During the trip home, Maddie's mind whirled with new ideas. "Our museum is going to be wonderful." She gave Matthew a quick smile. "You wait and see."
A horse and wagon was parked in front of the soddy. "I do believe we have company. Probably another family returning to Colton."
She pulled alongside the wagon. Luke stood in the open doorway of the barn talking to Sheriff Beckleworth and a woman who was dressed from head to toe in black. The woman had a cane that she kept jabbing into the ground as she spoke.
Maddie couldn't hear what was being said, but it was obvious that Luke and the woman were having a heated argument.
The woman turned and quickly strolled toward Maddie and Matthew, with Luke and the sheriff at her heels.
The woman stopped next to Maddie's wagon. Shading her face with a gloved hand, her bright black eyes lit into Matthew. "What is your name, young man?"
Matthew pressed against the back of his seat and turned to look at Maddie.
Maddie jumped down from her seat and walked around the wagon. She was extremely conscious of the grim look on Luke's face. "I'm Madeline Percy. I'm Colton's new schoolteacher. Who might you be?"
The woman appraised Maddie with a sharp look. "I'm Miss Alberdeen. I'm with the Child Welfare Department." She studied Matthew, who had climbed down from his seat and was tugging nervously on Maddie's skirt.
Miss Alberdeen bent over, and practically thrust her long, pointed nose in his face. "You
are
Matthew Tyler, are you not?"
Matthew stiffened by Maddie's side. Maddie slid an arm around him and pressed her hand on his shoulder to steady him.
Luke was standing a short distance behind the woman. She had never seen him so filled with rage. Maddie spoke in a calm voice in an effort to defuse the tension. "Matthew is not able to speak."
The woman straightened and looked Maddie in the eye. "Not speak?" She gave the sheriff a triumphant glance. "This is worse than I thought."
Maddie glared at her. "I would think someone from the Child Welfare Department would employ more tact. He can't speak, but he can hear. Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain your interest?"
Miss Alberdeen's stance grew more rigid. It was clear she did not take kindly to being chastised. "We received a complaint that the boy was being raised…er…in a somewhat irregular manner."
"Irregular, Miss Alberdeen? Would you care to define what you mean by irregular'?"
"The report said that the boy acted like a wild animal."
Luke tore his gaze away from Matthew and stepped forward between the sheriff and the woman. "The report is wrong. Now, if you'll get the hell off my property…"
The sheriff rested a steadying hand on Luke's shoulder. "Calm down, Luke."
Luke pulled away. "Calm down? She threatens to take my boy away from me and all you can say is ‘Calm down'?"
"It's not my intention to take your son away, Mr. Tyler. As I told you earlier, I am required to investigate any complaints received by my office. The boy will have to come with me. We'll take the train to Kansas City, and I'll have a doctor evaluate him. It will be up to the doctor to decide if any action need be taken."
"And what is a doctor going to base his decision on? He knows nothing about me, nothing about Matthew."
"I'm required to consult with a professional and…"
The voices grew louder, and Matthew began to tremble. Maddie glanced at Luke and knew by the strained look on his face that she had every right to be worried. The eyes that met hers were dark with desperation. She fought to keep her own rising panic at bay.
She gave Miss Alberdeen a cool appraisal. "If you'll excuse us a moment, I want to talk to Matthew in private."
Her heart pounding, she tried nudging Matthew toward the house. Perhaps if she got him inside, she could calm him. Matthew resisted her efforts, forcing her to tighten her hold.
The woman might have noticed had Luke not stepped in front of her, blocking Matthew from sight.
"My son stays here!"
"If you refuse to let--"
Sheriff Beckleworth cut her off. "Let me handle this, Abigail. Luke, I think you know that I have always given you a fair shake."
Grateful that the sheriff and Miss Aberdeen were too occupied to notice Matthew's strange behavior, Maddie tried to lift him in her arms. She had almost succeeded when suddenly he pulled away and threw himself to the ground. She positioned a foot on either side of him, grabbing him by the wrists. "Write, Matthew." She kept her voice low so the others could not hear her, but firm.
She pulled a fossil rock from her pocket and forced it into his hand. "Tell me what you are thinking."
Matthew's legs grew still as he stared down at the stone. She moved her legs and lifted him to an upright position. "Write," she urged. "You can do it."
Holding the rock between his fingers, Matthew scratched something in the dirt. The argument escalated, and Maddie chanced a glance over her shoulder. Luke's face was almost purple with rage.
"I'm not letting my boy go anywhere!"
The sheriff appeared to be sympathetic with Luke. "I have no choice, Luke. We've got to take the boy in. It'll only be for a short while."
Miss Alberdeen sniffed. "You don't know that for sure, Sheriff. It'll depend what the doctor decides." She stalked past Luke and slammed the tip of her cane into the dirt next to where Matthew had written
I want to stay with my pa.
Miss Alberdeen was clearly surprised. "You write very well, young man."
"He's also very good at arithmetic," Maddie said proudly. She scratched a column of numbers into the dirt with a stick. "Show Miss Alberdeen how well you can add."
Matthew wrote out the answer without hesitation.
Sheriff Beckleworth hooked his thumbs on his belt. "That's mighty impressive, son. I never did cotton much to numbers, myself."
Maddie stood. "Matthew lost the ability to speak from the shock of losing his mother two years ago."
The woman's eyes filled with sympathy. "How sad."
"It
is
sad," Maddie agreed. "But I can assure you that in every other way, he is a perfectly normal seven-yearold boy."
Miss Alberdeen nodded. "I'm inclined to agree." She turned to the sheriff. "I believe I've seen enough to write my report. There's no need to pursue this any further."
The sheriff scratched his head. "I thought you were required by the state to consult with a professional."
Miss Alberdeen scowled at the sheriff. "For goodness' sakes, Sheriff. Where have you been? Miss…what did you say your name was?"
"Percy."
"Miss Percy is a schoolteacher. A teacher
is
a professional." Miss Alberdeen stalked past Maddie and took her place on the driver's seat.
Sheriff Beckleworth tipped his hat. "Sorry to trouble you, folks."
The wagon was no sooner out of earshot, when Luke grabbed Matthew and hugged him. It did Maddie's heart good to watch the joy on Matthew's face. But nothing compared to her own joy when Luke wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her around as easily as petals in the wind. "They aren't going to take Matthew away from me!"
She flung her arms around his neck and laughed aloud. She'd never seen him so filled with joy. "I know, Luke. I know!"
He lowered her until her feet touched the ground, but he kept his hands at her waist. "Maddie, I… Matthew was about to have another fit… How did you stop him?"
"Those aren't fits, Luke. Not the kind of fits you think. They're caused by frustration and anger because of his inability to let people know what he's feeling and thinking. But he's learning. Oh, indeed he is. He can now express his feelings though writing and drawing."
The look Luke gave her took her breath away. "You mean…you mean he's not…dangerous?"
"Dangerous?"
She drew back from the circle of his arms to look him square in the face.
"Mercy me, Luke Tyler! How could you think such a thing?"
Chapter 24
Matthew was a normal seven-year-old boy! Maddie's words echoed in his heart for the remainder of that day.
That night Luke stood next to the bed and watched his sleeping son. Normal. What more could a father possibly want for his son?
Aware that Maddie had put away her mending and was watching him, he pulled the blanket over Matthew's shoulders and joined her. He took her by the hand pulled her out he door and away from the house.
It was a clear, warm night. The stars stretched overhead for as far as the eye could see.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
Standing behind her, he slipped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her sweet-scented hair. He didn't have to look at the sky to know that what she said was true. Kansas, the prairie--everything was beautiful. How could he have lived here for four years and not noticed the beautiful nights? The beautiful days?
"Maddie…"
She turned in his arms. He couldn't see her face, but he could feel her warm breath and hear her soft sigh as he ran a finger along her smooth, warm cheek.
A melodious tune floated out of the darkness. It was the same flute sound he had heard on previous nights.
She pressed her fingers into his arm. "Listen," she whispered. "Who do you suppose the musician is?"
"I don't know."
"It's a love song," she said.
"How do you know that?" he asked.
Her throaty laugh warmed him. "I just know." They listened in silenced for a moment before she whispered in his ear. "Do you know what I want to do?"
He groaned. "Don't tell me you have the urge to do calisthenics."
"No."
"Run?"
"I want us to dance."
"Here?"
"Don't you want to?"
He smiled. "I'm not much of a dancer."
"Nor am I."
"I step on my partner's toes."
"I always want to lead."
He laughed. "I can believe that." He hadn't danced in years, but the magic of this night made him believe that anything was possible. "I'm willing to try if you are." He took her hand in his and slipped an arm around her waist. He led her around the soddy in a slow waltz. After some initial clumsiness on his part, he felt confident enough to increase the speed. Soon, they were whirling and twirling on quick, nimble feet.
There was no sense of who was leading, who followed. It was as if the two of them had become a single entity. They were like two leaves caught together in the wind. Together, yet free, and the voices--those constant reminders of who he was--had been replaced, temporarily at least, by her laughter.
They were forced to stop dancing to catch their breath. "Listen," Maddie whispered. The flute had stopped playing. "When do you suppose the music stopped?"
Luke couldn't answer. For him, the music had not stopped. If anything, the music reached a crescendo as he lowered his head and found her warm, sweet lips.
His mouth was warm, tender, but nowhere near as satisfying as she imagined. He was kissing her like she was a fragile china doll! She stood on tiptoe in an attempt to deepen the kiss. When that didn't work, she held her breath for the count of three, then quickly thrust her tongue in his mouth.
He drew away. "My God, Maddie!"
He was shocked by her forward behavior. No doubt about it. His voice, everything, suggested he thought her a common hussy. Lord, why couldn't she remember that it was the man who was supposed to determine how much or how little a woman should be kissed?
Flushed with humiliation, she stood frozen in place, willing herself to drop through the ground. But before she could think what to do next, she was suddenly in his arms again, crushed against his chest.
His mouth slammed against hers, taking her breath away. This time he needed no encouragement; his tongue bulldozed through her lips, invading every recess of her mouth and sending shock waves to every part of her body.