by Marie Harte
Hinto spurred Beast and she followed, eager to see his perfect little hometown.
She couldn’t deny the beauty of the place. Nestled between sprawling mountains, Shine’s commons consisted of a general store, a smithy, a bar, and a large building that looked brand new. Two more frames appeared on either side of the general store and the smithy, advance warning that Shine was growing bigger than Hinto had expected, if the frown on his face was anything to go by.
The small group of wooden buildings faced a wide expanse of river and a breathtaking scatter of waterfalls. The rushing sound purified the air in a crystal mist, and she imagined the water washing away the sins of all who stood before it. The faint spray of water gave the wind a crisp, refreshing bite.
Trees dotted the lane, as did some crumbling brick. What looked like the remains of a once great city now lay buried under the Great Mother’s tree roots, soil and ever-growing greenery.
Hinto stared at the unmarked building down the street from the newly-built general store and frowned. “Not sure what that is, or why they’re building more. Wait here.” He rode to the bar, where several horses and two vores waited tied to a hitching post. He left Beast without a backwards glance and entered the bar.
She’d have to break the man of his bad habits, of which his command, “Wait here,” happened to be one. Grumbling under her breath, Thais deliberately rode to the end of the dusty street and tied Ainippe to the post in front of the general store. She didn’t see anyone else about, but heard faint commotion from inside.
Not wanting company at the moment, she studied the area and seated herself on one of several wooden benches that lined the river.
On the far side of the water she saw a large house poking out amidst pine trees and barren branches. A glance to her left showed a massive bridge, constructed of what looked like wood and metal. Interesting. The river had to be several stretches wide, at least a ten minute ride to cross from town to that house, and this particular point looked more narrow than the other sections of the river, which widened considerably. Such surprising beauty in this territory.
Large black birds cawed for attention. Thais saw a few fish jumping in the water. The sky overhead looked like a bird’s egg, a purplish blue with hints of pink. Clouds whispered across the breeze, which in addition to the freezing water in front of her, urged her to push up the collar of her jacket.
“Colder than last year, but not by much,” a deep voice drawled. “Mind if I join you?”
She looked over her shoulder at an older man. Taller than Thais and broad of shoulder, he wore a black jacket, a duster, that reached his knees. His hat shadowed a face darkened by the sun, but it didn’t distract from the ice-blue eyes twinkling at her with curiosity.
That bright gaze looked familiar.
“Please sit.” Thais watched as the man sat down next to her but left a healthy space between them. She approved the respectful measure.
“Dan Dakota,” he said and tipped his hat.
Hinto’s father.
“My name is Thais.” She nodded back at him.
“New to town, I see. We don’t get many visitors.”
“Yet you have a bar, a smithy, a store, and three more mysterious buildings.”
He smiled, showing even, white teeth. A handsome smile for a handsome man. It should have disturbed her that she could now categorize the male gender, but her fascination for Hinto’s relation overrode any reservations.
Hinto’s father. A man who had raised his son into a fine warrior. She wondered what her mother would think of Dan Dakota.
“Not all that mysterious.” Dan looked over his shoulder and pointed at the newly constructed frames. “That there’s gonna be the new marshal’s office. The other is for a Runner’s station. We don’t get many visitors, but the folks up here have a way of knowing things. Figured we’d put the info to good use and share it. Plus we like to know what the hell the rest of world is doing, if only to keep them away.”
He smiled and his eyes crinkled.
“What of that building?”
“That’s our new town meeting hall. A few folks talked about a church, but not all of us use one. No preacher out here anyways.” He glanced from her to the bar, and she knew he’d recognized Beast. “Saw you ride in with Hinto.”
“You mean the arrogant male who demanded I wait for him while he wet his throat with liquor?” she asked in a soft voice.
Dan sighed, but a grin lingered around his mouth. “Boy has no manners.”
“Not like his father.” She didn’t know the man, but Dan Dakota felt like a warrior she might come to respect. He knew how to treat a woman, or he seemed like he did. Being catered to after Hinto’s deliberate avoidance felt nice.
“No, ma’am. What say we leave the boy here to worry while I take you to the homestead? I figure Hinto was heading out there eventually.”
“Yes, he was. I’m not sure why he stopped at the bar.” It better not have been to sate himself with a whore, because if he—
Dan coughed, and she hoped she hadn’t broadcast her annoyance. “Well, who knows what comes over a man when he’s traveling with a pretty woman?”
She stood and his eyes widened as he stared from her booted feet to the top of her hat. Men had such odd notions of how a woman should dress. “Problem, Dan?”
“Ah, no. No problem at all. Now how about we ride out and I’ll show you heaven on earth?”
“I’d like that.”
They mounted their horses and rode across the bridge. Thais should have let Hinto know where she headed, but her “partner” hadn’t been too forthcoming for the past several days. So screw him.
“This here used to be called the Snake River. You wouldn’t believe the history we found after all this time. A whole world buried beneath our town. The sky rocks trapped a big enough portion of books so that we know probably more than many out in the Territories, as much to rival the libraries they have in the East.” He paused and coughed, his breath wheezy.
Thais recalled Hinto’s worry for his father. “Your lung sickness is worse?” She saw a small swath of cloth he tried to hide, one covered in flecks of dark blood.
“Boy told you about that, eh? It’s a sickness, but I’ve had worse.”
For two years? She grunted. “Stubbornness must be a Dakota trait.”
“You could say that.” Dan chuckled and they crossed the bridge onto hard, black soil. “Now this, Thais, is nature’s gift to us. Such fertile lands. You see that black dirt? You can grow a shit-load, ah, I mean, a heckuva lot of food out here. Grasses for the grazers, good wood for our houses. Plentiful hunting to feed our families. The nice thing is that the people out here are right.”
“Right?”
“We don’t much care about our differences, only what we have together. I know a lot of places in the Territories where women are treated as no better than cattle. A man’s skin color can haunt him to death. And there are still those, after all this time, who rape the land. But up here we have our own rules. We live as we like and we hurt no one, especially not the earth.”
She liked what he had to say. If only he lived up to his words. Territory men liked to spin a tale, as well she knew.
“The house you saw from the river belongs to a friend of mine. He runs the smithy, but I think he’ll soon be passing it on to his grandson, if the boy ever gets his ass out here.” Dan colored and apologized. “Sorry, meant to say, when he gets out here.”
“Where do you live?” she asked.
“A few miles past, along an offshoot of the river. The water makes living out here a blessing. But the view can nearly take your breath away.”
And indeed it did. Dan Dakota lived on an expansive two story ranch still in construction. The main section of the house was complete, but the wings on either side of it remained open. A large barn sat off to the side, in front of which a corralled yard surrounded a dozen horses and one vore, sectioned off by itself.
“It’s me and my boys, as well
as six hands who live close by, and Dozie, of course. She runs the house, no arguin’ with that woman.” He pointed beyond the house. “Ah, there’s the farm the boys and I rebuilt with our bare hands. My pride and joy.”
They rode into the front yard just as two men tumbled out of the barn swinging at each other.
“Hell,” Dan grumbled.
The combatants struck blows at one another that would have felled most men. The smaller of the two swore as the larger, brawnier male flipped him to the ground and pinned him. Their resemblance to each other and Hinto was uncanny.
“Yield, you little shit. And the next time you try bringing a whore into my bedroom I’ll—”
“Mahpee, Wolf,” Dan said loudly, interrupting his sons. “I’d like you to meet a friend of mine.” He slid off his horse and waited for Thais to dismount.
She did so, ready to defend herself if need be. Though these men were Hinto’s blood, Mahpee looked ready to kill. Wolf, however, smiled as he looked her over. Well, she couldn’t say Hinto hadn’t warned her.
“Well, hel-lo gorgeous.”
She wanted to smile. Something about Wolf charmed when he should have come across as obnoxious.
Dan rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Your brother will be on his way, so behave.” She caught the smile tugging at his mouth. “Wolf, Mahpee, meet Thais, a friend of Hinto’s.”
Their eyes widened at mention of their brother.
“Hinto’s here?” Mahpee asked in a deep voice. Like his father, he had blue-black hair and light blue eyes. He didn’t wear a jacket, and his muscular frame strained at the seams of his denim shirt. Mahpee definitely seemed the more threatening of Hinto’s siblings. He spared her a quick glance and stood. “Welcome to Sky Ranch.”
He rose and walked back into the barn without another word.
Dan sighed.
“Ah, could I get a hand up?” Wolf pleaded and wiped a spot of blood from his swelling lower lip.
She met Dan’s gaze as he rolled his eyes and helped her pull Wolf to his feet.
“Damn, she’s just as pretty up close, Dad.”
Wolf had dark brown eyes, but there was no mistaking his resemblance to his family. His familiar smile made her heart sing for Hinto. She quickly squelched the need to see him. He’d arrive all too soon, ready with threats and commands to obey that she wouldn’t heed.
“Where the hell did Hinto find you?” Wolf breathed. “Damn, he’s good. Always gets his man, or his woman, as the case may be.” Wolf laughed and slung his arm around his father’s shoulders, but he was careful not to squeeze too tight.
Thais noticed the tender way he pretended to lean on his father while assisting Dan into the house.
“Wait ‘til you see the place, Thais. We’ve been working hard, but it’s getting colder out. Needed more time to see to the farm and animals than the house, lately,” Wolf said as he set Dan down on a long couch in front of a lit fireplace. Without asking, Wolf removed Dan’s boots and hat and tugged at his jacket.
“I’m not a damned invalid,” Dan sputtered, but Wolf didn’t stop until his father sat comfortably, his feet propped on a table.
She couldn’t help admiring how deftly he’d maneuvered the older man.
The large room sighed with comfort. Several plush chairs, the couch, and intricately carved wooden tables that made her want to touch added to the air of belonging, as if the insides had been designed to complement the wild outdoors. Was that a wolf, carved into one of the table legs?
“Now how about your jacket, Thais?” Wolf licked his lips as if hungry for a taste of her. If he hadn’t been so obvious about lusting after her she’d think he was serious. But she saw his attention waver at the sound of booted steps nearing. He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Let me help you, beautiful.”
“Son of a bitch. I knew you’d be like this,” Hinto growled as he entered the room and threw a punch at his brother.
“Your sons seem to be rather violent.” Thais watched as Hinto and Wolf clashed.
“Don’t I know it. Should have had a passel of girls,” Dan muttered.
“No, Dad,” Hinto said as he straddled Wolf, in much the same way Mahpee had recently pinned his brother. He shot her a heated glare. “Trust me, girls are far more dangerous than your boys will ever be.”
Chapter Fifteen
Hinto had nearly lost his mind when he’d exited the bar and found Thais nowhere to be found. Thankfully, Marley had just exited the general store and pointed him in his father’s direction. He’d caught sight of them just as they crossed the bridge. Close enough to follow, but too far away to catch them before they’d reached the house.
He’d passed Tom, Mick, Henry and Jon, men who worked the ranch often enough to be considered family. Rudy and Henry were more permanent hands and according to Tom, helping Mahpee work a few new horses. He hadn’t seen Mahpee when he’d ridden in to the homestead.
But Wolf, typical Wolf, was already trying to charm Thais out of her clothes.
“Hinto, leave your brother alone. He was just being polite.” Thais sounded amused, and that pissed him off to no end. But he wouldn’t ream her in front of his father, not when he wanted nothing more than to see the old man smiling and breathing again.
“Welcome home, brother,” Wolf managed and rubbed his jaw. “It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.” Hinto stood. The knowing look Thais gave him made him feel like a jealous fool. He turned to his father. “Dad. I missed you. You’re looking good,” he said, surprised. The last time he’d been home his father had appeared frail.
“Sorry to disappoint you,” his father said gruffly. “Come here, you idiot.”
Hinto grinned and leaned down to hug his father. As he did, he saw the corner of a cloth dotted with blood tucked into his pocket.
He frowned, worried, but quickly wiped his expression clean when he straightened. Hinto turned to Thais and huffed. “I see you’ve already met my little brother.”
Wolf scowled. “Little? I’m as big as you.”
“As big a pain as you,” Mahpee added with a slow smile from the doorway. “About time you came home again, little brother.” He held open his arms and welcomed Hinto with a hug, his anger no longer present. “So what did you bring us?”
“Me. Isn’t that enough?”
They laughed and spoke for some time, until Hinto noticed the pensive, almost sad look on Thais’s face. She seemed to like his father well enough, and she’d smiled when they teased one another. Maybe being around family made her think of her own and all she’d lost.
“Thais? You okay?” he asked, concerned.
She forced a smile. “Some family. You all look alike.”
Mahpee regarded her with hooded eyes. “How do you know my brother?”
The doubt in his tone confused her, but Hinto knew the blame for his suspicions lay on Wolf’s sorry ass.
“I’m sorry?”
Hinto huffed. “Easy, Mahpee. She’s here to help me. Hold on.” He limped from the room, aware he’d face a barrage of questions soon enough. Eager to find the nucca seeds that might just heal his father, he grabbed them from his saddle bag and returned in time to hear his father chiding his brother.
“Mahpee, your mother raised you better than that.”
Mahpee flushed. “I’m sorry, it’s just that Wolf brought me a whore, and I wondered if maybe—” He paused when he noticed Thais’s displeasure.
“I was a whore?” She smiled through her teeth and approached until she stood in front of Mahpee. “The last man to make such a mistake is now breathing through a hole in his throat.”
Mahpee didn’t flinch. The two of them stood toe to toe, waiting for the other to back away. Damned if Hinto didn’t feel a measure of pride on Thais’s behalf. She truly was a warrior, a strong woman who would never be cornered, never be beaten.
“My mistake.” Mahpee’s lips twitched. He made no move to step back, and the gleam in his eyes brightened with humor, or was that lust? “Where
the hell did Hinto find you?”
Hinto had had enough. “Mahpee, give the woman some space,” he hissed and shoved his older brother back. “First Wolf, now you?”
Dan coughed and everyone stopped. “Wolf, could I have some water? Mahpee, a cloth, please. Hinto, my boy, come sit by me. Thais, you too.”
Hinto saw his father wink at Thais, saw her try to hide a grin as she sat next to Dan, so Hinto allowed his father’s drama. Not much had changed since he’d been gone, he thought with amusement and a surge of relief.
Wolf returned with the water at the same time Mahpee brought the cloth, neither of which Dan used.
Hinto placed the nucca seeds in Thais’s hand. The touch of her warm palm shot a tingle through him, one he saw reflected in her gaze before he pulled back. “Dad, we need to plant these. Tell him, Thais.”
“Tell him?” she asked in a low voice.
“About the seeds.”
“What seeds?” Maphee asked and sat in a chair beside them.
She answered but didn’t look away from her hands. “Your brother told me about your father’s lung sickness. I don’t know much about medicine, not like my sister.”
“Yara,” Hinto added, needing her to know he remembered everything she’d ever told him about herself.
She gave him an odd look and continued. “Yes, well, these seeds come from the nucca plant. We often use the nucca to heal. In paste form it cures most everything.”
He saw the hope on their faces and had to add, “Thais said once we plant the seeds and they grow, we can use the leaves in tea. You could drink it or use the steam to help heal your lungs, Dad.”
“It’s not a guarantee, but an alternative to what you’ve already tried,” Thais hastened to warn.
“It’s better than anything we’ve got,” Mahpee answered. “Hinto’s dumbass idea to take Dad through the Divide isn’t going to work.”
“You don’t know that,” Hinto argued, despite not wanting to have this discussion so soon after returning home. Hell, he hadn’t seen his family in months. Couldn’t they share one day without yelling at each other?