Fated Memories (36 page)

Whirling, Jessie ran out the back door, just in time to hang her head over the porch banister. When at last she could straighten up, she felt the warm washrag Hattie was holding, touching the side of her face.

“
Ah think you an’ me needs to talk, chile.” Hattie turned her towards the door.

“
It ain’t what you think, Hattie.” Jessie held the washrag against her flushed face. “I must be comin’ down with somethin’s all.”

“
Effen dat bes de case,” Hattie tipped Jessie’s trembling chin upwards, “den Ah guess we best sends fer de doctah.”

“
I don’t need a doctor!” Jessie slapped the gentle hands away. “Leave me alone!”

Upstairs in her room, she threw herself down on the bed, beating her fists into her pillow. “Oh God! What am I gonna do? She’ll tell Mama! I know she will! I gotta get outta here.”

Yanking open dresser drawers, she snatched the folded clothes up in her hands, cramming them into a small bag, when something at the very bottom of one of the drawers caught her eye.

At the sight of a heart-shaped locket dangling from a long chain, she felt her heart constrict with pain. “This is the locket Daddy and I had made in Miles City last year. It musta been attached to one of my sweaters when I put it away.”

She opened the small heart, gazing upon the image of her father and herself happy and smiling into the camera. “We had this taken when he received his Cattleman’s Award, and I wrote that speech on what it feels like to be the daughter of the best cattleman in the state of Montana. He stood and cheered so loud no one could even hear what I had to say.” She laughed amidst the hot tears falling down her face. “He musta read those words a hundred times before the ceremony,” she clutched the small locket tight in her hand.

“
I wonder how proud he’ll be when he learns I’m gonna have Two Spirits’ baby?” The happy feelings she had been enjoying dissolved into those of guilt and fear. “In just one year, I’ve gone from makin’ him the proudest father in Montana to one who will never be able to hold up his head in this state ever again.” She secured the locket around her neck.

Without giving herself time to think about the rashness of her decision, she walked to the open window and, hefting her bag of clothes to the sill, let it drop to the ground.

“
I’ll probably never see this place again,” she turned to take one last look. Then, her mind made up as to what she must do, she made her way out of the room. Luck stayed with her as she let herself out the front door. She moved to the side of the house to stash her bag back among the tall Lilac bushes, making sure it could not be seen. The hands had already left the bunkhouse, so no one stopped her as she saddled her horse then went back to the house to retrieve her belongings.

Within moments, she rode down the lane on her way to Two Spirits. Flashes of her life before he had entered it and turned it upside down shot through her mind. Days as a little girl riding in front of her father on his big horse, while he checked on a herd of cattle or horses, never failed to make her happy. How safe she had felt, with his big arms keeping her from falling off as they rode, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, depending on her mood. Even then she had chosen to be out on the range with her father rather than being with her mother and Hattie in the house. There had been so much to see, and her father had almost always agreed to take her with him. Of an instant, a memory seeped into her thoughts, turning her stomach into a hard knot. It concerned a conversation she had overheard between her parents one night about two years ago, when she had crept downstairs for some of Hattie’s sweet potato pie left over from dinner. By the sound of her father’s voice, she could tell he had been drinking, his words slurred and hard to understand. But the pain in those words had been apparent to anyone with ears to hear. He talked about a subject she had heard many times over the years, but had never understood until that night. He talked about how much he yearned to have a son. The knowledge that he could not be content with the daughter he had, had left her with a feeling of hurt mixed with anger. As the memory glared before her, she told herself perhaps her father would accept her going away better than she had thought.

“
Since I’m not his first choice, my going shouldn’t cause too much of a hardship.” She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt and, when she looked up, she saw a movement in the trees. Her heart jumped, for she knew who it was.

He waited for her back among the tall pines skirting the lake. As she drew near, he moved out of the trees.

“
Jessie,” he called out to her.

Drawing her horse up tight, her eyes scanned in the direction of his voice, until at last she saw him waiting for her. “Two Spirits.” She smacked her horse with the reins.

When her horse drew even with his, he lifted her into his arms. “My woman, I have missed you so much,” he whispered, his voice muffled in her long thick hair.

“
I thought I would never see you again.”

“
My love for you and our child could not be silenced. I am going to take you far away from here. Will you come with me?”

“
I would go to the ends of the earth with you, Two Spirits. As long as we’re together, I’ll never look back.”

He placed her back on her horse. “The danger that lies in wait for us, Jessie, must be dealt with now. You cannot return to your father’s ranch. We must go now.”

“
My clothes are in a bag tied to back of my saddle. I’m ready.”

In silence, he led them through the forest. As they rode, he told her about all that had transpired with his mother and Pehta.

“
I’m sorry you have to leave your family and friends. I only hope this won’t make you regret what we’ve had to do.”

“
Jessie, as long as I have you and our child by my side, I will never wish for more.”

“
Wolfer said you will never be happy without your people. I don’t believe that. I think as long as we’re together, nothin’ else matters.”

“
Our families cannot understand what we feel for one another. They see the color of our skin. Now they will know that does not matter. We love each other, Jessie,” he told her, his voice low and caressing, “and we will be together.”

“
How did you know about the baby?”

“
Pehta told me”

“
But how…?” she began, then remembered the man’s uncanny ability to see things before they happened. Not wanting to dwell on Pehta and what she deemed his strange behavior, she chose instead to talk about their coming child. “Two Spirits, are you happy about the baby?”

“
Yes, Jessie. Our daughter will bring us much happiness. She will prove to everyone our races can be mixed, that prejudiced feelings dwell in the minds of those too ignorant to open their eyes and see beyond the color of a person’s skin.”

“
He even knows our child is a little girl?”

Nodding, he smiled over at her. “He asked that we name her Tia, after the wife of his brother. I hope you will not be angry, for I told him we would.”

“
Two Spirits, I no longer fear the stories you tell me about the spirits and visions, for I had a vision myself last night.”

He stared at her, wanting to believe her. “What did you see?”

“
I saw a dark-skinned little girl who ran and laughed with a very handsome Indian man.” She tried to remain calm in the telling.

“
How can you be sure you had a vision and not a dream?”

“
Because the little girl changed into a young woman and the man who held her called her Tia.”

“
You have been blessed with the gift of looking upon the face of our daughter, Jessie.”

“
I no longer look at life through the eyes of a white girl. I see life through the eyes of your woman.”

“
Jessie, do not be a reflection of my love. I want you to remain your own person. The spirits have given each of us our own life to live. Never let another lead you on a path you do not wish to travel.”

“
I won’t, Two Spirits. I have enough of my father’s blood flowing in my veins to always be true to myself.”

“
What made you decide to come to me today?”

“
Hattie knows I’m pregnant. I thought it best to leave before she told my parents. I feel bad about runnin’ away and leavin’ her to handle all the mess, but I had to. If I’d stayed, my father would never have let me leave.”

“
Then you did right, little one. If the fates are kind, he will not suspect me right away as the one who has fathered your child.”

“
There’s no way he can suspect you. He’ll think it’s one of the boys around the county I’ve been seein.”

“
For another man to claim the siring of my child, even in the minds of those who are guessing fills my heart with anger.”

“
We needen worry about things like that anymore, Two Spirits. We are startin’ a whole new way of life with only the three of us to worry about.”

He smiled over at her. “Our destiny is in our hands now. No one will ever be able to dictate our lives again.”

As they kneed their mounts into a fast gallop, the strong wind blowing down from the mountains, lifted away all their problems.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Hattie tapped on Jessie’s bedroom door. When her knocking drew no response, she turned the knob pushing the door open wide.

“
Miss Jessie, is you sleepin?” she called out in a soft voice.

All remained silent.

“
Miss Jessie?” Hattie peeked into the quiet room.

Finding the room empty, she walked inside, the opened drawers of the large bureau drawing her attention.

“
Now why’d she do dat? Der ain’ no reason fer her ter bes leavin’ eve’ything jucked opened lak dat. She jes’ specs me ter cleans up affer her all de time. Git’n so a body kain nebber bes thoo wukin!” she grumbled, beginning to push the drawers closed. But as she peered inside, her breath caught in her throat. “All her clothes bes gawn. Oh Lawd, whut twuz in dat chile’s mine to kase her ter runs ‘way lak dis?”

“
Who ran away?” Charlotte asked, coming into the room.

“
Oh, Miz Charlotte,” Hattie wailed, blowing her nose into her apron.

“
Hattie, what in the world’s the matter with you? And where’s Jessie?”

“
She gawn, Miz Charlotte.”

“
Are you tellin’ me she took off without tellin’ anyone where she planned on goin’ again?”

“
No’m, Miz Charlotte, Ah means she ain’ nowhars in de house an’ all her clothes bes gawn.”

“
What do you mean her clothes are gone?” Charlotte yanked open Jessie’s chest of drawers. “I don’t understand this.” She stared into the empty drawers.

“
Miz Charlotte,” Hattie led the other woman over to seat her on the side of Jessie’s bed, “you needs ter sits yo’seff down fer a minute, kase Ah think Ah knows why Miss Jessie done runed away.”

“
Hattie, you’re scarin’ me,” Charlotte whispered.

“
Miz Charlotte, you doan knows de half of it.” Hattie wiped her eyes on her apron. “Ah thinks Miss Jessie bes in de fambly way.”

“
What are you talkin’ ‘bout?” Charlotte jumped from the bed.

“
Now, jes’ calms yo’seff,” Hattie took Charlotte’s hand, “an’ lets me tells you why Ah thinks de way Ah does.”

“
This better be good, Hattie. You’ve made a serious accusation against my daughter and I won’t allow anyone to talk about her like that!” She turned her back to the woman trying to talk to her.

“
Miz Charlotte,” Hattie sat herself on the bed and positioned herself so Charlotte had no choice but to acknowledge her. “Ah din’ wants ter b’lives it needer, but den Ah started a-putin’ eve’ything tergither an’ dat’s whut Ah thinks is a-gwing on.”

“
Just tell me why you think she’s pregnant!”

“
Awright, Ah’ll tells you.” Hattie nodded, gulping several deep breaths to calm herself. “Las’ night, w’en ah broughts up her supper, she ast me why de mizry doan comes w’en it spos to, an’ Ah tole her, dat de only reason Ah knows of dat de mizry doan comes is w’en a womens gwing ter has a baby.”

“
What’d she say?”

“
She jes’ say dat kain bes de reason, kase she ain’ been wid nobody in dat way.”

“
Oh thank God!” Charlotte breathed, clutching a hand to her heart. “You really had me scared for a moment, Hattie.”

“
Miz Charlotte, Ah knows fer a fact she ain’ had de mizry dis month kase ah went ter puts in a clean stack of flannel-wrapped-cottons fer her, lake ah does e’very month and ah seed she ain’ touched de las stack ah put in fer her.”

“
Hattie, there could be another reason. Maybe she’s upset about something. That’s made me late with my menstrual cycles before.”

“
She bes upset ‘bout sumpin’ awright, an’ dat sumpin’ she bes worrit ‘bout is dat she’s in de fambly way.”

“
Hattie, I believe my daughter. She’s never lied to us. There has to be another reason for her bein’ late,” Charlotte whispered. “There just has to be.”

“
Ah gots mo’ proof,” Hattie’s large shoulders drooped, “effen you wants ter hears it.”

Twisting the ring on her finger back and forth, she nodded. “Go ahead, Hattie, I’m listen’.”

“
Dis mawnin’ she wuz a-throwin’ up. Den w’en Ah says dat mout bes we needs ter sends fer de doctah she runned outta de room. Now all her clothes bes gawn, an’ she ain’ nowhere ter bes seed.”