Chasing the Sun (23 page)

“She’s a good woman,” Tyler said, plucking a piece of hay from a nearby bale. “The truth will show her you’re a good man.”

“I’d like to believe that,” William said, shaking his head, “but she’s been through an awful lot. I couldn’t blame her if she wanted no part of me.”

Tyler grinned. “Well, if she wants no part of you, tell her to come see me.”

William’s brow rose. “You’d best watch how you talk. I could decide to get jealous.” He smiled and lay back against his bedroll.

“Guess I’ll take first watch.” Tyler got to his feet. “You just stay there and dream those sweet dreams of Hannah Dandridge.”

“I won’t dream at all if you don’t shut up,” William said, pulling his hat down over his eyes.

It was sometime later when Tyler woke him up. “I hear something.”

William jumped up and quickly reached for his rifle. “I’ll go up,” he said, pointing to the loft.

Tyler nodded and motioned to the stack of hay. “I’ll be in there.”

They went quickly to their places and waited. It wasn’t long before the door to the barn creaked open. William aimed his rifle for the opening and waited.

“Lieutenant? You in here?” a voice called out. “It’s me, Grubbs. Sidley is here, too.”

William heard Tyler moving below. “I’m here,” Tyler announced.

A lantern was lit and soon revealed the two men. William came down the ladder just as Corporal Grubbs explained their plight.

“Got into trouble north of Flower Point. Union soldiers caught wind of the cattle and that was the end of it. Sidley and me, we barely managed to get away. Figured to see if you’d made it this far yet. Talked to Montague at the house, and he said you was here.”

“You very nearly made it to the Mississippi River,” Tyler said, shaking his head. “We’re not even going to get that far.”

“No sir, you won’t,” Grubbs said. “That’s why we was hopin’ to find you. There’s too many troops guarding the river. Ain’t no chance to get them animals ferried across. There are a sight more patrols than when we went west, and I don’t reckon they’re gonna stop anytime soon.”

“We’ve seen our share of renegade Yankees. Guess we’re gonna have to get back to the captain and figure another way to smuggle in food.” Tyler looked to William. “Since Grubbs and Sidley are here with me, you can feel free to head back anytime you like.”

William nodded. That was the only encouragement he needed. Having had a few hours of sleep, he was more than happy to get back in the saddle. Tyler followed him to where William squatted down to gather his things.

“I want to thank you for what you’ve done.”

“What I tried to do, anyway,” William said, glancing up at his friend.

“I’ll see to it that the captain knows about your help.”

William shook his head. “Don’t. There’s no need. I wanted to help the hungry, not further the cause for either side. I’m sick of this war.”

“I guess we all are.”

Standing, William gave Tyler a smile. “Come see me after the war. You can stay on at my place while you rebuild yours.”

Tyler nodded and the two men embraced. William gave Tyler a slap on the back as he pulled away. “Catch ya later, Johnny Reb.”

“Not if I catch you first, Billy Yank,” Tyler countered with a grin.

B
ut you must not go,” Juanita insisted. Hannah put the last of their bags in the back of the wagon and Juanita continued to repeat her concerns. “It is too . . . how you . . . danger . . .”

“Dangerous,” Hannah replied and turned to face her friend. “I know the dangers quite well. I have no choice. We will first let Mr. Lockhart know about the letter and then move on to hear what the judge has to say. I cannot suppose that it will be news in my favor, however.”

She looked at the few things they had packed. “If we might impose upon you to keep the rest of our things until we can send for them, I’d be grateful.”

“Of course, but you wait for Mr. Will. He not want you to risk this. He want you and Andy and Marty to stay here.”

Juanita had taken hold of her arm, and Hannah put her hand over the woman’s smooth brown skin. “I have to go, Juanita. I think you know why I feel this way. My heart . . . well . . . if I don’t go now, I might well make a fool of myself.”

“To be a fool for love is not so bad,” the older woman replied with a smile. “You and Mr. Will, you need each other.”

“But don’t you see? If I stay and declare my feelings for him, he will just think I’m doing it because of the ranch. I can’t have him believe that of me.”

Juanita shook her head vigorously. “No. No that is wrong. Mr. Will not think that. I know he care for you.”

Hannah wanted to believe this, but it didn’t really matter. There were so many obstacles to their love. An entire war stood between them.

Andy and Marty came dragging from the house. Their expressions were evidence of their unhappiness at Hannah’s decision. Marty ran the last few feet and wrapped her arms around Hannah.

“I don’t want to go,” she told her sister.

“I know.” Hannah let go of her hold on Juanita and lifted Marty in her arms. “But God has a plan for us, and we need to find out what it is.”

“Maybe His plan is to just stay here,” Marty suggested.

Hannah looked at the little girl and shrugged. “If God wants us to stay here then He’ll make that clear.”

“How?” Marty asked.

Andy said nothing as he climbed into the wagon seat. He was a different boy since the loss of their father. Hannah lifted Marty into the wagon and sighed.

“If God wants us to stay here,” she told them, “then He will bring us back.”

Juanita handed her a lap blanket, and Hannah passed it up to the children. “I hope we can send for the rest of our things and the milk cows once we’re settled,” she said, hoisting her skirts to climb into the wagon. She glanced to the back to recheck that Andy’s horse was tied to the wagon.

“You wait until the men return. They come back today—maybe tomorrow,” Juanita said, her tone pleading. “You wait.”

Hannah shook her head. She had purposefully decided to leave while Berto and the others were out checking on the cattle. “In a few days the judge will wonder why William failed to show up. I want to make sure we are there on his account. He shouldn’t lose his family’s ranch just because he didn’t know to be there. I owe him that much.”

Pepita came to join her mother. She was every bit as downcast as the others. Juanita put her arm around the girl and hugged her close. Hannah would miss them more than she cared to admit.

“Juanita, you have been as dear as a sister to me. I pray God blesses you with His protection and peace.”

“I pray for you,” Juanita said, unable to hold back her tears. “I pray He bring you back to us.”

Hannah nodded and wiped a stray tear of her own. “I would very much like that.” She released the brake and snapped the reins. The same matched bays that had brought her and her family to Texas—to this ranch—were now taking her away. Only this time, Hannah had no idea where the road would take them. They’d come west “chasing the sun,” as her grandmother and father had once said. She glanced up at the dull skies.

“We just didn’t know the sun would elude us.”

“What did you say?” Marty asked, huddling closer to Hannah.

She smiled. “Nothing important.” She looked over to her brother. “So are you two ready for a great adventure?”

“What kind of adventure?” Marty asked.

Andy remained uncommunicative and stared off toward the horizon. Hannah could only guess what he might be thinking. How she wished she could offer him comfort and reassurance. She had promised Andy that one day they would go and find their father’s grave and have the body moved back to Vicksburg, where he could be laid to rest with their mothers. It seemed to offer him some degree of peace.

Hannah could only hope that Mr. Lockhart would have the answers she needed. She knew he wouldn’t accept the fact that she intended to leave the area. For that reason she had told the children to say nothing to him about their plans. She would let him know about the meeting with the judge in Dallas, but that was all.

They rode in silence for a good long time. Hannah wanted to find a way to reach Andy, but she knew it wouldn’t happen if she forced him to talk before he was ready. They were still a good three miles from town when he surprised her, however.

“Do you think Pa is in heaven?” he asked.

“I do,” Hannah replied. “Or wherever Paradise might be. Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Jesus that very day in Paradise.”

“But Pa was mad at God. He told me so. Does God forgive you when you’re mad at Him?”

Hannah considered his question for a moment. “I believe God is a loving and just God. He knows when our hearts are burdened and we don’t understand. He considers our hearts and the motives we have for every action. I think God forgives us for our confusion and misunderstandings. I think He knows,” she told the children as much as herself, “that we are weak and human and we make so very many mistakes. But I know God loves us in spite of this.”

“But how can you be sure, Hannah?” Andy questioned. “Isn’t being mad at God like denying God? I remember my Sunday school teacher said that denying God was a sin that couldn’t be forgiven.”

The thought of this alarmed Hannah momentarily. She found herself praying for wisdom, and then it came to her as clear as any truth could be. “But that can’t be true. Peter denied Jesus three times and Jesus forgave him. Jesus even knew Peter was going to do this well ahead of time. Do you remember?”

Andy shook his head, so Hannah continued. “When they were about to take Jesus prisoner, Peter wanted to fight. He said he would defend Jesus to the death, but Jesus knew that Peter was weak and human.”

“Just like us?” Marty asked.

Hannah glanced at her sister. “Yes. Just like us. Jesus said Peter would deny him, but Peter said it would never happen. Then later, after they’d taken Jesus, some people recognized Peter and said, ‘Hey, he’s one of Jesus’ friends.’ Peter was terrified. He told the people he wasn’t a friend to Jesus. He did it three times, and when he realized that he had done exactly what Jesus said he would do, Peter’s heart was broken.”

Andy shook his head. “But how do you know He forgave Peter?”

“Because later, after the wicked men put Jesus to death on the cross—after He was buried and rose from the dead—Jesus went to His disciples. He sat with them and talked to them. He talked to Peter about whether or not Peter loved Him and would serve Him. He loved Peter very much, even though Peter had denied Jesus. I believe God loves us so much that when we ask Him for forgiveness, He gives it. It’s His gift to us.”

“We’re in for it now,” Andy said, pointing to the north, where the land rose up in a series of small wavelike hills.

His change of subject surprised her almost as much as the problem he’d pointed to. Hannah saw the entirety of the hill fill with mounted Comanche and Kiowa warriors. They were wearing their war shirts, and while Hannah couldn’t make out the details of their faces to any degree, they appeared to be painted for battle. Pulling back on the reins, Hannah halted the horses.

“Get in the back,” she told the children. “Get under our bags and pull the feed sacks close. Stay down no matter what happens.”

“Are we gonna die?” Marty asked, starting to cry. “Are they going to shoot us with arrows?”

“I hope not,” Hannah said. “I would hope they have heard that we are their friends—that we want only to live in peace.” She kept her sights fixed on the strengthening band and then back to the road. There was no hope of outrunning these mounted warriors. She could neither make it to town without them catching up to her, nor could she turn the wagon around and head back to the ranch without interception.

God,
she prayed silently
, please send your angels to protect us. Help us now, Father, for we are all alone.

Andy had already climbed over the seat into the back of the wagon, but Marty clung to Hannah. Prying the little girl’s hands from her arm, Hannah smiled.

“God knows what we need, Marty. He’s watching over us.”

“He was watching over Pa, too,” Andy added from behind her, “but that didn’t do no good.”

She looked over her shoulder at the boy. “God alone knows the truth, Andy. But He promised in the Bible that He would never leave us or forsake us. He didn’t say we wouldn’t have trouble.” She looked back to the Indians, who had stopped advancing. They merely sat there, watching. Their silence and stillness were enough to make Hannah even more nervous.

“Marty, please do as I’ve asked,” Hannah said. “I’m going to start for town very slowly and see what the Indians do.”

The little girl began to sob. “Don’t let them shoot you, Hannah.”

“I won’t.”

Her sister reluctantly climbed into the back and took her place beside Andy. Hannah waited until both of them were lying flat before urging the horses forward once again. They had only gone about fifty yards, however, when two of the warriors broke from the gathering and started toward them. Hannah swallowed the dusty lump in her throat. No matter what happened in the next few minutes, she knew she had to be strong for Marty and Andy.

When the two warriors positioned their mounts in the middle of the road, Hannah felt her heart sink. One of the men raised his hand to indicate she should stop, and so she did. She reined in the bays and set the brake, all while praying that God would help them.

The riders moved forward and it was then that familiarity began to permeate Hannah’s brain. “Night Bear? Red Dog?”

“It is as you say,” Night Bear replied, moving his mount to the side of the wagon where Hannah sat.

“But how is it that you are here? I thought the soldiers made you go to the reservation.”

“They did, but we escaped. We are now joined with our brothers to kill the soldiers.”

Hannah frowned. “Must you always be at war?”

“They killed my people,” Night Bear said, seeming years older than she remembered. With his red, black, and white face paint, he seemed every bit the formidable foe. “I must fight.”

“But God loves you, Night Bear. He would not want you to go on killing. God is about peace and love.”

He looked at her for a moment. “Your God, He does not make war?”

Hannah frowned. “Well, there were times when battle was necessary and God supported His people on those occasions.”

“Your God would not fight for His people?”

She felt it was impossible to explain, but tried her best. “God does fight for His people. He’s always with us—always providing for our needs. I wish I had the right words to make you understand. There is a time to fight, but also a time to refrain from fighting and lay down your weapons.”

“This is not that time,” Night Bear said

His dark-eyed gaze pierced Hannah’s heart. “I do not wish to see you die,” she said. “Nor do I want my family to be harmed. Will you kill us?”

He looked at her oddly. “I do not kill those who helped my people. You and William are my friends. Your people will not be harmed. I have told my brothers of your deeds. You are respected among the Numunuu.” He reached behind him and drew around a leather war shield. It was fringed and there was beading across the top.

“This belonged to my father. It was used in great talks, but not in battle. You keep this with you and my people will know that you are a friend to us.”

Hannah didn’t know what to do. She knew after the soldiers’ raid on the village that there couldn’t be much the boy could claim as belonging to his family. She couldn’t even imagine how he might have obtained this shield. “I can’t take that,” she said. “It should remain with you as a reminder of your father.”

Night Bear shook his head. “I do not need this to remember my father. He was a great man—a great warrior. I will make him proud. I will fight his enemies and make war on those who made war on him.”

Taking the shield in hand, Hannah held his gaze for a moment. “I will cherish it, but if one day you would like to have it back, I will return it to your care.”

The young man reined his horse hard to the right, then looked back over his shoulder. “I will remember you.”

He said something in his native tongue, but Hannah didn’t understand. “What did you say?”

He smiled ever so slightly. “I said you make my spirit glad.”

Hannah looked to Red Dog and back to Night Bear. “I will pray for you . . . for you both. I will pray you will find a way to be at peace with my people—that we will live in peace with the Numunuu.”