Mattox nodded and turned away. He grabbed Austin by the sleeve and hauled him down the path heading north.
Chapter 14
Brody waited until his brothers’ footsteps died away into the forest. Star squeezed his hand. “Are you all right?”
He shook himself. “I’m fine. Why?”
“That’s the second time you’ve injured him. He could make more trouble for you now. Why didn’t you kill him when you had the chance? Why were you so lenient with him?”
“It’s an Alpha’s job to be lenient. If I can school him without killing him, I can harness his strengths and get rid of the behavior that makes him a liability.” Brody paused, then continued thoughtfully, “Besides, it would break my Ma’s heart if I killed him.”
“He deserves it,” stated Star, giving her final judgment.
“He deserves a lot worse than that for the things he’s done, but I’m not ready to put him down yet. If he doesn’t shape up, I might have to, but he’s young and stupid now. He might grow up and snap out of it.”
“He could get someone killed in the meantime,” Star replied caustically.
Brody tugged her forward. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Let’s get down there and get this over with.”
They walked the rest of the way down the mountain in silence. Brody stopped just inside the tree line. He knew this view of Cunningham Homestead by now. Shaw and Walker stood on the porch. They showed no signs of patrolling their perimeter. “Are you ready to do this?”
“The sooner, the better; I just hope Walker gives you a chance to explain yourself before he kills you.”
“I’m not worried about Walker. It’s your father who worries me. He didn’t want me to look for you at all. He wanted to shoot me rather than ask for help.”
“Well, you did find me. He’ll be happy about that.”
“I’m sure he’ll be very happy about it. That doesn’t mean he’ll give his consent for me to marry his daughter.”
“Well, we ain’t getting any closer to getting it done out here. Let’s go.”
Star started forward, but Brody yanked her back into the shadows. He swept his arms around her and covered her mouth with a passionate kiss. Star melted in his arms, and her lips parted to receive his kiss. She closed her eyes and let the dizzying heights of rapture fly her as high as the stars.
All too soon, he let her go and stood her on her feet. “I just wanted to get that out of the way before we go in there.”
Star shook her head to clear her thoughts. Brody took her hand, and they walked out into the sunshine. Brody opened the gate, and they stopped in front of the steps. Walker lowered his gun, but before he could say anything, Kaiser and Rena rushed out of the house in a flurry of excitement.
Rena threw her arms around Star. “Oh, thank God you’re all right!”
Kaiser waited until his wife finished fawning over Star. Then he put his arms around his daughter and hugged her to him. “Where have you been? You scared us all half to death.”
“I’m sorry, Pop. I won’t do it again.”
“No, you won’t. From now on, I’m locking you in your room at night until we can finalize the arrangements with the Kerrs.”
Star pulled away. “You can’t do that, Pop. I’m already mated to Brody.”
“Forget all of that, darling. You can’t mate with a Farrell, and that’s final. Hyatt will make you a perfect mate just as soon as we make the arrangements.”
Star cast a desperate glance at Brody, but it was Walker who spoke up. “You can’t do that, Pop. Bruins mate for life. You can’t tear her away from her heart’s mate. She’ll just keep running away to be with him until she gets herself killed. Give up this plan of yours about Hyatt and accept Brody as her mate.”
Kaiser flailed his arms around. “We can’t give it up. Don’t you see? If we don’t form an alliance with the Kerrs, the Farrells will. They’ll be stronger than we are, and they’ll defeat us in open battle.”
“We don’t need to be stronger than the Farrells,” Walker replied. “If Star and Brody mate, we won’t have to worry about the Farrells attacking us. We can put this feud to rest once and for all.”
Kaiser looked around with wild eyes, but he didn’t see the faces surrounding him. He saw only his own nightmares hemming him in on all sides. “We can’t! We just can’t! We have to keep fighting. We have to be prepared for anything. They could attack at any time.”
Brody started to speak again, but Walker cut him off. This time, his voice pierced the still morning with a note of menace. “Drop it, Pop. She’s mated to Brody. She won’t marry Hyatt, and we won’t seal an alliance with the Kerrs. We won’t have to. We’ll make peace with the Farrells.”
“No!” Kaiser screeched, but his voice cracked with the frightened weakness of old age.
The prime Alpha who had dominated his tribe and had presided over sixty years on Cunningham prosperity vanished in a twinkling. In front of Star and Brody’s eyes, he crumbled from Alpha to a withered old man, with no more power than the wind. He couldn’t hurt them anymore.
On the other side of the porch, Walker shifted his shotgun to his left shoulder and faced Brody. They leveled their eyes at each other, two Alphas matched in strength and power. Walker nodded up the hill. “You’ve got a nest up there somewhere, haven’t you?”
Brody nodded. “It’s in the no-man’s land between Craven Creek and Bruins’ Peak. We didn’t know you laid claim to that land until Star told me. I don’t know for sure, but I guess that’s what started this feud in the first place. Both sides claimed that land. No one knows where the real boundaries are.”
Walker looked him up and down. “You can’t exactly take her home, and you can’t stay here. Whatever happens between our tribes in the next few years, this feud’s not over yet. Too many people harbor bad feelings. There’s bound to be tensions, and maybe even bloodshed, before we can bury the hatchet all together.”
“I realize that.”
“I’ll tell you what, Farrell. You and Star make your home up there, between Craven Creek and Bruins’ Peak. Neither tribe can lay claim to that land. It will be yours, and it will serve as a buffer zone between your territory and ours. How does that sound?”
Brody’s face lit up. “That sounds perfect.”
Walker stuck out his hand. “All right: you better go then, before Dax wakes up and finds you here.”
Brody shook Walker’s hand. “You folks are welcome at our fireside anytime.”
Walker dropped his hand. “I wish I could offer you the same hospitality.”
“Maybe another time.”
“Maybe.”
Rena stepped forward and put her arms around Star. “You’ll come and see us, won’t you?”
“All the time, Mama; I’m just over there, on the other side of those trees.”
“Let me know when you start planning the wedding. We can have it at the Mackenzies’, so everyone can come.”
“Okay, Mama. You take care of yourselves.” Star approached her father. “Can you kiss me good-bye, Pop? Can you give me your blessing?”
Kaiser embraced his daughter with misty eyes. “You always had my blessing, child. Don’t stay away too long. I only hope you’re happy up there.”
“I will be, Pop. I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
Brody stepped off the porch, and Star took her place at his side. She waved to her family and they waved back as the young couple headed up to their new home on Bruins’ Mountain.
Epilogue
Star bustled about her kitchen. The last rays of sunset peeked through the trees and gave just enough light to take the rabbit pie out of the oven and the bread out of the warmer.
She arranged everything on the table and set the vase of wildflowers in the center when a familiar shout greeted her from across the clearing. She looked out and waved to her sister Aurora as she made her way through the trees.
Star shut the cabin door behind Aurora, once she came in.
“Have a seat. I was just about to light the lamp. Brody will be home soon. You’ll stay for supper, won’t you?”
“I can’t. I have to get back and help Mama with the preparations for the wedding.”
“How is Shaw doing?”
“He hardly ever comes in the house. That’s how I know he’s nervous as all get-out. When he comes in for meals, he hardly ever says a word or looks at anyone. He stares down at his food, and when he does look up, his cheeks turn bright red.”
Star laughed. “I never thought I’d live to see him get married.”
“It’s been a long time coming, but I wouldn’t see him married to a nicer girl. Dana’s a handful, but she’s the perfect mate for Shaw. She’ll keep him in line.”
“I can’t wait for the wedding.”
The door swung open, and Brody walked in. He hung his rifle on the pegs over the door and kicked his boots into the corner. A small cry from a corner of the cabin answered the clunk when they hit the wall.
Star hurried to a wooden cradle set next to the bed in the cabin’s one big room. She lifted out a blanketed bundle and rested it on her shoulder. She shushed the baby while she set the last dishes on the table.
Aurora stood up. “Let me help you.”
“That’s the last of it. Sit where you are.” Star sat down opposite and nursed the baby.
Brody took the seat next to Star. “So tell us all the news from Cunningham territory.”
“Don MacAllister invited Mama and Pop over for a big celebration feast last week. Walker and Dax and I went, too.”
“That sounds wonderful. Serena is a wonderful hostess. I wish I could have gone.”
“I wanted you to come, too, but I know it’s hard for you to travel with the baby right now. There will be plenty of wedding feasts for you in the future.”
“So tell me everything.” Star said excitedly. “What did you eat and drink; and what did everybody wear?”
“What I wanted to tell you was that, in the middle of the toasts and well-wishes for the couple, Don MacAllister stood up and told everyone he had something important to say. The whole place went dead quiet, and then, in a very clear, ringing voice, he said his daughter marrying a Cunningham didn’t mean he was taking sides in the feud between the Cunninghams and the Farrells. He said everyone sitting there that night better understand that the Cunninghams and the Farrells could fight their own battles without calling on him to takes sides, and he hoped with his dying breath that Shaw and any children he and Dana had would stay out of it, too. He said the whole thing was shameful and childish, and this feud was the one major objection he had to Dana marrying Shaw,” Aurora ended her story quietly.
Star stared at her sister. “Wow. Now I really wish I had been there. I would have given anything to hear him say that in front of everybody.”
“It gave me goose bumps to hear him, and some of the old people started crying for pure happiness. I thought you might like to know.”
Brody pushed his food around on his plate. “Thank you for telling us.”
“Have you heard anything from your family?” Aurora asked Brody.
Brody looked up and smiled. “I see them all the time and they come here to visit as well. My Ma comes two or three times a week to see the baby and help Star with the laundry and other heavy jobs.”
“That’s nice of her. What about the others?”
“Mattox has come over for dinner a few times since he helped me build this house. He’s coming around to the idea of putting the feud to bed and leaving it there. Buried under that gruff exterior beats a heart of gold,” Brody replied with a grin.
“Sounds like it. You guys have built a haven here in the woods where Cunninghams and Farrells can put aside their differences. Maybe, with a little luck, it will spread.”
“I’m sure it will.” Brody took in a deep breath, and then quietly said, “My father is sick.”
Aurora’s head shot up. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I saw him yesterday. He was making out his will in front of a lawyer and notary and everything.”
Aurora’s eyes popped out of her head. “And?”
Brody shrugged. “And nothing. The doctors say he doesn’t have much longer.”
“What will happen when he goes?”
Brody wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here, Aurora. I want to ask you to do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“If you’re willing and you don’t think it’s getting too involved in this situation, I was hoping you would give Walker a message for me.”
“Sure. What’s the message?”
“I’d like him to come up here and visit me. It’s the only way we can talk on semi-neutral territory; I can’t exactly go down to your Homestead to visit him.”
“Okay. I’ll tell him. I don’t know if he’ll come,” said Aurora apprehensively.
“I doubt it.” Brody agreed. “He hasn’t come once since he gave his consent to our match.”
“Why has he kept his distance?”
“I’m sure it was hard enough for him to give his consent to us marrying. Now that your father is frail and Walker’s Alpha, he can’t exactly pay social calls on other Alphas.”
Star murmured low. “You’re not Alpha yet.”
“I’ve been Alpha for a long time, and the whole tribe knows it. It’s only a matter of time before Dad dies. Then everyone’s cards will be out on the table, and there will be no more hiding in the woods for us.”
Star sighed. “Does it have to be that way?”
“I’m afraid so. As soon as my father dies, we have to move down to the Homestead. We’ve had a nice two years up here, but if I don’t stake my claim right away, the others will start to question and that would be the end of it. It won’t be so bad, now that Austin is living with my uncle Harley across the East Ridge. Plus, Ma will be able to help you all the time; and Hector will have other kids to play with when he gets older. It’s the best thing we can do under the circumstances.”
“So what do you want to talk to Walker about?”
“If we’re going to negotiate a truce between our tribes, now’s the perfect time to do it. He’s Alpha, and everyone acknowledges that I’ll be Alpha when Dad’s gone. As soon as Dad goes and I move into the house, I’ll announce to everyone that the feud is over. We’ll have a few general gatherings at both Homesteads, and that will be the end of that. We’ll finally have peace on Bruins’ Mountain after hundreds of years.”
Aurora raised her eyes to heaven. “Hallelujah!”
“Don’t go praising God just yet. Nothing can happen until Walker and I meet and he gives his word to make the truce. If anything happens before he gives his word, we can all forget about it.”
“And if that happens?”
“If that happens, when I move into Dad’s house, we’ll be arming for war and the devil take the hindmost.”
Aurora shivered. “We can’t let that happen.”
“Everything rests on Walker. I don’t dare hope until I have talked to him.”
“He has to make peace,” Star replied. “He just has to. He’s the one who asked you to come find me when I got lost, and he shook your hand on our match. Why would he back down now?”
“We haven’t seen him in two years. Anything could have happened between then and now to change his mind. I pray to God he hasn’t changed, but I have to be prepared in case he has.”
Aurora stood up. “I better get home and give him your message then. I’ll tell him everything you said.”
“Thank you.”
Star stood up with her sister. “Are you sure you don’t want something to eat before you go? I hate do send you out on an errand like this without offering you hospitality first. It doesn’t seem polite.”
“I’m happy to help you guys any way I can, especially when it has anything to do with ending this feud. If there’s anything else I can do for you, just let me know.”
Brody held
the door open. “Thank you. I’ll let you know if I think of anything.”
“I wish I could tell you Walker wants peace, but he holds his cards close to his chest.”
“I wouldn’t believe you, even if you did tell me he wants peace. I won’t believe anything until I hear it straight from his lips.”
Aurora put her arms around her sister. “Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Star told her sister. Aurora hurried away.
She stopped at the tree line and turned back. Star and Brody stood in the cabin door, and Star held Hector over her shoulder and patted him on the back. Aurora waved to them, and they both waved back before she disappeared into the trees.
***The End***
Book 2: Harmony on Bruins’ Peak
Sarah J. Stone
Erin D. Andrews
Chapter 1
Harmony McGillis pulled her car to a stop outside, what looked like, a log cabin set into the trees on the east flank of Bruins’ Peak. She eyed the place through her bug-spattered windshield and picked up the file folder from the passenger seat.
Stamped across the folder’s outer flap in huge, bright, red block letters read the words Iron Bark Social Services-Child Protection Division. The words Kerr Family stood out in bold, black marking pen on the tab. Harmony flipped past the thick stack of complaints by locals to the case history at the back.
Any ignorant local could make a complaint against a family they knew nothing about, and most did. These complaints came in every so often, from disaffected neighbors to people who owed somebody money they didn't want to pay back. The Social Service of the little town of Iron Bark took little notice of these.
After a while, though, so many accusations and innuendos flooded their files, about the families on Bruins’ Mountain that the Service had no choice but to investigate. Harmony read a long list of names of children under the age of 18 known, by Social Services, to reside at this out-of-the-way Homestead, and these names belonged to just one family.
Not one of these children had ever attended the local school or visited the local public health clinic. None of them had a single vaccination or recent dental check-up. They could be starving to death up here, and in all likelihood, any investigator would find a whole lot more children not listed in the Service’s records.
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