Agnes and the Renegade (Men of Defiance) (30 page)

Chayton held himself utterly still as he absorbed the meaning of her words.

“Chayton…” Logan quietly urged caution.

Chayton ignored his friend as he slowly returned to stand in front of his grandmother. “I have no dynasty. I have no people, no country, nothing other than my heart. It is mine. You cannot own it. You cannot buy it. You cannot relocate me from it. It is mine. And I have given it to my wife. Where is she?”

“She isn’t fit for you.”

“I will find her.”

“You are my grandson.”

“She is my wife.”

“I want more for you. You are socially handicapped in having been raised by savages. You need every advantage that can be afforded you. A proper young wife from another powerful family. An entire education. You need to adorn yourself in the attire expected of a man of your social status—and groom yourself accordingly.”

“I need my wife. Nothing else.”

“You cannot have her.”

Chayton’s eyes widened. “What have you done with her?”

“I sent her away.”

“Where?”

“She doesn’t matter.”

“She does matter. She is all that matters. She is my people.”

“I am your people.” She thumped her cane. “I am what matters. I am a wealthy woman, Chayton. A very wealthy woman. And though it aggrieves me terribly, I will not live forever. If you are alive when I die, you will inherit my wealth.”

“I care nothing for your money. It will not undo what has been done to my people.”

“No. It will not. However, what you choose to do with my money after I pass is entirely up to you. You could use it to help your people, in ways that only you would know how. Or, without your compliance to my wishes, I will likely bequeath my fortune to the widows and orphans of some cavalry unit—the very men whose sacrifice made this wild land safe for us to settle. I will not take care of the woman you call your wife. And I will not acknowledge my great-granddaughter.”

“You would aid my enemies?”

“The war is over, Chayton. Your people lost. They’ve been conquered. They must do what all conquered people do: assimilate or die. As you must. If you comply with my wishes”—she held up her hand and swept it through the air—“all of this will be yours. You can use it to aid your people, the people who stole my daughter from me, the people who killed your uncle and whose cruelty sent my beloved husband to an early and terrible death, sickened as he was by all he had lost. It will be yours, that is, only if you step into the role your grandfather built for you. You must learn to behave within the boundaries of a civilized gentleman; you must accept the challenges of the education you must receive to own and run the enormous business I’ve kept alive for you. You must groom yourself and dress appropriately. And you must cut your hair. If you comply, you will inherit my estate to use as you wish—perhaps to help your people.”

Chayton glared at the old woman, who behaved as if she held the power of a great chief. He drew his knife from its beaded sheath. It was satisfying to see her eyes widen and her pale face grow even paler. He took hold of one of his long, leather-bound braids and cut through it. He tossed the useless lump on the plush carpet at her feet then cut his other braid and dropped it next to the first.
 

His world had ended and he must mourn it, so it was an appropriate action. He would comply with the old woman’s wishes. He would wear the clothes of a white man. He would learn things white children learned. He would take up the reins of her cursed business.
 

But only so that he could use the profits to help his people—and only if he did so with Agkhee next to him.

“I will step into your white world, Grandmother, but only if you return my wife to me.”

His grandmother sighed. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, she sighed. “She is at the Giles Gallery on 16
th
Street.”

* * *

“Aggie—can you come down and join us?” Robin said through her closed door. “There are some men downstairs anxious to speak to you.”

Aggie opened the door. “Men?”

“They said they were friends of Chayton’s.”

“Is he here? In Denver?”

“Come down and ask them.”

Aggie didn’t need to be asked again. She’d sent Logan a letter the day she arrived, but so far hadn’t heard back. Had he come for her? She flew down the back stairs, then hurried through the kitchen to the foyer, where Robin had asked the men to wait. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw them. She didn’t recognize two of the men, but Sager, Logan’s brother, was with them. Her gaze settled on him. He slowly smiled.

Aggie’s eyes watered. “How is he?” she asked without preamble.

“Man’s goin’ out of his mind looking for you,” Sager told her.

“What of White Bird? Is she still with Logan?”

The men frowned at her. The tall one answered her. “She’s with us at my house.”

Aggie lowered her gaze and drew a relieved breath. The door opened. She looked between the men’s shoulders and saw Chayton and Logan come into the shop. She pushed through the men and rushed to Chayton. He caught her up in a tight grip. She couldn’t hold her tears back. Through her sobs, she heard Chayton murmur something in Lakota. Even without understanding his words, his voice was the most comforting sound she’d ever heard.
 

“I have been so sick with worry,” she choked through her tears.

“Why,
mahasani
? Why did you leave me?”

“Your grandmother said she would take White Bird from Sarah and Logan if I didn’t go.” She drew back and looked up at Chayton. “She’s a powerful woman, Chayton. She could do it.”

“No, she can’t.” Logan patted Aggie’s back. “No one’s going to take White Bird anywhere. I’m her legal guardian.”

Aggie sighed and lowered her head to Chayton’s shoulder.
 

“Are you well, Agkhee?” he asked.

“She hasn’t been eating. And what she does eat doesn’t stay down,” Giles said as he stood a few feet away from the gathering. Aggie hadn’t heard him join them.

Chayton’s arms tightened around her. “Who is this man, Agkhee?”

She straightened. “He was my father’s closest friend. He is like an uncle to me. He let me stay here when I had nowhere to go. Chayton, this is Prescott Giles and his assistant, Robin Daniels. Giles, Robin, this is my husband, Chayton, and his friends, Logan Taggert, Logan’s brother, Sager…” She looked at the other men, but didn’t know their names.
 

The tall one offered his hand. “Julian McCaid. And this is Jace Gage.” The men shook hands.
 

Chayton registered the words Giles had said. He looked at her and frowned. “Why haven’t you been eating?”

She sent a quick look around at the men, irritated with the hot wash of blood that colored her cheeks. The men were staring at her until a flash of intuition hit the tall one and he started to grin. “Food doesn’t sit well with me right now. And I’ve been so worried about you and White Bird.”

Chayton shook his head. “Worry does not change the taste of food.” He looked at the men, all of whom were smiling at him. Aggie saw his expression change when understanding hit him. She didn’t think her cheeks could become any hotter, but they did at that moment. “Agkhee, are you pregnant?”

She sighed and kept her eyes locked on his bear claw necklace. “It’s early yet. I cannot be sure, but I think so.”
 

He put his hand on her stomach, which was still flat. He spread his fingers wide, their span nearly reaching from hip to hip.
 

He bent his face to her hair. “You will not leave my sight. I will feed you. You will eat. And you will paint. You are my life, Agkhee. If you ever wish to leave me again, I will give you my knife so that you can kill me outright.” The lines around his mouth deepened as he spoke his edict. She reached up and touched his cheeks, then noticed his hair was short, ragged thongs still binding his truncated braids.
 

“What happened to your hair?”

“It does not matter.”

“It matters.”

“When a
Lakȟóta
mourns, he cuts his hair.”

“What were you mourning? Not me?”

“You. And everything that is no more.”

“Let’s go home,” Logan said.

“Where is home?” Aggie asked him.

“My town home,” the tall man answered. He withdrew a card from his breast pocket and gave it to Giles, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“I could do nothing less. She is like a daughter to me. Aggie—we still need to finalize a few things about the exhibit.”

She left Chayton’s side and went to hug both Giles and Robin. “Set the prices that you wish. I will concede this issue. This time.”

“My painting isn’t for sale, is it?” Logan asked.

“No, of course not. It’s only on loan for this show,” Aggie assured him.

Logan looked at his friends. “You have to see her work. She’s extraordinary.” He led the men into the exhibit rooms. Giles and Robin followed them. She glanced at Chayton, then stepped toward him and eased her arms around him.
 

He lifted her chin as he stared down into her eyes, then bent and pressed his lips to hers. She circled her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. After a moment, she broke the kiss. “I love you, Chayton.”

He bent his forehead to hers. “You are my life, Agkhee. If you throw our marriage away, what remains of my life will have no meaning for me.” He let his gaze sweep across her face. He caught her cheeks in his hands. “There may be bad things in our future—it is life, after all. But I need to know that we will face the good—and the bad—together. I am not strong enough to live without you.”

Aggie nodded. “I agree.”

“And you must eat. I wish for a strong, fine son.”

“Or another beautiful daughter.”

“It will be as it will be, but only if you nourish our child.”

She smiled. The men came back, buzzing with commentary as Logan herded them to the door. Something was different in their eyes when they looked at her now, as if they were trying to understand how she did what she did. They helped her into the carriage as if she were the most precious of creatures. Giles and Robin came outside to see them off. She waved to them from the open carriage window.
 

For the first time in days, she finally felt as if she could draw a full breath. The carriage swung as it moved into the road. She slipped her hand into Chayton’s and smiled up at him. “Thank you for finding me.”

He nodded toward the men with them. “Our friends helped. We are not without a people, I have learned.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Aggie stepped out of the dressing room, tightening the sash of her dressing gown. White Bird sat on the foot of the bed, facing her father. They were speaking rapidly in Lakota, but stopped when she entered. She sent a look between them, wondering if theirs was a private conversation. She smiled at White Bird, then asked Chayton, “Would you like some time alone to talk? I can go—”

He reached up and took her hand. “No.” He looked at his daughter. “Let us speak in English. We are deciding what will become of my daughter now.”

Aggie slipped her arm around White Bird and sat next to her. This choice was not Aggie’s to make, but she wanted to be sure that White Bird’s preferences were fully considered. “What is it that you wish would happen, sweetheart?”

White Bird sent a worried look to her father. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I understand grandmother wants me to live with her.”

Aggie checked Chayton’s reaction to that. “I have heard this also,” he said.

“Do you want to live with her?” Aggie asked.

“No, but it was kind of her to offer.”

“Do you want to live with us?” Aggie asked.

White Bird sent a pained look toward her father. “I don’t want to hurt my
até
.”

Chayton took her hand. “You wish to stay with Sarah and Logan?”

White Bird nodded. Her eyes were wide, and she looked about to cry. Chayton offered a reassuring smile. “This is a good decision. If it makes you happy, I know it will also make them happy. You are very important to them. Agkhee and I will be nearby much of the time, though I expect we will also have to spend time here in Denver, with grandmother.”

“White Bird, you know our home is yours. Wherever we are, you have a home with us, too.” Aggie looked at Chayton’s daughter, wondering if this was the right time to tell her their news. Better that they tell her than she hear it from someone else. “I believe your father and I are going to have a baby sometime in the late spring.”

That news took a moment to sink in. When it did, White Bird hugged Aggie, then Chayton. She whispered something to him as she hid her face in his neck. A tear spilled down his cheek. He pulled her in tightly against him. “She said she misses her brother and hopes we have a boy.”

“Oh, White Bird.” Aggie couldn’t keep the tears from her eyes. Weeping was terribly easy lately.
 

Chayton’s daughter wiggled around to face her as she sat on her father’s lap. She swiped a hand across her face. “I’m glad I don’t have to leave my cousins. And I think Sarah and Logan are going to have a baby, too.”

“They are?” Chayton looked surprised.

White Bird nodded. “For some reason, Sarah can’t have children, but she is going to adopt one from Aunt Audrey. I heard them talking.”

Chayton wrapped his arms around White Bird. “Your family is growing, little bird.”

She nodded. “I’m glad. I thought we were dying,
Até
. But we aren’t. I will teach my new brothers or sisters how to be
Lakȟóta
.” She looked up at him. “The kids here think I should have a white name. What do you think?”

Chayton thought about that for a minute, then nodded. “It is a good idea. Have you chosen your name? Or would you like me to give you one?”

“I like the name Skylar. It sounds like a bird soaring.”

“It is a good name.” He nodded. “I have decided that we will take grandmother’s last name. In the white world, last names are given from the father to the children. My father did not need a last name. But my mother received her last name from my grandfather. We will be Burkholders. You will be Skylar White Bird Burkholder. I will be Chayton Burkholder. And Agkhee is Agkhee Hamilton Burkholder.”