"He's usually called Griff. He was embarra.s.sed when he told me how he got the name. His mother was a wh.o.r.e at the fort, and she thought it a joke on the men to name him that."

"Poor little boy!"

"I met him down in New Mexico and we spent more than a year together. He was the toughest kid I'd ever met. When he was thirteen he killed the man who had killed his mother and was sent to Yuma Prison for five years. I met him about a year after he was out. He's as square and honest as the day is long, but he's also deadly with a gun. I want you to know him and Bonnie. If you're ever in trouble or need help, you're to go to them, Cooper, or Logan."

"You have such good friends here. Why didn't you stay?"

"They were all family men, building for future generations. I just never seemed to fit, so I drifted on."

"You'd fit now."

"Yes," he said wearily. "Now I know what I was searching for." And found it too late, he added silently to himself.

"I promised I'd not ask what's taking you away from me. But sometimes, my love, I get so angry!" Her voice choked on the sobs in her throat. "Sometimes, I think I'll die, not knowing when, or how."

"I'm a selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.d for putting this burden on you. But I love you too much to deceive you. Put it out of your mind, darling, and hold me. Hold me, love me . . . make me forget."

She turned her face to his, angled her nose alongside his and caressed his lips with her own, nibbling, stroking with her tongue, deepening the kiss and withdrawing.

"I'll try, love. Oh, it's been such an eventful day. Henry finally found the courage to take up for himself, thanks to your teaching, Kain. Ellie met a husband she thought had been dead for twenty years, and Primer Ta.s.s wasn't killed after all. But even if the moon fell from the sky it wouldn't mean more to me than this."

All the adoration in her heart was given to him now. She murmured his name as her lips glided over his straight brows, short, thick eyelashes, cheeks rough with stubble, and over to his waiting mouth.

"Ah, love! Don't stop!" His voice came huskily, tickling her ear. His hands kneaded her rounded bottom and pressed her tightly to the aroused length of him captured between their bellies. "I can't get enough of you." His leg glided off hers and his hand moved to spread her thighs. He lifted her with strong hands on her waist. When he settled her on him, she made a purring sound like that of a pleased kitten. "Just be still, sweetheart. Just be still." His hands glided up over her hips to the sides of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which were flattened against his chest. He grasped her head and turned it so his lips could reach her mouth. "We fit perfectly, my love. We're perfect together," he said, breathing deeply. His voice was a shivering whisper that touched her very soul.

Much later, as she lay quietly beside him, he turned and buried his face in the curve of her neck like a child seeking comfort. She held him, stroked his thick brown hair back from his forehead, loving him, wanting him to feel loved. She tried to dismiss the feeling of impending heartache. In torment she tightened her arms around him and pressed her mouth to his forehead. She wondered if she would be able to bear the loneliness without him. It was lonely now, knowing he was going, she told herself, but how would it be when she knew he'd never . . . She rolled her head, not wanting to think about it. Finally she fell asleep, wishing the night would go on and on.

Chapter Eighteen.

Sat.u.r.day morning came, and everyone was up early and in a state of excitement. Kain was sure some of the guests would arrive by early afternoon. Ellie had set her jaw, called on her reserves, and gone through each day with bulldog tenacity. Now she was afraid she'd not have enough food and, after stirring up the cake, made a rice pudding. Vanessa and Mary Ben did last-minute cleaning.

The Hookers came to breakfast while John sat in the loft of the barn where he could see anything that moved within a half a mile of the house. They ate hurriedly so they could escape the kitchen where the floor had been scrubbed, the iron cookstove polished with stove black, the curtains washed, and the women were fussing with the cooking.

"Your clean shirts are on the hook by the door, Jeb," Ellie called from the pantry. "Don't slam the door when you go out. The cake will fall."

"I warn't goin' to slam it nohow," Jeb mumbled to his brother on the way to the barn.

The steer was ready to cook. Between the barn and the clump of pines that had worried Clay, another pit had been dug and lined with adobe bricks. A tin cover was fashioned to hold in the smoke, and hickory wood was stacked nearby. The brothers were pleased with their part in the gala event, and when not taking a turn in the loft to watch for Primer Ta.s.s, they were fussing around the pit.

Vanessa took Mary Ben upstairs to try on her wedding dress one more time to be sure the hem was right.

"I'm jist scared pea-green, Van. What with all them folks comin' 'n all."

Vanessa, on the floor with pins in her mouth, looked up at her worried young face.

"It is scary meeting a lot of folks for the first time. I'm a little scared, too. I keep wondering if Kain's friends will like me. We'll just be scared together, Mary Ben. Goodness, you'll be as pretty as a picture, and Henry is so proud he's about to burst his b.u.t.tons."

"I'm scared I ain't got enough manners, 'n what if somebody asks me to write somethin'?"

"Oh, shoot! I forgot you'll have to sign your marriage paper." Vanessa stood. "I'll tell you what we'll do. I'll write your name on a paper, and you stay here in your room and copy it until you can write it. It doesn't have to be good. No one will see it but you and Henry and the preacher. Later, I'll teach you how to write all your letters. Now, off with the dress so we can get started."

Vanessa went to the kitchen to report to Ellie.

"Poor child. Of course she would be embarra.s.sed." Ellie finished crimping the crust around a pie, moved it aside and began filling another pie sh.e.l.l. "I can't think of anything else that has to be done except shake that rug you're standing on. We all had baths last night, so our guests can use the tub tonight if they want. Don't shake it, Vanessa, unless you put something over your hair. Goodness, we don't want to have to wash it again."

"Where's Kain?"

"He and Henry are polishing boots. Good heavens! That man is beside himself. He's so happy, he keeps grinning all the time. I think he feels better, too." Ellie rolled out another crust and fitted it into a granite pie plate.

"I took the st.i.tches out a couple of days agoa""

"That's what I mean, dear," Ellie said hastily. "He feels better now that the bandages are off."

In the middle of the afternoon the first of the guests arrived. Kain stood on the porch, his face wreathed with smiles, as Cooper and Lorna Parnell rode in. He was in the yard before they could dismount and hurrying to lift Lorna from the saddle. Time hadn't changed her. She wore britches and a pullover shirt belted at the waist, a blanket coat, and a flat-brimmed hat. Her black hair hung like a curtain about her shoulders and her violet eyes laughed down at him.

"Lorna! You're as beautiful as ever."

He set her on her feet and she reached up to hug him. "You're just saying that because you're getting married! I told Cooper I was half in love with you myself."

"Don't tell him that! He'll shoot me." He stuck out his hand to Cooper, who was still sitting his horse. "Glad to see you, Cooper. What've you got here?" A small dark-haired child with large blue eyes bashfully turned his face to his father's coat. "Come here to me, young man, and let your pa get down off that tired old horse." Kain lifted the child from where he sat in front of Cooper and Cooper got down. The child reached for his father and Cooper took him.

"He's his papa's boy, Kain," Lorna said with a short happy laugh. "He doesn't let his pa out of his sight if he can help it."

"I'm glad you came early, Cooper. I've got a surprise for you that you'll not believe."

In the quiet of the barn, Kain told them about Ellie and Henry and their connection with Adam Clayhill. "She's a nice woman, Cooper. She reminds me a lot of your ma. I wanted to warn you before you saw Henry. Even McCloud mistook him for you."

"There seems to be no end to the lives that old man has messed up. He keeps a distance from me and Logan; and after his men had a run-in or two with Griff, he steers clear of him, too. He'll try to run the woman off, you can bet on it. You say the old man married her under the name Henry Hill? The rotten old b.a.s.t.a.r.d used his brother's name."

"Young Henry isn't as bright as you'd expect a man of twenty to be, but he'll work like a demon if someone tells him what to do. He'll make it with a little guidance."

"I bet that was a blow to the old man."

"He was terribly cruel to both of them. It was a sad thing to witness, Cooper. Ellie was stunned. For twenty years she'd thought he was dead. Henry favors you, and he's got the Clayhill crooked finger, so there's no doubt about his being the old man's. I'll bet old Clayhill is trying to figure a way to get out of this one."

"If young Henry is about twenty, that means the old man was already married when he married your mother, Kain."

"I figure he stopped off in Springfield and married Ellie on his way East to marry my mother." Kain picked up the bag Lorna had tied to the back of her saddle. "Ellie and Henry know who you are. Come on in. I'm eager for you to meet Vanessa."

"Yes, Cooper. I want to see this beauty who won Kain away from me." Lorna said with a small smile.

"You just keep on lipping off, woman, and you'll get a hiding when you get home," Cooper said gruffly, and plucked their son from her arms. "Come to papa, Douglas. Your mama's being feisty again."

"Oh, my," Ellie said when Cooper walked through the kitchen door. Her eyes clung to his face and without her knowing it, they filled with tears. "Oh, my," she said again and blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry. It's just such a shock."

Cooper's eyes had gone beyond Ellie to the tall man who stood behind her. "I know how you feel, ma'am." He took a step toward her and held out his hand. "Cooper Parnell. This is my wife, Lorna, and our son, Douglas."

"How do you do? This is my son, Henry." Ellie turned so she could see both men. They were staring at each other. Henry spoke first.

"Is he the one, Kain?"

"Yes, Henry. He knows that he's your brother."

Henry looked at the hand Cooper extended. "Are you . . . mad about it?"

"Of course not. I'm glad to know my son has another uncle."

The smile that could come so quickly to Henry's face appeared now. He looked at the small boy in Cooper's arms, and then at Cooper and grasped his hand.

"Ma! Did you hear that? I'm an uncle!"

"Yes, son, I heard." Ellie's shoulders slumped with relief.

"Mary Ben, you'll be an aunt." Henry pulled the girl from behind him. "Mary Ben, this is my brother, Cooper Parnell."

Kain had moved over beside Vanessa and put his arm around her. Together they watched the meeting between the brothers. Vanessa saw the relief on her aunt's face and was sure she was going to cry. Henry was so excited the words poured from his mouth. And Cooper's face never changed expression when it became apparent that Henry's mind hadn't kept pace with his body.

Cooper's wife watched, too. She was the prettiest woman Vanessa had ever seen. The skin of her face was white, a startling contrast to the blue-black hair that framed it, her mouth was red, and large, magnificent violet eyes adoringly watched every move her husband made.

"I don't think Douglas will want to come to you yet, Henry," Cooper was saying. "He's a mite shy. After we're here awhile he'll crawl all over you. I think I'd better meet Kain's bride. She's got to be something to bring Kain back here and keep him in one place."

"She is, Cooper. Believe me, she is!" Kain was gazing at Vanessa's blushing face, his eyes filled with tenderness, and smiled with loving mirth when she pinched his arm.

The introductions were made amid laughter, teasing, and congratulations. Finally Ellie began to shoo them from the kitchen.

"You men can go in the parlor where you can visit. Mary Ben, take Lorna's things up to the room we set aside for them. That baby must be hungry and want a nap after that long ride. And my, oh, my. I've still got two more pies to make."

"I'll help you, Aunt Ellie."

"No, dear. You and Lorna go get acquainted. Enjoy yourself. Tomorrow is your wedding day."

"I'd offer to help, Mrs.a"" Lorna paused and lifted her straight black brows.

"Call me Ellie, Lorna." Ellie smiled and then a trembling laugh burst from her lips. "You know, I don't know what to call myself, now." With that admission, a weight she had carried since the trip to town lifted from Ellie's heart.

"I'd offer to help, Ellie, but I'm no hand at making a pie. Ask Cooper." Lorna giggled and looked around the corner into the hall to see if the men were out of hearing. "He swore he was going to starve to death after Sylvia married and moved to the Morning Sun. She had to come back and teach me how to cook something beside beans and Hopping Jack. She and Arnie will be here later on. She'd not miss a wedding for anything, especially Kain's."

"I'm worried about meeting her."

"You don't need to worry about meeting Sylvia. You'll like her. Everyone does. Come on upstairs with me, Vanessa. I'll have to tell you about my first visit to this house. I'd lived on Light's Mountain all my life and I didn't know about such things as wh.o.r.ehouses. I thought this was a school for young ladies! When I found out what it really was I got Cooper out of here in a hurry." Her happy laughter rang throughout the house.

Vanessa was fascinated by Lorna's openness. Kain had told her that Lorna had been raised wild and free on Light's Mountain. He had said she could sing like a bird, throw a knife, shoot a gun, and was the best with a bullwhip he'd ever seen. Vanessa knew she was also a happy woman, terribly in love with her husband.

The lamps were all lit and the table set for supper when Logan's party arrived. The buggy accompanied by two riders pulled in at the gate and Kain and Cooper went out to meet them. Henry would have gone, too, but Lorna asked him to hold Douglas. Ellie smiled at her gratefully, knowing that Kain needed some time with Logan, just as he had with Cooper and Lorna.

When Cooper came in sometime later, he was leading a small dark-haired boy by the hand. The child looked around the room, spied Lorna and grinned a gap-toothed grin.

"h.e.l.lo, Henry. Do you have a kiss for Aunt Lorna?"

"Naw. Boys don't kiss girls."

"Your Uncle Cooper does."

The boy tilted his head back so he could see his uncle's face. "Why do you do that?"

"You'll know soon enough. I want you to meet another uncle. His name is Henry, too." Young Douglas spied his papa and set up a howl until Cooper took him.

It seemed to Ellie a long time pa.s.sed before she heard boot heels on the porch and the door opened again. Her heart was fluttering like a trapped bird in her breast, and she had unknowingly wrapped her hands in her ap.r.o.n. People filed in and suddenly the kitchen was filled.

The pleasant-faced woman who came in first greeted Lorna with a kiss on the cheek, nuzzled her grandchild, then looked directly at Ellie and smiled.

"I'm Cooper's mother, Sylvia Henderson. Kain said your name is Ellie." She glanced at the stove and the shelves where the rows of pans were covered with a white cloth. "Goodness gracious! You've been cooking all day. I told that Arnie we should get a wiggle on or we'd come in on you right at supper time."

"But we have plenty," Ellie almost choked on the words.

Kain went to Vanessa, put his arm around her, and held her close to his side while he made the introductions. There was a continuous proud smile on his face.

Rosalee Horn was a pretty woman with light brown hair and blue eyes set wide apart in a calm face. She was pregnant. Her husband stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. He was a big, handsome dark-haired man with the high cheekbones and dark skin of ancestors who had roamed the land long before the white man came. He had a full mustache shaped in a wide downward curve around his mouth, reaching almost to his jaw, giving him a stern, forbidding look until he smiled, which he did when he looked down at his wife.

"Tired, honey?" He took the wrap from her shoulders.

"A little."

Lorna jumped up from the chair she had moved out from the table. "Sit here, Rosalee. I remember how my back hurt when I was carrying Douglas."

Henry hadn't said a word. Ellie's heart ached for the uncertainty he was feeling, and she wished there was something she could do to make this easier for him. Sylvia's eyes went from him to Cooper and back again. Logan Horn's dark gaze settled on Henry's face, too. Henry fidgeted.

Logan crossed the room and offered his hand to Henry.

"Kain was telling me that there are three of us now. You and I and Cooper."

Henry seemed overwhelmed. He didn't say anything, and Ellie wanted to cry. It was Cooper who eased the tension. He clapped Logan on the shoulder.

"Henry, I know just how you feel when you look at this big galoot. When I first laid eyes on him I didn't know he was my brother, and I thought he was as ugly as a mud fence. After I found out he was my brother, he got better looking. He grows on you. After awhile you might even forget he's got a face that would stop a clock."