Impending Love and War

by Laura Freeman

  She swung around on the stool and kicked off her shoes. Lifting her skirt, she slid down the garters, followed by her stockings. She took the scissors from her sewing basket and snipped the threads holding the bodice to the matching skirt and removed them. The corset cover came off next, but the corset took more effort. Inhaling, she pinched the hooks together to release them. Her chest rose with a deep exhale. It felt good to be free of the stiff support garment fashion dictated she wear when entertaining guests or in public. Cory discarded her chemise and drawers.

  Even naked, the heat was unbearable. She soaked a large sponge in the round porcelain wash basin and gave herself a bath. The cool water caressed her flesh, and she indulged herself longer than usual. She chose her lightest nightgown of sheer cotton with a band of lace across her breast and two straps that tied at her shoulders.

  Sitting at the dressing table, she removed the combs from her reddish-brown hair. After brushing it, she braided three large strands a few times to keep the hair away from her face. The remaining length cascaded down her back in a wave of thick curls.

  Taking Tyler’s clothing, she scrubbed the blood stains from his vest and jacket and put them aside to mend. The shirt would have to soak overnight. She piled it into the same porcelain bowl she had washed from and added the remaining water from the pitcher to cover it.

  “The ball!” She had placed Tyler’s trousers on the end of his bed and hadn’t even thought about stealing the lead slug from his pocket. She didn’t dare sneak back into his room for it. Maybe he was only bluffing about using it for evidence against her. But he said he was a lawyer. “Oh no!” She punched her pillow. She’d have to be nicer to Tyler. Not an easy task.

  Unlike Douglas, Tyler had no respect for the social niceties strictly adhered to between men and women. In less than an hour, he had put his arm around her shoulders, blatantly ogled her breasts, and mutely invited her to share his bed. And all she had done was shoot him, strip him nearly naked, and put him in the bedroom next to hers. News of her actions tonight would leave her a spinster for the rest of her life or an invitation to work at the Unfortunate Maiden, a popular whorehouse in downtown Akron.

  ****

  Cory tossed the blanket off and rolled out of bed. The ropes supporting her feather-filled mattress creaked with the movement. She paused and wondered if anyone had heard. The cold bath no longer cooled her body, but it wasn’t the July heat causing her fever. Images of a nearly naked man kept invading her dreams. In the past, the man had been faceless, an image of perfection, an ideal for her to fantasize about without hope of fulfillment. But now he had a face and a name—Tyler Montgomery.

  Her father had been careful not to allow her to see too much of the male anatomy when she helped set a broken arm or stitch a gash, but she’d caught enough glances to know Tyler wasn’t an ordinary specimen. Hard labor had toned muscles and vanquished fat. She wondered how a lawyer could be so finely honed. Something didn’t add up.

  She had kept an ear cocked for any noise, half expecting Tyler to crash through her locked bedroom door, but the house remained silent. Was she disappointed? Was she so desperate for a moment of excitement in her life, she would welcome a stranger to her bed? Not that she knew what to do once he joined her. The thought of sharing a bed with Douglas gave her an involuntary shudder. How did women tolerate the touch of a man they barely knew? Could a woman accept intimacies with a man if passion was lacking?

  She stood in front of the open window, wishing for a faint breeze. Nothing. She leaned out the window sill on her elbows for a hint of coolness on her face. Her neck felt damp beneath her thick hair, and her gown clung to her moist skin. She wondered how Tyler was sleeping and wondered why she cared.

  As Cory was about to turn away from the window and return to bed, she heard a barn door squeak open. She focused on the large building located off the northeast corner of the house. From her window, she could see the dirt ramp to the upper level of the barn. The wide sliding doors remained unmoved. The noise had come from one of the smaller doors on each side of the lower level where the livestock spent the night. For a brief moment, a light was visible inside the window facing her. Someone was in the barn.

  From a peg on the wall, Cory grabbed a light robe with a deep V-neckline and a sash at the waist. She searched the dressing table for a box of matches. She struck one to light a candle in a tin holder and cupped her hand around the flame in case a rare breeze blew into the room. She opened the door and tiptoed along the hallway. She listened for Adelaide’s snoring. Her hand was on the newel post when she heard a creaking noise.

  Tyler poked his head through his opened doorway. “What’s wrong?” he whispered in a deep hoarse voice. A thick wave of black curls fell across his forehead, framing his pale eyes.

  Cory was surprised to see him. If he wasn’t out in the barn, who was? “Go back to bed.”

  Tyler stepped into the hall, illuminated by the candle in her hand. He had his trousers and boots on. “Where are you going?”

  Cory stared at his bare chest with a strip of her petticoat tied around the widest part. His body tapered from broad shoulders to a narrow waist. Long, lean legs crossed the short distance between them in a few strides.

  “Where are you going at this time of night?” he repeated.

  She hadn’t meant to tell him, but the words escaped of their own volition. “I saw a light in the barn.”

  Tyler pulled on his suspenders, struggling with the left side because of his wound. Cory reached out and straightened the twisted strap. Her fingertips brushed against his bare skin. Her nipples, for reasons unknown, stiffened into hard peaks. She jerked her hand away and tried not to draw attention to her jutting breasts.

  Tyler glanced down at her attire. “Southern women don’t go out in public in their nighties.”

  She raised her candle to his face. “And you know this because…”

  Tyler grinned. “I’ve never seen any out gallivanting in their nighties. Of course, I heard rumors Northern women sleep fully clothed. I’m glad they were wrong.”

  “It’s July.”

  “You keep telling me that.”

  Cory ignored Tyler and headed down the stairs. She had expected him to return to his room and comfortable bed, but he followed her. She wondered how much he truly knew about women. If he was like the young men she had grown up with, he knew next to nothing about the female gender. He was probably full of bluff, and she was going to call him on it. “We only sleep fully clothed in February.”

  “It must get cold sleeping alone.”

  “I normally don’t sleep alone.”

  Tyler stopped on the step behind her. “You don’t?” His voice was high-pitched.

  “I have five sisters. We share three beds. Two per bed. It’s simple math.”

  “That’s all Northerners learn in their public school system.”

  Cory stopped mid-step and turned her head. “What is wrong with a public education?”

  Tyler stopped with her. “Where do I begin? I have yet to meet someone who attended public school who can spell, let alone add and subtract accurately. The only thing worse than the students are the educators. Anyone with the basic knowledge of the alphabet and crude math skills qualifies for the job of instructor and can receive a teaching certificate.”

  “I am a school teacher.” Cory waited for an apology.

  “I thought so. You corrected my grammar earlier, and you’re bossy.”

  He was intentionally trying to insult and anger her. She measured her response. “There’s a normal school for training teachers in Cleveland, but it was too far to travel. Besides, they don’t require two years of extra schooling to teach in Darrow Falls. It’ll probably change soon.”

  “You don’t agree with the higher standards?”

  “Sometimes talent is as important as a diploma. Do you think you’re a better lawyer than Mr. Lincoln because you went to Harvard?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

  �
��You certainly have a high opinion of yourself.”

  “I didn’t go to Harvard to be a worse lawyer.”

  She challenged him. “Don’t you have to be a man of high moral character to be a lawyer?”

  “I’m only twenty-five. I haven’t had time to do anything immoral, yet.” He added the last word with a glint in his eye.

  “I hope you don’t have anything immoral in mind when it comes to me.” She had reached the foyer and turned, the flame in her hand passing close to Tyler’s face.

  He grabbed her hand holding the candle. “Careful, you’ve already maimed me once.”

  Cory trembled. What was wrong with her? She was too sensible to be swept off her feet by a mere touch, but her body betrayed her, longing for fulfillment of an unknown need.

  Tyler released her hand and ran his fingers through his thick hair. “I shouldn’t be here.”

  “Why not?”

  “My presence in the house may have put you in danger. I have enemies.”

  “The only enemies I’m worried about are the gossipers in town. Are you planning to tell others you spent the night?”

  “No.”

  He’d said it without hesitation, but she still worried. “I hope you’re an honorable man and keep your word.”

  Chapter Five

  Cory headed to the back door off the kitchen. She grabbed a pair of well-worn leather boots she wore for mucking the stalls in the barn. Tyler watched as she lifted the hem of her nightgown to step into the high boots. He was looking at her bare legs, but she hoped the dim light kept him from seeing clearly. A cloak for chilly mornings hung on a peg, but the light broadcloth was too warm for tonight. The thin robe was a better choice and certainly modest in the dark. She stared at Tyler’s bare chest.

  “Do you need the cloak?”

  Tyler looked up. “No, I’m warm enough.”

  “You could have a fever.” She didn’t dare touch him to check. “You should stay here. Don’t forget your injury.”

  “The exercise will do me good.”

  “You don’t have a shirt on.”

  “It doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

  She shrugged. “Why should it bother me?” The sight of Tyler’s nakedness had stirred an erotic response she’d never experienced. But how did a scholar acquire sculptured muscles that rippled with power at every movement? She wouldn’t obtain the answer through silent pondering. “How did a Harvard lawyer become so strong? Carrying books around?” She hoped her witty remark camouflaged her embarrassment. How could she ask such a personal question? She turned away and lit a lantern on a peg by the door with her candle.

  Tyler grabbed the lamp and whispered in her ear. “They were very big books.”

  Cory opened her mouth to argue but had a feeling she wouldn’t uncover the truth. She looked around. “Do you think I should take Hiram’s gun?” It was in the parlor but needed to be reloaded.

  “Haven’t you shot enough men tonight?”

  “What if there’s an intruder? He could be dangerous.”

  “I think I can handle him.”

  “Are you going to quote him the law?” She followed him into the dark yard.

  ****

  Tyler chuckled. He liked her. It had been a long time since he’d met a woman he genuinely enjoyed being with for any length of time. Too many young ladies had a singular objective toward matrimony with ambitions of marrying a rich man. He had not yet acquired enough wealth to tempt anyone. The less greedy women he had met lacked any personality or depth of character to occupy his interest. Yet, Cory was not only a teacher and nurse; she had a sense of adventure. Had she seen a light in the barn? It didn’t matter. He was more than willing to play along if it gave him an opportunity to take advantage of the dark.

  When they reached the barn, Tyler opened the door. Rusty hinges sang in the quiet night air. Tyler waved the light to dispel some of the darkness inside. The pungent smell of earth, manure, and animals assaulted his nostrils as the more subtle scents of leather, hay, and wood tempered the stronger odors. The lower level of the barn was separated in three long sections with the stalls for the horses behind a half wall in front of them. Harnesses hung from a rack on the center section of the near wall. A wooden wheelbarrow and pitchfork rested beneath. A few remnants of hay and manure lingered on the tines of the pitchfork.

  The cows mooed in their pen beyond a steep staircase next to the horse stalls. On the opposite side of the barn were two large empty pens and a cold storage bin for milk built with cut stone. The middle section was empty except for a tack box for the horses and a hay bin underneath a chute from the upper level.

  A brown mare with a white blaze across her nose poked her head over the first stall. “Have you seen anyone, Nell?” Cory asked.

  Two draft horses were in the neighboring stalls. Tyler paused at the bottom of the staircase. “What’s upstairs?”

  “Hay, oats, and straw along with the buggy and wagon. And Hiram’s workbench and tools.”

  He lit another lantern hanging on a wooden peg on one of the thick support beams and handed it to Cory. Tyler walked up the steps to the storage level of the barn. Cory followed. Tyler glanced around for any sign of an intruder. Hiram’s workbench was located at the top of the stairs along the back wall of the barn. His tools hung on the side wall near the grain storage room. The sharp metal edges of the sickle, saw, rake, hoe, and shovels reflected in his light. A pile of fresh hay was stored on the near side of the barn with straw on the other side. In the middle was a wagon and single-seat buggy.

  Tyler searched the long wooden wagon used for hauling. He waved the lantern over the buggy. “Nothing here.”

  ****

  Cory couldn’t see past the small circle of light into the darkness. If someone was hiding in the barn, she no longer wanted to know. Tyler was methodical in his search and taking too long. The upper level of the barn was stifling, and Cory could feel a ball of sweat roll down her back. Her nightgown clung.

  “I must have been mistaken.” Cory hastened to the stairs but took each step cautiously, feeling her way to the dirt floor. She waved her lantern around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She stood in the center of the barn and listened to Tyler’s footsteps above her. Should she wait for him or go to the house? A barn cat jumped on the wall of the nearby empty pen and startled her. She screamed. He had a mangled mouse in his mouth and dropped it down on a storage box in front of her like a sacrificial offering.

  Cory gagged and swung around from the gruesome sight. Her lantern caught a movement in Nell’s stall. She froze as she stared harder into the darkness, trying to decipher the shadows in the dim light. It was too big to be another cat. She stepped toward the stall, and the light from the lantern illuminated the man briefly before he ducked down into the stall. He was a black man. It could be the man from Tyler’s flier, or it could be any runaway slave. What should she do?

  If the slave belonged to Tyler, she had an obligation under the law to turn him over to his master. If she didn’t, and Tyler found the man hiding in the barn, he could accuse her of aiding him. Even if a judge didn’t send her to jail, she’d have to pay a fine. All her money would be gone, her family would be embarrassed, and the scandal would ruin her plans for marriage.

  She needed time to talk to Adelaide. Did she know about the slave? Maybe it was the reason she had insisted Tyler not sleep in the barn. Why hadn’t she confided in her about the runaway? Cory heard Tyler’s footsteps on the stairs. She needed to get him out of the barn before he discovered the man’s hiding place.

  “I heard you scream.”

  “A cat!” She waved at the feline batting the dead mouse back and forth between its sheathed claws. “He startled me.”

  “I didn’t find anything.” Tyler hung his lantern back on its peg and blew it out. “So what do you propose we do next?”

  Cory recognized the husky change in his voice and dismissed it. “I propose we go back inside, Mr. Montgomery.”
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br />   Both turned at the sound of a thud against Nell’s wooden wall. “It’s Nell kicking the wall,” Cory excused.

  “I better check.” Tyler grabbed the burning lantern from her hand.

  Cory followed behind him. She needed to prevent him from discovering the slave’s hiding place. She couldn’t overpower him. What could she do?

  Tyler’s body blocked the lantern’s light, and Cory bumped into him when he stopped at the stall wall. Her instinct was to back away, but instead, she reached out with her hands to locate him. She ran her fingertips upward to his shoulders as she pressed herself against him. Cory rested her cheek against the bare skin of his wide back. “Your skin is so cool.”

  He froze.

  Now what? She remembered something her mother did when her father had an exhausting day. She caressed his shoulders with her hands, shocked by the hardness beneath smooth flesh. Her fingertips danced downward along the damp skin of his back and circled beneath the strip of white bandage to hold him in a gentle grip. “I’m so hot.” Her lips brushed against his back. “Let’s get out of here.”

  The lantern shook in Tyler’s hand. He placed it on the stall wall, turned, and captured her in his arms. “Let’s see what I can do about the heat.” His deep, throaty tone sent a shiver through her body.

  Cory had started something she had no way of stopping. She recalled her parents always retired to bed after one of her mother’s massages. Why hadn’t she remembered that earlier? She panicked as Tyler drew her close against his body.

  She gasped as his mouth found hers, plundering her lips with a savage hunger. This was no chaste peck or quick pluck she had experienced from other men. Even those who had kissed her more fervently had failed to ignite this unfamiliar heat building within her. Her body reacted against her common sense.