Brave the Wild Wind (13 page)

J
ESSIE woke first. She understood what had happened, got up quickly, and silently gathered her things.

She pushed Blackstar to his limit, riding not to the ranch but to the range, wanting to throw herself into hard work so she wouldn’t have to think. How had it happened? She could have stopped it. It wasn’t as if he’d forced her. She had wanted him. But
why?
Damn!

It was quite late when Chase woke, and it didn’t take long for him to see that there was no trace of Jessie in the cabin. Damn all independent women, he swore, feeling as though he’d been taken advantage of.

His irritation increased as he rode back to the ranch, thankful that he knew the way, at least. He was fed up with having this one particular woman turn him inside out. He didn’t act the same when he was with her, couldn’t even think straight when she was near him. He would tell Rachel what she needed to be aware of, give Jessie her father’s promissory note, and light out.

When Chase entered the house, Rachel was in
the parlor. She was sitting in a rocker, crocheting, looking fetching and demure in a gown of moss green with black lace. He remembered the Ewing household, how soothing it had been to sit and watch her crocheting or knitting, or arranging flowers. Gazing on Rachel’s beauty eased his troubles, always had. Without Jessie on his mind, it might still have worked.

“Is she here?” he asked.

“No. A young man, Blue, rode in for supplies about noon,” she explained. “He told Jeb she was out on the range working.”

Chase sat down heavily and sighed. “I might have known she’d get right back in the thick of things. Are they still rounding up the herd?”

“Yes. Jeb says it’ll only be a few more days before they’re through. He’s going to town tomorrow in fact to get the supplies they’ll need for the drive.” She looked back to her lap as if she weren’t going to say any more, but she added softly, “Chase? She wasn’t really with Indians, was she?”

He wondered how she knew he’d found Jessie, then decided to skip it.

“Actually, Rachel, she’s been visiting these Indians for about eight years.”

“Then it’s true!”

“You haven’t heard the worst. I found her with the Cheyenne. They’re friendly with her, but other whites are not welcome in their territory. I nearly got killed, in fact. My horse was stolen, and I had to fight to get him back. I was kept tied up for half a day, and if Jessie hadn’t told them she knew me, I’d have been tortured,
maybe killed. That’s the kind of company she keeps. Nice, isn’t it?”

Rachel stared at him, knowing he had more to say.

“The closest friend your daughter has is a half-breed Cheyenne called White Thunder. They’re so close she bathes naked in a creek with him standing a few yards away.”

“I don’t believe it.” Rachel was shaking her head.

“I saw them. And I still haven’t gotten to the worst. She has a suitor, a Sioux warrior. He wants to marry her, and the only reason she refused him is that he has a wife. She said as much! She claims the only place she’s found happiness is with the Indians. Who knows? The next warrior who asks for her might not already have a wife. You just might find yourself with an Indian for a son-in-law, Rachel.”

She was so stunned she couldn’t speak. Finally she said, “What am I going to do?”

“You’re her mother,” Chase replied angrily, “not to mention her father’s choice of guardian. You’ve got the power to control her. Do it. Stop letting her do as she pleases.”

“But how?” Rachel implored.

“How the hell should I know?” he snapped, then relented. “Oh, Rachel, stop it, please. You’ll think of something. But you’ve got to stop putting me in the middle of it. I’ve done what you asked, and I’m lighting out of here in the morning.”

“But, Chase—”

“You’re not talking me into staying here any longer. I checked on Bowdre, and he’s just what
you thought he was. But he no longer has any right to bother Jessie,” he said proudly.

“Why not?” she cried.

“I played cards with him.” He paused. “I won the note.”

She gasped. “You won the note? What did Jessie say?”

“She doesn’t know yet, but I’ll give her the note before I leave. If there’s any more trouble with Bowdre, it will be trouble for the sheriff to handle. I won the note fairly. Bowdre’s got no further claim. And I’m through here.”

“Of course. It is selfish of me to try to keep you if you want to go. Chase,” she said softly, “thank you.”

Chase grinned despite himself. “Now don’t try your tactics on me, lady. They won’t work.”

“I’m sorry,” Rachel said sincerely. “It’s just that I feel so helpless when it comes to my own daughter. You don’t know how much she hates me, Chase. If I told her to stay away from fire, she would walk into one just to defy me.”

“Why does she hate you, Rachel?” he asked quietly.

She looked away, saying evasively, “I told you. Her father taught her to.”

“But why?”

“I used to live here, you know. Oh, not in this house. There was only a small, three-room—”

“I know. Jessie told me her father built this house just because you could never live in it.”

“Did he? Well, I don’t doubt it.” She was silent for a long time before she went on. “I came home here one night, and he beat me, then threw me out.”

“Why?”

“He accused me of being unfaithful. Called me a whore,” she added distastefully. “But he never gave me a chance to defend myself. He beat me so badly I nearly died. I would have if old Jeb hadn’t found me and taken me to the doctor at Ft. Laramie.”

“Does Jessie know that?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I gather that she feels I deserted her. Thomas might have told her that. I wouldn’t put anything past a man who would make his daughter believe her mother was a whore! He was so spiteful over the years, never allowing me to see her. Yes, I don’t doubt that he told her I deserted her.”

“When Ewing found you, you had just come from here?” Chase asked thoughtfully.

“Yes.”

Chase whistled softly. “The boy is his, isn’t he? Billy is Thomas Blair’s son!” Rachel wouldn’t answer or look at him, but Chase pressed her. “You never told him, did you?”

“Thomas had already taken one child from me,” Rachel said defensively. “I wasn’t going to let him have Billy, too. Besides, he never would have believed Billy was his.”

“But why haven’t you told Jessie?”

“She wouldn’t believe me, either, Chase. She doesn’t believe anything I tell her. I think she would rather hate me. It’s easier for her that way. She’s afraid to care about me, afraid she’ll be hurt again. When I think of how she must have been hurt by all of this, my heart bleeds for her. But I can’t reach her if she won’t let me.”

Chase was thoughtful. What Thomas had
done to Jessie was unnatural. It was an outrage. But damn it, it just wasn’t his concern—it wasn’t!

“I’m not going to get involved in this, Rachel. This is between you and Jessie.”

“I know.” She smiled in understanding. “And don’t worry about it. I’ll work it out somehow. I’ve involved you in my daughter’s affairs enough as it is.”

God, if she only knew how involved he’d become, he thought.

R
ACHEL waited for Jessie in the kitchen that night. Kate had gone to sleep. Chase had gone to his room after dinner, and Rachel had put Billy to bed.

Jessie came in late. She had washed up at the stable, but her clothes were filthy. She used her hat to whack some of the dust off before she entered the kitchen. When she saw Rachel sitting at the table, she scowled.

“I’ve kept your dinner warm,” Rachel said casually.

Jessie stared at her. “I’m not hungry.”

“Have you eaten already?”

“No.”

“Then sit down and eat.” Rachel’s voice was firmer. “I want to talk to you, anyway.”

Rachel got up to make Jessie a plate, and Jessie didn’t say anything more. She was hungry, after all, and too tired to argue.

She pulled out a chair and plopped down at the table, her legs spread on each side of the chair as though in a saddle. She leaned back, one arm hooked over the back of the chair.

“Do you do that just to annoy me?” Rachel
asked quietly as she put the plate in front of Jessie.

“What?”

“Sit like that.”

“What’s wrong with the way I sit?” Jessie demanded belligerently.

“If you can ask that, then you would benefit from a few lessons in feminine deportment.”

“From who? You?”

There was such derision in Jessie’s voice that Rachel gasped. “Do you think this is acceptable behavior for a young woman?”

“What the hell is the difference?” Jessie countered. “I live in my own world. I’m not exactly a social butterfly, now am I?”

“You’re not alone here, however,” Rachel pointed out. “You have a guest. What do you think a man of Mr. Summers’s sophistication thinks of such uncouth behavior?”

“I don’t give a good God—”

“Jessica!”

“Well, I don’t,” Jessie insisted. Then she acquiesced. “I haven’t forgotten the first eight years of my life, Rachel. I can conduct myself fittingly if the situation warrants it.”

“Then for heaven’s sake, why don’t you?” Rachel asked in exasperation.

“To impress a
gambler?
Why should I?”

“For my sake.”

Jessie didn’t respond.

“This is not what I wanted to talk to you about, though,” Rachel continued.

Jessie sat up to start eating. “I’m all talked out.”

“You will spare me a few more minutes.”

Jessie raised her brow at the firm tone. She was surprised, and a bit curious.

“I’m here. Talk. I just hope this isn’t going to be boring.”

“I promise you will not be bored with what I have to say. You may disagree perhaps, but—”

“Get to it, Rachel.”

The older woman drew herself up. “Very well, I will come directly to the point. You are not to go off on your own to visit your Indian friends again.”

Rachel braced herself for an explosion, but there wasn’t one. Jessie stared blankly at her, as though waiting to hear more.

At last Jessie asked, “Is that all you have to say?”

Rachel was amazed. She wasn’t putting up a fight. “Well, actually, I had my reasons for insisting on this if you wanted to hear them. But since you are going to be reasonable, I suppose it won’t be necessary to get into all that.”

“Wouldn’t matter, anyway,” Jessie said offhandedly. “You can give all the orders you like, Rachel. I do what I want.”

Rachel sat back, her face hot. She should have known better. “This time you will do as I say, Jessica.”

Jessie grinned, unconcerned. “Will I?”

“Yes, you will, if you want to keep on running this ranch.”

“Don’t mess with me, Rachel,” she warned softly. “You know nothing about ranching. And the men wouldn’t listen to you, anyway.”

“I didn’t think they would, but I’m in a posi
tion to bring in outside help if I deem it necessary.”

“My men take orders from me!”

Rachel’s voice rose, too. “Your men can be fired and new ones hired.”

“You have no right!”

“But I do, Jessica,” Rachel said more gently. “I am your guardian.”

Jessie was furious. “When will you get it through your silly head that my father only made you my guardian so you could see what a proper young lady he’d made of me? He brought you here to spite us both. He knew I didn’t really need you. He raised me to stand on my own—like any man!”

“Whatever the reason,” Rachel said stiffly, “I am here, and I do have the authority to do exactly as I said.”

“Why, damn you?” Jessie shouted, losing control. “What is really behind this?”

“Twice this last month you have left the ranch and gone off where you couldn’t be reached for days. That is totally irresponsible behavior, Jessica.”

“That won’t wash and you know it,” Jessie hissed. “Mitch Faber was left in charge, and Jeb could handle anything else that might have come up. So you’d damn well better have a better reason than that!”

“Where you went is reason enough,” Rachel said obdurately. “It is unthinkable that you should venture into an area forbidden to whites. I thought your Indians were friendly. If I had
known they were not, I would have put my foot down sooner.”

“Utter nonsense. You think I could go there if I weren’t welcome?”

“You might be welcome, but other whites are not. I will not have you associating with Indians who are hostile to whites. It has obviously been a bad influence on you, and the influence will not continue.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“For God’s sake, Jessica, your behavior here is bad enough, but there, you apparently throw every civilized convention to the wind. I have never heard of anything so appalling as your bathing naked in a creek with an Indian in plain view.”

Jessie stood up so quickly that her chair went skidding backward across the floor. Bright spots of color stained her cheeks, and her eyes were wide and sparkling with fury.

“The bastard had to tell you that, didn’t he?” Jessie cried furiously. “And I suppose he told you about Little Hawk, too? Of course! That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? Isn’t it?”

“Jessica, calm down.”

“Calm down? When you’re threatening to take the ranch out of my control because of the distortions that bastard told you? What else did he tell you?”

“This much is certainly enough, don’t you think?” Rachel tried to keep her own voice down.

“No, I certainly don’t think it’s enough, not when he twisted innocent happenings into…
what did you call it? The most appalling thing you’d ever heard of? What the hell is wrong with my taking a bath in a creek? I do it here every chance I get when I’m alone. There, the village is too close, and White Thunder accompanies me so I won’t be disturbed. He didn’t watch me, for God’s sake! He’s like a brother!”

“This Sioux brave was not like a brother,” Rachel said stonily.

“So I was asked to marry? So what? I refused. If you want to get on your high horse about something, ask your friend about what he conveniently
didn’t
tell you!”

“If there is more, I’m sure it will only confirm my opinion that you should not go there again, Jessica,” Rachel said quietly. “An Indian camp is still no place for a young white girl. I will not relent on this.”

Jessie glared, so furious she was shaking. Unfortunately for Chase, he picked that moment to step into the kitchen.

“There’s enough shouting going on to wake the dead. What’s the trouble?”

Jessie turned eyes on him as stormy as anything he’d ever seen. She picked up her plate and threw it at his head. He ducked, and it bounced off the wall to the floor.

“You rotten sonofabitch! You just had to get her all fired up, didn’t you? It wasn’t enough that you dragged me back here, you had to malign everything that happened! But you forgot to include
yourself
in those tales, didn’t you?”

“That’s enough, Jessie,” Chase warned darkly.

“Enough?” she shrieked. “You were the one so hot to carry tales to her! Why didn’t you tell her the rest of it? If she ought to know about my appalling behavior with the Indians, then she ought to know that her trusted friend seduced me—not once, but twice! I mean, if we’re going to wash the dirty laundry, we might as well include everything. Or wasn’t the loss of my innocence as important as my sinful conduct with the Indians? Bastard! When you start something, do it right!”

With that Jessie stormed past Chase, shoving him so forcefully that he slammed back into the cupboard by the door, shattering two of the glass panes. A moment later, the door to her room closed just as forcefully, the sound as loud as a gunshot.

“What’s going on?” Billy called from down the hall.

“Go back to bed, Billy,” Rachel ordered sharply.

He did, without question. Chase would have loved to do the same. The silence that followed was eternal. He was afraid to look at Rachel, afraid to see the accusation in her eyes.

Rachel waited awhile, giving him a chance to speak. When he didn’t, she said, “Was she telling the truth?”

He started to speak, but no words would come.

Rachel let out a small cry before she implored, “Chase, you didn’t! Not my Jessica!”

He winced but still couldn’t answer. He finally faced her. The look in her eyes made him
feel about an inch tall. She didn’t wait any longer for an answer, but ran past him, crying.

Chase stood there for several long minutes. Was there anything he could salvage?