Shelter in Seattle (15 page)

Julianne kicked and screamed as he tried to kiss her.

Edmond hurried to them. “Let her go!” He ordered breathlessly.

For the first time in days, Julianne was glad to hear her Uncle’s voice. She continued to fight Marcus, until he shoved her backwards and her bottom hit the ground with a thud.

Julianne looked up just as her Uncle’s hand came down across the top of her head. Pain shot through her left eye. She felt as if her head might explode. She scooted backwards out of the line of fire.

“Boss, we can’t take her to town if she’s all beat up.” Marcus stood off to the side.

To town? Which town? They were traveling away from Seattle. And why would they take her to town? Questions surged through Julianne’s mind even as she cringed, expecting another slap.

A baby’s cry split the air.

Julianne’s head shot up. She ignored the pain in her eye. Where had the sound come from? Her gaze zeroed in on Marcus.

He scooped up a bundle from the ground and held it out to his side. An evil grin touched his lips but not his eyes. “I got it, Boss.”

Julianne watched her uncle’s face change from rage to surprised pleasure. With fearful clarity, understanding dawned. Edmond had sent Marcus after Jonathan. An even more terrifying realization washed over her. They were going to use the baby against her.

“No.” The whisper tore from her parched throat.

Edmond took the baby from Marcus. He unfolded the blanket from the child’s face. “Oh, he’s a cute one, Julie girl.”

She sat up and watched as her uncle cooed down at the infant. She couldn’t see Jonathan from where she sat on the ground. Her throat closed.
Oh Lord, how could this have happened?
“Can I see him, please?” Julianne hated begging but knew it was the only way her uncle would listen to her.

He walked within reaching distance of her. “I’m not an unreasonable man, Julie. All I want you to do is come home with no more trouble. I’ll even let you keep the brat.” Edmond stared down at the baby. A frown marred his face as he turned that gaze on her, one eyebrow raised in questioning.

“I’ll go, just please let me have my baby.” Julianne scooted along the ground, inching closer to her uncle.

He moved further away, taunting her. “If I let you keep him, will you come home with no more of this nonsense?” His eyes searched her face.

Julianne nodded. She’d do anything to keep Jonathan safe.

“I guess we could say I adopted him.” Edmond’s hand rubbed the blanket over the baby’s back.

Lord, please let me have Jonathan. Don’t let them hurt him.
Julianne prayed silently. Her gaze moved to Marcus, and she stiffened with shock. He stared at her uncle with something akin to murder in his eyes.

“I don’t care what we do with it, Boss. But, we need to get moving. It’s gonna be dark soon.” Marcus pushed away from the tree he’d been leaning against and walked off into the woods.

Julianne
watched her uncle stiffen, and when he turned to face her, his face seemed pale. Was he afraid of Marcus? What was going on between the two of them? This situation had the potential to become even more dangerous. She had to protect Jonathan, even if it cost her life.

Her uncle rewrapped the baby, and then placed him gently into her arms. “Come on, girl.”

Julianne cuddled the baby against her chest. Tears of sorrow flowed down her cheeks as her thoughts clarified. Jonathan was here with her, and that could only mean one thing. Marcus had killed Morning Star to get him.

Edmond jerked her to her feet. “Keep up or I’ll bash the brats head against one of these trees. Do you hear me, Julie?”

Julianne nodded. She didn’t take time to inspect Jonathan. It was enough to know he was alive and in her arms. As long as he was with her, he would be safe. She followed her uncle into the woods and rocked the baby until she herself no longer cried.

Chapter 17

Runs Swiftly approached the run down shack slowly. He motioned for Caleb to follow. No sound came from within.

Caleb entered first. The darkness inside blinded him. He pressed his body against the wall and listened.

“They are gone from this place, my friend.” Runs Swiftly moved about the room. He picked up some discarded rope and held it out to Caleb.

Caleb took the rope and studied it. The thought of Julianne being tied made his stomach turn. He tossed the braided cord to the ground. “How long do you think they have been gone?”

The Indian studied the ground in front of the door. “We are still a day behind them.”

Caleb headed for the door to leave. “Then we better get going.”

“You need rest.” Runs Swiftly answered. He walked away from the cabin and sat down.

“I need to find my wife. We’ll rest when we find her.” Caleb watched Runs Swiftly stretch and lean back against the bark of the tree.

Runs Swiftly tilted his head and said. “Runs Swiftly needs rest.” He crossed his arms over his chest and shut his eyes.

Caleb walked back to the shack. He knelt by the door and looked for tracks. As far as he could tell, there were none. He moved further away from the shack. After searching for several minutes, Caleb became disgusted with himself. If there were any tracks, he couldn’t find them.

He marched back to where Runs Swiftly reclined. The Indian rested peacefully but opened his eyes mere slits to acknowledge Caleb’s presence. “Rest, friend, Caleb. We will look more in the morning.”

How could he rest? Caleb doubted he would sleep a wink. He sank to the ground and pressed his back against a tree. No way could he sleep in the hut. Julianne was out in these woods without protection. He prayed for her safety. Sometime during the prayer, Caleb fell asleep.

****

“We’ll rest here for the night.”

Marcus shoved Julianne into the dark, damp cave. She fell to the ground on her knees. A soft cry escaped her lips.

“How many times do I have to tell you to leave her be?” Edmond yelled as he came into the shelter.

Julianne would have laughed if she didn’t hurt all over. Most of her cuts, scrapes, and bruises came from her uncle. How often today had he struck her? More than she cared to remember.

The baby gave a soft whimper.

“Marcus, get a fire going in here.” Edmond rubbed his arms and looked around.

His frown spoke louder than words. Julianne cuddled the baby against her shoulder. The last thing she wanted to do was anger her uncle.

“It’s not much to look at is it, Julie Girl?” His gaze moved to the squirming baby in her arms.

“No, Sir.”

Edmond nodded his head. “Oh, I see you’ve remembered your manners.”

Marcus dropped a pile of branches on the hard floor. “Good thing I went and got the brat, huh Boss.” He knelt to the floor and began piling kindling in a small pile

The older man studied the younger. “I suppose so, but from now on you better do as I say or I won’t pay you a cent.”

Julianne wondered how long it would be before the two men turned on one another. From the looks of hate they exchanged it would be sooner rather than later and when that happened maybe she could escape with Jonathan.

Both men turned to glare at her.
Unless they turned their frustrations onto her.

The baby’s small whimpers gained momentum.

She laid him gently on the dirt floor of the cave. Julianne began to remove the blanket that concealed the baby. Several times during the day, she had thought to check on the little one but her uncle and Marcus had pushed her to keep moving.

Now that the blanket was off, Julianne gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Edmond moved to her side and looked down at the baby.

It wasn’t Jonathan’s blue eyes that stared back at her. This baby had brown eyes, coal black hair and tan skin.

The little fellow kicked his legs and whimpered again.

“What’s the matter, girl? The baby looks fine to me.” Edmond searched Julianne’s face.

Julianne’s heart pounded in her chest. She was amazed that her uncle and Marcus couldn’t hear it. “He’s hungry and I just realized we don’t have any milk to feed him.”

“Is that all? Well, it won’t hurt him to go through one night without something to eat.” Edmond straightened to his full height. He rubbed his back and then knelt down beside the fire.

Julianne sighed with relief. She felt sure her uncle would have killed the baby, if he knew the truth.

Her gaze met Marcus’s. The dark eyebrows slanted in a frown. Had he guessed he’d taken the wrong baby? She wondered how he’d known to look for Jonathan in an Indian village. Or had he found them at the cabin? As he stared at her and his eyes hardened, Juliann silently prayed.
Lord, please don’t let him figure it out
. She kept her expression under stern restraint.

The baby whimpered again. Why hadn’t she noticed he hadn’t cried out all day? Jonathan would have been screaming for hours, but this baby hadn’t. Why?

She removed the wet animal skin that had been used as a diaper. Julianne wondered if her uncle would notice the skin and realize this was an Indian child. For safe measure, she tucked the soiled skin inside a fold in the blanket.

The baby needed a fresh diaper. Julianne stood and turned her back to the men. She pulled her dress up and tore off her chemise at the bottom, then tied it around the baby to make a diaper.

Julianne picked up the little boy and held him close. “I won’t let them harm you,” she whispered to the baby.

She needed to get rid of the dirty diaper. Her gaze moved to her uncle and Marcus. The men sat with their backs to her. Since they blocked the only exit out, she backed further into the darkness of the cave, keeping a watchful eye on the men.

The further she went the darker it became. Julianne continued to ease deeper into the cavern with the baby and its blanket. When she felt the wall at her back, she searched the darkness for a place to hide the soiled skin. A crack in the wall caught her attention. Once more she looked toward her uncle and Marcus.

They still weren’t paying attention to her. Julianne pulled the used diaper out of the blanket and shoved it as far into the crack as she could.

“What are you doing?” Edmond barked from the entry.

Julianne came forward, “I was just looking for a place to ...” she didn’t know what more to say.

“Come on, I’ll take you.” Her uncle stood. “Well, hurry up. I don’t want to spend anymore time out there than we need to.” He headed out of the cave.

 Thankfully he had misunderstood her stammer to mean she needed to relieve herself. Julianne quickly followed him.

They didn’t go very far until Edmond stopped. He pointed at a clump of bushes. “Go behind there and hurry it up.”

Julianne saw this as her moment to escape. It would be dark soon, and they would never find her. She took one step away, and her uncle stopped her by putting a firm hand on her shoulder.

“I’ll take the baby, Julie girl.”

She turned to face him. “Oh, I don’t mind taking him, Uncle. I’m used to having Jonathan with me.” Julianne offered what she hoped was her most innocent smile.

“That may be true, but the little one stays with me.” He took the baby from her arms. “Now you hurry.”

What could she do?

Frustrated at the loss of a chance at escape, Julianne did as she was told and hurried back.

Edmond handed the child to her, his eyes searching hers. “You know, I didn’t think you would leave after I took the money and your ticket. You are resourceful just like your mother.” His eyes softened for a brief moment. “How did you get the money to come out here?”

For a moment, Julianne thought about her uncle’s life. At one time he had been a good man with a good heart. She didn’t know what had turned him into the cold, cruel man he had become. What could happen that would cause a man to turn bitter towards God and his own family?

“I came with Asa Mercer.” She looked down at the baby in her arms. The little one sucked noisily on his fist.

Edmond rubbed his arms and gazed up at the stars. “They say a man can get lost in this place.”

Julianne looked up at him. “We don’t have to go back, Uncle Edmond. You could stay here and make a new start.”

His laugh was bitter, and his eyes were full of sorrow as he answered. “Not me, Julie girl. I have a family to take care of. Responsibilities.” Edmond stared down at her for several long minutes. “I’m sorry, I can’t return without you.”

“But why, Uncle? Why must I go back with you? You hated me living in your home. And Emily is fifteen years old now. She can help Aunt Elizabeth with the chores and the twins.” Personally Julianne thought it might do her spoiled cousin a world of good to get her hands a little dirty with a bit of hard, old fashioned work.

“You don’t understand, Julie girl.” There was a cold edge of irony in his voice that was not lost on Julianne. “My daughters were not brought up to do manual labor. I can’t afford to hire a housekeeper; that’s what we kept you for. Since you ran away, there has been no one to help Elizabeth, and the community is getting suspicious about our financial standing. They must never learn that I am broke and my family almost destitute. That would ruin my daughters’ chances at a desirable match.” He expelled a long audible breath. “There are no other options available. You must return with me.”