His mother was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch, sewing on something. She lifted her head and shielded her eyes from the morning sun. "Who’s that out there?" she called.
"It’s me Ma, your son Leroy," he answered, dismounting and coming closer.
"Le-Leroy…is that you boy?" she cried out and ran toward him, almost knocking him down. She grabbed him and hugged him to her. "Oh Leroy…I’m so glad you are home…"
"Ma…where is everyone?" he asked.
"Hank’s done married Rose and they are over at the Anderson place. Wade and Clay are out in the fields. Tom is supposed to be on his way home…Frank didn’t make it, son."
Leroy felt a hot knife stab at him. One of his brothers was dead. He couldn’t believe one of his brothers was dead. The sorrow in his mother’s eyes was enough to confirm it though. She hugged him all the way to the house. Then as they got to the porch she stopped and looked down.
"Your leg…what’s wrong?" she asked when he stepped up on the porch.
Leroy grimaced, but at least he was beginning to get used to it. "I lost my leg Ma, in battle. They made me a wooden one."
"Oh my God…well, at least your alive…you come on in this house and let me fix you something to eat. Are you hungry?" she asked turning to look at him again, and saw the tears rolling down his cheek.
She reached to take his face in her hands and kissed his cheek. "I’m so glad you are home. I don’t care if you got a wooden leg; you are alive and home." She cried with him.
He looked at her through his tears and touched her face, smoothing her hair away. "Sure is good to be home…Ma."
They walked through the house to the kitchen and he sat at the table while she made him some eggs and biscuits. He bit into them and sighed. "Oh Ma…those are good."
She smiled and sat beside him after pouring him a hot cup of coffee. "Coffee too?" He smiled. "Did we strike it rich with gold or something?"
"Nope, but your brothers were so hard to get up that I found a place that had confiscated some and bought the dern stuff from them. I paid dearly too, but it was worth the price to me. Besides, you know me, I love my coffee." She smiled again. "So, how’s things with you and Josey? I heard tell you got hitched on your last run through here."
Leroy hung his head. "I haven’t been home, Ma. Least ways not to see Josey yet."
"You ain’t been home yet?" She frowned, standing up and shaking her head slowly. "Because of your leg, I reckon?"
"Well Ma, losin’ a leg, takes some gettin’ used to. At first, I wasn’t sure I should go home. But…lovin’ her like I do. I know I have to get home soon," Leroy said.
"Oh Leroy…boy, you must go to her. She needs you something awful," his mother said.
"Why…what’s happened?" Leroy stood now, afraid something worse was about to befall him.
"Sit down, son. There’s a heap of tellin’ to do, Leroy, and I got to take my time to think on exactly how to tell it." She said.
She scraped some lent from her skirt and shook her head. "Where to begin…"
"Just tell me Ma…what’s wrong?"
"Jayhawkers that’s what happened. They come upon the place one night. They broke in and they killed old George, slit his throat."
Leroy’s eyes widened. Just the way his mother was telling he knew there was something worse coming.
"Go on, Ma…"
"Well, there’s just no delicate way of tellin’ such. They raped Rose and Josey. But because Josey passed out, the doc figures, well…they took a knife to her. The doc, he sewed her up good, but she wasn’t with us for a long spell, nearly two months she lay in that room starin’ at the walls, not talkin’. She’s lost weight. Looks pitiful. Poor Josey, he cut her up pretty bad. Not on the face, but other places. The doc said…well, son…the doc said she might not ever have children," his mother said.
Leroy beat his fist against the table, tears fell, but he was unmindful. "Oh God…no."
"It’s the truth son. She was out of her head for a long time. We all thought she wouldn’t make it. Then when she did come to…she was told what they did to her. Well, she was so upset…about the children. Even poor Rose tried to tell her that she would share her kids with her and they could still be happy. Poor Josey, she just began to wither. If you seen her, you’d seen the changes.”
Leroy buried his head in his hands and let the tears flow.
"She needs you son…she needs you badly," his mother said sadly.
"This wouldn’t have happened if I had been there," he began. "If this war…"
"Nonsense, you were fightin’ a war. That cain’t be helped son. Ain’t no one’s fault but them damn jayhawkers. Hank killed one of them, shot him dead. The other two got away."
"There is no end to the tyranny of war, is there?" Leroy said after he gained control.
“Not when there is war. But Leroy, you got to get yourself over there and present yourself to your wife. She needs you. She’s been so afraid you weren’t coming home because there were no more letters," his mother said sipping her coffee.
Leroy nodded. He turned his cup around several times and then took a sip. "I’ll go to her just as soon as I visit with my brothers some."
When his brothers came in from the field, they were happy to see him, grabbed him up, and turned him around, until they saw his leg. Both of them stood stunned. Then they almost cried for him. Leroy didn't want pity, but the fact that they cried made him realize exactly how much they loved him. However, his mother shook her head.
"Don’t you two feel sorry for him. He’d like that. No sir…this here is a soldier home from the war. He done a right fair job there. One he can be proud of, but that ain’t the end of his life. He needs to do fer himself."
"But Ma…" Wade tried to reason with her.
"No but Ma’s. If you pick him up now, you’ll be doin’ it the rest of your lives. No sir, he’ll pick himself up, dust himself off and go on. Leroy ain’t dead. And we ain’t treatin’ him as if he was. He’s a man, fully growed and he can do what he wants to do, if he wants it bad enough."
Leroy nodded slowly.
"She’s right…I gotta learn to manage on my own. It's the only way to go on."
The boys finally agreed, but they still didn't think it fair.
Chapter Twenty-Two
"You’re ready son?"
"Yeah Ma, I think I am. So how did you get so wise?"
She bent her head and nearly laughed. "You got an uncle, name of Avery, and he got hurt in a war too. Came home, feelin’ just about as sorry for himself as you did. Couldn’t do nothing. My ma, she took after him, like I done you. She told him he could do anything he set his mind to if he wanted to do it bad enough. Reckon she was right, and old Avery, he did. He became strong as a bull, and he could even out whip most men his size. Ma said she created a monster."
Leroy laughed. "Uncle Avery, huh?"
"Yep, he lives in Tennessee, or did fer many a year. Ain’t heard hide nor hair from him in a while now."
"How old is he?"
"He’s ninety-two, he was my oldest brother," she said with a faraway look in her eye. Leroy smiled. "Thanks Ma. I’ll be going over to see Josey tomorrow I reckon."
"Good, it’s about time," she scolded lightly.
~*~
May came and spring seemed to bud all over the valley. Blue bonnets covered the empty fields and roadways. Old Cottonwoods swayed against the light breezes. Birds chirped happily in the treetops.
Leroy rode over to the Anderson farm.
Hank came running up the hill to see who was coming and his lower jaw dropped open.
"Leroy…is that you?" Hank called from the distance as he ran to meet him.
"Hank…" Leroy smiled and dismounted.
Hank ran to grab him and hug him. He was so glad to see him. But as Leroy backed up a bit, Hank saw the wooden leg.
"W-what…happened?" Hank’s eyes rounded on his leg with nothing short of terror.
"Just the war Hank, just the war�
�" Leroy smiled now.
"Oh…my God…Leroy…are you all right everywhere else?" Hank asked grabbing him again, as though he wanted to inspect him or something.
"I’m fine, Hank. The accident happened at the last battle we fought. Cannon hit me. That’s mostly the reason I didn’t write. Was in the hospital a while," Leroy explained.
"Damn, Leroy, I hate that for you."
Leroy stared at his brother.
"You’ve grown up, Hank…yes sir. You’ve grown up."
"Bout time, don't you think?" Hank smiled, forgetting the leg for a moment.
"Heard you went and got married."
"Rose and I. And we got a baby, Jake now," Hank announced, throwing his arm around his brother’s shoulder.
"Do tell, well, I’m anxious to meet the young scamp, where is he?" Leroy asked.
"Him and Rose and Josey…they went over to the Harpers for some quilting pieces. Josey quilts a lot now…"
Leroy studied Hank’s words which seemed strained. He wanted to relieve him of the worries.
"I heard about what happened Hank. I’ve been over to Ma’s."
"Then you know…"
"Yeah…she told me. I wish to God I’d have been here," Leroy said, his face going from anger to sorrow.
"You wouldn’t have done any better than me…they killed old George." Hank said.
"That’s what I heard." He still couldn’t believe the news. "This place shore does look empty, but well cared for. Who has been doin’ all the work?"
"The three of us."
"Looks great."
"George didn’t have a chance. Soon as they seen him, he was gone. Somehow they just didn’t see me, and I got out of their way until I could find a gun. Then I went after them, but it was too late…for both of the girls…"
"Is Josey all right, Hank?" Leroy asked.
"She ain’t been herself since it happened. But she’s getting better. Doc said she’s healed up good, better than he ever thought she would. Now that you are here, she should recover very well. I think you are all she ever needed."
Hank and Leroy went to the house and went in to sit a spell.
The smell of a ham cookin’ in the dutch oven and of a baby bein’ in the house made things feel homey to Leroy again. He could almost picture Ma Anderson coming out of her bedroom, fussing at him.
"I got stuff to do out in the fields, but now it almost feels like a celebration day, you comin’ home, and all.”" Hank laughed.
"Take the day off Hank, and I’ll get out there tomorrow and help you do the work," Leroy promised.
"How…how you gonna do that?"
Hank couldn’t stop his mouth.
"I'm injured, but I ain’t dead. And I’m capable of pulling my weight around here."
Leroy stretched his leg out and smiled, comfortable with the fact that he was as good as any man again.
"I love Josey, Hank. And I gotta be the man she married. Especially now." Leroy smiled confidently.
"You’re kiddin’." Tilting his head, Hank seemed to be searching for something, then found it. "No, you’re not. Sounds good to me, I could use some help out there. I never knew how hard George and Jacob worked till I tried to fill their shoes."
"I’d be proud to get out there with you. We can make a go of this place now, I’m sure of it. I can work the fields, plow them, and shuck corn. I’ll be useful to you Hank."
Hank stared at his brother hard and long.
"Ma tell you about the boys?"
"Yeah…she did. I sure did miss them when I went home. I guess Tom will be home soon. Didn’t seem right, them not bein’ there, jawin’ with Wade and Clay like they used to." Leroy frowned. "The war changed a lot of things, Hank."
Hank nodded. "I reckon that is so. Some good, some bad…"
Hank poured them some lemonade that Rose had left on the counter. Leroy drank it with relish. “Hmm…that tastes good. You miss all the little things, in the army. Sure seems strange without George and Jacob here, and Ma Anderson too."
"Jacob took off some time ago. He’s a free man now. I reckon he found a new life somewhere by now," Hank said wistfully.
"Good, he was a dern good man to have, and we’ll miss him, but we’ll get along," Leroy said with stern conviction.
An hour or so later Leroy saw Josey and Rose come driving up in Ma Anderson’s buggy. Josey stared at the figure on the porch in disbelief. Emotions ran across her face as he stared intently at her. She didn’t move for a long time. Then she slowly got out of the buggy and walked up to the porch.
"Leroy Van Houghton, you’ve come home."
But Leroy saw the slight tremble of her lips.
Rose and Hank stared at them for a few minutes, and then turned to take their leave. Rose placed a hand on Leroy’s and smiled. "Welcome home."
"Thanks, Rose."
He stood up, and came toward Josey now, his eyes fastened on her.
"Hello Josey," he said and pulled her straight into his arms. The feel of her was so good, he wasn’t sure he could ever turn lose of her. He thanked God that his ma had straightened him out before he came home. Because he knew the minute he had her in his arms he would never let her go again.
When he felt her shake, he pulled away just a bit.
"I thought you’d never come home." Josey's words were a breathless whisper on his ear.
"Me too," he said and reached to pull her back into his arms. "Oh God, Josey, it’s good to be home again. And so wonderful that this war is finally over too."
She smiled against his cheek and kissed him there. "You always smell so clean. How can a man smell so clean? I couldn’t forget that smell if I tried."
He laughed and began swinging her around. He swung her up and around and laughed and then suddenly they both crashed to the ground with a loud thump.
However, when she started to move, she saw the wooden leg and her eyes became round circles.
"I’m sorry honey…I lost it in the last battle," Leroy exclaimed.
Josey stared so long that he wasn’t sure what she was thinking. "Oh Leroy…my poor, poor Leroy." She grabbed him to her.
He pulled away, but held her steady.
"Josey, we’ve got a lot to talk over and understand about each other. There are things I want to tell you, things I want to know…"
"No…not yet." She frowned at him. Then a slow smile spread across her face, "Just kiss me…"
She didn’t have to ask twice, he smothered her with a long breathless kiss that went on and on forever. When they pulled away, they were both breathless.
"Oh dear God, I’ve missed you so…Are you home for good?" she asked.
"If you’ll still have me?" he questioned, gesturing to his leg.
"That’s just added furniture." She laughed.
He couldn’t believe she wasn’t concerned. Happiness filled him like the first spark of sunlight in early dawn. Those words would stay with him the rest of his life.
The four of them ate dinner as Rose introduced the newest member of the family to him. "This is Jake. Jake, meet your Uncle Leroy." She laughed.
"Look at all that red hair. He’s a beauty." Leroy said. "And so fat."
"Don't you worry none darlin'. Uncle Leroy has no manners." Rose cajoled her son.
Later when Leroy and Josey were alone, Josey became quiet. She looked so sad, so forlorn. He wanted to comfort her, but he also wanted her to talk about it to him.
"The doc said I might not be able to have children."
Leroy chucked his shirt and stared at her. "So…we won’t have children. That’s okay, Rose and Hank can have them, and we can play with them and send them back to them." He laughed.
She whirled about. "Doesn’t this bother you?"
"What…that we may not have children?" He stared into her beautiful brown eyes. "No…not really. Have you been worryin’ that it would?"
"Well…well, yes…of course I have…" she blurted out. "Most men would not accept a wife that couldn’t produce children."
He pulled her to him. "I didn’t marry a baby factory. I married you. I want you. And if you want me…then that’s enough," he said.
"But…doesn’t it make you sad?" she asked, as Leroy folded her into his waiting arms.
"Nothing could make me sad now that I'm home…look Josey, come sit here, and let me explain something." He sat her on the edge of the bed, and sat next to her, his hand on her thigh. "The war did a lot of bad things to people. It killed many, maimed some, and destroyed families. But what we have to do now is make the best of what we have left and be thankful we got something. If God sees fit for us not to have children…then we won’t. And if he sees fit for us to, then we will. But either way, it doesn’t make a bit of difference to me. I married you…because I love you, Josey. You. There weren’t any kids when I married you, were there?"
"No…but…"
"If you can accept me with one good leg, I can accept you with no children. It’s that simple. I love you. Just the way you are. And I can be happy with just you…for always."
He looked at her seriously now. "I am not worried one bit about babies. I’m worried about you. You’ve lost a lot of weight. Your eyes are so dark…you look beautiful but I’m worried about you. Is it all right…for me to…touch you?"
She stared at him. "Very all right, I’ve healed the doc said, much better than he ever figured I would."
"That’s good news." He chuckled and pulled her till they were both lying on the bed, next to each other. "Now, help me off with this." He motioned for her to help him with the wooden leg. She stared at the piece of wood that had become a part of him and then looked him in the eyes.
"What do I do?" she asked.
"Slip the strap from my knee, that’s all,"
She did and the wooden leg came off. He let it lay on the bed, and then pulled her until she was on top of him.
"I’ve dreamed of this moment, of coming back to you. I love you Josey with all my heart."
"And I love you," she whispered.
She kissed him on the lips softly and drew back to stare into his eyes. "
Always Remember Page 27