Chasing the Sun (12 page)

Tyler Atherton and his men had come to see if they might get William’s help in moving some cattle east—smuggling them past Union troops in order to feed the South. They hoped to at least get them past the Mississippi River, at which point they could turn the herd over to other Confederate troops.

“I hope I didn’t upset you overmuch,” the lieutenant said, coming up behind Hannah.

She jumped and turned so quickly that her boot caught in the rug. She would have fallen had the lieutenant not taken hold of her.

“There now. I do apologize. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” He smiled, and she liked the way his eyes seemed to twinkle.

“That’s quite all right. I was watching the children have fun with your men. They seem so carefree in these moments that it’s hard to imagine the war is really going on at the same time.”

Atherton nodded and his expression turned serious. He let go of his hold on Hannah. “It’s goin’ on all right. That’s why I’m hopin’ you’ll agree to help us with the cattle.”

“I can’t imagine it not being the right thing to do,” Hannah said. “Even the Bible tells us to feed the hungry. I can understand the Yankees wanting to keep the Confederate soldiers weak, but how can they even begin to live with themselves when they think of starving out innocent women and children?”

She looked up to find William had entered the room. Her mind immediately went to what Herbert Lockhart had said about William and his family being at Vicksburg from the start of the battle. Had he allowed her family to starve? Had he approved the methods used for bringing the town and the soldiers there to their knees?

“I have no idea of how you will manage this cattle drive without the Yankees knowing what is happening, but you have my blessing,” Hannah said. “And I’m certain my father would agree . . . were he here.”

“Well, we have some ideas on gettin’ those steers to the Mississippi. We have friends all along the way to help us. That was part of what we’ve been doing these past months. See, we were cut loose just before the battle at Vicksburg.”

“You were at Vicksburg?” she asked.

“My men and I were sent out just before the Yankees descended on us. We’ve been establishin’ stops along the way while workin’ to get this far west. It hasn’t been easy, but I believe that God has been on our side.”

“Both sides like to believe that, Tyler,” William said, interrupting the conversation, “but I don’t think that God is paying much attention to this war.”

The room went silent at this declaration. The lieutenant’s men left off their play with the children and got to their feet. Hannah could feel the tension build. She knew if she didn’t do something, there might very well be a fight.

“Gentlemen, I am of a mind that God loves all of His children equally,” Hannah said. “No doubt He is grieved by this war and weeps, just as I have, over the loss of life.” She hoped William would say nothing more and allow the matter to drop.

“Of course you’re right, Miss Dandridge,” the lieutenant agreed. “War is a despicable thing, and we should not even be discussin’ it in your presence. We will, if you would so graciously allow us, depart for a time of rest. My men and I have long been in the saddle and we’re a mite weary from our endeavors.”

“Most certainly you may go, Lieutenant,” Hannah replied. “I will see to it that you have everything you need.”

The handsome man took hold of her hand and bowed over it. Hannah thought him quite gallant—a true knight in shining armor. Only this armor was poorly made wool and tattered cotton. The mix-matched uniforms all looked as though they’d seen better days.

Atherton led his men from the house, but Hannah didn’t miss the scowls on their faces as they passed William. She was afraid if words were exchanged again, the men would most likely come to blows—and she didn’t want to see that happen in front of her brother and sister.

“I wonder if I might have a word with you, Mr. Barnett.”

William seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation and stepped back. “Perhaps you might accompany me to the smokehouse. I want to check on the fire.”

“Can I come, too?” Andy asked.

“No,” Hannah replied. “I need you and Marty to get back to your studies. I will be with you shortly to check on your work.”

“Aw, do I have to?” Marty moaned and picked up her doll. “All I ever do is read and write. Doing school is hard.”

Hannah suppressed a smile. “You must be educated, Miss Martha. Now get your slate and practice your alphabet while I’m gone.”

She didn’t wait to see if they heeded her command, but rather led the way through the house and out the back door. William Barnett followed her a few paces behind, but once they were outside, he came alongside her.

“I would appreciate it,” she began, “if you and your friend would refrain from discussing the war further—at least around the children. I have no desire to watch you brawl and bring the war to this house.”

“There’s no desire for that on my part, either, Miss Dandridge. I assure you.” William stopped and turned to face her. He continued to study her. “Is there something else you wish to discuss?”

Hannah wanted to ask him about his part in the Battle of Vicksburg, but decided she should follow her own advice and say nothing more regarding the war. “I just want to protect the children. They shouldn’t have to hear or see the ugliness associated with this war.”

“I couldn’t agree more. No child should have to.” He turned and looked away. “Now, if you’re finished, I need to see to the wood.”

“Certainly,” Hannah said, unable to think of anything else to say.

She felt her loyalties being torn in two different directions. Her family had suffered greatly at the hands of the Union Army. William Barnett had been a part of that army, and perhaps, as Mr. Lockhart said, was among the very soldiers who put an end to the lives of her grandfather and brother.

Yet even with that in her thoughts, Hannah knew that Mr. Barnett was a good man. She’d heard him talk of his regrets in going to war. She knew that he only served out of obedience to his father . . . and wasn’t she there for the very same reason? How could she fault a man for that?

Still, the stories of Vicksburg and the siege haunted her. The idea that William Barnett might well have fired the shot that ended her brother’s life was more than she could bear. Without another word, Hannah turned and hurried back to the house. She needed to distance herself from William Barnett and all that he represented.

Now, if her heart would just cooperate.

W
illiam and Tyler worked together to bring in four longhorn steers. They’d found them down by the river and decided to drive them into one of the holding pens until the men could take them east. The real work would come in another day or two, when they set out for rounding up the rest. They would probably be gone for at least a week, depending on how far out the animals had spread on the open range. Allowing cattle to graze at will was both a wonderful blessing and an exhausting curse to the rancher.

Riding an older reliable mare his mother had once owned, William was glad for the chaps he’d tied on. The brush was dry and much of it dormant as the colder months were upon them. His legs would have taken a real beating had it not been for the leather protection. Tyler had borrowed a pair of chaps from Berto, but he didn’t seem nearly so roughed up. He’d let William do most of the hard work of getting the steers onto open ground.

“So tell me more about Miss Hannah. Is she your gal?” Tyler asked.

“Hardly. She’s no one’s gal that I can see. She’s her own woman through and through.”

Tyler laughed. “I haven’t seen anyone so pretty since leavin’ to join up.”

“Which brings me to a question of my own,” William said, throwing Tyler a sidelong glance. “Why didn’t you head out to California like you talked about? Last thing you told me was that you had no mind to join up.”

“Well, those plans were made before the Comanche burned us out and killed Pa. You weren’t here when it happened. I think you’d been gone maybe a month.” He squinted and pulled the brim of his forage cap down to block out the sun. “The rest of the family was with me in Dallas because Pa was worried about a raid and wanted Ma and Lenore safe. When word of the attack came, my ma and sister were grief-stricken beyond words, but Grandpa Venton and I were mad. We made the women stay in Dallas and rode out with a handful of men to see what was left of the ranch and Pa. There was nothing but burning stubble and the dead.” Tyler shuddered and stared out across the landscape. “My pa and the hands put up a good fight, but not good enough. Only a couple of the men survived. My pa . . . died.”

William could see the man’s thoughts had clearly taken him back to that day. “I’m sure sorry about that, Tyler. I hadn’t heard about the attack.”

“I didn’t even try to write you—I knew it would be too difficult to get word across the lines.”

“I appreciate that you even thought of trying. You were about the only one who remained on speaking terms with our family. You and your family.”

Tyler shook his head. “None of us wanted this war. I was praying that Texas would choose to stay out of it. My pa felt just like yours. Even Sam Houston wanted no part of it and folks . . . well, they used to listen to him. I guess this was bigger than all of us though.”

“I guess so,” William replied. “I’m almost glad I got shot when I did.”

“Where’d you catch it?”

“Vicksburg.”

Tyler turned in the saddle and fixed William with a look of disbelief. “Does she know that?”

William knew he was talking about Hannah without needing to hear her name. “No. I haven’t been able to bring myself to tell her. It’s bad enough she thinks of me as the enemy. Partly because of my father’s stand in the war, and partly because this has become her home and now I’m here to reclaim it.”

“And will you?”

“What? Reclaim it? I’m trying to. I went into Dallas the other day and spoke with an old friend of the family. He’s a judge and believes we were wronged. He’s trying to get the place returned to me.”

“And what will happen to Miss Dandridge and her family if he does?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t figured anything much further along than helping you with these cattle.”

“And what of Miss Dandridge’s father? She said he’s gone missing.”

William considered this for a moment. “I fear it may be more than that. She’s had no word from him in months. By her own account, it isn’t like her father to remain out of touch. He has the means and intelligence, even a good number of connections with the Confederate government. If he wanted to get a message to his family, I doubt he’d have any trouble.”

“So you figure he’s captured or dead.”

“That’s about the size of it. As much as I hate to admit it, I tend to agree with Lockhart’s belief that the man is dead.”

“Herbert Lockhart? Don’t tell me he’s still around to cause trouble. He’s pestered my ma with letters wanting to buy the ranch. She told him it was my decision, but Lockhart keeps askin’.”

“He settled in Cedar Springs full time. He and Miss Dandridge’s father were partners in law and in the real estate market.”

“Was Mr. Dandridge as corrupt as Lockhart?” Tyler asked.

“I somehow doubt it,” William answered. “I never knew Lockhart all that well, but didn’t like him just the same. Strangely enough, he seems to think of Hannah—Miss Dandridge—as his own personal property. He keeps telling her that her father wanted them to marry.”

Tyler laughed at this. “I can just bet he does. A fella that old with a young beauty like Miss Dandridge would be quite the match. Did her father really want Lockhart to marry her?”

Shrugging, William maneuvered his horse to the right to get around one of the steers and encourage him to get back in step with the others. “I don’t know much, but the way she talks, I can’t imagine her father made those wishes very clear—if he mentioned them at all.”

“I can’t imagine any man hatin’ his child so much that he’d want her to marry a weasel like Lockhart,” Tyler added.

They rode in silence for a few moments before William asked, “So why did you join up to fight?”

“I wanted to make my grandfather and ma proud. I know Ma didn’t want me to go, but Grandpa Venton said it was our duty. Once the fighting began in earnest, Grandpa said that was enough of that. He felt like the North was stickin’ its nose into our business. He would have gone, too, if they’d have had him.”

“They probably would now.” William shook his head. “The South has to know it’s going to lose. They lack the industry they need to hold out forever.”

“You want to know something, Will? I believe that’s the truth of it. I had thought at one time the North might just let us slip away and be done with it. But now it’s a fight of pride as much as anything else. The North isn’t going to let the South off easy, no matter what. In fact, even after this war is over, I’ve no doubt we’ll be payin’ for our actions for a long time.”

“Yeah, I think you’re probably right.”

They had reached the edge of the yard and William rode ahead of the steers to open the gate at the pen. The cows were surprisingly docile and plodded one by one through the opening. William secured the gate behind them and turned to smile at Tyler. “Now just another fifty-six or so to round up.”

“You won’t regret this, Will. I’ll make sure our side knows about your help. In fact, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to set out three herds of twenty steers each. That’s a small enough number so as not to arouse too much suspicion. Three men can easily handle that many . . . in fact two men can do it. I thought maybe you and me, we might make up one team.”

“You want me to help you drive the cattle east?”

Tyler nodded. “I figure to send the other two groups to the north and south of us. Like I said, we tried to arrange places along the way where folks would help us. We have a good plan, but I’d feel a whole sight better if you would ride with me. Private Bierman isn’t much of a cattleman. He rides well enough, but his father bought his way into the cavalry. I think the boy only worked in his pa’s store prior to that. I’ll put him with two of the other men and that will just leave another two-man team. If you’d join us, I’d make sure the Confederacy knew of your help. Maybe give you a clean record in their eyes.”

“I don’t want to help any army,” William replied. “I’m doing this for the sake of feeding the hungry. I would just as soon see civilians receive this food as feed the Confederate Army. If you hate me for that, I understand, but it doesn’t change my heart.”

“No, I don’t hate you, Will. We’ve been friends too long for that. This war has given all of us hard choices. Do it for whatever purpose you choose, but I really need your help. At least as far as Shreveport. I can probably pick up another man or two there.”

“I’ll think on it. First we have to get enough steers to make it worth your while.”

Tyler laughed. “Just being here with the beautiful Miss Hannah Dandridge makes it worth my while. I much prefer scavenging for food in the company of pretty gals over killin’ men.” He sobered and rubbed his chin. “Yes, sir, I prefer just about anything to killin’.”

“Well, I wish you luck with Miss Dandridge. You will most likely find a battlefield easier to manage.”

After supper that evening, Hannah worked with Marty and Andy to clean up the kitchen. She’d sent Juanita and her family away, giving them the rest of the night to themselves. She did this at times just to enjoy a quiet house and to do her own chores instead of having a servant do them for her.

She felt it was also important for Andy and Marty to learn responsibility. Hannah figured the sooner they learned, the better off they’d be. She’d come to Texas having to learn most everything for herself, and it hadn’t been easy. Fancy sewing, playing the piano, and painting teacups had done very little to help her on the frontier.

Marty yawned and stretched to reach one of the cups Hannah had just washed. “I’m tired of dishes,” Marty declared. “I dry two hundred dishes every day.”

“Is that so?” Hannah asked her sister.

Looking up, Marty appeared only slightly chagrined. “No, but sometimes it feels that way.” She looked back at the cup in her hand. “I really hate cups. They got handles and are all curvy with little places that stay wet. I don’t mind plates.”

Hannah smiled. “I feel the same way about washing them, but they have to be done. And look, we’re nearly finished.”

Andy returned just then to put the salt and pepper on the stove. “Table’s clean.”

“Thank you.” She took pity on Marty. “Why don’t you and Andy go play a game of checkers. I’ll finish up here and then I’ll read you a story before you go to bed.”

Marty didn’t need to be asked twice. She put the cup down none too gently and threw the dish towel aside. “I’m gonna beat you,” she told Andy.

“Ha. I taught you how to play. You can’t beat me.” They continued the discussion as they left the kitchen and headed down the hall.

Hannah couldn’t help but smile. Her heart swelled with the love and devotion she felt for them. She wanted them to be safe, protected. Perhaps that was why she’d been giving more and more thought to what she would do if her father was proven to be dead.

“Miss Dandridge?”

She turned to find the lieutenant standing at the back door.

“I wonder if you might have a few minutes to walk outside with me. It’s real nice outside—a little chilly, but the stars are out.” He grinned. “I know it might not be in keeping with proper etiquette, but I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes.”

Hannah smiled. “At times the rules of proper society get only a head nod on the frontier. I think we can make an exception. Let me grab a wrap.” She dried her hands but didn’t pull off her apron. Instead, she went to where the lieutenant stood and motioned behind him. “My shawl is just there, if you’ll allow me to get it.”

“Here, let me.” He took hold of the brown wool shawl and helped Hannah to adjust it around her shoulders. “There.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” She allowed him to open the back door and escort her outside.

The stars shone brilliantly overhead, just as the lieutenant had mentioned. The skies were a piercing black with thousands upon thousands of pinpricks of light. Hannah had oftentimes enjoyed coming outside to just stare up at the glory of God’s heavens. Tonight was certainly no different.

“Have you ever seen anything so lovely?” she asked, her gaze fixed on the sky.

“No, ma’am, I haven’t.”

She turned to find the lieutenant watching her. Hannah felt her cheeks grow hot and looked away. “My mother used to remind me that the Psalms speak of how the heavens declare the glory of God. She said that all of creation was designed to bring glory back to the Creator.” She drew a deep breath of the chilled night air and smiled. “Are you a man of God, Lieutenant?”