Velma Rusk stepped onto her porch with her arms crossed tight over her chest. She was an older woman with a hard mouth, sharp eyes, and the kind of tongue everybody in Dusty Creek knew could skin a man alive. "Ryland Voss!" She shouted. "What in heaven's name have you brought into this town?"
Her eyes swept over Yara and the children. "Apaches, right here on our street." Ryland turned toward her slowly. He did not raise his voice. He did not lower his eyes either.
Velma Rusk, meet my family. He said, "This is Yara, and these are my five children, Kea, Reco, Sani, Daro, and Meri. They'll be living with me from now on." "Your family?" Velma looked as though she had swallowed something wrong.
"They're savages. You can't bring savages into a respectable town." The children shrank behind Ryland. Kea's eyes filled with tears. Reco clenched his fists.
Yara immediately rested a protective hand on Sani's shoulder. Heat rushed through Ryland's blood. He stepped forward twice, slow and deliberate, his expression hardening. "Ma'am, these people nearly died out in the desert." His voice had gone low now, dangerous in its calm.
They were left without food, without water. They're human beings, same as you and me, and now they're my family." He held her gaze. "If that bothers you, then that is your problem, not mine." The words landed with enough weight to make Velma step backward.
No one in Dusty Creek was used to seeing quiet, steady Ryland Voss speak with that much fury behind his eyes. Before Velma could answer, another voice called from the street. Ryland, you're back. Ryland turned. Doc Calder was hurrying toward them, an old leather medical bag swinging from one hand.
He was a Hispanic doctor in his 60s with a thick white mustache and kind eyes that had seen more suffering than most men could imagine. "Doc Calder," Ryland said with visible relief. "Thank God you came by. The doctor did not waste time with questions. The moment he saw Yara and the children, his face shifted into the focused expression of a physician.
"This woman and these children need to be looked at immediately," he said. He crouched closer. "They're dehydrated, exhausted, too. How long were they out there?" "Two days with hardly any water," Ryland answered.
"I found them this afternoon." "Good Lord." Doc Calder knelt in front of the children and softened his expression. Hello there, young ones. I'm Doc Calder.
Would you let me take a look at you? I just want to make sure everything's all right. The five children looked toward Ryland before saying anything. Ryland gave them a reassuring nod. Kea, the boldest of the five, stepped forward first.
"I'll go first," she said, though her voice trembled. Doc Calder smiled. That's a brave girl. He examined each child carefully, checking their eyes, skin, hands, and breathing. Then he looked over Yara as well.