Chasing the Sun (21 page)

S
oldiers!” Tyler declared, hurrying into the small camp he and William shared. He jumped from his horse. “Cavalry—probably twenty or so are coming down the main road.”

William extinguished the tiny campfire and prayed the scent of woodsmoke wouldn’t be noticeable by the time the riders approached. Earlier they had driven the steers deep into the trees to a designated pen that Tyler had arranged to have built. It was a crude structure and they very nearly missed it all together, but after some searching Tyler had found it. Now it might all be for naught if the soldiers were out hunting for them.

William and Tyler pulled their mounts into the trees farther away from the road. They had been on the trail for just over a month and it had been far from easy. It had been a struggle just to get out of Texas. Then once they were in Louisiana, Tyler had found it impossible to secure additional men to help him so that William could return home. When they were in Shreveport they’d learned that the capital of the state had once again been moved, from Opelousas north and west to Shreveport to protect it from Federal control. Union soldiers had overrun Baton Rouge and then Opelousas. So far, the move seemed to have served them well.

Even so, the government was anticipating problems in the area and couldn’t spare any manpower. William and Tyler had been promised help if they could make it to Monroe, some one hundred miles east of Shreveport, but the truth of the matter was that William didn’t believe they would make it that far. The closer they drew to the heaviest areas of battle, the more hunger and need they found. People were starving, and a herd of cattle passing through the area—even a small herd—was almost taunting. Not only that, but things were progressively going wrong for the South. It seemed for every battle they won, the North held victory over even more.

A group of riders came on fast, and through the fading afternoon light, William could easily see that they were Union soldiers. They’d heard in Shreveport that there were pockets of Yankee scouts and forward observers, as well as renegades and mercenaries who favored Northern currency to Confederate dollars.

The routine, as they moved ever eastward, had been to hide as best they could during the day and move as far and as fast at night as they could manage. But even Tyler had to admit their chances of success were becoming slimmer and slimmer. There were marshes and swamps to contend with, as well as the soldiers.

William breathed with relief when the riders didn’t so much as slow. They were no doubt on their way to something more important. He looked at Tyler and shook his head.

“This isn’t going to work. We might as well return to Shreveport and leave the cattle with the Confederacy there. Maybe they can find a way to get the cattle further east.”

“I can’t do that, Will. I can’t turn my back on what I promised to do. I can only pray the others are having less difficulty, but I doubt it.” Tyler tied off his horse and looked at William. “If you’re gonna quit on me, at least have the decency to wait until we get close to the next town. I’ll find someone to help.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” William said, knowing he couldn’t desert his friend. “I just figure this isn’t going to work.”

“It was never going to be easy,” Tyler countered. “In fact, I’ve known all along the odds were against us. And after all, what are twenty head of cattle compared to thousands of starving people? The whole idea was that if we could make this work, we could create a series of additional drives to smuggle more steer to the army and civilians.”

“It was a good idea,” William told him. “Your intent is good, anyway.” He tied his horse off, as well, and took a seat on the ground opposite his friend. “The Mississippi was supposed to be your biggest challenge, though—not Louisiana.”

Tyler shook his head and looked around. “Marshes, swamps, and forest. If it weren’t for winter, we’d have to worry about malaria, too.” He met William’s gaze. “This isn’t going to work short of a miracle.”

“Whatever God’s plan in the delivery of food to the Confederacy, we’ve given it our best.”

Tyler heaved a sigh. “We’re not gonna win this war. I think Gettysburg proved that. The South keeps fighting, hanging on like a sick old man refusing to die. But sooner or later . . .” He left the thought unspoken.

William nodded. “Cooler heads should never have allowed things to get this far out of control. We have no business fighting each other—it’s bound to scar this land and its people for generations to come. Even so, if the war would just come to an end, maybe we could get our lives back. You could rebuild the ranch—settle down and have a family.”

“What of you and Miss Dandridge?” Tyler asked.

He looked at the ground. “I don’t think there’s a future there. Not that I wouldn’t like one.”

“So you finally admit you have feelings for her.”

“There’s little sense in it,” William replied. “She could never have feelings for me. I represent everything that she hates. The war, the Battle of Vicksburg, where she lost loved ones . . . Not to mention the situation with the ranch. She knows I’m trying to reclaim it.”

“Have the two of you talked about these obstacles?”

“No. I have to say that I’ve been a coward where matters of the heart are concerned.”

Tyler picked up a stick and chewed on the end. “Seems to me you’d be a whole lot happier if you just sat down with her and explained what happened at Vicksburg like you did me. She can hardly hold it against you after that.”

“Maybe not, but I hold it against myself,” William said, getting to his feet.

Hannah waited for the perfect moment to tell Andy and Marty about their father. She chose a time when they would have the house to themselves. Juanita was busy managing her own affairs, and Pepita had gone with her father to bring supplies from town.

“We’re not going to have class today,” Hannah told the children.

“Yippee!” Andy shouted with a jump. “Can I ride Dusty instead?”

Hannah shook her head. “No. Berto has gone to town, so no one can help you. Besides, right now I need to talk to the both of you. I’m afraid there’s been bad news.”

Andy sobered. “Is it about our pa?”

“Yes.” Hannah could see the worry in his eyes. Marty, meanwhile, climbed into her lap. “I’m afraid,” Hannah began, “Papa got sick on his trip to see our grandmother. His body was weak and tired from travel and he . . . he . . .”

“He died.” Andy’s voice was steady but his eyes filled with tears.

“Yes. He did.”

Marty buried her head against Hannah’s shoulder. “I want Papa to come home.”

“I know, baby, but he can’t. Mr. Lockhart arranged for him to be buried in Louisiana.”

Andy stared at the floor. “What’s going to happen to us now? How can I learn to be a man without a pa?”

Hannah reached out for him, but Andy resisted. She gave him a sad smile. “God will provide for us, Andy. God has never failed us. I don’t know what tomorrow holds in store, but I do know that God will be there.”

“He wasn’t there for Pa,” Andy said angrily. “I don’t think God even cares.” He ran from the room and from the sound of it, out the back door.

Hugging Marty close, Hannah fought to keep from crying. How could she possibly help Andy? She could barely contemplate the situation herself. How could she tell her little brother that the thought of him becoming a man was something that hadn’t even entered her mind?

“Are you gonna die, too?” Marty asked.

Hannah stroked the little girl’s head. “I don’t plan to do so anytime soon. But, Marty, everyone dies. It’s just a part of life. We live here for a little while and then we get to live forever with Jesus—so long as we’ve given Him our heart.”

Marty nodded. “He’s got my heart.”

“Then you never need to be afraid of death,” Hannah whispered.

“Did Jesus have Papa’s heart?”

“Yes,” Hannah answered. “Papa had a very sad heart because of losing your mama and mine. But he gave Jesus his heart a long time ago—when he was just a boy like Andy. Papa always said that we should put our trust in God, Marty. You must always remember that.”

“I will. I promise.”

The next day, Hannah was surprised when the Terrys stopped by the ranch. Ted and Marietta were driving a wagon and four mounted riders accompanied them.

“Won’t you come in,” Hannah said. “Your men are free to water the horses in back and then join us. I’ll have Juanita put together some refreshments.”

“Don’t worry about going to a lot of bother,” Marietta declared as Ted helped her from the wagon. “We have to keep moving. We’ve mostly come because of this letter for Will, and problems with the Comanche. We were in town last night and heard this letter had arrived. Since we knew we’d be coming this way, we offered to bring it.”

Hannah looked at the official-looking letter. It was addressed to William Barnett and the envelope showed that it was from a judge in Dallas. She felt her stomach clench. “Thank you. I’ll see that he gets it.”

They made their way into the house together while Ted went with the men to water the horses. Hannah was glad for the woman’s presence. She had been struggling with Andy’s sorrow and desperately needed advice.

“Won’t you have a seat?” Hannah said. “I’ll be right back.” She placed the judge’s letter on a small table between the chairs.

She quickly went to instruct Juanita and Pepita, then returned to join her guest. Hannah took the chair across from Marietta. “We had word that my father died.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“I’ve been afraid to spend the extra money to buy black dye for the clothes,” she said. Laundry was the furthest thing from her mind, but for some reason Hannah didn’t know what else to say. “The war is causing the price of everything to increase. It seems almost criminal to consider things like mourning clothes.”

“Child, you needn’t worry about traditions at a time like this. Tell me what happened.”

Hannah shook her head. “Mr. Lockhart brought me a letter. It said that Father took ill and that he’d asked this person to write the letter for him. The letter said I should marry Mr. Lockhart right away. It said that this was Father’s wish. At the end of the letter there was a postscript that mentioned Father had died. Mr. Lockhart said he arranged for Father to be buried in Louisiana and that he personally paid the expenses.”

Marietta frowned. “Why was it that Mr. Lockhart had all of this information?”

“I suppose because of his partnership with Father. In fact, he tells me now that he and Father were co-owners in this ranch. The ranch now belongs to him.”

“Hogwash,” Marietta declared. “I do not believe that for a minute.”

Hannah ignored her momentarily and glanced at the envelope on the table. “And now you’ve brought this letter from the judge in Dallas. I can only imagine it has to do with Mr. Barnett’s desire to take back his land and ranch.”

“Most likely that’s the case. When is Will due to be back?”

“I don’t know.” Hannah met the woman’s kind gaze. “They were sure to be up against all manner of trouble. The lieutenant told me that the situation would be quite dangerous.”

“I’m sure they both know how to look out for themselves,” Marietta said, reaching over to pat Hannah’s arm. “I’ve seen Will get himself out of worse. Tyler too. You know those two have been friends for a long while.”

Hannah nodded. “Mr. Barnett told me that Tyler was his first friend when they came to Texas.”