Page 100 of Return to Telegraph Creek

“We ain’t leavin’ yet,” Oscar said, his voice rough.“We gotta go say goodbye to Cal and Maggie.”

“Can I please stay here with Onis until you need to go?”Lizzie asked in a quiet voice.

“Sure,” Oscar said, looking anywhere but at them.“I know she’ll appreciate the company.”

“Come on,” I said, nudging him toward the house.

Peter followed, with Samuel.“Momma, Jimmy and Oscar are here to say good—goodbye.”

Cal was crouched before the open hatch of the stove, stirring the wood so the flames kept their heat.She was wearing a dark blue skirt and a linen blouse with tiny yellow flowers all o’er it, her hair up in the braids again.She stood and placed the poker in its stand, before turning toward us.She wrung her hands together and opened her mouth a couple of times, as if she didn’t know quite what to say.

Then we all started talking at once.

“It’s all right, Cal—” I said, as Oscar said, “Now, don’t worry about—” and Cal herself said, “I can’t possibly thank you enough.”

Oscar frowned and put his hands on his hips.“Oh, yeah, you can.”He almost sounded angry, and I reckoned the emotion of this moment was getting to him.

Cal blinked, waiting for him to continue.

“You can thank us by lookin’ after these young ’uns, and yourself, so when we come back to visit, we find you in a much better situation than we did a month ago.”

Cal nodded, swallowing hard, and smiled at Oscar.“I will.And you look after that fetchin’ fella of yours.”She glanced my way.“Jimmy acts tough, but he needs coddling and sweet handlin’ as much as you and I do.”

“I know it.And you don’t gotta worry about that.”We exchanged a glance and, though I was embarrassed, I saw such love and care in Oscar’s gaze that it didn’t matter.

Oscar and I had told Miss June we could be reached through the General Store in Port Essington if she ever needed us again and to not hesitate to write to us.Hell, e’en if she didn’t need us, we wanted to hear from her.We’d want reassurance that our friends at The Angel were all right, and that Cal and the children and Maggie were getting on well.

After lots of hugs and kisses and promises to keep in touch, I glanced at Oscar.

“Well, we’d best be gettin’ on,” I said.“Maggie, you’d best come out with us.Lizzie’s gonna need someone to help her let go of that horse—or hold her back from comin’ with us.”

There was a tug on my sleeve, and when I turned, Oscar pointed out of the window, where Lizzie stood close to Onyx.The little girl, in her pink frock, black stockings and black leather boots, had her hands cupped to the horse’s ear as if she was saying a private goodbye.Then she threw her arms around Onyx’s neck and shook with sobs, as the brown-and-white sheepdog pup wandered nearby.

“Jimmy,” Oscar said, in a strange voice, “I don’t know if I can bear it.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

A Very Special Gift

“Oscar.”

“That little girl ain’t had anyone to protect her and love her the way Onyx would.They’ve already formed a bond.See?”

I gazed at him with wide eyes.“But you love that horse.”

Oscar looked pained.

“I do.’Course, I do.”He squared his shoulders and nodded, as if he’d made a decision.“But I feel like…like Lizzie needs her more’n I do.”

I stared at him, my heart swelling at his generosity and his courage, to be willing to give up an animal he loved for the happiness of a little girl that he’d only ever met a month ago.

“Oscar,” I said, my voice thick.

He held up his hand, and I noticed ’twasn’t exactly steady.

“Now, Jimmy, I know we paid a lot for her, and I surely do appreciate you buyin’ her for me.I will miss her very, very much.But”—he nodded again at Lizzie and the mare—“I can’t bear it.If you can bear it, go ahead, and I’ll meet you down the street.”He met my gaze with a pleading one.“But I can’t do it.”

I didn’t say anything.The others were quiet, too.