Bad medicine, or something.”
“They’re not afraid of it. It’s not an evil presence, Miss Julia, it’s a sacred one. They worship it.”
She stopped feeding Marymae, who let out a wail of displeasure. “I didn’t know that.” She knew he was a breed, even though he looked like no other she’d ever seen. “Are they … is that what you believe, too?”
He gave her a dry smile. “It wasn’t part of my religion.”
“What was?” She watched him eat, suddenly wanting to know something about him.
His smile turned bitter. “Nothing much.”
“What … what tribe was your … is your …”
He noted her discomfort with a shake of his head. “I have no idea.”
She frowned. He appeared more white in manner than Indian. “You were raised by whites.”
“I was.”
He’d turned taciturn on her. She picked up the carving knife and sliced the ham. “Do you know anything—”
“Miss Julia.” Wolf could put it off no longer. “I have some papers for you. I should have given them to you last night, but …” Expelling a heavy sigh, he pulled the two envelopes from his pocket and slid them across the table to her.
“I suppose there should be some way to introduce this, but damned if I know what it is.” He cleared his throat, anticipation flooding him. He wasn’t accustomed to feeling so powerless.
She looked at the envelopes, then up at him. “What is this?”
He held out his hand. “Pass the knife, please, I’ll finish carving.”
At this point it was better for him to have a weapon than her.
With an impatient movement she handed him the knife, then pulled one of the envelopes toward her. She glanced at the upper left corner, then at McCloud. “From Papa’s lawyer? How did you get it?”
He sighed again, and put the carving knife beside his plate. “You’ll know soon enough.”
She pulled out the papers and opened them. “Papa’s will,” she said.
Wolf frowned. “His will?”
She nodded and scanned the first two pages, her expression thoughtful and sad. Abruptly, her entire demeanor changed. “What? What? ” She raised her head, her face chalky white and filled with disbelief.
“Is something wrong?” He hadn’t known about the will, hadn’t known Amos had one.
She shook her head. “No. No. He can’t mean this. He can ’ t. ” She swallowed repeatedly, then added, “Papa wouldn’t do this to me. He promised me he wouldn’t make me get married just to save the land. He promised. ”
Married? What in the hell was she talking about? “Here,” he said, reaching for the paper, “let me—”
She pulled the will out of his reach and stood, shoving the chair back until it toppled over and hit the floor. The baby cried out, but she was ignored.
Julia swung around, nailing Wolf with a glare meant to kill. “And to you of all people,” she hissed.
Wolf couldn’t have been any more surprised if she’d hit him over the head with a board. He raised his hands to fend her off. “I don’t know anything about marriage, Miss Julia. I agreed to buy a piece of land and stay on as your foreman. I don’t—”
She swiped at her cheeks, and he realized she was crying. He felt helpless and stupid. He took his and Amos’s agreement from his shirt pocket and put it on the table.
“Here. Read this. This is all I know about.”
She inched back toward the table, swung the paper around and looked at it. “What’s this?”
“It’s the agreement I had with your father. It’s the only one I know about, Miss Julia. Let me see the will.”
She flung it at him, then toned away, crossing her arms over her chest. Wolf read the will with mounting surprise. It was dated after he’d seen Amos. In essence, it forced Julia to marry him if she wanted to keep the ranch. And it forced him to agree, or he wouldn’t get the land. If either refused, the ranch would go to the creditors.
“Why, that sly old dog,” he muttered, appreciating the cleverness of the ploy, if not the ploy
“They’re not afraid of it. It’s not an evil presence, Miss Julia, it’s a sacred one. They worship it.”
She stopped feeding Marymae, who let out a wail of displeasure. “I didn’t know that.” She knew he was a breed, even though he looked like no other she’d ever seen. “Are they … is that what you believe, too?”
He gave her a dry smile. “It wasn’t part of my religion.”
“What was?” She watched him eat, suddenly wanting to know something about him.
His smile turned bitter. “Nothing much.”
“What … what tribe was your … is your …”
He noted her discomfort with a shake of his head. “I have no idea.”
She frowned. He appeared more white in manner than Indian. “You were raised by whites.”
“I was.”
He’d turned taciturn on her. She picked up the carving knife and sliced the ham. “Do you know anything—”
“Miss Julia.” Wolf could put it off no longer. “I have some papers for you. I should have given them to you last night, but …” Expelling a heavy sigh, he pulled the two envelopes from his pocket and slid them across the table to her.
“I suppose there should be some way to introduce this, but damned if I know what it is.” He cleared his throat, anticipation flooding him. He wasn’t accustomed to feeling so powerless.
She looked at the envelopes, then up at him. “What is this?”
He held out his hand. “Pass the knife, please, I’ll finish carving.”
At this point it was better for him to have a weapon than her.
With an impatient movement she handed him the knife, then pulled one of the envelopes toward her. She glanced at the upper left corner, then at McCloud. “From Papa’s lawyer? How did you get it?”
He sighed again, and put the carving knife beside his plate. “You’ll know soon enough.”
She pulled out the papers and opened them. “Papa’s will,” she said.
Wolf frowned. “His will?”
She nodded and scanned the first two pages, her expression thoughtful and sad. Abruptly, her entire demeanor changed. “What? What? ” She raised her head, her face chalky white and filled with disbelief.
“Is something wrong?” He hadn’t known about the will, hadn’t known Amos had one.
She shook her head. “No. No. He can’t mean this. He can ’ t. ” She swallowed repeatedly, then added, “Papa wouldn’t do this to me. He promised me he wouldn’t make me get married just to save the land. He promised. ”
Married? What in the hell was she talking about? “Here,” he said, reaching for the paper, “let me—”
She pulled the will out of his reach and stood, shoving the chair back until it toppled over and hit the floor. The baby cried out, but she was ignored.
Julia swung around, nailing Wolf with a glare meant to kill. “And to you of all people,” she hissed.
Wolf couldn’t have been any more surprised if she’d hit him over the head with a board. He raised his hands to fend her off. “I don’t know anything about marriage, Miss Julia. I agreed to buy a piece of land and stay on as your foreman. I don’t—”
She swiped at her cheeks, and he realized she was crying. He felt helpless and stupid. He took his and Amos’s agreement from his shirt pocket and put it on the table.
“Here. Read this. This is all I know about.”
She inched back toward the table, swung the paper around and looked at it. “What’s this?”
“It’s the agreement I had with your father. It’s the only one I know about, Miss Julia. Let me see the will.”
She flung it at him, then toned away, crossing her arms over her chest. Wolf read the will with mounting surprise. It was dated after he’d seen Amos. In essence, it forced Julia to marry him if she wanted to keep the ranch. And it forced him to agree, or he wouldn’t get the land. If either refused, the ranch would go to the creditors.
“Why, that sly old dog,” he muttered, appreciating the cleverness of the ploy, if not the ploy
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