“Please let nothing happen to her,” Edward James said as he gazed upward, seeking help from the Almighty. “Please, oh please, let Swift Horse find her—find her untouched.”
The sound of an arriving horse outside his cabin made his throat suddenly constrict.
His heart thumped wildly inside his chest from fear of possibly being moments away from discovering that something terrible might have happened to his beloved sister. If so, he wasn’t sure if he would want to live, either.
“His knees almost rubbery from fear, Edward James went to the back door and hurried outside. He felt keen relief rush through him when he found not only Swift Horse there, but also his sister.
“What happened?” Edward James asked, his voice drawn as he hurried up to them, eager to take his sister in his arms. “Sis, where . . . who . . . ?”
Understanding how anxious her brother was for answers, Marsha stepped away from Swift Horse and flung herself into her big brother’s arms.
“I’m all right,” she murmured as he held her tightly against him, tears streaming from his eyes.
She gazed up at him. “Big brother, you’re crying,” she said, stepping away from him. She reached a finger to his face and wiped away the tears. “I’m so sorry I had you this frightened, but . . . but . . . I had no control over what the men did,” she said, her voice breaking.
“Men?” Edward James gasped, his eyes widening. “Lord, sis, what men? And what did they do to you?”
“Edward James, I am not harmed in any way, especially not the way you might be thinking,” Marsha murmured. “Let’s go inside. I’m bone-weary from the experience. I’d like to sit down. And then I’ll tell you everything.”
Swift Horse stepped up to them. He took one of her hands. “I will leave you now,” he said, looking slowly from Marsha to Edward James. “You can talk, and I have someone to see.”
“You have someone to see this late at night?” Marsha asked, searching his eyes.
“I must consult my shaman about what has happened and seek his help to find the one-eyed man,” he said, his jaw tight.
He tried not to envision that that one-eyed man might be his friend One Eye, even though Marsha still tried to convince him that he was. He could not see how One Eye could ever be his enemy, when they had been soul mates—best friends—for so long.
“The one-eyed man?” Edward James gasped. He looked quickly at Marsha. “He did this . . . ?”
Marsha nodded. “Yes, he is the very one, the same man who has torn so many lives apart,” she murmured.
She turned to Swift Horse. “One day you will believe me when I tell you that the one-eyed man is One Eye, your friend—who is, in truth, your worst enemy,” she said, her voice drawn. “He is playing a good game, still, of being your friend, but truly is evil through and through.”
“I want to believe you, too, because you wouldn’t want to turn me against someone I have loved as a friend for so long,” Swift Horse said, frowning.
He swallowed hard. “In time, everyone will know the man’s true identity, and he will pay for his crimes. If he is One Eye, he will also pay for having played games with this Creek’s heart,” Swift Horse said emotionally.
“One day you will see that I am right about this man,” Marsha murmured. “A lot of people aren’t who they seem to be, or want people to believe they are.”
She leaned into his embrace and gave him a comforting hug. “I understand how you can’t accept what I say as fact,” she murmured. “But in time, it will be proved to you. I’m just so sorry that when you do discover the truth, the hurt will be harder, for the longer he gets away with tricking you, the more it will humiliate and hurt you once the truth is known about him.”
Marsha swall
owed hard, for she hated thinking about the day when he would be faced with the truth. That truth would cut like a knife into his heart, a heart that had trusted this one-eyed man for far too long.
She stepped away from Swift Horse as he mounted his horse. “Swift Horse, thank you for coming and finding me,” Marsha murmured, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes—tears of happiness for being alive.
Swift Horse gave her a smile that made her insides melt, then rode off in the direction of Bright Moon’s cabin. Marsha understood his need to be with Bright Moon.
“Come on, sis,” Edward James said, taking her by a hand. “I want to hear it all. You mentioned the one-eyed man. Who was the other man?” He stopped and gazed at her. “Or do I even need ask?”
“I’m sure you are assuming right,” Marsha murmured. “The man who came for me and abducted me first was Alan Burton.”
“Alan Burton, the cowkeeper . . .” Edward James said between clenched teeth. “I had thought he might be the one.”
“I’ll tell you all about it,” Marsha said, reaching a comforting hand to his cheek. “Let’s go in and sit by the fire. It is just so good to be home.”
“Home?” Edward James said, slowly smiling. “That is the first time you referred to my home as yours.”