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The memory of Jonas rose in her mind. How he would come to her the moment he arrived from a mission, as though he knew the pain that wracked her body. He would move her from the thin cot in the cells and take her to the comfortable private room he had been assigned. And there, he would ease her onto the cool, soft sheets. He would brush her hair. Sometimes, she thought, he might have crooned lullabies.
"Fuck this!" She snarled at the memories. Those days were gone. The girl she had been. The brother he had been.
"Such language from such pretty lips. Would you speak in front of a child in such a way?"
Pivoting to a crouch, her weapon clearing its holster, she stared back at the old man watching her from the shade of a cottonwood several feet away.
Great. She was so damned messed up now that old men could creep up on her. Then her eyes narrowed.
"You're Lance's grandfather," she stated, sliding the gun slowly into its holster as she kept a wary eye on him. "Why are you here?"
"Because you are. " His smile flashed with an edge of male charm that reminded her of Lance.
"Fine. " She shrugged, still watching him closely. "Now what do you want?"
"Perhaps to get to know my new grandchild. " He walked toward her slowly, his bowed legs carrying him to an outcropping of boulders that sat beside a grassy knoll. He waved his hand over the rocks. A hiss, a scurrying in the brush around it, and a second later a disgruntled rattler slithered from the rocks.
Harmony stepped back, watching the serpent make its way to a narrow ditch, then between the rocks farther below in a shallow arroyo.
"Cool trick. " She lifted her brow as though impressed.
Joseph Redwolf grunted. "That is nothing. All creatures of the earth have such abilities. They have only to learn how to use them. Come, sit with me. " He patted the wide rock with gnarled fingers.
"I don't know, you remind me too much of Lance. That could be dangerous to my mental state. " She crossed her arms over her breasts, seeing the pleased smile that creased his weathered face.
"Ahh, you are a charmer. " He shook his finger chidingly at her. "And think to turn an old man's head with flattery. "
"I have a feeling flattery is the last thing that would turn your head. " A reluctant smile edged at her lips. "Did you know I would be here?"
She stepped over, easing down on the rock as she pulled the water bottle from her utility belt. She remembered her first impression of him and knew he was like Lance. Only stronger. This was a man the earth listened to as well as spoke to.
"I knew. The winds whispered your name and led me here. So I came. " She uncapped her water and handed it to him. When he waved it away, she tilted it back and took a long, refreshing drink.
"So, why would the winds lead you to me?"
"Ahh, the winds sometimes keep a few secrets. " He sighed. "I merely follow their guidance. "
Somehow, she doubted that.
"You are uncertain of my grandson still?" he asked her then. Harmony braced her elbows on her knees as she stared at the ground.
"I'm not uncertain of him. " She shrugged, uncomfortable. She didn't talk to others easily. Lance was an exception. But she couldn't not talk to his grandfather. She had a feeling he wouldn't let her ignore him anyway.
"Perhaps you are uncertain of yourself," he said softly.
She lifted her head, staring into the distance with a frown.
"Perhaps," she finally admitted softly. "No matter how much I want what he offers, Death is still there. "
"And Death bears great guilt and much responsibility. "
She nodded at the statement, not even bothering to question how he knew the difference between Death and Harmony.
"My grandson, he is a good man," he said. "I have watched him grow, watched a boy's laughter turn to a man's amusement. I have watched him fall to his knees, force himself up again, and watched him walk proud. He is a man more accepting and understanding than most. "
"Death soils him," she whispered. "She brings danger and blood. He'll never be safe. " His laughter shouldn't have shocked her. She stared back at him in disbelief as he reached out, waved his hand, and the breeze in front of them began to churn the dust and dirt, growing larger, picking up more and more until it rose more than twelve feet above them and screamed with power.
Just as quickly, it eased, steadily diminishing until the dark cloud settled back to the ground and the dirt scattered at their feet.
