“We need to think about this. I haven’t decided to go.”
“Yes, you have,” she answered. “You’ve no other option. You said so yourself and waiting will serve no purpose. I don’t think I can stand another day of you yelling at everyone. So you’re going if I have to help carry you.”
Travis set his jaw and didn’t say another word. He’d never been a coward and he didn’t plan to start being one now. They were right, finding out what his future held, no matter how dark, had to be better than staying here thinking he had none.
What if he dreamed about his death as his father had? What did it matter? He felt like he was already living in hell. And maybe, once he got out of their sight, he might not sleep at all. Then he could say he’d tried it and nothing happened.
As he waited for his brothers to return with a bed and wagon, he smiled for the first time in weeks. He’d be sleeping under the stars tonight. Alone! All this family around had been like living in a beehive. If Tobin wasn’t dropping in to tell him a story about one of the horses, Sage was asking his advice, or Teagen thought he had to go over the accounts with him. Even when Travis managed to persuade his brothers and sister into leaving him alone, Martha was always about, cleaning the room or trying to feed him.
“Ready?” Teagen asked as he walked in the study with Travis’s coat folded over his arm. His gaze met his brother’s. “This was Sage’s idea, and I think it’s a good one, but if you’re against it . . .”
Travis nodded once, knowing, crippled or not, no one could make him sleep on the summit of Whispering Mountain if he didn’t want to. “I might as well get it over with. At this point I don’t really care what my future holds, just as long as I have one.”
Teagen handed him the coat. “We can get to the mountain with a wagon, but we’ll have to climb the rest on foot.” He hesitated. “We’ll have to strap you on the bunk, Travis.”
“I know.” Travis fought down the pain as he stood and buckled on his gun belt for the first time since he’d been shot. He pulled the leather strip over the Colt to hold the weapons in their holsters. “I’ll take a rifle as well.”
Teagen nodded as he pulled one from the rack by the door. “We’ll build a good fire that should keep any trouble away.”
Travis grinned without humor. “Wouldn’t want to take a bedroll and keep me company?”
“No,” Teagen answered in his no-nonsense way.
“How about you, little brother?” Travis asked as Tobin walked into the room. “Camp out on the summit with me tonight.”
His quiet brother shook his head and looked away. But Travis had seen fear flicker in his eyes. A fear they all shared. Once, when they’d been kids, they’d all sworn they’d never climb the mountain to dream. They’d told one another that they didn’t believe the legend. They decided it had only been a coincidence that their young father had dreamed his death the night he’d slept on the mountain.
But today Travis saw the truth in them all. If a tiny part of each of them didn’t believe in the legend, they wouldn’t be climbing the mountain.
Travis insisted on walking to the wagon now loaded down with the bed from the bunkhouse. He swore as Teagen and Tobin lifted him into the back. Neither brother took offense. They seemed to understand.
The day was crisp with fall, the sky clear. Travis wouldn’t have cared if it had been pouring rain. Now that he’d set his course, he wouldn’t turn back. Because he could see no future for him beyond the walls of his study, he’d lost his fear of what any dream might reveal.
Within an hour they reached the base of the hill everyone called Whispering Mountain. On the north side they could have ridden horses halfway up. On the south the slope was steeper, but faster on foot. No one had said anything about taking Travis up halfway by horseback. He would have had to lie over the saddle like a
“Yes, you have,” she answered. “You’ve no other option. You said so yourself and waiting will serve no purpose. I don’t think I can stand another day of you yelling at everyone. So you’re going if I have to help carry you.”
Travis set his jaw and didn’t say another word. He’d never been a coward and he didn’t plan to start being one now. They were right, finding out what his future held, no matter how dark, had to be better than staying here thinking he had none.
What if he dreamed about his death as his father had? What did it matter? He felt like he was already living in hell. And maybe, once he got out of their sight, he might not sleep at all. Then he could say he’d tried it and nothing happened.
As he waited for his brothers to return with a bed and wagon, he smiled for the first time in weeks. He’d be sleeping under the stars tonight. Alone! All this family around had been like living in a beehive. If Tobin wasn’t dropping in to tell him a story about one of the horses, Sage was asking his advice, or Teagen thought he had to go over the accounts with him. Even when Travis managed to persuade his brothers and sister into leaving him alone, Martha was always about, cleaning the room or trying to feed him.
“Ready?” Teagen asked as he walked in the study with Travis’s coat folded over his arm. His gaze met his brother’s. “This was Sage’s idea, and I think it’s a good one, but if you’re against it . . .”
Travis nodded once, knowing, crippled or not, no one could make him sleep on the summit of Whispering Mountain if he didn’t want to. “I might as well get it over with. At this point I don’t really care what my future holds, just as long as I have one.”
Teagen handed him the coat. “We can get to the mountain with a wagon, but we’ll have to climb the rest on foot.” He hesitated. “We’ll have to strap you on the bunk, Travis.”
“I know.” Travis fought down the pain as he stood and buckled on his gun belt for the first time since he’d been shot. He pulled the leather strip over the Colt to hold the weapons in their holsters. “I’ll take a rifle as well.”
Teagen nodded as he pulled one from the rack by the door. “We’ll build a good fire that should keep any trouble away.”
Travis grinned without humor. “Wouldn’t want to take a bedroll and keep me company?”
“No,” Teagen answered in his no-nonsense way.
“How about you, little brother?” Travis asked as Tobin walked into the room. “Camp out on the summit with me tonight.”
His quiet brother shook his head and looked away. But Travis had seen fear flicker in his eyes. A fear they all shared. Once, when they’d been kids, they’d all sworn they’d never climb the mountain to dream. They’d told one another that they didn’t believe the legend. They decided it had only been a coincidence that their young father had dreamed his death the night he’d slept on the mountain.
But today Travis saw the truth in them all. If a tiny part of each of them didn’t believe in the legend, they wouldn’t be climbing the mountain.
Travis insisted on walking to the wagon now loaded down with the bed from the bunkhouse. He swore as Teagen and Tobin lifted him into the back. Neither brother took offense. They seemed to understand.
The day was crisp with fall, the sky clear. Travis wouldn’t have cared if it had been pouring rain. Now that he’d set his course, he wouldn’t turn back. Because he could see no future for him beyond the walls of his study, he’d lost his fear of what any dream might reveal.
Within an hour they reached the base of the hill everyone called Whispering Mountain. On the north side they could have ridden horses halfway up. On the south the slope was steeper, but faster on foot. No one had said anything about taking Travis up halfway by horseback. He would have had to lie over the saddle like a
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