Indigo Blue (15 page)

As she left the bedroom, Indigo’s thoughts contradicted him. Truth was the most blessed of gifts, and no one could share it in quite the same way that her father did.

When she entered the kitchen, Jake was just coming in the back door. Moisture beaded his hair, and his face had a ruddy, just-scrubbed look. She guessed he had found the pump at the spring and doused himself awake. His blue wool shirt, which enhanced the breadth of his shoulders, was buttoned and tucked, and he wore his boots.

“There’s a four-point buck out there,” Jake said with a laugh. “I thought he was going to run over me.”

“That’s normal around here,” Loretta told him. “We get mighty popular at breakfast time.”

Indigo circled him and headed for the back door. Her mother called after her. “You’d best step fancy, Indigo. Breakfast will be done here in a few minutes. On the way back in, can you grab me three more eggs out of the henhouse?”

Indigo pulled the back door open, uncomfortably aware of Jake Rand’s eyes on her. She bounded down the steps. The cool morning air slapped her cheeks as she hurried across the yard.

When she returned to the house, a stack of flapjacks sat in the center of the table. She hurried to the sink and worked the pump to wash the eggs she had gathered. Motioning for Jake to sit down, her mother placed a plate of eggs before him. Indigo sat across from him, her eyes still sticky from sleep, her mouth dry. She noticed that Jake had grabbed a quick shave.

When her mother returned and slid a plate under her nose, Indigo’s crossed herself and bent her head to whisper the blessing. As she finished praying, she made another sign of the cross and picked up her fork.

“You’re Catholic?” He regarded her with amused curiosity. “I thought you embraced your father’s beliefs.”

Though she had no appetite, Indigo swallowed a bite of egg and tried to ignore the tingling sensation on her skin wherever his gaze touched. “My father’s Great Ones and my mother’s God walk well together.”

He reached for the warmed honey and poured a generous amount over his buttered flapjacks. “Seems like the church would feel mighty crowded.”

Bristling with resentment, she commandeered the honey as soon as he finished with it. It seemed to her that he questioned her convictions at every turn. “Don’t you believe in the Blessed Trinity?”

“Most Christians do, in one fashion or another.”

“My mother believes in one God with three faces who reigns supreme over heaven and earth. My father worships many Gods who band together into one mystic force of nature. One God with many faces, or many Gods with one face—is there truly a difference?”

He seemed to consider that. “No, I guess there isn’t.”

Indigo forced a smile, not quite sure why she bothered to explain. Jake Rand’s opinion didn’t matter a whit to her. “I have been raised to recognize God everywhere, inside my mother’s church and outdoors in my father’s cathedral. I don’t feel confused, Mr. Rand, but blessed.”

Jake looked into her eyes. There was no mistaking the pain reflected there. Yet she spoke in a steady voice as if her heart wasn’t breaking. What a contradiction she was, this girl who crossed herself with the same arm that had been slashed only yesterday in a primitive grieving ritual. One God with many faces. She embodied two different cultures, somehow in harmony with both. One minute, she seemed as white as he. The next, she seemed pure Indian. The mixture fascinated him. In her simple way, she had just sliced through complexities that had baffled theologians for centuries. He recalled the long night they had spent at the Geunther cabin, the feeling of mysticism that had surrounded him. No other woman had ever managed to touch him as this wisp of a girl did.

Though she went through the motions, Jake noticed that she ate very little of her breakfast. When she rose from the table to scrape her plate, her mother handed her a dish of pork rinds.

“I thought it might cure Toothless of the hairballs.”

Jake searched his mind and couldn’t recall which animal was called Toothless. He watched as Indigo scraped her uneaten eggs onto the saucer. A sad expression crossed her face. “I reckon I won’t have to hunt as much now.”

“No, I reckon not,” Loretta replied gently.

Jake waited until Indigo left by the back door; then he asked, “Who’s Toothless?”

Loretta cast him a surprised look. “You didn’t see him out back?” Laughter warmed her blue eyes. “You’d better take care, Mr. Rand. You won’t see a snake until it bites you.”

“Toothless is a snake?”

She chuckled. “Lands, no. Although there is a bull-snake that comes up now and again to sun on the stoop. If you’re still around this spring and come across him out there, just step around him. Because of Indigo, he thinks he has squatting rights. Toothless is a cougar.”

“A cougar.” Jake slid an incredulous glance to the rear windows. “The mountain lion she feeds?”

She chuckled again. “He’s an old fellow. Age has robbed him of his teeth, and arthritis has set in. He can’t hunt well, so Indigo supplements his diet. Every morning, he comes up to the edge of the yard and waits for his breakfast.”

Jake’s nape prickled. “It doesn’t worry you, her feeding a wildcat?”

“Indigo isn’t like most girls.”

Breakfast forgotten, Jake pushed up from his chair and walked to the window. A few feet into the trees, he saw Indigo kneeling near a huge golden cat. In addition to the saucer of rinds and eggs, she had taken along a slab of meat from the smokehouse. Muscle rippling under his sleek coat, the cougar circled her, back and forth, impatiently watching while she cut the venison into manageable chunks.

“My God,” Jake whispered. “One swipe from a paw, and she’d be ripped wide open.”

Loretta joined him at the window. “I used to worry myself into fits. Over the years, I’ve grown accustomed to it. She was only knee-high—about four, I think—when the first wild creature followed her home. A coyote with a front foot that had been mangled in a trap. She ran in and asked her father to come doctor it.”

The cougar moved closer to Indigo, and Jake caught his breath. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing when the girl lifted her hands and let the cat lick her fingers clean. “She’s crazy.” He glanced at Loretta. “What did Hunter do?”

“What could he do? He went out and doctored its foot.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, no. Indigo had to calm the coyote first. It took some talking to convince him Hunter was safe.”

“Talking?”

“I can’t explain it, Mr. Rand. Just take my word. She speaks with the animals.” Her eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. “You haven’t felt it when she looks at you?”

A chill shot up Jake’s back. “Felt what?”

“She has a gift. If you have secrets, guard them well.”

Jake recalled the feeling that had come over him yesterday, that she was reading him. Unnerved and trying to pretend he wasn’t, he said, “She told me a sow bear tried to kill her once. Her gift didn’t work that time.”

“As with all talking, it takes cooperation on both sides.”

Jake was relieved to hear that. He’d be careful from now on not to let Indigo look into his eyes for very long. The thought stymied him. He didn’t really believe such nonsense. Did he?

Loretta went on to explain. “The sow had cubs. Indigo and Lobo stumbled across them accidentally. The sow panicked.” She wiped her hands on her apron and turned back to the kitchen. “Believe me, it’s the rare animal who turns on her. Sometimes, of a morning or late evening, I need a club to reach the privy. Skunks and coons, badgers and coyotes, and deer galore. They come hoping for handouts. The deer are the bravest. They’ll walk right up and butt you, begging for flapjacks. A body would think we lived miles from town, but I guess they don’t feel threatened here. She has a way about her.”

Jake watched Indigo as she walked back toward the house. The cougar disappeared into the woods. “Why does she bother hunting? She could pick off a deer from the back stoop.”

“Mercy, no. Not one of those who come to the house. That wouldn’t be fair when they trust her so.”

Jake rubbed his jaw. This family bewildered him more by the moment. Indigo entered. A rush of fresh air washed in with her. He turned from the window. He recalled his first impression, that there was something wild about her. He had been more perceptive than he realized.

 

When she and Jake reached the mine, Indigo realized that the next few days might prove even more difficult than her mother feared. At the entrance to the tunnel, several of the younger men stood in a group. The moment they saw her, they broke apart and returned to work, but she didn’t miss the appraising looks they gave her or the knowing smirks on their faces. She wanted to close her mind to them. Losing Lobo was difficult enough.

In hopes of drawing strength from her surroundings, Indigo lifted her gaze to the thick timber that encroached upon the rocky hillside above the mine. Without turning to look, she absorbed the feeling of serenity that emanated from the tangled woodlands to her left and right. Peace filled her, and she straightened her shoulders, ready now to face the pocket of humanity ahead of her.

“Stupid asses,” Jake muttered.

Indigo dragged her mind back to the present. “I beg your pardon?”

“Nothing.”

She knew by the flush on Jake’s neck that the smirks on the men’s faces infuriated him. She prayed he wouldn’t say or do anything to make matters worse. The best course of action in a situation like this was to pretend indifference. Jake would leave here in a few weeks. But this was her world.

Picking her way across the loose braid of rails, Indigo approached the toplander, who handled all the ore cars when they surfaced from the mine. The skip was full, which clued her that the track had been cleared so they could drill and dig in the west drifts. “Good morning, Topper. How’s it going?”

Topper spat and slid his gaze toward Jake. “Things’ll be better when we get the other drifts dug back out. Only being able to work one section is like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble. This is the first load the trammer has brought up.”

“It’s better than nothing. Did Shorty check the timbers before you started work?”

Topper nodded. “He always does if you come in late. We heard about Lobo, missy. We’re all real sorry.”

Contrary to what Topper obviously wanted her to believe, Indigo doubted that all the employees shared that sentiment. “Thank you, Topper.” She turned to Jake. “You’ve met Mr. Rand?”

Jake extended his right hand. “I think we spoke in passing yesterday. Pleased to meet you.”

“You the new boss?”

“Only temporarily. I’m filling in for Mr. Wolf until he gets back on his feet.”

Topper spat again. One of the men who had just walked away hooted with laughter. Indigo turned just in time to see him glancing in her direction and nudging the fellow beside him. She could well imagine what they were saying, and humiliation scorched her cheeks. She returned her attention to Topper, determined to hold her head high.

Besides, what did it matter what they thought? Her interest in mining had never centered around the men she worked with. If they followed her orders, they could smirk all they liked.

She stood off to one side while Topper and Jake conversed. When she deemed it polite to move on, she tapped Jake’s arm and turned toward the creek, where several of the younger men worked the sluice, some shoveling and picking, others hauling up loads in wheel-barrows. Better to face the gossipmongers now.

When Jake bid Topper goodbye and fell in beside her, she could feel the tension emanating from him. He obviously wasn’t looking forward to this any more than she. As they approached the men, Indigo assessed their expressions. Unless she missed her guess, Denver Tompkins, a slender blond who had shown interest in courting her, was bent on being the most obnoxious. He drove the blade of his shovel into the dirt and leaned on the handle, flashing her a grin. She made straight for him.

“Good morning, Denver.”

His light blue gaze slid boldly over her body. “Mornin’.” His grin widened as he turned his attention to Jake. “I hear you two had an excitin’ adventure.”

“If you call getting shot at an adventure,” Jake replied.

“Bound to happen sooner or later. A lot of folks didn’t like that wolf.”

“That gave no one a license to shoot it,” Jake retorted.

Indigo resisted the urge to throw him a warning glance. If he lost his temper, there was little she could do about it. Corey Manning came up beside them and dumped a load of gravel. Dust billowed. She stepped to one side. Jake moved closer to the sluice to check the riffles. By the set of his shoulders, she could tell that he was angry. Not that she blamed him. She just prayed he would hold his peace.

Denver must have read Jake’s mood as well. His cocky grin faded, and he pulled his shovel free. After drawing a comparison between the two men, she decided the blond was wise to err on the side of caution. Jake was by far the taller and more powerfully built. A small man like Denver would be foolish to rile him.

The other men at the sluice took their cues from Denver. The smirks and knowing expressions disappeared from their faces like chalk marks wiped from a board. Indigo relaxed slightly. Jake appeared not to notice. But when he finished examining the riffles, she saw him slowly and deliberately meet the gaze of each man. A warning flashed in his dark eyes.

As they walked away, Indigo didn’t hear any more whispers or snickers. Jake caught her looking up at him and winked.

“The art of subtle intimidation,” he whispered. “It works every time.”

Subtle? Indigo hoped she was never one of his targets. She led him downstream to show him the mule-powered arrastra, which ground their ore. From there, she took him to see the two shafts that were located farther up the hill from the mine. After checking the pulley mechanisms on the two cages, he settled his hands on his hips and gazed down at the flume, which routed a controlled flow of water into the sluices.