Bent Creek (25 page)

“Can I kiss you, Rachael?” Sam asked, as he stepped closer to her.

Rachael smiled and moved toward him. “You sure can.”

Sam drew her into his arms. His lips softly touched her cheek and moved across her face catching the corner of her mouth. His hand circled her head and pulled her body into his. It was slow and deliberate and Rachael could feel her knees going weak. When he finally released her, she stood with eyes closed not really wanting to move away from him.

“That wuz reel nice, Sam. Thank you.”

Sam began to laugh. “I’m not making fun, but I never had a girl thank me for kissing
her.”

“Maybe because that wasn’t the girl’s first kiss.  That wuz mine. I’m nearin’ nineteen and you were the first one tah kiss me, Sam. Gosh, most girls my age are married and havin’ kids.”

“Let’s fix that, Rachael.”  He kissed her again and then again. “Now, you’ve been kissed more than once. And now, it’s getting dark, we better get back to the house.”  He took her hand and they slowly walked up the path.  “Try to get into Lynch on Saturday around two, Rachael, and I promise you I’ll take you to the movies.”

“I promise, I’ll be there.” He kissed her again and turned to leave. She stood on the porch until she heard the clanging of the bell on the gate.

Lily was listening to the radio and rocking Violet. “Lily, I think I’m in love,” Rachael blurted out and then went to her room to relive every minute of the evening.

The following Saturday, Rachael and Sam went to the movies and on Sunday they went fishing. On Monday, Sam took Rachael to see her parents.  She wanted to make sure that the twenty dollar check was cashed and that her father was given the right amount of money. She sat close to him in his car and he held her hand.

“There’s Daddy,” Rachael said as they pulled into the yard. “He’s playin’ that dang card game again.”

Roy looked up and then yelled for Ida Mae.  “Some body is a comin’. Well, lookee there, it’s Rachael gettin’ out of that fancy automobile with Sam.”

“Hi, Daddy. You remember Sam. He brought you the letter the other day.”

“Course I do. I ain’t fergettin’ things yet.  Why you comin’ around today? We twernt expectin’ you.”

“You might as well wait in the car, Sam.  I reckon this is gonna be a short visit,” Rachael said as she stepped on to the porch. “I come to see if you need me to take yer check tah the bank in Lynch and cash it fer you.”

“Ain’t necessary. Done got it cashed two days ago. Mabry done it fer me.  Give me back a whole mess of five dollar bills.”

Ida Mae stood with her hands crossed over her chest, not sayi
ng a word. “How are you, Momma?” Rachael asked.

“Doin’ jest fine, as if’n i
t matters at tall tah you. Ya want some water. Ain’t got no coffee.  Can’t get tah the store on foot.”

“I’m sorry, Momma. I’ll come by in the truck tomorrow and take you tah Mabry’s so that you can git s
ome supplies. About nine okay?”

“I reckon it will have tah be.” Ida Mae turned and went into the house.

“That thar fella yer boyfriend, Rachael?”  Roy asked.

Rachael could once again feel herself turning red.  “No, Daddy. He’s not my boyfriend. We’re jest friends.”

“Then why’s he hangin’ round.  Seems tah me you were sittin’ mighty close tah each tuther in that car.”

“We have tah go, Daddy. Tell Momma I’ll see her in the morning.” Rachael hurried down the steps before her father could say anything else. She was quiet until the car pulled out onto the road. “I’m sorry, Sam. My daddy jest says whatever he’s thinkin’. He really has no couth at all.”

Sam laughed. “I thought it wuz real funny.  By the way, who is your boyfriend? If it isn’t me, who is it?”

Rachael was silent until they reached the road leading to the gate. “Did I say something to make you mad, Rachael?” Sam asked.

“No, I wuz jest thinkin’ about us and wonderin’ if maybe I’m gettin’ too attached tah you?  I mean, I know you probably have had a lot of girlfriends and…”

Sam put his finger to her lips.  “You really think too much sometimes. He pulled the car to the side of the road and took her into his arms. “I’ve had other girlfriends, but that doesn’t make any difference. Right now, I’m with you.
” He kissed her tenderly. She laid her head on his chest.  She didn’t want to leave him. “I put on a pot of ham hocks and green beans before I left, I know it’s yer favorite.  Would you like tah come in and eat?”

“I’d love to, Rachael, but I have to get back to Lynch and pack. I’m going to be gone for a few days.”

“Whar you goin’? When will you be back?”

“I’m just going up to Pine Ridge to take a look around.”

“Why would you go up thar? Who would build a railroad on the mountain?” she asked.

“I’m not suppose to tell anyone what I am going to tell you, but I like you too much to go on lying to you. I’m not a surveyor, Rachael. I’m a Federal Agent.  I work for the Alcohol
Tox Unit.”

She could feel a cold chill running down her back.  He had to be kidding her. “Yer not, yer joshin’ me, ain’t you?”

“No, I joined the agency two years ago. They sent me here when they found out I was familiar with this part of the country. Seems there’s a pretty big moonshine operation working somewhere in this area. I figured it was coming out of Lynch, but I haven’t been able to find anyone there who knows anything and if they do know, they’re not talking. Whoever it is has been sending it by truck to Chicago.  It’s being sold to clubs in Chicago and causing a big criminal element to operate there. Ordinarily we don’t mess around with the little stills that the hollow people have in their sheds. It’s only when it gets this big that the government steps in. They want this operation shut down and soon. I’m going up to the mountain and see if I can find any signs of it. I know everyone in these parts is tight-lipped when it comes to giving out information.  I just can’t figure how whoever is doing this is getting it past me.  I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, but this is got to be kept between you and me.”

Rachael nodded her head. “Sure, I mean…I won’t tell a soul. I’m jest surprised.” She kissed him quickly and opened the car door. “I’ll walk from here.  You better git a goin’.  I’ll see you when you git back.” Before he could protest she ran to the gate and climbed over it and headed for the house. “No, dammit, dammit, dammit!” She kept repeating. “An agent, he’s a frigg
in’ revenuer, dammit.”

Rachael jerked open the screen door and stomped in. “Yer not going tah believe this.  Sam ain’t no surveyor, he works fer the government. He’s a revenuer.  He’s here tah find out who is runnin’ moonshine. Sam is a lookin’ fer us!”

Ben put his spoon in his bowl of beans. “Well ain’t that jest a whippin’. So that’s why so many round here are gettin’ raided. It’s Sam. He’s a turnin’ everyone in tah the law.”

“Naw, I think that’s jest the sheriff doin’ that. Those are jest piddly moonshiners. Sam’s lookin’ fer the one that’s sending all the liquor up North. That’s us!” Rachael said.

“Ya know, Rachael, this might not be a bad thang fer us. I reckon he don’t suspect you at tall.  That means he’ll jest keep on lookin’ somewheres else until he finally gives up and leaves.”

“Ben Riley, you can’t mean that.  I like Sam. I like him a lot. Am I supposed tah pretend that everythin’ is jest fine?”

“Look, girl, we need four more deliveries tah meet our goal. The minister at the Baptist church in Lynch is interested in this place since we got lectricity and indoor plumin’.  With the money from the sale of the house and land and what we got already we should be jest fine.  You need tah hold on a while longer.”

Rachael bit her tongue. What she wanted to say is that if all of them hadn’t spent so much money on stuff, they would have enough right now. Instead she blurted out, “I don’t know if I can do that.”

Jesse wiped his mouth on his sleeve and pushed back his chair. “What makes you think that once Sam was done with his job here he wuz gonna stay. You think he’s gonna give up his job with the government and come live here with you in Bent Creek? I surely don’t think so.”

She hadn’t even given that thought.  She hated the idea that Jesse was probably right. “All right, four more deliveries and then we’re finished bein’ bootleggers and we kin moved tah Florida. It ain’t gonna be easy, but I’ll do it.”

“These beans you made are real tasty,” Lily said.  “You want some?”

“No thanks, I’d probably just choke on them.”  Rachael headed for her room to have a good cry.

Sam checked his backpack to make sure he had every
thing he needed to spend the night in the mountains.  It would be the first time in many years he would go up to Black Mountain. Slowly driving through the meandering trails that had been there for hundreds of years, he parked his car under a canopy of trees. After trekking through the woods for most of the day without finding any clues that would lead him to a still, Sam stopped to make camp. He spread his blanket on the ground and gathered up enough firewood to keep him warm and safe from predators through the hours of darkness.

As a kid, he had spent many nights camped out with his father on the rim of this mountain.  It was the only thing he and his father ever were able to do together that didn’t cost money. With most of his father’s time consumed with working in the mine and taking care of his family, the hours spent alone with him were precious memories to Sam. Tramping through the woods his father pointed out trees and bushes that provided nourishment enough to live on for days.  He taught Sam how to make a shelter of pine branches to protect him from the cold and how to start a fire from flint rock.  During the day they would fish in the icy cold streams that rambled through the woods. At night they would sit at a campfire and cook the day’s catch on a sharpened stick. His father would tell him stories about bear hunts and the legend of
Joe Seminole Joe. He would lay close to his father, rolled up in a blanket until the call of the morning doves awoke them. Sam never forgot those times or the many times he was told that he should never go to work in the mines. It was his father’s death in the tunnel and Sam’s move to Ohio that kept that from happening.

After high school it was his uncle’s persistence that made him join the police force and in less than two years take a transfer to the Alcohol Tox Unit. It seemed strange that he would now be tracking down moonshine stills that were once a common sight in almost every yard in the hollow.  Moonshine ran as easy as water to the hill people. It was their way of easing the pain that engulfed them every day of their lives. It didn’t seem like a very big deal to him at that time.

He wasn’t prepared for the briefing sessions that out
lined the bootlegging industry that was producing large volumes of distilled spirits and then shipping them up north.  The shiners he was now encountering were mean men, serious as hell about their business and not happy about anyone putting a stop to it. A list on the wall of the bureau named all the agents killed in moonshine raids. Sam had no idea that he would be involved in gunfights and chases. It was all part of his job now and he wasn’t sure he liked it one bit.

And now there was his relationship with Rachael.  That was something he hadn’t planned on.  He liked her a lot. She was funny and smart in her own way.  He liked her assertive attitude and the easy conversation that flowed between them. He also liked her soft lips and the way she smelled of lavender soap.

What in the world was he going to do about Rachael?

Chapter Thirty

To keep Sam from getting suspicious, Rachael told him it would be easier to meet him in town on Saturday.  Keeping him away from Clyde’s store was critical.  Once in town, she would run down the street to the café to meet him.  She kept him busy for about an hour until she was sure that the truck had been unloaded. Twice Rachael had invited him to her house for supper. Everyone treated him like he was an old friend and she could see that he felt really comfortable around Ben and Jesse. She hated what she was doing, but she had convinced herself that it was for the best.  Even if she cared for him, she knew he would probably be leaving soon. It was only when they were alone and they were wrapped in each other arms that she wanted to scream out loud and tell him the truth.  She was totally in love with him.