Chapter 5 Fractured Bloodline
J osh Chavez made his way off the platform after the service and deliberately wound his way through the church members to reach their pew. “Councilman.” He nodded respectfully at Running Bear. “Mrs. Gilbert.” He leaned forward to shake her hand. “I’m glad you could make it again today.”
Running Bear leaned his way. “In case you haven’t yet heard, my niece has agreed to lend her master gardener skills to the community park we’ve been discussing.” Pure, unadulterated pride rang in his voice.
“No kidding?” Though the young pastor’s words were for Running Bear, his attention was clearly on Miley. “How’s the apprenticing going?”
“I’m learning volumes from the great Hawk Chesney.” Her mocking voice pulled a snicker out of Josh.
“I’ve heard he’s a tough taskmaster.” He winked at her. “I’ll be praying for you.” He sent Hawk a laughing look before adding, “I’m also a good listener if things get too tough on your end. The last college class I took was on pastoral counseling.”
Hawk gave Running Bear a look of disgust. “Can we fire him?”
Running Bear’s eyebrows rose. “Only if you’re willing to recruit his replacement. Until then, I’m afraid we’re stuck with him.”
Josh Chavez didn’t look at all perturbed by their teasing. He took it so well, in fact, that Annalee suspected he was no stranger to their teasing. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure he was even listening. He was too busy chatting with Miley about how he was attending seminary classes online, working his way toward a degree in divinity. Then he asked her how long she’d be sticking around and whether she had any college plans of her own.
Miley smirked at her mother. “According to my mom, there’s only one correct answer to that question. Yes, I have college plans. I don’t know what they are yet or if they’ll ever happen, but I’ve got ‘em,” she snickered.
“Yes, you do.” Annalee rolled her eyes. “Good answer.”
Though Josh seemed reluctant to say goodbye, Hawk wasted little time nudging them toward the door. “We’ve got a long trip to the hospital ahead of us.”
“Oh?” The young minister’s smile disappeared. “Where are you headed?”
“Clarendon.” Hawk kept herding them toward the door.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Pastor Josh pressed, flicking a worried glance Miley’s way.
Hawk shook his head. “Just pray. It’s Annalee’s father-in-law. According to the doctor, his cancer is terminal.”
Running Bear jumped back into the conversation. “Actually, there’s something else you could do for us. How about you drive me and my grandniece to the Longhorn Grill for lunch? My treat. That way Hawk and Annalee can get on the road even sooner.” He silently asked Annalee for permission, and she silently nodded her assent.
Josh looked dizzy with excitement. “I’d be happy to help out, sir.”
Hawk waited until he and Annalee were in the parking lot and out of earshot before mimicking Josh Chavez’s eager voice. “ I’d be happy to help out, sir. As if,” he fumed, “his whole reason for his willingness wasn’t about getting to spend more time with Miley!”
He yanked open the door to the driver’s side of the truck and all but tossed Annalee inside.
She gave a bounce on the seat cushion, chuckling merrily. “Quit sounding like such an ogre! If you want Miley to be happy here, she’s going to need to make some new friends.”
“He’s three years older than her,” he growled as he climbed behind the wheel. “If he tries anything, I’ll break every bone in his body.”
“Hawk!” Without thinking, she reached over to place her hand on his forearm. He was well within reaching distance, since she hadn’t yet shimmied to the other side of the truck cab. “She’s not made of glass. You of all people should know just how capable she is of taking care of herself.”
He glowered over the steering wheel as he started the motor and skidded a little as he left the parking lot. “She’s not unbreakable,” he ground out. “The stitches in her arm are proof enough of that.”
“I know.” She squeezed his arm before letting it go. “Believe me, I know. I shudder every time I think about her hitchhiking her way anywhere else in the state but here. To the rez. To you,” she finished softly as she hurriedly buckled the nearest seatbelt. He’d taken off so quickly that there’d been no time for her to move to the other side of the cab, not that she minded. He was a big, tough guy. She felt safer sitting this close to him.
“Me, too.” He gripped the steering wheel. “She may not be my kid, but she’s already wormed her way into my heart. I hope that’s not gonna be a problem for you and me.”
She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Of course not! Why would it?”
“I don’t know.” He was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I do. I can see myself getting attached to you guys, and that’s not something I normally do.”
It was suddenly harder for her to breathe. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“It’ll only be bad if you leave.”
Not when. If. She stared at him, wondering if he’d meant to suggest that not eventually leaving was an option for them. “We can’t commandeer your cabin forever, Hawk.”
“Why not?”
She didn’t know what to say to that, and he lapsed into a moody silence afterward. As the truck rumbled over the miles between Heart Lake and Clarendon, she tipped her head back against the seat cushion and closed her eyes.
Her mind and body were still in recovery mode from her accident. Though every cell in her was aware of Hawk Chesney seated beside her, it didn’t keep her from drifting to sleep.
She didn’t awaken until he pulled into the hospital parking lot over an hour later. It took an extra moment or two for her to realize her head was resting against his shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” she gasped, sitting up.
“What’s there to be sorry for?” The questioning look he gave her turned her insides melty.
“Snoring, drooling, talking in my sleep,” she quipped. “Please assure me I didn’t give away any state secrets.”
“I’m not telling,” he teased back, pretending to wipe off his shoulder.
She swatted at his hand. “It’s dry. Quit being a drama king!”
He caught her hand and lowered it between them. “In my defense, I’m still adjusting to having two new queens in my life. Hope you’re willing to cut me a little slack?”
She couldn’t have been more charmed by his compliment or his humble attitude. “I think you’ve handled everything perfectly so far. No slack necessary, Mr. Chesney.”
The hard lines and planes of his face relaxed. “Do you really mean that?”
“With all of my heart,” she promised. “You’re a God-send, Hawk. You and Running Bear both. I couldn’t be more grateful that the Lord saw fit to allow my daughter and me to cross paths with you.”
His fingers tightened over hers. “That makes two of us.”
A tendril of worry wound its way through her as she studied their joined hands. “Hawk,” she sighed. “I’m not ready for?—”
“I know.” He lifted her hand to gently brush his mouth over it before letting it go. “Believe me, I know.”
And just like that, they became something more than two ships sailing past each other in the night. Or nightmare, in her and Miley’s case. Annalee was still nowhere near ready to put a label on what she and Hawk were or might become to each other, so she was enormously grateful when he didn’t press her to do so.
Instead, he changed the subject.
“I know what Running Bear is asking of you is difficult, but I’ll be in the waiting room, you hear?” Instead of immediately exiting the truck after turning off the motor, he took a moment to gaze deeply into her eyes.
Only when she nodded did he open the door and assist her to the pavement. They walked in silence into the hospital. The backs of their hands brushed a few times, but neither of them made any effort to pull away.
He gave their names to the receptionist in the lobby and asked for Ace Dakota’s room number.
The woman’s expression grew shuttered. “He doesn’t take visitors.”
“Ask him,” Hawk urged. “Tell him his daughter-in-law is anxious to see him.”
“It’s your grave,” she muttered, picking up the phone.
“Anxious?” Annalee hissed behind her hand to Hawk.
“Very anxious.” His dark gaze glittered into hers, both steadying her and making her heart race. He leaned her way. “A poker player you are not. You wear every thought and emotion in plain sight for all to see.”
She made a face at him. “To a Comanche, that’s a sign of weakness, isn’t it?”
“To this Comanche, it’s beautiful,” he returned with a wink.
Oh! She caught her breath and stared back at him, utterly mesmerized.
“Ma’am?” The receptionist sounded irritated. “Miracles clearly never cease, because Mr. Dakota has agreed to see you.” She shook her head. “The hardest nut to crack in the state of Texas.”
At Annalee’s expression, she hastily added, “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“I’m his daughter-in-law, remember?” Annalee smiled wryly at her. “You didn’t say anything I don’t already know.”
“I’m still sorry,” the woman said again. “I’m sure none of this is easy for you.”
“We’re good.” Annalee thanked her for making the phone call. Then she walked with Hawk to the elevator. “She’s not wrong, you know. I feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter.”
“Not on my watch.” He held the elevator door open for her and stepped in after her.
For reasons she couldn’t even begin to explain, she stepped closer to him.
He reached for her hand, covering it with his much larger one. “Your fingers are like ice.”
“So is my heart,” she mourned. “You have no idea what it’s been like being Ace Dakota’s daughter-in-law. He’s nothing like Running Bear. He disinherited his own son.” It was something that grieved her to this day. “He built walls between them that never came down. He never even got to say goodbye to Chayton, and I’m pretty sure he blames me for it.”
“Why would he blame you?” Hawk scowled as the elevator door rolled open.
“He never approved of me.” She glanced away from him as they left the elevator together. “Not as a person. Just not for his son.”
“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” His voice was so matter-of-fact that she smiled.
“I’m nothing, Hawk. I came from nothing,” she informed him quietly as they made their way down the hallway. “Just a messed-up kid in foster care who became a mother before she was finished growing up herself.”
“Eh, we all have a past.” He didn’t say what his was, and she didn’t ask. Somehow, she doubted it was as dismal as hers.
“I got lucky,” she continued ruefully, “when an older couple decided it was their Christian duty to adopt me. It felt like winning the lottery, and the farm I inherited from them felt like winning a second lottery. I guess you could say that marrying Chayton felt like winning a third lottery. But I eventually lost it all, and now I’m back to being nothing.” The hole Chayton’s absence had left inside her and the sting of failure was overwhelming at times.
“Wrong.” Hawk stopped in the middle of the hallway and spun her toward him so quickly that it took her breath away. “You’re a child of God, Annalee. So is Miley. You’re also Running Bear’s family and someone who’s very quickly becoming important to me. You’re not nothing, you hear?”
She nodded mutely, amazed at how a few words from him had suddenly made her feel like something. However, she knew from experience that the man she’d come to visit was all too capable of returning her to the state of nothingness.
“You matter to God,” Hawk growled, as if sensing her thoughts. “You matter to Running Bear. You matter to Miley. You matter to me.”
She gave a helpless chuckle, fighting tears. “Okay. Now I feel rich again.”
He smiled at her words, which nearly made her pass out. She’d never seen him smile before. “You don’t smile very often, do you?”
“I haven’t had many reasons to.” He reached up to touch her cheek, making her feel even richer. Then he gave her a gentle nudge toward the room number the receptionist had given them. “I’ll be right here,” he promised, making no move to retrace his steps toward the waiting room.
“Thank you.” She mouthed the words to him before facing the door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.
A grumbling sound met her ears. She couldn’t make out what the man said, but it was proof that someone was in the room. She turned the door handle and pushed open the door before she lost her nerve. Because her insides were all a-jitter, she left the door wide open after she stepped inside.
The curtains to the only window were pulled shut, plunging the room into shadows. She could see the outline of a man in the bed — a tall, too-thin, dried-up corncob of a man who would soon exit the earth if the Lord didn’t intervene.
“Shut the door,” he barked.
“I prefer to leave it open.” She stepped farther into the room without giving in to his demand. “Thank you for understanding.”
A second figure materialized from the shadows and moved toward the door.
“He said to shut it, my dear.” It was a woman, but she was wearing such a wide hat brim over her eyes that it was impossible to make out her features. She click-clacked in a pair of high heels to the door and gave it a shove. Or tried to.
It didn’t budge.
Hawk’s voice drifted their way. “Annalee said she preferred to keep the door open, so it stays open.” He sounded as unmoving as the Rock of Gibraltar.
The stranger in the hat gave a huff of rage and melted back into the shadows.
“Did you come to gloat?” the man in the bed snarled. “You killed my son, and now you’ve come to watch me die, too, eh?”
Annalee was taken aback by his verbal lashing. She shouldn’t have been, but she was. “Chayton died from a heart attack, sir.” Her voice cracked with emotion. She still couldn’t believe it herself. He’d been as healthy as a horse one day and gone the next.
“You took him from me more than once.” Ace Dakota didn’t sound like he was in a forgiving mood. “When I threatened to disinherit him, he married you anyway. And now he’s dead.” His voice rose to a brittle, accusing note.
Though he was being unfair, it was impossible to miss the underlying anguish that was also present in his voice.
“I’m sorry for your loss, sir, and I’m sorry for what you’re suffering now.” Knowing Hawk was nearby gave her the confidence to move closer to his bed. “Please know that Running Bear is praying for you, and so am I.”
Ace was silent for a moment. “I heard you were in an accident. My wife said you were as good as dead.”
“Now, Ace! Those were not my exact words,” the woman in the shadows piped up, telling Annalee she was in the presence of none other than Ace’s second wife. If anything, Rosamund Dakota was even more hateful than the man she’d married.
Annalee turned toward Rosamund’s voice but still couldn’t see her features clearly. She’d never had much interaction with the woman. The only thing she really knew about her was that she was a burn victim. Nearly the whole time she’d been married to Ace, Rosamund had been in the hospital undergoing one cosmetic surgery after another in an attempt to restore her original beauty.
“I’m glad you survived your accident.” There was something in Rosamund’s tone that made Annalee wonder if she’d been hoping for the opposite result.
“My recovery has been a long, slow process, ma’am.”
“And then some,” Rosamund agreed in a hard voice. “I heard you lost your farm, too.” It was a blunt statement that wasn’t followed by an expression of sympathy or offer of assistance. “I’d wondered where you and your daughter had taken off to, and now I know.”
Annalee quelled a shiver, not enamored by the idea of Rosamund knowing her whereabouts. Then she straightened her shoulders. Who cares? Hawk wasn’t going to let anything bad happen to her now or later.
It was possible Rosamund was just holding up her end of their awkward conversation, something Annalee probably needed to try a little harder to do.
“How’s Edward, ma’am?” Edward was Rosamund’s son by her first marriage.
“Still in a wheelchair.” Rosamund bit out the words so viciously that Annalee recoiled.
“Wheelchair or not, he’s single-handedly running Dakota Farm now.” Ace’s voice lost some of its venom. He sounded genuinely proud of his stepson. He’d formally adopted the boy years ago, right after he’d disinherited the only son who carried his blood. It had felt like a cruel move at the time, but it no longer mattered. Chayton wasn’t here to challenge his father’s last will and testament in court, nor would he have done so if he’d lived to see this dismal day.
“I’m glad you have his help, sir.” It took a superhuman effort for Annalee to swallow her hurt and pride, but she succeeded.
“His help?” Rosamund’s voice rose shrilly. “His help? You say that like he’s some ten-cent-an-hour farm hand. Well, he’s not!” Her voice took on an Arctic chill. “Dakota Farm will soon belong to Edward. Every acre. Every building and piece of farm equipment. Every animal.”
Oka-a-a-ay. Annalee swallowed a lump in her throat. It was hard to hear Chayton’s stepmother practically rejoicing over the fact that her own beloved husband was already dead. “I’m happy for him, ma’am. I truly am.” Her voice trembled with barely suppressed emotion.
Rosamund drew a sharp breath. “You’re happy that Ace is dying? What an awful thing to say!”
Annalee’s lips parted in shock. You’ve got to be kidding me! “But I didn’t mean?—”
“Get out,” the hateful creature snapped. “Now!”
Annalee couldn’t leave the room fast enough. Thoroughly shaken, she stepped into the hallway, quietly shutting the door behind her. Then she kept walking, picking up speed until she was practically jogging.
Hawk’s long legs had no trouble catching up to her. He didn’t say anything as he fell into step beside her.
“Well, that went about as well as could be expected,” she grumbled. The only good thing about the encounter was that it was over.
“But you did it, anyway.” Hawk reached for her hand again. “I’m proud of you, Annalee.”
“Thank you.” A delicious feeling spread through her. It had been a long time since anyone said those words to her, and they felt good. Really, really good! Holding his hand felt wonderful, too. She hadn’t realized until now how much she missed such simple things.
They reached his truck, and he lifted her up. She waited for him to climb in after her and clasp his seatbelt before turning impulsively his way. “Thank you for bringing me here. I don’t know if it did any good, but it was the right thing to do. You were right about that.” She could see that now. “I guess while there’s still breath in the man’s lungs, there’s hope.” He must have had his reasons for agreeing to visit with her.
“There’s always hope, Annalee.” Hawk reached out to cup her face with one large hand.
She could tell by the way he was looking at her that he was experiencing a whole different brand of hope. “I’m still not ready,” she whispered.
“I’m a patient man, Annalee.” He let her go, but he didn’t turn on the motor and start driving just yet. Propping his arm across the seat back behind her, he embraced her without touching her.
It was comforting sitting this close to him, just absorbing his strength and his presence. He was good medicine — the kind that she sensed would help her heal. In time.
A thought struck her, making her wince.
“What is it?” He lightly drummed his fingers against her shoulder, making her shiver — not from the cold, but from his nearness.
“Am I being selfish?” She gave him a pleading look. “Soaking up all of your goodness while giving you nothing in return?”
He gave her an incredulous look. “Number one. We’ve only known each other for a month. Number two. Who says I’m not getting anything in return?”
“You’re probably used to women falling all over themselves, trying to get your attention.” Ugh! Being this honest was so embarrassing, but he deserved nothing less than the truth from her. “And here I am, constantly putting on the brakes.”
“I’m interested in you, Annalee, so please don’t misunderstand what I’m about to say next.” He dipped his head closer to her. “I don’t want to move any faster than you’re ready to move, even if you’re never ready to move any faster, you hear?”
“But you deserve to be loved, Hawk,” she protested. “You deserve to be held, kissed, and made to feel as special as you are. Yet here I am, broken and damaged. Not sure what comes next or when I’ll be ready for it.”
He almost smiled. “I’m not complaining, Annalee. Wanna know why?”
“Yes, please,” she said softly.
“Because you’re one of those rare people who are worth waiting for. That’s why I’m putting my order in now, hoping maybe I’ll get to jump to the front of the line when you’re finally ready.”
“Oh, Hawk!” She squeezed her eyes shut, longing to become the woman he deserved someday. Hopefully, not in the too distant future.
“The longer you wait to kiss me for the first time,” he continued huskily, “the more I get to look forward to it.”
Her eyelids flew open again. “How can you be so sure we’ll ever…?” She didn’t finish the question, not wanting to hurt his feelings. But hadn’t he just finished saying that he understood she might never be ready?
“Oh, it’s gonna happen.” He sounded so convinced that it rocked her all the way to her soul. “It’s not a matter of if . It’s a matter of when .”
The rumble of a motor approached them and grew louder.
Hawk glanced over his shoulder, and his expression changed. “Hold on tight!” He threw one arm around her waist like a vise and locked his other elbow behind the back of the seat, bracing his feet against the floorboard.
A split second later, something heavy crashed into them. Metal crunched, glass shattered, and a woman screamed. It might’ve been Annalee herself, but she wasn’t sure. The truck shuddered some more as the other vehicle backed up and slammed into them again. More metal crunched as they were spun sideways. Then the other vehicle scraped past them and roared off.
All that was left in the cab was the sound of Hawk’s pounding heart against her ear that was pressed against his chest.