Baldy nodded. “Once heard it is never forgotten.”
As he sat there, Baldy examined him from head to boot. “The top of your ear is sliced apart and will need quite a few stitches and you have a couple of deep scratches and gashes. The rest are just superficial. I’ll doctor all of them after we get you washed up at home. Considering the viciousness of that attack, you more than held your own.”
“I’ve had many a fight with a man, but they were all child’s play compared to that.”
Baldy whistled. “Best fight I ever saw.”
“My clothes are ripped to shreds, and I’ll owe Thomas a new coat, but at least I’ll get a nice furry rug out of this,” Samuel said. “It can warm the floor of our room above the horse shed.”
“While you were gone to the settlement, with Melly’s supervision, we managed to make the barn loft a right comfy room for you and Louisa,” Baldy said. “Melly even put a few candles up there.”
Samuel smiled at the thought of having Louisa all to himself in candlelight. “It’ll do until we get our house built.”
Baldy nodded and then grinned. “With all of us helping, we’ll have a new home built for you and Louisa before winter sets in real hard.”
His breath recovered, Samuel stood up. “Well, we still have a man to bury. Can you say a few words over him?”
Baldy glanced down at the body. “He’s like a thorn that still rankles, isn’t he?”
“I think even God is finding him aggravating.”
“Let me get my Bible,” Baldy said. “I dropped it when that creature came at you.”
“Reload first. You never know what else might come out of those woods.”
Samuel hoped it wasn’t Commander Long. He suspected, however, that the man was now racing back to Nacogdoches or even Louisiana.
Chapter 22
Louisa was beside herself.
Icy fear gripped her heart. She’d returned to the main cabin cold to the bone, wet, and weary only to find her brother still missing. Adam was out there somewhere amid predators of all kinds, with another storm and night approaching. He was only eight-years-old for God’s sake. She couldn’t let anything happen to him. She’d promised herself that she would keep him safe.
“He must have run away!” Melly cried. “I’ve searched everywhere!”
“So did Steve and I,” Cornelius said.
“How long has he been gone?” she demanded.
“I don’t know,” Melly said.
“I fear he may be looking for me,” Louisa said, pacing in front of the stone hearth.
“Where would he look?” Steve asked. “Your home?”
“No, I don’t think so. We both almost died crossing that river. He’s too smart to try that again on his own.” She turned to Father Wyllie trying to keep panic from consuming her. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to find him,” he answered. His confident voice gave Louisa her first hint of hope.
“Please, you’ve just got to find him,” she said. “He means so much to me.”
“We will,” Old Bill said. “I’ll track him.”
“Hurry!” Melly said. “Please hurry.”
Thomas placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’ll search too.”
“We can search too,” Cornelius said with a glance at Steve.
Steve nodded. “Of course.”
“Let’s leave now!” Louisa said, accepting a cup of hot coffee from Melly. Her hands shook so badly she had to hold the cup with both hands. “I’ll just take one sip of this.”
Father Wyllie shook his head. “No. Baldy said he feared you would take a chill. And from the way your hands are shaking, you may be. You must stay here and warm up. Take care of her, Melly. Get her warm and cleaned up. Cornelius and Steve, I want you to stay on guard outside on the porch. Keep your eyes open for any sign of the boy. If he returns, fire one rifle shot into the air.”
“Yes, Sir,” they said in unison and stepped outside.
With that, Father Wyllie, Thomas, and Old Bill turned toward the door.
Thomas reached for a package he’d set by the door and then handed it to Melly. “Samuel said to give this to you. But I think it’s for Louisa.”
“Melly peered inside. It’s clean clothes for you, Louisa.”
Samuel’s thoughtfulness didn’t surprise Louisa, but she was too worried right now to feel grateful.
Father Wyllie turned back to her as he donned his hat. “Louisa, has Adam ever run off or hidden himself before?”
She nodded. “Yes, several times when he feared our father’s wrath. Sometimes he would hide for hours.”
Father Wyllie’s forehead creased. “Do you think he thought your father had come to take you away?”
“Since that’s exactly what happened, it’s likely,” she answered. “He may have even seen Father and Commander Long. Baldy had sent him off to just play. He must have been outside playing when he saw them riding up!”
“And he would have feared that your father would take him too,” Thomas said.
Louisa was on the verge of tears. “Oh dear God, he’s out there hiding somewhere. Hiding from my father!”
Stephen, Old Bill, and Thomas ran toward the Grant’s cabin.
Stephen couldn’t imagine the fear that must have taken hold of the little boy at the sight of his father coming to take his sister away and maybe him too. The boy’s first instinct must have been to run and hide.
After raising four sons and two daughters, Stephen could make himself think like a child when he had to. But his children had never lived in fear of a parent. A violent, mean-spirited parent who didn’t know how to love. Since he’d been here, both Baldy and Melly had shown Adam nothing but love and kindness. No wonder Adam would hide to keep from being taken away.
“Does the cabin have two entrances and exits?” Old Bill asked.
“Yes,” Stephen told him. “With all the people searching the cabin though, Adam’s tracks are probably destroyed.”
“But they all likely came and left out the front door. Let’s see if there are any tracks leading away from the back door,” Old Bill said. “He might have left from there to go play.”
They raced through the cabin and out the back door to examine the ground. Standing beside each other, Old Bill and Stephen stepped carefully outside, and Thomas followed. Although the rain had washed most of the signs away, Stephen showed them where they’d found the tracks of the three horses earlier.
“Does the boy have shoes?” Old Bill asked.
“Not yet. Samuel has ordered some boots,” Thomas said.
“There,” Old Bill said and pointed. “A little bare footprint holding water. If it hadn’t rained, we would never have seen it.”
Stephen studied the ground for a few yards, pointing at two more little indentions in the mud. “Thomas, did any of you search the spring house?”
“I didn’t. I don’t know if Melly did.”
They hurried toward the spring house until the tracks veered away and turned toward the shed that held Baldy’s animal patients.
“The animal shed,” Stephen said and ran toward it.
Stephen opened the Dutch door. Normally, the top door was left open, but both doors were closed. He gave his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness while Old Bill and Thomas followed him in. They had built the small shed from scrap wood left over when they built their cabins and there was barely enough room for the three of them. All three of them had to bend over a bit to keep from hitting their heads on the low ceiling. The room held the scent of animals.
The light was dim, and he had to look twice before he spotted the boy, curled up with David the recuperating dog. They were both nestled deep in straw under an old blanket. Baldy or Melly must have given it to the dog to use while he recovered from the bad snake bite.
Adam was sound asleep with his little arm wrapped over the dog’s back.
With his leg still healing, David didn’t get up, but he flapped his long, hairy t
ail on the straw, no doubt hoping for a bone or other scrap. The dog was probably also enjoying the boy’s company.
“Adam,” Stephen said gently touching the child’s small shoulder.
Startled, Adam jerked. “No! No! I won’t go!” He squeezed his eyes shut and kicked at Stephen.
“Adam, it’s me, Stephen. Thomas and Old Bill are here too.”
Clearly still terrified, Adam sat up and started bawling. “I don’t want to leave. I love Dr. Grant. Melly too. You too, Father Wyllie. Don’t let my Pa take me away! I want to stay!” Deep sobs shook the boy’s insides and he rocked back and forth in the hay.
Stephen sat down beside Adam and wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “I promise, he will never take you away. You won’t ever have to go,” he told him. He would leave it to Louisa to break the news that their father was dead, but he could at least make that promise.
Adam’s tear-filled eyes peered up into Stephen’s face. “When you woke me, I thought you were my Pa.” He seemed almost embarrassed.
“I know,” Stephen said.
“I ran in here when I saw him and that Commander fellow ride up. I thought David would protect me like my old dog Buddy used to do.”
Stephen nodded. “That was a right smart thing to do. Dogs are protective of those they love. And I can see that David has already grown to love you.”
“We’ve been looking all over for you,” Thomas said.
“What about Louisa? Is she gone? Did he get her?” Adam’s lower lip quivered. “Did my father take her away? If he did, will you and Samuel go look for her and bring her back?”
“She’s here, Adam. She’s in the cabin. Come along now. She’s worried about you,” Stephen said.
Clearly relieved, Adam exhaled. “How’d you find me?” He patted the dog and then wiped at his tears and runny nose.
“Old Bill here and my father tracked you,” Thomas said.
“Will you teach me to track?” Adam asked Old Bill.
“Sure will, if you promise to teach me something.”
“What do you want me to teach you?” Adam asked as he stood up and cocked his head at Old Bill.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” Old Bill said. “Whatever it is you want to teach me.”
Chapter 23
“And do you, Louisa Pate, take Samuel Wyllie, to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Baldy asked her, having already asked the same of Samuel.
She and Samuel stood facing Baldy in front of the candlelit mantel of the hearth in the main cabin. In his strong hands, the preacher held the Bible that had belonged to first her mother and then Adam’s mother. Samuel had retrieved it early that morning from their old cabin so it could be used for the ceremony. Louisa knew her mother would be proud that she was marrying a man as fine and courageous as Samuel. And somehow, the Bible made it feel as though a part of her mother’s spirit was there with them.
“To live together in holy marriage?” Baldy continued. “Will you love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"
Louisa nodded and said, with all the certainty she felt, “I do, happily and proudly.” Samuel’s love had already begun to heal all the raw places inside of her. He’d broken through all the hurt and obstacles and replaced them with happiness and hope.
“Then,” he nodded at Louisa, “happily and proudly, in the name of God, I pronounce Samuel and Louisa to be husband and wife.”
Samuel bent his head and kissed her, and the room erupted in cheers. Samuel’s brothers clapped and stomped their boots too. Each of the brothers hugged her and called her sister as they congratulated them.
“Welcome to our family,” Mr. Wyllie said with a hug. “That goes for you too, Adam.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Adam said.
“Adam, you’ll have a home here with us for as long as you want,” Baldy said.
“And Louisa too?”
Baldy chuckled. “Yes. And Louisa too. Although she’ll likely want to live with her new husband when they get their cabin built.”
“We may live in separate cabins,” Father Wyllie said, “but our homeplace is home for all of us.”
“Father Wyllie, you have always made us feel welcome,” Louisa said. She couldn’t ask for a better man to be her father-in-law and the grandfather of the children she and Samuel would have. She admired the man Stephen was, the father he was, and the friend he was to her and Adam.
She glanced down at her brother who stood next to her with his sleepy pup cuddled in his arms. Although he was still barefoot, Adam wore his new coat, shirt, and pants. He’d already gained some much-needed weight, and his cheeks were no longer sallow.
Early that morning, Samuel surprised Adam with the dog and her brother and the puppy became instant chums. Adam named him Caddo, after the Indian that had saved her. Although her brother never met the brave, the story of the Indian’s help against Commander Long left him awe-struck.
They never told Adam that the brave had also killed their father. And her brother never asked how their father died.
She would always remember the Caddo brave, and she would be certain her children and grandchildren knew how much the Indian had helped her. She would only tell them that two bad men had captured her and not who they were. The important part of the story was that we never know whom God will send to help us, but with faith, help will always come.
Melly came over and hugged her tightly. “You are a beautiful bride, Louisa.”
“Thank you, Melly,” she said.
For the first time, Louisa felt beautiful and feminine. She’d worn the prettier of the two dresses Samuel kindly bought along with a lace shawl Melly loaned her. The high-waisted gown was yellow and trimmed with simple white lace around the scooped neck. The quality fabric draped loosely and would wash easily. Beneath the gown, she wore a chemise, borrowed from Melly until they could sew her one. And a delicate pearl drop necklace that Samuel put around her neck just before the ceremony hung from her neck. It was the first piece of jewelry she had ever owned, and she knew she would always treasure it.
Melly wanted to arrange her hair in what she said was the latest fashion in Louisiana, parted in the center with tight ringlets hanging over her ears and neck. But Louisa decided to just wear it long with her blonde tresses draping down her back in waves.
“Don’t forget what I told you about your wedding night,” Melly whispered. “There’s nothing to be anxious about. You’ll find being with your husband a great marvel.”
She nodded and glanced over at—her husband—she couldn’t believe she actually had a husband. He was a little worse for wear. But despite his stitched ear and numerous scratches, he was still the most handsome man she’d ever known. He wore what must be his Sunday best clothes. A dark brown, nicely-cut jacket covered a white hunting shirt, open at the neck, and he wore black trousers and black boots.
It frightened her even now to think she’d come so close to losing him. When they’d described the cougar attack, it horrified her. Even with Baldy there, if the beast’s claw had sliced Samuel’s neck instead of his ear, he could have bled to death.
With her father’s death, instead of grief, relief filled her. It made her feel guilty that she should feel that way, but she couldn’t deny it. A sense of independence and strength also came to her. And the despair that shadowed her life for so long abruptly vanished. She was free now. Free of the heartaches. Free to decide her own future. Samuel would be her partner in life, not her ruler.
What she noticed most of all was that she was free of pretending happiness. She was actually and truly happy. She no longer had to walk on eggshells and worry that she would do something to ignite her father’s temper. Now, she could let that tense wall of self-preservation crumble. Louisa sensed though that a small part of her wasn’t ready to let it totally fall away. Nevertheless, she trusted that Samuel’s love would eventually heal her completely.
In him, t
here was no greed. No evil. No bitterness. Just love. Love was all she received from the man. She could probe deep within him, search every corner of his soul, and still, she would only find love. It was there from the very beginning, the first time he’d carried her from the river. It was there when he’d stood up to her father trying to protect her. It was there when he vowed to stop Long. It had been there in every kind gesture he’d made toward her and Adam.
Since it was so muddy and still overcast, they had decided to hold the celebration indoors. Old Bill started playing a harmonica and Cornelius opened a violin case, lifted out the instrument, and joined the trapper’s melody. Both were quite good players and the cabin was soon filled with merry music. Earlier, they’d moved the beds against the walls to make room to dance. And when the musicians played the popular song, ‘Hail Smiling Morn,’ Samuel led her in a dance while Cornelius sang out the words. Old Bill and some of the others joined in on the chorus.
Hail smiling morn, smiling morn,
That tips the hills with gold, that tips the hills with gold,
Whose rosy fingers open the gates of day,
Open the gates, the gates of day,
Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
* * *
Who the gay face of nature doth unfold,
Who the gay face of nature doth unfold,
At whose bright presence darkness flies away, flies away,
Darkness flies away, darkness flies away,
At whose bright presence darkness flies away, flies away,
Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
Hail! Hail! Hail! Hail!
It was the perfect first dance for them. For the words, ‘darkness flies away,’ exactly described how she felt. The darkness in her life had flown away. And only the smiling light of happiness remained.
Melly soon started loading the long, beautifully set, candlelit table with all the dishes she had been working on all day. Father Wyllie and Old Bill carried in a large platter that held the turkey they’d cooked over a spit outdoors. Baldy opened a jug of whiskey and a bottle of wine and started pouring drinks for everyone.
Red River Rifles (Wilderness Dawning—the Texas Wyllie Brothers Series Book 1) Page 21