“Come here, you two.” Joseph held out his arms as the last of his annoyance melted away.
Heidi stepped into his hug and clung to him as if she desperately needed reassurance. Even Gray hesitated for less than a few seconds until he joined them. Joseph gathered Heidi against him and laid an arm of comfort across Gray’s shoulders, wishing he could instill strength into them, give them hope in what seemed to be a hopeless situation.
“Duncan seems to think he’s going to get away with his evil ways forever,” Joseph said. “He thinks he should own those Africans.”
“He doesn’t own them.” Gray pulled away and spat on the ground with some force.
“In the end we know evil doesn’t win. That’s why we’re fighting.”
“It’s up to us,” Heidi said, her voice muffled from his chest.
“No, the results of the fight aren’t up to us. Our actions are our only responsibility,” Joseph told her. “In the end, Duncan won’t get away with what he’s doing, but we have to look higher than ourselves and seek God. Our job is to do the right thing now, and God will see to the end, whenever it may be. We might not see it right away.”
Heidi lowered her gaze. “I don’t think Dr. Fenway believes in God’s righteousness.”
“She’s suffered a great loss, as you have, Heidi. Sometimes when that happens, our faith is tested. But God will hold on to her as she struggles. He is a loving Father who doesn’t leave us. He isn’t going to die.”
“Will He hold on to me?” Heidi asked.
Joseph tightened his grip on her. “He has you surrounded.”
“I’ve seen bad men get away with their evil,” Gray said.
“As I said, you haven’t seen the end of the story, son. I believe Kansas will be a state soon, and you might well be the state’s future.” He placed a gentle kiss on the top of Heidi’s head. “I think that someday you’ll be a doctor working alongside Dr. Fenway, surrounded by patients who depend on you. You’ll probably marry and have children and a home of your own.”
He patted Gray on the shoulder. “You have a fine mind and the ability to make good judgments and sift through necessary information for the truth. You could be a judge or a senator or even the president.”
“Not if we don’t get out of this situation,” Gray muttered.
“That’s the kind of thinking you’re going to have to change. Your brother has heroic qualities, but he needs you to anchor him with your common sense. It’s going to take courage to stand up to him. We’re on this journey for you and for the children of the wagon train. This is for the future of our country.”
Joseph gave Heidi a final hug and released her, studying Victoria’s face. He knelt and touched her skin and nodded to Heidi. “I know Buster told you that Thames is dead, but that doesn’t mean we’re clear of his influence. I don’t know if Thames was lying about Duncan or not, but we’ve got to be vigilant. If he comes, he won’t be alone, and we must be prepared.”
“We’ve got to get those people out of here and hightail it to Kansas,” Gray said. “Hopefully before that Duncan fella gets here.”
“But how can our wagon train possibly move all those people out of Missouri?” Heidi asked. “There’s no time to refit the wagons.”
“The wagon train needs to load up and leave,” Joseph said. “Today. They’ll attract too much attention if they stay. Tell Fritz and Reich not to wait on us, not to finish setting up camp, but to head out toward Neosho to wait for McDonald.”
“No!” Heidi cried. “We can’t leave you alone. I need to stay with you and treat Victoria.”
“And I need you safely away from here before Duncan and his men show up and start a war with Jolly Mill.”
“I don’t care about safety, Captain.” She touched his arm and gazed up at him with winsome eyes. “I have to stay with Dr. Fenway. Please. I can help.”
He sighed. This one was also going to be a handful. “There’s something you can do to help. I need you to go through Dr. Fenway’s things in your wagon and find a stack of blank sale bills. They’re used for livestock and slaves. Leave the papers with Francine and Buck, and have two of them filled out for Naaman and Josetta Brown, but tell them to use different names. They must travel with the wagon train posing as slaves. You stay with Gray and the Reichs.”
“Captain—”
“We’ll need your help on the wagon train, especially with the doctor unable to manage right now.” He reached into Boaz’s saddlebag and pulled out Victoria’s Colt revolver. “Gray, keep this with you. I know you can shoot.”
“Yessir.”
“Take care of Heidi.”
“I will, sir.”
“Whatever else you do, make sure Heidi and the children stay out of danger.”
Heidi crossed her arms, her delicate chin jutting out, eyes narrowing.
Joseph bit his tongue to keep from smiling. She appeared to be growing into the image of her mentor and friend, stubbornness and all.
“Miss Ladue,” he said quietly, “your help is needed with the wagon train. I was given to believe you had been prepared by Dr. Fenway to care for our people in our doctor’s absence. If she’s failed to teach you what you need to know—”
“She hasn’t failed anything.”
“I’m sorry you’re being forced to take on a grown woman’s role, but the adults on our wagon train know to follow their captain. As your captain, I’m telling you that your best place now is with our people.”
Heidi’s shoulders began to slump. She stiffened them again for a moment, but then tears filled her eyes. She bent over and picked up the bag she’d brought. “Here. If her fever doesn’t go down, she’ll need another dose of this feverfew extract, and if she’s hurting, more laudanum, but don’t let her choke.”
“When you get back to town,” Gray said, “you’ll find Buck and Francine’s cabin across the creek, built in against a rock cliff. There’s a spring beside the house, and I thought I could hear something like water falling behind the house, like maybe there was a cave opening there, but I couldn’t find it, and they weren’t too quick to answer questions.”
“If you could hear it, then others can, too,” Joseph said. “The doctor warned me that Buck and Francine would trust only her. Even after they trusted Mrs. Reich, I can see why they’re concerned about strangers, especially after all of today’s activities.” He slung the medicine bag over his shoulder. “I’ll take good care of her, Miss Ladue,” he said gently. “She’s going to be fine. I have enough alcohol to keep her wound clean, and we’ll follow behind you, but don’t wait for us. You might ask Mrs. Fritz or Mrs. Reich to purchase more whiskey for the road before the wagons head out. Now, both of you go.”
They did as he told them, disappearing into the brush as quietly as they’d arrived. He heard no sound of footsteps once they had time to reach the creek. Maybe they were lighter on their feet than he had feared.
They would need more talents than light feet to keep them out of danger for the next few days. May God have mercy, and blind the eyes of the enemy in time to save them all.
Chapter Fifteen
Victoria lay on the moving pallet with her eyes closed against the sun’s glare. She felt so much better than she had...what...an hour ago? Probably the effect of the laudanum. Joseph had stopped once and dribbled some into the side of her mouth between her cheek and her teeth, then worked her throat with his fingers as she swallowed.
She hadn’t even opened her eyes. Actually, hadn’t been able to because her eyelids felt so heavy. She had, however, felt the light touch of his lips on her forehead and heard his whispered words of prayer and of love.
Echoes of his words to Heidi and Gray remained in her memory, almost as if she had dreamed the conversation. His gentle voice had somehow pierced the darkness where she’d been wandering...his observations about God holding her as she doubted...as if he knew what she’d been thinking, even more than she’d realized.
Was it true? While her faith wavered, was God
holding on to her, as He would hold on to Heidi while she struggled with her grief? A more intriguing question—was the Almighty using Joseph’s words to reassure her and erase her doubts?
A new determination filled her as she lay there, exercising trust that Joseph would take tender care of her and that Boaz wouldn’t take off running through briars or over rocks. Joseph would have called her new determination a reaffirmation of her faith. She wasn’t sure what it was, only that she had never doubted God’s presence. She’d doubted His kindness, maybe, and His mercy, because she knew from reading through her Bible that nothing happened without His permission. But God was God. His ways were not her ways, and being His child she had to accept that He had control of her future.
She opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the brightness of the sun that shone in the longest day she had ever endured.
Judging by the cooler air, the daylight would be gone within two or three hours, and if she’d truly overheard Joseph telling Heidi and Gray to send the wagon train away, they should be gone.
“Joseph?” Victoria’s voice was so hoarse she could barely hear herself.
Immediately, Boaz stopped. She expected to see Joseph rushing to her side, but instead he urged Boaz to move on. The faithful animal rumbled deep in his chest and remained where he was. Victoria smiled. That gelding had excellent hearing. Joseph was probably still half-deaf from the loud report of her rifle in his ear today.
“Joseph,” she called more loudly.
He appeared almost immediately, relief filling his dark eyes as he dropped to his knees beside her and pulled the medicine bag from his shoulder. He touched her cheek, his eyes filled with such tenderness that she once again felt her chest swell with love for him. How she relished his every touch, his expression when he held her gaze, the words of love he’d shared so freely.
“My fever’s going down.” Her voice was still hoarse but getting better. “My eyes aren’t burning as they were.” In other words, she wasn’t delirious with fever or pain, and yet she retained all the sweet caring she’d felt toward him when she was at her worst.
“Are you cold?”
“I feel warm enough. My vision’s blurred, though. How much laudanum did you give me?” Maybe that was what caused these tranquil, tender emotions.
“Enough to make you comfortable. I didn’t want you hurting.” His voice still held only compassion, no sense of urgency or distress. It was as if their time together blocked out all other thought for him.
“Oh, I’m not hurting.” She smiled up at him.
He chuckled.
She loved the sound of his amusement, even if it did come from her predicament. Laudanum was better than she’d thought for discomfort of all kinds.
In all the years she’d treated her patients with the medicine, she’d never felt the effects of it. Now she could understand why addictions were so common with this concoction. “I heard you sent the wagon train on.”
“They should be out of sight of the village by the time we arrive.”
“Out of danger?”
“Nothing’s certain so near the border. If they took Naaman and Josetta and filled out the bills of sale, they should make it to Neosho without trouble. We will do all we can to be there by the time the other wagons arrive from Elk River, but if we don’t make it, McDonald knows the way.”
“We’ll be a large target with twenty-five wagons.”
“I don’t plan to take the main roads. I know some trails that are familiar only to the locals. If we can avoid detection for a few days, we should get past the danger spots and into Indian Territory, then ride far enough west to slip into Kansas Territory undetected.”
Victoria attempted to sit up, but she was too dizzy to remain upright. Joseph helped her lie back down, his touch gentle and lingering, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to release her.
“How far are we from the village?” she asked.
“It’s just past the trees ahead. Rest a little longer and we’ll get you more comfortable.”
“I wish I could ride in.”
“You can’t even sit up.”
“I don’t want to draw more attention than we already have. Pulling me through town on a litter is bound to cause a stir.”
“I’m not taking you through town. Buck and Francine live across the creek, and there’s a log bridge south of town for travelers. We’ll go that way.” He touched her forehead, rested his palm on her cheek, leaned close, as if he might press his lips against her skin. He didn’t. She felt a stirring of disappointment.
“You’re cooling down,” he said. “That medicine works. Now, lie still and I’ll get you there without anyone being the wiser.”
* * *
Joseph found Buck and Francine Frasier’s cabin as Gray had described it, complete with a bubbling spring and the sound of splashing water that seemed to come from behind the rocky cliff against which the cabin was built. But the cabin was more like a mansion, with a second story and a porch around the three exposed sides of the house.
Before Joseph could step onto the porch to call to the house, the front door opened and a very familiar fourteen-year-old girl with white-gold hair came rushing out in a fresh, pink-and-white calico dress.
“Please don’t be mad, Captain.” She skittered to the edge of the porch and touched his arm with charming entreaty. “We couldn’t leave with the others knowing Dr. Fenway was still sick and not knowing if she’d heal up, and what with the help you’ll need—”
“We?” He nearly groaned aloud. Who else had stayed behind? “Who has your wagon?”
“Mrs. Reich is driving it and dragging Bacon and Pudding along behind.” She jumped from the porch and ran past Joseph to the pallet where Victoria lay. “Doctor, I’m so glad you’re awake! How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Your skin feels better. Do you need more medicine?”
Victoria chuckled softly and reassured the girl.
The door opened again and two more frighteningly familiar figures edged onto the solid porch flooring, hands in their pockets, heads bowed as if braced for a tongue-lashing. The “we” Heidi had referred to were the Johnston brothers. How could Reich and Fritz have allowed this?
Joseph didn’t have a chance to take a breath before the door opened again and two more people stepped out the door. Finally, unfamiliar faces.
The broad-shouldered man had the bulk of an ox, and Joseph could see a woman, with gentle features and bright, curly red hair, peering from behind her husband.
“I take it you’re the Frasiers?” Joseph asked.
“Buck and Francine.” The young, brown-haired man held out a beefy hand to shake with Joseph. “We’ve been hearing a lot about y’all from the young ’uns.” His grip was firm but not brutal.
“Been so worried about Victoria.” Francine stepped out from behind her husband, her bright curls bouncing from beneath a bonnet that matched Heidi’s dress. She appeared to be expecting a child within the next few hours. She rushed down the steps of the porch with a swiftness that belied her size and made her way to Victoria. Buck joined her.
During a tearful reunion between Victoria and her old friends, Joseph sidled over to Buster and Gray. “I’d like to know how you convinced Fritz and Reich to let you stay behind.”
“Who said we did?” Buster raised his chin and straightened his shoulders like a banty rooster trying to intimidate a horse. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
Gray jabbed his brother in the ribs and gave him a warning look. “Mr. Fritz gave us a good talking to, didn’t he, Buster?”
Older brother glared at younger for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Like I told them, we can keep watch, and we can shoot if we have to. What with the doctor all stove up and Mrs. Frasier not moving around too good right now, they need more help.”
“The doctor didn’t do too badly this afternoon when Thames tried to shoot your head off,” Joseph said.
“That was her that shot him?” Buster blinked and looked towar
d the litter, where Buck had lifted Victoria into his muscular arms and turned to carry her toward the house.
“You two take care of Boaz,” Joseph told the brothers. “Then stand guard on the porch, but don’t let it look like you’re standing guard.”
“How’re we supposed to do that?” Buster asked.
“I don’t know, just sit and whittle and talk like you’re visiting relatives. Think you can do that?”
“Never visited relatives.”
“We can figure it out,” Gray said quickly, nudging Buster with his elbow.
“And make sure no one happens by and overhears us inside,” Joseph said. “Watch the top of the cliffs, as well.”
He expected an argument from Buster, but he got none. Still, with the brothers’ tendencies to forget what they’d been told, he knew he’d be checking on them every few minutes throughout the evening.
Buck and Francine ushered Joseph and Heidi into their expansive log cabin and settled Victoria into a soft bed in a plainly furnished bedroom on the ground floor. They left Heidi to tend to Victoria’s injury.
“Y’all’ve got to be starvin’,” Francine said, stepping to a fragrant-smelling kitchen open to the rest of the large front room. “I’ve cooked us up a roast with potatoes and carrots canned from last year’s crop, plus wilted lettuce salad.”
Buck stepped around the kitchen and front room closing windows and curtains, lighting lanterns. Joseph glanced out the front door and saw that Boaz had disappeared. Buster sat on the steps, keeping watch with serious focus, his head turning at every sound. Far too stiff and guardlike.
“We keep our animals in a shed built across a break in the cliffs,” Buck said. He nodded toward the abundance of food stacked along the kitchen counter. “You folks oughta stay a few days so Victoria can heal up, and we’ve got plenty to feed you.”
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