by Allison Shaw
If she hated him, he deserved it.
If her family wanted to beat the hell out of him, he deserved that, too.
So the two of them stood there, immobilized by their memories and feelings, by the years of anger and guilt and sorrow, and the shock of the present. Moments seemed to stretch out into eternity and yet neither could move nor speak. The rest of the world had fallen away.
But the rest of the world was right there watching.
Jim’s eyes flew from his grandchildren to this Scottish stranger and made the connection instantly. So did everyone else and the rest of the guests looked uncomfortable and nervous.
Caleb swore.
Mike gave a low whistle and slowly shook his head.
Nancy Jo’s eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed without making a sound… and without hell freezing over as Jolena had so often warned would happen if anything ever shut the woman up.
Even Brutus looked confused, as if unsure whether his mistress was in danger or meeting a mate, so he whined and growled while wagging his tail slowly and looking from one to the other.
Four gray shadows came out of the woods and loped to within twenty yards of the group of humans, stopping with hackles raised and their ears and eyes focused intently upon their alpha.
Five of the human strangers saw the wolves and nearly wet their pants.
And just as the silence between Callie and Euan grew deafening and threatened to engulf all around them like a black hole, a small voice asked, “Mama, is this our daddy?”
Callie felt something tugging on her hand. She looked down and saw Mountain Rose. The child was saying something but it sounded weird, as if Callie was standing by the sea with her head in a bucket.
Mountain Rose spoke again. “Mama, I said is this my daddy?”
The child noticed the blank look on her mother’s face and felt confused and a bit frightened. She tugged again on Callie’s hand. “Mama, are you alright? Are you sick?” She turned to her grandfather and asked, “Grandpa, what’s wrong with Mama? She’s not hearing me!”
Red Wolf stepped forward and looked up at Euan, his dark eyes searching the stranger’s face. Gifted with exceptional discernment, the boy read the man and saw his soul. Still looking at Euan, he stated matter-of-factly, “This is our daddy. He’s come for us.”
That was all it took to get Callie moving. Pulling her hands free from her children’s she stepped towards Euan with her eyes narrowed and chin lifted defiantly. “Touch my children and I’ll kill you!” she snarled.
Jim saw Callie’s eyes turn gun-metal gray and her face harden to stone. Knowing that she was armed and in a highly agitated state, he took her by the shoulders and placed himself between her and the Scotsman. Over his shoulder he ordered Caleb, “Go get your mother!”
Caleb ran inside the lodge calling for Darlene and seconds later both of them came flying out the door.
Darlene took Mountain Rose and Red Wolf by their hands and led them into the lodge. The children were beginning to become frightened and looked back at their mother, their anxiety visible in their widened eyes and knit brows.
Jim barked at Euan and John, “You two, inside! Now! Find a place and sit down!”
Both complied without a word.
“Tell your pack to go home, Callie,” he said firmly.
Callie looked at the pack, pointed up the mountain, and commanded, “Owenvsv danigi!” The wolves looked at her for a moment and she repeated the command. Much to the relief of the guests, they melted back into the woods.
Still holding Callie, Jim looked at Mike. “You’re going to have to guide our guests to camp. I’m guessing the Scottish ones won’t be going, so leave their gear here. Go grab you some gear and get these other gentlemen on their horses and underway.”
“Which horse you want me to ride, Uncle Jim?” Mike asked. “I ain’t ridin’ that evil witch of Callie’s.”
“Hell, I don’t care!” Jim responded, somewhat exasperated. The past few minutes had been more of a show than the guests had paid for and if he couldn’t keep Callie from losing it this could end up on international news. “Ride Bubbles! He wouldn’t buck if you put a field full of burrs up under his blanket! Get Callie’s rifle and scabbard just in case you run into some hogs.”
Mike shrugged and moved to do as he’d been told. Jim looked at the remaining guests and said, “If you gentlemen will wait just a minute, we’ll get you on your way to camp.”
The four men nodded and moved toward the waiting horses. The Texan said to the other American, “That’s one hell of a family reunion, don’t you think? Thought we might get to see a real hillbilly feud!”
The other man responded, “I wasn’t sure if we were going to revisit Deliverance or Dances with Wolves myself, but I’d pay handsomely for the privilege of shooting one of those wolves. Too bad they’re a protected species here.”
Jim looked at Caleb. “You go with Mike and help him get those men to camp. Once you get there, grab Callie’s gear and head back. I’ve got a feeling that the shit’s overdue to hit the fan.”
Caleb protested. “Dad, shouldn’t I be here in case something goes wrong? Callie looks like she wants to kill that unega in the worst way.”
“I’ll handle her. I need you to do what I asked.” He looked at his oldest son. “This is a family matter, understand? Keep it to yourself. Your girlfriend ain’t your wife.”
Caleb nodded. He loved Lacie but she would blab this all over the mountains in less time than it took to breathe. He turned and walked over to the guests to get them matched up to the horses. These were well-broke, locally-bred gaited trail horses with the disposition and smarts to handle riders who were complete idiots. Which was frequently the case.
Jim turned to his daughter and made her look up at him. “Callie, listen to me,” he said gently but firmly. “It’s high time all of this got straightened out. We’re going to go in there and you and that feller are both going to have to do some talking. Understand?”
Callie’s eyes shone hard and cold. “I hate that bastard! If he tries to take my children I’ll kill him before he so much as touches them!”
“You will not kill anyone, Callie!” Jim ordered. “If this man is their father, he has some rights. We need to find out why he’s here, and if he’s here for the kids we need to know how he found out.” He cupped her cheek with his hand. “No one’s taking my grandkids anywhere, Baby Doll. Now let’s go inside and start sorting this mess out.”
With a hand on Callie’s shoulder, Jim entered the lodge. “Get back, Brutus!” he said as he blocked the dog from coming through the door. “You wait out here on the porch.”
The front room of the lodge had an old-style hearth big enough to roast a haunch of beef in, with andirons capable of holding a log over two feet in diameter and three feet long. A large log of white oak burned slowly on the grate. A large hook built into one side of the fire place held a cast-iron kettle which held a simmering potpourri of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices to provide a warm, comforting aroma.
The air was anything but comfortable. Darlene sat with the kids on one end of the large sectional sofa, her dark eyes full of wary concern when looking at Euan and John and fierce love when focused upon her grandchildren. Mountain Rose and Red Wolf hugged their grandmother but stared at Euan and John, their little faces showing mostly wariness and curiosity.
John leaned against the wall to the left of the hearth, his muscular arms crossed over his chest and legs crossed at the ankles. He had rolled his sleeves up for comfort, figuring that things might well get heated and that they would most likely be there a while. His long golden braid fell across one shoulder and brushed the fair thick hair of his forearms. A thick cuff of Celtic knots was tattooed on each wrist, making him look like one of his fierce ancestors. Those who knew John MacQueen well knew that he worked hard, played hard, and had no tolerance for dishonesty or stupidity, but also that he was mostly a good-natured teddy bear loved and mauled by children everywhe
re he went.
Jim looked John full in the eye, sized him up, and then gave him a curt nod. John returned the gesture, signaling his respect and deference. Jim then looked Euan over.
Euan was sitting at the other end of the sectional sofa, the ankle of one leg resting upon the knee of the other. One arm rested upon the arm of the sofa while his other hand rested upon the calf of his leg. Euan had a habit of shaking one leg when nervous, as he was doing now, but his visage appeared calm.
Jim noted the man’s features more closely than he had before. He was handsome in a rough-hewn way and his slanting cheekbones and eyes reminded Jim of a wolf. The thick wavy hair, which the man wore pulled back in a pony tail, was a slightly deeper color than Red Wolf’s and without the red-gold highlights found in Mountain Rose’s tresses, but it was plain to see that’s where they got it from.
Red Wolf was his father’s spitting image and while Mountain Rose had Callie’s face and eyes, she also had much of her father about her as well. Knowing that his granddaughter had her mother’s temperament, he could only hope that Red Wolf had gotten his reserved, even-keeled temperament from his father. If the man had even half of his son’s common sense it would make dealing with him a whole lot easier.
Callie had tensed up so much that her shoulders were bunched and Jim wouldn’t have been surprised if she had started hissing and growling. He took her bow and quiver, put them beside the door, and maneuvered her over to sit close to her mother and children but remained standing himself. Looking at his wife, he communicated with her silently to make sure that they were in agreement before he started. When she nodded ever so slightly, he began.
“So, we have a situation here,” he said. “Obviously the two of you were lovers at one time and these children are the proof of it. I’m going to ask y’all some questions and you will answer them to my satisfaction. At no time will either of you disparage the other in front of these children, and there will be no fighting. We’re going to handle this like adults. Understand?”
Euan looked at Jim and replied, “Aye, sir.”
Callie glared at her father and then at Euan before looking down and nodding.
Jim looked at Euan. “Who are you, where are you from, and how did you come to be here? I want the truth, son, because I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”
Euan answered, “My name is Euan Michael Robert Wallace. I’m from Ayrshire, Scotland an’ live just outside Aorgohr, fifteen kilometers southwest o’ Edinburg. I hae a small croft an’ raise vegetables for market, an’ sheep, hogs, an’ cattle for meat, milk, an’ wool.”
“So how did you afford this trip?” Jim asked, his suspicions aroused. “Most farmers don’t make that kind of money.”
Euan looked slightly uncomfortable but replied in a level voice. “My family is quite wealthy. The fortune hae been made in banking an’ industry. I funded this trip oot o’ one o’ m’ trust accounts.”
Jim looked at Callie. “Is this true?” he asked.
Callie glared at Euan for a moment, then lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. She nodded and answered, “Yeah...yes sir.” Pausing as a sad look flickered in her eyes she said softly, “When we first met I didn’t know any of that. I thought he was just a farmer. I didn’t know that he was rich. Or that I wasn’t good enough for his family.”
“That true, son?” Jim asked Euan.
Euan’s face flushed and he nodded. “But I ne’er thought Callie wasna good enough for me, sir,” he said. “I was young and dinna ken the first thing aboot bein’ in love. I joost kenned that she wasna like any other lassie I’d been with. I…I didna ken tha’ I loved her until it was too late.”
“Meaning?” Jim demanded, his dark eyes narrowing. “Why don’t you tell me exactly what happened?”
Euan swallowed hard and he took two deep breaths, letting each out slowly. He would have to bite down hard on his pride to admit his mistakes and there was no guarantee that it would make matters any better, let alone begin to make things anew with Callie. But he couldn’t avoid it anymore if he wanted to at least have a relationship with his children.
“I was attracted t’ her the moment I saw her. I pursued her tae enter a relationship wi’ me, courted her, an’ she fell in love wi’ me. I took her vir- ” He stopped himself, remembering that this was Callie’s father he was talking to and his children were present. “Well, we were lovers. More than lovers, an’ if I hadna been such an arrogant fool we’d be more than that.
“My parents an’ grandparents said Callie was beneath our station, just a Yank lass out t’ marry intae money. I knew it wasna true but I let them plant doubts in m’ mind because I was afeart o’ what I felt for her. Callie wasna a passing fancy like the ones before…” He paused, shame burning in his face. “Or since. An’ I’m more ashamed tae admit tha’ last wee bit than ye could ken.”
Callie looked like she had been slapped and Darlene and Jim were glaring daggers at Euan. “You mean to tell me that you dumped her because she wasn’t good enough for your family?!” Darlene asked in a tight voice, her face dark with anger. “Maybe you should consider that you’re not good enough for hers!”
Jim crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. He wanted to beat the hell out of Euan but wouldn’t even voice that in front of his grandchildren. “Darlene, how about taking the kids to the kitchen? I think this conversation is about to get into areas their little ears shouldn’t hear.”
Darlene got up from the sofa and took the children by their hands. She shot another glare at Euan, who had risen respectfully as she was leaving, and snorted as he nodded and said, “Ma’am.”
Red Wolf looked solemnly at Euan and Mountain Rose stifled a sniffle as they got up to follow their grandmother. Euan felt his heart swell with love even as it threatened to break at their leaving. He wanted nothing more than to gather them in his arms and hold them tight.
His thoughts were broken by Jim’s voice.
“So my Callie was just one of a string of lovers, Mr. Wallace?” he asked. “You just love ‘em and leave ‘em, that the deal?”
“It was wi’ the oothers,” Euan answered. “Nae with Callie.”
“And yet here we are with the situation at hand,” Jim noted. “Care to tell me how it came down to this?”
Euan stuck his hands in his back pockets, his jaw clenching as his emotions seethed and reproach clawed at him. He couldn’t look at Jim or Callie, or even John. His chest tightened and his tongue threatened to turn to wood. He walked over, braced a hand on the mantle and stared into the fire. It took a few moments to steady himself enough to talk without his voice cracking.
Remembering John’s advice to strip it all down to the bare-boned truth, Euan continued. “I hadna e’er been in love wi’ a lass,” he said quietly. “I chased them or let them chase me for a lark, but I was ne’er serious aboot a one o’ them. I was in control o’ m’ heart, m’ life. An’ I wasna ready tae settle doon or gi’e m’ heart tae anyone.
“An’ then Callie came along an’ turned it all upside-doon. She was more than just a bird, more than a passin’ fancy. A mon doesna like tae admit that he’s afeart o’ anything, but I was afeart o’ what she made me feel. I wasna as grown a mon as I kenned I was then, either. When my parents threatened tae cut me off if I e’en considered marrying her, I fair panicked.
“’Twas when she told me she might be pregnant that I showed m’self for the cowardly fool I was. I accused her o’ tryin’ tae trap me intae marriage. I e’en went so far as tae say the bairn might nae be mine. By the time I came tae m’ senses, she had gone home t’ the States. I was too proud tae admit I was wrong. Too proud tae admit I loved her an’ come after her then.”
He turned and looked at Callie. “I was an arrogant, immature fool who broke the heart o’ the only woman I hae e’er loved. I impugned yer honor, an’…I wish tae God I could take it a’ back an’ make it right.”
Callie was torn between rage and grief and the warring emotions played across her feat
ures and flashed in her eyes. Her hands trembled and she felt as if she was suffocating. She wanted to beat Euan to a bloody pulp, beat him until all of her anger and sorrow were spent. She wished to God she could tear her heart out and with it every last bit of love it still harbored for his worthless hide.
Her own pride goaded her into going on the offensive. “Bravo!” she hissed. “That act could have won the Oscar for best performance by a lying, cheating son of a bitch!”
She came up off the sofa, her whole being imbued with a fury that made the very air crackle. Jim stepped in front of her and held out his hand. “Give them to me, Callie. All of them.”
With a strangled growl of frustration, she glared at the man who had taught her the very move she had been about to pull. Their eyes locked in a contest of wills for several long moments but she finally started handing him her knives and pistol.
John and Euan both stood looking wide-eyed at the arsenal she had hidden under her clothes and realized that they had been this close to being shot or having a blade come flying through the air at them. They looked at each other and back at her, a bit weaker at the knees. They were only a little more surprised when Jim demanded that Callie remove the dowel from the leather hair holder at the nape of her neck. Callie smacked the sharpened stick down in Jim’s hand. He then walked over and put the arsenal in a drawer behind the front desk, locking it.
Jim returned to his place near Callie and warned her, “There’ll be no fighting, Callie. I know you’re angry and have every right to be…”
“You’re damned straight I’m angry!” she shouted. “I ought to kill this son of a bitch for what he did to me! I didn’t know a damned thing about men or the games they play with a woman’s heart! I loved him and would have given him the moon if he’d asked for it and all I wanted from him was his love!”
Tears welled up in Callie’s eyes and started running over as years of hurt broke through the dam she had built to keep it penned up. She was furious with herself for showing such weakness, which only made her cry harder. She turned on Euan.