Page 27 of Repentance and Absolution
As I led Dixie out of the barn and into the storm, the sound of my name reverberated in my ears o’er the howl of the wind. I glanced up from under the brim of my hat, peered into the swirling flakes of snow and almost fainted with relief when I saw a bobbing light ahead beside the shape of a horse and rider—except there were two of them.
I watched as the glow of a lantern got closer, the heavy grip on my chest loosening. One blur was a horse and a man I didn’t recognize, holding a lantern that illuminated them both, but the other became Onyx and Oscar.
“Oscar!” I yelled out, but he didn’t hear me.
The other man, wearing what looked like a buffalo fur coat with a high collar and thick leather gloves and holding a lantern, moved forward as Onyx and Oscar followed.
“Jimmy! Ho, Jimmy, what a fucking storm!” Oscar yelled from his seat on Onyx’s back as they came into the yard. Relief washed through me as I let go of Dixie and ran to them, grabbing one of Onyx’s reins and following it to Oscar’s knee.
“Oscar! Christ almighty, I thought you was lost!”
Oscar’s familiar laugh came through the howling wind. “Iwaslost! I found our neighbors, though. And Clarence helped me to get back.”
“Thank God!” I said, reaching my arms up to circle them around Oscar’s waist, not caring who saw me. Oscar lifted his other foot from its stirrup and slid down from Onyx’s back, so’s he could hug me close and laugh in my ear.
“It’s all right, Jimmy. I’m all right.”
I wanted to kiss him, but I figured we’d already been much too affectionate in the presence of a stranger. I increased the force of my embrace for a brief second, then forced myself to let go, stepping back and clearing my throat. At least the snow in my face disguised my tears.
“Go inside and warm up,” I told Oscar. “I’ll look after Onyx.”
“Jimmy, I can help you,” Oscar protested.
I turned sharply. “You won’t be much good to either of us if you lose a finger to frostbite. Now get inside.”
Oscar opened his mouth to keep arguing but the other man’s—Clarence’s—voice pierced the wind. “Listen to him, boy. Get inside.”
Clarence shifted in his saddle, and the tone of command coming from him brooked no argument.
Oscar gazed back and forth between Clarence and me, then realized he was outnumbered.
“All right. Fine.” He made his way to the house. We watched until the door closed behind him then gave each other a glance.
“Let’s get these horses into the stables,” I said.
Clarence dismounted and we got the horses out of the wind. Clarence hung his lantern on a hook and hitched his bay to another and helped me get the tack off Dixie and Onyx. I gave Onyx’s damp coat a quick brushing to help her dry off while Clarence stood and stroked the neck of his bay mount, giving him access to the water trough that I’d filled for Dixie in preparation for riding out.
“Thank you for bringing Oscar home. He ain’t got much experience bein’ out and about in the wilderness, and I didn’t know there was a storm coming or that it would get this bad.” I held out my gloved hand. “I’m Jimmy. Jimmy Downing.”
Clarence didn’t smile back. He assessed me with a cold glance. Then nodded again.
“Clarence Trelawney.”
I couldn’t get a read on him. He’d been very kind to bring Oscar back to me, but he wasn’t acting all that friendly.
“Well, I thank you for bringin’ him home. I was goin’ outta my mind with worrying.”
Clarence regarded me calmly. The bulky fur coat and his sizeable hat notwithstanding, he wasn’t that tall—a little bigger than Oscar—and what I could see of his face, most of which was hidden by his wool scarf and the collar of his coat, was fresh and young-looking. T’wasn’t the grizzled, old timer face with a thick beard I’d been expecting.
“I reckon.”
I cleared my throat, feeling uneasy. “You want to come to the house before you head back? I’m gonna make some hot coffee for Oscar, and you’re welcome to have some.”
“No, I need to get back, or my wife’ll worry.”
“Fair enough,” I said.
I put Onyx into her stall with some hay and water, then followed as Clarence led the bay out into the snow and wind. He mounted his horse and gestured toward the house.
