The following day, Julia walked all over the ranch, searching for clues. She checked the poisoned pond, hoping to find something that was overlooked. She even strolled through the bunkhouse, looking under the beds and under pillows, wondering if there was one shred of evidence lying around, but found nothing.
It was almost dusk and she was feeling restless. She pursed her lips in thought. Then it dawned on her. Perhaps the answer was on the hill that her brother had told her about. He had said there were a number of times that a warrior sat perched on top and then he would disappear in a cloud of smoke. There had to be an answer. She didn’t believe it was the spirit of some ancient Thunder God.
As she looked at the hillside, she realized it was a rugged area with many boulders and cactus, but she could handle it. She would avoid the rough terrain until she got to the top. If she had to, she could walk the rest of the way.
Without hesitation, she asked Billy to saddle the mare. He told Julia that he would get her when the horse was ready. In the meantime, she stuffed a canvas satchel with a water bottle and fruit leather. She didn’t know exactly how long she would be and she was in the mood for munchies.
Ten minutes later, she attached the satchel to the side of the saddle, climbed upon the horse, and headed toward the hills. It was a nice autumn day and she was enjoying the ride. When she finally got to the spot her brother had pointed out, she slid down from the mare and searched the ground for evidence. There had to be something to give her a clue.
She saw plenty of hoof prints on the ground, but since this was part of Kelly’s grazing land, that wouldn’t prove a thing. Julia raised a curious brow, stooped down and picked up a feather. She looked around to see if there were more, but there weren’t. As she inspected the feather, she noticed that it was dyed red with a black spot on the tip. Her brother told her that the warrior had feathers in his band and perhaps this was one of them. And how about the black tip? Did it represent something? A certain tribe?
Julia had a hunch this was evidence. As she contemplated the situation, she had a feeling that someone was watching her. She looked around and could see no one. She pushed the idea out of her mind. This was ridiculous. She bit her lip and shook her head. She was just being paranoid.
She quickly got to her feet and put the feather in her canvas satchel. As Julia climbed upon her horse, she heard a sound behind her. A deep foreboding crept into her soul as she slowly turned around.
Julia swallowed and then asked, “Is someone there?”
No one answered. When she heard a rustling sound from behind a large boulder, she held her breath, watching and waiting.
“If anyone is there, please answer me,” she said with a weak voice.
She waited and listened. Still nothing.
Feeling a little braver, she raised her voice and said, “I know someone’s there. Only cowards hide.”
After emphasizing the word “coward,” she began to wonder if she had made a mistake when she heard the sound of hooves coming toward her. A horse whinnied and a lizard ran past her, which startled the bee-gee-bees out of her. She held her breath and waited as she kept her eyes glued on the area. It was probably just one of the ranch hands. She shouldn’t have sounded so paranoid with that last statement.
After a moment, a horse’s head appeared from behind some large boulders. As it walked toward her, Julia froze. She now wished she had not challenged the intruder. The man sat bareback on a large horse, sitting erect and proud. He had a loincloth about him, leather moccasins, and a leather vest that exposed his bare chest. His complexion was dark and he wore a leather band around his head with the same kind of feather that she had found on the ground. His hair hung to his shoulders and in his hand was a six-foot spear. The warrior’s face was painted with black and red stripes across his cheeks and along his forehead. He was a site to behold! He looked even more ferocious than the man in her dreams.
The warrior scowled and then raised his spear high above his head and gave a whoop. It was nothing she had ever heard in her life. It was a high-pitched sound that frightened the living daylights out of her. He pulled back on the reins of his horse and it reared up on his hind legs.
That was all Julia needed to realize that the fierce look in his eyes and his war cry was because of her. As he aimed the spear in her direction, she gasped. Without hesitation, she kicked her mare and it took off…just as he released the spear. It whizzed past her, missing her by inches.
As her mare sped down the hill, fear overtook her and she felt faint from the quick breaths she was taking. What was going on? This wasn’t the Wild West. This was against the law. Her life was being threatened.
When she looked over her shoulder, Julia saw the warrior gaining on her. When she saw how fast he was approaching, she knew he would catch up in no time. There was no doubt about it. She had to do something. But what?
She leaned down to her mare and begged her to go faster with urgency in her voice. As if it realized the danger, the mare picked up speed and galloped as fast as it could. Julia could hear the beating hooves on the ground behind her and knew he was getting closer. She turned and looked over her shoulder once again and gasped when she saw a blade in his hand. Where did that come from?
As the warrior approached, he grinned and leaned toward her. She didn’t like the look on his face and gave a kick to her mare and it sped up. The man kicked his horse likewise and caught up in no time. When he was close enough, he leaned toward her with the knife in his hand. She cringed and bent forward against the neck of the horse, praying with all her might.
The warrior stretched his arm toward her and sliced the straps of the satchel and grabbed it before it fell to the ground. He slid his knife into its sheath, and then leaned forward and touched her on the shoulder as he whooped a great sound of victory.
Julia gasped and quickly jerked her mare to the right as she went around some boulders. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still following but he wasn’t. The man’s horse slid to a stop as he watched her take off. He gave another loud whoop as his horse reared up on his hind legs and then he took off out of sight.
She breathed a breath of relief as she headed for the ranch at a full gallop. When she saw her husband and Kelly chatting near the house, she steered the mare in that direction. The horse slid to a stop and dust went flying everywhere.
Julia quickly climbed off the mare and blurted out breathlessly, “Warrior… feather… spear…” She took a deep breath. “It was just like my dream.”
“Dream?” John looked puzzled. “Julia, what on earth are you talking about?”
When she finally calmed down enough to tell them what had happened, she added, “When he tried to grab me, I barely got away. It was a close call.”
Kelly chuckled when he realized what she was talking about. “It’s called counting coup. When a warrior taps you on the shoulder and whoops and then runs off, he’s got one up on you. In other words, he wins! You lose!”
“I lose?” said Julia with surprise. “Yeah, I lost the feather. It was evidence.”
“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think he was after you. Only after the feather,” said Kelly in a calming voice. “It could be evidence against him. He was probably trying to scare you more than anything.”
She shook her head adamantly. “No, he threw that spear at me. Remember?”
“But he missed,” said Kelly. “A real warrior wouldn’t have. He would have gotten his victim. He was only scaring you, Julia.”
“Well, it worked,” she said with frustration. “If that was his motive, he did a great job. I was so frightened that I almost threw up.”
“Now that’s a first,” chuckled John. “I’ve seen you scared at times but never that scared.”
“Hey, if you had a warrior all painted up and throwing a spear at you and chasing you, let me know how you would feel,” Julia said with spunk.
The corners of John’s lips flickered as he tried to hold back a smile. Right now she had an attitude and wasn’t in the mood of being teased.
Kelly stared off in the distance as he thought about what had happened. “At least I now know he’s not the Great Spirit like everyone makes him out to be. Billy was convinced that he was a Thunder God, come down to wreak havoc on all of us. All the men were beginning to believe it, too, because one minute he’s there and the next he’s not.”
“It’s easy to vanish behind those boulders if the sun is in your eyes in the evening,” said Julia. “Especially since there are so many large ones around.”
Her memory went back to the warrior and she felt weak as she looked at her husband. “I was so frightened, John. When he threw that spear at me, he scared me half to death. And when he touched me, I thought he was going to yank me off my horse.”
Kelly shook his head and asked, “Whoever he is, he’s really going to great lengths to make me sell.”
“And the black tip on the feather?” asked Julia.
“Sounds like it might represent a certain tribe but I’m not sure.”
“Do you think the Apache are trying to get back their land?”
“Could be,” said John. “I heard about this one tribe in southern Idaho that’s trying to buy back their land.”
“Idaho?” said Julia.
“Yeah. Franklin County. So why not here?”
Kelly clenched his teeth with anger and kicked a rock. “So… since I’m not selling, then why not scare me off. Right?”
John turned to Julia and asked, “Why don’t you tell that investigator to check out this new theory? Tell him to check out all the local tribes and see whether they have any bad feelings toward Kelly or if they would like to purchase this land.” Then he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder and added, “And from now on, don’t go anywhere without me or Kelly. No more investigations without company. Got it?”
Julia nodded. “I usually don’t take orders very well, do I? But I’m making an exception this time.”
Knowing she had been frightened out of her wits, John squeezed her shoulder lovingly. She had to be more careful. But then…who would ever have thought that Julia would have encountered a warrior?
* * *
The following afternoon, Julia received a phone call from April and she was so frustrated. Poor girl! Things weren’t working out and she missed her mother terribly. She didn’t say that she needed her, but Julia could hear it in her voice and she was worried sick about her daughter. When she hung up, Julia was just about to hop on a bus and go home.
When John saw that something was wrong, he took his wife’s hand and guided her toward the orange groves. “Come with me. I think we need some together time. Tell me all about it.”
She held back the tears that were on the surface and nodded her agreement. As they walked and talked, she told him about April’s frustration and John’s heart went out to her.
“So all the flowers that she ordered were lost,” said John.
“That’s right. And now they’re found. But in terrible condition.”
“And her invitations aren’t turning out, either?”
Julia shook her head as she leaned against the fence that surrounded the orchard. “The problem is this, John. She’s putting too much into this reception. She’s been trying so hard to make everything perfect. Instead of buying flowers in town, she ordered them special. And the wedding gowns that she looked at were terrible prices. Just a couple years ago, she admired my wedding dress but she hasn’t even mentioned it since she began planning. That would save her a boat load of money.”
John shook his head. “Peer pressure. That’s all it is. Everyone expects it to be a certain way so we go along with it. We do it without thinking.”
“Yeah, I know. I wish I could influence her to make the reception simple. But how can I tell her?”
“You don’t. Our children have to make their own choices. She loved those flowers. I can see her point.”
“But she’s so frustrated,” Julia said as a sympathetic tear trickled down her cheek. “The protective nature in me is taking over. You know what I mean… fighting her battles, protecting her from being hurt, giving her money if she needs it.”
“I know,” John said soothingly as he pulled her into his arms. “If we try to protect our kids, then how will they ever learn? Dr. J. R. Miller once said that being victorious in battle was better than being free from the struggles of life. He was right.”
“What do you mean?”
“In other words, if we fight our children’s battles, they will not figure out how to fight their own. If they have a problem, they need to figure out what to do and how to do it. When they’ve solved the problem, or won their battle, they’ll feel good about their decision and about themselves. Our children are old enough to make their own decisions and they don’t want us to tell them what to do. They want to do it their own way.”
Julia gave a weak smile. “You’re right. I just don’t want her to feel so alone. She needs me, John.”
“I know.” He tenderly kissed her forehead. “Let’s give her until tomorrow. If she still needs you, then I’ll stay and see what I can do here while you go home.”
She turned to him and hugged him around the waist and said, “You’re so supportive. Thanks.”
John looked into her eyes and saw her worried look. That’s a mother for you! He smiled at her sensitivity and then leaned down and kissed her on the lips. With that, Julia wrapped her arms around him and kissed him right back.
When John released her, he smiled. “Feeling better?”
“Yes, a little.”
“Hmmm, I guess I need to distract you a little more often so you’ll forget your problems.”
With that he leaned down and kissed her again, but this time he pulled her close against his chest in a protective and loving manner. He gave her a lingering and tender kiss that turned her mind to mush. When he finally released her, she let out a breathless sigh, showing her contentment.
John grinned. “I heard that.”
She smiled. “You know the perfect medicine. Now how do we cheer up Kelly?”
“Hmmm. Now that’s another situation all together. How about if we fix him a roast beef dinner?”
“Now that’s a great idea. And I could fix him my famous apple crisp.”
“Whoa! Now that should really do it. That’s my favorite.”
Julia leaned against him and said, “I love you. Thanks for making me feel better. Do you have any more uplifting quotes?”
He chuckled. “Sorry. I’m all out. That’s about it, M’darlin’.”
She smiled and cuddled up to him as he pulled her close. He was such a good man. Hopefully their last two daughters would find someone just as wonderful.