stone unturned hunting her down and dragging her back, at least until after the baby was born. She could see no way out of her dilemma and finally had to stop looking for ways.
Now she wished she had not sent for Broken Feather, except for the fact he had helped her get rid of Bradford’s body and directed the blame of his death away from her. She spent long hours playing the piano trying to block all her hopes out. As she sat playing, she took in a sudden breath when she started to feel the life quicken inside of her and marveled at how it felt like butterflies were flitting around in her stomach, each time the child moved. It made it all the more absolute that there was a life growing within her. Her fate was sealed, and she was bound there with Jason forever, now, she thought.
“This is just how I imagined it would be when I returned,” she heard a voice behind her say as she was in the middle of playing a piano piece, and she stopped playing the piano to turn and look.
Jason couldn’t have returned so soon, she thought, and then realized it wasn’t so soon, she just hadn’t kept track of the time once Broken Feather arrived. She turned on the bench and faced him, smiling, as she cried inside.
“I could hear the music as I rode up,” he told her. “I have missed you Vanessa. You don’t know how much I have missed you.”
Then he was lifting her from the bench and holding her in his arms, covering her face with kisses as Vanessa tried to calm the fear of knowing now that Jason was home, Broken Feather would leave.
“I have missed you too,” she lied, but returned his kisses. “So much has happened since you left,” she murmured.
“I saw that Broken Feather was here. Did he decide to leave the army again?”
“No, he just came by to check on me and then ended up staying to help out until you returned. I will let him tell you about it. Something horrible happened to Bradford.”
“What? Did he have a relapse from his wounds?” Jason asked anxiously.
“It is worse than that, only I don’t want to talk about it. Broken Feather will explain it all. I think I will go up to my room while you talk to him,” she told him.
“This sounds serious. I will go find Broken Feather and get some answers,” he muttered, “then I will come to your room. I am in need of a hot bath though, and I can barely stand, I am so tired.”
“I’ll run a tub for you,” she murmured and headed for the stairs, as Jason went out the front door, looking for Broken Feather.
When Jason returned, his face was ashen and his eyes looked glazed, an expression of disbelief had crept over his face. Vanessa could barely look at him, her heart shivering in fright if he ever discovered the truth about Bradford’s death. Only, how could he, if she never mentioned it to him. As far as he knew, she knew nothing about how Bradford actually died.
“Your tub is ready,” Vanessa mumbled as she met Jason in the hall.
“This is a terrible situation,” Jason strained. “I am glad that Broken Feather was here, though, to help out. He seems very capable. I invited him to remain on the ranch, but he turned me down. He said he would be returning to the army now. I just can’t believe that Bradford is dead.”
“Come take a bath,” Vanessa encouraged. “It will relax you, and I will remain in the room so we can talk, if you wish.”
“Yes, I would like that. It is so good to be back, but having to face this news is devastating. Bradford was my right-hand man. I suppose I will have to make Morton foreman now, and hire on another work hand.”
Vanessa followed him into the bathroom and watched him shed his clothes and lower himself into the tub.
“You have lost so much weight,” she said in a little astonishment.
“The drive takes a lot of energy out of you. It is a constant effort to keep the cattle together and moving, going out for strays to bring them back into the herd, and pushing the herd all day and barely sleeping at night. Then I was so anxious to get back, I tried to extend each day’s ride so we would make better time.”
“Well, you are home now, and since the herd is smaller, there won’t be as much work to do for a while.”
“Except for the branding when the calves are old enough,” he reminded her. “How have you been feeling? I can see our child has grown some.”
Vanessa looked down at her stomach and smiled. “I suppose so. I can feel it moving inside of me. It is the most unusual sensation.”
“I will look forward to when it is born. It will be nice to have a child in the house and, eventually, I am sure there will be more to join it in the future.”
The thought caught Vanessa off guard. If she remained here, she would be raising a brood of children to ultimately grow up and work on the ranch next to their father. The realization of it was rather daunting.
Jason laid back and closed his eyes, and Vanessa began to bath him as he relaxed in the warm water.
“It is nice to feel your hands on me,” Jason breathed. “I didn’t realize all the pleasures a wife could bring a man.”
“I am happy to please you,” Vanessa said truthfully, only knowing that she would never be able to please Broken Feather again made it rather bitter-sweet.
“I just don’t understand it,” he murmured.
“You don’t understand what?” Vanessa asked, puzzled.
“I am told that Bradford had taken a bottle of my wine and got drunk. It just wasn’t like Bradford to do something like that.”
“Maybe you didn’t know Bradford as well as you thought or maybe something was weighing on his mind for him to get drunk like that.”
“What would be weighing on his mind? We have been working on this ranch together for years, and he has never had something weighing on his mind like that before.”
“He was acting rather strange be
fore you left. Remember, I told you of my concerns. I don’t think he liked me, and I know he did not like Broken Feather.”
“Was Broken Feather here before Bradford ended up getting drunk? Did something happen between the two?”
“No. Broken Feather showed up after Bradford had taken off and no one knew where he was. Bradford and I hadn’t even talked the first week you were away, so if something was bothering him, I was not aware of it. Both he and Morton were pretty busy taking care of the new calves.”
“Morton said he couldn’t understand it either. He claimed there was something strange about the whole incident. He told me about finding Bradford’s hat and blood at the river, only Bradford’s body was discovered down a canyon. He said he saw scratches on Bradford’s back that looked like fingernail marks. Do you know anything about that?”
“I have no idea what he is talking about. How would I know anything about it? Like I told you, we hadn’t talked for almost a week before he went missing. Morton might have been mistaken. After all, Bradford tumbled down the side of the canyon and could have gotten those scratches in the process. Just because they looked like fingernail scratches, doesn’t mean they were.”
“I suppose we will never know. Bradford is buried and the sheriff never came out to examine his body since it was claimed to be an accident. Anyway there was no one here who wanted to harm Bradford, so it had to be an accident.”
“It is over and done with now, Jason. Stewing over it is not going to change anything. We will just have to get on with our lives and make the best of it.”
“I suppose you are right. It is too late to try and piece things together now, anyway. I am just happy to be home where I can keep an eye on things now.”
“We are happy to have you home,” Vanessa smiled, kissing him on the forehead.
Broken Feather Page 18