Chapter 7

“C’mon in, Cy,” Brock called out when someone pounded on his front door.

It opened and slammed shut.

“Where’s my sister?” Cy demanded, striding into the kitchen.

“At Ellie’s. Sit down, and I’ll tell you why.”

“I’ll stand,” Cy said. “Why is she at Ellie’s?”

“I take it you didn’t stop by the office.”

Cy cocked his head.

Brock told Cy the story, and the dark fire in Cy’s eyes made Brock a little uneasy. Even when he and Brock had argued and come to blows, he’d never seen the expression of pure fury that settled on Cy’s face.

“So, I took her to Ellie’s for the night, and now I’ll take her home. I was just about ready to leave when you showed up,” Brock explained.

“I’ll take her home.”

“No. I told her I’d be back for her, so I’m gonna take her just like I planned.”

“I was afraid of something like this happening,” Cy said. “People aren’t going to accept you as a couple.”

“Because I’m white?”

“Because everyone knows that you hate Indians,” Cy shot back. “Now suddenly you’re out with an Indian woman? That’s gonna draw all kinds of attention, Brock.”

“I understand—”

“No, you don’t!” Cy interjected. “You have no idea what we go through! The way people have always looked at us. How many times I had to defend Daphne at school. All the times we’ve been called filthy Injuns. Been spit on, beaten up or shunned because of the blood that runs through our veins. Your grandfather may have been murdered by some Comanches, but other than that, you’ve had an easy life.”

The images of Daphne enduring that kind of abuse as a little girl horrified Brock. No child deserved that, but especially a young girl. Brock would kill anyone who treated his siblings or children that way. Cy’s anger was well-founded, and Brock didn’t make light of it.

“You’re right, Cy. I’ve never been treated like that, but last night I got a tiny taste of what she’s been through—what you’ve all had to deal with,” Brock said. “Over the last couple of months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the things she said to me the day you found us at work.”

Cy shifted on his feet and raised an eyebrow. Brock almost laughed. Like Leigh, he was learning how to read Cy’s body language. The detective wanted him to continue.

“I’ve always prided myself on being intelligent and using common sense, but when I really got thinking about the situation, I saw that I’ve been letting emotion cloud my judgment for a long time. Other than being a pain in my ass, you’ve never done anything bad to me or to anyone around here.

“Neither has Daphne. Now, your cousins have a way of getting in trouble. They don’t usually start it, but you gotta admit that they’re good at baiting people, Cy,” Brock said.

Cy nodded.

“I’ve always liked Cotton, though. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like him,” Brock commented.

“That’s true. I don’t think Cotton has an enemy within a hundred-mile radius.”

Brock said, “You and I aren’t ever gonna see eye-to-eye on everything, but where your sister is concerned, we agree. She deserves to be happy and to not be harassed. I’m gonna keep seeing her, so you and I are gonna have to figure out a way to get along. The same for the rest of your family, too.”

Cy let out a sarcastic laugh. “So, you’re telling me that you’re suddenly an Indian lover?”

Brock said, “No. I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m starting to see that I’ve been putting the blame for my grandfather’s death on people who don’t deserve it. I’m a deputy, and I only arrest the guilty parties. I started applying that logic while I’ve been thinking about this situation. You and your family weren’t involved in Grandpa’s murder, so I shouldn’t hold you accountable for that just because of your heritage.

“I can’t stand you most of the time, but that doesn’t have anything to do with you being part Comanche anymore. Now I just hate you because you act like your shit doesn’t stink since you used to work for Pinkerton.”

Cy smiled. “I know you hate that Rob hired me. Look, the truth is that I respect your work ethic. I always have. You’re as good an investigator as a lot of the detectives I worked with at Pinkerton, and you’re an excellent photographer. But your attitude rubs me the wrong way. You’re cocky, you purposely aggravate me at every turn, and make my job as miserable as possible.

“I know that you’re hoping that I’ll quit, but I won’t. I’d love to so that I don’t have to deal with you, but our family needs the money I’m making to help improve the ranch. If it wasn’t for Leigh, we’d most likely lose the place. So, you can keep being an ass, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Brock said, “Well, you’re no picnic to be around, either. You’re right. I do want you to quit. We’ve been doing just fine without you. It irks the hell out of me that Rob thinks we need someone like you.”

Cy put his hands on his hips. “So, you’re taking that out on me? I have no idea why Rob kept coming after me so hard. I didn’t ask to be brought in on cases. I left that life behind, and I just wanted to be left alone, but you know Rob. Once he gets an idea in his head, he doesn’t quit. Things got even worse for us financially, so when he offered me the job that last time, I took him up on it.”

Brock said, “I didn’t know that things had gotten that bad.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m only telling you so that you understand that my reasons for accepting the job have nothing to do with you,” Cy said. “I have a family to take care of, and I live up to my responsibilities.”

Brock understood that. He narrowed his eyes at Cy. “That may be, but you’re still conceited.”

“Me? I think it’s the other way around.”

“No, it’s not. You try to order me around like you’re my superior, but you’re not. I don’t give a crap if Rob gave you a fancy title, you’re no better than me,” Brock insisted. “He never said that you outranked us, so as far as I’m concerned, we’re equals.”

Looking at things from Brock’s point of view, Cy knew that he’d feel the same way. During his time with Pinkerton, he’d dealt with contacts and other detectives sometimes, but no one on a regular basis. He’d gotten so used to working on his own that he’d forgotten what it was like to be part of a team.

“All right. You got a point,” he conceded. “I’ll try to watch that, but I’m not gonna take your crap.”

“And I’m not gonna take yours.” Brock gave him a half-smile. “It might be easier if we each dished out a little less.”

Cy nodded. “Might be.”

“Okay. I’m going to go take your sister home,” Brock said.

“Fine. See you at work. I’ll let Rob know where you are.”

Cy departed as abruptly as he’d come, leaving Brock to shake his head and smile.

Daphne felt at loose ends at Ellie’s because she had nothing to do. She was too used to being up early to make breakfast for her family before starting all her other work. So, sitting at Ellie’s table while the deputy made and served breakfast felt wrong.