“Yes. I can hide in the forest for a day or two. But I don’t know how to hide my tracks. I can try—”
“I think it best if I’m with ye.”
“I agree.” Mr. Orr closed his book and leaned forward.
Mrs. Orr came in drying her hands on a dish towel. “So do I.”
Kyle burst through the front door. “Olin, Ida Mae, the town is sending out a search party. They’re organizing without the sheriff. We need to hide ye fast.”
“The root cellar,” Mrs. Orr offered.
“They’ll search there, Mother. Can ye make it to the cabin on foot?”
“I believe so.” Olin held Ida Mae’s hand, then bent down and fetched a handful of ash. “Do ye trust me?”
❧
Olin held the cold ash in his hand. He hated to do it, but if the townsfolk were close on Kyle’s heels there was little choice.
Her eyes widened when she saw the ash. She nodded.
“I’m sorry.” He dumped the ash in her hair and streaked her face. Then did the same to his face and hands.
“Come on. John, meet me an hour before dawn at the old parson’s-nose tree and bring our bags.”
His mother wrapped them in a hug. “Be off with the good Lord’s blessing.”
“And to think I bathed for this.”
Olin laughed. He placed a bedroll and small pack over his shoulder that he had prepared earlier. “It will protect us from the full moon.”
“And will I have a chance to bathe tomorrow?”
“Aye, if we are successful tonight. Come, we mustn’t wait a moment longer.”
Olin tugged and Ida Mae kept his pace. They ran through the back field, using the house and the barn as a cover. The wide-open field offered little protection. Olin ran toward the tree line as fast as he felt she could run. Once they hit the tree line he stopped behind a tree.
“Are we going to the cabin?”
“Not tonight. I don’t know who is heading up the search party, but ye can be certain Percy is with ’em, and if he is, he knows about the old cottage. Unfortunately Kyle cleaned it up for us today so it will appear that we have stayed or are staying there. Or at least me, if they think I killed ye.”
“Killed me? Why would they think that?”
“The blood. It doesn’t matter that the sheriff found it to be chicken blood, not in the minds of these men. Truth is of little importance once a man makes up his mind that he is right.”
Olin felt the worst decision he’d made was to come back home. And yet, having met Ida Mae and wanting to spend the rest of his life with her was a direct response to that decision. Was it wrong? Did the Lord want him here for this time and this place?
“I’m sorry, Olin.”
“What for?”
She snickered. “For so many things, really. For the wedding that didn’t happen, for the trouble with the shop, and for you being blamed for all of this. It’s like you said before, it doesn’t make sense. I can’t understand why someone would want me dead or out of the way. Even to tell me to get rid of you as a tenant does not explain the chicken blood. You had moved out. The entire town knew that.”
“Ah, but remember the gossip says that I ruined ye the other night. Perhaps ye have a man who fancies himself as yours. Do ye?”
“No.” She cupped her face with her hands. “Only you,” she muttered.
The distant sound of horses arriving at his parents’ house jolted Olin back to the moment. “Come, I know a small spot where we can hide.”
Olin pushed the thick brush away with his hands and held it back until Ida Mae passed. He eased the branches back as easily as possible, trying not to disturb or break any of them. He then fluffed the underbrush behind her to keep it from appearing disturbed.
Slowly they worked their way back into the woods. He followed as many deer paths as possible. An hour later they were at the mouth of a shallow cave he had played in as a boy. He had no memory of Percy ever coming to this place, but his brothers knew where it was. And Percy, being a cousin, would probably have an idea. “Come in here.”
“It doesn’t look inviting.”
Olin eyed the small cave. “Would ye like me to go in first?”
“Uh, does a tin man have tin?”
Olin smiled. “Not at the moment.” He slipped into the dark cavern. It seemed much smaller than he remembered. He sniffed the air. It appeared stale but dry, which would make it a much more comfortable night. He lowered the bedroll and removed his flint and steel. Feeling his way along the floor he found the old campfire site and prayed that the small pile of kindling he’d always kept there as a child remained. Thankfully, it was, and extremely dry. It lit instantly as he started a small fire. He laid out the bedroll.
“Wow, I thought you said this was small.”
“It is, but it’s big enough to give us some protection from the night. Ida Mae, sit here. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Let the fire burn out. There isn’t enough wood to keep it going. I’ll go gather some wood. We should be safe here for the night.”
“All right.”
Olin kissed her stained lips. “I’ll try to be back soon. But if I’m not back by morning, go to my parents’ house. Do you think you can find it?”
“No.” Her voice trembled.
“It won’t matter, ye’ll be safe with me.”
“Where’s the parson’s-nose tree? And why’d you name it that?”
“The parson’s nose is just another name for the tail on a plucked turkey. When ye see the tree stump, you’ll understand.”
❧
The fatty end of the turkey’s tail had been a favorite of her father’s. “Do you have to leave?”
“I wanted to get some wood for a fire.”
“I’m not cold.” Terrified, but not cold.
“Yet,” he added.
She reached out and held his hand, caressing it with her thumb. “Please, don’t leave me alone.”
“Sweetheart, I shall return.”
“Do we really need a fire tonight?”
He sat down beside her. “I suppose not. Ye might get cold later.”
I’m being foolish. “Olin, I’m afraid.”
He wrapped his arm around her. “Ye will be safe with me.”
“How can you know that? There are no guarantees in this world. Father and Mother. . .” She let her words trail off. He still had both his parents. He didn’t know what it was like to lose someone so close. The past twelve months had been an agony she prayed she would never go through again. And yet the idea that someone would be after her— She felt like Job.
Olin held her tighter. “Tell me, what happened?”
“There ain’t much to tell. I had to work late the night they died, so they returned home and I planned on sleeping at the shop. A fire caught in the kitchen and quickly consumed the house. The sheriff found my parents’ remains in the kitchen.” She paused. Olin waited while she collected her thoughts, then continued. “As best as the sheriff could tell, they were trying to put out the fire and were overtaken by the smoke.”
“Did they cook often inside the house in the summer?”
“No, Mother rarely cooked more than once or twice a week at home. Since we spent so much time at the shops, she tended to cook meals there. On the weekends we’d cook the roasts or chickens. Then she’d make meals from the leftovers. We smoked a lot of our meat, so we had cured ham and bacon whenever we needed it.”
That was one of the pieces of the puzzle that had made little sense to her. Why were they in the kitchen and why was Mother cooking?
“And the sheriff concluded it was an accident?”
“Yes.” Ida Mae wrung the hem of her dress. “My birthday was a few days away. The sheriff thought she might have been making me a cake or something.”
“Your mum made cakes in the summer for ye?”
Ida Mae giggled. She saw the same glee in his eyes that children showed in the past when her mother made a special birthday cake in the heat of the summer. Mother had said it didn
’t make the kitchen all that much hotter. But it had. And she loved that about her mother and father, and how they loved indulging their little girl. “I was spoiled.”
“Aye, that may be an understatement. Mum uses the outdoor kitchen in the summer, but apart from bread making, she seldom fires up the oven hot enough to make baked goods, certainly not sweets.”
“I was blessed.”
“Ye still are, Ida Mae. Ye have all the memories, all that love, and ye are a special person. What about your brothers?”
“Randall’s love is the city life and the sea. He’s working in Savannah for one of the cotton shippers. His family is quite content there. Last I heard he was considering buying a plantation. But I know Randall—he’ll hire someone to run it. He never liked getting his fingernails dirty. Bryan enjoyed working the land but he wanted to raise cattle, so he moved farther west to Kentucky to purchase a larger lot of land. Father sold half the farmland and gave Bryan the money for his future. He also gave a smaller share to Randall. Randall and I own the greater share in the farm. But Randall isn’t interested in farming or concerned with whether I make a profit from the land. He’s more concerned with his own job and how well it supports his family.”
“As ye know, I, bein’ the third son, inherit only a few acres of my father’s property. I wanted him to give it to my brothers but Father wouldn’t hear of it. So, someplace on my parents’ farm I have ten acres.”
Rolling her shoulders, she leaned back in a more relaxed position. “Do you know the law regarding women and their land?”
“No, not really. Why do you ask?”
“I once feared you might be after my property.”
He leaned back and rested on his elbows. “What’s this law say?”
“When a woman who owns property marries, the husband takes responsibility for taking care of the financial matters. He can’t sell the property without her blessing, but he can do everything else. And with regard to the farm, he would have complete control over the running of it.”
“Interesting.”
Fourteen
Olin slipped out from Ida Mae’s embrace. The gentle purr signaled that he hadn’t woken her. Outside, the sky was still black. He slipped through the bushes and found the deer path toward parson’s-nose. John would be late doing his chores today, but not too late. By the time he reached the strangely shaped tree trunk, a small ribbon of deep blue showed on the eastern horizon.
“Mornin’,” John said and wiped off the backside of his trousers. “How’d ye make out last night?”
“Fine. We spent the night in the old cave on the northeast corner.”
John nodded. “Smaller, ain’t it?”
“Aye.”
John walked over to his horse and removed Ida Mae’s carpetbag, a bedroll, and a sack. “Mum packed up some food.”
“Tell her thank you. What happened last night?”
“Not too much. Most folks know us and respect us. Percy led the team. He went through the house like a wild man. Ye never did finish that fight.”
“No, I never understood what it was all about. He just didn’t see eye-to-eye with me since I was eight years old.”
“This ain’t an eight-year-old’s revenge. What happened back at the mines?”
“That’s what is really odd. I was actually trying to defend him when Gary Jones went after me.”
“Ye were fightin’ for Percy?”
“Aye. Silly, ain’t it?”
John shook his head. “Keep her safe. Percy is out to destroy ye or worse. I reckon it might have to do with all the untruths he’s said regarding you and the fight with Gary Jones. The cabin isn’t safe with Percy leading them.”
“You’re right. I’ll plan on heading toward the next county.”
“Very well. Kyle said he’d catch up with you in two days. I’ll tell him to meet ye at Paw Creek.”
Paw Creek was a good location. A place where, even if followed, he would appear to be going into town on business. “Tell him I’ll see him there around noon.”
Leather creaked as John hoisted himself up on the saddle. “Be careful, little brother. I don’t like the anger I saw last night. I understand some think ye killed her and that enraged them. But when Mum and Pop said she was fine last night when she came to dinner, there were a few who believed them.”
“Percy wouldn’t.”
“Aye, but he wasn’t so bold as that. He still has to remain respectful to his uncle and aunt.”
“That might not last for long.”
“Aye. Keep a watchful eye. Percy might drop everything if he believes ye have moved back to Pennsylvania.”
“Mayhap I should.” It didn’t seem fair that a man couldn’t return home. But if he had stayed in Pennsylvania none of this would have happened. Olin said his good-byes to his brother, picked up his and Ida Mae’s belongings, and headed back to the cave.
Orange streams of light covered the trees with a crimson layer floating above. Another hot day, he mused. Another day he wasn’t married. His shoulders slumped. Why had he come home?
❧
The crack of a twig jolted Ida Mae awake. Is someone out there? Olin was gone. Clamping her jaw tight, she inched toward the opening. Who is out there? Or better yet, what is out there?
She scraped her knee on a jagged edge of rock. Keeping low, she closed the distance between herself and the opening. The dull light of dawn did little for her visibility. She craned her neck to the side and listened. Nothing! Fear swept through her. If everything were fine there would be noise of some sort. The insects alone should be chirping away. Shouldn’t they?
Could they have been tracked to the cave?
Ida Mae squeezed her eyes closed and prayed. Father, help Olin and me. Help us to uncover all that has been happening in town. Reveal it to us and keep us safe. Please, Lord.
Another twig snapped. Ida Mae willed herself closer to the ground.
“Ida Mae,” Olin whispered.
Joy surged through her.
“Olin?”
“Aye, come on out. It is safe.”
She ventured through the small opening and blinked. Olin stood there with his ash-stained face. “You’re quite a sight.”
Olin chuckled. “Ye have seen better days yourself. Come, there’s a small stream where we can clean up. It has a very small swimming hole, which was fine when we were kids, but as adults I’m not sure we’ll be able to submerge.”
Anything was better than the ash and dirt caked on her skin. She felt like she’d rolled in mud. Of course, she probably had, sleeping in the cave. “Did you bring soap?”
“Afraid not, unless Mother packed something in the bedroll. Let me pack up our belongings and we’ll get on our way.” Olin slipped into the cave.
Ida Mae scanned the area. She could see the lush farmlands, small creek, and the edge of the forest. It truly was a beautiful sight.
“Shall we?” Olin pointed with her carpetbag toward the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.
Ida Mae worked her way over a small path left behind from deer and other wild animals. She didn’t want to think about the other kinds of animals. She was grateful they had survived one night without noticing any unusual activities, animal or human. With each step toward the creek she realized her life was slipping away. She was on the run, hiding from some unknown stranger.
Should I stay with him? And yet the very thought of leaving him made her cringe. Would it be wiser to stay with Uncle Ty and Minnie? No, she couldn’t put them at risk. Uncle Ty barely made ends meet; he didn’t need anyone endangering his family or destroying his property.
Peace filled her soul when she was in Olin’s arms. But that thought brought a fresh wave of heat to her cheeks. She had spent the night in Olin’s arms. She should have married him. What would Minnie say? What would everyone say?
Ida Mae shook off the annoying what-ifs and continued down the path. Truth was, he was an honorable man, and they had relied on one another to keep warm in the chilly ni
ght air.
“Down here,” Olin directed.
He led her around a bend to where a small, clear pool of water shimmered in the sunlight. She bent down for a drink. Her reflection in the water looked like a sickly old woman. “Ugh.”
“It’s not that bad.” Olin bent down and unrolled the pack from his mother. “Mum sent a bar of soap.” He smiled and held it up in the air.
Ida Mae jumped up to capture the sweet-smelling ball of lavender soap. She missed and jumped again. The grin on Olin’s teasing face brought out the memories of her older brothers always teasing her. She faked a jump and waited for his reaction. When he swung his arm up, she tackled him. He landed on the ground with a thud. She pressed her knee into his chest and captured the soap. “Don’t ever get between a woman and a bath again.”
His brown eyes were as wide as saucers filled with deep rich coffee. “No, ma’am.”
She offered a hand to aid him in getting up. “You do know I have two older brothers and, being the only girl in the family, I suppose I wrestled with them a bit more than if I’d had a sister.”
Olin brushed off his pants. “Ye are a wonder. Ye can slip behind those rocks and make yourself ready for the bath. I’ll wait around the bend. Call me when you are finished.”
Her respect for Olin grew. Again, he proved himself a gentleman and not the killer his cousin Percy claimed.
After she was bathed, and while Olin was taking his turn, she noticed something on the ridge. It appeared to be a wooden chute for gold mining. Gold mines had sprung up all over the county after gold was discovered on the Reed farm some twenty miles away. She hadn’t heard of anyone striking it rich in the Charlotte area. But some farmers had found small nuggets on their land. Enough, sometimes, to help them purchase a few things they might not have without the precious ore.
“I feel better. How about you?” Olin walked up, shaking the excess water from his hair with his fingers.
Suppressing the desire to run her fingers through his silky strands, she answered, “Much.”
“Ida Mae, we have a problem.”
“What?”
❧
Olin sat down on the rock beside her. “Ye are so beautiful.”
“How is that a problem?”
Corduroy Road To Love Page 11