Dusty Britches (71 page)

Dusty felt
as if
she might faint of the sickened, anxious state of her mind and body.
I named me a dog Dusty once
,
Ryder
’
s voice echoed through her mind.

“
His dog
’
s name is Dusty?
”
Becca asked in a whisper.

Rose nodded.
“
The dog is very unusual. It looks like a wolf and has one blue eye and one brown eye. It
’
s easy to identify
,
and when I was in Alamosa, the storekeeper there said she saw four men, one of them an Indian, and a dog like that. She heard one of the men call the dog Dusty.
”
Rose reached out
,
taking
Dusty
’
s hand.
“
Ryder told me in town yesterday that he won
’
t leave you, Miss Hunter.
”
Rose
’
s tears were streaming down her cheeks as she pleaded with Dusty.
“
I begged him! I told him they
’
re on their way. But he
’
s blinded by loving you! He told me he wouldn
’
t leave you. He said he
’
d rather die facing the past than lose you now. But you have to let him go! You have to make him go!
”

It
’
s down to which one of us dies first
, he
’
d said to her. As he
’
d lain next to her in bed last night, he
’
d said
it
. Tears streamed down Dusty
’
s face, mirroring those Rose cried.

She shook her head and mumbled,
“
I won
’
t let him go! And I won
’
t let him be hurt!
”

Rose attempted to calm herself slightly.
“
He used to tell us about you. Tell us stories of things you did as a little girl. Tell us that he knew you
’
d grown up to be beautiful. He told us this was the best place on ea
rth to him…for so many reasons…b
ut truly because of you. But you can
’
t let him be
butchered like a penned-up pig!
He
’
ll be hurt…he
’
ll be killed if you don
’
t let him go!
”
Rose cried.

“
They
’
ll have to kill me to get to him and
—”
Dusty began.

“
They will!
”
Rose cried.
“
Wesley doesn
’
t care who gets in his way! Nobody…nobody matters to him anymore!
”
Rose squeezed Dusty
’
s hand pleadingly.
“
He has to leave here! They will come for him!
”

“
You leave!
”
Becca shouted.
“
You leave now! You
’
ve warned us
.
Now get out!
”

“
Listen to me!
”
Rose pleaded.
“
Just
—”

“
You heard my sis
ter,” Dusty growled. “Leave now.”

Rose Montgomery
’
s beautiful, sad, emerald eyes implored Dusty still. But she was met with only cold denial. And she left.

“
Dusty…Ryder will tell you the truth. Don
’
t despair until he gets in from the pastures. He
—”
Becca told her.

“
I won
’
t wait for him to come in from the pastures!
”
Throwing her apron to the ground, she set out toward the barn.
“
Becca…where
’
s Daddy?
”
she asked.

“
Over at Miss Raynetta
’
s.
”

“
Go bring him home please.
”

Becca nodded and threw her own apron to the ground.



Becca
arrived at Miss Raynetta
’
s to find their father and Miss Raynetta were off
picnicking
somewhere. She returned home to discover Dusty had been unable to find Ryder or the other hands. So after hours of searching and waiting, all there was left to do was to wait. And wait. And wait.

Becca was near to wringing her hands raw as
she sat on the porch with Dusty—
waiting. Her sister
’
s nerves only served to further strain her own
,
so Dusty suggested Becca finish the pies they
’
d starte
d that morning—the pies they’d started
before Rose had appea
red like the angel of death to
ruin Dusty
’
s dreams. Dusty knew
Rose felt for her—t
hat somehow Rose understood and ached for Dusty and her love of Ryder. Had it been Rose who had loved Ryder? Did she still love him? She
’d admitted as much—s
aid that she loved him. But was there more? Was she
in
love with Ryder?

Back and forth, back and forth—t
he porch swing rocked for an hour as Dusty struggled to hang onto a shred of sanity as she waited and waited. She heard a horse approaching then. Standing up, she shaded her eyes from the sun and looked toward the rider in the distance. It was Feller. Her heart sank
,
and yet there was hope. He might know where Ryder was.

Dusty had spent hours in contemplation. Her decision was made. Though she was disgusted to admit it, Rose Montgomery was right. She couldn
’
t keep Ryder in danger. He had to leave. And she couldn
’
t go with him. She
’
d be a hindrance
—s
low him dow
n, distract him, and trip him up.
She may already have! So
as she approached Feller,
as he unsaddled his mount, her determination changed. Her happiness
and
her dreams had been dashed t
o death. But she was whole now—
the
Dusty she had been born to be, t
he Dusty
who
had been lost for some time. And not everyone had to live in ete
rnal misery. Not everyone—c
ertainly not her family. Dusty
’
s pain was so excruciating, yet her tears had ceased. There was no question. She would have to give Ryder up to sav
e him. And she would save him—a
nd there were others to save along the way.

Feller came out of the barn and tossed his saddle onto the fence
,
as was his habit when he meant to clean it. He didn
’
t seem to see Dusty at first, but when he glanced over and saw the look of despair, of utter surrender to despair
,
on her face, he stopped. Dusty walked over to him
—
stood before him in silence for a moment.

“
Dusty? You all right?
”
he asked.

“
Stop it, Feller,
”
she stated.
“
Just stop it.
”

Dusty watched as Feller
’
s brow wrinkled with a deep, perplexed frown.
“
Stop what? I ain
’
t doin
’
nothin
’
but cleanin
’
my saddle.
”

“
Exactly,
”
Dusty confirmed.
“
You ain
’
t doin
’
nothin
’
.
”

“
Now, hang on there, girl,
”
Feller began defensively.

“
You haven
’
t said anything to her, have y
a
?
”

“
What are you goin
’
on about, Dusty? I
—”

“
Have you, Feller? You haven
’
t said anything to Becca. Not one thing. You haven
’
t given her any
kind of hope that ya care for her…haven
’
t
—”

“
I ain
’
t goin
’
down this road with you again, Dusty,
”
Feller growled.
“
It
’
s plain as day somethin
’
s stuck in your craw
,
but don
’
t you go tellin
’
me
—”

“
Don
’
t do it, Feller,
”
Dusty interrupted.
“
Don
’
t fritter away one single moment longer you could be with her. Don
’
t take the chance somethin
’
will come along and take her from you…or you from her…
leavin’
y
a
with nothin
’
but a life of loneliness and regret.
”

“
What
’
s the matter, Dusty?
”
he began. It was obvious he now sensed the seriousness of her mood.
“
Come on now. You gotta tell me
.”

“
She
’
s in the kitchen right now. I think she
’
s upset about some things. She needs you. She
’
s miserable without you.
”
Dusty swallowed hard and looked away for a moment. Then, looking back to him, she continued,
“
You
’
ve known, haven
’
t y
a
? All these years you
’
ve known it was because of Ryder that I…became what I did. All this time you knew, didn
’
t y
a
, Feller?
”
He didn
’
t say anything
,
and his silence was all the confession she needed.
“
Well, then I suspect y
a
know how completely you
’
re breaking Becca
’
s heart by bein
’
such a coward and not
—”

“
That
’
s enough, girl!
”
Feller nearly shouted.
“
Don
’
t you be talkin
’
back to me like that! I
—”

“
You should be my brother-in-law by now! Don
’
t you talk to me like I
’
m still ten years old! And crawl outta your hidey
-
hole
,
and quit tellin
’
yourself Becca
’
s still ten
—b
ecause she
’
s not! You
’
re breaking her heart! If you fiddle around any longer, somebody
’
s gonna show up on the front porch one day and tear your world apart!
”
He seemed stunned by Dusty
’
s outburst
.

Suddenly panic set in;
Dusty experienced pure panic. This man had to confess his feelings to her sister. He had to!
“
Please, Feller,
”
she begged him then, not in anger but in deepest sincerity.
“
Please. Go in the house…right now. Don
’
t waste another minute. Please.
”