"And that is how I came to find out about you, and where you resided," Shane said, completing his story. "Father, I"
Shane's words came to an abrupt halt when he heard his father gasp for breath. He felt the tightening of his father's grip. He saw his father's locked eyes staring toward the ceiling. He saw no pulsebeat at his throat.
"No!" Shane cried, staring wild-eyed down at his father. "You can't be dead. You can't!"
Josh's insides became queasy. He looked away and swallowed hard to choke back the bitter bile that was rising into his throat. He had known for a long time that his father was going to die. But now that he had, it did not seem real. For so long, it had been only the two of them.
Until Shane came back.
Turning slowly around, Josh glared at Shane. Their father had nothing on his mind at the end except Shane! Only Shane! Hate swelled within
Josh for a brother who had robbed him of his father, even at the last.
Trembling, tears burning the corners of his eyes, Shane eased his fingers from his father's strong death grip and placed it beneath the blankets. ''Farewell, Gee-bah-bah," he whispered, hanging his head sadly. "Farewell, father."
A rustling of feet and a chair falling over backward, crashing against the wooden floor, made Shane jump with alarm to his feet. He looked across the bed at Josh, whose face was red with anger.
"This isn't the place to be speaking that hocus-pocus Indian language," Josh growled between gritted teeth. "Shane, this isn't the place for you. Now that you've said your goodbyes to father, you can go on your way. He was the one who wanted you here. Not me. In my eyes, you are not my brother. You aresomeone I don't even know."
"How can you say that, Josh?" Melanie said suddenly from behind them. "How can you look your brother in the eye and say that? Lord, Josh, it's the same as looking at yourself. Would you deny your own self the rights that you would deny Shane? Would you?"
Shane turned quickly as Melanie moved to his side and slipped an affectionate arm around his waist. She looked adoringly up at him, then down at Jared. "At last he's in peace," she murmured, her voice breaking as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Shane, he's no longer in pain and he was able to die knowing you are alive and well." She
smoothed a tear away from her cheek as she looked closer at Jared. "Can you see? He died with a contented smile on his face."
Shane turned back around and looked down at his father. He had been too distraught to notice before, but, yes, his father had died with a smile on his lips. He had died happy!
"Josh, would you have denied your father that smile?" Melanie asked, looking accusingly at him. "Would you?"
Josh swallowed hard as he bowed his head, ashamed.
Chapter Eleven
A lone grave beneath a towering elm tree not far from the Brennan mansion lay piled high with flowers. The soft summer breeze whispered gently through the leaves of the tree, and a mockingbird warbled on a low-hanging limb.
Melanie, dressed all in black, stood at the parlor window of Shane's house, staring out at the grave, remembering all too clearly another funeral not long ago. Her father's. She missed him today more than ever. With Terrance behaving so erratically, drunk one minute, sober the next, she felt as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders.
She turned slowly and looked across the room at Shane, who was sitting before the fire, staring into it. Her heart went out to him and she realized that
she bore not only her own sorrow today, but his also. And didn't she also have his welfare to look after, as well as her own? Was she capable of seeing all this through? When her father was alive, she had been carefree. Now she had nothing but cares.
Except for Shane. Though he was a man of twenty-nine, she a mere girl of eighteen, her strongest instinct was to protect him. And she would.
Her gaze shifted and settled on Jared's attorney, Mike Green. He was on the sofa removing a legal document from a brown leather satchel. The will. Melanie had made it a point to stay after the funeral to see that Shane's interests were protected. If Josh had his way, Shane would have none of the inheritance.
Her gaze shifted to Josh, who was downing another glass of whiskey as he leaned an arm against the fireplace mantel, staring blankly down into the fire. Melanie sighed heavily. Immediately after the funeral, Terrance had left for town. It did not take much thought to guess where he was going. He would gamble and drink another day away while he left his responsibilities to the hired cowhands and his sister! And he wondered why Melanie was so determined to learn all of the particulars about running the cattle farm? Indeed!
"Shall we proceed?" Mike Green said, breaking the silence with his slight voice. He looked nervously at Shane, then at Josh. It was beyond his comprehension how Jared had been so sure that Shane would returnby God, though, he had
been right. There he sat, all six feet of him, an exact replica of Josh.
Josh was drowning his problems in alcohol, as usual. Well, he would damn well need it when he heard the final changes in the will. Only yesterday Mike had returned and listened to Jared give the command to make the needed changes. Once Josh heard, all hell could break loose.
"Yes, let's get this over with," Josh said, glaring at Mike.
"Perhaps you can set your drink aside for a few moments, Josh," Mike said, running a finger nervously around his tight, ruffled collar. "This will needs some strong listening."
"I can listen just as well with a glass in my hand as without," Josh growled. He went across the room to the liquor cabinet and poured more whiskey into the glass. "What I do need is to make sure there's enough whiskey in it."
"As you wish," Mike said, his eyes wavering.
Melanie stood beside Shane's chair and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. When he looked up at her and smiled, everything within her turned to mush. "It will be over soon," she whispered. "It won't take long for Mike to read the will." She glanced at Josh, who had slouched down into a chair opposite Shane. ''But it may take a lifetime for Josh to accept what's in it."
Shane turned his eyes to Josh and felt a sadness sweep through him. His own brother. His own brother cared nothing for him. It was hard enough to accept Gray Falcon's rejection and he was of no
blood kin. But to have a true brother, a twin, reject him?
It was as if his brother had taken a knife and stabbed him. Perhaps in time Shane could change Josh's attitude. But he had decided that he would not be run off. He was home. He was going to stay. His father had waited for him to come home before he drifted away to join his ancestors in the hereafterwaited to tell him how much he was loved and wanted.
His father wanted him hereand he would stay!
Mike stood up, with his back to the fireplace. He stretched the legal document out before him and began to read.
"This is my last will and testament," he began, continuing until he came to the part that he knew would shock Josh and surprise Shane. He paused, frowning, and glanced at Josh, who was refilling his glass again with whiskey, then focused his full attention on Jared's will.
"My son Shane has just returned home, alive and well, and to him I bequeath three-fourths of my land and cattle. It is only right that I do so, since Shane has suffered a lifetime of injustices since the day he watched his mother die. To Josh, my other son, I bequeath the remainder of my possessions except for my house, which is to be shared equally with Shane as long as Shane desires to live there. To Josh I must say that I do not do this to hurt him, but to make him a better man for it. Through my years of having Josh solely to myself, I have tended to spoil him by giving him
everything a son might desire. He took it all willingly and grew careless with it by gambling and drinking too much of our riches away. With Shane holding the largest sum of the inheritance in his hand, Josh will have to learn to toe the line or lose everything in the end. To both my sons, it is only my intention to do what is best for you. You have a long life ahead of you. Make the best of it."
The room was deafeni
ngly quiet as Mike refolded the will. Melanie looked at Josh. She had never seen anyone as stunned. It was in the way he held his glass only halfway to his mouth, as though frozen there, and in the way his eyes were fixed on the will, glassy with shock. She knew that Josh had expected to have to share with Shane, but now he knew he would have less than an equal share.
Melanie stepped around in front of Shane and looked down at him. The show of tears in his eyes revealed that he was realizing just how much he had missed by not being with his true father all these years that had been stolen from himand just how much his father had loved him.
Shane looked slowly up at Melanie. Tears streamed from her eyes as she bent to her knees before him and buried her head against his chest, hugging him. "Shane, oh, Shane," she murmured, warming all over inside when he twined his fingers through her hair and held her even closer to him.
Mike held the will out before him, motioning from Shane to Josh, offering it to them. "This copy of the will is for your files," he said, looking from Shane to Josh. "I have my own."
Josh turned his eyes away from Mike, holding
onto his glass so strongly it threatened to break. "You know what you can do with that god-damned piece of paper," he said between clenched teeth. He slammed the glass down on a table and stormed from the room. When he was outside the house, he inhaled several deep breaths, trying to stop the nervous beating of his heart. He raked his fingers through his golden hair and stared at the fresh grave beneath the elm tree.
"Father, why?" he said, a sob escaping from between his lips. "Was I that big a disappointment to you? Or did you feel you had to make it up to Shane for never having found him the day of the massacre? Which is it, Father? Which is it?"
Not wanting to think any more about it, feeling as though the world were tumbling down around him, Josh began running. When he reached the stable, he saddled his horse and mounted it shakily. He had already been condemned because of his drinking and gambling, so to hell with it. That's what he needed now to make him forget the follies of a dead father!
His hair flying in the wind, Josh rode away, hell bent for leather . . .
Melanie stood at the window, watching Josh. Mike went to her side and saw him ride away.
"He'll soon come to his senses and see that his father had only his best interest in mind," Mike said. "But at this moment, he probably hates Shane so much he could kill him. I'd keep my eye on him tonight. He's already reeking of whiskey.
When he returns from town, he'll be drunk as hell."
Mike turned and placed a hand on Shane's shoulder, looking up at him from his less than imposing height. "Son, I don't know how it happened that you came home when you did," he said, not wanting to accuse Shane of anything, certainly not of having heard that his father was dying and knowing that an inheritance could make him rich. "But it made Jared's last moments on this earth happy. That's all that mattered." He nodded down at the will. "What's written in that will is fair and square, but it's going to take Josh some time to accept it. Just go about your business. He'll have to come round, in time."
Melanie went to Shane and linked her arm through his. She looked Mike square in the face. "Do you truly feel that Shane could be in danger staying here tonight?" she asked softly. "I've known Josh almost all my life, but I've never seen him as upset as he is now. Would you advise Shane to stay somewhere else tonight? Until Josh has a chance to cool off and accept what has happened?"
"I would highly advise this young man to sleep elsewhere tonight," Mike said, picking up his satchel. "I've never seen a violent side to Josh, yet under these circumstances, who can tell?"
Melanie firmed her jaw and looked up at Shane. "That settles it," she said. "You're going to stay at my place tonight."
Shane shook his head, his jaw set just as tightly.
"My father has given me part ownership of this house," he said flatly. "I will not be a coward and leave. My brother and I share the same blood in our veins. He will not harm me. You will see."
Melanie wanted to blurt out that she would stay with him to make sure, yet she could not take away his pride by showing her lack of faith in his ability to keep himself safe. He had lived under questionable conditions these past twenty-five years and he had survived. She could not believe that Josh could be more of a threat than those other dangers Shane had been forced to face and endure!
"I must take my leave," Mike said, picking up his wide-brimmed felt hat from a chair and hiding his bald head beneath it. "If ever you have need of legal assistance, Shaneor MelanieI shall always be there to serve."
Melanie broke away from Shane and escorted Mike to the door. "Thank you for everything," she murmured. "Have a safe journey back to St. Paul."
"Thank God it's not all that far," Mike said, glancing over at Shane. "You never know when a stranger is going to pop up out of nowhere."
Melanie blanched, then closed the door after him and went to Shane. She slipped into his arms and hugged him.
Many others would question the true reason for Shane's suddenly showing up at the time of his father's death. But she knew that he did not have a devious bone in his body. In time, everybody who
concerned themselves about his sudden appearance would know the truth.
In time. . . .
The saloon was dim with smoke. The tinkling of a piano and loud, boisterous laughter filled the room. Terrance sat beside Josh at the bar, his arm slung around Josh's shoulder.
"Seems we both got rotten bargains," Terrance said in a drunken drawl. "First my sister havin' to share everything with me on the farm like she's a man, and now you havin' to take less than your brother. There ought to be a law against it, Josh."
His eyes blurred, Josh attempted to pour himself another drink, but spilled half of the whiskey on the counter. "Damn it," he growled, shoving the bottle away from him. "I still can't believe what my father did to me. It's damn humiliating, Terrance."
Terrance patted Josh's shoulder. "It's damn unfair, Josh," he said, burping loudly. "What'd we do wrong to be treated so unjustly?"
"Just exist, I guess," Josh grumbled, tipping the glass to his lips and taking a quick gulp.
"I love Melanie so much my gut aches, but there isn't much I can do about her having an equal share of everything," Terrance said, slipping his arm away from Josh. He poured himself another drink. "But we can do something about your brother."
Terrance could tell that Josh was seeing his hopes fading. More important to Terrance, if Shane stayed on at the Brennan farm, Melanie
would more than likely end up marrying him, and Shane would get his hands on Melanie's share of the Stanton riches too.
Terrance had been thinking of how he could prevent that, to show up this man who had been raised by Indians. He had to find a way to make Melanie see how worthless he was!
"No matter what anyone says, Shane shouldn't be allowed to take charge at your farm," Terrance continued. "Perhaps there's something we can do about it. Are you game?"
"Do?" Josh said, looking quizzically over at Terrance. "Like what? What are you talking about?"
Terrance shook his head and sighed. He was right to see Josh as a bungler and expect that he would botch everything up. If he were smarter, he would narrow in on Shane and make friends instead of enemies, because Shane was now in possession of so much that he would like to own.
But Terrance didn't expect anyone could ever get anything out of Shane Brennan. He was a survivor. Hadn't he lived those many years with Indians and lived to tell about it?
Terrance moved his stool closer to Josh and placed an arm around his shoulder. "Josh, I've got a plan that could ruin everything for Shane, especially his relationship with Melanie," he said, chuckling. "I can't bear to think of her marrying up with that Indian-lover. But to guarantee that my plan will work, I need your help."
"What do you plan to do?" Josh asked, looking guardedly over at Terrance.
"I can't say unless you agree to help me," Terrance said, toying with h
is thin, black mustache.
"I don't know," Josh said, frowning. "I'm damn mad at Shane, but I don't want to do anything that might get me locked behind bars."
"You'd never get caught," Terrance said, smiling smugly. "Will you agree to help me?"
Josh stared down into his glass, then over at Terrance. "Naw, I don't think so," he said, shaking his head. "Let's just let things happen on their own. Shane knows nothing about farming. And Melanie will soon see the sort of man that he is. He'll leave again. It'll all be mine again. You'll see."
"God, Josh, you're even dumber than I thought," Terrance said. Disgusted, he got off his stool and lumbered from the saloon. Josh gaped openly after him, then ordered another bottle of whiskey and went to join a poker game.
Chapter Twelve
Someone cursing outside her bedroom door drew Melanie awake. She yawned sleepily, then winced when she heard the shattering of glass on the hardwood floor in the hallway, followed by more cursing. Her eyes rolled upward.
"Terrance," she groaned, knowing she would find a mess outside her door before the servants awakened. Her brother had returned home after his drunken bout in St. Paul and had more than likely brought another bottle of whiskey with him. In his whiskey-induced stupor he had dropped the bottle and broken it.
It would not be the first time, nor would it be the last.
Disgusted with her brother and now fully awake, Melanie rubbed sleep from her eyes and
got out of the bed. Slipping a robe around her shoulders, she went to the window and pulled aside the heavy, white satin drapery. She moaned. Her brother had spent the whole night tom-catting around. The rising sun was barely tipping the trees with its lustrous orange light. Occasional strips of black still colored the sky that was softening to a pale blue.
Leaning closer to the window, Melanie peered through the hazy morning light toward Shane's house in the distance. A tingling heat rose from her toes at the thought of him. She wondered if he had slept safely. Josh had probably been no threat after all. He had more than likely been with Terrance the full night. They were known to frequent the same saloons, the same brothels.
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