Deborah Camp (12 page)

She popped open the parasol, creating a pool of shade. “Stop yelling. I promised to curb my tongue, but you tricked me, so it’s not my fault that I had to break my word.”

“Tricked you? How did I do that?”

“You didn’t tell me that Judge Mott was an ill-mannered
ogre. No one could keep quiet around that man.” She cast her gaze in his direction. “No one except you, it seems. How you can stand by and allow him to insult you and us is beyond me. I don’t mind telling you that I’m disappointed in you, Blade Lonewolf. I thought you were a chivalrous man, but it seems I was wrong.”

“Rein in your runaway mouth and listen to me, damn it all.”

“Mind your manners, please. A gentleman wouldn’t speak such vulgarities in front of a lady and a child. You should be ashamed.”

“I never told you I was a gentleman, so get off your high horse, Miss Mouth,” he bit out. “The judge is my neighbor—an important neighbor—so I don’t want him riled. I have to get along with him, and that's why I asked you to put a leash on your opinions. I should never have brought you to his place.”

“Stop yelling!” Penny covered her ears. “I hate yelling.”

Elise forced herself to calm down. After a few minutes, she trusted her voice to emerge civilized. “It’s a pity Adam wasn’t there.”

“He
was
there.”

She looked at Blade’s stern, glowering countenance. “But the judge said—”

“He lied. Hamm said he was going to wash the buggy, remember?” He glanced at her to catch her nod. “Well, Harriet wouldn’t go into town unless she went in that red buggy. Adam was around there somewhere. Maybe in the house.”

“Why did the judge lie to us? Why didn’t you challenge him?”

“Because we were on
his
place and we were unexpected and unwanted visitors. I wasn’t going to
start a feud. Besides, he’s bringing the boy around tomorrow, so you can see him then. From now on, you’ll let me handle the judge and keep your nose out of it. Remember that you’re living here on my charity.”

Elise bit her lower lip so hard, she was certain she’d bruised it. His charity! One thing the judge had said was right on target: Blade Lonewolf was lucky to have her. Now she had only to convince him of that.

The red buggy stopped alongside the field and Adam jumped out.

“Here he is, Lonewolf,” the judge called. “Much obliged. I’ll send Hamm for him in a few hours. Now you do what this man tells you, Rusty, or he’ll scalp you for sure!” Cackling at his joke, Mott reined the black horse in a tight semicircle and headed back down the road.

Blade grasped the lines and tugged. “Whoa up, team.” The mules slowed and stopped.

Adam stood at the edge of the field and kicked at clods of dirt. He wore a new straw hat with a wide brim, overalls that draped his body and a dark brown shirt. His feet looked overly large in brown work boots.

“Come on over here,” Blade said. “I can’t teach you anything but how to yell if you stay that far away.”

Obeying, Adam high-stepped across the field to Blade, never looking up, but his shoulders were squared and his gait was deliberate. Blade held out his hand. “Blade Lonewolf. Glad to meet you, Adam.”

Adam’s blue eyes slipped upward slowly, followed by his hand. He shook hands with Blade
firmly, like a man. “Thanks for not calling me Rusty.”

“I’ll call you what you want to be called. I figured you’d rather go by Adam. Your sisters will be out here in a few minutes. I asked them not to bother us until dinnertime, but I don’t reckon they’ll be able to wait that long.”

Adam grinned, just a little. “The judge told me last night that they lived here. Knowing ’Lise, she’s been hiding somewhere, waiting for the buggy to leave.”

Evidently he knew his sister well, because no sooner had he got the words out than a shrill cry floated to them. Blade looked toward the sound and saw Elise and Penny running hell-bent across the field, arms outspread, faces beaming with joy.

Adam moved like a young deer, sprinting across the rows of earth to be enveloped by his sisters’ loving arms. Emotion gathered in Blade’s throat to form a knot. He had to swallow three times before he could breathe again. Yanking his handkerchief from his back pocket, he turned aside and blew his nose, embarrassed to be caught with his feelings exposed.

“Oh, Adam, you’ve lost weight!” Elise held her brother at arm’s length to examine him. “And look at your hands! They’re scratched up and callused! What has that monster been doing to you? You can tell me. Don’t be afraid of him.”

“I’m not afraid of him!” Adam said, a bit too forcefully for Blade to believe him. “I hate his bloody guts, but I’m not afraid of him.”

“Has he hurt you?”

“No, he just … he treats me like I’m one of those mules. And that wife of his!” Adam made a horrible face. “She’s the one who’s scared of him. She
jumps like she’s been knifed every time he says her name.
Everybody
there does. He acts like a king and we’re all his subjects.”

“Oh, poor, poor dear.” Elise clutched him to her and looked over the top of his red head. “Did you hear that, Blade? Judge Mott is mistreating him!”

“He said that the judge hasn’t hurt him,” Blade replied.

“He’s lost weight.”

“He’s wearing clothes that are too big for him. They feed you over at the judge’s, don’t they, Adam?”

“Yeah.” Adam sighed heavily. “Hog slop. That’s what they eat over there. Boiled this and pickled that. And at every meal they serve something wretched like chitlins or grits.” He pretended to spit something vile on the ground.

“How terrible. No wonder you look pale.” Elise ruffled his hair. “I’ll send food home with you. Lots of it.”

“No, you won’t. He can eat dinner with us, but you’re not going to insult the judge by sending food over to his place.” Blade motioned for Adam. “Now we’ve got work to do, and it’s way too early for dinner, so you two clucking hens had better get on back to the house.”

Elise’s face fell. “But we have so much to catch up on, and I want to—”

“At dinner. We’ll meet you over at that tree.” Blade pointed to a spreading oak. “ ’Round about one. Cook up a bunch of something because we’ll be hungry as bears after hibernating. Now go on.”

“But I—”

“It’s okay, ’Lise.” Adam bussed her cheek. “We’ll talk during dinner. I was brought here to learn how to plow, so I’d better get on with it.” He
leaned over to give Penny a hug. “I’ll see you both in a little while.”

“I’ll fix something delicious for dinner.” Elise pushed back the straw hat to get a good look at his face. She cupped his chin in her hand and angled his head one way and then another. “Have you been ill?”

“Are
you
going to cook?” he asked in a teasing tone.

“Yes, I am. I’ve been taking lessons.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. Just ask Blade.” She looked at Blade. “Tell Adam how well I’m doing with the meals.”

“He can find out for himself—later.” Blade motioned for Adam again. “Come over here, younger brother. I’ll have you plowing a straight row in no time.”

As Adam approached, Blade’s glance took in Elise’s beatific smile and then latched onto it. She wasn’t smiling at Adam; she was smiling at him! And her eyes—they were glowing with pleasure so contagious that he caught it himself. What had he done to deserve such a crowning look from her? He guessed she was grateful that her younger brother was within kissing range, and that her gratitude embraced him as well. He smiled back at her.

“You walk alongside for now and watch me, Adam. After a few rows, I’ll let you drive the team.”

When he glanced in Elise’s direction again, she was already walking back toward the house with Penny.

“Do these mules have names?” Adam asked.

“Yes, the blacker one is Homer and the other one is Sam. See how they pricked their ears? They
heard me. Mules are smart. Smarter than horses.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. When it comes to farming, you can’t do any better than a mule. Horses are good travelers, but mules are good farmers.”

“The judge’s mules hate me.”

“I don’t think so. You just have to know how to talk to them. I’ll teach you.”

“I hope so, because the old man is losing his patience. He expects me to start pulling my weight or else.” Adam kicked at the disked soil. “I hate him. I’m not going to be a farmer, no matter what he says or does.”

Blade craned forward, snaring Adam’s attention. He was a good-looking boy with auburn hair and blue eyes like Elise’s. His profile was chiseled, his jaw square. Blade could easily imagine him in short pants and knee socks and a fancy suit coat and tie, the kind of clothing wealthy children wore in finishing schools back east. A faint sprinkling of freckles gave the only color to his otherwise white skin. Elise was right. He looked sickly, but Blade guessed his illness had more to do with his spirit than with his health.

“You don’t know me and there’s no reason why you should listen to my advice—other than out of respect for your elders. But I’m going to offer a few wise words because I know the judge better than you do.” Blade pointed a finger at Adam in warning. “Don’t cross him. He’s bigger and meaner than you. He’s a bully and he’s used to getting his way.”

“So I should go along like some stupid cow?” Adam spread out his arms in a burst of aggravation. “I’m not a dumb animal and I don’t want to be a farmer! I want to be a sea captain.”

“Look out there, Adam.” Blade nodded straight
ahead at the flat earth. “You spy any oceans or seas out there? We’re not anywhere near a coast.”

“I’m going back to Baltimore … someday.”

“Until that day, you’ll captain a plow. Don’t shut your mind to any kind of learning. You never know what will come in handy.” Blade jiggled the lines. “See these?”

“Reins.”

“Yes, but these are long, so they’re lines. I tie them and loop them around my waist like a belt. The mules know what to do, but sometimes they drift off course, so you’ve got to adjust the rudder.” Blade sent the boy a wink and got a grin in return. “Instead of port and starboard, we call them haw and gee.”

“What about prow and stern?”

“Uh …” Blade looked ahead at the mules. “Ears and ass?”

Adam doubled over laughing, and Blade laughed with him.

Halfway to the house, Elise heard male laughter skipping on the breeze. She paused and looked over her shoulder, but she was too far away to see Blade and Adam.

“Was that them?” Penny asked.

“Yes.” Elise smiled. “I’m glad they’re getting along so well.”

“Adam looks skinny.”

“We’ll fatten him up and put color in his cheeks again,” Elise vowed. “That pig roast we put on should be done by the time we get back to the house. I’ll make slaw like Airy taught me, and we’ll have pork sandwiches. What a feast!”

“We going to take it all out to the fields?”

“Yes. I’m going to sneak a couple of sandwiches
to Adam to take back to the judge’s place. I don’t care what Blade says.”

“Blade’s mean!”

“No, he isn’t, Pen.” She slipped an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “And I know you don’t believe he is either. You just said it to make me feel better. Blade’s a good man.” She remembered how he’d called Adam “younger brother.” That had meant so much to her, that casual acceptance of her beloved brother. And Blade was helping Adam now, showing him how to please Judge Mott so that his life would be easier.

“Blade’s a good man,” she repeated, recalling the special smile he’d given her before he’d busied himself with his plow and team. Her heart had fluttered as it was doing now, behaving like a startled bird.

And it
was
startling, she thought. Finding a man like Blade Lonewolf so attractive that he could make her heart race just by smiling at her was startling indeed!

E
lise stood on the porch and stared at the tepee, where Blade had taken refuge immediately after supper. She’d wanted to talk to him about Adam, but he’d indulged Penny in conversation throughout the evening meal. After supper, he’d scooted out the door and into his tepee while Elise had had her back turned.

Crossing her arms, she considered calling him out. He’d probably say he was asleep and that he’d talk to her in the morning. But in the morning he’d probably grab a biscuit as he dashed out. She was beginning to know him—too well. He wasn’t telling her something about the judge, and she wouldn’t sleep a wink until she could ease her mind.

Calling out to him wouldn’t do. This required drastic measures. She tipped her head to one side, pondering her plan. She’d been wondering about that tepee …

Her decision made, she went down the porch steps and moved briskly to the conical structure. The flap didn’t appear to be secured in any fashion.

“Blade?” She counted to five. “Blade, I’m coming inside.” She heard a frantic shuffling and a muttered
oath. After giving him another handful of seconds, she swept aside the flap and peeked in. “Are you decent?”

“No! What’s wrong? What do you want? I’m sleeping.”

“Sleeping? Heavens, I just tucked Penny in and you’re already sleeping? That’s not like you at all.”

“You’ve only been here a matter of days. What do you know about my habits? I’m tired.”

Her eyes adjusted to the dim, flickering light sent out by a single candle melting in a shallow tin that used to hold chewing tobacco. The interior smelled of suede and smoke. Blade lay on his side, his wide chest bared to the waist, a colorful Indian blanket draped across his hips and legs. His black hair fell in a natural side part, the tips brushing his bare shoulders.

She’d seen him shirtless that morning. Rising earlier than usual, she’d entered the kitchen to catch him at the washstand, his upper torso gleaming and damp. She’d tried not to stare at the pale tattoos on his chest—lines and dots matching those on his arms. Fascinating! He’d hurried through the rest of his toiletries and into a clean shirt. Elise had realized that he must do this every morning before she awakened and after he’d finished his predawn chores. She wondered how she could school herself to arise before Red’s wake-up call, because she had enjoyed the spectacle, especially since her presence had made him nervous, edgy … as he was now.