Rain could smell cooking meat before she opened the door. Bett was in the kitchen with an apron on over her uniform. The sight of her made Rain’s heart warm. “What, no spaghetti?”
Bett threatened her with a greasy spatula. “This is my second attempt at this dish, Gale Rains, so don’t you say another word about it.”
Rain disarmed her easily and threw the spatula in the sink. She put her arms around Bett and let everything else in the world fall far away. She felt Bett relax into her. They breathed together.
“God, you feel good,” Bett said, loving the strength in Rain’s arms.
“Mmm.” Rain exhaled again. “It’s amazing that I don’t love you for your body alone.”
“Is it my mind, then?” Bett asked.
“Your cooking,” Rain replied. “Which is burning, I think.”
“Bloody hell!” Bett grabbed the spatula, flipping the frying pieces, which were already quite dark. Rain lowered the fire underneath the skillet. Bett slapped playfully at her hand. “Stop messing with it. This is my recipe.” She ordered. “Go change your clothes and come right back. It’s ready.”
While they ate, Rain told Bett about the package she’d received.
“And you have it here?” Bett asked nervously.
“I left it in the sidecar. I’ll look at it after you go.”
“No, Rain. I want to be here in case something goes wrong.”
“That exactly why you shouldn’t be here,” Rain argued. Bett opened her mouth to reply but Rain said, “Tell me about your day.”
Bett paused to reroute her thoughts. “Well, I got up about one o’clock because I had an appointment with Patrice Hollis at her office. I’m going to have her handle my divorce. I trust she’ll do a good job.” Rain’s face darkened and she nodded. Bett went on. “She said that Lilly wouldn’t stop talking about seeing you at the motor pool and asking about your pony. Do you really have a horse, Rain?”
“Naturally. I’m Sioux, remember?”
Bett rolled her eyes. She took another bite. “I don’t like horses. I’m afraid of them.”
Rain was appalled. “Oh no, Bett. The horse is a wonderful creature. I’ll teach you to ride.”
“I’ve had riding lessons. And jumping lessons. I honestly just don’t like horses.”
“Jumping lessons? For you or the horse?” Rain was grinning now.
“For both of us, if you must know.” Bett replied, tossing her head.
“You would like my pony Sage. He is sweet and smart. Promise me you’ll ride him one time. He’ll change your mind about horses.”
“Hmm.”
The phone rang. Bett answered as she usually did. “Hello, Whit. How nice to hear from you.”
Rain cleaned the kitchen while Bett talked. Then she built a fire.
“They want us to come for New Year’s Eve. They understood when I told them we might not be able to confirm until the last minute,” Bett told Rain after hanging up.
“Good. I still want to know Whit better.”
“Well, that’s interesting, because she said to thank you.”
Rain laughed, shaking her head. She could see Bett wanted to ask, so after they moved to the couch, she offered, “I saw Kathleen today. We went for a run.”
“That must have been nice for you,” Bett answered, but Rain could hear the chill in her voice.
“We mostly talked about you,” Rain went on quickly. “Well, about us—you and me.”
“And I’m sure that was really nice for her,” Bett suggested sarcastically, but at the troubled look on her lover’s face, she relented. “Thank you for telling me.”
Rain took her hand. “I wanted you to know not because you need to worry, but because you don’t.” Bett gave her a half smile and changed the subject. As the evening passed, they discussed having Bett help shop for Christmas presents for the motor pool staff. Rain practiced with Bett about how to explain to her mother that she was not coming for a visit after all.
By 10:30, Rain was half asleep with her head on Bett’s lap. “How old were you?” she asked softly.
“How old was I when, Beloved?” Bett had no idea what Rain was talking about.
“When you took your riding lessons.”
“Rain, has anyone ever told you that you have a one-track mind?” Bett couldn’t believe Rain was still thinking about horses.
Rain sat up and stretched. “Has anyone ever told you that changing the subject doesn’t answer the question?”
Unable to stop herself from smiling as she recalled saying something almost exactly like that on the first day they’d met, Bett replied, “I believe that’s my line.”
“How old, Bett?” Rain took Bett’s hand.
Bett could see she wasn’t going to get out of this conversation. “I really don’t remember exactly. Six? Seven?”
“So after your mother left?”
Bett was struck by the thought. “Yes, I…” Suddenly she could see it all: the smelly stables, the huge animals snorting and shifting and clinking in all their tackle. And she felt…sad. “I remember it was the one activity my father let me quit. I must have thrown a huge tantrum or something…”
“Or maybe he felt guilty,” Rain suggested.
Bett looked at Rain. “My father doesn’t feel guilt.”
“Not now, perhaps. But maybe he did then.”
“Hmm.”
“Now tell me a good story from when you were a little girl. Another time when you were with animals.”
“With animals?” Bett found the memory of a time when she and her brother Kenneth and their dear friend Frank had gone to the zoo. She told Rain about it—how they had taken fruit to feed the animals and became very popular with them. How there was a cute baby monkey at the petting zoo who had climbed onto Frank and groomed him, and how it had screamed when the keepers pulled it away. They had teased Frank for the rest of the day, and then Bett got to ride the elephant.
“You rode an elephant?” Rain asked excitedly. “What was that like?”
Squinting, Bett tried to recall. “Hairy. Wrinkly. Smelly. Slow.”
“Bigger than a horse,” Rain observed.
“Yes, much.” Bett looked back at Rain again. “So what is your point, Dr. Freud?”
Rain knew who that was from one of her NCO training classes, though she didn’t have a high opinion of him. She kissed Bett’s hand she had been holding. “I was only thinking that a person who likes animals and who is not afraid to ride an elephant might change her mind about horses if she tried them when she wasn’t sad about something else.”
Bett felt a surge of anger. She stood, shaking off Rain’s hand. “I’ve got a better idea. I’m sure Kathleen Hartley would gladly go riding with you, even if it killed her.”
“Bett—” Rain reached for her but Bett stepped away.
“No. And now that we’ve solved that problem, please excuse me.”
She walked down the hall, glancing back to see Rain staring into her empty palm as if she was trying to figure out what just happened. In the bedroom, Bett paced irritably. Rain sees everything as so bloody simple, including her friendship with that Hartley woman. And what is the big deal about the damned horses anyway? She looked at her watch. A bit early, but she could report in at any time, really. She freshened up and came back into the den. Rain was standing at the fireplace, watching the flames.
“I’m going in now,” Bett said crisply, checking to see that her glasses were in her bag. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow evening whenever you get home, since I assume you won’t be able to go in late two days in a row.”
Without turning, Rain said, “I didn’t mean to make you angry, and I apologize for whatever I said wrong. And no, I won’t be able to be here in the morning, as much as I would like to be.”
“Right, then.” Bett put on her coat and started for the door.
Rain turned. “Bett?”
“What?” Bett was already in the hallway.
“If you’re not going to kiss me good night, then will you at least tell me why not?”
“Because I’m mad at you for—for bringing that Kathleen Hartley into every conversation except the ones where you seem to think I need a counseling session,” Bett said, reaching for the door. Rain said nothing and Bett turned back to her, even more irritated by her silence. “I’m sure you’ve never been to therapy, but I have. Entirely too many times, thank you. So excuse me if I don’t want to be treated like somebody with problems. I may have problems, Rain, but if I need help then I’ll find a bloody professional and not rely on someone in charge of the Fort Des Moines WAC motor pool to tell me what’s wrong.”
Bett slammed the door. She turned the ignition key angrily and gunned the engine, vaguely satisfied when the tires screeched as she pulled away. Her anger lasted until she was almost through town. As it dissolved, only an ache was left, and it grew as she drove. Knowing she had time, she pulled the car over in a deserted parking lot and put her head down on the steering wheel. Already she felt terrible for what she had said to Rain. She knew she should go back and apologize. Why had she been so angry? Lack of sleep and worries about the battle in the Ardennes had to be factors, but what else? Because Rain was blind to the danger that Kathleen Hartley represented? Because she thought the stupid horses were important? Because Bett didn’t want a painful childhood memory tied up in a neat package, even if Rain was right?
She drove on in to work. The news from Bastogne was worse. Even her contact Luna, whose messages were usually calm and even, sounded a bit desperate. He spoke of dwindling supplies, ammunition, and food, and lack of cold weather gear. Almost a third of them were suffering from some degree of frostbite. They were surrounded but determined to keep fighting. Although outnumbered, they had already repulsed several German attacks. When would reinforcements be there? While she waited for the reply to be formulated, Bett went into the break room to get some coffee; it tasted terrible, but it helped clear her head.
Major Ervin came in. He wasn’t scheduled, but Bett had noticed the officers tended to rotate through at all hours. “How are you holding up, Smythe?”
Stiff upper lip, Bett told herself. “Well enough, sir. Better than those poor men at Bastogne.”
“Yes. Well, I came to tell you that your promotion came through. It’s not official until next week, but any good news is welcome right now. Congratulations. You deserve it. You’ve really gone above and beyond here. Everyone appreciates you taking this late shift. Especially Luna, I’m sure.”
Bett felt a glow of pride and straightened to attention. “Thank you, Major.” She saluted. Ervin returned the salute, smiled vaguely, and left.
Bett pondered over the last of her coffee. Maybe life really was that simple. Work hard and you got rewarded. Sad childhood memories could get confused and make you believe you were afraid. Fall in love and stay together forever. After checking that the reply message wasn’t yet ready, Bett called home. The phone rang and rang. She knew even Rain couldn’t ignore that much noise. She must have unplugged the line. Surely she hadn’t gone out in the middle of the night. Who can blame her for not wanting to talk to you? Bett told herself.
Bett heard the reply message come in. Orders were to hold Bastogne at all costs. Thinking of Luna, Bett mused how people giving such orders were never the ones actually paying those costs. But various reinforcements, including Patton’s Third Army, were on the move. Wishing she could offer more encouragement, Bett thought of the words Rain had said when they’d left the hospital together on the morning after Bett had been accosted by Nathan Crowley, the disturbed MP. During the rescue, Rain’s leg had been grazed by a bullet and she was limping from the treatment. She’d murmured a phrase in her native Lakota, and when Bett asked, she’d translated it as “stay strong.” Even though it was strictly forbidden to send anything other than the official message, Bett added those words at the end of her transmission.
The next two hours passed slowly. Then Luna transmitted again, asking for confirmation of her transmission. She confirmed. Another hour. Another message from Luna, this one somewhat garbled, making several references to the weather. Bett frowned as she considered it. Everyone knew that the low-hanging fog and the zero visibility clouds, along with incredibly cold temperatures, were among the reasons why the situation at Bastogne was so bad. With the current conditions, there was no way the superior US air support could reach them with supplies or attack the Germans. Bett was trying to decide what to do when a phrase right in the middle of the message jumped out at her like a shout: wind and rain—her lover’s family name. Rain had spoken several times about Thomas, her older brother, who was also in the Army. And what had she said at Kathleen and Whit’s party? He’d been selected for special duty? It couldn’t be. Her heart pounding, Bett went to find Major Ervin.
Tapping the doorframe as she entered, she asked, “Sir, what can you tell me about Luna?” She hoped she didn’t sound too anxious.
“What is it, Smythe? What do you want to know?” Ervin sounded a bit groggy. He’d probably fallen asleep at his desk.
“Can you tell me any details about him personally? Where is he from?”
Ervin wasn’t one to give anything away. “Why? Is there a problem?”
Bett tried to sound professional. “No sir. There’s no problem. Just some linguistic phrasing that had me wondering.”
Ervin must have thought the late nights were making her a little punchy. She could imagine him deciding to humor her a bit. “Actually, Luna is one of those men we call our Indian code-talkers. That’s why his transmissions sometimes take a little longer to come in. They have to be decoded twice.”
Bett took a breath. “Does he speak Lakota?”
“Does he what?”
“His language. Is he Sioux?”
Ervin clearly thought enough was enough. “I don’t know, Smythe. And I’m sure you don’t need to know.”
Bett knew that was all she was getting. “Thank you, sir. Would it be possible for me to take a short break? I need to check on something at home.”
Ervin looked at the clock. It was 4:30 a.m. “Are you expecting more activity tonight?”
“No sir. But I could be back within the hour, if you need me to.”
“I’ll call you if a message comes in.” Ervin waved her off. “But plan to be back again tomorrow at midnight.”
* * *
Bett drove home as carefully as she could. She entered the house quietly. The fire was low but she could see Rain’s body on the floor, wrapped like a mummy. She didn’t even have a pillow; her head was on her arm and her long dark hair flowed loosely around her head. Bett went into the bedroom, took her clothes off, and got two pillows. She lifted Rain’s head and slid a pillow under it. Then she got a glass of water from the kitchen. She heard Rain’s breathing change as she unwrapped the blanket and slid in beside her. Bett took Rain’s arm and put it around her, moving as close in as she could. She watched Rain’s brows knit as she breathed in. Her eyes didn’t open. Rain usually woke quickly, so Bett knew she must be deeply asleep. In a voice that seemed to drift in and out, she asked, “Bett? Are you really here?”
“Yes, Rain,” Bett answered softly, turning toward her. “I’m here.” She kissed Rain’s neck three times. “And I’m sorry about earlier tonight. Can you forgive me?”
Rain hadn’t moved. Bett thought she might have gone back to sleep. Then she heard the same drifting voice, saying, “My…fault. So…sorry.”
“Rain. I love you.” Bett thought she felt a murmur in Rain’s chest. “Beloved, can you please wake up? I need to talk to you.”
Rain said something unintelligible. She shifted a bit but then fell still again. Bett would have worried, but it was very early in the morning, and Rain hadn’t been expecting her.
“Rain?” Bett tried again.
“Bett?” Rain’s eyes were still closed, but her voice sounded more normal. “Is everything all right? Why are you here now?”
“Yes, it’s all right, Rain. Would you like some water?” She wanted her completely awake before they talked any further.
“Uh-huh.” Rain groaned a bit as she sat up. Her eyes seemed unfocused, but at least they were open. Bett helped her hold the glass; she drank deeply, then lay back down. “I was dreaming of my brother,” she murmured.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Bett said. “About Luna.”
“Yes, my brother Thomas, your Luna.” Rain closed her eyes again and then seemed to come a little more awake. She sat up again and looked at Bett. “Is he all right? In my dream he was cold.”
Bett was astonished. “Yes, he’s all right for now. You already know my contact Luna is your brother?”
“Yes.” Rain sounded infuriatingly calm. “My brother is Thomas New Moon; he told me just before he shipped overseas that his code name would be Luna. He told me in case he didn’t come back but wasn’t officially listed as dead. When he first reported to basic training with three other men from our tribe, they were all offered the option of participating in a special communications program. Two of the men didn’t speak enough Lakota to qualify, but Thomas and David Watching Clouds were accepted.”
Bett nodded. “But why didn’t you say anything about him to me?” she asked wonderingly. “When I started working in cryptography?”
“I wanted to, but that first night when you talked about wanting to work with him, you specifically asked me not to speak of it to you again. My security clearance, yes? So I didn’t. Only listened for the times you brought him up.”
Rain noted the fire was low and rose to put another log on. Bett was still sitting, stunned, with the blanket draped around her. “Rain, I don’t know what to say. I feel very foolish, for the second time tonight.”
“As long as you are not mad,” Rain said, looking away as she sat back down.
“Oh Rain, oh my God.” Bett threw the blanket around them both and pushed Rain onto her back, sitting on Rain’s stomach. “I’m such an idiot. You should be mad at me.”
“No,” Rain said, brushing Bett’s hair back away from her face. “I pushed you and I made you uncomfortable. And I think you are still upset about this other trouble between us. So if it suits you, I’m going to tell Kathleen that I won’t see her for a while.”
As much as Bett wanted to agree, she knew this would be a mistake. It would be like telling someone not to think about the color blue, and then being angry when they couldn’t get the hue out of their minds. She kissed Rain lightly on the mouth. “No, Beloved. Please don’t. I was being silly, I know.”
Rain kissed her back, a little more firmly. “You must believe there will never be anyone else, Bett. I want only you riding with me when we go to South Dakota. But it’s okay if you don’t want to.” She ran her hands along Bett’s thighs and smiled. “Let’s see if your great speed can match my horse’s stamina.”
Bett warmed at the memory of the race she’d won during basic training. She stretched out, putting her head on Rain’s chest. “I’ll just need you to coach me, like you did before the meet. I trust you with my heart, my mind, and my body. So if you promise to give me the smallest, sweetest horse there is, I promise to try riding again.”
The feel of Bett’s naked body on top of her was so amazing that Rain could only nod. They fell silent for a time. Finally, she asked, “Thomas is where the fighting is very bad?”
“Yes.”
“And you believe he is wounded?”
“Yes, but not critically.”
“In the left arm?”
“I don’t know, exactly. Is that what you saw in your dream?” Bett asked.
“No, but my left arm has been sore for two days for no reason, so I thought maybe…” Rain trailed off. “How did you figure it out? That Luna was Thomas?”
Bett explained about her message to Luna with the words stay strong, and Luna’s reply with wind and rain in the text.
“In your next message to him, could you put in the word thaŋkšítku? I’ll write it out for you. It means ‘his younger sister.’ If it’s in there anywhere, he’ll see it. That way he’ll figure out that you know me, and he won’t think he’s going crazy.”
Bett nodded. “I’ll try to do it tonight but it might be another day, depending on what traffic we have.”
Rain frowned slightly. “When did I say ‘stay strong’ to you?”
“After you were released from the hospital that morning with your leg wound. You’d had the injury cleaned and they’d given you a shot. When I heard you mumbling something as you tried to walk, you translated it for me as ‘stay strong.’”
“I have no memory of saying that,” Rain said, rubbing her eyes. She recalled only the overwhelming relief that Bett hadn’t been hurt or, worse, lost to her forever. She’d known then that she could no longer fight what was between them.
“Well, that’s understandable, considering your condition at the time.” Bett shifted alongside Rain, who turned to face her. Bett traced the contours of Rain’s face. “I remember making up my mind that day that no matter how long I had to wait, I was absolutely going to have you in my bed.”
Rain remembered setting aside the hot, jolting rage at the crazed MP who was trying to punish her by harming Bett, and giving in instead to the desperate need she’d had to stay near that night in the hospital, simply to reassure herself by listening to Bett’s breathing and inhaling her scent. The way she was doing right now. There had been no going back for her heart after that night. A slow smile stretched across Rain’s face. “Well, maybe you’ve waited long enough.”
* * *
It wasn’t any easier to leave the warmth of Bett’s sleeping body the following morning, but Bett’s good news about Thomas made Rain’s heart much lighter. She wrote Bett a note: Thank you for all that you are doing for your country at work. Thank you for all that you do for me at home. I love you. Rain
On her way out, she picked up the mystery box, which had contained only engine parts. It wasn’t anything she had bought, but probably a delayed order that her MP friend Harold Lutz had put in before he sold her the motorcycle she now called Red Cloud. She made a mental note to check his schedule for the week and find him to ask.