Agnes and the Renegade (Men of Defiance) (25 page)

Aggie lost track of how long she sat and daydreamed, but the sun was fully up when Sarah came looking for her. “There you are!” her hostess greeted her.

Aggie moved over and gave Sarah room to join her on the long bench. “I couldn’t go back to sleep after Chayton left, so I wandered down here.”

“Mrs. Burkholder and I have already eaten. I thought you were still asleep. I’m sure Maria could still put a plate together for you.”

“I’m fine. I had some toast. Where are Rachel and the kids?”

“Sager took her and the boys home last night. White Bird is staying with them for a few days. Logan wanted me to ask you if you are ready to have your paintings packed up. We knew you wanted to return to Denver before the end of the season. We’re not in a hurry for you to leave. As far as we’re concerned, you and Chayton can stay here forever. We’re just mindful of the deadline you set when you first arrived.”

Aggie drew a deep breath. Sarah was right. It was time for the next step. “Yes. I’m ready. I’ll do that today, while the men are out. It will help keep my mind off missing Chayton.”

“I agree. I’ll have Logan’s foreman send men and the crating supplies you requested down with you.”

Aggie started for the door, but stopped before she passed through. “Sarah, do you think Chayton will adjust well to living at my studio in Denver?”

Sarah walked toward her, her arms folded in front of her. “I don’t know. Winter there has to be better than winter in his cave. I just don’t know how he’ll adjust to the white world.” She reached out and squeezed Aggie’s forearm. “We’ll always be here. You two can come back out here anytime. He did all right at the cabin, didn’t he?”

“We weren’t there very long. And with the weather so nice, he didn’t spend much time inside.”

“He’s resilient, Aggie. Look at all he’s survived already. He’ll be fine. He’ll learn how to be fine.”

When Aggie came back downstairs a few minutes later, she found only Mrs. Burkholder in the parlor. She could tell instantly from the older woman’s tense posture that something was wrong.

“Good morning, Miss Hamilton. It’s time we had a conversation about the future: your future and that of my grandson. His fling with you must end. I have extensive expectations of him which he cannot meet hiding away up here in these hinterlands. In short, you are a distraction he does not need. I am willing to compensate you generously for your time and inconvenience, but in return, you must not be here when my grandson returns.”

Aggie felt a red burn of mortification seep upward from her collarbone, up her neck to her cheeks. “Mrs. Burkholder, I am your grandson’s wife.”

She laughed. “Nonsense. You’re his paramour. You knew of me before you sought him out, knew that I was anxious to find him. You thought to capitalize on my situation—and my wealth.”

Aggie frowned. “No.”

The older woman looked at Aggie, her steel-blue eyes blade sharp. “I don’t blame you. It is a strategy I might have taken, were our roles reversed. However, your little game is over. I will not have a trollop in my family. My grandson faces enough prejudice joining white society. He does not need to be burdened with you as well.”

Aggie found it hard to breathe. A dull throbbing settled in her throat. “Perhaps it would be best to have this discussion when Chayton is here to participate. If he wishes me to leave, then I will go. Of course.”

“My dear, you will be long gone before he returns. The Taggerts have arranged for your paintings to be crated and transported to town. You will travel with them. And you will have no further interactions with my grandson. In exchange, I will pay you the one-time sum of five thousand dollars.”

“You want to pay me to leave Chayton?” Aggie was dumbfounded.

“No, I don’t want to pay you. I’d much rather you just left. I
will
pay you, however, if that is the only way to secure your departure.”

“I’m not leaving, Mrs. Burkholder. This is insane.” Aggie came to her feet and walked to the door.
 

Before she could escape, the older woman stopped her with a last threat. “If you do not leave peacefully—and immediately—then you give me no choice but to take my great-granddaughter and return to Denver.”

“Why would you take White Bird?”

“Her father’s judgment has been compromised, distorted by his time among the savages who raised him and his time living as a hermit. I am her only other living relative. When I sue for custody, the involvement of his paramour in his child’s life will make it easy for a judge to award custody of the girl to me.”

Aggie frowned. “You’re taking White Bird because of me.”

Mrs. Burkholder did not answer. Aggie was stunned. It was true that she lived a Bohemian life, exempt from the influences of polite society. Never once in her life had she wished to conform to the rules of proper behavior, but it rankled that this supercilious woman claimed there was anything unacceptable about her marriage to Chayton. All of his friends—and even the sheriff—recognized their union.

“I have plans for my grandson that cannot be achieved with you in his life. I don’t want the girl, but I will take her if I have to. And that is entirely up to you, Miss Hamilton.”

“I’m Chayton’s wife,” she said to no one in particular. “He will not accept this.”

“Leave my grandson to me. For your part, you must simply leave. Be gone before he returns, and I will provide you an even greater sum than I mentioned, one that will tide you over for years to come.”

“I don’t want your money, Mrs. Burkholder,” Aggie said, though how she spoke with her heart breaking, she didn’t know. “I don’t want anything from you except for you to leave the Taggerts in peace. They’ve done nothing but help your grandson and his daughter. I will go with the men to pack up my paintings.”

“If you are quick enough, you will be able to make the 5:00 p.m. train to Denver.”

Aggie nodded. Perhaps it was best to leave. For now. Give Chayton time to get acquainted with his grandmother. She would leave him a note letting him know why she left.

“Don’t think to communicate with my grandson again. Ever. I know of a boarding school that will take his daughter.”
 

Aggie’s heart tightened with pain. That would kill Chayton and be terrible for White Bird. She moved blindly into the hall and out of the house. Somebody spoke to her, but she didn’t stop. She had to leave now, before she broke. Outside, a wagon was already waiting for her with Mrs. Burkholder’s man.
 

There was no turning back.

* * *

Aggie watched the men unload her collection of paintings in their hard wooden frames. She had ten open-sided crates. Giles, the gallery owner, was at the window watching the activity on the sidewalk. She waved to him. Being here now was a bit like coming home. It was because of him that she and Theo had moved west. Though she’d known him since she was a child, she had no guarantee he’d accept her work for an exhibit. He opened the gallery’s front door and motioned her forward. She burst into tears as she went up the steps.
 

“Oh! My dear.” He held her in a tight hug. “Good heavens, child. I’m happy to see you, too, but I’m not crying.”

“Giles,” Aggie choked out, “my world has ended.”

“Well. Then I suppose tears are required. Robin! Robin! Help us!” he called to his long-time friend and business associate. A beautifully proportioned and perfectly groomed man hurried into the front entranceway. “Be a dear and deal with the delivery man. We’re having a crisis.”

Giles whisked Aggie away to the kitchen at the back of the townhouse. He and Robin had bought the two townhouses years ago and now used most of the first floor as a gallery and the upper floors as their private apartments. When they’d reworked the lower floor to flow together as one unit, they’d kept one of the kitchens for use with their various gallery events.

“I’m so sorry to burst in on you like this.”

“Think nothing of it. Theo was one of our own. Of course you would come here. Besides, Robin and I were hoping to hear from you before the end of summer.” He set a water kettle on to boil. “Now start talking. Whatever has you broken up like this?”

“I just got back in town. I went to Theo’s warehouse first. His work is everywhere. His clothes. It’s as if I came back home after a short outing and everything was the same, but he’s gone. He’s never coming back.” Giles handed her a monogrammed handkerchief. She pressed it to her face and spoke through its folds. “I spent the summer painting and painting.”

“Did you? Good girl!”

She nodded. “I wanted to show him all of my work and he’s not there. I knew he’s not there. But being away from here, I could almost believe he was. But he isn’t. And I fell in love and got married and I had to leave, and Giles, I can barely breathe.”

Giles looked across the room to where Robin had joined them. The two men shared a look. Robin dragged over a chair next to hers and wrapped an arm around her. “Let it out, child. Of course you can’t breathe with all of that noise inside you.”

Aggie leaned into his shoulder, coughing and gasping as she sobbed. By the time Giles brought over a pot of tea, some mugs, and a tray of scones, the worst of the storm had passed. She was red-faced and swollen-eyed. She blew her nose a final time.
 

Giles drew a chair over and sat facing her. He leaned forward and put his hands on her knees. “I don’t know what to address first. Could we start with ‘you got married’?”

Aggie nodded. “I married a Lakota warrior.”

Robin whistled. Sitting back in his chair, he gave Giles a wide grin. Giles ignored him while he poured their tea. She told them about her summer. And Chayton, his daughter, his grandmother, and the Taggerts.

“You’ll stay here,” Giles announced. “I won’t have an argument about that. I think you should absolutely get word back to your husband, regardless of what his grandmother said. He must be sick with worry.”

“I can’t. His grandmother will punish White Bird.”

“Then send word to the Taggerts. Let them discuss it with your husband and determine how to handle the situation.”

Aggie drew a fortifying breath. She nodded. “You’re right.”

“Of course I’m right. Now, let’s go get a look at your work. We’ve got four weeks before our next show. If your work is what I think it will be, there’s no reason you can’t have the gallery for that time.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am. I told you I would hang your work here when you got back.”

She didn’t tell him how many caveats he’d attached to that offer. The moment of reckoning was at hand. She’d know very shortly whether her work was good enough. Robin retrieved a claw hammer, then met them in the front room of the gallery. He carried the first crate into that room while Giles turned on the gas sconces. Robin used the claw side of the hammer to open the crates.
 

“Be careful, Robin,” Giles said. “It doesn’t take such brute force.”

Robin straightened and glared at Giles. “Would you rather open them?”

“No, of course not. You do it. But hurry. Have you seen her work? It’s extraordinary. And she’s an
unknown
.”

Aggie’s stomach clenched when Robin opened the largest crate with the two full-length paintings of Chayton. She heard Giles draw a sharp breath between his clenched teeth. Was that a good reaction or a bad one? He sent her a dark look over his shoulder as Robin leaned them against a wall at the far end of the room. Giles turned away and walked in the opposite direction, giving himself some distance to observe the two works.
 

“God damn. Goddammit. He’s
gorgeous
.” Giles shot her a look, but his eyes quickly returned to the two paintings. “Is he the one?”

Aggie found it hard to speak. She nodded.

Giles gave her a longer look. “You are in love with him.” She didn’t answer him.

“And you left him,” Robin said, shaking his head. Aggie started to cry again. Robin put his arm around her. “Honey, if I’d left him, I’d be crying, too.”

“Open another crate,” Giles ordered. “I want to see all of them.”

Over the next half-hour, each of her works were set out next to each other, lining three walls of the large exhibit room.

“These are beautiful. All of them.” Robin looked at the paintings as he moved slowly around the room. “She should have an exhibit all to herself. We could call it ‘The Last Lakota.’” He glanced at her. “You said he’s Lakota, isn’t he?”

She nodded.
 

“Do you have more work?” Giles asked.

“Not finished. I have sketches for more pieces. He isn’t the last Lakota, you know. His people still live, but on the reservation.”

“Why isn’t he with them?” Giles asked.

She shrugged. His reasons were too personal to share. “Many reasons. The people in the area he lived fear him. They think he’s a renegade.”

Giles and Robin exchanged a look. “‘The Renegade: An Exploration of the Last Wild Indian,’” Robin said, spreading his hands as if to reveal a large sign.

“It will be a huge hit!” Giles responded.
 

Aggie sighed. “I want them to love him. Like I do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Chayton hurried up the stairs to the room he shared with Agkhee. It had been a good journey. They found the stolen money. The Shoshone had found the trail, but Chayton had found the stash. Turned out he liked Logan’s brother after all.
 

Agkhee wasn’t in their room. He went back downstairs. Sarah stood there, with Logan, Sager, the sheriff, and the deputy. The air was heavy in the parlor, setting Chayton’s nerves on edge. He looked at Logan, waiting to be caught up with the conversation.

“Aggie’s gone. We boxed up her paintings, thinking to hold them until you two were ready to go to Denver to prepare for the show. For some reason, she went ahead.” He held up a paper. “And she is not at her shop. Sarah sent a telegram to confirm her safe arrival, but it couldn’t be delivered because no one was at her studio to receive it.”

“Why would she leave?” Chayton asked Sarah.

Sarah shook her head. “I know she missed you. I told her you were both welcome to stay as long as you liked. I offered the men to crate up her work, not to hurry her on her way, but because she has that show to prepare for.” She looked at Chayton. “I saw her the morning she left. She didn’t seem herself.”