Honor Bound(73)

Aislinn slumped against her husband's arm with profound joy. Lucas, however, was barely able to support her. The news had made him weak-kneed.

Before either of them could voice their thanks to the warden, Gene came running into the room. "Lucas, Aislinn, come quickly. The doctor is looking for you."





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Epilogue



"Smile!"

"Aislinn, my face is about to crack from smiling."

"I don't doubt it. It's so unusual an expression for you." She laughed at her husband's dark scowl. "Look this way, Tony. Look at Mommy."

She clicked off two pictures while Tony had his head turned in the right direction. He even proudly displayed his new front teeth in a slobbery grin.

"Now stop working with those cameras," Lucas said, moving toward his wife. "This is supposed to be a party."

"I'm having a wonderful time," she said happily, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Her eyes were sparkling. "I'd rather be taking pictures of you and Tony than anything in the world."

Lucas looked at her with open skepticism. "Bet I can name something you'd rather be doing."

"Lucas!"

Now it was his turn to laugh … at his wife's exasperation. "However, I'll admit Tony and I do make good subjects, don't we?" he said, proudly looking at his son, who resembled him so remarkably.

Tony's eyes were already turning the same gray color as his father's, and they had a rim of blue around them which he had inherited from his mother. His hair was jet black, but not as straight as Lucas's. His cheekbones were just as prominent, but he had enough baby fat to round out the cheeks beneath them. He was a picture of good health.

"You are my favorite subjects anytime." Aislinn hugged them both, nuzzling her husband's strong throat, while her son tugged on fistfuls of her hair.

"Hey, will the three of you break it up?" Gene said, handing Aislinn a glass of punch. "You're supposed to mingle."

"Give Tony to me," Alice said, joining them. She had a cookie in her hand and that was bribery enough. Tony put up no fuss when Lucas passed him to his grandmother, though he was usually reluctant to leave his father's arms. "Willard and Eleanor want to see him."

"Now, stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and go shake some hands," Gene told Lucas and Aislinn, pushing them toward the crowd of people milling around the office.

The reception was to celebrate the official opening of Lucas's law office. The publicity surrounding his vindication, coupled with the publication of Aislinn's photographs in a national magazine, had brought renewed public awareness of the plight of many of the Indians who lived on the reservations.

Lucas wasn't deluded by this rush of interest. In his lifetime he wouldn't see an end to all the oppression, whether it was intentional or not. But every step he took in that direction was gratifying.

He was extremely conscientious about appearances. He never wanted it to seem that he had profited from his conviction and the subsequent reversal. He never forgot who his clients were. Even today, he had worn a white shirt, tie and sports jacket, but he had on jeans and boots with them. He hadn't worn a headband, but the silver earring was in his ear. And behind his desk, hanging on the wall, was a framed portrait of Joseph Greywolf dressed in the full regalia of a chief. Many of the attending dignitaries commented on the photograph, which had been taken when Joseph was in his prime.

"How much longer before we can go home?" Lucas asked Aislinn after an hour of smiles and handshakes.

"The invitations Alice sent out said from two till six. Why?"

"Because I want to get you home and in bed."

"Shh! Somebody might hear you."

In full view of their guests, he lowered his head and kissed her on the mouth.

"Behave, Lucas. This reception is in your honor." She tried to sound scolding, but couldn't mask her pleasure in his spontaneous display of affection.

He toyed with a strand of her hair. "I could just haul you out of here, you know."

"Kidnap me?"

"Uh-huh."

"You did that already."

"It was the smartest thing I ever did."

"It was the best thing that could have happened to me."

Unaware of the conversations buzzing around them, they stared searchingly into each other's eyes, finding the love they knew they would. Johnny Deerinwater finally broke them apart by coming up and thumping Lucas on the back while he heartily shook hands.

They played host and hostess for the time required and eventually the crowd began to dwindle. "We haven't spent any time with Mother and Father," Aislinn said, taking Lucas's arm and guiding him toward the couple who were sitting across the room talking to Gene. Lucas made a complaining sound. "They've come a long way, Lucas, and I'm not referring to the distance they drove today."

"I know," he conceded. "I'll be kind. After all, he's building that new wing to Gene's clinic."

As soon as Willard and Eleanor departed for Phoenix, Alice asked if she and Gene could keep Tony overnight. "We don't get to see him often enough. And you have to drive back tomorrow to clean up the office for Monday's business anyway. Please?"