Bern shrugged. “I don't know why not.” He looked at Merril. “As long as you don’t mind.” He tipped his head toward Amy. “Are you willing?”
Amy cast a quick glance at Jason. He had become so silent
What is he thinking?
Bay took Amy by the hand. “Come along, niece, we’re going to try something.” He glanced at Jason as they crossed the dining room. “You too, old man. Time to see what your lady can do.”
Tight-lipped and obviously uneasy, Jason followed them.
Amy looked back and discovered she and Bayard led the entire group across the yard in the late afternoon sunlight.
As they stepped into the shade of the barn, Amy blinked her eyes. Both front and back double doors on the barn were open, and she could see Kelly and Bill in the back of the barn, near the wagons.
Lloyd stepped from a stall. He looked at the group in the barn, tossed down the harness in his hands and approached. He stopped just past Tom and gaped at the mirror images of Amy. Hands on his hips, he looked at Merril. “What’s this?”
Merril clapped Lloyd on the back. “Let’s talk for a moment.” Merril steered Lloyd out the front of the barn and away from the group.
Amy watched Merril speak to Lloyd, but only for a moment. Lloyd wasn’t her main concern. Tom didn’t look better. If anything, he looked much worse. She approached his bed and touched him on the shoulder and then the forehead. “Tom? Are you awake?”
Gummy eyes blinked open and stared at her. “Amy?”
“How do you feel?” She lifted her hand from his hot, dry forehead.
What did I miss?
Lloyd stalked back into the barn and stopped beside his son. He shot a suspicious scowl toward Amy, then took his son’s hand. “Tom, Merril says Amy and her sister want to ease the pain in your leg.” He looked from Tom to Amy. “He seems to think they might be able to help the swelling and get you back on your feet.” Red-rimmed eyes turned back to his son. “I won’t stop them if you want them to try.”
Tom struggled to his elbow and looked at the group clustered near the front of the barn. “Who are these people?” he said to Lloyd.
Lloyd looked from Amy to her twin. “Amy’s family arrived from back east. She has a twin sister.”
Amy smiled when Tom’s gaze shifted to her. She held out her hand. “This is my sister, Alyse. We dressed alike tonight to play a joke on Jason.”
“That’s right. Kelly told me your family had arrived.” Tom lay back down and grimaced. “Could Jason tell you apart?”
Alyse chuckled. “As a matter of fact, he couldn’t.”
“We want to try something to help the pain in your leg,” Amy told him.
“Good.” Tom closed his eyes. “I’m tired of feelin’ poorly. At times, my leg hurts so much, I can’t breathe. I lay here and watch my father do my work and his too.”
Merril motioned to Jim. “Help me with the hay bales.” They moved a bale to either side of his leg and another set beside Tom’s head.
“We should remove the splint.” Amy looked to Nichole “I’ll need my shears.”
“Hold up.” Lloyd stopped Nichole. “I’ve got a knife. Kelly, give me a hand.”
Lloyd pulled back the blanket from Tom’s legs and stopped. Tom’s toes, extending from the splint were purple and swollen. “Damn.” He glanced at Amy.
“Remove the splint.” Amy pulled her gaze from Tom’s foot and walked to the head of the bed and laid her hand across Tom’s brow. “Be still, Tom. Feel my hand and listen to my voice.” She nodded to Lloyd and continued to murmur to Tom.
Lloyd sliced the leather, unwound the linen and set the boards aside. He glanced once at Amy, then removed the gauze.
Amy caught her breath. Tom’s leg had swollen inside the splint. His toes, looked like tiny purple dumplings attached to a bruised mass of flesh. The skin on his leg stretched so tight it shone.
Lloyd covered his face with his hands and walked away.
Amy watched him go, then whispered to Tom. “I’m going to look at your leg, Tom. I want you to relax and keep your eyes closed.” She pulled her skirt around the hay bale and sat beside his leg.
Alyse sat across from her.
The group of observers moved closer and formed a half-circle at the end of the camp bed.
“Should I go first?” Amy asked Alyse.
“I think so. Extend your sight and I’ll try to twyne through you.” Alyse looked from Amy to Tom’s leg.
Amy held out her hands, palm down, and a warm golden glow surrounded Tom’s leg.
“It feels warm.” Tom pushed up on his elbow. His eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Just be still.” Merril sat down on a hay bale near Tom's head.
Amy’s head tipped back, and her eyes closed. “I see the break.”
Alyse closed her eyes and extended her hands beside her sister’s. An orange radiance formed around Alyse's hands and flowed down around Tom’s leg.
Alyse shook her head and pulled her hands back. The orange glow disappeared. “I can't see inside.” She opened her eyes.
Amy pulled her hands back and stared at Alyse. “Not at all?”
“You're both trying to go into the leg.” Bay stepped forward and spoke to Alyse. “Once Amy has the break in sight, connect to her.”
“It shouldn't matter,” Bern commented, clearly disappointed. “We don’t pair like that.”
“No, but they have to twyne, not pair. Besides, they’re just learning.” Bay stepped back by his brother and motioned toward Tom with his hand. “Try again.”
Amy took a deep breath and looked at Alyse.
This was so easy before.
Alyse nodded. “You go first.”
Amy closed her eyes and extended her hands again above Tom's leg. “I see it.”
Alyse leaned forward and put her hands to either side of Amy's head, and the orange glow appeared.
“I see it,” they both said at the same time.
Tom's mouth dropped, and his eyes bulged.
“Easy, Tom,” Merril whispered.
Amy saw the blockage and nudged Alyse with her mind. Look there.
An influx of warmth moved through Amy’s hands and the blockage dissolved.
There’s too much fluid. Can the body absorb it?
Not quickly, but I can disperse most of it. Alyse’s thought replied to Amy. There, the bone has knit.
Yes, I see.
That’s the most I can do. The rest will heal well on its own. Alyse dropped her hands and sat back.
Amy let her hands fall to her lap. “Well done, Aly.” The swelling in Tom’s leg had reduced by half, and the foot returned to its healthy color before her eyes.
“I took care of the elbows and the knot on his head as well,” Alyse pointed out.
“I noticed.” Amy nodded to Alyse then looked at Tom. “How do you feel?”
Tom sat up and glanced between the sisters. “My leg doesn’t ache anymore.” His gaze turned to his father. “The sick feeling in my gut is gone.” He looked at his elbows and shook his head.
Amy’s gaze met Merril’s. “Help him stand.”
Amy and Alyse stood and moved back as Merril and Lloyd helped Tom to his feet.
Tom stood for a moment then limped forward. “Well, I’ll be!” He took another short step and raised a confused gaze to Amy and Alyse. “The pain is gone. You’ve healed the break.” Tom shook his head. “I can’t believe it.”
Cat giggled and clapped as several appreciative comments echoed off the barn walls.
Lloyd turned to Bill and Kelly. “All right now, show’s over. Hitch up the small wagon and get those trunks moved over.”
“I’ll ride over to The Shilo with Amy’s family,” Merril told Lloyd. “Which horse should I saddle?”
“I’ll tack one up for ya.” Lloyd jutted his chin toward the group at the front of the barn. “You have guests. We’ll bring the wagon and your mount to the yard.”
“Thanks, Lloyd.” Merril tucked Nichole�
�s hand in the crook of his arm. “Let’s go back to the house, folks. They’ll meet us there with the rig.”
Bernard touched Lloyd on the arm. “Your son will need to go easy for a few days to finish healing.”
Lloyd stepped back from Bernard. “Yep. I’ll see to it.” Lloyd tucked his head and hurried toward the wagons.
Bernard shook his head at Lloyd’s retreating back.
Amy touched her uncle’s shoulder. “He’s frightened, not unappreciative.” She turned and found Jason watching her. “How are you?”
“I’m dumbfounded.” Jason shook his head then shrugged. “Give me a chance to acclimate.”
The four of them followed Merril, Nichole, Sam and Cat toward the house.
Amy looked back. Her sister and Jim trailed behind in quiet conversation.
When Amy reached the porch, Sam and Cat had already gone inside. She stopped beside Nichole and watched Kelly and Bill bring the horse and wagon to the house.
When Kelly drew rein, Jim tapped the side of the wagon. “Tie it off, Kel. We need to get into one of the trunks before they go.”
Alyse pointed to her trunk and Jim pulled it to the end of the wagon.
Alyse caught Amy’s gaze and signaled with her hand to her sister. “I have something for you.” Alyse opened it and withdrew a soft package wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. She handed it up to Amy.
“Is this from my grandmother?” Amy held the package to her chest.
“Her name is Chantal James. I call her Mémé. She asked me to give this to you and to say you were never far from her heart.” Alyse wiped a tear and pressed her lips to hold the emotion back. “She said I should tell you about her, share the things she and I did while I grew up. When I share those times with you, she’ll be here with us, if only in memory.” Alyse brushed her shoulder against her face to catch a tear. She hugged her sister. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She released Amy and looked for a long moment at Jim, then she smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Leigh.”
Jim touched the brim of his hat and smiled. “My sincere pleasure, Miss James.” Affection shimmered in his eyes. “I look forward to seeing you again, very soon.”
Amy’s heart skipped a beat and she gripped the package to her breast. Heat sparked between Alyse and Jim. Did she feel her sister’s emotion in her chest, or could everyone see it?
Then Alyse turned from Jim and allowed Bay to help her to the wagon seat. He climbed up beside her as Bern took the other side and picked up the reins.
“I’ll ride with you and see you settled in,” Merril told Bernard and Bayard as he took the gelding’s reins from Bill. Merril gave Nichole a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be late, sweetheart.” He mounted, tugged the reins, and headed down the drive toward the road.
Amy and Nichole watched Merril and the wagon until they disappeared over the low rise in the road.
“Did you see the fireworks between Jim and your sister?” Nichole asked.
“Hmm. Felt them, too,” Amy replied.
Nichole glanced around the porch, then spoke softly. “Do you think Jim is attracted to Alyse because of his feelings for you?”
“No.” Amy shook her head. “It’s the other way around. Alyse is the one he’s waited for.”
Nichole arched her eyebrow at Amy, and they turned and entered the house. Someone had lit the lamps against the coming evening.
Amy paused at the stairs and looked down at the package in her arms.
“You should open it.” Nichole pulled the list from Amy’s pocket and headed toward the kitchen. “I'll check with Cookie about Bay's list of ingredients.”
“All right,” Amy called to Nichole. “I’ll be in my room.”
Upstairs, Amy sat on the bed with the package in her lap. She stared at her hands on the paper for several minutes. Her grandmother had tied this knot. A woman Amy had never met, never knew existed, yet one who had charted her life from the day she was born. Tentatively, she pulled the twine bow and folded back the paper.
Inside, a crochet shawl lay folded, blue at the top. The yarn darkened to black near the bottom. When she pulled the shawl free from the paper, two items fell to the floor. A light blue cloth pouch on a chain and a folded sheet of paper. She picked up the satchel, and the perfume of clove and pine filled her senses. The paper on the floor read—To Amylia.
Amy put the chain over her head and draped the shawl around her shoulders. She picked up the folded paper and starred at the unfamiliar writing. Then she unfolded the note.
My dearest Amylia,
This may be the hardest letter I’ve ever tried to write.
I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for separating you and your sister. It’s something no twin should have to endure, and it broke your mother's heart to realize it had to be done to save you both.
Please know I’ve watched you grow as I watched Alyse grow. In everything she and I did together, there was always another little girl with us, if only in my heart.
The shawl is woven with protective magic and much love. The satchel is for your protection as well. Wear it close to your heart and know it holds my love for you.
All my love,
Your Grandmother, Chantal James
Tears dotted the paper as Amy folded the letter and set it on the dresser. A lifetime of love conveyed in a brief note. Now, she understood the deep loss she sensed in Alyse on the train. Amy covered her face with her hands and cried.
Chapter 30
Nichole Harris-Shilo
Nichole inhaled the crisp, clear morning air as she stepped onto the porch and pulled on her leather riding gloves. Cloudless blue sky stretched west to the mountains.
She wore her rust-colored riding skirt and jacket. She had misgivings about getting back on a sidesaddle, but her legs were completely healed. She’d meant to ask Merril to find her a pair of denim trousers, but with all that had happened in the last few days, she’d forgotten about the pants until today.
Across the yard, near the barn, Timothy and June were seated on the buckboard, ready to head out. Merril stood beside the rig and spoke with Timothy. The young man nodded several times, and then Merril slapped the side of the wagon and stepped back.
Timothy shook the reins, and the wagon pulled around the yard and headed for the road. He tipped his hat to Nichole as they passed the porch.
June had her nose so far in the air, Nichole doubted she could see the road in front of the wagon.
Good riddance to the old biddy.
She met Merril at the corral. “I’m glad she’s gone.” She pulled the parasol from beneath her arm and opened it to shade her face. “When will Timothy be back?”
Merril leaned his arms against the top rail and rested his boot on the lower. “A couple of days. He intends to drive straight through to Denver.” Merril chuckled. “I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to camp with June, either.”
“All day in a wagon would be bad enough,” Nichole agreed.
“I told him which boarding house would be best for June. Inexpensive, but with no bar or stable attached. Less chance for her to have a run-in with Highlands’ wranglers.” Merril smiled at Nichole. “He’ll return the wagon and livery team, and bring back Midnight and the other horses.”
“Did you tell him to stay at the house?”
“I did, but he declined. Said he wouldn’t feel comfortable.” Merril shook his head. “So I gave him extra money for a hotel. He’ll spend one night, then head back.” Merril looked into Nichole’s eyes. “I suggested he stay in town until whatever happens here with Amy’s family is finished, but he wants to come back and be near Lawna.” He touched Nichole’s face. “I can’t say I don’t understand how he feels.”
The dust on the road had settled when Amy and Jason came out of the house.
Nichole and Merril turned and watched them cross the yard.
“Are all three of you going?” Merril looked from Jason to Nichole.
Nichole nodded. “I want to watch.”
Jason ran a hand through his hair and reset his hat. “I thought I best go and see what they intend to teach my wife.”
“Uncle Bay told me he would ride one of the horses back to set protective wards at The Highlands while we train,” Amy told Merril. “If Cookie and Jeanne would be so inclined, he could use their help.”
Merril nodded. “I’ll mention it to them, as well as Lawna and Henny.” He chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll have plenty of questions and advice from everyone once he arrives.”
Kelly looked out from the barn, and Merril held up three fingers. Kelly nodded and disappeared back inside.
“You're not coming?” Nichole asked.
Merril shook his head. “No. I’m going to help Lloyd house all the animals. After that, I’ll ride over to the branding site. I know we can’t shelter the cattle, but I want to see how many head are still close by.”
Kelly walked three tacked horses over to the group.
Merril helped Nichole mount Sugar and arranged her skirt. He ran a hand down the gelding’s neck as he looked up at his wife. “Be safe, sweetheart.”
“I will.” Nichole reset her parasol on her shoulder. “I’m not sure when we’ll be back.” She blew him a kiss and followed Jason and Amy down the drive to the road.
The beautiful day made the ride between ranches pass quickly for Nichole. Jason and Amy were unusually quiet during the trip.
Probably nervous about mage training.
As they rounded the house and turned into the yard, Nichole spotted Bayard seated on the bench beside the corral.
His head was down as he wound twine around white sage leaves. Bay paused in his work and looked up at the riders when they pulled their mounts to a stop. “Good morning.” He set the fragrant bundle aside. “Leave one mount saddled, if you would.”
Jason nodded to Bayard and led the horses into the corral.
Nichole picked up a sage bundle and smelled the fragrance. “What is this for?”
“It’s a smudge for cleansing the house.” Bayard shielded his eyes and grinned up at Nichole. “Sage restores balance and releases bound negative emotions.”
“Oh.” Nichole glanced at Amy. “Did you know this?”
Prophecy (Soul of the Witch Book 2) Page 24