It was foolish, he knew, but if the rest of his life must be spent apart from that wildly beautiful woman, then he must see her one last time, if only to say goodbye.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MOLLY LEFT THE DELI after not eating any of her lunch and pointed her little red Mercedes south, spending the early hours of the afternoon driving across the vast Montana landscape as if gradually emerging from a thick fog and seeing everything clearly for the very first time. She drove straight through Bozeman, past the turnoff to Gallatin Gateway, and the road to Steven’s place. She knew he wouldn’t be home. He’d be at his office, hard at work trying to raise two million dollars in a mere six months. She turned around and headed back toward Bozeman, intending to stop at his office, but instead took the highway back to Helena. She just couldn’t do it. She could say goodbye to all of Montana, but she couldn’t bring herself to say goodbye to Steven Young Bear.
Her cell phone rang, and she answered it. “Ferguson.”
“Molly? Dehaviland here. I just this moment arrived in my office and listened to my messages. One of them was from a Sheriff Walker. Have you talked to Young Bear today?”
“No. Why?”
“Ken Manning paid him a visit last night. Apparently Manning’s been arrested for attempted murder, in addition to his other charges. Young Bear’s okay, but I thought you’d want to know. I’ve been trying to reach him at home and at his office, but he’s not answering.”
As Dehaviland spoke, Molly felt waves of shocked disbelief tingling through her. Heart hammering, she pulled over to the side of the highway, struggling to catch her breath. “He’s okay? Steven’s all right? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Sheriff Walker was there when it happened.”
“What did Manning do?”
“Waited in the shrubs beside his house and took a shot at him after he got out of his Jeep, but apparently the bullet hit something Young Bear was wearing around his neck.”
“Oh, dear God,” Molly said, leaning her forehead against the steering wheel. She felt very close to passing out. Her mind raced. She thought of Luther’s owl. The stew. The pouch with the powerful medicine. Her dream. Steven…
“He’s okay,” Dehaviland repeated emphatically. “The sheriff made sure he was checked out by the EMTs.”
“How did Sheriff Walker know that Manning was going to try to kill Steven?”
“He had a hunch, same as I did. I called the state police last night just after I left you at the airport hotel. Manning was so worked up and on edge when he was at my cabin earlier I thought Young Bear should have police protection until Manning was brought in for questioning. They told me that Manning’s vehicle had been spotted headed for Gallatin Gateway and they’d already put two and two together, with a little prompting from Walker. Apparently the sheriff heard the radio transmissions and drove to Young Bear’s place on his own.”
Molly closed her eyes and drew several deep breaths. Her stomach was doing flip-flops and a cold sweat filmed her brow. She sat like that long enough for Dehaviland to say, “Molly?”
“Thank you for protecting Steven,” she said, her voice sounding faint and faraway. “And thank you for calling me. I didn’t know about any of this. I’m on my way to see him right now, and Mr. Dehaviland, about that job offer… I know I told you last night that I accepted, but—”
“Say no more,” Dehaviland said. “The job will always be here for you, if you want it. And when you see Young Bear, tell him I said he’s a lucky man, in more ways than one.”
Molly hardly remembered the drive to Steven’s place, only the bitter disappointment that when she arrived at his house, his Jeep wasn’t there. She called his office number and got his answering machine. She called his cell phone and got his answering service. She called the Bow and Arrow and got Caleb McCutcheon, who told her in a nonstop enthusiastic diatribe about the estimated value of Luther Makes Elk’s rifle, believing that’s why she’d called. When she could get a word in she informed McCutcheon about Ken Manning’s attempt on Steven’s life.
McCutcheon swore softly. “I’ll tell Pony. You might want to check out Luther’s place. Steven might have gone there to tell him about that rifle. When you catch up with him have him call Pony. She’ll be worried sick.”
Molly gassed her car up in Livingston and headed for Luther Makes Elk’s shack, hoping that McCutcheon was right and Steven would be there, and if he wasn’t, that Luther could tell her where he was.
IT WAS LATE AFTERNOON when Steven returned the rifle to Luther. At first he thought his adopted grandfather was napping on the wall bench outside of his shack, chin tucked to his chest and hat tipped over his eyes, but at his approach the old man made a small gesture with one gnarled hand, and Steven joined him. After a while Luther roused, studied him for a few moments from beneath the hat brim, and said, “I may be near the end of my days, but I still remember how it felt to be young. I remember that kind of pain.”
“I came back to tell you that I’m not selling the rifle,” Steven said. “I’m leaving it here with you, where it belongs.”
“The spirits didn’t tell you to do that,” Luther said. “They chased you off the mountain because you went looking for something that wasn’t there. Keep the rifle. I gave it to you because you needed it.”
“Grandfather, I’ve had enough of guns and violence. If you don’t want to keep the gun yourself, give it to the tribal elders and let them decide what to do with it. A million dollars could do a lot for the people on the rez. They could set up a scholarship fund and send a lot of kids to college.”
“To learn the white man’s ways?”
“To learn how to survive in today’s world, and make life better for the rest of the tribe. And I’ll buy you a fancy suit like the ones I wear to work, but you won’t be wearing it at Red Hair’s wedding. She’s taken a job in a far place, and chances are I won’t be seeing much of her.”
“Your Red Hair’s not so far away as you think,” Luther said. “I think maybe you’ll see her again, probably soon.”
Steven leaned against Luther’s shack. He ached all over, physically and spiritually, and felt beyond all hope. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it,” he said. “Sometimes I wonder if all the struggle makes any difference at all.”
“The white man struggles all the time and does little that matters, but what you do makes a difference,” Luther said. After a brief pause he added, “Does Red Hair drive fast?”
“Too fast.”
“And so. I think maybe you’ll see her even sooner than I thought.” Luther was squinting at a ribbon of dust being thrown into the golden September air by a rapidly approaching vehicle on the reservation road. It was a small vehicle, sporty, and the sudden thump in Steven’s chest made him wince with pain. Was the car truly red, or was that just the reflection of the setting sun? He pushed to his feet, fixing his eyes on the approaching dust cloud and struggling to catch his breath. Dare he hope?
“I remember how it felt to be young,” he heard Luther Makes Elk repeat, “and I think maybe you better get me that fancy suit, pretty quick.”
MOLLY SPOTTED STEVEN’S JEEP parked in front of Luther’s shack and felt an overwhelming surge of relief. Dry tears stung and her throat squeezed up as she braked hard, parked and got out, her eyes riveted on the tall, broad-shouldered man who stood beside Luther Makes Elk. For the life of her she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Steven walked toward her, halting an arm’s reach away. He studied her in a cautious silence that Molly found unbearable.
“Dehaviland called me this afternoon and told me what happened last night, about what Manning did,” she finally managed to say, the words tumbling out. “I went to your house as soon as I could, and when you weren’t there I called your office, and when you weren’t there, I came here….” She choked back a strangled sob and raised her hand to her mouth, overwhelmed with emotion.
He took another step, reached out and cupped the side of her face as she spoke. His hand was large and stro
ng. She leaned her cheek against its warmth, closed her eyes briefly, and drew a shuddering breath.
“I’m glad you did,” he said.
She covered his hand with her own, not caring that he felt the trembling in hers. “Are you all right?”
“Manning’s bullet hit the pouch Luther gave me. I wasn’t hurt, and Manning’s in jail where he belongs. He’s no threat to you now, and that’s all that matters to me.” His thumb caressed her cheek as he spoke, and for the first time she thought she could read the expression in the dark eyes that quietly searched her own.
“Luther said there was strong medicine in that pouch, but how could it have stopped a bullet?”
Steven loosed the thong from his neck and upended the contents of the pouch into his palm. Molly touched the two old coins, warm from the heat of his body, and felt ice water flood through her veins as she laid them one on top of the other in her palm and studied how the bullet had struck them dead center. “What were the odds of Manning’s bullet hitting these coins?”
“You’ll have to ask Luther that, but I think he’d tell you they were pretty good.” Steven returned the coins to the pouch and looped the thong around his neck.
“Dehaviland wanted me to tell you that you were a lucky man,” Molly said.
“I know. I owe half that luck to Luther, and the other half to him.”
“I resigned my job with the firm this morning,” she said, aching deep down inside. “I came here to say goodbye.”
“I know,” he repeated.
“Last night, I was so hurt and angry with you that the only thing that mattered to me was proving that you were wrong about Dehaviland and Condor International,” she said.
“I’m sorry that I ever made you feel that way.”
Molly shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “Today, all day, I’ve been wondering what would happen to us if I took this position with Dehaviland. At first I tried to convince myself that I didn’t care, that our relationship was over, but then…” Molly stopped before her voice could break.
“Molly…”
“No, wait,” she said, no longer caring that her voice betrayed the depth of her emotions. “Let me finish. Today, after driving around aimlessly for hours, I realized that as good as I felt about Dehaviland’s job offer, it couldn’t begin to compare with the way you’ve made me feel in the short time we’ve known each other. What we’ve shared together has made me realize that being with you is far more important than accepting the most prestigious position in the most powerful company on the entire planet.”
Steven’s eyes held hers. “Dehaviland sees something in you that I saw from the very beginning. Think about what you could accomplish working for him.”
Molly touched her fingertips to his mouth to hush him. “I already have, and I’ve made my decision. Besides, we both know that it was you Dehaviland was really angling for. You’re the one with all the know-how and experience he needs, not some inexperienced attorney fresh out of law school. And…and I was hoping you might want some help raising two million dollars.”
“I’ve never refused an offer of help.” His hand closed over hers, warm and strong.
“Caleb told me about the rifle. You’re already halfway there.”
Steven shook his head. “I’m not selling Luther’s rifle. You might think it sounds crazy, but that old gun is part of our history, and if anyone benefits from selling it, the tribe should.”
“I don’t think that’s crazy at all,” Molly said. “I love you even more for feeling that way. We’ll raise that two million before the March deadline.”
“With your help, we’ll probably beat Dehaviland’s deadline by a good three months.”
“I’ll help you in any way I can. I could help you at your office the way I helped Brad. I could learn so much working with you, Steven. Maybe one day I’ll really be capable of the kind of position Dehaviland offered me.”
“My law practice isn’t exactly lucrative,” he cautioned.
“I don’t care.”
“Molly, you’re used to so much more than I could ever offer.”
She reached up and shushed him again. “I love you, Steven Young Bear, and I don’t ever want to say goodbye to you again. I can only hope you feel the same way about me, but even if you don’t…” Steven drew her into his arms and kissed her into silence, kissed her until no doubt remained as to how he felt, kissed her until she was breathless in his arms. Molly knew her feet were on the ground but she felt as if she were floating, ascending to a level of joy that surely no other woman on earth had ever experienced. “So, when do I start?”
“Right after we climb Brave Heart Mountain,” Steven replied. “But in the meantime, there’s one other important matter I could use your help with.”
“You name it.”
Steven brushed a stray tear from her cheek. “Luther wanted me to buy him a suit, and I could use some help picking it out.”
Molly glanced over her shoulder to where the old man sat dozing on the wall bench, seemingly oblivious to the moment. “What on earth does he want a suit for?”
“He told me you’d want him to wear one at your wedding.”
Molly wondered if her feet would ever touch ground again as she gazed into the eyes of the man she loved. “He’s right,” she said. “Luther would look very handsome in a suit. Come on.” She reached for his hand. “Let’s go find out exactly what he wants. And who knows? If we’re lucky, maybe he’ll tell us how many children we’re going to have, and what color their hair will be.”
ISBN 978-1-4592-2451-3
MONTANA STANDOFF
Copyright © 2005 by Penny R. Gray
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com
Montana Standoff Page 25