Shades of Gray (22 page)

Chapter 25

Gray leaned
forward in the saddle and ducked his head under a low hanging branch. 
Stonewall’s mane whipped his face, and Gray squinted his eyes against the
lashing.  He had pushed the horse hard, riding through difficult terrain instead
of the path he generally took to Crest Ridge.  Downed logs had provided a few
obstacles, but none like what Gray had faced before setting out.  Stonewall had
taken the hurdles in stride, seeming to enjoy the challenge of clearing the
barrier while maintaining his speed.  Although Gray wouldn’t be able to get to
Crest Ridge and the church in the allotted timeframe, he hoped he made the
correct choice.  This was not the time to think of the repercussions of his
decision.  Committed to this plan, he would see it through regardless of the
consequences.  Both Kat and Lily’s lives were at risk, and he didn’t intend to
lose either of them. 

Breaking out
of the forest and into the clearing, he turned Stonewall onto the roadway and
slowed his pace.  The horse pranced, still agitated from the challenging run. 
Gray walked him around the last bend in the road and held to the side of the
lane.  Looking into Marta’s front yard, he glanced from one side of the
property to the other, searching for any evidence of mishap.  A doll he had
given Lily sat propped on the porch and a sampler lay in the seat of a nearby
rocker.  Other than those two items, nothing seemed out of place.  Gray sighed
and turned his attention to the barn.  There was no evidence that anyone was home,
either. 

Slipping back
into the brush, he threaded his way to the barn and stabled Stonewall, once
inside the building.  He glanced around the structure as he watered and fed the
horse.  Gear and harness hung in the tack room, and Lily’s pony stood in her
stall.  The mare poked her head over the gate and watched him move from the
back of the building to the front.  If Petticoat was the only horse stabled,
Marta and Lily were most likely alone.  Pete must have taken the other horses
with him earlier this morning.  Without his brother-in-law here to protect his
family, Gray wondered what he would find inside the house. 

A work coat
and hat hung on a peg by the hinge, and a chill washed over him.  He forced
himself to the door and tried to remember if he had ever encountered Levi.  A
meeting seemed unlikely since he was aware of most town residents before his
alienation.  Gray pushed his good arm through the armhole and shimmied the coat
on, wrapping it over his shoulder and sling.  If Levi had waited for Pete to
leave before making his presence known, perhaps he wouldn’t recognize Gray at
close range.  He pulled the borrowed hat down to his ears, opened the door, and
stepped into the yard.

Several yards
separated him from the house and for each step he took, the distance seemed to
increase.  Reaching the side steps, he moved to the window and peered into the
house.  Seeing Levi at the kitchen table, he jerked backward and pressed
himself flat against the wall.  Gray considered the brief glimpse he had
managed to see.  Reece’s hired assassin sat facing the window.  Distracted by
Marta at the opposite end of the table, his attention had been diverted from
the glass.  Levi’s hand had remained at his waist, most probably near his
weapon.  The females looked scared, but didn’t appear to be injured.  Lily
huddled close to her aunt’s side.  It was comforting to know, his daughter was
safe, at least for now.  While both of them were in good health, there was no
need to wait until Levi decided to carry out his assignment.  

Pushing away
from the wall, Gray adjusted the coat over his broken arm.  He would try to
conceal his disadvantage for as long as possible.  His profuse sweating and
pale color could be attributed to an onset of fever.  Perhaps Levi would be
concerned about catching the croup and leave. 

There was no
need to wait any longer.  Walking to the front door, he grasped a firm grip on
the handle and walked in.  Marta’s mouth dropped open, and she gasped.  Gray
ignored Levi and hurried to his sister-in-law.  Not giving her a chance to
speak, he pulled her into his arms and clutched her tight. 

“Hello,
Darling,” he said, and turned her so Levi couldn’t see him speak into her ear. 
“Where’s Pete?” he whispered.

Marta pulled
back and blinked up at him.  Was he going to have to kiss her to further his
ruse? 

“Did you take
care of the tree stump in the
south
field
?” she asked in a veiled
answer.

He relaxed his
body, grateful she understood.  “It slipped my mind.  I’ll get to it later.” 

Reaching his
hand to Lily, he patted her head and turned her chin up to him.  He winked down
at her, reassuringly.  She forced a smile, but remained silent.

Gray pinched
the side of the jacket, holding it closed and reached his right arm to Levi. 
“I apologize for being late,” he said in greeting.  Nothing flickered in the
man’s eyes to indicate recognition.  Perhaps he could confuse him long enough
to remove Lily from the room.  He didn’t need his daughter to witness a murder,
his or Levi’s.  Keeping himself positioned between Levi and his family, he
pressed onward. 

“I assume
you’re here concerning the property over the rise.”  Gray scanned the table and
then flicked a glance to Marta.  “Where are you manners, woman?  Put a pot of
water on for tea.”  He dropped his attention to his daughter.  Her fists
clutched handfuls of Marta’s skirt.  “Lily,” he said, and waited for her to
look up at him.  “Your pony looked as though she could use a carrot.  Why don’t
you pull one from the garden and take it to her?” 

Levi stood to
his feet, and Marta gasped.  Whether he had moved to a standing position to
intimidate the family or to stretch his back, the bulky man blocked the
doorway.  Gray put his hand on Lily’s shoulder and pushed her behind him.  She
wrapped her arms around his leg and held tight.  Her breath heated a small
circle on the back of his thigh.

“Marta?” Gray
asked.  “How is that tea coming along?  Our guest appears thirsty.” 

“I need more
water,” she answered from behind him. 

“She needs
more water,” Gray repeated.  He shrugged and pointed to the window.  “The
well’s outside.  I do hate to discuss business with a parched throat, don’t
you?”

Levi licked
his lips and pulled at the collar of his shirt.  He remained silent and then
stepped to the window, positioning himself to see the door and the front yard
simultaneously.  “She can go,” he said, and nodded in the general direction.

Wood clattered
behind Gray and Marta moved from the stove.  Reaching the door, she turned and
looked at him as though she had forgotten something.  Her gaze dropped to his
side.  Lily’s small hand filled Gray’s palm, and she held to his finger.  Her
other arm tightened around his leg.  Never had he wanted to take his daughter
in his arms and tell her who he was more than at this moment.  If they all
survived this day, his confession would be the first thing he would tell her.

Gray swallowed
and tried to summon the same courage he had used when deciding to send Lily to
Crest Ridge for her safety.  “Lily,” he said, his voice definite and firm.  “Go
with your Aunt Marta and help her with the pail.”

Marta closed
her eyes in a slow blink, and a tear fell from the corner of her eye.  Neither
of them had wanted the truth divulged like this.  She now had the answer she
had pressed Gray for earlier in the week.  Marta opened the door, and held out
her hand to Lily.  The girl glanced up at Gray, silently asking if she should
obey.  His next action would be the most difficult of his life.  He squeezed
her hand, memorizing the feel of her little digits in his, and then nudged her
away from him.  Her hand fell from his, and she hurried outside in front of
Marta.  Unsure how much strength remained in his body, at least his daughter
was closer to being free of a madman.

“You know my
name?” Levi asked, keeping his attention on Marta and Lily.

“I’ve heard it
mentioned,” Gray answered.  He crossed his arms and slid his right hand inside
his sling, taking hold of the pistol he had loaded before leaving Oak Willow. 
He was sure of the shot, but would rather not fire a weapon with Lily close
by.  Although Levi hadn’t shown a gun, he was sure to have one on him and would
most likely fire at her before Gray could wrestle it away from him. 

“This is a
nice family you have,” Levi said.  From where he stood, he still had a clear
view and a clean shot of Lily.

“We’re happy,”
Gray said.  He looked to the stove.  The small amount of water in the pot started
to boil.  He inched closer to the cookware.  “If you have an appointment we’re
keeping you from, we can discuss the property at another time.” 

Levi glanced
at the wall clock.  “My appointment is in five minutes.  I won’t receive my pay
if I’m not on time.  His hand moved behind his back and under his coat. 
Stopping, he looked over his shoulder to Gray.  “Aunt Marta?  You called the
woman, aunt.  I thought she was the girl’s mother.”

“Lily’s mother
is deceased.  Marta is her aunt.”

Levi’s thin
lips spread broadly across his bucked teeth into a wicked grin.  He turned away
from the window and slowly raked his gaze from Gray’s feet to his hat.  “The
girl is your daughter, isn’t she?”

Gray stared
over at him and tightened his grip on his pistol.  Had he underestimated
Reece?  The dying man had seemed confident in the woods, even when drawing his
last breath.  Sweat dripped from Gray’s brow and burned his eye.  He squinted
and blinked, trying to clear his vision.  Did Reece plan for Levi to kill Gray and
kidnap Lily?  After all, if Gray was dead, there would be no one to prevent
Reece from raising Daria’s daughter?  Releasing his pistol, he swiped his hand
across his forehead, hoping to remove the layer of dread washing over him.  

“Lily is my
daughter,” Gray admitted.  It felt good to say the words aloud.

Levi’s bulbous
eyes widened, and he pulled a pistol from behind his back.  “Then you are the
one I’m waiting for.”

“You aren’t
here to kill Lily.  Are you?”

Levi pushed
his hat back on his head.  “Yes, I am, but I had to wait for you to arrive.  It
seems Mr. Mullins wants you to witness her death.  He is a rather cruel man,
isn’t he?”

“Why murder a
little girl?”  Gray considered reaching his hand back in his sling but thought
better of it.  The way Levi held the pistol in a loose grip, he would be
expecting Gray to have a pistol hidden on him somewhere.

“It seems a
might warm in here to wear a coat.  Wouldn’t you be a tad more comfortable if
you took it off?”  He motioned toward the back of the chair with his weapon.

Gray ignored
him and rested his hand on the counter near the stove.  No water remained in
the bottom of the pot.  “Does it matter to you that Reece is dead.  He died
this morning in a fire.”

Levi pulled
his head back and rubbed the barrel against the side of his jaw.  “It doesn’t
change things.”

“I won’t let
you hurt my daughter!” Gray shouted.  He picked up the small pan and swung it
at Levi’s head.  Landing the bottom of the cast iron against his cheek, the
pot-marked skin sizzled.  A high pitched scream deafened the room, and Levi
dropped his weapon.  Falling to his knees, he clutched his face in both of his
hands and rocked back and forth at the waist.  Gray stepped over him and looked
through the window.  Marta lifted Lily into her arms and raced across the yard
in the direction of the barn.  He leaned his shoulder against the wall. At
least they were safe. 

Levi moaned
behind him, and a dull sound scraped across the kitchen floor.  Gray pulled his
pistol from his sling and turned to his right.  A red blast shot from Levi’s
gun, and Gray fired. 

****

Marta sat Lily
on her feet and rushed to close the barn door.

“Aunt Marta?”
Lily asked.

The words
sounded odd to her ears.  She had imagined what it would be like to hear the
distinction after caring for Lily as if she were her own child.  It was as
wonderful as she had hoped.

“Yes, Lily,”
Marta said as she surveyed the room.  She didn’t have a weapon with her, but
there had to be something in the building that could offer protection. 

“Is Uncle Gray
my papa?”

Marta knelt in
front of the girl and took her hands in hers.  “Yes, dear.  Gray is your papa. 
I’m you Aunt Marta.  You lived with Uncle Pete and me while your papa took care
of a bad man.”

“Is the bad
man gone now?”  Lily asked.

Marta flinched,
thinking of the gunshot she heard as she closed the barn door.  “I certainly
hope so.  And if he is, you will get to live with your papa at Oak Willow.” 

“With you and
Uncle Pete, too?”

“I suppose we
could come with you for a little while.”  She turned the girl’s shoulders and
walked her in the direction of the hayloft ladder.  Setting her on the fourth
rung, she glanced to the closed door, and climbed up after her. 

They crawled
onto the loft floor, and the barn door opened beneath them.  Nudging Lily to
move ahead of her, they scrambled to the far wall and hid behind a hay bail. 
Wide-eyed, Lily looked up at Marta, her jaw trembling.  Marta put her finger to
her lips, and Lily nodded her understanding. 

Footsteps
walked deeper into the building.  Marta shifted her body and scooted herself in
front of Lily.  Weight pressed into the ladder slats as someone climbed to the
loft.  Marta searched the area for the pitchfork.  The handle leaned against
the wall.  Leaving Lily unguarded, she grabbed it and swung around just as a
man’s hat cleared the floor board.

Lily squealed
and ran to the balcony, kicking loose straw in front of her.  She threw herself
forward and wrapped her arms around Gray’s neck.  Swaying backward, he fought
to keep a one-handed hold on the ladder.  “Is the bad guy gone?” she asked,
pressing her face against his cheek.