Defiant Hearts

by Janelle Taylor

  “What about other towns?”

  “Wickenburg is about fifty miles south and Weaver is about twenty miles southwest, but they’re rough mining towns. Ehernberg and Hardyville are on the Colorado River, over a hundred miles westward. They’re riverports, and there are good roads to them; that’s where most of our supplies come from, and freighting is big business. You already know where Tucson is, too far away for shopping. As for the Indians, I’ll let Jim tell you about them tonight, but none have attacked here, so don’t worry.”

  They continued to talk and work until three o’clock when Emmaline left to do her own chores.

  Afterward, Laura bathed and dressed for her first Arizona social outing, then sat down at the eating table to work on the curtains until it was time to go.

  At four-thirty, Howard arrived, a scowl on his face. He disclosed to his daughter in a vexed tone, “I just talked with Jake and he’s as cantankerous as ever. I was right, he hasn’t changed or forgiven me, and I doubt he ever will. His grudge against me is ridiculous and unfounded. He isn’t happy about my coming here, and he’s even more irate about me being his superior officer.” As she helped him remove his overcoat, he added, “But he said to tell you hello and he’s looking forward to seeing you.”

  Laura hung the coat on a peg near the door as she suggested, “I have over an hour until our dinner engagement, so why don’t I go visit with him, Father? Perhaps I can settle him down. I can finish the curtains tomorrow.”

  “I’m skeptical, but you can give it a try. Since you’re my daughter, don’t be disappointed or hurt if he’s as cold to you as he was to me. He certainly managed to avoid me for as long as possible, but I finally snared him in private. I almost wished I hadn’t, but matters couldn’t be left as they were; it wouldn’t look good to the men to have their commanders quarreling and evading each other like errant children. I won’t tolerate it, and I told him so. Either he straightens out, or I’ll have him transferred.”

  “You mustn’t do that, Father!” she advised in a rush, then calmed herself to prevent curiosity about her near-outburst and to prevent her father from becoming a threat to be removed. “I mean, sir, how can you two resolve your differences if you send him away? Please, give Uncle Jake time to settle down; he’s the only sibling you have. Surely you realize it must be embarrassing for him to have his brother walk in and-take charge. Let me work on him, please.”

  Howard took a deep breath as he eyed the pleading expression on his daughter’s lovely face. “Do what you think is right, Laura dear, but don’t get caught between us.”

  “I won’t, Father, and thank you.” She hugged him and kissed his cheek before she donned her coat and gloves and departed.

  Laura’s gaze darted about the area as she approached the fort’s gates, hoping to sight Jayce during her short walk. Only a distant glimpse of him would bring sunshine to her gloomy heart.

  Outside the palisade, she saw the sutler’s store, where a few men were milling about on the porch, talking and smoking. She saw corrals near Granite Creek where others were working with horses or gear, and animal shelters where the farrier and saddler were occupied. She saw riders on the dirt road to her left, returning from patrols or drills, she assumed. She saw soldiers on guard duty, and soldiers doing various other chores. None were Jayce Storm Durance.

  Laura entered the stockade and glanced around the inner structures, their purposes apparent from their letterings: a hospital, officer’s quarters and offices, men’s barracks, mess rooms, storerooms, arsenal, bakery, guardhouse for prisoners, quartermaster shop, forage house. The American flag whipped about in a constant breeze. How she longed for it to wave over a free and peaceful land.

  Laura walked to the door marked Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Adams. When the blue-clad officer, one rank below her father’s, responded to her knocks, he stood there looking at her for a minute. Laura smiled and said, “Uncle Jake, it’s me, Laura, your niece.” She saw the man’s gaze widen, then make a hurried trip over her from head to feet.

  “Lord A’mighty, you’re a grown woman now! A mighty pretty one, too. Come in, girl, and get out of the cold. You’re alone, aren’t you?”

  Laura watched him glance past her, using a narrowed and chilled gaze and a hostile expression. “Yes, sir. Is it all right to visit for a while?”

  Jake removed her coat and hung it on a peg. “Sit down and talk.”

  Laura noticed he didn’t embrace her or kiss her cheek before he took a seat behind his desk. She sat in the chair before it. “You look well, sir. How have you been?”

  “Doing fine until recently.”

  He almost snarled those words like a vicious dog as he leaned back in his chair and frowned. Since time was short today and any future opportunity might be lost if she didn’t intervene, she came right to the point of her visit. “Isn’t there any way you and Father can resolve your differences and make peace?”

  Jake stroked his bearded jawline and shook his head. “Not as long as Howard keeps sticking his nose in my business and making me miserable. He’s good at it because he’s had plenty of practice over the years.”

  Laura used the softest voice and kindest expression she could summon to deal with the resentful man. “Father only did what he thought was right, Uncle Jake, and I’m sorry his actions caused such hard feelings between you two. A breach like this can be destructive to you both.” As Jake propped his elbows on the desk preparing a response, Laura studied him and noted how many furrows creased his weathered face, deep and harshening lines from scowling often. Gray mingled with the black in his hair, thick brows, short beard, and heavy mustache. His lips were thin, tight, and chapped, his mood, as cold and biting as winter. He was so unlike her father in looks, personality, and character that it was hard to believe they were brothers.

  His brown gaze was as glacial as his tone when he spoke. “It didn’t start with that stupid incident in Fredericksburg; that was just the last time I was going to let him best me. Howard’s been ruining my life since we were boys. He had this clever way of getting anything and everything he wanted, half the time at my expense. He’s to blame for my being kicked out of Dartmouth over a silly prank, so I didn’t get to graduate from college like him. And your mother would have been my wife if she hadn’t met Howard when I brought her home to dinner one Sunday.”

  Laura straightened in her chair. “You and Mother were sweethearts?”

  “We would have been if Howard hadn’t snatched her away from me. If he had kept out of my affairs years ago, I wouldn’t have been cursed by that scandal, ruined financially, and forced to move across the Valley. That move cost me everything I had left in this world: my home and my family.”

  “What do you mean?” she was compelled to ask, though she knew the heart-rending answer to her query from Ben’s revelations. Laura saw her uncle’s jaw clench and his gaze narrow to mere slits as he related how his wife and youngest son were slain accidentally by Union soldiers and his home destroyed, killing one son’s family, at Carrick’s Ford in ’61 and how his two older boys had been lost at Vicksburg in ’63.

  “Junior’s wife took off with a Rebel deserter, so I’ll probably never see her or my grandchildren again, ’cause I couldn’t find a trace of them when I searched for them. If we’d still been living near Fredericksburg, my family would be alive and my sons wouldna been with Grant that day. That’s why I’m in this wilderness; I told them to send me as far away from my losses as possible or I was leaving the Army. I got just cause to hold a grudge against Howard.”

  Laura leaned forward and grasped one of Jake’s hands. “That’s terrible news, Uncle Jake, and I’m sorry to hear it. You must have suffered great anguish. You didn’t tell Father, did you?”

  “No, it’s none of his business.”

  Laura released his hand. “With grandmother and grandfather gone, you and Father are the only ones left. You two need each other. Surely there’s some way to make peace.”

  “I can’t think of a single one,
Laura.”

  “You have a niece and nephews to think about, Uncle Jake; we all want you to be a part of our lives. We love you and we’ve missed you. After the war, you could return home with us and work with Father and Tom.”

  “Until he got the chance to knife me in the back again? No thanks, I’m doing just fine where I am. I may even stay here for keeps.”

  Laura decided to use a deceitful and desperate ploy to trick Jake. She had to test his reaction to leaving the fort. “Please, reconsider this matter. If trouble persists, Father will be compelled to have you transferred to avoid embarrassment and to prevent problems with the men serving under the both of you.”

  “Is that what Howard told you?”

  “Yes, sir, I’m afraid he did. I don’t want you sent to another western fort where the Indian threat is worse and conditions are harsher, and I don’t want you sent back East to the war raging there. It’s so much safer at Fort Whipple, and we’re your only family now. If you aren’t here, you and Father can’t work at getting back together again. Forgive him, Uncle Jake, please. He, like you, is too proud to ask, but I’m not.” She watched him briefly contemplate the situation before taking another deep breath.

  “I don’t know, Laura, we’ve been enemies for a long time.”

  “At least make a truce. Who knows, maybe a pretense of friendship and forgiveness will lead to the real thing. Come to supper one night and talk, really talk, with Father. Please, I’m begging you.”

  Jake took another deep breath. “All I can say is I’ll think about it.”

  “That’s a start. Thank you, Uncle Jake. I don’t want to rush our first visit in years, but I must go now.”

  As Jake helped her with her coat, Laura said, “Remember, you have an invitation to supper on any night convenient with you. Just send word with one of the men.”

  “What if Howard doesn’t want me in his home?”

  Laura faced him. “If you make any gesture of friendship, Father will accept it. He’s told me that many times since you left Fredericksburg. He doesn’t want to send you away, Uncle Jake, unless that’s what you want or what your actions provoke. Do you want to leave Arizona?”

  “No, I like it here, and I need to be here.”

  “Then, negotiate some compromise with Father. Good-bye for now, Uncle Jake, and it’s wonderful to see you again.”

  “Same here, Laura.”

  As she headed home, Laura’s heart ached over what she considered to be a sign of Jake’s guilt: his sudden about face in order to remain at Fort Whipple amidst his dastardly deeds. She had detected nothing to indicate he had any good feelings toward her father or a desire for peace. She agonized over the false hope she would give her father by allowing Jake to trick him. Her defiant heart raged against the many deceptions she was being forced to carry out involving her uncle, her father, and her beloved. Yet, she was trapped in this offensive situation and patriotism was demanding a lot from her.

  She trudged home with heavy burdens weighing her down. A clever talk with her father in a few minutes and, hopefully, one with Jayce tomorrow loomed before her like giant storm clouds, and she prayed both would have silver linings…

  Chapter Eighten

  “Jake said what?” Howard asked in astonishment after his daughter related her conversation with his beligerent brother. “He behaved like a winter storm when I talked with him earlier, but I can see he didn’t tell me everything that’s troubling him. It’s incredible that seeing you would have such a drastic effect on him.”

  Laura felt guilty about the omissions she had made and about deluding her father. “He’s indecisive,” she explained to him, “so please give him time to change, and I pray he does.” In more than one way. “He’s suffered a great deal from the losses of his family and home; it’s only natural for him to be bitter and to look for something or someone to blame, though it shouldn’t be you. It’s obvious from things he said that he envies you and is jealous of you, and has been since childhood. He views you as a success and himself, a failure. He doesn’t want to admit part of his trouble is his fault, but the day will come when he can no longer hide from the truth.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Laura dear; he has had more than his just share of heartaches. Jake was always a chance taker; he wanted things to come fast and easy to him. When they didn’t, he sulked and he blamed others, or he went after them in a bad way. I don’t know how he went wrong, but nothing would please me more than for him to come to terms with the past and with himself. If he settles down, whether or not we make peace, I won’t transfer him. If he doesn’t want to go and I send him away, he’ll only resent me more than he does now, and that action could get him killed fighting. Indians up north or Rebels in the South. I certainly don’t want his blood on my hands; his hatred is enough to bear.”

  “I’m proud of you and I love you, Father; you’re a good and strong man. Now, I must ask you: Is what he said about Mother true?”

  “No, dear child. Your mother only accepted his invitation so she could meet me. She told me she saw me in town several times and she felt drawn to me. The first time I met her, I knew I loved her. Being near her was like basking in warm sunshine. You’re a lot like your mother in more than looks; you have her special mixture of strength and gentleness. The man who wins your heart will be as lucky as I was to win hers. We were more perfectly matched than these boots I’m wearing. She would never have married Jake even if I hadn’t captured her heart. He knows I didn’t steal her from him; he just wants something else to hold against me. And I didn’t have anything to do with him making those bad business decisions that resulted in a scandal and his having to leave Fredericksburg. If he hadn’t told me what he was doing wrong, I wouldn’t have been compelled to stop him. Any honorable and Christian man would have done the same, brother or not. I couldn’t have lived with my conscience if I had allowed him to trick innocent people. I tried to reason with him, but he refused to listen. He’s lucky I didn’t turn him in to the authorities or he’d probably still be in prison. Jake conveniently overlooks that fact.”

  Laura wished her deceitful uncle could be sent away if there was no chance of repairing the rift between them, but an attempt to do so could endanger her father’s life if Jake was determined to stay at any cost. If Jake left, she reasoned, it had to be by his choice. “You’re right, Father, but you’re in a position to be generous, to either continue this breach or to possibly end it, or at least soften it. If nothing else comes from a truce, you’ll both be spared embarrassment before your men. For the men to obey and protect you, it’s vital that they trust and respect you.”

  “You’re the one who’s correct and unselfish, my child. I’m sorry Jake has lost so much and I grieve over his family’s loss, but I can’t allow him to cause me trouble. If he asks to come to supper, he’ll be welcomed here.”

  Laura hugged him, relieved that he, without knowing it, was helping her to protect his life and to expose criminals. “Thank you, Father; you’re the wisest and kindest man I know.”

  Howard chuckled and stroked her wind-rosed cheek. “Now that we’ve settled that matter, shall we join the Wrights for a pleasant evening?”

  The Wrights welcomed them at the door and quickly ushered them inside, as the temperature lowered fast after sunset. Laura and Howard removed their coats and their hosts hung them on artistically carved pegs, unlike the plain ones in the Adams’ cabin. Colorful flames blazed in the fireplace, and several lamps glowed softly in various locations.

  The warm and genial atmosphere was inviting and relaxing, so Laura allowed it to melt away her tension and distract her from her many worries. She glanced around as the others chatted for a while. The Wrights’ quarters were large, but cozy and comfortable and lovely. Pillows with hand-stitched designs nestled in the corners of the couch. Crocheted pieces lay across the top of each section and on the two chair backs to prevent oil stains from hair; similar ones were under lamps and other items to prevent scratches on the furniture. A cl
ock and family pictures lined the mantel, as in her cabin. A few short branches of pine and cedar in a vase of water on a side table gave a fresh scent to the main room. The table was set with inexpensive dishes and utensils, positioned atop a pale-blue cloth and with matching napkins beside the plates. Everything was clean and orderly, giving a good impression of Emmaline’s skills and love for her home.

  Emmaline, with Laura’s help, poured coffee and fetched the food before they took their places on the four sides of the square table. As they dined on a venison roast, hot biscuits, and canned vegetables, they engaged in small talk about the fort, surrounding area, and themselves.

  As they did so, Laura’s mind filled with daydreams of serving family or guests in her own home one day, with Jayce sitting beside her as he had in Richmond. She could hardly believe they were in the same location, as if God had answered her prayers. If her bold idea worked, she would talk with him in private tomorrow…

  Laura took an instant liking to and respect for her host and contact. Major Jim Wright was a tall and good-looking man with an easygoing manner and quick smile. Every time he gazed at or spoke to his wife, love and devotion were evident in his eyes and voice.

  Laura was eager for Jim to talk about the local Indians, possible threats to her father and beloved during patrols and travels, and possible intrusions on her secret assignment. She had seen a few Indians while en route, but they had seemed friendly and harmless, though she had been told horrible things about vicious and marauding “redmen.” In Santa Fe, grim stories about various Apache tribes had been alarming. If dangerous Indians were roaming close by, how, she wondered, could she trail the villains to spy on them? If she didn’t leave the fort’s safety, how could she gather evidence against them? Considering the landscape she had viewed during her arrival, concealment during that task would be difficult. It was obvious that Ben hadn’t known the conditions and terrain here or he would have realized he was asking the near impossible! Laura brushed aside her thoughts as Jim began his revelations.