Bella paced the sitting room. Where could Mark have gone? And why? She fought back tears, trying to be brave for Caleb.
Caleb sat looking at his favorite book. His gaze wandered to the door frequently.
A sharp knock sounded at the door. Both Bella and Caleb jumped. Bella hurried to answer the summons. She pulled it open, praying it was Mark but knowing he wouldn’t knock if it was him. Bella was surprised to see Hazel, Mark and an Indian standing on the porch.
Hazel had her hand clamped tightly on Mark’s shoulder. “See? I told you she’d be worried sick. You should be ashamed of yourself, young man.” Hazel gently shoved him into the house.
Mark hurried to Caleb, where he buried his face in his brother’s chest.
“Thank you for bringing him home. Won’t you come in?” Bella invited, curious about the man standing behind Hazel. His dark skin and the way his long black hair was fixed let her know that he was a Pawnee Indian.
Hazel marched past her and the man followed. Bella shut the door and then turned to look at Mark. His legs were wet from the knee down. “Where have you been?” she asked.
His cheeks were wet with tears. “I went to the river,” he answered.
“To the river!”
Mark nodded.
Caleb placed his small arm around his brother’s shoulders.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?” Bella walked over to him. She passed Hazel, whose arms were crossed. She had an angry gaze focused on Mark.
“I wanted to go fishing,” he sobbed.
“Mark, it’s too cold to fish and you aren’t ever supposed to leave this house without telling me or Philip.” She stopped in front of the boys. Tempted to get down on their level, Bella made herself not be too soft on the boy. He could have drowned. “Wait, isn’t the pond frozen over?”
Hazel snorted. “That wasn’t going to stop him.”
Bella turned to her friend. “What do you mean?”
“When Johnny found him, Mark had busted a hole in the ice and then his feet slipped out from under him. Johnny pulled him out.” Hazel pointed to the Indian man beside her to indicate that he was Johnny.
“Thank you,” Bella said, looking at the dark-eyed stranger.
He dipped his head in her direction.
She turned back to the boys. “Mark, take off your wet clothes and then sit down there by the fire. As soon as Philip gets back we’ll decide what your punishment will be for leaving the house and worrying us to death.”
In a quiet voice, Caleb asked, “Can I take him downstairs to change?”
Realizing the little boy didn’t want to undress in front of strangers, Bella nodded. “But you two hurry up and get back here. I’ll not have you playing down there when Mark is in trouble.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Caleb took Mark by the hand and led him out of the room.
Once more Bella turned to her visitors. “I can’t thank you enough for bringing him home.”
“He is young,” the stranger said in a gruff voice.
Bella nodded. “Yes, and he should not have been out by the river.”
Hazel’s face softened and she turned loving eyes on the Indian. “Johnny, do you have time to stay for a cup of coffee?”
He wrinkled his nose. “I would have water.”
Bella smiled. Johnny was the first man she’d ever met who didn’t seem to care for coffee. But even more important was the fact that Hazel seemingly loved him. “Let’s move to the table.”
Hazel led the way with Johnny following her and Bella following them both. Johnny wasn’t an Indian name; she was pretty sure of that fact. So, how had he acquired his name?
As soon as they were seated, Bella dipped fresh water from the water bucket into a cup and handed it to Johnny. She then turned to the stove and poured hot coffee for Hazel. “Would you and Johnny like a slice of peach pie?” she asked.
“I wondered what that smell was when we came in. Knew it was some kind of pie, just hadn’t realized it was peach. I think we’d both like a slice, if it isn’t too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all.” Bella was glad she’d made the pie earlier.
Once her guests were served, she sat down and asked, “So, how do you two know each other?”
Hazel answered, “Johnny is my son.” She took a bite of her pie and grinned. “This crust is so flaky. Mine never turns out this nice.”
Bella looked from mother to son. He didn’t look anything like Hazel.
Johnny smiled at her. “My mother has surprised you with her words.”
“Yes, she has. I had no idea that Hazel had a child.” She looked to her friend. “Do you have other children?”
“No, Johnny is my only child who lived. He is my pride and joy.” She reached across the table and touched his brown hand.
Bella looked to the wooden box of toys and realized now where they’d come from. “I’m glad you found Mark. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to him.” She pushed back her chair. It was time to go get Philip and tell him that Mark was home safe.
* * *
Philip leaped from his horse and hurried up the porch stairs. He opened the door. “Bella, he wasn’t at Thomas’s. Thomas and I are riding—” His words trailed off as he saw Bella sitting at the table with Hazel and an Indian.
“I’m so glad you are back.” Bella walked over to him. “Hazel and her son, Johnny, just brought Mark home. He’s downstairs changing into dry clothes.”
Thomas entered behind his brother and shut the door.
“Why didn’t you come tell me?” Philip demanded.
Hazel said, “We’ve only been here a few minutes, Phil. Come have a piece of this peach pie with us. You, too, Thomas.” She waved them to the table with her fork.
He looked to Bella. “It’s true. They haven’t been here long. I was going to come get you,” Bella said.
“Where was Mark?” Thomas asked, walking around his brother and joining Hazel and Johnny at the table.
Philip followed his brother. He wanted to know what happened, too.
Bella answered behind him. “Down by the river.”
“What was he doing there?” Philip asked, sitting down on the last log stool.
“Fishing,” Johnny answered. “He is smart for one so young.”
Philip and Thomas accepted plates with pie on them. “What makes you say that?” Philip asked. He really wasn’t in the mood for pie, so when Bella came back to the table with two cups of coffee, he laid down his fork.
“I watched him. He took a big rock and slammed it into the ice to make a fishing hole. Then he found a stick and tied string, like that, to it.” He pointed to the balls of yarn on the table.
“I wonder what he was going to use as a hook,” Thomas mused.
Johnny shook his head and laid down his fork. “No know. His feet slid out from under him and he was trapped in the hole he had created. That is when I pulled him out.” He drained the water from his cup, then stood. “Mother, are you ready to go now?”
Hazel pushed back her chair. “Thank you for the pie and coffee, Bella.”
“Yes, thank you. Mighty good,” Johnny said.
Philip stood and extended his hand. “Thank you for saving the boy’s life. We are in your debt.”
Johnny shook Philip’s hand. “I am glad Mother knew where he came from. I would not have been happy to take him back to camp with me.”
“I wouldn’t have been too happy about that myself,” Philip agreed.
“No, my father’s people are not as accepting of the white man as they once were. It would have been a hard life on the boy.” Johnny walked to the door. Everyone followed except for Thomas. He remained at the table, eating.
Philip knew that Johnny spoke from personal experience. Why had Hazel given her son to the Pawnee tribe? It was obvious that she loved him very much. He also knew that the Pawnee were not happy about the white man crossing their hunting grounds. He nodded.
“Hazel, come over tomorrow. I’ll bake in the morning. I’d love your company.” Bella hugged her friend close. “Thank you for bringing Mark home. I can’t thank you enough.”
The older woman returned her hug. “I could only imagine how frightened you must have been. It was the least Johnny and I could do.”
Philip followed Johnny out onto the porch. Seeing only his and Thomas’s horses tied to the porch post, he asked, “Did you walk over?”
Johnny nodded. “Mother refused to ride my mustang and I would not ride while she and the boy walked. So we all walked.”
“Would you two like a ride home? Hazel can bring the horses back in the morning,” Philip offered.
Hazel joined them. “No, thanks, Phil. If we walk, I’ll have more time with my boy.” She tucked her hand into the crook of Johnny’s arm.
Philip watched them leave.
Bella came to stand beside him on the porch. “Is it just me? Or does that look strange?” She waved her hand in the direction of Hazel and Johnny.
He had to agree. Seeing a short white woman walking with her hand tucked into an Indian brave’s arm did seem a little out of place. Even for this part of the country. Philip chuckled, then turned to reenter the house.
Thomas pushed away from the table. “I think I’ll head home, too.” He walked past his brother and sister-in-law.
Philip waited until the door shut behind Thomas before turning to his new wards.
Mark and Caleb stood in the center of the room waiting. He hated the idea of disciplining the little boy. His own father would have had no trouble taking him out to the woodshed, but John Young, his adoptive father, had never laid a hand on him. Truth be told, he’d never had to. Papa John had given him a stern talk, explained why he was disappointed in him, and that had been enough. Maybe that was the approach he should take with Mark.
Bella entered behind him and shut the door. She walked around Philip. “Let’s go to the table.”
He heard the concern in her voice and wondered if it was because she dreaded disciplining the boys. Or did she think he should be the one to do it and dreaded what he’d do? Philip nodded his head and the boys walked slowly to the table.
They both looked so small sitting on the logs. Mark’s eyes were downcast. Caleb chewed on the tip of one of his fingers, a sure sign the boy was nervous.
Philip and Bella sat down. “As a family, what should we decide is a good punishment for Mark? He knew better than to leave without telling one of us,” he said, making eye contact with everyone at the table except Mark, who still studied the tabletop as if it could swallow him.
Bella shook her head. “I’m not sure. I do know I was worried almost sick. Anything could have happened to him.”
He looked to Caleb. The little boy swallowed hard and said, “I don’t think I should say. After all, he is my little brother.”
Philip nodded. “You’re probably right.” He turned his gaze to Mark. “Mark, what do you think is a fitting punishment?”
“I don’t know.”
“What would your father have done if you had left the house without an adult?” Bella asked. She folded her hands on top of the table and waited.
Mark lifted moist eyes. “He would have whipped me.” Tears began to stream down his face.
Caleb wrapped his arm around Mark’s shoulders. Mark leaned into his brother and cried all the harder. Philip looked to Bella, who looked horrified at the little boy’s reaction to her mention of his father.
Philip said the little boy’s name in a soft voice. “Mark…”
Mark slowly turned to face Philip. He used his hands to try to stop the flow of tears.
His watery gaze tore at Philip’s heart. “We aren’t going to whip you. But we were very worried. There is a reason we asked you not to leave the house without one of us. Can you tell us what one of those reasons might be?”
“Because I might get eaten by a bear?” Mark sniffled.
“Come spring, yes. Right now they are sleeping,” Bella said.
“Any other reasons?” Philip asked.
While Mark scrunched up his face and thought, Bella stood up and got the cookie jar. She set it in the center of the table and then turned to fill two glasses with water from the water bucket.
“I might run into a Injun?” he asked.
Philip nodded. “Yes, and not all Indians are nice like Johnny. Right now they aren’t happy that we are in their hunting grounds. In other parts of the country they are killing Pony Express men. Mostly stock holders and station managers, but they are still murdering good men.”
Mark’s and Caleb’s eyes grew round and their mouths formed perfect O’s.
“I didn’t know that,” Caleb said, picking up a cookie that Bella had placed before him.
Philip nodded. “I know you didn’t. But, to be fair, the Indians are not the only people out there that will hurt a small boy, if given the chance. Bad men come in all colors and sizes. The Indians are no worse or better than the white man. You need to use good judgment when dealing with both. That’s the reason Bella and I want you to never leave the house without one of us.”
“Forever?” Mark asked.
Bella set a cup of coffee in front of Philip. “Well, at least until you are older.”
“We’ll let you know when you are old enough,” Philip added. The rich fragrance of the coffee teased his nose. He picked up the cup and took a sip. Was there anything that Bella fixed that didn’t taste wonderful? If there was, he hadn’t found it yet.
She looked sternly at her nephews. “Promise you will not leave this house or go anyplace without an adult with you.”
“I promise,” Caleb said immediately.
Mark took longer. It seemed as if he was arguing with himself. Finally, Mark looked up at his aunt. “I promise, too, Aunt Bella.”
“Good. Then eat your cookie.” She smiled sweetly at him.
Philip studied the little boy over his cup. Mark was strong-willed and this troubled Philip. Would the boy take off again? He prayed not and made a decision to keep a closer eye on his youngest charge.