Jared put up the horse in the barn and went inside the dark, cold cabin. He managed to light the lantern and find a small hunk of corn pone left from several days ago. After the sumptuous dinner at the hotel, the dry bread tasted flat. He nearly choked on it, what with everything spinning about in his mind. There had to be something more God wanted to do in all this. But what?
He grabbed his Bible and began to read. Comforting words from Psalms flowed into his wandering heart like a soothing brook. He looked at the lone dried flower from his aunt’s burial tucked inside the pages of Song of Solomon. He opened his Bible to that book and began to read. The words played like a love song. He could only think of Susanna’s strong voice this night.
You know nothing of what I believe, Jared. You only presume to know, as you have done all along. I know I need to see with my heart instead of my eyes. I am trying to listen, to allow my heart to see. I wish you would, too, and not let your guilt blind you to everything.
Yes, he wanted her to see with her heart. But was he doing the same? Wasn’t his heart filled with other things right now? Things that got in the way, like the unresolved guilt and pain he needed to overcome? Lord, please take this all away, somehow, he prayed. Help me to see Your purpose and Your wisdom.
Just then he heard the sound of horses and saw the flicker of lanterns through the darkened window. He stood and came to the doorway to see the ragged face of his uncle, along with Higgins and the man named Abe. Uncle Dwight didn’t look well at all. He heaved with every breath, nearly collapsing were it not for Higgins assisting him.
“I told you this was a bad idea, Dwight,” Higgins said, supporting the stricken man. “We could have seen your nephew tomorrow. It’s late as it is, and you ain’t well at all.”
“No. I gotta know what happened with that doctor. I had to come.”
Jared gulped. He didn’t need or want a confrontation right now. He wanted time to think and reason, to come up with a way to present the information so as not to further burden his uncle. Now the men burst into his cabin and sat around the table. Higgins ate the last of the stale corn pone, which he seemed to enjoy. “Got any good liquor here to wash it down with?” he joked.
“I don’t drink, Mr. Higgins.”
He chuckled. “I figured as much. Should’ve brought my own. Anyway, your uncle wants to know what happened at the hotel. And I gotta admit, I’m curious, too. Imagine getting to eat fine victuals in a fancy place like that. Whoo-wee. How did you ever get such an invitation?”
“The daughter of one of the hotel managers gave it to me,” Jared said, rolling a tree stump into the cabin, the only chair left to him. He took a seat near the table.
“You know her pretty good, huh? You taking a fancy to her by chance?”
Jared panicked for a moment, eyeing his uncle for a reaction. When none came, he nodded. “I like her well enough. But that’s all.”
“So what happened?” Dwight pressed before breaking into a hacking cough.
Jared watched him take out a handkerchief, which the man quickly concealed after wiping his mouth. “We, uh. . .we ate dinner.”
“What did you get to eat?” Higgins asked, his eyes wide in anticipation.
“For crying out loud, Higgins,” Dwight muttered before coughing once more. “Does that matter?”
Jared looked between the two men who scowled at one another. “I don’t rightly recall what we ate, Mr. Higgins. I only remember what we talked about.”
Dwight leaned forward. “So what was said? Speak up now! Did that doctor agree to close the cave?”
Jared swallowed hard, wondering how to broach the news. He prayed for wisdom. “He. . .uh, he seems to understand what happened, Uncle. He’s like any other doctor, wanting to help and hoping he had found the right cure. It just didn’t work out that way.”
“I knew it! That no good, confounded varmint. You see, George? He’s no good. That highfalutin doctor killed everyone in that place.”
“He did offer money, Uncle,” Jared piped up then. “He called it compensation.”
For a moment the men gazed at him in bewilderment. “Money?” Abe wondered.
“He said it was a small token for all the grief we’ve been through.”
Dwight began to cough again. “Money!” He pounded his fist on the table. “So he thinks money’s gonna cover his hide. That does it. I ain’t gonna listen to him no more. He wants only to buy himself out of this mess. It ain’t gonna happen while I live and breathe.”
“At least he did offer something,” Higgins said. “Can’t say he didn’t. That means he cares.”
“I don’t care. Money means nothing. Nothing at all. And it sure don’t bring back the dead.” Dwight stirred in his chair, his face pinched. Jared stared, wondering if this truly was agonizing for him or if the agony stemmed from something else. “You still got that powder you were talking about, Abe?”
“Yep. Good stuff, too.”
“Then I say we do it. No more talking. It’s time we git going and do what we should have done in the first place.”
Jared stared in disbelief. “You mean you’re going to blow up the cave?”
“You’re right that’s what I mean. Blow it to kingdom come.”
Jared looked back and forth at the men and watched Higgins, who stood to his feet and began searching a cupboard for food. “You can’t mean that, Uncle.”
“I mean every word. Soon as Abe can git the stuff here.”
“But Uncle, there are people still in the cave. Sick people. You can’t blow it up.”
Again his uncle stirred. “They’re as good as dead in there anyway,” he muttered.
“We’ll get them out somehow,” Higgins went on, finding a few store-bought crackers to eat. “Even if I have to go in that place myself. Maybe git myself on one of those highfalutin tours. I’ll warn ’em to get out of there.”
Jared was beside himself. “You mean you agree with this plan?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, that the man he had begun to trust would agree to such an act.
“Nothing else is gonna change that doctor’s mind unless we show some force. The time has come. We’ve done all we could.”
“But how can we answer destruction for destruction? You can’t. It isn’t right.”
Dwight stood shakily to his feet. “It ain’t up to you no more. We’re doing this because of you anyway, because you had some fool notion to think that doctor could help Mattie.” He reached for his hat, planting it firmly on his head. “C’mon. I ain’t staying one more minute in a cabin of a coward with no backbone to do what’s right.”
Higgins and Abe followed him out to the awaiting horses, muttering as they went. Jared ran to the doorway, watching them saddle up, realizing the unthinkable might very well happen. No, he didn’t like what the cave had done. He had his own suspicions of that doctor. But he couldn’t risk harming anyone just because of his feelings. Isn’t that why he wanted the cave closed to begin with? To protect and not destroy? And what of Susanna? What if his uncle’s anger flamed even further, and he brought his gun to the hotel? He shuddered at the thought of the bullet that just missed him. He couldn’t let this happen, not to Susanna, not while he had the means to do something about it.
As soon as they were out of sight, Jared ran to the corral to saddle his other horse. There was still time, he realized, but it grew short. He must ride fast and furious, even if it took all night.
❧
Susanna tossed and turned. Sleep refused to come, no matter how hard she tried to shift her thoughts to pleasant things—a babbling brook, the feel of the wind, strolling in the woods to look at the emerging flowers. All she saw was Jared’s face, the pained expression, the pleading in his voice for her to help him. The moon shone bright that evening, casting shadowy images on the wall. She rose out of bed and began to pace. No, she did not like how things had gone this evening. What should she have expected, after all? Her father and the doctor would not heed the wishes of someone like Jared
, a man below their means, a man who illustrated what they once were long ago, a man they saw as harboring some manner of evil intent. But there was a stark difference between them. For Susanna’s family, their salvation had been Dr. Croghan and his offer of work at the hotel to ease their burden. Jared’s salvation was peace and protection, life and not death. While she had spoken of a heart willing to seek him out, it was his heart that seemed the stronger one. He could see past the money, even the money offered by Dr. Croghan, to a better purpose. He could have money, but he wanted something greater. It both puzzled and intrigued her.
Susanna glanced out the window to the ground below. Rays of moonlight cast a veil-like radiance upon the quiet grounds of the hotel. She wondered about the remaining invalids in the doctor’s sick cave and what might be happening to them there, even at this moment. Here in the hotel, it was easy to forget they existed. But with Jared an ever-present image in her thoughts, she couldn’t forget what was going on. Maybe they should close down that part of the cave. Perhaps by closing down the cottages, it would help solve the problem and satisfy both Jared and his uncle.
She continued to stare out the window, pondering it all, listening to the beat of her own heart, when suddenly she saw the dark outline of a horse and rider approaching the hotel. She straightened. She recalled at once the dream she’d had, of a man on a black horse ready to whisk her away. Surely it couldn’t be her dream come to life—and when she least expected it. She hurried to put on a petticoat and a dress. For all she knew it could be the men returning, wishing them harm. She should alert Luke and Papa.
Instead, Susanna lit a lamp and slowly came down the stairs, careful not to waken anyone. There were supposedly guards, hired by the doctor to patrol the grounds, but for some reason they were absent this night. Likely they were at the kitchen house refreshing themselves with victuals left over from the evening fare. She came to the side door and opened it. The single rider remained on his horse, searching every window of the hotel as if looking for something or someone. She drew in a sharp breath, wishing she knew who it was.
Then she heard it. A familiar voice calling her name. “Susanna!”
She shook at the sound of her name uttered from the night. She held the lamp up higher. “Who are you?”
The rider dismounted. He came up swiftly. “Please, I have to talk with you. It’s important.”
Jared! What could he want at this time of night? She glanced about, half expecting him to have brought the enemy with him.
“There isn’t much time.”
“I think all has been said that can be said, Jared. I don’t know why you came back. You told me you never wanted to see me again.”
“Susanna, please. There isn’t time. I came here to warn you.”
“I know. I’ve heard your warnings. Obviously, neither of us is willing to change.”
“You don’t understand.” He grabbed her hand, forcing her to the path they had once taken on a night as unpredictable as this.
“Stop it!” she protested. “What are you doing?”
He whirled her around. “Susanna, they’re coming to blow up the cave!”
She halted and fell onto the bench. “What?”
“My uncle wants to blow up the cave. He was very angry when he heard about the meeting tonight. He went into a rage. He had his friends there, too, including another man who lost someone in the cave. They’re making plans to blow it up.”
She trembled. “B–but they can’t! There are people inside.”
“They talked about warning those still in the cave. But I don’t trust my uncle. He even said the people in there are as good as dead. If he gets his hands on Abe’s powder, he might just come and do it himself. Not that I think he could right now, as he’s pretty sick. But I don’t know for certain. I wouldn’t put anything past my uncle any longer.”
She began to shiver. “This is dreadful. I don’t understand what makes men do such things. . .and when poor souls can be hurt.”
“Because he’s hurt, too. Hurting inside, that is. He isn’t a Christian like you and me. He has no one to turn to, no one who can give him comfort. He’s trying to find comfort in his anger. And now it’s turning into a need for revenge.”
“I never thought it would come to this. I know I saw your uncle with his gun, but I didn’t think the man would really turn violent.” She stared at him, his dark silhouette against the dove white of the moon. “So you don’t want to close this place down, too?”
“Susanna, right now, what I want isn’t important. It’s doing the right thing that is. And I won’t have people hurt. I’d rather the cave stay open forever than see anything like this happen—or you or anyone else get hurt.”
Jared’s voice was gentle, sincere, unwavering and determined, willing to follow the Lord in all he did despite how he felt. He was the rider of her dream, the one sweeping her off her feet and not by some charm but by so much more. She reached out and cupped his face, feeling the prickle of beard stubble in her hand. Tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes. “Thank you, Jared. Thank you so much for coming here and telling me this. It means so much. . .I can’t even begin to say.” She drew forward. All at once, his arms swept her into an embrace. Suddenly their lips met. His kiss proved the grandest, the most wondrous sensation she had ever experienced.
He lurched backward as if stunned by what happened. “Susanna, I. . .” He stood quickly. “I–I’d better go before I’m seen.”
She watched him hasten for his horse before she went to her father. She had to make sure he’d made his escape before this place swarmed with men and guns that were sure to follow on the heels of his warning. He mounted the animal and dug in his heels, galloping away into the darkness. For a moment, she basked in his presence, the tingle of his lips, the love welling in her heart, even on an anxious night like this. Then she hurried back into the hotel.
❧
“Lord, what am I going to do?” He had stopped in the woods, too exhausted to go any farther. He had taken down his bedroll and wrapped himself in it, hoping to catch a bit of sleep. But all he could do was sit up against a thick tree and think about the kiss. Surely it was a kiss wrought out of gratitude and gratefulness, but he knew it was much more. If it were not for the seriousness of the circumstances at this moment, he would return in the morning and take her away from that place. Maybe he still would. They could join the wagons heading to the West, away from the cave, the greed, the places filled with memories. If only it could happen. If only she would agree. He wrapped the blanket tighter around him and stared into the night that would soon give way to a new dawn. Maybe when all this was over and peace was found at last, he might likewise embrace a new dawn in his life, a light he would welcome beyond measure.
Eleven
Jared awoke to the sound of a fist pounding on his cabin door. He had slept away the morning after the all-night ride to and from the hotel to warn Susanna of the impending danger. He’d tried to settle in his bedroll in the woods but couldn’t sleep. After the horse had sufficient rest, he decided to pack up and head back to his cabin. He arrived just as dawn began to break.
Now with the banging on the door and the morning sun piercing through the window light, he felt a throbbing pain in his temples. Slowly he came to his feet. Dizzy, his head in a fog, he stumbled to the door.
“You no-good coward,” a young man hissed. “How could you do that and to your own uncle, too? How could you?”
Jared stared at the man about his own age. A fist swung in his direction. He ducked and hastily retreated.
“The law came and took my pa and your uncle away!” he cried. “They said someone named Edwards went last night to the hotel and warned them about the plan to blow up the cave.”
Jared tried to register all of this in his fog-riddled mind. The ride to the hotel and the encounter with Susanna seemed in another place and time. Then the recollection came crashing back to him as the angry face stared into his and the balled fist readied to sink anoth
er blow. “I—I had to warn them. Who are you?”
“Riley Higgins. My pa is George Higgins, and he wouldn’t hurt no one. You know, he liked you a heap. He talked about you. Said you had a good head on your shoulders and that I ought to listen. Well, I’m about ready to knock your head clean off for what you did!” The man stepped inside, throwing a chair out of his path.
Jared fell back to the opposite wall of the cabin. “I had to warn them. Your pa was in on the whole thing. He stood right here and agreed to it. I heard him myself. I had no choice.”
“You’re a coward,” Riley hissed. “And now my pa and your uncle are on their way to Louisville because of that doctor. They’ll go to jail for conspiracy. That’s what I hear.” Riley hurled himself into a chair. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe my pa’s goin’ to jail. What are we gonna do?”
For a moment, Jared had no words. He hadn’t really given any thought to the consequences of his actions last night. His only thought was to protect the innocents like Susanna and the people still living in the cave. He didn’t want to see any more suffering and death. He rubbed the aching in his head before going to a pail for some cool water.
“You have to go see that doctor and tell him this was all a mistake. You have to tell him there weren’t no conspiracy, that my pa wouldn’t hurt nobody.”
Jared drank deeply from the dipper before letting it fall to the bottom of the pail with a faint splash. “I can’t, Riley. It would be a lie. They were planning to do it. They wouldn’t try to find a peaceful way out. They were going to take matters into their own hands and not let God help.”
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