Undaunted Love (28 page)

“And I suppose you’re a man now because you’ve managed to father a child,” Hugh said with disdain.

“No sir, I’m a man now because I’ve set things right with God, and I’ve come back to set things right with Livvie, with you, and with Mr. Gingras. I’m back for my family, sir, and there ain’t nothin’ on God’s green earth that’s gonna keep me from them.”

Chapter Fifty-Three

H
UGH BYRD KICKED THEM OUT of the house, never seeming to mind that it wasn’t his house to begin with. As they walked down the steps to the waiting buggy, Livvie found herself smiling. She felt as if a bale of cotton had been lifted off of her back. She hadn’t realized how much keeping the secret of her marriage had weighed on her until that weight was no longer there. She didn’t care that Hugh Byrd had all but disowned her. He was not the kind of father one was close to, and she had friends, her sister, her husband, and her son. That was more than enough.

Rafe took her hand and looked at her with concern. When he saw her smiling instead of crying, his brow creased in confusion. Livvie laughed.

“We’re free! Don’t you see? The secrets, the lying, it’s all over now. We’re free to do as we please, go where we please, together. Always and forevermore, together!”

He handed her up into the buggy and gave her Gabriel, a grin slowly spreading across his face. He climbed up and sat beside her, telling the driver to take them back to the inn.

“You’re right! I still held out hope that he would welcome me, or at least welcome Gabriel. But I guess I always knew he wouldn’t. And now we’ve owned up, and you’re right – no more lying!” He turned her face to his and kissed her, deeply and passionately. She returned the kiss, blushing at the brazenness of it, but realizing it was a sign, a symbol, to all the world. They belonged to each other.

They returned the next day to Charleston, and, by way of Jeb’s rig, to Wadmalaw and the Kinney farm. Madeline was kneading dough when they entered the house, and came out of the kitchen smiling and covered with flour.

“I can sure guess how it went,” she said. “But don’t you pay Daddy no mind. Even if he never comes around, honestly, it’s no great loss.”

“Mad!” Livvie exclaimed, laughing.

“Well, it’s true. Since Mama died – since the War, really – he’s not even been around. And truth be told, we haven’t missed him a bit. He doesn’t even know my children’s names most of the time!” She put her hand on her burgeoning belly. “But Gardner’s mama’s a gem, and I’ve got you… God makes His own families, doesn’t he?”

Livvie hugged her. Gabriel was fussing, so she excused herself to feed and change him, and put him down for a nap. Madeline went back into the kitchen, and Rafe trailed behind her.

“Sheriff Gingras come yesterday?” he asked when she was back at the table, kneading a large blob of dough.

Madeline nodded. “Aye. Talked to Gardner out on the steps. Gardner wouldn’t let him in the house.” She grinned. “He told the sheriff that you didn’t kill that man, and asked what proof he had that you had done. The only thing he said was that you’d run away. Gardner allowed as how that wasn’t proof of a thing.”

Rafe sat down at the table and smiled ruefully. “Don’t look good, though. But now Livvie’ll tell him the truth, and then we can be on our way home.”

“I hope so. He seems pretty determined.”

“
God
knows I didn’t kill that man. I never even saw him! He’ll protect us.”

Madeline smiled and kept kneading. In her experience, bad things happened despite the truth all the time, but she didn’t share that with Rafe. She just prayed that he was right, and asked God for wisdom. What they needed was for the real murderer to get caught.

Sheriff Gingras returned late that afternoon. He was surprised to see Rafe back at the Kinney’s house, sure that he’d run again. Gardner stood on the porch between them, keeping Gingras from arresting Rafe and carting him off to the small jail in Byrd’s Creek.

“Sheriff,” Rafe said, holding out his hand. When Gingras didn’t shake it, he nodded instead. “I’m sorry for the confusion. I came back for a few things, and one of them was to clear things up with you. I didn’t kill that man. I never even met him.”

Gingras spit off to the side, into the flowerbed at the base of the porch. “I don’t believe that for a skinny minute, Mr. Colton. You come back to town, the man that bought your house and turned your mama out winds up dead that same night, and you think I’m gonna believe it weren’t you?” He laughed.

Livvie opened the door and walked out, going over to Rafe and putting her arm around his waist. “Do you know who I am, Sheriff?”

Gingras was confused, but answered. “Aye, you’re Livvie Byrd.”

She shook her head. “I’m Livvie Byrd Colton. Rafe and I got married, April 23, 1861. I was at Mrs. Hauser’s house after Rafe came home that day. And I was with him all that night. We didn’t sleep much.” She looked Gingras straight in the eye.

“That ain’t possible,” he said. “I didn’t see you there.”

“You didn’t see me because we hadn’t told my daddy we were married, and only a few people knew. Mariah Colton, Nackie, Mrs. Hauser, my mama and sister, Emmy… I shoulda come out that day and told you, but I was scared of Daddy. So I didn’t, and I lost Rafe for another year. But we told him yesterday, and now there’s no more secretes. And I’m not afraid.”

“You weren’t there! We woulda seen you,” Gingras insisted.

“You didn’t go in the house,” Rafe reminded him. “You can ask Mrs. Hauser, or Nackie. They were both there. Nackie’s here now, if you want to ask him.”

The man was furious, that much was plain, but with Gardner standing between him and Rafe, and the daughter of the area’s most prominent citizen vouchsafing for the young man, he had few options.

“I will go on out and talk to Mrs. Hauser, you can be sure of that,” he finally said, stalking down the steps and climbing on the cart he’d brought in anticipation of arresting young Rafe Colton. “This ain’t over.”

“Find the real murderer, Sheriff,” Gardner said. “Then it’ll be over.”

Gingras spit again and flicked the reins hard, startling the horse, who began cantering across the yard. Gingras swerved onto the drive, and left a dust cloud in his wake.

Gardner turned to them. “This ain’t over.”

Livvie shrugged. “I told the truth, and Mrs. Hauser will tell him the same.”

“Maybe he’ll spend some time trying to find who really killed that man now,” Rafe said. “Byrd’s Creek’s got a murderer in it, and he’s feeling mighty big for his britches right about now.” Rafe hugged Livvie closer to him, and kissed her above her ear.

They all turned and went inside, hearing the laughter of children at play.

That night, Livvie and Rafe sat on their bed while the baby slept, whispering about their plans. Looking over Captain O’Donnell’s schedule, they saw that the
Fiery Cross
would be back in Charleston in five day’s time. If they left Wadmalaw in three, they could spend time with the Greenes, purchase a few pieces of lighter weight clothing for Livvie, and be there when the ship came to port.

Sitting cross legged on the bed, their knees touching, whispering about plans that could now, finally, come to fruition, Livvie felt like she was living in a dream. She’d imagined her life with Rafe so many times before, imagined what it would be like if she knew he was going to be with her forever, and not just for a week or a day… But the reality was so much better than her daydreams, she couldn’t help but smile at him.

“What?” he asked, catching her grinning.

“Nothing. I just love you,” she whispered. “I love that we’re gonna to be together always, that whatever we do from now on, it’ll be together. That we’re gonna be a family, and live somewhere where everyone will know it.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips.

As she pulled back, Rafe took the back of her head in his right had and gently pulled her forward. With his left he ran his hand slowly up her thigh. He kissed her deeply, breathing in her scent at the same time, keeping his eyes open to engage all of his senses. She was looking at him, too, crinkles at the corners of her eyes. She moved to sit on his lap, continuing the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. He slid his around her waist, drawing her to him.

Chapter Fifty-Four

R
AFE WENT OUT TO THE fields with Gardner early the next morning. He loved the smell of the rich earth, the spicy scent of the cotton and tobacco when the leaves were bent or crushed, the sound of the breeze across the fields. There was dew on the plants, glinting like diamonds in the early morning sun, and the day hadn’t heated up yet. He walked down the rows, pulling weeds and tossing worms into a bucket, remembering the days when he’d done the same thing with his daddy. He smiled at those memories, no longer angry at his parents for leaving him penniless. Now he knew that God had used all those circumstances to bring him here, to the man he was, with the family he’d been blessed with.

“Gard!” he called over to his brother-in-law, who was walking a row ten yards away.

“Ayuh!” Gardner called back. “Got something?”

“No, just wonderin’. You think Gingras is really gone?” He bent down and pulled a wiry weed.

Gardner shrugged. “Should be. But I can’t get the measure of the man. He ain’t from around here, and seems like Hugh only brought him here to get his Yankee friends land.”

“I don’t understand about that. Hugh was an advisor to the Confederate government.”

“Men like Hugh, they don’t have loyalties, beyond money. He had contacts up North before the War, business associates, bankers. I imagine that when the War started goin’ bad, he found a way to get in touch with those men, start buildin’ support for his ambitions about the Senate. He found a way to pay for votes, for contributions.” Gardner stopped walking and looked at Rafe. “You’re in his way, you know.”

“Me? Why? I’m not doin’ anything to Hugh Byrd, leastwise nothin’ that ain’t already been done. And Livvie wasn’t gonna marry Wyman anyways.”

“The new fella is nicer, and he’s from an even more influential family. I imagine Cole Sanderson’s daddy ain’t gonna be too happy that Liv’s already married, and with a baby, worse still. Dependin’ on how Hugh tells it, he may lose his support.” Gardner plucked a hornworm off a tobacco leaf and plunked it in his bucket.

“Well, he certainly can say he didn’t know. That’s the truth.”

“Hugh don’t deal in the truth much. So even when he tells it, who knows if anyone’ll believe him. If he can use Gingras to get rid of you, you can be sure he will, even if it won’t help him now. You and Livvie need to get on up to Charleston and on that ship.”

Returning to the house for lunch, the men washed up and went into the kitchen. Nackie and Madeline were chatting and cutting out biscuits with a glass. Madeline smiled at her husband, then looked with surprise at Rafe.

“Where’s Liv?” she asked.

Rafe and Gardner looked at her in confusion. “We’ve been out on the back ten all morning, wormin’ and weedin’,” Gardner said. “She weren’t out there.”

Madeline and Nackie exchanged a glance. “Judah brung in a note for her, and she read it and said she was meetin’ you at the barn,” Nackie said to Rafe.

“I didn’t send a note, and I only went to the barn a few minutes ago to wash up…” He frowned, looking at Gardner, then back at Nackie. “He wouldn’t…” he muttered, and ran out the kitchen door. Gardner followed, leaving Madeline and Nackie standing in confusion.

They burst through the big barn door, Rafe calling out, “Liv? Livvie? Are you here?”

Gardner walked through the dark barn, looking in stalls and behind bales of hay. Rafe quickly climbed up the ladder to the loft. There was a blanket spread out on the hay, anchored on one corner by a basket. A hat, just like his own, was resting on a bale near the wall. Rafe felt the blood drain from his face, and his heart started beating so strongly that all he could hear was it thumping in his ears.

“Gard! Come up here!”

Nackie gently questioned Judah. The boy was terrified, and he huddled against his mother on his narrow bed. Chloe stroked his hair and whispered to him, and Nackie sat calmly, a smile on his face, patient.

“It’s all right, son, everything’s jes fine. No one’s sayin’ you did nothin’ wrong. Mistuh Gard, he ain’t mad, nor Miz Madeline, neither. But we need you to tell us ‘bout dat note, Judah, so’s we can find Miz Livvie. You want to find her, I know, so you just tell me all about it, and we’ll git to findin’ her.”

Chloe kissed her son on the head, and hugged him. The boy stopped quivering and closed his eyes. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “I wuz doin’ my chores, those what Mama and Miz Maddie tole me for the day. I was cleanin’ out the trough so’s I could put clean water in, and a man, he comes around the corner of the barn. He scared me, a little bit, but den he smile at me, and he give me a sweetie, and he say he a friend a’Miz Livvie and was passin’ by to Charleston so could I give her a note. Then he give me another sweetie, and I say I will, so he give me da note, and den he left.” He said it all quickly, with hardly a break in the story. Tears ran down his face. “He wuz nice, Nack, he wuz. He… he smiled at me, and he say it was a lark, just a treat for Miz Livvie. He didn’t seem like one to hurt her, I swear!”

“We don’t know he hurt her, Judah. She jus’, she be gone is all, and Mistuh Rafe and Mistuh Gardner, they want to find her, bring her back home.” He patted the boy on the knee. “Now, what did this man look like?”

Closing his eyes, Judah said quietly, “He were tall, almos’ as tall as Mistuh Rafe, but he had black hair like Mistuh Gardner, and blue eyes. Really blue. He were big, too, with a cloak on, and I thought it were too hot for that cloak, but he pulled the sweeties from the pockets, so…” Chloe hugged him tightly, looking over his head at Nackie, concern on her kind face.

“Thank you, Judah. You done a good job. Now I’m gonna go tell Mistuh Rafe what you say, and if you think a’somethin’ else, you tell yo mama, you hear?”

The boy nodded miserably, and Nackie left the small cabin and walked as quickly as his old legs would carry him back to the house.

“Wyman,” Rafe said angrily.

“Ayuh, sounds like it,” agreed Gardner, who was checking his shotgun. Madeline handed Rafe a rifle.

“Where would he take her?” Rafe asked. “Does he still rent a house in Byrd’s Creek?”

“I don’t know,” Madeline said. “But how could he get her into a house in the middle of town, in the middle of the day? Everyone knows Liv, and she would be screamin’ and hollerin’ and havin’ a conniption.”

Rafe smiled grimly and thought,
If he hasn’t knocked her out.
But he didn’t say it out loud, knowing that Madeline was already terrified for her sister. But it was true, if Livvie was alive and conscious, she wouldn’t be going quietly.

“We need to tell Sheriff Gingras,” Gardner said quietly.

“That oughta go down a treat,” Rafe said sarcastically.

Ignoring him, Gardner turned to his wife. “We’ll go to Byrd’s Creek and find the sheriff first. We’ll check the house Wyman was stayin’ in. If we don’t find her, we’ll start askin’ questions. You stay here, case she gets back. If Wyman Phelps turns up, shoot him.” He handed her a rifle.

They raced across the island, over the bridge, and into Byrd’s Creek. Rafe told Gardner to find Gingras, and he set off to the house where Wyman had lived while he worked for Hugh Byrd. When he got there, he leapt off the horse and ran to the front door of the small clapboard bungalow, pounding on it with both fists.

“Open up! Hey! Open up!” he hollered, continuing to bang on the door.

He heard the latch, and when the door opened an inch he pushed inside. It was dim and it took his eyes a moment to adjust in the dark foyer. He turned quickly to face the person who opened the door. In front of him was a young girl, about six, with wide brown eyes and a terrified expression. He heard footsteps and turned, and found himself face to face with an older version of the girl, a woman in her twenties with the same wide brown eyes. But her expression was one of fury, and she was aiming a rolling pin directly at his head.