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He turned his horse’s head toward the top of the Ridge and urged it on, kicking gently with his good foot Soon now He had no idea what his receptionmattered now save the fact that he was here

66

CHILD OF MY BLOOD

So its way under the stakes of e down to the roots, and frohed and squatted to repair the da rocks and earth back into the hole The loss of Ian was a constant ache; at suchas well

I had brought a large collection of cuttings and seeds from River Run, most of which had survived the journey It was mid-June, still time--barely--to put in a fresh crop of carrots The sht, so were the peanut bushes; rabbits wouldn’t touch those, and didn’t care for the aroobbled like licorice

I wanted cabbages, though, to preserve as sauerkraut; come midwinter, ould want food with soh seed left, and could raise a couple of decent crops before the weather turned cold, if I could keep the bloody rabbits off I dru The Indians scattered clippings of their hair around the edges of the fields, but that was ainst deer than rabbits

Jamie was the best repellent, I decided Nayawenne had told me that the scent of carnivore urine would keep rabbits away--and a ood as amore biddable Yes, that would do; he’d shot a deer only two days ago; it was still hanging I should brew a fresh bucket of spruce beer to go with the roast venison, though…

As I wandered toward the herb shed to see if I had any ht ait was Jao and inform him of his new duty, only to be stopped dead in my tracks when I saho it was

He looked worse than he had the last ti quite a bit He was hatless, hair and beard a glossy black tangle, and his clothes hung on him in tatters He was barefoot, one foot wrapped in a bundle of filthy rags, and he limped badly

He saw lad it’s you," he said "I wondered who I’d meet first" His voice sounded soft and rusty, and I wondered whether he had spoken to a living soul since we had left hier--"

"It doesn’t ht? The baby? And Brianna?"

"They’re fine Everybody’s in the house" His head turned toward the cabin, and I added, "You have a son"

He jerked sharply back toward reen eyes ith startlement

"He’s mine? I have a son?"

"I suppose you do," I said "You’re here, aren’t you?" The look of startlement--and hope, I realized--faded slowly He looked into my eyes and seemed to see how I felt, for he s of the corner of his mouth--but he smiled

"I’m here," he said, and turned toward the cabin and its open doorway

Jamie sat in his rolled-up shirt sleeves at the table, shoulder to shoulder with Brianna, frowning at a set of house drawings as she pointed with her quill Both of the inclined to enthusias architecture The baby snored peacefully in his cradle nearby; Brianna was rocking it absently with one foot Lizzie was spinning by the , hureat wheel went round

"Very do in the door-yard "Seems a shame to disturb them"

"Do you have a choice?" I said

"Aye, I do," he replied "But I’ve made it already" He walked purposefully up to the open door and stepped inside

Ja of his door; he pushed Brianna off the bench and lunged for his pistols on the wall He had one leveled at Roger’s chest before he realized what--or who at, and lowered it with a sust

"Oh, it’s you," he said

The baby, rudely wakened by the crash of the overturned bench, was shrieking like a fire engine Brianna scooped hi wild-eyed at the apparition in the door

I had forgotten that she hadn’t had the benefit of seeing hied froton nearly a year before

Roger took a step toward her; instinctively, she took a step back He stood quite still, looking at the child She sat down on the nursing stool, fu protectively over the baby She pulled a shawl across her shoulder and gave hi at once

I saw Roger’s eyes shift from the baby to Jamie Jamie stood beside Brianna with that utter stillness that so frightened ht and still as a stick of dynite, with a lit match laid a hairsbreadth frohtly, looking from one to the other, and I sahat she saw; the echo of Jaer It was both unexpected and shocking; I had never seen any reseht have been day and dark, i the other

MacKenzie, I thought suddenly Viking beasts, bloody-e blaze up in Brianna’s eyes, the only thing alive in her face

I should say so, to break the awful stillness ButI could say in any case

Roger’s reached his hand toward Jaesture held no hint of supplication

"I don’t iine it pleases you any more than it does me," he said, in his rusty voice, "but you are my nearest kinsman Cut me I’ve come to swear an oath in our shared blood"

I couldn’t tell whether Jamie hesitated or not; time seemed to have stopped, the air in the room crystallized around us Then I watched Jae draift across the thin, tanned wrist, and blood well red and sudden in its path