Jody Hedlund

by A Noble Groom

  Had the barn caught fire again?

  Her gaze darted to the new barn and then the cabin. Neither of the buildings were ablaze. In fact, the wind had died down. And except for the heaviness of the smoke, everything was calm. Too calm.

  Except Snowdrop.

  At the sight of her and Gretchen trudging across the open field, the dog broke into a new frenzy of barking. He strained against his frayed rope, pawing the ground, and jumping in the air.

  Annalisa was almost to the cabin when a dusting of ashes floated down on her. She stopped and peered into the gray sky, curious at the strange precipitation. It wasn’t until she glanced over her shoulder to the west that her heartbeat stopped altogether.

  Black billowing clouds were rolling across the sky, heading toward her farm.

  For a long moment she couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

  More ashes sifted down on her shoulders and arms and onto the ground. They covered the dusty brown with a thin layer of white.

  The dark clouds weren’t the black smoke clouds that rose from fire, were they?

  She wanted to shout a denial, but the evidence around her screamed the truth. The fires everyone had been talking about over the past week had spread. And they were now headed her way.

  “Ach, Gott help us,” she whispered. What should she do? Where should she go?

  She glanced in the direction of Vater’s home. Dirk and Vater had started harvesting Vater’s corn. Should she grab the children and head there? He’d know what to do to keep them safe, perhaps in his big underground root cellar. Or should she try to make it to the river with the animals?

  The darkness was spilling in. The black smoke high above her began to cover the sun and cast a deathly pall over the farm.

  A gust of wind blew smoke and heat into her face, stinging her eyes. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand to keep from breathing in the fumes.

  She didn’t know how much time she had left before the fire spread to her land. And she couldn’t take the chance of making the trek to the river. She’d have to go to Vater’s. And they’d need to run.

  “Let Snowdrop loose,” she yelled to Gretchen, starting toward the barn. She would free the animals from their stalls, but then they would have to find a way to survive on their own. Hopefully, like all the wild creatures they’d seen, their instincts would drive them to the river.

  In the sling, Sophie began to fuss. “Your meal will have to wait, liebchen,” she murmured as she ran toward the barn.

  The door was already open, and as she stepped into the calm she drew in a deep breath of the familiar scent of hay and horses. But then she stopped short.

  A strange horse stood in the center of the mow.

  Slowly she approached the horse and ran her hand over its hindquarters and flank to the saddle. “Where’d you come from?” she whispered, searching the shiny leather for any identification.

  Old Red gave a high whinny and kicked the wall as if to remind her why she’d come into the barn in the first place.

  As she took a step toward Old Red’s stall, a hand slid over her mouth and the cold end of a pistol pressed into the back of her head.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Mrs. Werner,” said a voice in stilted German.

  Annalisa froze.

  The gun barrel dug through her scarf and hair into her scalp. “And I’m getting tired of waiting.” The hand over her mouth was soft and plump and damp with sweat.

  The tailored sleeve, the bulky flesh, the poor German—all of it belonged to none other than E. B. Ward.

  Annalisa quickly scanned the barn for something, anything she could use to defend herself.

  “I’m done playing games with you, Mrs. Werner.” He pulled her backward so that she was left with little choice but to stumble against his bulging body.

  She wanted to scream, but even if he removed his hand from her mouth, who would hear her except perhaps Gretchen, who was outside with the dog? And the last thing she wanted was for Gretchen to come running into the barn and witness whatever Ward intended to do to her.

  “You need to sign over the deed to this land to me today.” His breath was stale and hot against her neck. “I’m not giving you a choice this time.”

  When had he ever given her a choice?

  “And no, Carl won’t be coming to rescue you this time. I received news he was leaving town on the Clayton Belle this afternoon.”

  Disappointment pushed against her chest. So Carl really was going away. He wouldn’t be showing up in the doorway and asking for a slice of the apple pie she’d baked that morning.

  She’d told herself she wasn’t baking it for him. But deep inside, she had to admit, she’d held on to a thin hope that maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t be able to leave her, that he cared enough about her to want to stay regardless of all that had happened.

  And yet what reason had she given him to come back? Hadn’t she made it clear she didn’t want him to be a part of her life anymore?

  Ward said something else to her in English that she didn’t understand, then jerked her arm behind her back as he’d done the last time.

  Pain ripped through her shoulder. She cried out, but his hand muffled the sound.

  Was he going to kill her? Just as he’d done to Hans?

  He could get away with murder and no one would know.

  Sophie started to fuss again, louder this time.

  “Keep the baby quiet.” He yanked her arm, and another burst of pain shot through her shoulder. “Or I’ll have to quiet her for you.”

  The fear inside seeped into her limbs, causing her to tremble. She put her finger to Sophie’s mouth, praying the baby would suckle it.

  “Now I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth. But if you scream, I’ll find a way to silence you too.” He loosened his grip. “Do you understand?”

  She nodded, trying to keep her knees from buckling underneath her.

  He let go of her mouth and then shoved a wrinkled piece of paper in front of her face. “This is a copy of the deed, and at the bottom it says that you’re selling me your land for fifty dollars.”

  “Fifty dollars? It’s worth far more than that. I have to pay Herr Buel ten dollars an acre.”

  He tightened his hold on the arm behind her back. “Fifty is all I’m willing to pay.”

  Her shoulder and arm burned, making her want to cry out. But she clenched her teeth and sucked in a hissing breath. Was the land really worth all the pain? If she refused Ward’s offer, she dreaded to think what he might do to her. And even if she stood her ground and survived his retribution, she would only continue to put herself and her children in danger. He’d be back again and again, until he finally got his way.

  “You’re lucky I’m offering you anything at all for this worthless piece of land.”

  She didn’t respond. They both knew he wouldn’t be forcing her to sign over the deed if the land were worthless. In fact, she figured he stood to make a hefty profit by building his sawmill in such a strategic location, or he would have given up getting her land long ago.

  Outside, Snowdrop had started barking again. The black clouds she’d seen earlier had moved quickly, making the shadows in the barn darker. The air had grown hotter as well, and a thick smoke began penetrating the interior of the barn.

  She nodded toward the door. “I think we need to get ourselves to safety before the fire gets here.”

  “We’re not going anywhere until you sign this paper.”

  Sophie gnawed hungrily at Annalisa’s finger, but then gave a frustrated cry.

  Annalisa bounced the fussing baby, shushing her, but all the while her mind was screaming. She had to get the girls to safety.

  Suddenly Snowdrop raced through the open door of the barn. At the sight of Ward, the dog crouched low and growled, revealing his sharp teeth.

  “Mama?” Gretchen called from outside the barn.

  “Don’t come in here!” Annalisa shouted. As
soon as the words were out, she realized the panic in her voice would likely draw the girl, so she tried to make her tone calmer. “You stay there, liebchen. I’ll be right out.”

  “Sign the document, Mrs. Werner.” Ward pushed a pen into her hand. “Then we can both get out of the way of the coming storm.”

  Annalisa’s hand shook. Gott, she silently cried, fighting off the old feelings that He wouldn’t care. I’m going to trust that you’re here watching over me. Frau Pastor said you were big enough to listen to everybody and that you would take care of a widow like me.

  Ward rattled the paper. “There at the bottom. Next to the X.”

  She lowered the pen to the spot, but then squeezed her eyes closed. Could she really sign over all her hopes and dreams for the future?

  A gust of wind whistled through the cracks in the walls, blowing in more smoke.

  What other choice did she have?

  Gott, she inwardly pleaded, bitte. Help me save my girls.

  “You do know how to write your name, don’t you?”

  Strangely a resolved calm settled over Annalisa. She knew what she needed to do. She bent and scrawled her name, then handed the pen back to Ward.

  “Good girl.” He released her arm and shoved her away.

  Her feet tripped over each other, and she found herself falling into the fresh hay at the center of the mow.

  “I’ll give you two days to vacate the property.” He folded the paper and tucked it into the inner pocket of his vest. Through the growing shadows his yellowish eyes and pockmarked skin took on an eerie pallor.

  Then he raised his pistol and aimed it at Sophie, whose wails were growing more insistent.

  “Nein!” screamed Annalisa, hunching over the baby, covering her with her own body as best she could.

  Ward then swung the pistol toward Snowdrop. The dog’s barking had become louder and more insistent.

  Ward’s finger wrapped around the trigger, and he took aim at the defenseless animal.

  Annalisa cringed and waited for the loud bang that would bring an end to Snowdrop’s life. She couldn’t protest, even though her heart already grieved for Gretchen. If Ward must take a life before he rode off, she’d much rather have him kill the dog than Sophie.

  A crack echoed through the barn, followed by a yelp of anguish that sounded more human than animal.

  Snowdrop continued to bark, though with less urgency.

  Annalisa glanced up.

  Ward fell facedown onto the barn floor. His body sprawled at an awkward angle, and he didn’t move.

  Uri stood over him, clutching a hoe in his hand, his young face a mask of tight fury.

  For a long moment, in the growing darkness, Annalisa couldn’t make sense of what had happened.

  “Annalisa!” Carl called from the farmyard. A sob caught in her throat, and she couldn’t get her voice to work to call back to him, to let him know where she was.

  She struggled to her knees.

  An instant later, he burst into the barn. He held a lantern high, the light cutting through the darkness.

  He was breathing hard. Sweat trickled down his soot-streaked face. The dark waves of his hair were wild without the hat he’d obviously lost in his haste.

  She tried to push herself out of the hay, but her relief was so enormous that her legs couldn’t hold her weight.

  He’d come back.

  He glanced around the barn frantically before finding her. “Annalisa!”

  With shaking fingers he hung the lantern on the nearest peg, and in three long strides he was at her side. He dropped to his knee and reached for her. “Oh, thank you, God,” he whispered, drawing her toward him.

  She wrapped her arms around his chest and buried her face into his shirt. She breathed deeply of him—of the smokiness that mingled with an earthiness he’d gained in working the land. The hardness of his chest and the strength of his arms crushed her. She knew with certainty she was exactly where she wanted to be.

  Even Sophie between them stopped her crying and gave a little gurgle as if suddenly content.

  “Are you all right?” He pulled back, putting her at arm’s length.

  “I’m fine.” Now that he was there, now that he’d come back to her, she felt like she could finally breathe again. Really breathe.

  “Did Ward hurt you?” He slid his hands down her arms and then lifted them to her cheeks.

  At the cool touch of his fingers on her flesh, she leaned into his hand. He’d been gone for less than twenty-four hours, yet it felt like twenty-four years. And now she wanted to do nothing but bask in the nearness of his presence.

  But Old Red’s nervous whinny and Mathilda’s bleating reminded her of the seriousness of their situation.

  Carl rose and pulled her to her feet. “We need to get out of here. The fire is out of control and moving this way.”

  Gretchen had followed Carl into the barn. And before Annalisa realized what the little girl was doing, she had tiptoed over to Ward. “Mama, he’s hurt.”

  The flame from the lantern flickered amidst the smokiness. But even through the haze Annalisa could see the bright red that seeped from a gash on the side of Ward’s head. His flesh was split apart, similar to the injury that had killed Hans.

  Blood glistened on the sharp edge of Uri’s hoe, and the boy’s face was set with a hardness that sent a shiver through Annalisa. Had the boy killed Ward?

  Carl turned Gretchen away from the grisly wound and steered her toward Annalisa. He turned back to inspect Ward. “Is he dead?”

  “I hope so. He deserved to die.” Uri stepped out from the shadows. “The same way Hans did.”

  Annalisa glanced from Ward’s wound to the hoe and then back again. She swallowed a lump of horror that rose swiftly and threatened to choke her. She didn’t want to meet Uri’s gaze, but her eyes were drawn to his.

  “Did you kill Hans?” Carl spoke the words she couldn’t.

  “Yes. I killed him.” Uri jutted his chin. But at the kindness in Carl’s eyes, the hardness in the boy’s stance faltered. “But I only meant to teach him not to be so cruel. I didn’t mean to kill him.”

  The confession struck Annalisa with a power that left her breathless. She closed her eyes, wanting to pretend that none of it had happened, that her baby brother was still a sweet, innocent boy.

  But she’d known how much he’d hated Hans, especially near the end.

  Uri lifted his chin. “But now I’m glad he’s dead.”

  Sorrow welled within her, making her want to weep. “Oh, Uri . . .” she said.

  He looked her in the eyes, letting her get a glimpse of the guilt that had haunted him these many months. Then anger quickly replaced any remorse there. “Hans wasn’t worthy of you, Annalisa. Not like Carl.”

  “But you shouldn’t have attacked him,” she said softly.

  “I suppose you think I shouldn’t have hit Ward either?”

  She started to shake her head.

  Uri tossed down his hoe and strode to the back door that was slightly ajar.

  “Wait!” She started after him.

  But he didn’t stop. He slipped outside, his shoulders stiff and his back rigid.

  She chased after him, pushing at the door. “Uri!” she called.

  She pulled back at the sight that met her. The billowing black clouds had descended with a fury. In the distance above the trees, the darkness was broken by a red glow.

  The fire.

  How long did they have before the inferno descended upon them?

  “Uri!” she screamed after the outline of his body disappearing into the woods. “Uri! Come back! It’s too dangerous!”

  He plunged forward into the foliage without a backward glance.

  She wanted to race after him and reassure him that she still loved him, that she always would. But she knew she couldn’t, not without risking Sophie’s life.

  She had to remember he was a smart boy, and he knew the woods better than anyone else. He would find a way to surviv
e the fire. Right now she needed to worry about saving her daughters.

  She went back into the barn.

  “Ward’s still alive!” Carl called from his position next to the man.

  “Danke, Gott,” she whispered, starting toward them.

  Already Ward was rubbing his eyes.

  Maybe they wouldn’t need to tell anyone about Uri’s attempt to murder Ward. And they would pray Ward wouldn’t bring charges against the boy. Uri had attacked from behind, and she doubted Ward had seen him. And even if he had, how could he level accusations against Uri without casting guilt on himself in the process?

  Even as she tried to justify what he’d done, deep inside she knew life would never be the same again. Uri was a murderer. He’d killed Hans. How could either one of them ever forget that?

  Carl glanced out the barn door and then rose to his feet, his face a mask of urgency. “Let’s go.” He scooped Gretchen into his arms, grabbed the lantern, and started toward the door.

  Annalisa scurried after him.

  The day had turned as black as night. In the distance a wall of flames shot high into the air.

  “Hurry!” Carl shouted.

  She wasn’t sure where Carl was taking them until she stood before the well. He held the lantern up, illuminating its murky depths. “I’ll lower you first.”

  She hesitated. Hans had dug the well when he’d first settled the land, and it wasn’t deep—probably no more than three lengths of a tall man. Even so, she wasn’t sure she wanted to climb down there.

  “Now, Annalisa. Please.” His voice was laced with desperation, and his gaze darted to the oncoming fire.

  The flames seemed to be roaring toward them with the strength of a tornado, swirling and twisting and tossing sparks. Burning embers carried by the wind began to fall on the western edge of the cleared land.

  They had no choice. There wasn’t time to go anywhere else.

  With the help of Carl’s steady strength she half climbed, half fell into the cold water at the bottom. Thankfully with the drought, the water only reached her waist. The splashing, however, had soaked Sophie and she began wailing.