by Linda Bridey
Knowing that Ken wasn’t big on outward shows of emotion, Runner didn’t comment on the wistful expression on Ken’s face. Instead he concentrated on the fine Sunday meal that Doreen had made and talked about ordinary things. All the while, the joy in his heart grew as he felt his family drawing nearer to Pringle. He prayed that they hurried.
*****
That night, Reckless sat by a small fire that he’d built away from the main fire in their camp. He stared at the fire, letting the flames work their magic. Their sinuous movements and crackling sounds were hypnotic and he was usually able to enter into a trance by concentrating on them. He’d asked Mike to chant softly for him and had taken a small amount of datura.
He wasn’t seeking a big vision, but he wanted to speak with Runner. The datura would allow him to invade Runner’s mind.
Mike acted as the tribe’s medicine man, having trained as a youth under their previous medicine man, White Horse. He’d assisted Reckless with visions many times. Watching Reckless’ eyes drift closed, Mike felt the familiar prickle along his shoulders as power swirled around his cousin and Reckless’ spirit lifted.
Reckless called out several times for Runner as he sat alone at a campfire. Soon Runner walked into the firelight and sat down next to him.
“Hau, cousin,” Reckless said.
“Hau. You will soon be here,” Runner said, sensing Reckless’ irritation. “What troubles you?”
“Nothing that involves you,” Reckless said. “Where will we find you?”
“There is a little town called Pringle near the Wa-shun Wakan. In two days I will meet you at the general store there.” Runner smiled. “I am very excited to see everyone. I can feel my father.” His smile faded. “What has caused so much turmoil in your heart? Are you sure that I cannot help you?”
Reckless shook his head. “It is something that no one can help me with. I must decide this thing on my own. I am angry, confused, and hurt, and I am not sure how to resolve it all.”
Runner grunted understandingly. “Brown Stag would tell you to be still and listen to what your true heart is telling you. I do not presume to tell such a powerful dreamer what to do, but I will just remind you to let your soul see the Red Road and follow it. Let everything else fall away so that you can see the right path.”
Reckless smiled. “You have learned well. I know that your advice comes from a good place and not one of conceit. Thank you. We will see you in two days’ time.”
He held out an arm to Runner, who took it. As they grasped arms, light flooded Reckless’ vision and he dropped back into himself.
*****
Jaylyn walked down by the stream they’d camped next to, watching the moonlight on the water. They would reach their homestead the next day. Their new friends would leave them there and go on their way. It surprised her how quickly she’d become attached to them and she would miss them dearly.
She didn’t know how she and Peanut would make out with selling the claim. It should bring a fair price, so they’d have money to live on for a while. Maybe they would settle in Rapid City. She was sure to find work and suitable lodging there. Setting up a house again didn’t appeal to her and she wasn’t looking forward to meeting new people.
Jaylyn knew that the depression that threatened to consume her was the cause of her negative outlook. She was battling it as best she could, but she felt like she was losing the fight. Peanut joined her. She’d left Annie with Squirrel since the baby was sleeping.
“It’s a pretty night,” Peanut said.
“Yeah. How are you doing?” she asked, putting an arm around Peanut’s shoulders.
Peanut sighed. “All right, I guess. It’s starting to sink in that everything that happened is real. Daddy dying, Claude trying to kill us and running off with the gold—it’s felt like a bad dream until now. And now we have to sell our home and move.”
“It’s terrible of me, but I don’t want to go back there at all now. I loved our home, but now all it holds is bad memories,” Jaylyn said.
Peanut nodded. “I feel the same way. We need to get as much money out of the place as we can. It has to last us a little while.”
“Yeah. Where do you want to settle? I was thinking about Rapid City. I can get work there.”
“We can get work there. You’re not gonna support us all on your own. These are my children and I’m gonna do right by them,” Peanut said.
“Maybe in time you’ll find a nice man to marry. One who really loves you,” Jaylyn said.
“I don’t care about that right now. I have to get through this pregnancy and set up a stable home for my children,” Peanut said.
Jaylyn smiled. “You know what I’d like to do? It’s silly, but I’d rather just stay on the road with our Indians.”
Peanut laughed. “Even though we were almost murdered and my leg was hurt, it has been fun in a strange way. I don’t suppose you wanting to do that has anything to do with a handsome veterinarian?”
“Shut up, Peanut. No, it doesn’t.”
“Mmm hmm. I see the way you look at him. He looks at you, too, in case you didn’t know it.”
“He does not,” Jaylyn said, blushing.
“Oh, yes he does,” Peanut insisted. “I can’t blame you. He’s a good man—and nice to look at, too. You could certainly do worse.”
“You’re right, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll be home tomorrow and they have to leave,” Jaylyn said.
Peanut gave her a sidelong glance. “You know, we could always sell real quick and ask them to stop on their way back so that we could go with them again.”
“We can’t do that. They have family business to deal with. I don’t want to intrude on that any more than we already have,” Jaylyn said.
Peanut sighed. “I know. It’s just that I like them so much and we don’t have any other friends or family. I like being a part of such a nice group of people instead of being alone.”
Jaylyn nudged Peanut with an elbow. “Especially Skip.”
Peanut pushed back a little. “You gotta be crazy. I don’t want any part of a man. My heart isn’t ready for anything like that and I don’t know if it ever will be again.”
Putting her arms around her little sister, Jaylyn said, “I know, honey. I’m so sorry. Claude fooled us all. But you’re young. You’ll find someone. You’ll see.”
Peanut hugged her back. “Maybe. I don’t know.” She laughed. “Dino says Skip likes me.”
Jaylyn grinned and released her. “Is that so? He’s a sweet guy and he takes good care of Annie.”
“That’s true, but no guy his age would want to get tangled up with me.” Peanut made a noise of frustration. “What am I saying? I don’t want anything to do with a man and that’s that.”
“Hmm. Maybe the reason you want to keep traveling with them is because of Skip,” Jaylyn teased her.
“It is not!” Peanut protested hotly. “The man can’t even talk to me, for Pete’s sake!”
Jaylyn laughed while Peanut scowled at her. “He’s just shy. I think it’s sweet.”
“Why are you pushing me at him?”
Jaylyn sobered. “I’m not, honey. I was just kidding around with you.”
Peanut closed her eyes a moment. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. Being pregnant makes me short tempered.”
“You were the same way with Annie. We walked on eggshells around you because we never knew what would set you off.”
“I’m sorry about that. I’ll do my best not to be such a pain this time around. It’s not this baby’s fault, and of course I’ll love it, but I don’t know why I had to get pregnant now. Not when Claude tried to kill us and he robbed us blind.”
“I know, but we’ll just move forward. We can’t change what happened. That’s what Daddy would say. We’ll notify the sheriff in Mystic when we get there. I’m not sure what he can do, but at least someone will know,” Jaylyn said.
“Yeah. Well, I’m gonna get back to Annie. She might need to be fed by now.”
“You scared me to death! You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!”
“Sorry,” Skip said.
Peanut saw that he held a spear. “What are you doing?”
Skip cursed his shyness for the millionth time. “Gigging frogs.”
A craving hit Peanut like a ton of bricks. “Frog legs. That sounds fantastic. Well, hurry up with it so I can eat some.”
He laughed at her bossy statement. “Ok,” he said before running off.
Jaylyn laughed. “Don’t tell me he doesn’t like you. You told him to jump and he definitely asked how high.”
A bout of laughter gripped Peanut, leaving her dizzy by the time it ended. “Oh, I needed that. All right. I’m going now.”
Jaylyn watched her walk away, amused by the situation.
Raven hadn’t meant to eavesdrop as he’d been walking towards the water, but he’d heard the part of their conversation in which they’d mentioned continuing to travel with them. He hadn’t stayed long afterwards, but it didn’t leave his mind as he went back to their camp. He motioned for his father to follow him.
They walked to where they had tethered the horses.
“I am worried about Jaylyn and Peanut’s safety once we leave them,” Raven said. “Someone may think that there is still gold on their land and try to take it from them. Two women and a baby would be very vulnerable alone. They are not like Hailey, who can protect herself,” Raven said.
Black Fox nodded. “I, too, have thought about this. What do you want to do?”
Raven knew what his father was up to. Ever since he’d announced that he was going in search of Runner, Black Fox had let him call all of the shots. Black Fox was grooming him to take over as chief. The thought both saddened Raven and made him proud that his father thought he was capable to lead their family.
“If we had more people with us, I would have a couple of the men stay with them while they sold their property. I heard them mention that they would rather keep traveling with us. I would not mind. They need someone and we can keep them safe. I do not think anyone wants to stay behind, though,” Raven replied.
Black Fox smiled. “And what other solution is there?”
“We could stay with them long enough to take care of their business and then continue on,” Raven said. “No, that will not work. We have to be in Pringle in two days.”
Black Fox said, “I will stay with them. You can go on to Pringle and meet with Runner. We will meet up with you once their land is sold. I am sure I can convince someone else to stay with us.”
Raven chuckled. “I am sure you can, too. Father, is there something you want to tell me?”
Black Fox asked, “What do you mean?”
“I have noticed that you are not really leading us. Is it coming to that time?”
“I am not getting any younger, Raven. I know that you do not like to hear that, but it is true. I felt the same way when my grandfather began leaving more decisions to Streaked Lightning, and again when he began grooming me. But above all else, my responsibility is to our people and I must do what is best for them.
“You have grown into a fine man, Raven, and you have learned well. I am proud of you and I always knew that you would be chief one day. It is not quite that time, but yes, it is coming. But take heart: I am not foretelling my demise. Something tells me that I will be around for a long time to come.”
“I am glad to hear that,” Raven said. “I know that it is selfish, but I am not ready to lose you yet—not that I ever will be.”
Black Fox placed a hand over Raven’s heart. “I will always be in here, whether I am here or if I walk in the next life. Remember that.”
Raven nodded. “I will go talk to Peanut and Jaylyn.”
“And I will talk to who I want to stay behind with us,” Black Fox said.
The two men left each other to go on their separate missions.
Chapter Six
Just when the Lennox girls had thought that things couldn’t get any worse, they did. They arrived at their homestead to find several men occupying it. After an initial standoff between them and Raven’s group, Mike was able to calm things down so that they could figure out what was going on.
“This is Jaylyn and Peanut Lennox. Their father was Jim Lennox and he owned this land. They’re the rightful owners since he passed away,” Mike said.
The oldest gent of the squatters said, “You mean that young fella that sold us the place? He died?”
Peanut said, “That was my fiancé, not my father, but he didn’t own the place.”
One of the other men scratched his chin a little. “Lennox weren’t the name on the deed, miss. It was Singer.”
“That’s Claude’s last name,” Jaylyn said.
“Sloan, go get the deed,” the older man said. “We’ll get this cleared up straight away.”
Sloan walked quickly into the house.
Peanut was on the verge of panic, but held out hope that it was all a mistake. Tension hung in the air like a cloud as the two groups faced off, waiting for Sloan to come back. Presently, he returned, unfolding a packet of documents as he did so. He handed it to Jaylyn, pointing at the names on the deed.
“See? Says right there that Mr. Singer sold us this property.”
Jaylyn read it and felt faint, swaying slightly. Raven grabbed her shoulders.
“What is it?” he asked.
She straightened then. “Daddy signed the place over to Claude. I recognize Daddy’s signature. It’s real.”
“What?” Peanut demanded. “How could he do that?”
The older man came closer. “He said that your pa gave it to him so that you’d have a place to raise your little one there once you got married. Said that he was gonna build your pa his own house on another part of the property. But then your pa up and died and you were all so sad that you couldn’t live here no more. That’s why he sold it to us and we paid a fair price for it. You can see it’s all legal-like.”
Raven had read the deed over Jaylyn’s shoulder and he agreed. The deed was in order and it was binding. Red-hot rage flowed through him over Claude’s continued deception. The man was pure evil to have preyed upon the family the way he had.
Jaylyn kept herself together, determined to remain as dignified as possible. Handing the deed back to Sloan, she asked, “Are our belongings still here? Our clothing and so forth?”
Sloan said, “Yes, ma’am. We ain’t done nothin’ with the inside of the house.”
Tears trickled down Peanut’s face. “What about our horses? We had two horses.”
“They’re here, and their tack, too.”
Skip said, “I’ll get them saddled for you, ladies.”
Squirrel said, “I will help you pack.”
“Me, too,” Hailey said.
The four women went into the house to begin deciding what they could take and what they would have to leave behind.
*****
Two hours later, they were on the road again, riding in silence. Jaylyn rode her father’s horse instead of riding double with Hailey. It felt strange to be riding alone again. All that she and Peanut owned in the world was now packed on their two horses and in Dash’s paniers. Sloan and his cronies had bought what they’d had to leave behind, so at least the sisters had some money.
She didn’t know how, but Peanut kept her head until they stopped for the midday meal and to rest their horses. After loosening the girth on her horse’s saddle to give it a break, she walked off into the woods. Jaylyn was taking care of Annie for the moment. Peanut only went far enough to give herself a little privacy. Finding a fallen log, she sat down on it.
“How could you do that and not tell us, Daddy? You might’ve had good intentions, but now we’re homeless. I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”
Anger, frustration, and fear coalesced into a tight ball in her chest and Peanut couldn’t breathe for a moment. Then her grief
burst forth in a loud wail and she doubled over from the force of it.
Thinking that she was in danger, several of the men came on the run. They found that she was safe, but far from all right. Skip had outrun the others and reached her first. Seeing how distressed she was, he sat down on the log next to her and pulled her into his embrace. The others withdrew, knowing that she was in good hands with Skip.
Peanut had no idea how long she cried, but by the time her tears subsided, she had a headache and her eyes were swollen. She didn’t pull away from Skip, though. It felt too good to be held and she allowed herself to be greedy, taking the solace he offered her.
“We have nothing but a little bit of money and some clothes. And a couple of horses. That’s it. We’re homeless and I have no idea where we’re gonna go, Skip. None. I feel so stupid. I should have seen Claude for what he was, but I didn’t. I must have been blind.”
He rubbed her back. It was the first time he’d ever held a girl that way and he wondered where he’d suddenly found the courage to. “There was no way for you to see his black heart. But you know what? You’re free now.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her.
“You’re free of an evil man and anything that tied you to him. It’s true that he stole a lot of money and property from you, but you have more than you think you do. You have friends who will be faithful to you, some money, which is better than none, and clothes to wear. You have food in your bellies and horses to ride. By Lakota standards, you’re very rich. That’s all they’ve needed for thousands of years.
Peanut thought about his statements. It was true. She, Jaylyn, and Annie had all they needed to survive and then some. There were many people who were starving, who had barely any clothing to wear, and who weren’t fortunate enough to own horses at all. They also didn’t have someone to save them from death or anyone to befriend them and keep them safe.
She let out a shuddering sigh and drew away from him a little, looking into his beautiful, dark eyes. “You’re right. There are people who are more unfortunate than us and we’ll figure things out one day at a time. There’s no rush at the moment.”