Winter Hawk's Legend

by Aimée Thurlo

  He led the way to the front door, then glanced back at her. “I almost forgot to tell you, we might also have a houseguest.”

  “Who?”

  “Not who, what,” he answered.

  As they went inside, he signaled her to be quiet and listened. “He’s here,” he said.

  She looked at him, and stayed perfectly still, waiting.

  “My brother and I came up here after Hosteen Silver passed away just to look things over. Gene caught a glimpse of an animal underneath the brush near the back door, so he made a loud noise hoping to run it off, but the animal didn’t leave. Instead it came out to face him. It was a badger, probably from a big meadow not far from here.”

  “They’re tough and won’t generally back off. Did he try to attack Gene?”

  “No, nothing like that. Gene has…a way with animals. He saw that there was something wrong with the badger’s hind leg, so the animal couldn’t run. Since the badger is my spiritual brother, and there was a snowstorm coming, we opened the back door that leads into the mudroom. At first it was reluctant to go inside, but as I said, Gene has a gift.”

  Daniel’s eyes shone as he continued the story.

  “While he took care of the injured leg, I turned over a card board box so it looked like a den, and placed some old blankets inside it. The badger came in, and took up residence there. His injured leg has apparently healed, but he’s decided to stick around. He comes and goes through a doggie door-like opening Gene made for it, and makes a meal out of any rodents that come into the house. The arrangement is balanced. It works for him and for us.”

  “Badgers serve a purpose in nature, keeping the rodent population down for one,” she said, “but they don’t make good pets.”

  “He isn’t one. He comes and goes as he pleases and, in return for shelter, he provides a service. If you leave him alone, he’ll do the same for you. Just don’t corner him.”

  As they entered the living room, Daniel picked up some fragments of wood stacked in a metal box next to the fireplace and began to make a fire. “This kindling is rich in sap. We keep it handy so we can get a fire going in a hurry. The room warms up quickly, too. That was the best part of living in a house this small.”

  Holly heard a scuttling noise and, as she turned her head, saw the badger peering at them through an opening at floor level in a rear door. She made sure not to look directly at it, something the animal might misinterpret as aggression, and soon the badger backed out and disappeared from view.

  “It won’t come into this room,” Daniel said.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “After Hosteen Silver gave Gene his medicine bundle, Gene discovered that he could communicate with animals. Not talk to them, mind you. It’s more like an understanding that exists between him and them. Gene assured me that the badger will respect my space because he knows that there’s a link between his spirit and mine,” Daniel said. “I don’t really know about all that, but I can tell you this—I don’t feel threatened by the badger, nor he by me.”

  “And you? What’s your gift?” she asked after a moment’s pause.

  “Like badger, I can sense danger. I’ve been able to use that in the work I do and help others guard whatever needs to be protected.”

  “Like me.”

  “Your enemy is now mine.”

  His words reverberated with power and conviction, pushing her fears back into the dark recesses of her mind. “I hate violence of any kind,” she said, her voice whisper soft. “To be drawn into this fight and not even know why makes me crazy inside.”

  “Even in battle, we can walk in beauty.” He pressed his palm to the side of her face, his thumb leaving a gentle caress there. “Remember that.”

  As she looked into his eyes, she almost forgot to breathe. There was a gentle protectiveness there that had never been part of her life. It made her ache and long for more.

  As the fire crackled and popped from the resin-rich piñon firewood, the spell was broken.

  “My brother and I keep supplies here in case of emergency,” he said, turning away. “There are canned soups, beans and even stew in the cupboard. Would you like something to eat?”

  “Thanks, but no. I’m not hungry. It’s very late and I should be exhausted, but I’m too tense to even sleep.”

  “If Preston identifies the man who’s after you, he’ll call me right away. We get phone service here because we’re at the high end of the canyon and in line with a cell tower in the valley.”

  “Your brother has probably called it a night already,” she said, aware that it was close to two in the morning.

  Daniel shook his head. “I doubt that. Preston lives and breathes his job. He considers having a predator operating on his turf a personal affront. He won’t rest until the guy’s behind bars.”

  “I’ve seen that kind of dedication before,” she said quietly.

  She wondered if that kind of solitary existence was what the future held for her, too. She’d spent years not letting anyone get too close. Eventually, she’d hoped to find an undemanding, predictable and dependable man to share her life with, though as she thought about it now, it suddenly sounded terribly boring.

  “My brother and I started our new lives in this cabin. Once the man after you is caught, you’re welcome to stay here until your home is ready for you to settle into again.”

  “Thanks, but I was thinking of moving into my office in Hartley. I hate the thought of spending Christmas away from everything that’s familiar to me.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, hearing her voice tremble.

  She hadn’t meant to, but suddenly her tears started flowing and she couldn’t stop crying. “My life was so organized and simple! I was meeting my goals every day and I knew exactly where I was headed. Now I don’t even recognize myself.”

  He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “Take things one step at a time.”

  As Daniel held her tightly against him, her tears slowly subsided. She never wanted to leave that wonderful circle of protection, but other yearnings soon rose to tempt her as she burrowed into him. She knew then that it was time for her to move away, but she didn’t want to, not just yet.

  “I know what it’s like to feel all alone, but you’re not, Holly. Don’t you know that?” he murmured in her ear. “I’m here for you.”

  His words touched her heart. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore,” she whispered.

  “You don’t have to be,” he said, tightening his hold.

  She could feel every part of him pressed against her. She wanted to lose herself in that heat…or maybe find herself there. Aware of the force of her own longing, and worried about where it might lead her, she stepped away.

  Avoiding his gaze, Holly moved to the soft sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace and sat down. “Tell me more about yourself, Daniel. I know so little about you.”

  “You’re uncomfortable trusting someone who’s still mostly a stranger to you,” he said with a nod.

  “I’d like to be your friend, but that takes knowing you as more than just a kind almost-stranger who came to rescue me. Tell me where you came from. Where did you live before Hosteen Silver took you into his family?”

  He sat next to her beside the fire. “My mother was a waitress at an Albuquerque bar and my dad was a Navajo man she met one night. I never knew much more than that. I don’t think she did, either. It didn’t really matter, because my mom and I were close and always there for each other. Then one night she didn’t come home. I waited, and a couple of days later, the police and child services came to the door.” He paused, his jaw set, his gaze on the flames. “That’s when I learned that there’d been a fight at the bar, and a stray bullet had taken her life. I’d just turned twelve.”

  “You must have been terrified, so young and suddenly alone,” she said, reaching for his hand.

  “I was afraid, but the worst of it was the loneliness. I missed her.” He paused as her fingers entwin
ed with his.

  “You had no other relatives?”

  “Not that I knew about, and no one came forward. My mother had left the Navajo Nation when she was sixteen and never went back. She’d hated living in poverty and had seen her sister and father die of cancer. She believed it had been the result of drinking polluted water—a legacy of the uranium mines,” Daniel said. “She worked hard, and made a life for herself and eventually me, in Albuquerque.”

  “After she was gone, did they try to place you with a Navajo family?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. All I can tell you is that I was first taken to live with an Anglo couple in the south valley. At the time I was so sad I didn’t care where they sent me. I never realized how rough things would get for me.”

  “You didn’t like the family?”

  “I always had the feeling they just wanted able bodies who could work on their farm and that’s why they’d taken in five boys. For me, the real problem was the gangs around there and at school. They didn’t like anyone who stood up to them. Their idea of a fair fight was six against one, so I kept getting beat up. Eventually, I was sent to live with another family, then another. Being the new kid on the block meant always proving yourself, so I became one badass kid.”

  “Yes, but it was out of necessity, not choice.”

  He gave her a gentle smile as he stroked her hand with his thumb. “No one ever bothered to see that. I was labeled a high-risk kid.”

  As Daniel spoke, Holly could see the toll those memories took on him. He’d tried to bury them, but there was no hole deep enough to erase the echoes of pain. Even a strong heart could bleed.

  “Trouble and I became allies. I was told that I was no good so many times, I started to live up to the label. By the time I turned fourteen I’d ended up in a boot camp-like foster home with four other boys, two of them on probation. That’s where I met Gene. He’s as big as I am now, but back then, he was a runt. The other guys picked on both of us because we were different—Indians. I had to watch his back or they would have put him in the hospital.”

  “How did Gene end up there?”

  He shook his head. “I can tell you about myself, but Hosteen Silver taught us that one Navajo doesn’t speak for another. In this case, it’s even more so. My brother has his own secrets.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry,” she said. “Why don’t you tell me how you met Hosteen Silver?”

  “His niece worked for the foster care system and told him about me and Gene. He came to the house a few weeks after that. He and I spoke for hours. He wasn’t put off by my attitude at all, and that confused the heck out of me. Then he told me that he wanted me to go live with him.”

  “How did you feel about that?” she asked, eager to know more about Daniel.

  “I told him the truth. I wouldn’t have minded going someplace new, but my mother hadn’t been happy on the Rez and I didn’t want to go back there, either.”

  “But he took you anyway?”

  He shook his head. “He never forced anything. That wasn’t his way. Hosteen Silver always presented you with choices, then let you make up your own mind. In my case, he pointed out that if I stayed on the path I was traveling, I’d end up in the detention home or prison. Then he told me that if I were sent away for any reason at all, Gene’s chances of staying in one piece were slim. Gene was a sickly kid back then and he was a magnet for bullies.”

  “He’d spoken to Gene?”

  “Not yet, but he’d done his homework. He’d intended all along on taking both of us, but he started with me, figuring I could sway Gene. It worked, and that’s how we ended up at this house.”

  “Wow. That’s amazing. I have a feeling that when Hosteen Silver made up his mind nothing stood in his way.”

  “True enough,” he said. “To the world, Gene and I were trouble and not worth anyone’s time. He saw two lonely kids who had to be tough so that life wouldn’t destroy what was left of them.”

  “I know what it’s like to try and hide from the world,” she said. “There was a time in my life when we lived mostly on the run.”

  “You grew up with your dad, right?”

  “My mother had a bad heart, but by the time we found out, it was too late. One night when I was seven, she passed out in the kitchen. She went into the hospital, but there was nothing anyone could do.” She stopped and swallowed hard. “After that, it was just Dad and me. He tried to be a good father, but gambling owned him after he lost his day job, and there was little room in his heart for anything, or anyone, else.”

  She reached for her handbag, still on the chair. “I can’t tell you how many times he and I had to take off in the middle of the night, leaving everything we owned behind. Eventually I started keeping my clothes in a suitcase. Time and again I’d lose the things I loved—all except for one. It was a gift from my mother and I kept it with me no matter where I went.” She pulled out a battered-looking six-inch teddy bear from her purse. “This is the only thing I’ve ever managed to keep. It smells like smoke now, but it doesn’t matter. It’s priceless to me.”

  He pulled her against him. “Holding on…it’s what people like us do best.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers and was about to kiss her when the front door flew open. Instantly Daniel whirled around, gun in hand.

  “Whoa! It’s me, bro!” Gene said. “After I spoke to Preston, I knew exactly where you’d gone. I’ve come with extra food and blankets. It’s starting to snow and blow out there.”

  “Thank you, Gene. That was very thoughtful of you,” Holly stammered, her heart still at her throat.

  Daniel glared at his brother a moment longer, his eyes fixed. “Next time you decide to drop in, honk the horn, call out or something, will you?”

  Gene set two large grocery bags onto the couch, then brushed snow off his shoulders. “Don’t hold back, Dan,” he said with an irrepressible grin. “I know you’re overwhelmed by my kindness and overjoyed to see me again.” As he glanced at Holly, then at his brother, his expression suddenly changed. “Uh…did I interrupt something? I can hit the trail now—slipping and sliding all the way.”

  “Shut the door before we all freeze to death,” Daniel growled. “If it’s really that bad outside, you should probably stay till morning—which is only a few hours away now.”

  Gene walked to the window and stood to one side, looking outside. “I know what Preston told you, but I still think you would have been safer at your office, bro. This storm is going to pass through pretty fast, but right now it looks like we’re in for whiteout conditions. We may be snowbound for a while.”

  “Just the three of us. Terrific,” Daniel muttered, standing behind him.

  Gene laughed. “At least I brought fresh coffee and plenty of food.”

  “You made sure you weren’t tailed, right?”

  “No one tailed me, bro, you know better than to ask. I’ve got a sixth sense that tells me when I’m being watched. That’s what kept me alive growing up. I got even better at it after Hosteen Silver taught me about tracking and hunting. No one sneaks up on me.”

  Daniel nodded. “I hear you, but how about going out there anyway and taking a look around before any tracks get covered by the snow.”

  “You’re thinking that someone besides me might have figured out where you went?”

  Daniel nodded. “The thought occurred to me.”

  “Let me get my rifle from the truck first,” Gene said, “then I’ll take a walk down the road.”

  Holly watched Gene leave. “This is turning out to be the worst Christmas holiday season ever—and, for me, that’s saying a lot.”

  “Don’t give up on Christmas yet. A lot can happen in four days.”

  As he kissed her lightly, Holly suppressed a shiver. More than anything, she wished she could peer into her own future and see if Daniel would be there, too.

  Daniel looked out the window and Holly went to stand beside him. The snow had stopped for a moment, and through a break in the cloud
s, she saw the faint glimmer of a star shining brightly somewhere beyond Copper Canyon. As she’d done as a child, she wished upon that bright star, knowing there was no better time for hope than the season of miracles.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shortly after daybreak, Holly woke up to the roar of an engine. She sat up, struggling to come awake and shrug off the tangle of blankets that covered her.

  “What time is it?” she muttered, looking around.

  They’d all slept on foam sleeping pads next to the small fireplace. The guys had assured her that it was best to stay together in case of trouble, but she suspected that they, too, had wanted to stay close to the only source of heat. While she didn’t see a thermometer, she guessed the temperature inside the cabin was close to freezing.

  Holly wrapped one of the blankets around her as she stood and glanced around. Somehow, she’d ended up with almost all the covers. “We each had three blankets when I fell asleep. What happened? How did I end up with, what, eight of them?” she asked Daniel, who was placing wood on the fire.

  “My brother found a sleeping bag that was still useable in a trunk, so he didn’t need any,” Daniel said.

  “And you?”

  “I had my coat,” Daniel answered. “That and one blanket was enough.”

  “Oh, wow,” she said in a whisper. “You froze so I could be warm? Guilt, major guilt!”

  He laughed. “I stayed close to the fire, and my coat is very warm.” He stoked the flames, then glanced back at her. “But if you really feel guilty, I can come up with some fun ways you can make it up to me.”

  “Nah, never mind. Now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, I don’t feel that guilty after all,” she said, laughing.

  “Guys, I’m heading back,” Gene said, as he came in from outside.

  “Close that door!” Daniel yelled.