Jason opened his mouth, but one look at Danny and it closed. When his head drooped, Megan said, "Let's go."
Danny grumbled as he followed Megan down the winding wooded path. "Where are we going?" he asked, perturbed.
"River of Hope," Megan said, again without knowing why she had said it.
"What a joke!" Danny said. "Everything about this place is a joke!"
"Shut up," Jason said.
The harsh words stopped everyone. Megan stayed a short distance behind, a smile passing across her lips. Away from the others they could open up without fear of embarrassment.
"Don't tell me what to do," Danny said, shouting in Jason's face.
"No one criticizes Megan," Jason said, standing his own ground.
"Jason loves Megan," Danny teased.
"Shut up. Megan's nice and fun and is great with us and horses," Jason said.
"Whatever!" Danny said, stepping away. "Your idea of this camp and Indians and legends are a crock. This is one big joke. I can't believe your dad made me come here."
Jason pummeled Danny, knocking him to the ground. Danny retaliated with punches and kicks. Before Megan stepped in, Gray Cloud exited the woods and grabbed Danny's shirt, pulling him off Jason. He held Danny while helping Jason stand. "Brother against brother," he said shaking his head.
"He is not my brother," Danny said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "He never will be."
"Yeah," Jason said, rubbing his knuckles and breathing hard.
Not releasing his hold on the boys, Gray Cloud said to Megan, "I am taking the boys with me. They will return to camp safely and in one piece when I'm done with them."
Stunned to silence by his stony expression, Megan nodded. The lethal calmness in his eyes made her want to grab the boys and race to the ranch. Her feet remained glued to the ground. Gray Cloud was the answer she had sought, but was she sentencing the boys to a fate worse than death? The fierce determination written on his face and in his stance showed the answer.
They marched away, but Gray Cloud turned and winked. The all too familiar twinkle in his eyes relaxed her. She did not know his plans, but Megan knew the boys would return changed. "Thank you," she shouted to the sky.
Though she knew Brett would wonder about their whereabouts, Megan explored a different trail. "Luckily Clay is gone again, but something tells me he'll return. Though the thread between us broke, seeing him again showed me we are still connected in a way. Why did he seek me out? That's why I believe he'll return, because we have unfinished business." She shivered but then turned her attention to the tall pine trees standing straight with deep roots. "Perhaps one day I'll feel that secure and rooted." Something was different this summer and Megan believed it revolved around the man or spirit who followed her.