Captive Trail (33 page)

“We could at least venture out and cut some grass for the horses,” Sister Riva said.

“Tree and I could do that.” Ned looked at Patrillo. “What do you think?”

“In a while. Let’s wait a little longer to be sure.”

“Yes,” Jud said. “Let’s not get overconfident.”

Billie longed to assure him the crisis was over, but she kept still. Knocking Peca from his saddle was one thing. Lives were at stake then. But there was no need to belittle her brother’s thoughts in front of the others. And if she explained that Peca’s shame and the death of his friend had driven Peca away for good, the others would realize she knew the warrior Sister Adele had shot.

“If you think it’s safe, I’d like to use a little water and light the stove now, so I can prepare a hot meal,” Sister Marie said.

“I will help you.” Billie rose.

Quinta squirmed around to see Sister Marie. “Can we make a cake?”

The sister smiled at her. “Perhaps tomorrow, my dear.”

When Sister Marie called them all to the dining room to eat a belated supper, Ned touched Jud Morgan on the shoulder.

“I’d like to speak to you.”

Jud hung back as the women and girls, along with Tree, left the room.

“What is it?” Jud’s face was set in hard lines, as though he expected bad news.

“Your sister. She’s a courageous woman.”

“I gathered that.”

Ned nodded. “Sit down for a minute.” Jud sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa, still holding his rifle. “You got something to say?”

“Yes. The Comanche the nun shot—he was trying to help Billie.”

“What?”

Ned ran a hand over his stubbly chin. “She told me he was her brother-in-law. I mean, the husband of her Comanche
sister. He spoke kind words to her and offered to help her get back inside. But Sister Adele saw him, and she thought he was threatening Billie, so she shot him.”

Jud stared at him. “Are you sure that’s what happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Billie wasn’t planning to go back with them, was she?”

Ned eyed him keenly. “No. If she’d wanted to go back, she’d have left here long ago.”

“Garza told me she offered to surrender to them to save the rest of us.”

Ned sighed. “That’s like her. But she didn’t do it. She kicked the leader off his horse. That was the worst shame for him—having a woman count coup on him. If Billie were going to surrender and marry the man, she certainly wouldn’t have humiliated him first.”

Jud leaned back and stared at the opposite wall. “I suppose you’re right.” He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. “I’m so tired. I just want to take Billie home.”

“I know. But there’s something else I should tell you.”

“What’s that?”

“I love your sister.”

Jud let out a short laugh. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Ned smiled. The relief of saying the words astonished him. “All right, then. Let’s get something to eat. You should sleep after that. We can take turns keeping watch, at least until the sun is well up.”

“Right. Just in case.” Jud rose.

A sound Ned had come to dread came faintly from outside. “I hear horses.”

“I knew it!” Jud ran to the nearest window and poked his rifle’s muzzle into the opening.

Pulling his Colt, Ned hurried to the other one and peered out. Several horses galloped into the yard and stopped.

“What are they up to now?” Jud asked.

“Wait! Whatever you do, don’t shoot.” Ned squinted into the starlit dooryard. Voices reached him, calling softly to each other in Spanish.

He turned to Jud and grinned. “It’s Tree’s boys. I guess they were worried when Papa didn’t come home.” He holstered his gun and strode to the hall. “Come on, Morgan, help me move this chest.”

D
uring the boisterous reunion of the Garza family, while Quinta delighted in introducing her four brothers and Brownie Fale to all the nuns and students, Billie slipped around the edge of the room and stood beside Jud. He looked down at her with thoughtful eyes. “Is there someplace quiet where we can talk?”

She nodded and walked out into the hall. At the far end, she opened the door to her chamber.

“My room,” she said. She went to the small table and lit the lantern, then placed the stool for Jud and sat down on her bed.

He sat opposite her and looked long into her face. “I’m so happy to be here with you.” Tears glinted in his eyes. “I can’t tell you how much we’ve prayed for this day.”

“I pray too.” She reached out both hands. Jud took them and held them gently, rubbing her knuckles with his thumbs.

“Billie, I’m so sorry for what happened to you.”

She ducked her head so he wouldn’t see her tears. “Not your fault,” she said.

“I’ve felt as though it was. Ma said she let you ride out to find me and show me something you’d brought from school. But I wasn’t where I’d told her I’d be that day. I’d gone farther than I’d planned, looking for a few strays.”

Billie bit her lower lip as the memories cascaded in her mind. Something from school. She reached for her parfleche and dipped her hand into it.

With a shaky laugh, she held the tattered paper out to Jud. “Here. I bring this.”

Slowly, Jud unfolded it. The ink had faded and the creases nearly obliterated some parts. He stared at it for several seconds. A bittersweet smile touched his lips.

“Dear Mrs. Morgan, I wanted to inform you that Billie is the top scholar in our school. She will receive a special honor at the Christmas assembly. I hope you and your family can attend. Sincerely, Miss Thurston.”

He looked at Billie. “Your teacher sent this. Do you remember Miss Thurston?”

Billie frowned. She put a hand to her eyes. “Not see. Spectacles?”

Jud laughed, and the care slipped away from his face. For the first time, he looked to Billie as he had twelve years earlier.

“Yes, she’s short-sighted. Wears eyeglasses all the time. Oh, Billie.” He reached for her hands again. “I need you to know how much we all love you. How much
I
love you. Will you please come home to the ranch? Ma and Marion are so excited. They’re getting ready for your return. I do hope you want to come.”

Billie nodded, and her tears spilled over. “I come.”

Jud let out a deep sigh and nodded. “What about Ned Bright?”

Billie blinked. “Ned?”

“Yes. He loves you. Surely you know that.”

Billie sat very still. Inside she felt warm and eager, hoping Jud’s words were true.

He leaned toward her. “I … wasn’t sure you’d want to go so far from him.”

“I go home,” she said firmly.

Jud smiled. “Good. And if you want to see Ned later, we’ll arrange that.”

Billie withdrew her hands and tried to marshal her thoughts and the words to express them. “What is it?” Jud asked. “Ned … he not know.”

“What doesn’t he know?”

Her throat tightened. “I … I have husband. Comanche husband. Not my choice.”

Jud stared at her. “You are married? I thought this savage who attacked us wanted to marry you. Don’t tell me it’s already done!”

“No, no.” Billie patted his arm. “Not Peca. Husband dead now. He …” She needed to be sure she spoke correctly, that there was no misunderstanding. “He
went
raiding.”

“Yes?” Jud studied her closely. “He went raiding.”

She nodded. “He die on raid. Chiefs give his bow to his little son.”

Jud inhaled sharply. “You have a child?”

Billie shook her head, tears flowing freely. “He die too. Sick. But Ned not … he
does
not know.”

“Oh, Billie.” Jud slid off the stool and sat beside her. She curled into his arms, weeping against his shoulder.

For a long time he held her, letting her cry. At last she sat straighter and sniffed. If this knowledge drove Ned away, she would still have her family. Jud wouldn’t hold her if her news repelled him.

“I should have a handkerchief.” His voice cracked.

Billie patted his cheek. “You good brother.” She rose and went to the table. A wash cloth hung on the side, near the pitcher of water. She took it and wiped her face.

“Billie …” Jud rose and stood close to her. “I want you to know that if you had been able to bring the child back with you, we would have loved him too.”

A new wave of tears streamed from her eyes, and she caught them with the cloth. She choked out a muffled, “Thank you.”

In the hallway, a horse whinnied. Billie stepped to the doorway and looked out. The front door was open, and one of the black-haired Garza boys was leading his father’s horse outside. Behind him, Ned came from the chapel leading his paint.

Billie turned to face Jud. “They take horses out.”

“They might as well. The Garzas’ horses are out there anyway. I expect the boys will stand watch while they graze.”

She nodded. “I help clean chapel.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to help. Sisters do much for me.”

“I meant that we men would do it.”

She smiled. “Not the way Comanche men do.”

“No, I’ll bet it’s not. In this culture, women are spared the hard work. You let us clean it out.”

She nodded. “I bring basket and hot water.”

“Good.” Jud put his arm around her. “Little sister, don’t you worry about Ned. He’s a good, stout man. I don’t think what you told me will matter to him.”

Billie gazed up at him. “I hope …” She stopped. That was all—she hoped now, with a new assurance that she had a place in the white world, whether on the Morgan ranch with her family or someplace else. She didn’t dare think too far into the
future so far as Ned was concerned. She only knew that she wanted to go with Jud and spend some time with him and her mother and sister. That thought brought a new question. “Sister?” she asked.

Jud’s smile changed his face, erasing the worry lines. “Marion.”

“Marion. Hair like mine.”

“Yes.” His eyes lit in surprise. “Perhaps a little lighter than yours. And she will be so happy to have you home.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Come on, Billie. Let’s go muck out a chapel.”

As they walked down the hallway, the front door flew open and the youngest of the Garza boys tore in yelling, “Papa! Papa!”

Tree came out of the chapel. “What is it, Diego?”

The boy spouted an agitated string of Spanish, and Tree hurried out the door with him.

Billie looked up at Jud. “Did you understand?”

Jud nodded. “They found a man lying dead near the lane. I expect it’s the white man who helped the raiders.”

Billie pulled in a shaky breath. “They leave him behind—the buffalo man. He not one of them.”

Ned and Tree entered the dining room, where the nuns waited with the girls.

“We think it’s safe now,” Ned said to Sister Natalie.

She rose. “Come girls. Get your things.”

“Should we take all our clothes?” Laura asked as the nuns shepherded the pupils toward their bedrooms.

“I think not,” Sister Adele said. “Just take what you will need for a couple of days.”

“That’s right,” Tree said. “The captain will find you a place
to sleep at the fort until his men have patrolled the area and made sure the Comanche are gone.”

“Papa,” Quinta said, “can’t I go home with you until the others come back to the mission?”