Destination: Romance: Five Inspirational Love Stories Spanning the Globe

by Kim Vogel Sawyer

  “We’re here.” Lafe loosened his grip at last. “Now, see if you can find the opening.”

  She turned in all directions scanning the hillside, but as far as she could see there were only rocks, brush and trees. Nothing that resembled anything close to a way for her to enter a cave was visible.

  “So am I going to have to hunt for this place every time I come up here?”

  He turned her toward the rugged face of the hill, and wrapped his arms around her waist, his fingers splayed across the bump that was their unborn child. “You’re not going to climb up here over and over again. You’re staying here and not leaving until I come for you. Do you understand?”

  She tried to wiggle loose but he held tight. “Now? You want me to stay now? Lafe, I didn’t even clean up breakfast makings because you wouldn’t let me. The food will rot. I can’t just stay up here.”

  He tightened his grip even more. “Look, there are troops of Union soldiers at John Hook’s farm right now, and rumor has it General Ewing is mad enough to clear the border of any and all so-called enemy.”

  “And who is the enemy?”

  “Depends. But Ewing considers anyone not loyal to the Union an enemy, and that includes both men and women. You can’t trust anyone right now. Royal Weathers answered a knock on the door the other night and was shot dead right in front of his wife. Mrs. Weathers says Lyle Ford is the one who shot him. But right now, Ford isn’t anywhere to be found.”

  “Turn me loose. I want to look at you when we talk. Please.”

  He gave her tummy a pat, turned her around and pulled her against his chest.

  “No, don’t smother me.” She leaned away from him. “Tell me why Lyle Ford would shoot Mr. Weathers? They’re friends. I want to know, need to know, why would a friend kill a friend?”

  “Weathers was considered a southern sympathizer.”

  “But he doesn’t own slaves. Neither do we. Why would anyone want to kill him over an opinion? Besides, Royal Weathers is an old man, too old and crippled to be of any use to the war effort.”

  “No, he didn’t own slaves. But neither did he believe those Union people should be able to come into these hills and tell us what to do…what to believe. I think Ewing figures age don’t make a difference if a man believes different than him.”

  “What do we believe, Lafe?” Her heart pounded.

  “I don’t believe it’s right for one man to own another, but it ain’t right for one part of the country to tell another part what to believe, what they can and can’t do. If it means taking a stand, then I’m prepared to—”

  He couldn’t mean he’d be willing to die? What would happen to her and the babe? She put her hands over her ears. “Don’t say it. Please. I don’t want to hear you say you’d be willing to—to—”

  He traced her eyebrow with his finger. “I gotta say it, my love. If it ain’t worth dyin’ for, then it ain’t worth livin’ for. You want our child to be brought up believin’ one way but forced to live another? No, Char. Whatever it takes, I have to follow my conscience. That’s why I fixed this place for you and the wee one. You can’t trust no one. Royal trusted his neighbor, his friend, and look what it got him.”

  “Poor Mrs. Weathers. What will she do now?” She hid her face against Lafe’s chest. His heartbeat vibrated against her cheek. This was always her safe place, in his arms with her head against his chest. The steady thrum of his heart meant all was well—until today.

  “She has people back east. I reckon that’s where she’ll go, once she gets things packed up. But don’t you see? That could happen to me, too, and then what? You have no people back east, or north, or south, or any direction.”

  A cold chill shivered through her body and tied a knot of fear in her belly. The kind of fear that in the past meant being left alone, forsaken, forgotten. She pulled away from him and stood with her hands on her hips. “So you’re saying I need to stay up here in this cave.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “For how long? How long am I supposed to live like an animal?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Until this is over, I reckon.”

  “Over? Until what is over? This—this awful time of hate and mistrust? What if this child decides to be born when you’re off doing whatever it is you’ve been doing when you ride off into the night? What if something happens and there’s no one to go for Granny Wilson? What then? I don’t want this son or daughter to come into this world without a pa.”

  He pulled her to him again and pushed her head against his chest. This time his heartbeat thrummed wild and uneven. He smelled like sweat and horse and lye soap all mixed together. She clung to his sleeves as hard as she could.

  “How will I ever know if you’re coming back, Lafe? How long do you want me to wait before I come out of your hiding place? I can’t do it. I won’t do it. They won’t harm a lone woman, will they? Isn’t there a code or something that declares women to be safe? Whoever they are, aren’t they men like you? Don’t they have wives and families? Look at me. I’m big as a barn. They wouldn’t harm me. Beside, maybe—maybe it won’t come to that. Maybe—”

  He grabbed her shoulders and held her away from him. “Look at me and listen to me. It has already come to that. There’s an order—order number ten they call it—that says any woman or head of household who gives aid to any confederate will be ordered out of the territory. Not only that, they’ve already jailed women and girls just because their husbands or papas or brothers are fighting for what they believe in. You aren’t safe. No matter the code, there’s always them what think they don’t have to go by any rules a’tall. I’ve heard tales of what them kind do when they find a woman alone, and believe me, it will make little difference what shape you’re in.”

  She tried to shrug away, but he held fast. “You’re scaring me.”

  He nodded. “I know. That’s what I want to do. I want to scare you enough you’ll listen to me for a change.”

  “I listen to you.” She took his face in her hands and gazed into his eyes. “Even when you don’t say words, I hear you.”

  He bent and brushed his lips against hers. “Don’t need words, huh? Don’t tease, Char. There isn’t anything I want to do more than hold you right now. But there’s no time for that, and if you’d really been listening to me, you’d know I have to leave again…soon.”

  “How soon? Where? Why? When will you be back?” She pushed her face against his chest again. “Why can’t I stay in our cabin? I’ll lock the door. I won’t even light a lamp. No one can see our place from the road. If anyone comes, I’ll hide in the root cellar if need be.”

  He grabbed her shoulders and gave a little shake. “No! Doggone it, Charlotte, stop trying to talk your way out of this. There’s nowhere on our place you can hide where they won’t find you. They’ll look. I guarantee you, they’ll look. You’ve got to promise me you’ll stay here. I’ll find you, but you have to promise to do what I’ve asked.”

  She sighed. “Show me this cave then.”

  “You promise? Char, look at me.” He tipped her head back. “Look at my eyes and promise me you won’t try to be brave. Promise me you’ll stay right here and wait for me.”

  Tears streamed down his face. How could she deny him this request? He’d never asked her to do anything that would harm her. But her once smiling, happy-go-lucky husband had changed, and she hardly knew this determined, hardened man he’d become. He no longer whistled as he went about his daily chores. No longer grabbed her to show her a pretty cloud or asked her to listen with him as the mockingbird trilled through its repertoire. Even at night, while holding her, he seemed to always be listening, his body taut as though waiting for the knock that would signal him to leave.

  “I promise, Lafe. And I promise to wait for you. But you promise to come back to me, you hear? I need you. This babe needs you. Can you promise you’ll come back? Can you?”

  “All I can promise you, my love, is if I don’t, you’ll know I
died tryin’.”

  She pounded his chest with her fists. “That’s not funny, Lafe Teasdale.”

  “I know. But it’s all I can do for now.”

  She stood on tiptoes and pulled his face down to hers. Lafe could always kiss away her fears. And he tried. She knew he tried.

  This time it didn’t work.

  CHAPTER 2

  Charlotte eyed the narrow opening between two large rocks that obscured the mouth of the cave. “And just how am I supposed to fit through there?” Lafe grinned at her. “You’ll have to side-step through here, my love. I’m afraid there isn’t enough room for you and the babe to go straight through.” He gripped her hand as he went ahead of her.

  “It’s your fault, in case you have any more smart observations.” Charlotte held tight to his hand as she wiggled between the rocks.

  Once inside he relaxed his grip and slipped his arm to her shoulders. “Let your eyes adjust to the darkness before you go any farther. During daylight hours, enough sunlight’ll sneak through that high crevice to let you find your way around.”

  She squinted through the shadows and her heart dropped. “There’s nothing here. It’s empty.” How could he do this? Surely he didn’t intend for her to live like this.

  “I know, and I’m hoping that’s what anyone else who might happen onto this place will think. But follow me.” He grasped her hand again.

  She tugged against his grip. “Lafe. Stop. I can’t do this. I can’t live like some kind of wild animal while you’re off to wherever it is you’re going.”

  He drew her to him. “Just a bit farther, my love. It isn’t as bad as you think. You’ll see. Trust me.”

  The lump in her throat prevented her from uttering one word, but she managed a shrug and a nod. She’d go along with his plan…for now.

  Beyond the first chamber, through another narrow passage, was a second, smaller room. A bed of coals, surrounded by flat rocks and topped with an iron grate, supported a pot of simmering stew. The glowing coals sent weak light over the room. Charlotte blinked against tears. Logs topped with a crude plank made a table. Cushions made with grain sacks would suffice for seating.

  She crossed to the warmth of the coals and hugged herself. “Is it safe?”

  He put his arms around her and grinned. “Safe? You mean my cooking?”

  She pushed away from him. “No. I mean, is it safe to have a fire in here?”

  “You really think I’d hide you away up here and not make sure it was safe? The cave goes deep into the hill. And it’s well vented. I made sure of it.”

  “And I suppose you’ve thought about food, too?”

  He pulled a wooden barrel from the shadows against the wall. “There’s salt pork in here. I dug what was left of the carrots and turnips while you was a sleepin’ this morning. They’re in the sacks along the wall, along with the potatoes. If all else fails, you know how to make rabbit traps.” He pointed to a small crate next to the sacks. “There’s candles in there, and matches, too, but use’em sparingly so they’ll last.”

  Her mind swirled, but she knew better than to ask more questions. She lifted one of the cushions and burrowed her face against the rough burlap. This man, who insisted she not ask questions, had remembered how much she loved the fragrance of pine. She took a deep sniff of the pine needle stuff- ing and smiled. “They’ll be a bit stickery to sit on, but thank you for remembering.”

  He hugged her close to his side. “I remember you every minute I’m away from you. If I close my eyes, your face is ever before me. At night, I imagine you in my arms. Even when we’re far apart, you’re so close to my heart I can even smell you…the sweetness of wild roses and everything good.” He bent and brushed his lips against hers.

  He turned her to face the other side of the room. “See? I didn’t forget the most important part.” A quilt-covered mattress lay atop a bed of pine boughs. And her good pillows, the ones meant for company—though seldom used—and stuffed with the goose feathers she’d saved over the years, were plumped and encased in the white covers with the lace edging she’d crocheted herself. Heat seeped through her body, and she dug her elbows into his ribs. Of course he’d remember a bed.

  “And that box there at the end? Well, I packed up what clothes I thought you wouldn’t miss…your weddin’ dress, your goin’-to-town dress, and a couple of night shifts. Oh, and your slippers. Figured you’d get real tired of wearin’ your boots all day.”

  “Where did you— How did you—”

  “No questions. Remember?” He perched on the edge of the mattress and pulled her down beside him. “I know it’s crude, my love. But it will keep you safe.” He pointed to a branch that was propped against the wall. “See that?”

  “The branch?”

  He nodded. “It looks like a branch, but you’ll use it as a broom. Make sure you take it with you should you go into the front chamber. Drag it behind you when you come back here. Don’t leave any tracks for someone to follow. If you hear anything at all, come back into here.” He pulled a gun from beside the makeshift bed. “You know how to use this. Don’t hesitate if need be.”

  “You want me to shoot someone? Dead?” The heat she’d experienced before, now changed to cold fear.

  “No, I don’t want you to, but if you’re in danger I don’t want you to hesitate. I’ve never been more serious. Don’t let anyone in here except me. I will call your full name, Charlotte Mae Teasdale, before I enter. Are you listening?”

  “I’m listening, but I don’t want to hear this. Are you leaving me here tonight? Alone? What am I to do if this child of yours decides to be born?”

  “I don’t know when I’ll leave, but I’ll be back before the babe comes. You said the middle of October. Right? I’ll be back, or die trying.”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks before she could stop them.

  He thumbed them away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used those words.” He kissed her forehead. “You have no idea how difficult this is, my love. You have to believe me.”

  She shifted away from him and stood. “I know this is hard, and I’ve made it harder.” She swiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “But you have to know how hard it is for me, too—how frightened this makes me. I’ll not argue. I’ll stay here, as you’ve asked. But if you’re not back in three weeks, I’ll come looking for you.”

  Lafe jumped to his feet. “You’ll do no such thing. You wouldn’t have the faintest idea where to start looking, and I can’t tell you where to find me.”

  “Can’t? Or won’t?” She moved her hands to her hips.

  “Can’t, because I don’t know. All I know is I’m to catch up with—”

  “Who? Catch up with who?”

  “I won’t tell you because, God forbid, should any of Ewing’s men find you, I want you to honestly be able to tell them you don’t know where I am or who I’m with.”

  She stepped toward him. “I…I thought you said I’d be safe here. Now you’re worried Ewing’s men might find me. What am I to believe?”

  He gathered her in his arms. “You are safe, at least as safe as I can possibly make you. Much safer than many of the wives who are still on their farms, alone. But this is war. Ewing is determined to get rid of what he calls ‘vermin’ in these hills. They’ll scour the area. His men don’t know these hills and hollows, but there’s always that one lone renegade who might decide to take matters in his own hands. I can’t promise you that skunk won’t find you.” He held her and rocked back and forth, rubbing her back, caressing her hair. “I love you, Charlotte Mae. Love you more than you’ll ever know. I gotta do this, though. What kind of a man would I be if I let others dictate how we was to live? What we can believe? Please, please, my love, try to understand.”

  She couldn’t answer. There were no words. No more tears. No arguing. But she clung to him so tight her hands hurt. She’d been left too many times over her nineteen years, by people who loved her and those who didn’t. Now he was the culprit, and it
pained her too deep to tell him.

  Three days later Charlotte stretched and knew before she opened her eyes that Lafe was gone. She hadn’t heard him leave. There’d been no knock at the door, because there was no door. Somehow he’d managed to leave the bed without making the dried cornhusk stuffed mattress crackle loud enough to wake her.

  She rolled to her side and opened her eyes. Coals sent out a faint glow. Enough for her to find the hollow in the pillow where he’d laid his head. She buried her face in it, savoring his fragrance, yearning for his arms.

  How was she to know if he wasn’t coming back? Had he told her? She thought she listened, but had she missed that one vital bit of information? One day? Two days? A week?

  Th e babe kicked, and she rubbed her stomach. “Hey, there, little one. You awake, too? Your papa went away, you know. But he’ll be back.” She tried to talk past the terrible dread that threatened to overcome her.

  She rolled to her other side and pushed herself to her feet. Only a man would think a pregnant woman could get up from the floor without help. Somehow she had to make it through this day without dwelling on Lafe’s absence. Surely he’d be back. Wouldn’t he?

  “If I don’t come back, at least you’ll know I died trying. I love you, Charlotte Mae. Don’t ever forget how much I love you. And tell the babe his papa loves him, too.”

  A shiver snaked down her spine, and she hugged her bulging stomach. He wasn’t here. She knew he wasn’t here. But why did she hear his voice? Why did she feel his breath on her neck?

  She grabbed Lafe’s pillow and, with the broom in hand, made her way to the opening of the cave. Fresh air. She needed air. She was still in her nightshift, but who would see her? For now, she had to get out of this place.

  Wincing, she picked her way through the brush. Her thin slippers did little to protect the bottom of her feet from the small acorns that littered the timber floor. A deadfall log not far from the cave offered her a place to sit. There wasn’t room to stretch her legs without being in the tangle of undergrowth, but if she sat sideways she could get comfortable. The faint blush of dawn was just beginning to color the eastern sky in front of her, and the thin layer of early morning fog that lay farther down the hillside gave an eerie, pinkish hue to the area. Robins chirped their morning songs, and a whippoorwill sang its benediction. All comforting signs no one was intruding nearby.