Manitou Canyon by William Kent Krueger

Rainy could answer, her great-uncle crawled out of the lodge.
    â€œ Boozhoo , Nephew,” the old man greeted Daniel. “Leah did not pounce on you and eat your heart?”
    â€œShe didn’t attack me, Uncle Henry, but she had nothing good to say about you.”
    â€œWhen I knew her a lifetime ago, she was a woman of great passion and little control.”
    â€œWhat did you do that makes her hate you so much?”
    â€œHe didn’t ask her to marry him,” Rainy said.
    â€œWhoa, Uncle Henry. She was in love with you?”
    â€œDo not sound so surprised, Nephew. Even a turtle may be beautiful to another turtle.”
    â€œShe’s no turtle. More like a badger.”
    â€œWhile you stand here and offer only insults about one of your elders,” the old man said gruffly, “the work remains undone.”
    When the lodge had been readied, Rainy asked Daniel’s help in finding and fetching Trevor Harris. He agreed.
    â€œWish us luck,” she said as they left.
    â€œIf I believed you needed luck,” Henry replied, “I would not have sent you.”
    There were two paths to the cabins on Crow Point. One led through the forest north and was the way usually taken by Cork and his family or anyone else coming from Aurora. The other led east and was the main route for anyone coming from the Iron Lake Reservation. Rainy and Daniel followed this path a mile and a half to a gravel road where Rainy parked her Jeep and whereDaniel had parked his truck. They took the truck. As they drove into Aurora, they talked about the wedding.
    â€œNervous?” Rainy asked.
    â€œEager,” Daniel said. “Any last-minute advice?”
    â€œTalk to her honestly.”
    â€œDo you and Cork do that?”
    â€œHe’s not one to talk much about his feelings.”
    â€œThen Jenny must take after her mom,” Daniel said and smiled.
    Rainy had known him from birth. Had watched him grow and stumble and find his way. She studied him, considered the man he’d grown into, the fine Ojibwe features of his face, his proud bearing, his deep intelligence, his good heart, and it was so easy for her to see why Jenny would fall for him.
    â€œMind if I ask you a personal question?” he said.
    â€œGo ahead.”
    â€œYou and Cork, do you think you’ll ever get married?”
    â€œI’m not sure it’s in him. When he lost his wife, it left a greater wound than he’s willing to admit. I think he still needs to heal.”
    â€œYou’re Mide. You could help him.”
    â€œOnly when he’s ready to ask for my help.”
    â€œIf he proposed, would you say yes?”
    She thought about that one. It wasn’t the first time she’d pondered the question.
    â€œI don’t know. I’ve been on my own so long. Raised my children as a single mother. I certainly didn’t come to Crow Point looking for a relationship. I’m fine with the way things stand at the moment.”
    This was not untrue. But there was more to it. She didn’t tell Daniel, didn’t tell anyone, not even Henry, about all the fear she fought against, about all the demons from her past. If Cork asked her to marry him, would she have the courage to tell him the whole, awful truth? And if she did, would he still love her?
    * * *
    They drove to the Four Seasons, which was where Cork had said the Harrises were staying. Rainy asked for Trevor Harris at the front desk, and they rang his room. He didn’t answer.
    The desk clerk, a young woman with a tag that told them her name was Nadia and she was from Romania, said with a surprisingly light accent, “You might try the casino. He’s there a lot. And he’s very lucky.”
    â€œCommon knowledge?” Daniel asked.
    â€œHe tips well. And he likes to talk.”
    They headed to the Chippewa Grand Casino, which was on the lakeshore south of Aurora. It had begun nearly twenty years ago as a single,