“Do you mind?” Jess removed matches in a tin holder from her pocket. “I’ll start the fire.”
Cass grabbed the shovel she had used earlier and walked away from the camp. The smell of blood might attract unwanted animals. She dug a hole and buried the carcasses.
When she returned to camp, Tootie was seated by the fire stirring the seared meat. Cole added a bowl of chopped vegetables and water to the pot. Jess was sitting in the shade of a wagon nursing her son. “What can I do?”
“Jake is getting up from his nap. Do you mind taking him for a walk?”
“I’d love to.” Cass found Jake standing on the edge of the wagon, his gown tucked under his chin, peeing on the ground. He had wiggled out of his diaper, which was dry. “Who taught you to do that?”
“Daddy.”
Men had such interesting habits. “You’ll need your diaper and shoes for a walk.”
“Walk?”
“We’re going to explore the countryside.” Cass dressed him, and they proceeded across the field. The grass was high, and she made noises to frighten away snakes and animals they might startle. A butterfly landed on a yellow flower. Jake chased after it, trying to catch the brightly-colored insect.
“You can’t catch it.” She pointed to wild flowers nearby. “Why don’t you pick those for your mommy?”
He broke the head off at the top of the stem. Cass showed him how to break the stem near the bottom so he could hold it in his hand, and he gathered a fistful of flowers.
Cole shouted for them to come and eat. The men were at the table filling their plates.
“Come on, Jake. It’s time to eat.” She held out her hand, but he refused to come. He pointed toward the woods. A woman with two children stepped out of the shadows and approached the camp. “Welcome!” Cass waved them forward.
Jake was too excited to wait on their cautious approach. He ran toward the girls. “I’m Jake.” After circling them twice, he ran back.
Cass led them to the camp.
Otis stood. “Good day, Leah.” He turned to the others. “This is my neighbor, Leah, and her daughters, Betsy and Sara.”
Leah placed a small square basket on the table. The handle was broken and tied together with twine.
“Berries!” Jake reached for one.
“No, Jake,” Cole said. “Those aren’t ours.”
He made a sad face.
Leah offered the basket to him. “Take some, but I’m afraid there aren’t many. The birds found them first.” Sara clutched her mother’s patched skirt, hiding behind it. Betsy held her mother’s hand in a tight grip.
“We’d be happy to share what we have,” Cass said. “We’re helping Mr. Baker rebuild his house.”
Leah looked at Otis. “Are these the friends you spoke of?”
“Yes. Come join us.” He offered her a seat.
“Are you sure?”
“We have plenty.” Cass helped the girls sit in the folding chairs they had brought. She filled the plates with biscuits and stew and handed one to each of their guests. “It’s made with rabbit.”
“We’ve been eating squirrel when I can catch them.” Leah took a bite. “It’s delicious.”
“Leah’s husband was killed at Spotsylvania,” Otis said.
“I missed that one,” Morgan said. “I was wounded at the Wilderness.”
“My husband fought there, too,” she said. “On the Confederate side.”
“That’s the side I was on.” Morgan pointed to Otis. “With the captain.”
“This is Major Morgan Mackinnon,” Otis said. “I told you about him.”
“Oh,” Leah gasped and surveyed the men. “I thought you were all Union soldiers.”
“Not all,” Tootie said. “And I was raised in Richmond.”
“They brought supplies,” Otis said. “Would you like them to rebuild your house?”
“Yes,” Sara shouted. “I don’t like living in a chicken coop.”
Harry snorted. “People don’t live in chicken coops.”
His remark was met by silence.
“I’m done.” Zach stood and nodded toward the ladies. “Thank you for the meal.” He turned to the men. “Why don’t we take a wagonload and start framing her house?”
“I’ll bring a second wagon,” Morgan said. “And we’ll take your friends. Sid and Blake can finish here and join us later.”
Cass gathered a broom and rags.
“Are you going with them?” Jess asked.
“Do you need me here?”
“No, but you better take medical supplies in case someone is hurt.” Jess fetched her medical bag.
Cass looked inside and withdrew a saw. “Do you expect me to perform an amputation?”
“No, and don’t let anyone use it to saw wood. It dulls the blade.”
Cole handed her the magic basket. “I packed it with food for the men. They’ll probably work until dark. We’ll have a meal ready when they call it quits.”
Cass turned to Leah. “Do you want to go with me?”
She glanced at Otis boarding the first wagon. “I don’t want to be underfoot. I trust Otis will know what to do.”
“Any requests for your house?”
“I’d like a window. There aren’t any in the place we’re staying.”
The chicken coop. Cass nodded and headed for the second wagon.
Zach helped her board. “You’re not staying with the women?”
“I’m a musketeer.” She lifted the medical bag. “Besides, I have bandages if one of you is clumsy and falls or smashes his thumb with a hammer.”
Harry shoved his hand toward her. “I have a splinter.”
“You should wear gloves,” Zach said.
Cass bounced in her seat as they hit a rut. “I’ll look at it when we reach the farm.”
Otis led them along the road to the neighboring property. They traveled along an overgrown path to the former buildings. The house had been burned to the sandstone foundation. The barn was partially burned, but the trusses were intact. The only untouched building was the chicken coop. It was made of hewn logs and had gaps between the uneven boards. The door swung outward, offering no protection from curious strangers. Feathers swirled in the air as Cass stepped inside. Boards were placed over the nesting boxes to form beds. A few towels and clothing items were draped over the roosting poles, and a wooden box rested on flat rocks arranged on the dirt floor.
“They are living in a chicken coop,” Zach said. “That little girl wasn’t joking.”
Cass looked at the humble surroundings. “Make sure her house has windows.”
Chapter Ten
Ethan and Harry erected a canvas tent and placed a table beneath it. Cass placed her basket and medical bag next to the water barrel. “Let me look at your hand, Harry.”
“It’s nothing.”
She sorted through the medical tools for what she needed. “You said you had a splinter.”
He turned over his hand. A chunk of old wood was lodged beneath the skin. She grabbed his hand to steady it and found the entry point. After teasing the sliver to the surface with a needle, she removed it with her tweezers. She washed the wound with soap and water. “Wear gloves.”
“I will,” Harry promised. “Thank you, Miss Cassie.”
Zach stood nearby, a sparkle in his eyes. She raised her tweezers. “Do you have a splinter?”
He placed his hand on his chest. “Only in my heart.”
He was teasing, or was he? She didn’t want to encourage Harry, but she couldn’t be rude. Besides, the splinter had to be removed to prevent infection. Zach turned the spigot on the water barrel, filled his canteen, and joined the others. She watched him go, her heart thumping against her chest. Zach was lucky he didn’t have a splinter. Her hand would shake too much to remove it.
The men had built makeshift shelters, roads, and bridges during the war. They took a few measurements and began sorting boards to frame the walls.
Cass wandered into the remains o
f the barn. A shovel, pick, and scythe were among the tools stacked in a corner stall that had survived the fire. The curved blade on the scythe had been sharpened. She headed outside and began cutting the tall grass around the house. She was on a back swing when someone tapped her shoulder. She swung around.
“Careful with that,” Zach warned as he jumped out of the way.
“You shouldn’t have startled me.” She wiped beads of sweat from her face. “I cleared most of the yard.”
“You’re going to be sore tomorrow.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed. She moaned. “You need to take a break.”
“Are you?”
“We have the roof on. We’ll finish the walls tomorrow unless we run out of wood. We can use canvas to rig something temporary until we return.”
“You’re coming back?”
“We’re coming back until we run out of supplies or they send us home,” Zach said. “For once, I may be able to sleep without being haunted by the past two years.”
They returned to camp with the empty wagons. During their absence men and women had arrived as if invitations had been sent out. A veteran missing an arm was holding a rope tied to a cow. Cole handed the boy with him a sack made from a blanket and holding supplies.
“I don’t want to take what I don’t need,” the veteran said.
“Then share it with your friends and family,” Cole said.
Cass looked at the few remaining items to be distributed. “You’ve been busy. Did you save anything for Leah and her girls?”
“In the wagon,” Jess said. “How far along are they on her house?”
“They should finish it tomorrow.”
“You have a sunburn.” Cole examined her face. “I have some lotion to soothe your skin.”
Cass relaxed in a canvas chair. The heat radiated from her scorched skin. She closed her eyes as Cole applied the cool cream to her face. Each stroke brought relief from the sunburn. “That feels so good.”
“It’s my pleasure.” It was Zach’s voice.
She opened her eyes. Zach knelt in front of her, rubbing the lotion onto her nose. “Where’s Colleen?” Her voice squeaked.
He nodded toward the tent. “She asked me to take over so she could serve the food.”
Cass grabbed the jar from his hand. “That’s enough.” Instead of relaxed, her heart was pounding in an accelerated beat.
His green eyes danced. He dipped his fingertips into the lotion. “I missed a spot.”
Cass dodged his fingers, using the jar to block his attempt to touch her face. It was too intimate a gesture, and others were staring. His hand hit hers and knocked the container from her grasp. It crashed against a rock.
Cole rushed at them, waving a large spoon. “That was my expensive face lotion.”
Zach stood. “I’ll buy you a new jar.”
“Gather the broken shards before someone is cut.” Cole turned. “And come eat.”
Cass picked up the jar. “It’s only chipped.”
Cole examined the marred container. “You keep it. Mr. Ravenswood will buy me a new one.” She stared at him the same way their mother, Maureen Beecher, did when she gave an order that was not to be questioned.
Yes, ma’am.”
She waved the spoon at him. “Don’t call me ma’am. It’s Miss Colleen or Mrs. Ellsworth, do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’…Mrs. Ellsworth.”
They ate around the fire, husbands and wives paired off. Ethan and Harry sat with Cass. Zach kept his distance. Was he embarrassed being reprimanded by a woman? He had gathered husk leaves from the ears of boiled corn and was making small dolls. He showed them to Leah’s girls. Betsy and Sara were awe-struck by his talent and clung to his side. Sara chattered about a kitty she once had for a pet. Betsy bounced her doll along the length of his outstretched leg.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Ethan pointed at her untouched plate.
She gripped her ear of corn and bit into the tender kernels. What she wouldn’t do to rest against Zach’s muscular thighs, her arms curled around his neck. He looked up, his gaze locking onto hers and shrugged. He was unaware how his boyish charm melted her heart.
Everyone retired for bed for an early start in the morning. The couples took the wagons. Cass shared a large tent with Leah and her daughters. Zach, Ethan, and Harry slept under the stars near the fire. Zach was turned toward the opening in the tent. Could he see her? Did he think about her the same way she thought about him? Was it wrong to fantasize about making love? She glanced toward the wagons. Were her sisters coupling with their husbands? She rolled onto her back and stared at the canvas above her. How long would she have to wait?
“You and your friends are nice to help us,” Leah said from the dark.
“They should finish the house tomorrow,” Cass said. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping in a tent.”
“I love it,” Betsy said from her cot. “It doesn’t smell like chickens.”
****
The men headed to Leah’s home after breakfast. Morgan drove Cass, Jess, and Jackson in the wagon with items set aside for Leah and her home. They planned to decorate the interior while the men finished the outside.
They completed their labors at noon and returned to camp to eat. When they finished, the men dismantled the tents and packed the supplies in Blake’s wagon.
“What’s going on?” Leah asked.
“We’re done,” Zach said. “You can return to your house.”
She gathered her children. “We’re going home.”
“Do you know how to drive a wagon?” Morgan asked.
Leah looked around. “Why would I need to drive a wagon?”
“We’re leaving this one behind for you.”
Leah stared at the wagon and two mules.
“That’s generous of you,” Otis said. “I’ll show her how to hitch the team.”
Morgan slapped him on the back. “Good, because we’re leaving the other wagon for you.”
“That’s an expensive gift,” Otis said. “I can’t accept it.”
“We expect you to share it with your friends,” Zach said.
“Don’t you need it for more supplies?”
“We’ll return in four wagons and leave two,” Morgan said.
“How can you afford that?”
“I put aside some silver and gold from the sale of my father’s store,” Morgan said. “I can’t think of a better use.”
Otis helped Leah and the children board their wagon and drove it to her home. Blake and Morgan pulled into the yard. They had added a run-in shelter to the chicken coop for the mules. Three hens were scratching the ground for grubs, and a cow was tied to the split rail fence.
Leah saw none of it. Her eyes were fixed on the house. It was modest by most standards with one room, a stone floor, and no stove. She stepped inside and paused. A breeze blew through the two windows on opposite walls.
The cots that had been in the tent were placed in a corner, and the table and chairs were in the center. Cass and Jess had moved their belongings from the chicken coop to a spot near the window.
“Is this our house?” Sara asked.
Leah didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Tears flowed as she walked around her rebuilt home. Leah hugged Cass and the other women. “I didn’t think there were any kind people left in the world. Thank you.”
“We’ll have more supplies on our next trip,” Cass promised.
“You’re coming back?”
She looked at Zach and the others. “Tell your friends and neighbors we’ll be back.”
They waved and returned to Washington City. “I wish we could have done more,” Cass said.
“We made a small dent in a hostile world,” Zach said. “You made a friend.”
“No one should have to live in a chicken coop.”
****
Orders were given for the Twenty-ninth Ohio to board a train June 9. Politicians and residents were claiming Washington City from the military. Cass and the others
had done their part to take the wood, canvas, and unneeded supplies to neighboring Virginia.
Helping others had allowed the men to come to terms with their role in the war. Rebuilding what they had helped destroy healed the darkness and guilt that no one wanted to talk about. Harry, Ethan, and Zach said they were returning home with lighter hearts.
Unfortunately, the work had kept Cass and Zach too busy to spend time alone. His kiss was a distant memory as they gathered at the depot. Cass plotted a way to permit Zach a few moments alone to kiss her goodbye.
She stood by the side of the depot as the soldiers formed lines to board the box cars of the train. Those with loved ones, dropped their bags and spent a few precious moments saying farewells. Zach met her gaze. The sun was low in the sky and the semi-darkness would provide the perfect setting for a tender farewell. She smiled and disappeared behind the depot, waiting in the shadows of the building for him to join her.
The thumping of footsteps approached. She remained perfectly still until he was close. He tapped on her shoulder, and she turned. Before she could react, he kissed her.
Only it wasn’t Zach. It was Harry.
She stepped back, shocked by his bold behavior. They stared at one another. Harry made a puzzled face. “That was not what I expected.”
Cass giggled and shook her head. “Colleen says you can’t marry a man until you kiss him. You have to know if there’s any passion.” She nervously bit her bottom lip. “I’m afraid I didn’t feel any.”
Harry looked hurt. “Could I try again?”
“I don’t think it’ll change anything.”
Harry leaned forward, hesitated, and kissed her on the mouth, lingering a little too long. It didn’t matter. No desire flamed between them. Not even a spark.
He stepped back and stared. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to kiss you since I arrived. How could it be so…”
“Ordinary?” Cass laughed. “I’m afraid we’re not meant to be husband and wife, Harry.”
He placed his kepi on his head. “Have you kissed Zach?”
“Yes.” When Zach kissed her, a warmth rose from her toes and fanned to the extremities of her body, tingling in all the secret places lovers shared.
“Same feeling?”
“No. When Zach kisses me, I think about spending the rest of my life with him.”
Impending Love and Madness Page 9