“I don’t think we ought to give him a name.”
The little boy was crushed. “Why?”
“Because that will just make it harder to leave him behind when we go.”
“Why do we have to leave him? Why can’t he come home with us?”
“Because,” Gilbert said patiently, “Pa would take one look at a coyote and shoot him, that’s why.”
“We’ll hide him. We won’t let Pa see him.”
Gilbert drew an arm around his little brother. “Where are you going to hide a coyote pup on our place? You know you’re only fooling yourself. He’s a wild critter. You can’t change what he is, any more than you can change Pa.”
“But he likes me. Look.” Daniel held out his hand, and the pup licked it. “If we leave him behind, he’ll starve to death.”
“Maybe.” Gilbert shrugged. “Maybe not. At least out here he’ll have a chance. But if we bring him home, he won’t live a day with Pa around.”
With a look of sadness, the little boy picked up the pup and cuddled it to his chest. “Come on, Blizzard. At least for now, you’re safe. And tonight, you’re going to sleep with me.”
While the two boys sat in a corner of the cave, playing with the pup, Pearl washed their dishes and poured the last of the coffee for Cal. He stood by the mouth of the cave, smoking in silence. She found herself wondering where he went when he looked so sad and pensive.
As she approached, he looked up.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” she said softly.
“Got a lot on my mind.”
“Anything you’d care to share?”
He shook his head. She was disappointed, but she didn’t push. Maybe there were some things so dark and deep he would never share them with her. And though she longed to comfort him, the look in his eyes acted as a barrier.
A short time later, when the boys rolled themselves into their bed, Pearl knelt beside them. She tucked the furs around them, then bent to kiss each of them.
“Good night, Daniel. Gilbert.”
“Good night, Miss Jewel,” they muttered in unison.
She noticed that the little pup was nestled between them.
“My ma used to kiss us at night,” Gilbert said softly. “Daniel is too young to remember. But I can still see her in my mind. I can even smell her.”
“That’s the wonderful thing about our minds.” Pearl lingered beside him, smoothing the blankets.
She noted that Daniel had already fallen asleep. “No one can take away our memories.”
“Sometimes...sometimes I can’t picture her face. And it scares me, that she’s fading. But I can still remember the way I felt, warm and safe, when Ma was alive.”
“Even though the picture fades, your heart will never forget,” Pearl said gently. “And years from now, you’ll still be able to recall the things she taught you.”
“I promised her, when she was dying, that I would take care of Daniel.” His voice wavered for a moment as he glanced at his little brother, the picture of innocence beside him. “But sometimes, it’s so hard. Pa...” He stopped, then said, “There I go, babbling like Daniel.”
Suddenly Pearl realized why this big, strapping boy stayed and endured his father’s beatings. It wasn’t because he was a coward, afraid to run away and make a life for himself. Or because of any loyalty to the cruel man who tortured him. He stayed because of a promise to a dying mother. The thought of his sacrifice nearly broke her heart.
Pearl took his hand in hers and squeezed. She felt tears sting her lids. “You’re a very brave boy, Gilbert. And someday you’ll grow to be a fine man.”
“Like my pa?” His voice took on the hard edge of sarcasm.
“No.” She brushed a strand of hair from his eyes. “You’ll never be like your father. From everything I’ve seen, your mother’s influence was too strong. You’re like her, Gilbert. You’re kind and decent and good.”
“Nobody in town remembers that. All they know about the Ingrams is that our pa is a thief and a liar. And they expect us to be the same.”
Pearl’s voice throbbed with passion. “Not long ago, a very wise man told me that here in Texas, a person isn’t judged by the cards he’s dealt, but by the way he plays them.”
For a long moment, she stared into Gilbert’s eyes, and she could read the dawning of comprehension. She gave him a gentle smile. “Now why don’t you get some sleep?” She bent and kissed him once more.
As she got to her feet, she glanced at Cal, who was still staring pensively into the night. At the fierce look on his face, she felt her heart turn over.
She went to him then, and slipped her arms around his waist. “Oh, Cal —” Her voice broke on a sob. “I can’t bear thinking about that boy’s pain.”
Without a word, he drew her close and kissed her with a possessiveness that left her shaken.
They stayed like that, arms around each other, staring into the night, for over an hour. And when at last Pearl withdrew to her bed, she was content that some of their tension had eased. In each other’s arms, she and Cal had found a measure of peace.
When they awoke in the morning, they could all feel the change in the air. The wind, which for days had howled out of the north, was now a warm, gentle southerly breeze. The sun, dazzling against the white landscape, was already beginning to melt the snowdrifts.
“If this keeps up,” Cal announced, entering the cave with an armload of logs, “we’ll be able to head home in a day or two.”
Oddly, his words weren’t greeted with smiles and cheers. Instead, Pearl and the two boys fell silent, each lost in private thoughts.
Pearl felt an ache around her heart. Would the love that she and Cal had discovered here in this cave be lost when they returned to the ranch? And what about the Ingram boys? How could she bear to allow these sweet children to return to a cruel father who so badly mistreated them? And if Rollie had died? What then? What would happen to two homeless boys? She had begun to care too much for them. But they weren’t hers. She had no right to interfere in their lives. Did she?
Oh, Daddy, she thought. If I’ve ever needed you, it’s now. Please help me find my way through this maze.
She forgot about her fears as she immersed herself in the task of preparing breakfast. The meal became a festive affair as everyone, their spirits lifted by Cal’s lighthearted mood, began talking and laughing at once.
“After breakfast, Gilbert and I will test the trails, to see if a horse and wagon can manage them yet.”
“You mean, you think we could leave today?” Pearl asked.
“We might. It all depends on the trails. If they’re too slick, we’ll wait until tomorrow.”
“What can I do, Mr. McCabe?” Daniel asked.
“You can stay here and protect Miss Jewel,” Cal said. “That’s a mighty important job, son. Think you can handle it?”
“Yes, sir.” The little boy beamed at being given such responsibility. “What about Blizzard, Gilbert?”
“You can keep him here,” his brother said. “But you’ll have to keep an eye on him. If the breeze carries the scent of his ma, he’ll take off and try to find her.”
“I’ll take good care of him. And Miss Jewel,” the little boy said solemnly.
A short time later, Gilbert and Cal took their leave, and Pearl set about cleaning up the cave.
As she worked, she called, “Would you like to do your sums, Daniel?”
“Yes’m.” Leaving the coyote pup curled up in a ball beside the fire, the little boy picked up a stick and began to write the numbers Pearl gave him.
After about an hour, he glanced up with a worried frown. “Oh, no! Miss Jewel, where’s Blizzard?”
He and Pearl searched the cave, but the little pup was nowhere to be found.
“Do you think he could have returned to the stream?”
Pearl nodded. “It’s what Gilbert warned against.” She picked up a blanket and tossed it over her shoulders. “Come on. We’ll find him.”
The two set out for the stream. Pearl was amazed at how much easier it was to traverse the terrain now that the frigid air had been replaced by gentle breezes. Though the mountain was still littered with mounds of snow, it seemed much less formidable as Pearl and the little boy made their way to the stream. There, on the banks, crouched the pup, nuzzling its dead mother.
“Oh, Blizzard.” With great tenderness, Daniel lifted the whimpering pup in his arms.
“Come on, Daniel.” Pearl started back to the cave. “We’ll fix him some broth, and hope it will be enough to comfort him.”
The boy stopped to nestle the pup inside his shirt, cooing words to him. When he looked up, Pearl was far ahead.
She swept aside the hide and took a tentative step inside. After the dazzling brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow, the gloom of the cave seemed even more pronounced. For a moment, Pearl couldn’t see a thing. But as her eyes adjusted, she could make out a shape across the cave.
Her heart leaped to her throat as Rollie Ingram’s high-pitched laugh greeted her. “Well, well. Now ain’t this cozy? I was just beginnin’ to think I’d missed you. But I was wrong. After a couple of days of setbacks, we’re right back where we started, Miss High-and-Mighty Jewel. And it looks like old Rollie has the upper hand all over again.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Daniel pulled himself to the top of the snowbank. Cradling the coyote pup in his arms, he gave a laugh of pure delight as he slid down the bank, coming to rest against a half-buried boulder.
“Wasn’t that fun, Blizzard?” he asked.
The pup licked his face.
“I don’t care what Gilbert says,” the little boy declared solemnly, “you’re coming home with us. I’ll never let Pa find you or hurt you. Never.”
He tucked the pup back into his shirt and scrambled over several more snowbanks before he reached the cave.
“Miss Jewel is making you some broth. You’re going to like it,” Daniel said.
He shoved aside the hide and stepped inside. For several moments, he glanced around the cave, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then he spotted Pearl, standing at rigid attention on the far side of the cave.
“Miss Jewel, what’s—?” He gave a gasp as his eyes made out the terrible scene. Just behind his teacher was his father. And in his hand was a knife, which he held firmly to her throat.
Rollie’s face twisted into a mask of fury. “What the hell are you doing here, boy?”
“I...” Daniel swallowed and tried to speak, but the lump in his throat was choking him. Cal McCabe had trusted him to keep Miss Jewel safe. And he’d failed him. Failed her. Failed all of them. Miserably.
With tears stinging his eyes, he spun away and stumbled from the cave. Once outside, he took the pistol from his pocket and fired. The sound of the gunshot echoed across the hills. Then the little boy sat down in the snow and buried his face in the pup’s fur. And cried as though his heart would break.
Cal’s heart was in his throat as he ran. The signal could mean only one thing. Rollie was alive. Somehow he had survived the gunshots and the tumble down the ravine. And had come back for revenge.
He and Gilbert raced through the snow, their breath strained and shallow by the time they reached the cave.
They saw Daniel sitting dejectedly in a snowbank, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
“It’s Pa,” he managed between sobs. “He’s inside with Miss Jewel. And he’s holding a knife to her throat. I...left her alone while I went to chase Blizzard, and...”
“It’s all right, son,” Cal said gently. “At least you managed to sound an alarm.”
The little boy shook his head. “Pa’s going to kill her. I know he is. I saw his face...”
“Gilbert,” Cal said sternly, “stay here with Daniel. Whatever you do, stay away from the cave.” Before the older boy could argue, Cal pushed aside the hide and stepped into the gloom.
“You’re right on time,” Rollie called. “I figured that gunshot would bring you runnin’. And it’s a good thing you didn’t take too long. I couldn’t wait much longer for all the fun to begin.”
“Have you thought what you’ll do after you kill us?” Cal asked.
“I’ll have a drink to celebrate,” Rollie said with a cackle.
“And then what?” Cal started forward, but Rollie signaled hun to halt. He stopped, mentally calculating the distance between them. He had to find a way to keep Rollie distracted, until he could get close enough to jump him and wrestle that knife from his hand. The sight of it, pressed against Pearl’s pale throat, had him seething with a wild, uncontrollable rage.
“You won’t be able to return to your home, Ingram. You’ll have to start over somewhere new. And what about your boys? Will you just expect them to keep quiet about what they know?”
“Them two piss-ants will do whatever I tell them,” Rollie boasted.
“Really? Is that what you think?” Cal gave a short laugh.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you don’t know your sons very well.”
“And you do?” Rollie said with a sneer.
“Oh, I know them as well as I know myself. You see, Rollie, I’ve been them.” Cal’s voice had taken on a dangerous new edge.
Pearl heard the change in his tone, and was instantly alert. She studied Cal, and listened with a mixture of fascination and dread, suddenly aware that he was going to reveal the secrets of his heart, and wishing she could stop him.
“I had a father like you, Rollie. Actually, he was my stepfather. My real father died shortly after I was born. And my mother found herself widowed at the tender age of fifteen, with a new baby and a farm to run in a desolate section of Missouri.” Cal’s hands fisted at his sides as the memories, so long suppressed, washed over him. “For years I sensed that he was beating her, but I never witnessed it until the day he beat her so badly she couldn’t stand. I was almost twelve years old. I got my father’s old rifle and shot the bastard dead. And then I held my mother in my arms until she died. And after I buried her, in a grave beside my father, I started running, and I didn’t stop until I found these Texas hills. I lived like an animal, never venturing out until after dark, afraid to light a fire, for fear it would lead someone to me. And when Onyx Jewel found me hiding out on his land, I looked like some kind of wild mountain creature, with hair down my back. My only clothes were animal skins. When he finally pried my story from me, he secretly contacted the marshal in Missouri and learned that the whole town had known about the beatings. No one was searching for me.” Cal’s hands tightened. “If anything, the whole town had cheered his death. Just as they’ll cheer yours.”
“Why, you...” Rollie’s hand tightened on the blade at Pearl’s throat.
Seeing it, Cal kept the words flowing, no longer caring how many secrets he revealed. “Onyx Jewel gave me back my life. And my self-respect.”
During his narrative, Pearl had held her breath, feeling her heart break at his admission. How he must have suffered. And suffered still.
“Now isn’t that a sad story...” Rollie’s voice took on the whine of sarcasm, interrupting her thoughts. “So you figure Gilbert is going to turn on me someday and shoot his own father because of the beatings I’ve given him?”
Cal’s eyes were bleak. “You haven’t been listening, Rollie. It isn’t Gilbert you should fear.” In the silence of the cave, his voice thundered. “You damned fool! It’s Daniel.”
For several moments, there was no sound in the cave, as Cal and Rollie faced each other.
Pearl felt the scrape of the blade against her throat, and struggled not to swallow. But out of the corner of her eye she could see a sudden movement at the entrance to the cave, and she knew that both Daniel and Gilbert were standing just outside. It was impossible for them not to have heard every word Cal spoke.
The hide was pushed aside to reveal the two boys struggling over Cal’s pistol.
“No, Daniel!”
Gilbert cried.
But the little boy wrenched himself free and stood facing his father.
“Put that knife down, Pa,” came the frightened little voice. “Or I’ll blow your head off.”
“Why, you little...” Rollie gave Pearl a shove and started across the cave toward his son.
In that instant, Cal darted forward and made a grab for his rifle. But before he could take aim, Rollie pounced on him, and the two men began wrestling for control of the weapon.
“You stop, Pa!” Daniel could hardly see for the tears streaming down his face. But, despite his tears, he took aim with the pistol.
In the blink of an eye, Rollie got to his feet and aimed the rifle at Cal’s chest. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this,” he crooned as his finger closed over the trigger.
The sound of a gunshot resounded through the cave with all the force of thunder. For a moment, no one moved. Then Rollie clutched his stomach. Blood oozed between his fingers, spilling onto the floor of the cave. With a look of stunned surprise, he dropped to his knees.
“Daniel?” he managed to gasp. “You did this?”
“No.” The gun slipped from Pearl’s nerveless fingers and dropped to the floor. “I’ve never fired a gun before, and I know I’ll never fire one again. But...I couldn’t let your son have that on his conscience for the rest of his life.”
“You—” Rollie slumped to the floor of the cave. On his face was the same twisted mask of hatred he’d always worn in life.
His two sons clung together, averting their eyes as their father slowly gave up his life.
To spare them, Cal herded them from the cave and ordered Pearl to remain outside with them. They offered no objection. And as Cal returned to the cave, Pearl and Gilbert and Daniel huddled together, too stunned to speak, or even to cry. They merely clung to one another until, some time later, Cal led Rollie’s horse and wagon outside. In the back of the wagon, beneath a blanket, lay Rollie’s body.
Hours later, with Pearl and the boys on the wagon seat and Cal astride his horse, they began the long journey back to the ranch. No one spoke. And though it should have been a festive, triumphant return home, it had become instead a funeral procession.