Gather The Children (Chronicles of the Maca Book 2) (28 page)

Rita projected her mind outward to determine if her mother was withholding something and discovered she could not enter. Anna's lips narrowed and she exclaimed, “Not in this house! I vill not permit it.”

The laughter was back in MacDonald's eyes as he turned to meet the young men and took his daughter. “Did ye find a nice bottle of wine?”

Lorenz looked at him and grinned. “Yes, Papa.”

MacDonald perched Mina on his shoulders and washed his hands, and then the other two took their turns. “Supper vill be on as soon as du are out of the vay,” said Anna.

The meal was not exactly strained silence. There were still too many years between them and a type of family normalcy returned after saying grace and the passing of bowls and platters began. Rita closed her eyes and smiled when biting down on the yeast rolls that went with the stew. “Oh, Mama, they are as good as I remember. Did Lorenz tell you that I ran a bakery in Tucson?”

“Ach, ja, he did. Did du remember how I taught du to bake pies?”

“Yes,” laughed Rita, “but it was hard at first with only dried fruit. It wasn't the fresh fruit we used from Grandpa's orchard.”

“Have you heard from O'Neal lately?” asked Daniel, forgetting how that name could throw Anna into a foul mood.

“Yes, he's made accommodations with the Union and the Union Army by paying for his father's pardon, and they left him alone and the ranch intact. He doesn't think they'll get a Reconstruction Bill through congress as long as President Johnson remains so favorable to the South.” Rita then addressed her remarks to Lorenz. “Why didn't you stay with Red after you went back to Wooden looking for Mama?”

Lorenz looked at his sister and answered in a flat voice. “Then Zale would still be alive.”

Daniel figured something should be said to put his employer in a good light. “At least he sent the telegram telling the Marshal that you didn't kill his uncle and steal the gold.”

Lorenz looked at Daniel, slightly amused. He knew Red hadn't bothered to enlighten Daniel about anything. “He had to. He knocked his uncle out and took the gold. He needed it for, uhh, some purchases.” Lorenz figured Mama would have a fit if he said buy some women to ship to Carson City.

His euphemism didn't work. Anna laid her knife down and snorted. “I told du the man ist evil.” She turned to Rita seated at her left. “How could du vork for such an evil man? No, vait, do not answer. Mina, eat your supper.” She realized Mina was listening with rapt attention. “Little pitchers big ears have,” she said to everyone in general.

Daniel figured it was time to leave O'Neal out and said to Lorenz, “You never said how you managed alone like that. Did you work some place?”

“Naw, I took some of the gold coins when I left camp.” Lorenz stopped abruptly.

MacDonald looked at Lorenz. “And how do ye intend to repay Mr. O'Neal? Ye already owe him for Dandy.”

Lorenz sat silent for a moment and raised his head. “When Zale's reward money gets here, I reckon.” At the rate he was going, he figured he'd be an old man before he paid everyone back.

Anna was outraged. “I do not vant any money going to that man. It vas Confederate gold.”

Rita glanced at MacDonald and was amazed to see him fighting a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, and realized what a handsome man he was. The mouth line was medium with a full under lip, the nose small and well-shaped, the eyes were black-brown set underneath a high forehead, the head square and covered with deep black, straight hair combed back. His shoulders were broad and he gave off an aura of a powerful, intelligent man. Her heart thudded in her chest just looking at him. No wonder her mother had fallen for him, but why had he married someone so much older? Then she remembered the booklet had said the Thalians lived to be well over two hundred years or more. Her mother was still glaring at him. Was there a chance she could separate them? She would need to talk with Daniel.

“Mayhap tis a conversation we should save for later,” said MacDonald mildly. “Is the wine any good?”

Slowly a smile went across Anna's face. “Ja, it's fine.” She wiped Mina's face.

MacDonald looked at Rita. “Ye picked a good time to return. Yere mither and ye twill be able to talk with nay interruptions when we all go into Arles next week”

Rita looked at her mother and then at MacDonald. “All of you? Why”

“We're going in for my adoption,” said Lorenz. My name will be MacDonald.

This time Rita's mouth fell open. “Adopted? Why?”

“Because, he's papa.” Lorenz's eyes turned flinty grey and dared her to dispute him. The finality in his voice left Rita temporarily without voice. Somehow, she must talk with Daniel.

Anna stood as the others began to push their plates to the side and rise from the table. Well trained, they all picked up their plates and utensils and carried them into the kitchen.

“I'll start the laddies on their lessons since ye have someone to help ye this evening.”

The dishes went quickly while Rita and Anna stayed on subjects certain to not antagonize the other. “Du may vant to get your night clothes out vhile I take Mina outside,” said Anna as she retrieved the youngest from MacDonald's lap. “Or do du vant to come along and see vhere it is.” There was no need to explain “it.”

“I think I'll walk along.” They grabbed the men's slickers and wrapped themselves and Mina against the storm.

When they returned, the women disappeared into Mina's bedroom after MacDonald had bid Mina goodnight with a hug and a kiss. Rita itched to ask if he was always like that and decided against it. She put out her nightclothes for later and hurried out to the front. Maybe there was a chance she could smoke while Mama was still in the bedroom, but the opportunity slid away and her frustration mounted until she heard Anna call for MacDonald to come and tell Mina a story. He went into the bedroom, and Rita lit and inhaled deeply on the cigarillo she'd hidden in her pocket. She looked at her two handsome brothers with their broad shoulders, straight features, grey eyes, cleft chins, and wavy, curly black hair; handsome in a lean, angular way, and tried to fish out some information.

“Do they always work together like that?” she asked.

“Always,” answered Lorenz. He grinned. “I quit trying to fool them both within a week of being here.”

Rita frowned and wondered how to get rid of Daniel. Surely, they could not have been serious about discussing lineage with Daniel present. She looked at his papers and saw that Daniel was practicing adding and subtracting. “I didn't know you were interested in ciphering,” she admitted.

“You never asked.”

Rita picked up one of Lorenz's books. It was
Luther's Small Catechism
written in German. “You are reading this?” she gurgled out.

“Some of it. Most of the time it's still just memorization, but the words start making sense after I've gone through a page.” Lorenz grinned at her. “It seems I haven't forgotten everything.” He stressed forgotten and looked at Daniel. Daniel ignored him.

Silence descended on the siblings until Anna and MacDonald walked out of the short hallway. “Ye might as well put up the books for now,” said MacDonald. “It seems we need to cover a few misunderstandings. Did ye wish me to start?” He looked down at Anna as he asked the question.

“No,” she sighed. “I'll start.” She wet her lips, and MacDonald put his arm around her shoulders. They made a striking couple: both were tall, one with white hair, one with black. “I made a mistake vhen I married Mr. Lawrence so young. Having all of du vas not a mistake. Du vere, and are, everyone of one of du, beautiful, vonderous gifts from God, and I fought so hard to keep him from killing du. It vas a mistake to go with him to Texas, but I still thought I had to be the obedient frau.”

Rita pushed her chair back and tried to think of some way to stop this. Was her mother as mad as the Thalian? “Mama, you cannot say anymore.” Before she could stand, MacDonald broke in.

“Why? Because Daniel does nay have two hearts like ye and Lorenz have from yere biological fither?”

Rita gulped in air and stared at him, unable to rise. She had forgotten to put out the cigarillo, and smoke curled up in a lazy, scented spiral.

Daniel shook his head as if to clear it. “What are you people talking about?”

“Yere heritage, the one ye can pass down to any wee ones ye may have.”

“None of us can have children,” Rita said through clenched teeth.

“That may nay be true. Ye exist, and all of yere full siblings, except one, exist. I exist and Mina exists. Tis true we lost our wee laddie, but in this world who tis there to say why. I am nay medical, but there tis truly something fecund about this world.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Daniel let his impatience get the better of his tongue. When he saw MacDonald's eyebrows go up, he said, “Sorry, ma'am.”

MacDonald nodded his head in acknowledgement and answered, “Fertile, all things conceive and grow here.”

Rita broke in. “I do not know how or why Mama had so many children, but we, her offspring aren't able to have children, and the same will hold true for Mina.”

MacDonald's lips curled. “My dear, I have two hearts for my fither was a Justine. I am considered a mutant, but contrary to Justine biology and teaching, Mina exists and tis a healthy, normal Earth child.”

“That can't be!” Rita was incapable of discrediting what she had learned.

“You three really have two hearts?” Daniel could not believe what he was hearing and started to rise out of his chair.

A crooked, leering smile crossed MacDonald's face. “Oh, aye, and since Lorenz and ye dinna get along and Margareatha would object to ye listening to hers, any who doubt me can listen.” He unbuttoned the top three buttons on his blue, collarless shirt and summer underwear exposing his broad, muscular hairless chest. His mocking look and words were a dare to both Daniel and Rita.

Rita's face flamed red and she remained seated, but Daniel stood and took three quick steps, his lips set in a tight line, the grey eyes guarded. He turned his head as he put his ear to MacDonald's chest. The thump of two hearts was unmistakable. He looked up, wonderment in his eyes, “I don't understand.”

MacDonald sighed and squeezed Anna's shoulder. “I think we should all sit down, and Anna and I twill try to clarify things.

Rita crossed her arms and composed her face as Anna and MacDonald resumed their seats. Daniel sat down gingerly, not knowing what to expect. Lorenz was sitting straight, his face and eyes somber.

“Since Daniel has heard Mina's Story, he kens the part about the stars having planets, where the Justines come from, and the Thalians. Margareatha has either spoken with yere biological fither, Toma, or someone else.” Rita shook her head at the mention of speaking with their father. “It does nay matter as they both imply danger to us all.” Good, thought MacDonald, that got their attention. “According to the Justines, we should nay exist. Since we do exist, they would call us mutants. Ye can equate that word with Earth beings calling a white man's mixed child a breed or a mulatto with the same amount of scorn. The Justine biology teaches mutants are like mules and can nay produce children. Toma must have realized that if the Justine teaching twas wrong in the first premise that Justines are too advanced to bring forth issue with primitives, they are wrong in the second. Ye all have the potential of producing wee ones, and they could have two hearts. That means they twill probably be long-lived and have the ability to walk in another's mind. If they have the last ability, ye twill need help in the raising, for yere mither can tell ye how difficult it is to control a child when the skill of mind control comes early. To me, she tis a wonder. She had nay kenning of the ways of mind control, but she dealt with a situation that was dangerous for both laddies.”

Daniel had been staring intently at MacDonald. Now he looked quickly at Lorenz and back to MacDonald. “Mind control? That's crazy! And how is it dangerous?”

“Ye call it crazy, but did ye nay wind up on the floor of the barn even though ye had pushed Lorenz and he should have been off balance for the next assault? When ye were eight and he but four, who twas it that landed on top and continued to land the blows because the elder lay helpless?”

Daniel sat back and turned to Lorenz. Lorenz gave a slight smile and said, “Sorry, Daniel, I just did it. I didn't know y'all couldn't. It's why Papa told me to go throw rocks until I calmed down. He knew that way I wouldn't hurt y'all.”

Daniel shook his head. “Does this mean O'Neal and Rita can do the same thing, and how long is long-lived?”

MacDonald answered, “I would say that Margareatha can enter a mind, though nay all. As to Mr. O'Neal, I canna answer, but it would nay surprise me. Margareatha, Lorenz, and O'Neal would need to take the 'elixir' as the Justines call it to retain their youthful looks, but they could live anywhere twixt one hundred to five thousand years, the life span of a Justine. For me tis a bit different as the Thalians live about three hundred-fifty years or more. Tis possible that I twill live to the Justine's allotted years, or longer. Tis difficult to say as the Justines must drink their rejuvenating liquid about every one hundred years to retain their youthful looks, but a Thalian does nay age once they reach one hundred and finish bulking out. We look the same till near the end of our years. Once we are near the end, a Thalian's decline tis rapid.”

Daniel was shaking his head in disbelief. “How old are you? Does that mean you are going to grow taller? Heavier?”

MacDonald smiled. “Nay taller, laddie, but, aye, I twill develop more muscle and become stronger.”

Rita's pursed her mouth. How would her mother take this news? Anna, however, was looking at MacDonald with loving eyes and a slight smile on her mouth.

“You still ain't said why our pa is dangerous to us,” Daniel continued. “According to Mr. O'Neal, he tried using Comanche to kill us, but he didn't try outright. What has changed?”

“Tis but speculation, tis true, but he kens ye are all elder now, and he must wonder what twill yere wee ones be like? There tis nay way to ken. He, nor Margareatha, can go into every mind here. Lorenz may one day do so as he tis different.” MacDonald saw Daniel's look of complete disbelief. “Look at him. He does nay have the Justine eyes, yet he has two hearts and the mind ability. Tis difficult to block him out, and he tis but a laddie. What happens when he tis full grown?”