Mackenzie's Pleasure Read Free Page A

hadn't
    happened. It was a testament to how fully Sooner had become a part of their family; to both
    of them, they were simply brother and sister.
    Things with Zane had been complicated, though. Zane was, in his own way, as
    guarded as Sooner. Wolf knew warriors, having been one himself, and what he saw in his
    youngest son was almost frightening. Zane was quiet, intense, watchful. He moved like a cat,
    gracefully, soundlessly. Wolf had trained all his children, including Maris, in self-defense,
    but with Zane it was something more. The boy took to it with the ease of someone putting on
    a well-worn shoe; it was as if it had been made for him. When it came to marksmanship, he had
    the eye of a sniper, and the deadly patience.
    Zane had the instinct of a warrior: to protect. He was immediately on guard against
    this intruder into the sanctity of his family's home turf.
    He hadn't been nasty to Sooner. He hadn't made fun of him or been overtly unfriendly,
    which wasn't in his nature. Rather, he had held himself away from the newcomer, not rejecting,
    but certainly not welcoming, either. But because they were the same age, Zane's acceptance
    was the most crucial, and Sooner had reacted to Zane's coolness by adopting the same tactics.
    They had ignored each other.
    While the kids were working out their relationships, Wolf and Mary had been pushing
    hard to legally adopt Sooner. They had asked him if that was what he wanted and,
    typically, he had responded with a shrug and an expressionless, "Sure." Taking that for the
    impassioned plea it was, Mary redoubled her efforts to get the adoption pushed through.
    As things worked out, they got the word that the adoption could go forward on the
    same day Zane and Sooner settled things between them. The dust was what had caught Wolf's
    attention. At first he hadn't thought anything of it, because when he glanced over he saw
    Maris sitting on the top rail of the fence, calmly watching the commotion. Figuring one of the
    horses was rolling in the dirt, Wolf went back to work. Two seconds later, however, his sharp ears
    caught the sound of grunts and what sounded suspiciously like blows.
    He walked across the yard to the other corral. Zane and Sooner had gotten into the
    corner, where they couldn't be seen from the house, and were ferociously battering each
    other. Wolf saw at once that both boys, despite the force of their blows, were restraining
    themselves to the more conventional fisticuffs rather than the faster, nastier ways he'd also
    taught them. He leaned his arms on the top rail beside Maris. "What's this about?"
    "They're fighting it out," she said matter-of-factly, without taking her eyes from the
    action.
    Josh soon joined them at the fence, and they watched the battle. Zane and Sooner were
    both tall, muscular boys, very strong for thek ages. They stood toe to toe, taking turns
    driving their fists into each other's faces. When one of them got knocked down, he got to
    his feet and waded back into the fray. They were almost eerily silent, except for the involuntary
    grunts and the sounds of hard fists hitting flesh.
    Mary saw them standing at the fence and came out to investigate. She stood beside Wolf
    and slipped her small hand into his. He felt her flinch every time a blow landed, but when he
    looked at her, he saw that she was wearing her prim schoolteacher's expression, and he
    knew that Mary Elizabeth Mackenzie was about to call the class to order.
    She gave it five minutes. Evidently deciding this could go on for hours, and that both boys
    were too stubborn to give in, she settled the matter herself. In her crisp, clear teaching voice
    she called out, "All right, boys, let's get this wrapped up. Supper will be on the table in ten
    minutes." Then she calmly walked back to the house, fully confident that she had brought
    detente to the corral.
    She had, too. She had reduced the fight to the level of a chore or a project, given them a
    time limit and a reason for ending