by Bush, Holly
“Mr. Jackson! They killed Miss Belle!” Nathan finally said.
Reed rocked and stroked the boy’s head. “No, they didn’t. She’s beat up badly, but she’s strong and hanging on and worried sick about you.”
Nathan cried again. “I thought I’d never see her and you again. I wanted to die.”
“We’re here together, son, and Miss Belle is at home and Mr. and Mrs. Ames are with her. We’re alright. Everything will be fine now.”
Reed held Nathan till the boy sat up and wiped his face with his hands. He petted Patches still waiting at the ready by Reed’s side. “Where’s your chair, suh?”
“It’s behind us in the tall grass. There’s some things that must be done here, Nathan and they will be unpleasant, but I can’t do them without your help,” Reed said.
Nathan nodded. “What things, suh?”
“We’re going to have to pull these two bodies as deep into the woods as we can get them. It won’t be easy as I can’t get far enough into the woods in the chair, and they’ll be very heavy,” Reed said.
“We’ll get it done, suh. What shall I do?”
Reed maneuvered to one side of Jed and told Nathan to sit on the other side of the body. “Grab him by the coat and we’ll drag together on my count.” Reed pushed off with his good leg and Nathan crawled and yanked Jed’s body. It was slow going as they moved off the trail, and Nathan had to move fallen branches and push away rocks so they could pull the body down into the thicket. They were both sweating and breathing hard when Reed told him that they’d gone far enough. Together they piled stones and branches on Jed’s body. Reed scooted out of the woods on his backside behind Nathan.
They began the process all over again with Jed’s accomplice heading down a slope on the other side of the path. By the time, they’d covered that body, Nathan and Reed were near exhaustion. They sat side by side, leaning against a stump and rested. Reed crawled up the incline one-legged where Nathan stood waiting with his chair. Reed pulled himself up the tree trunk hand holds and dropped down into his wheel chair.
Reed cut away strips of fabric from his shirt and tied them around his hands to cover the bleeding mass of blisters and cuts on both palms. Dawn was just beginning to lighten the woods as Reed wheeled down the path with Nathan beside him barely upright. Patches limped ahead in the lead and stopped twice to smell the air. Both times, Reed sent Nathan to hide while he readied his pistol. Once on the main road, Reed pulled Nathan on his lap and told the boy to put his arms around his neck.
On the last corner before his house came into view, Patches growled in the dim sunlight, and Reed struggled to reach his gun. Then the dog’s tail started to wag, and Reed heard Henry calling.
“Reed?”
“Henry. I don’t think I can make it any further.”
Henry came running and stopped just shy of Reed’s chair. He touched Nathan’s head, the boy now sleeping on Reed’s lap. He handed Reed his shotgun.
“Hold onto this while I get you home,” Henry said and began pushing the wheelchair. “The sheriff was here not long ago to tell us he’d lost Jed but had a good idea who Jed might have been meeting. I told him you were in the bedroom with Belle.”
Reed nodded. “Good. I’ll have to get out of these clothes and get them to the burn pile.”
“The burn pile’s the only place for the rags you’re wearing right now, Reed. Do you need help changing?”
“No, but I’ll need water fetched if you don’t mind.”
Henry stopped by the back door of Reed’s house. “Is … is it over?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Henry,” Reed said. “But I do smell coffee and am hoping to lay this exhausted boy down on his bed, clean myself up and have a cup.”
With Henry’s help, Reed laid Nathan down, and wheeled directly to his bedroom. Mary Ellen was sitting in a kitchen chair beside the bed, nearly asleep. She sat up as Reed wheeled close to the bed.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Sleeping fitfully,” Mary Ellen said. “She’s been asking for you and Nathan.”
Belle whimpered and Reed picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “Belle, darling. Can you hear me? Nathan’s home.”
“Reed?”
“I’m here, Belle. Nathan is sleeping in the kitchen. He got away from Jed, and I found him wandering in the woods.”
Fat tears coursed down Belle’s cheeks. “Nathan’s here?”
“Yes, Belle. He’s here. He’s sleeping in the kitchen.”
Belle took a deep breath, and her eyes fluttered closed. Reed pulled a clean shirt and pants from the drawer and went to the kitchen. Henry had hot water in a basin behind the curtain. Reed handed Henry his pants and shirt and heard the back door slam. Hair combed and clean, Reed poured himself coffee and looked up as Henry came back into the kitchen with the sheriff behind him.
“Sheriff Waters. How fortuitous. I was just readying myself to find you or a deputy to let you know I’ve found the boy wandering around in the woods,” Reed said. “No need to continue your search.”
“Wandering around in the woods?” the sheriff repeated. “I’m mighty glad the boy’s been found but I did ask you to leave this matter to the law?”
“Mr. Jackson?” Reed heard and turned his chair around in a hurry as the sheriff walked past him and bent down beside Nathan. Patches sat up from his spot and growled at the sheriff.
“Lots of people looking for you, Nathan. We’re glad you’re safe. Was it Mrs. Jackson’s brother that beat her up so bad and took you?” the sheriff asked.
Nathan nodded and his eyes filled with tears. “There was two of them. The one she called Jed, was beating her something terrible. She was crying and screaming for me to run. But I couldn’t. I jumped on his back, and the other man pulled me off and carried me outside. I could hear her hollering when the other man was dragging me cross the yard, and then it was quiet,” Nathan said and wiped his eyes. “I thought he done killed her.”
“And then what happened,” the sheriff asked in a low voice.
“They stuffed me in a feed sack.”
“Mr. Jackson said he found you wandering around in the woods. How did you get away?”
Nathan looked at Reed. “I … I don’t remember, suh.”
“Leave the boy alone, Sheriff,” Henry said. “He’s obviously upset. Let’s just be thankful he’s back home.”
“Can I see Miss Belle?” Nathan asked.
“Come on, Nathan,” Henry said and reached down to help him up. “We’ll go relieve Mrs. Ames a while.”
“Where did you find him, Mr. Jackson?”
“Close to the lane on the south side of the road. I went outside for a breath of air and heard something. I wheeled down the road a piece and hollered his name,” Reed said. “I heard him holler back and wheeled as far as I could in the underbrush till I could see him and he could see me.”
“I followed Jed on a trail into the woods behind the Richards’s homestead but lost him. I have a good idea who Jed was going to meet, and I’m heading there now. I’d keep my doors locked and my guard up if I were you.”
“We will, Sheriff and thank you for you attentiveness in this matter,” Reed said as the sheriff opened the back door and then stopped a moment. He looked back at Reed.
“Still don’t know how that boy got away from two men, but that’ll be a conversation for another day, I suspect,” the sheriff said and stared at Reed for a long moment.
“Keep us apprised of your progress. I won’t rest easy till I know Jed’s behind bars.”
Chapter Sixteen
Belle woke in a panic, sweating and trembling. The picture of Jed’s face looming large in her mind’s eye. “No!” she cried.
Reed kissed her hand. “Everything’s fine, Belle. Hush now.”
She took deep breaths and slowed her racing heart. She was in her bedroom. Reed was there, and she remembered him telling her that Nathan was fine. “I don’t want to sleep anymore. I keep seeing Jed�
�s face and hearing Nathan crying,” she said. She pulled herself up against the headboard as Reed fixed her pillows.
“It’s good to see you sitting up. It’s been nearly a week.”
“A week?” Belle repeated.
Reed nodded. “Can I persuade you to eat something? Henry’s cook has sent us chicken stew with the finest lightest dumplings I’ve had since I was a child.”
Belle ran her hands through her hair and felt a sore, rough patch of bare scalp. She straightened her nightgown and felt her arms and neck, as if assuring herself all the pieces were still attached and that she was alive. She touched her stomach and turned to Reed.
“I was going to have a baby, Reed. Our baby,” she said.
“And you still are. The doctor is convinced all is well.”
Belle’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Reed. I thought for certain when Jed kicked me, I’d lost this child. I don’t remember much after that.”
Reed smiled a rare smile. “Doctor Lowell is certain this child is going to be a handful, having already survived a fistfight with a bully.”
Belle smiled back and touched her lip where she could feel a long scab and some swelling. The right side of her face was tender from forehead to chin, and she was glad there was no mirror she was able to see.
“Chicken stew sounds good,” Belle said, pulled the covers away and swung her feet over the side of the bed. The room swam, and she grabbed the headboard to steady herself.
“Lie down, Belle,” Reed said and pulled his chair close. “You’re staying right where you’re at, and we’ll bring you the stew.”
“I just need another minute, Reed, I’ll be fine,” she said and closed her eyes.
“You’ve been in bed for a week, and the doctor doesn’t want you up for at least another ten days. You and this child need time and rest to heal,” Reed said. “Now I mean it, Belle. Lie down.”
She leaned back against the headboard, and Reed wheeled out of their bedroom. Nathan knocked on her door.
“May I come in, Miss Belle?”
“Oh yes, Nathan, I want to see you with my own eyes,” she said.
Nathan came to the bed, and she pulled him close in a hug and kissed his head. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, ma’am. So happy to see you awake,” Nathan said. “I’ve got a little table for you to eat from while you’re in bed. Mrs. Ames brought it from the hotel.”
Belle and Nathan situated the bed table over her legs and Nathan ran to the kitchen. He hurried back with a napkin and fork and spoon.
“Would you like some milk or cider, Miss Belle? Mrs. Ames brought us fresh milk when she was here this morning.”
Belle smiled. “A glass of milk sounds wonderful.”
Reed rolled into the bedroom holding a shallow bowl on his knees. “Pick up this plate, Nathan. That’s right. Careful now,” he said as Nathan centered the dish between her silverware.
“I’ll get your milk,” Nathan said.
Reed watched as Nathan left. “That boy is so happy to see you awake.” Reed turned back to Belle and helped her spread her napkin across her chest. “He sleeps in here every night on the floor at the foot of your bed. I’ve tried to get him to sleep in his own bed, but he told me he’s worried you’ll wake up and be afraid. I do believe he is less afraid in here with you at night as well.”
“Nightmares seem awful real when you’re dreaming them again.” Belle smelled the stew and took a small bite. “Umm,” she said. “This is delicious.”
“Have you finished your arithmetic questions?” Reed asked Nathan. “Go on then. Finish them up so I can check on your answers.”
Nathan closed the door and Belle took a drink. “Where have you been sleeping, Reed? I’m taking up the whole bed.”
“In my chair.”
“You’ve been sleeping in your chair for a whole week?”
“I’m fine, Belle. After what you’ve been through, sleeping in this chair seems a small sacrifice.”
Belle put down her spoon and lay her head back against the pillow. “I was so afraid. I yelled at Nathan to run, but he didn’t. He was screaming and crying, latched on to Jed’s back, swinging his fists. But he wasn’t strong enough. That other man pulled him off Jed and carried him away. I wanted to die.”
“Nathan told me he thought you were dead.”
Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. “Oh, Reed. I’m so tired of being afraid.”
“Try and eat one more bite, and then it’s time for you to get some sleep.”
Belle obliged and finished her milk, too, but the effort to sit up and eat had cost her. Suddenly she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She lay down, and Reed pulled the covers up around her shoulders. Belle was feeling safe and full and sleepy. She opened her eyes before she drifted off. “I love you,” she said.
“And I love you desperately. You must get well and save your strength for our child. I cannot live without you, Belle Jackson.”
Belle’s lip trembled, and Reed swiped a hand down his face. “Now go on. Close your eyes. You need the rest, and I’ve got to look at Nathan’s work. Patches will stand guard by your bed.”
* * *
Belle sat on the edge of the bed and stretched her back. She was finally starting to feel herself almost two weeks after Jed took Nathan. Dr. Lowell checked on her the day before and said she was ready to walk around if she felt up to it.
The nightmares had not faded, though. Her brother Frank had stopped by just a few days before, and when she heard his voice, she had thought for a moment it was Jed. She had screamed for Reed, and by the time he wheeled into the room, she’d stumbled from her bed and fell hard against the dresser drawers. Reed had hefted himself out of his chair and sat down on the floor. He held her while she cried and rubbed her back.
But Belle knew she must begin moving around if she was ever going to be better. She stood up slowly and was glad she didn’t feel dizzy like some mornings when Mary Ellen helped her change her nightgown. Her jaw was still sore and her head ached by the end of the day, but it was less each day. She walked to her dresser and touched her eye where it was yellow and tender. Belle pulled one of Reed’s shirts over her bed clothes and walked into the kitchen.
Mary Ellen jumped up from her seat. “Belle! Are you feeling well enough to walk around? Are you dizzy?”
Reed wheeled to the doorway of his office and Nathan stood up from the floor there. “What do you need, Belle? I’d have brought it.”
“I know you would have. You all have taken such good care of me, but I just have to get up and start moving around,” Belle said and smiled. “I’m feeling better.”
“That’s wonderful, Belle!” Mary Ellen said. “We’ve all been so worried.”
Nathan slipped his hand through hers. “I’ve been learning about the presidents, Miss Belle. Our first one was George Washington.”
Reed wheeled into the kitchen. “He’s been working very hard. Do you want something to eat, Belle?” he asked.
“No. I just thought I’d sit out here in a chair for a while. Maybe peel some potatoes or do something useful that I can do seated.”
“A few more days till you have to start worrying about meals,” Mary Ellen said. “Cook’s packing a dinner for here. I’m just getting ready to go back to the hotel. Nathan, do you want to come with me? Cook is making pumpkin tarts. Then you can carry your dinner back with you when you come home.”
“Oh yes, Mrs. Ames,” Nathan said and turned to Reed. “Is it alright if I go?”
“That’s fine, Nathan,” Reed said. “Stop at the Mercantile on the way home. We’re nearly out of coffee.”
“No,” Belle shouted and struggled for breath. “You can’t go alone. Wait until Mr. Jackson can go with you.”
“He’ll be fine,” Reed said and hurried over to her.
Mary Ellen pulled out a chair and helped her sit down. “What if Jed …” Belle felt panicked and dizzy and sick to her stomach. “I’ve got to lie down. Mary Ellen, would you help me
?”
Belle lay back on her pillows and closed her eyes. She rolled on her side and sobbed. The terror she felt that day had ever so slowly been moving to the back of her consciousness. But the thought of Nathan alone and unprotected petrified her, and she jumped and cowered when a hand touched her arm.
“Belle,” Reed said. “It’s me. Roll over and look at me.”
“I can’t take it,” she said once she was on her back staring at the ceiling. “I can’t go through it again, Reed. We’ve got to keep Nathan safe. And the new baby. Oh my dear God! How will I keep this child safe?”
Reed rubbed her hand and shushed her. “Settle now, Belle. Everything will be fine. You’re going to have to trust me.”
“But what if Jed …?”
“Your father was here last week. No one has seen Jed since the night he took Nathan. The sheriff said there is another man from town missing too.”
“Missing?” Belle said and looked at Reed.
“No one’s seen Jed since the day he stole Nathan. The sheriff and your father have no idea where he is.”
“I’ll bet Jed’s hiding somewhere till things blow over. He’s done it before,” Belle said and took a deep, unsteady breath. “He could be watching Nathan and Mary Ellen right now.”
Reed grabbed hold of the head board and pulled himself upright. He leaned down over her and gently held her face with his hand. “Jed will never bother you or Nathan again, Belle. You have to believe me. You have to trust me. He’s gone from our lives for good. Do you understand?”
Belle covered Reed’s hand with hers. “You’re standing, Reed. Dear Lord, you’re standing.” She searched Reed’s eyes looming above her. “You’ve taken care of it, haven’t you? You brought Nathan home and made sure that Jed could never hurt us again.”
Reed did not say a word; he simply stared back at her.
She reached up and touched his face. “I could have never in a thousand years imagined being married to a man like you. Good and gentle and strong and fierce, even when it isn’t easy.”