“We thought about that. But John probably doesn’t want to make too much over it, for your sake, of course, and we understand. On the other hand, he’s probably got the Indian under guard. He’ll hang for what he did to you. Has he sent for the major?”
“Nothing happened,” Candice said stiffly, striding ahead of them and to the foyer, where she opened the door. And if you’ll excuse me, I have to lie down.
Millie and Elizabeth exchanged knowing glances. “Of course,” Millie said. “We certainly understand, don’t we, Elizabeth?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Every time Candice thought about Millie’s and Elizabeth’s insinuations, she felt sick.
It was bad enough eloping and returning without the man she had supposedly married, but to return with a half-breed Apache …
She took a breath. The talk would die down. Nothinghadhappened. Not like they meant, anyway. But she was ashamed when she thought of what had happened—and what the reaction would be if anyone knew the whole truth. How had her life come down to this?
She managed to sneak in to see Jack after the Henderson women had left, and was relieved to see him sleeping peacefully, although he still had a fever. Later she cornered Luke as soon as he came in off the range. “How is he?”
“His fever was lower this morning. I’ll check on him again now.”
“Thank you, Luke.”
“The size of your heart is starting to worry me, Candice,” he said.
“Luke, if it was his horse in there sick, I’d be sitting with it all day.”
Luke just gave her a queer look and left, heading toward the barn. Thank the Lord for her brother’s compassionate nature. She bumped into Mark on her way back to the house. He was angry. I saw the Henderson ladies on the road a while back when I was coming in, he said.
Oh, no, Candice thought.
“Jesus Christ, Candice! They started asking me things, and insinuating things …” His face was red. “If they’d been men I would have called them out!”
“Leave it be, Mark,” Candice said. “It doesn’t matter. They’re just two dirty-minded gossips with nothing better to do.”
“It doesn’t look right, him being here, sick or not. We should turn him over to Major Bradley. There’s probably a price on his head. Christ! What if there is?”
“Mark, he saved my life, and we’re not turning him over to any troops,” she said, thinking about the three cowboys he had killed in front of her very eyes. In cold blood. Good God—was there a reward out for him, as there was for Geronimo? Her thoughts must have showed, because Mark demanded to know what she was thinking. “Nothing,” she lied, turning away, agitated.
Before dinner, Luke took her aside and gave her good news—that Jack’s fever had broken and he was sleeping. Candice felt a huge relief, and she gave Luke a grateful smile, which was quite brilliant. He looked at her and frowned thoughtfully. Candice didn’t notice. But she did have a frisson of fear when Mark announced to the table that he was riding to Fort Buchanan that night.
“Tonight? What for?” her father asked.
“We got that breed here and we don’t know anything about him,” Mark said vehemently, not looking at Candice. “I want to know if he’s wanted. Just curing him and turning him loose isn’t right.”
“He saved my life,” Candice protested, aghast.
“Son, we owe the man that.”
“Pop, Lynch was telling me that the other day the troops were cutting off Geronimo when some brown-haired breed interfered, led them away. If this man is him then he’s damn sure wanted for questioning at least. I’m going. It’s got to be done; what’s going on here isn’t right.”
Candice was standing, her fork flung on the table. “What you’re doing isn’t right, Mark, and I’m sick of your interfering. He doesn’t ride with Geronimo—I know!” She turned and strode out, angry and upset. She could hear her family arguing about what Mark was going to do—whether they agreed or not. Later, when she was in her room waiting for everyone to fall asleep, she heard him riding out.
She couldn’t help but think that there were so few half-breeds with sable-colored hair and gray eyes.
That if such a man had interfered with the army, it had to be he.
Did that mean he was Geronimo’s ally?
Geronimo was at war with everyone except Cochise.
She had bitten down all her nails by the time the house was bathed in darkness and everyone except Mark had come to say good night. Then she scrambled out of bed, downstairs, and into the barn, closing the door before she lit the lantern. She held it up.
