Afraid that she had just confessed to something that would never be, Melanie swung away from the table and left the dining room in a rush. Her low-bodiced green satin dress rustled voluptuously against her lacy petticoats as she hurried to the
parlor, away from Terrance's searching eyes. She went to a window and stared through the darkness at the forest. She had to believe in Shane and in his declaration of love for her. She had to believe that he would come out of this adventure tonight unharmed. He would return home! He must!
A strong hand on her wrist made Melanie's heart skip a beat. She winced as she was forced around to face Terrance. "What are you doing?" she asked, looking up at him. "Let me go, Terrance."
"Not until you are made to listen to reason," Terrance growled. "Melanie, you've been nothing but bullheaded since Pop's death and it's time for that to stop. I am your older brother. Pop depended on me to see to your welfare." He leaned closer to her face, the stench of alcohol heavy on his breath. "You know that Pop and Jared Brennan planned for you to marry Josh. Damn it, Melanie, that's exactly who you are going to marry. Do you understand?"
Melanie squared her shoulders angrily. She jerked her wrist away from Terrance. "You may be my older brother and Pop may have asked you to look after me, but, Terrance, Pop wasn't aware of just how much you drink," she hissed. "When he was alive you did a damn good job hiding this from him. You never let him hear you come in at all hours of the night, drunk. Somehow you managed to be there for him, to look after the farm like a devoted son. But since his death you've let yourself go to hell, Terrance! How on earth can you expect me to listen to anything you say?"
Placing her hands on her hips, Melanie looked up at Terrance defiantly. "And do you truly think I want to marry someone just like you? It's enough, Terrance, that I have to put up with your nonsense," she stormed. "I will not marry Josh, no matter what either of you says, or does!"
Terrance doubled his fists at his sides. His face was red with rage. "Well, my dear sister, you sure as hell aren't going to marry that Indian-lover," he shouted, turning and stamping away from her.
Melanie flinched as the front door slammed. She turned and watched through the window as Terrance went to his horse reined at the hitching rail and swung himself into his saddle. Scarcely breathing, she watched him ride away, his dark hair flying in the wind.
Wasn't it enough, Melanie thought, that she had Shane to worry about? Why did Terrance have to choose this moment to cause more problems?
Melanie lowered the wick in the kerosene lamps around the room, then left the parlor and wearily climbed the stairs. She hadn't been able to eat. She most surely would not be able to get one wink of sleep!
Until Shane returned home and convinced her that he truly loved her, a part of her was dead inside.
The moon sheened everything in silver as Shane moved stealthily among the fenced-in horses close to the Chippewa village. Red Raven quietly pointed out the ones that had been traded to Gray
Falcon while Shane slipped a rope over each of their heads.
Running alongside each other, Shane and Red Raven led the horses away from the village, then stopped and caught their breaths after tying the horses together and securing them to a post that Shane had pounded into the ground earlier.
''I will return with you to your farm with the horses and then I will have to say a final goodbye, my friend," Red Raven said, clasping his hands onto Shane's shoulders. "I can no longer find it in my heart to stay among my people. It would be hard to look at Gray Falcon's face every day and not see Cedar Maid's eyes locked in death, knowing that he is responsible."
"What will you do?" Shane asked, sadness engulfing him over these continued losses in his life. "Where will you go?"
"My horse will carry me far away," Red Raven said, swallowing hard. "Perhaps back to Canada."
"You don't have to go, you know," Shane said, glancing over his shoulder as the roped horses began to whinny. "You can go with me. You can learn with me the art of raising the cattle with the long, white horns. We could hunt together again. Perhaps one day we will hear word of Trapper Dan trapping in the forest again. Our hunt would be for him. We could live as brothers on land that is now mine."
"Land that is also your brother's," Red Raven growled. "Land that was once the Indian's! Land that is now fenced in!"
"Yes," Shane said, nodding. "It is all of those
things. It is the way of the white man." His eyes wavered. "I am a white man, Red Raven. My parents were white. And since I am not allowed to live with the Chippewa, I will now live like the white man!"
Red Raven dropped his hands to his side and stepped away from Shane. "That is why I cannot come to live with you," he said. "I am Indian."
"I understand," Shane said softly. He turned and looked at the stolen horses. Hidden in the shadows of a butte, they were grazing on knee-high grass. "You do not have to travel with me to my farm. It is I who chose to steal the horses. It is I who will take the responsibility for them."
"It is I who shared in the revenge," Red Raven said flatly. "I wish to see that you get the horses to your farm without any confrontation with Gray Falcon's braves."
"That is generous of you," Shane said, staring through the darkness at the outdoor fires in the Indian village in the distance.
"And now we will go and steal the pelts from Gray Falcon's wigwam?" Red Raven asked, following Shane's intent stare.
"It must be done to complete this act of vengeance," Shane said.
"We could be caught and slain," Red Raven warned him, drawing his knife from its buckskin sheath at his waist.
Shane slipped his own knife from its sheath. "It is the hour of night when everyone is asleep," he said. "Even Gray Falcon. We will come and go and no one will be the wiser."
"Ay-uh," Red Raven said. "But if Gray Falcon does awaken, it is I who will plunge the knife into his heart."
Shane heard the venom in Red Raven's voice, and knew he would kill Gray Falcon with pleasure. He hoped it would not come to that. Shane hated Gray Falcon with all of his being, but he did not want to be forced to participate in an act that would make Chief Standing Tall cry out from the hereafter. No. With luck, the remaining chore of the revenge would be silent and swift!
"Let us go," Shane said, grasping hard onto his knife. "Tomorrow Gray Falcon will realize that he slept too soundly tonight!"
Grim-faced, Shane ran alongside Red Raven through the night. On the outskirts of the village, he stopped and looked guardedly around him. Then he focused his full attention on the largest wigwam of all.
"I see no one," Red Raven said, leaning closer to Shane. "It is safe. Let us do it now."
Shane nodded and ran around behind the wigwams that were in his path. His eyes glittering with hate, he moved with the steps of a panther to the back of Gray Falcon's wigwam. Stopping to get his breath, he listened for any movements within. There were none. He smiled at Red Raven and nodded.
"Remember, take only the pelts that were given Gray Falcon in trade," Shane whispered. "He must understand why they are gone!"
"Ay-uh," Red Raven whispered back.
Together, they circled around to the front of the
wigwam. Shane held his breath as he lifted the buckskin entrance flap and peered inside. His heart lurched when he discovered that Gray Falcon was not alone. Sleeping on his pallet of furs alongside him was Blue Blossom, a dear friend of Cedar Maid's. The chief had chosen her to be his woman! Surely she did not lie with him from her own choosing. She must have hate in her heart for what he had forced upon Cedar Maid! If Blue Blossom knew that Cedar Maid was dead, she would not hesitate to take revenge.
Shane and Red Raven exchanged quick glances, then Shane stepped inside and moved stealthily around the two sleeping forms. From the glow of the orange, sunken coals in the fire space Shane could see well enough around the inside of the wigwam. He smiled at Red Raven when they both spied the pile of bear pelts at the same time.
Together they went and
gathered the pelts in their arms and turned to leave but both stopped, alarmed, when they discovered two dark eyes watching them. Blue Blossom had awakened and was leaning up on an elbow, looking from Shane to Red Raven, then back to Shane again.
Shane moved slowly toward her, his heart pounding against his ribs as her eyes followed him. When he reached her, he knelt down onto a knee and leaned down into her face. "This I do for Cedar Maid," he whispered.
A gleam appeared in Blue Blossom's eyes as she smiled up at Shane. She reached a gentle hand to his cheek. "Wee-weebhurry and be safe," she whispered.
Shane took her hand and kissed its palm, his eyes wavering, for he did not have the courage to tell her about Cedar Maid's fate. It was enough that he and Red Raven were having to carry such a sad burden around inside their hearts.
"Mee-gway-chee-wahn-dum," he whispered in Chippewa even though he had sworn not to use their language again. But Blue Blossom spoke nothing but Chippewa. He had no choice but to converse with her in her own language. "Thank you."
Red Raven moved past Shane. Shane followed closely behind him. They broke into a run and then spilled the pelts from their arms and fell to the ground panting beside the stolen horses.
"It is done!" Shane said, his voice filled with a fierce exultation. "How easy it was! My blood is on fire with victory!"
Red Raven picked up one of the bear pelts and stroked its silken fur. "Do you realize, Shane, that Gray Falcon saw more worth in these pelts than he did in Cedar Maid?" he said, his voice drawn. "Perhaps our revenge tonight is not enough!"
Shane's eyes were hard. "For tonight it is enough," he said, moving back to his feet. "I made a promise to my woman and I must be sure and keep it. I feel that she already doubts me too much."
Red Raven rose to his feet. "Your love for her is strong?" he asked, placing an arm around Shane's shoulder.
"Yes, my love for her is as strong as the marriage
of the stars to the heavens," Shane said, looking to the sky. "And our love will be as everlasting."
The aroma of bacon and eggs wafted across the table to Melanie, yet all that she could eat was a piece of buttered toast. She watched Terrance shovel the food into his mouth, glad that he had not had a drink for a full day and night now. He had been spending most of his time with the cowhands, branding the new shipment of longhorns.
Or had he stayed around the farm just to keep an eye on her? To see if Shane did return? She knew he would never stop gloating if Shane was gone for good.
Terrance looked across the table at Melanie. "So? What do you have planned for today?" he asked, sopping up the last of the milk gravy from his plate with a biscuit. His eyes lowered, seeing her smart, fitted travel suit. "You're dressed for shopping in St. Paul. Am I right? What are you going to do? Buy yourself a whole new wardrobe to get your mind off Shane's deserting you?"
Melanie's eyes filled with sudden fire. "I'll have you know I am not going into town for myself," she said.
"Then pray tell, who are you going for?" Terrance said, poking the remainder of his gravied biscuit in his mouth. He smiled as he chewed. "Are you going to buy something for your dear brother? Do you think my wardrobe needs to be updated, too?"
Melanie pushed her chair back and rose to her feet. She leaned down, placing the palms of her hands on the table, and talked into Terrance's face. "No, it's not your wardrobe or mine that I'm going to update," she said in a silken purr. "It's Shane's. I'm going to go and pick up the clothes that he was fitted for the other day. They were supposed to be ready today."
Terrance's face flushed with a sudden anger. He slammed his fork down on his plate and glared up at Melanie. "You just won't give up on him, will you?" he snarled. "He's been gone a full day and night now. Do you honestly think he's going to come sniffing at your doorstep again? No. I think not."
Melanie straightened her back and went and looked out the window, toward the butte, where she had first seen Shane. "Yes, he's been gone a full day and night," she murmured. "And if his calculations were right, he'll be gone another full day. I expect him to arrive sometime tonight, probably at dusk."
Terrance rushed from his chair and gestured wildly with his hand. "You think you've got it all figured out, don't you?" he raved, not stopping to hear her answer.
Melanie continued to look at the butte in the distance. "I certainly hope so," she whispered. "Oh, God, I hope so."
Chapter Fifteen
Her arms laden with packages, Melanie struggled through the throng of people rushing along the busy wood-planked walks. She had completed her business in St. Paul and was anxious to return home. The afternoon sun was lowering in the sky, casting the long shadows of the buildings along the rutted dirt streets. She wanted to be sure and be home when Shane arrived, for deep within her heart she had to believe that he would come home again.
She had to wonder if his mission had been successful. Would he be bringing home his spoils of war? If so, what would Josh's reaction be to the stolen horses?
So caught up in her thoughts was she that Melanie became careless and did not watch where
she was stepping. Suddenly she collided with someone, the impact knocking her packages from her arms, and her from her feet.
Tumbling to the sidewalk, she cried out with pain as her wrist twisted beneath her. Sitting clumsily on the sidewalk with passersby stopping to stare down at her, Melanie eased her hand from beneath her and tested her wrist to see if it was broken.
When she found that it was all right, she became aware of a hand being offered her.
She looked slowly up at the massive hulk of a man whom she had collided with. Now she understood why the impact had been so deadly! The man was huge. A scruffy beard covered his face and sweat-stained buckskins his fatty flesh. He looked like a wild mountain man.
A sense of loathing coursed through Melanie as she became aware of the foul stench emanating from him. He was not the sort a woman would want to come in close contact with either by day or night! All she wanted was to retrieve her packages and be on her way!
"Ma'am?" the man said in a thick, gravelly voice. "Let me help you up. It's my fault you're lyin' there in the first place 'cept seems you just came out of nowheres."
Melanie ignored his hand. "I'll be just fine, thank you," she said, easing back to her feet.
As she smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt, she looked shyly around her at the people continuing to gawk at her and the man.
Then suddenly she felt packages being thrust
into her arms. Lips parted, she watched the man picking up the packages and giving them to her until there were no more left on the sidewalk.
"There, that ought to do it," the man said, stepping closer to Melanie and smiling broadly down at her.
Melanie smiled awkwardly up at him, first noting his jagged yellow teeth.
Then something grabbed her at the pit of her stomach as she looked into his eyes. She blanched, feeling a strange dizziness overcoming her when she discovered that one of his eyes was blueand one was brown! This had to be the evil trapper that had caused Shane so much sorrow! It just wasn't that common for a man to have such peculiar eyes. And didn't he seem the sort that would have such little regard for human life? He had little enough for his own, it seemed, for no man had ever looked so unkempt or smelled so ungodly!
"Thank you," Melanie said weakly, backing away from him. "I appreciate . . . your kindness." She found those words hard to speak, for at this moment she was recalling Cedar Maid's dark eyes looking up at her from her grave of leaves.
But to protect herself from this man who might be offended by any show of repulsiveness toward him, Melanie had to put on a show of courtesy, then excuse herself and go on her way. She wanted desperately to go to the authorities and give them information about this man, but there was no proof. She would be wasting her time. And when she saw Shane could sheshould sheeven tell him? If he returned from his mission to the Indian village, wouldn't it be best to let all of this rest, so that he
could get on with the rest of his life instead of living in the past? If he knew that the trapper was anywhere near his farm, he would go and find him. He would kill him. Then it would be Shane hunted down by the authorities!
No. The main thing for her to do was to get away from this man and forget that she had seen him!
Scarcely breathing, her heart thundering within her chest, Melanie gave Trapper Dan another fleeting glance, then brushed on past him and hurried toward her waiting horse and buggy. She could feel his eyes following her. Oh, Lord, what if he came after her? What if he followed her? He and Shane might come face to face!
Her pulse racing, Melanie dropped her packages in the back of her buggy. Without looking at the man who still stood watching her, she climbed onto the perch and lifted the reins with her shaky hand. Flicking the rein, she guided her horse out into the traffic, cursing the crowded street. It was impeding her quick escape from the watchful eye of the trapper.
Then her attention was drawn elsewhere. Elbowing his way through the crowded sidewalk was Terrance! He was dressed in his finest frock coat. A diamond stickpin glittered in the folds of his cravat. A cigar hung loosely from the corner of his mouth.
Melanie watched Terrance disappear into a saloon, then her insides tightened when the trapper sauntered into the same barroom. She dreaded the thought of Terrance and the trapper sitting at the
same table, gambling, drinking, and sharing small talk. Terrance would have no idea the sort of man he was becoming friendly with.
Shaking her head, Melanie slapped her reins against her horse again and rode up one street and down the other, glad when the outskirts of the city were finally reached and she could send her horse along at a much brisker pace. She was anxious to get away from the city. Her only regret was that Terrance was still there. He never listened to anything anyone said anymoreespecially his sister! Yet his sister lived in fear that one day something horrible would happen to him. Nothing good could come of the path Terrance had chosen to take in his life. Nothing!
When Passion Calls Page 14