The Return of the King's Ranger, page 14
She tightened her hand around his. “I’m happy for you.”
He looked at their intertwined fingers. He needed to let go, but that was not an easy thing. Perhaps he’d pretend a little while longer. With Lemond inching closer, this might be the last time he’d see her.
Her grip weakened as though she’d guessed the direction of his thoughts. “Do you dislike the valley?”
No. He didn’t want to think about good-bye yet. He cleared his voice. “Not at all.” He well understood Pa’s reasons for settling here.
“Are you…promised to someone?”
“No.” If he could make any promises, he’d make them to her.
“I’m sorry.” She smiled, but it hardly curved her mouth. “Friendship.”
“I’ve never liked someone so much…and found friendship so difficult.”
Her eyes lit yet held so much questioning. “Then why…?”
“I—”
“My father is not opposed.”
Myles almost fell back a step at that, but no doubt Benjamin Reid would think differently if he knew exactly who wished for his daughter.
“I don’t understand.”
At the moment, Myles wasn’t sure he did either. The war was over. Isn’t that what everyone kept telling him? Why then couldn’t he come home? Why couldn’t he promise this woman a future? Why couldn’t he build her a home near Hannah and Samuel so they could visit back and forth as they raised their families?
Because of men like Lemond and Acker. They would never let the past go, and Nora would pay the price, too.
“I’m sorry, but Daniel’s right.” They had to keep distance between them. “As much as I desire it…friendship is more than I can give you.” The muscles in Myles’s hand at first refused him, not willing to release her hand. But he had no choice. He stepped away. “Please honor your brother’s wishes.” He started walking, not allowing himself to look back. This was best. To let her go. For both their sakes.
His jaw ached and his blood boiled by the time he reached Daniel’s new house. No sign of Lemond or his wagon. Myles found the length of branch he’d been whittling away at for the past weeks. The face he had etched stared back at him with Nora’s eyes. Questioning.
I don’t understand.
He should tell her the truth and let the consequences come.
The figurine blurred behind a wall of moisture, and he turned from the beauty he had created…a beauty that couldn’t compare with the woman he’d left behind. The woman he could never have no matter how he ached for her. To belong with her. To give her everything she wished for—a home, children, and a husband who loved her.
Just as he loved her.
But he couldn’t fulfill her dreams. He couldn’t answer the hope that had glowed from those lovely eyes.
A trickle of warmth touched his cheek, and he brushed it away, refusing to let more fall. Tears were for women and babes.
He hurried into the barn. Seeking. Something.
A sack of grain sat against a wall, the size of a healthy man’s torso. The toe of his boot sank into the tight woven sack. If only it were higher.
A rope and large steel hook hung from a pulley and the rafters above. Anticipation surged through him as he tightened the rope at the top of the sack and dragged it toward the hook. Soon he had the rope pulled and tied off so the heavy sack dangled about four feet off the ground. He squared off with his “opponent” and set his stance, fists raised. He knew of only one use for his anger.
22
Blood rushed in his ears, the thunder of his heart drowning out all else, knuckles burning with his chest...
“I’m glad that’s not me.”
Myles blinked the sweat from his eyes as he spun to the barn door. “Sam.” He laid his hand on the sack of wheat to slow its sway. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to be grateful I only got hit by one of your fists.”
Myles cringed, but Samuel winked.
“I’ve seen men fight before. You aren’t just throwing punches.” He stepped past and patted the dangling sack. “Where did you learn?”
Myles moved out of the way so his brother could have free access. “Boxing matches. Some of our officers were fond of the sport. I watched them. Learned what I could.”
Samuel’s smile faltered as his fist tapped against the heavy weave. “From the British?”
Myles nodded.
“Ever go against them?”
Not in the same way Samuel had, with musket and saber, but perhaps enough to appease his brother. “Aye.”
“Did you whip them?”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “Aye.” By the end, not many a man could remain standing against him. And in the ring, rank meant nothing.
Samuel’s grin returned. “You might have to teach me. There’s a man I wouldn’t mind giving a piece of his own.”
“Who?”
He waved Myles off. “No one of consequence. I came to ask you to come to sup with us this evening.”
“Is Joseph away?”
Samuel shook his head.
Anger resurfaced hot in Myles’s chest. “Did Hannah tell him? About me?”
“No. She’s been true to her word, but she’s done keeping this from Joseph. We both are. You have to trust us. She married a good man.”
“And a good friend of the one man who’ll not hesitate to put a musket ball through my head any more than he did to lay that whip to my back. Sergeant Lemond was over there today.”
Samuel’s expression faltered. “How did you know that?”
“The question is, why haven’t you told me? You know who he is, what he did. He’s also the only man in the Continental Army who knows I’m not dead.”
“The war’s over.”
Myles gritted his teeth, weary of that argument. If only there was some truth to it. “Does Hannah have any idea who he is?”
“Of course not.”
“And Joseph?”
Samuel’s look of bravado fell away. A nod.
“Then how can you expect me to trust him after he’s offered a hand of welcome to the man who presumably had me executed?” Myles flexed his fists, itching to hit the sack again, but his knuckles already burned, raw from the coarseness of the fabric.
Another wagon’s approach broke the tension, and Samuel moved to look out the doorway. “Daniel and Lydia. They must have left shortly after I did.” He turned back. “What do I tell Hannah?”
“Tell her I’ll come after dark. I still don’t trust Joseph.” And had no plans to start.
Samuel left as quickly and quietly as he had come.
The slap of the cabin door slamming grabbed Myles from thoughts of his brother and their conversation.
Daniel strode in his direction, something in his hand.
Myles tensed as he neared. The book Nora had returned.
“She was here, wasn’t she?”
“She’s been here every other day or so. I’ve had nothing to do with it.”
Daniel shook the leather-bound volume at him. “I told you to—”
“All we did was talk. I didn’t want to hurt her.”
“If you didn’t want to hurt her, you would have stayed away from her in the first place. You give me no choice.”
Blood drained from Myles’s head. “What do you mean?”
“I have to tell her who you are.” Daniel turned.
Myles slumped against the wall as time dissipated before him. First Lemond. And now Nora would begin to understand. Maybe it was better this way. No more secrets. How long had he expected God to grant him?
Daniel looked back over his shoulder. “You don’t know she’ll tell anyone. I’ll ask her not to. But I can’t watch her throw herself after a—” He shook his head.
A Loyalist. A traitor to their cause. “Go ahead, say it.”
“A ghost.”
The words dug into his chest as none other could. A ghost is exactly what he had become. All he would remain after he left here. “I need a little more time.” He clamped his teeth to ward off the urge to beg.
Daniel glanced heavenward. “Fine. But you can’t work here any longer—as much as I’d like you to.” He pushed his hat back from his brow. “There was one man I talked with while over visiting with Joseph and Hannah. He’s about to start shingling his cabin—I sent him over so you could show him how you cut them. Did Mr. Lemond find you?”
“No.” Myles might have to thank God for that. If he’d still been working in the house—if Nora had not come—he might have been cornered. Nowhere to run. “Didn’t Samuel say anything?”
“About what? Samuel was off keeping the children occupied when we spoke.” Daniel’s eyes narrowed with thought. His voice carried the same depth. “He never came near Lemond.”
“Mayhap because he knows Sergeant Lemond was tasked with shooting his brother.”
Daniel’s jaw slackened. “Gerard Lemond is that same man?”
A single nod would have to suffice. Daniel was right. He couldn’t remain here.
Daniel paced the immediate area, tapping the book against his thigh. Then he froze. “Why have I not considered that before now?”
Myles tensed. “Considered what?”
“I do know someone else who requires that gift of yours.”
“Who?” Did Daniel not understand how precarious Myles’s position was?
“Don’t worry.” Daniel smiled ruefully. “I have no doubt you will get along well enough. You could tell him who you are to his face, and he’d not think to hold your past against you.”
~*~
As he did most every night, Myles watched from the woods until Joseph Garnet went with Hannah and the children to the cabin. Only then did Myles make his way to the barn. Samuel waited for him with a strong embrace, and Myles held on a little longer than usual. His time in the valley was coming to a close. He could feel it. Dreaded it.
“Will Hannah be able to come tonight?” he finally asked.
“She’ll try. But it’s becoming more and more difficult for her to get away. Joseph is not a complacent man. He suspects something’s amiss.”
But at least he didn’t know.
“Please let us tell him. You don’t know what this is doing to Hannah. She’s trying to honor her word to you, but asking her to deceive her husband…”
“She should have never married him!” Myles bit back his frustration. “Besides, it won’t be for much longer.” He mumbled the last.
“Until what?”
He balled his fist. “Daniel has threatened to tell Nora who I am.”
“Why Nora?” Samuel’s eyes widened. “She and you…?”
“Of course not. I mean, I’m fond of her, and she has shown some interest in forming an attachment, but such is out of the question.”
“Why out of the question? Nora Reid is a fine woman.”
“I can’t argue that, but she’s so…”
“Beautiful?” Samuel grinned.
“Patriotic. To this Union of States you’ve formed. To this land. A rebel as far as Britain and the Crown are concerned.”
“And to you?”
The war suddenly seemed an awfully long time ago. But Nora…who could be certain what she felt?
“Maybe you need to be the one to tell her.”
A burst of air broke free in the form of a laugh before Myles could rein it in.
Samuel shook his head. “I’ve had worse ideas.”
“I disagree.” He didn’t want to think about what Nora’s reaction to his identity might be. The disgust. The anger. The rejection. Besides, there were more pressing matters. “Unless you plan to remain here.”
His brother cocked his head. “Why should I not remain in the valley?”
“Because there is so much more territory out there. Remember Pa always talked about exploring past the Great Lakes, maybe into the Ohio Valley? We could go together. We’ll have no limits. Nothing to hold us back.” No wife or children. No home. No one to care if they ever returned.
“The frown on your face makes your argument less than convincing.”
Myles shook off the melancholy and forced a smile. “Come on. Remember how restless Pa got. Especially in the spring. If not for Mama and us young’uns, he would have gone.” He clapped Samuel on the shoulder. “That’s why we should go now. We’re both free.”
Samuel ducked his head. “I have plans.”
“What plans?” He didn’t want to leave alone.
“Rose. Nora’s sister.”
“But…isn’t she already promised to Levi Acker?” Myles might owe the man a thank you after all.
Samuel’s eyes sparked. “No. Acker’s spoken to her father, but she’s promised to refuse him.”
Myles held up his hands in surrender. For now. It seemed Rose had yet to tell Samuel of her betrothal, and Myles did not wish to be the bearer of such news. He would wait until the deed was done and then re-extend the invitation to his brother. An adventure was the best ointment for an aching heart.
At least one could hope.
The door behind Myles swooshed open, and Hannah hurried inside. “I told Joseph I needed to fetch Samuel for supper.” She clutched Myles’s arms. “Come with us.”
Her eyes speared him with their pleading, but he shook his head, instead drawing her into the embrace he wanted.
Hannah’s arms slipped around his torso, tightening around him. “I hate meeting like this.”
The open door slapped against the wall as though tossed wider with a gust of wind…or a livid husband finding his wife in the arms of a stranger.
“What is the meaning of this, Hannah?” Joseph growled, but the hurt was evident, too.
Myles sidestepped around his sister.
Eyes thin slits, Joseph glared, his knuckles showing how near he was to striking out. “You’re Mathew Crawford, aren’t you? Daniel’s help. What are you doing with my wife?”
“I would think that evident.” Myles couldn’t contain a smirk at how truly awful his words probably sounded to a man like Joseph, having no context for the embrace he’d caught them in. On impulse, Myles reached out and caught a loose strand of Hannah’s hair, letting it slowly slip through his fingers.
A muscle in Joseph’s jaw ticked, and Myles started his dodge, easily missing Joseph’s fist. He replied with a quick cross to Joseph’s face—his reward for marrying Hannah. The hit slowed Joseph only slightly. An uppercut grazed Myles’s torso, but he returned a jab followed with another cross, his full weight behind the last punch as it contacted Joseph’s jaw.
“Stop!”
Joseph faltered at his wife’s scream, but only momentarily, before throwing another fist.
Myles was halfway through a fake when a yank from behind pulled him off balance.
Samuel.
Joseph’s knuckles seared Myles’s cheek.
Momentum landed all three of them in a pile of arms and legs and fists.
Joseph made it to his feet first, and Hannah clutched a hold on his arms. “It’s Myles!”
He panted. “What?”
“Myles is alive.” She threw her arms around her husband. “Myles is alive.”
The anger dissolved into confusion as Joseph twisted.
Myles pushed off the ground and offered his brother a hand. Then faced the man who had far too much control over his length of stay in the valley. One word from Joseph to Lemond—or anyone—and Myles would have no choice but leave. Forever.
“I don’t understand. You’re supposed to be dead.”
“You say it as though you planned it. Or at least wanted it.” Myles worked to catch his breath. “But why wouldn’t you? With me out of the way, you easily helped yourself to the rest of my family.”
“How could you say that, Myles?” Hannah protested, keeping hold on her husband’s arm.
“He’s free to say what he thinks.” Joseph held his jaw as he worked it. Probably smarted something fierce. “But, no…” He leveled a look at Myles. “I didn’t want you dead. Not because I cared anything for you personally, mind you, but Hannah had already endured enough heartache. Learning of your death broke her heart.”
At least the man was honest. Myles had to respect that. “Well, since I am alive, now what?”
“I suggest we take this discussion into the house before the children get into any mischief.”
Hannah gasped and rushed to lead the way. Apparently in the ruckus, she’d not considered who watched her children.
Joseph nodded for Myles to proceed, and then followed with Samuel. If not for his brother’s presence, turning his back on Joseph would not have been Myles’s choice. No matter what his siblings thought of Joseph Garnet, Myles didn’t trust the man.
23
Nora massaged her right shoulder on her way back to the cabin to help with the noonday meal. For the past three days she’d worked tirelessly…yet her mind continued to wander to amazingly dark eyes and the smile that had lit Mathew’s face and melted her heart.
She blew out her frustration. Forget him. That’s what she needed to do. The quicker Mathew Crawford left the valley the better. As it was, she was stuck here with her betraying thoughts, and nothing to help push them away. Not even a book. Though she doubted she’d be able to focus on printed words any better now than she had for the past month. Ever since he’d come.
“Neck bothering you?” Mama asked from where she hung clothes on the line.
Nora shook her head. “Strained my shoulder swinging the scythe.” Not that cutting the first of the wheat was a hard task, only repetitive.
“Remind me and I’ll rub it down with some salve tonight before bed.”
“Yes, Mama.” She paused and leaned into the tree holding the end of the laundry line.
Mama hung Papa’s shirt before turning a concerned look her way. “Did something happen between you and Mr. Crawford?”
Nora straightened. “No.” If only. “Why do you ask?”
“You’ve seemed so unhappy since your last visit to Daniel’s.” Mama dried off her hands on her apron. “I worry for you.”
“No reason for it. I’m just tired. So much work to be done. Papa’s knee is getting better, but he still needs to be careful.”
