Blood of the Rainbow

by Shelia Chapman

  Jared sneered. “Who knows, and who cares?”

  “I was just thinking about Sara. If he’s there, it might not be a good idea for her to be there. It might be uncomfortable for her, and seeing him might trigger flashbacks too.”

  Jared stood. “Then I won’t go!” Sara stood.

  “All right Jared. I guess I’ll see you at the convention – if I don’t see you sooner. Congratulations again on your engagement.”

  Jared took Sara’s hand. “Thanks Dave, and thanks for helping us.” If that’s what you’re doing….

  Dave laughed. “You would do the same for me….”

  Jared chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I would.” Especially if I find out you’re behind this.

  Jared and Sara started walking back toward the car. “Jared, am I doing the right thing? What if it wasn’t Joel? By us accusing him, won’t that cause more friction for your family?”

  Jared kissed Sara’s hand. “Don’t worry about that.”

  “But I do.”

  “Well, don’t. My family is important to me Sara. But, you are my family now, and you come first.”

  ------------

  As they drove back to the ranch, Sara’s mind tried to process everything. She’d never been afraid for her own life, and she wasn’t now. Sara knew Jared would protect her, but who would protect Jared? She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Jared’s proposal had been a spur of the moment decision.

  Did he mean it, or was he pressured into it out of pride?Had Jared let himself be cornered into proposing to me by Joel? Is it pride that keeps him from taking the proposal back? Is Jared too much of a gentleman to risk hurting me? Why did I say yes so quickly? I love the idea of being married to Jared, but am I ready to become a wife and mother? Oh God! I’m only eighteen; do I know what I want? Mother would certainly say I don’t. What am I going to do? How can I talk to Jared about this without hurting him?

  Chapter 14

  Jared parked the car in the garage. He took Sara’s hand. “You’re awfully quiet….”

  “Just thinking….”

  “That reminds me. I’d like to give you my grandmother’s ring. When I told her about you, she said if she had died before we got together, she wanted me to give it to you. Mother has been keeping it for me. You’d need to try it on and see if it needs any adjustments. It’s a very special ring that’s been in our family for generations. I’m not even sure how many generations myself….”

  “That’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  “If you’d rather I buy you a new one….”

  Sara sighed, trying to find the right words. “It’s not that, Jared. The ring is not important.”

  You wouldn’t say that if you knew how rare this ring is…. What it can do for you…. Where it can take you. Jared studied the expression on her face. His mood changed. “Oh – I see. You’ve changed your mind.”

  “No, it’s not that.”

  “Then what is it?” Jared seemed agitated.

  “Before we went to the bookstore, had you planned on proposing to me?”

  “No, but….”

  “If we hadn’t gone to the bookstore, and you hadn’t confronted Joel, do you think you still would have proposed to me?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know – what – what difference does it make – it’s done.”

  “That’s just it. I don’t want you to - I mean - I know why you did it at the store. You wanted to gloat to Joel.”

  “Yeah, but….”

  Sara chuckled. “That part was fun, seeing the look in his eyes. I think he was as shocked as I was. I just didn’t want you to think you had to… you know… follow through because of that.”

  Jared sighed dreadfully. “What do you mean, Sara?”

  “I overheard you talking to Dave. I don’t need a commitment from you Jared. I know you’re not… going to leave me.”

  Jared pushed Sara against the wall. He stared into her eyes, and then kissed her passionately. “Sara, I took advantage of a situation. I saw the opportunity and took it. I didn’t propose under the best of circumstances, but it might have taken me a long time before I got around to asking you. But I would have… eventually. It didn’t mean I meant it any less.”

  Sara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She lowered her head. Jared cradled her face in his hands and lowered his head to her eye level. He locked his eyes with hers. “Sara Foster, I love you. I want to marry you. Will you be my wife?”

  Tears filled Sara’s eyes. This wasn’t under pressure. This was real, done with real intent. Sara smiled. “Yes….”

  Jared kissed her again and pushed some loose hairs behind her ear. “Do you believe me now? Do you want to be my wife? Because I don’t want you to say yes, simply because you think it’s what I want to hear.”

  “I meant it Jared. I want to be your wife.”

  “Good. Because, I don’t know how much more of this uncertainty I could take.”

  Sara kissed him passionately. “I’m yours, completely.”

  Jared kissed her back. “Oh no, we’re not going through this again.” He pulled away. “Knowing you’re mine is going to make it even harder for me to resist you.”

  “Then don’t resist me,” she whispered.

  The sincerity in Sara’s voice took away Jared’s self-control for a few seconds. He kissed her, and touched her in places he’d never touched her before. By the time he had regained composure and pulled away, they were both panting for breath.

  Jared rested his forehead against hers. “No….”

  “What about what you said back at Wisteria Hall?”

  “That was different, Sara. I wasn’t thinking straight. You were coming on so strong….”

  Sara kissed him again, pulling his body tight against hers. “Then maybe I should do it again.”

  He moved away from her. “No, Sara.” His cell rang. He glanced at Sara, turned his back to her and accepted the call. “Hi Dave…. No, you didn’t catch me at a bad time…. What do you have for us…?” More lies? “Ok, yeah, sure. That will give us a chance to get through the funeral and rites….. Yeah, I guess I’ll go…. All right, we’ll meet you then. Thanks Dave.”

  He turned back to Sara. “That was Dave. His friend wants to talk to us the day after tomorrow.”

  Sara nodded. “Ok….”

  “I need a break, and I’d like to do some sketching. Do you feel like going for a ride?”

  “Yeah, sure, but I’ll need to change. I don’t want to go riding in my sandals.”

  “All right, you go change, and I’ll get some things together. You might want to take something to do. I might be out there for a while.”

  “Such as?”

  “I don’t know, my old guitar, a book, whatever – so you don’t get bored.”

  “Ok!” Sara kissed Jared and then went upstairs.

  ------------

  When she entered the lounge, Jared was waiting for her. He put his arms around her waist, lifted her off her feet, and kissed her. “Feel like a short walk first?”

  “Yeah, sure – why?

  “Well, Dad has the truck, and I don’t really want to take his Merck down that road. Mother said it was ok, but I still don’t want to do it. It’s not far but if you’d rather ride….”

  “No, I don’t mind walking.”

  Jared had put Sara’s notebook and book in his backpack, and then slung his guitar over his back. He handed Sara two full canteens of water. “Here, you take these, unless they’re too heavy for you.”

  “Shit!” Sara blurted out when she almost dropped them.

  Jared laughed and passed her the guitar. “Here – swap me.”

  “I didn’t realize they would be so heavy!”

  “No problem. They’re not heavy to me anyway.” He took her hand.”

  Sara felt ashamed. “I’m ah – I’m sorry for what I said….”

  Jared furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

  “My - ah – my little slip of the tongue. You know -
my colorful metaphor?”

  Jared’s face lit with recognition. “Oh you mean when you nearly dropped the canteens….”

  Sara scoffed. “I don’t normally say things like that.”

  Jared grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve said worse….”

  The walk was short but pleasant. Anything was pleasant when Sara was with Jared. He made everyday things seem like something special.

  Sara propped her shoulders against the barn, waiting for Jared while he saddled the horses. He placed the reins in Sara’s hand. “You do know how to ride, don’t you?”

  “It’s been a while, but I used to ride when I was a child.”

  “In that case, you ride Jade. I’ll ride Satan. He can be a bit feisty at times. Here,” he said, taking Sara’s hand and holding it and his under Jade’s nose. Jade sniffed at their hands, whinnied, and shook her head up and down.

  “Why did you do that?”

  Jared smiled and patted Jade’s face. “It’s an old Indian trick. When she smells my scent, Jade knows to obey. She’ll associate your scent with mine, and obey you now as well.”

  “How clever, but what about the colt?”

  “Don’t worry about her. She’ll follow alongside her mother.” Jared slung the guitar over his shoulder.

  Sara bent down to pet the colt. “Myra said you haven’t named her. What are you going to name her?”

  Jared laughed. “Colt?”

  Sara stroked the colt’s face. “That’s not a proper name!”

  “All right, you name her.”

  “Jared – she’s your colt!”

  “No, Sara, she’s our colt now. And, the honor of naming things mainly goes to the wife.”

  “But I’m not your wife.”

  Jared smiled. “Not yet, but you will be soon, so that makes it your job.” Sara smiled. “So, what are you going to call her?”

  Sara looked up at him. “Well, the white blaze down her face looks like a star. How about Star?”

  “Why don’t we name her after you?”

  “Sara?”

  “I didn’t say to name her Sara. I said to name her after you, Angel.”

  “Oh!” Sara smiled. “Better still… let’s call her Angelstar.” The colt whinnied.

  “I like it, and so does she. So from now on, her name will be Angelstar.”

  Jared helped Sara while she mounted Jade. Then he mounted Satan, nudged him in the flank, and he loped forward. Jade followed him without prompt. The sudden movement caught Sara off guard, and she wobbled in the saddle for a while before righting herself.

  Jared stopped, and waited until Sara was beside him. “You ok with this? I could put you in front of me, and take the one horse. I thought it would be less weight on the horses this way.”

  Sara patted the side of Jade’s neck. “I’m fine. She caught me off guard. I’ve got it now.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Sara smiled. “I’m sure.”

  They headed across the desert toward the mountains in the distance. Jared was right, Angelstar easily kept pace with her mother, staying near her left flank.

  ------------

  The countryside wasn’t exactly what Sara had expected. There were a lot more trees and grass, but it was beautiful – at least, she thought it was. To some, it might have looked a little barren. How was it supposed to look? It was a desert - tall cactus, prickly thorn bushes, geckos and horned toads scurrying to hide themselves under the rocks to stay out of the sun. A lone eagle soared and wheeled in the updraft, high above them.

  They stopped for a few minutes. Jared took a drink from one of the canteens and passed it to Sara.

  Again, Sara struggled with the full canteen, but managed to drink without giving herself a bath. Jared kissed her when she passed the canteen back to him.

  Sara smiled and licked her lips. The water was quenching, but his kiss was sweeter. “Myra said the last time you were home was in January. Does that mean we won’t be coming to Arizona a lot?”

  Jared chuckled. “Why – do you like it here?”

  Sara scanned the horizon and breathed deeply. “I could learn to….”

  Jared grinned and nudged Satan again. “Come on….”

  Sara was glad they’d brought water with them. The air was hot and dry. They paused several other times to drink. Sara wasn’t thirsty a couple of the times they’d stopped, but Jared insisted she take a drink anyway.

  ------------

  When they reached the mountains, Sara was half expecting Jared to stop, but they kept going until they’d passed a row of six tall cactus. Jared dismounted Satan and tied him to a bush.

  Sara sheltered her eyes against the bright sun. “This is where you wanted to come?” She couldn’t see anything that made this spot any different from all the rest they’d passed without notice. Sara wondered what made it special.

  Jared fastened the guitar to his pack and slung them on his back. He leaned his head back and pointed to a spot over halfway up the mountain. “No. Up there.”

  Sara swallowed hard. Great, more heights. “Up there – on the mountain top?”

  Jared grinned at Sara. He already knew she hated heights. “Not all the way up – but close….”

  She dismounted Jade and tied her next to Satan. “What is it about you Indians and heights? Can’t you look at anything from the ground?” she grumbled. Angelstar immediately started trying to nurse, but Jade nudged her away.

  Jared laughed and slung their canteens over his shoulder. “Looks like Jade is tired of being nudged and nibbled.” Jared leaned across, and kissed Sara passionately, groping her. He grinned wryly. “I guess all women aren’t alike….”

  Sara’s face flushed, and she tried to change the subject. “Do you need me to take those, or at least, one of them?” All I need is for him to start coming on to me now!

  Jared smiled knowingly and chuckled. He enjoyed teasing her, but he would enjoy pleasing her more – eventually. “No! I’m assuming you’re new to mountain climbing, as well. You’ll need both hands to keep your balance, and besides, like I said, they don’t seem heavy to me.”

  “Well, Jared, there really aren’t that many mountains in Crooked Creek – hills yes, but no mountains.” Sara didn’t imagine a boulder would seem heavy to him. He was as strong as an ox.

  Jared took Sara’s hand, and they started their ascent. “You’ll love it up there, Sara. You can see for miles, and it’s the only way I can get the view I want for my sketches.”

  Sara allowed her eyes to scan the height of the mountain. It seemed like an angry sentinel in front of her. She wasn’t looking forward to the climb. As she could see it, the only thing he would be able to see that high up, might be the tips of the treetops. “Can I close my eyes, and let you lead me like before?”

  “No! You have to keep your eyes open this time. I said I was going to get you over your fears and this is your second lesson.”

  “Couldn’t you have started with the wooden wolves? Or the snakes,” Sara whined.

  Jared laughed. “Trust me.”

  Sara trusted him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to test her balance on a tightrope just to prove it. She’d already let him dangle her over a cliff. Wasn’t that proof enough?

  About halfway up the path they paused to take a drink.

  Jared wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “Now whatever you do,” he said, passing Sara the canteen. “Don’t look down. And keep your back pressed against the mountain.”

  Sara put the canteen to her lips and drank thirstily. Since the canteen was insulated, the water was still cool. Sara passed the canteen back to Jared. He screwed the lid back on and slung the canteen over his shoulder.

  They rested for maybe four or five minutes. Jared stood, signaling to Sara that it was time to continue. Although Jared seemed sure of his path, Sara had no idea how much higher they would have to climb. He took her hand and helped her up. What do you do when someone says ‘don’t look down’? Answer - you look down, and
Sara did. She learned a valuable lesson. No matter how far away the ground is, it seems to pulsate up and down before your eyes. Sara gasped, instantly feeling nauseous.

  Jared grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back against the mountain. “I thought I told you not to look down,” he whispered in her ear.

  His breath sent shivers down her spine. That was something she didn’t need at this height. She needed to be totally focused on not falling. “Never tell me not to look down Jared!”

  Jared laughed. Neither the height nor the climb was bothering him. It seemed they’d been climbing for hours, and he wasn’t even out of breath. Sara began to wonder if Jared had been born part mountain goat. To her, it didn’t look as if they were making that much progress; either that or the mountain kept getting taller with every step they took.

  ------------

  Jared and Sara kept climbing for another hour or so. Finally, they stopped on a ledge for another rest and drink. After they’d rested, Jared stood and took Sara’s hand. She briefly looked around. As far as she could see, there was no other way to go than up – straight up. “Where do we go now?”

  Sara’s question was answered when Jared jumped, grabbed the top of the ledge, and easily pulled himself up, backpack, guitar and all. Sara stared up at him in shock. She folded her arms, and firmly planted herself to the spot, shaking her head – determined. “Uh huh, no way, forget it!”

  Jared chuckled, and lay on his stomach with his arms dangling over the edge. “Jump, and grab my arms. It’s not that far.”

  Sara squealed. “Jared I can’t do that!”

  “Jump up, grab my arms, and I’ll pull you up!”

  “I can’t, Jared. I’ll fall. I can’t do this!” Sara’s tone was still high with fear. The more she thought about it, the higher her tone got.

  Jared leaned further over the edge stretching his arms, so Sara didn’t need to jump. All she had to do was get up enough courage to reach out for him. “Sara, give me your hands.”

  Sara hesitated.

  “Give me your hands,” he stressed. “Come on, Sara. I won’t let you fall. You’re as light as a feather to me.”

  Sara felt as if she would throw up. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re the one that was born part mountain goat, or wolf, or something, or I don’t know what. I hate heights!”