CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“Do you really think they’ll come after us?” Sarah asked after Deuce and Niki finished outlining their plan for moving the camp higher into the mountains and further from roads or established trails.

“Better safe than sorry,” Niki, Deuce, Frank and Joe said in unison.

Niki giggled. “We kind of made a pact and adopted that as a motto the night I nearly shot Joe and Frank.”

“Sorry we missed out on the fun,” Sarah replied with a wry grin. “But why would they bother with us?”

“I’d like to believe those soldiers will leave us alone, but we’ve caused plenty of damage. They seemed to think I knew more than I did about the control tower and some launch facility when they not so politely questioned me at the ranch, and then Niki disposed of a rather well-known figure in the Iranian Military. I doubt they expected to encounter such a bunch of mutinous, rebellious ranchers when they invaded our mountains.”

Deuce stopped talking when Lacy walked up and stood in front of him, hands on her hips, head tilted. Sitting down, he was eye-level to the serious-looking child. She didn’t appear frightened by the conversation which had been going on, but she did look confused.

“What’s mutinous?” she asked, struggling to pronounce the word.

“It means rebellious and willful, like when you refuse to eat your vegetables,” Deuce said as he snatched her off her feet.

“I always eat my vegetables, don’t I, Mama?” she giggled as Deuce tickled her sides.

“I don’t know if I would go so far as to say always,” Sarah replied as she watched her youngest daughter beam with delight. Seeing her daughter on Deuce’s lap made her think of Cal and how much she wished he was with them. The girls loved their dad and she prayed they would be together again soon. Deuce assured her Cal was safe, but until she saw him it would be difficult not to worry. She had put up a good front for the girls’ sake, but as she lay in the tent at night, it took every ounce of her strength not to break down and cry for the only man she had ever loved.

“Why would those mean men think we’re mutinous? We did everything they asked us to, just like Mama told us to, and they didn’t even say thank you for cooking them dinner.”

Sarah stood and turned her back on the group, afraid her daughters would see the tears welling in her eyes.

Deuce felt the urge to comfort Sarah, knowing how much she feared for her husband’s safety, but at the moment he had a struggling six-year-old on his lap anxiously awaiting an answer.

“You see, we haven’t been real good at doing what those scary men want us to do, because we don’t think we should have to obey a bunch of strangers. We didn’t want you trapped at the ranch, so we took matters into our own hands. Sometimes stuff like that makes big bad ogres really angry.”

“I thought mutiny was making the captain walk the plank and then stealing his ship,” April added.

“It can be, but in this case Niki made them drive into a gully instead,” Frank added, forcing back a laugh.

Niki rolled her eyes, knowing she would never live the incident down. Leading the motorbikes into a gully in the dark had been a very risky and somewhat stupid plan, she now admitted in hindsight, but it had worked and they had escaped with the Stephens’ family, just as planned.

“So we’re kind of like pirates.” Lacy untied the bandana from around Deuce’s neck and retied it around her head.

“I’d say we’re more like the peaceful island villagers and the solders are the ruthless pirates, who sailed into our idyllic home to disrupt our happy lives,” Niki added.

April giggled and pestered Frank until he forfeited his bandana as well. She tied it around her head and the girls took off running through the trees. They soon emerged with sticks and entered into a sword fight.

The adults sat around the fire and watched the girls play while finishing lunch. Niki had never thought much about children, but being around Lacy and April suddenly made her feel as if there were a hole in her life. She had dated in Denver, but had seldom gone out with anyone who made her think about a second date, much less the future or children. There was only one man who ever made her dream about the future and if he didn’t change his mind about her, she knew the hole in her heart would never be filled.

By the time the plan was made and lunch over and cleaned up, it was too late in the day to relocate. They decided to start preparing, but wouldn’t break camp until morning. There was plenty to do to get ready for the move and, though nothing was said, no one wanted to ruin the girls’ enthusiastic game. They had been through a terrifying ordeal and would no doubt experience more before it was over, so if they could give the children peace, even for a short while, they would.

As Sarah cleaned up lunch and began packing, Niki followed Frank and Deuce into the tent.

“Papa, this is your lucky day. We’re moving further into the mountains in the morning, so we might as well see how strong you are.”

They had pretty much decided Bernie had broken no bones in his accident, but had seriously fractured his back. Niki had been afraid to allow much movement, but the time had come to try.

With Frank on one side and Deuce on the other, they helped Bernie to a sitting position on the edge of the cot. The old man winced as a sharp pain shot through his back, but he said nothing.

Bernie glanced up and could tell Niki had caught his reaction. “Don’t say a word. I’m bound to be a little weak and have some pain after being hog-tied to this board for so long.”

Niki fought the urge to interfere and stepped back. She bit her lip as Bernie came to his feet one slow and clearly agonizing inch at a time. She wanted to go to him, but knew Deuce and Frank wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.

“Can you walk?” Deuce asked.

The old man nodded his head and took a small step. He gritted his teeth and took several more. His breathing grew faster and sweat beaded on his forehead with each stride, but he was determined to walk out the tent flap and look at the sun. He was tired of feeling so helpless. With considerable effort and the two younger men at his sides, Bernie navigated the last few yards necessary to make it outside the tent and then his knees sagged. Deuce and Frank held strong to keep the old man from falling and looked to Niki.

“That’s enough for today,” Niki said. “Let’s get him back inside. I think he can be moved without causing anymore damage, but we’ll need to work up to walking on his own. You did good, Papa, we just need to take it easy and slowly build your strength and stamina.”

When he didn’t argue, Niki knew she had gauged the extent of his pain correctly, though he would never admit it to anyone. The fact that he could walk with help was encouraging, but the effort had taken its toll.

“You’ve made a lot of progress, but we don’t need a setback now,” Niki said as she propped her grandfather’s head up on his pillow, tucked the blankets around his increasingly bony frame, and gave him a drink of water.

Niki worried about the continued weight loss. Her grandfather had always been very thin, but he was becoming almost skeletal as the days passed. His face was frighteningly gaunt, his gnarled fingers little more than bone covered with a nearly translucent layer of skin, and the outline of each rib could be seen when he inhaled.

“I wish someone would just shoot me like the lame horse I am or at least leave me behind for the bears. I’m no good to anyone like this,” he grumbled. “I don’t want to hold you all back. I’m nothing but a liability.”

“That’s no way to talk. You won’t slow us down anymore than a thousand ewes and lambs, and you would never leave those behind, so no one is leaving you behind either.”

She wasn’t sure if he was really listening to her. It seemed as if her grandfather’s mind was suddenly miles away. She took his weathered hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. The action brought his gaze to hers and she saw something in the old man’s eyes she had never seen before.

“You’re a lot like your mother. Neither one of you have ever known when to cut your losses and run.”

Niki knew immediately where his mind had gone. She wasn’t sure if it made her more sad or more angry.

“That’s not fair. There’s no comparison between you and my father.”

“I’m just so darn angry at being such a burden to you and feeling so helpless. I want the best for you, but it seems like you’re always the one suffering for everyone else’s weaknesses.”

“Being injured is not a weakness and is nothing like being a hateful drunk.”

“If I’d only known how bad things were I would have done something. Your mother never complained. She never said a word to me until the night when you two showed up at the ranch with all your belongings in a few plastic garbage bags.”

“You gave us the comfort we needed. You didn’t force her to take charity, which would have destroyed her. You helped her get resettled in Chicago and gave me this.” Niki motioned to everything around her. “You gave me something to look forward to, you gave me kindness and you’ve protected me from every storm since that night. I still get scared, but I don’t feel alone anymore.”

His eyes were misty. Niki knew he wouldn’t cry, but seeing how close he was made her heart ache.

“And, thanks. There’s no person I’d rather be like than my mother. She was loving, strong when she had to be and proud. If my father had ever hit me or harmed me in anyway while in a drunken rage, she would have left sooner or done something even worse, but she was determined to keep her family together and she gave it everything she had. Yes, she should have given up sooner, but no one could ever accuse her of not trying to make her marriage work.”

“I’ve never been a man of many words and I’m sorry I don’t tell you as often as I should, but I hope you know how much I love you.”

“I’ve always known and that’s enough,” Niki whispered as she bent down and kissed her grandfather’s forehead. “And I hope you know that I love you too. But, since I actually say the words out loud, you should.”

He chuckled and gave her hand another squeeze. Even bedridden and trapped on a mountain, when he looked at his granddaughter he felt like the luckiest man in the world. With that thought occupying his mind he was able to relax.

Niki sat by his side until she was sure he had fallen asleep. She understood how he felt. He still harbored guilt after so many years over not being able to protect her and her mother, though he hadn’t even know they were in danger. Now Niki felt the burden of responsibility bearing down on her. She knew he needed medical attention and might not survive without it, but she was helpless to do anything to change the situation.

Despite Sarah being with them, she also couldn’t help but feel responsible for the children’s safety. Her own mother had rescued her from a potentially harmful situation, but Sarah had a much more formidable obstacle than a drunken absentee father. If the soldiers came for them, there was little hope for a happy ending.