by Aileen Fish
The third man dodged nervously from side to side and finally looked up just as Cole took another shot. The round missed, and the man swung his weapon up and returned fire. Cole ducked and hunkered behind the windowsill as bullets thwacked against the outer side of the house.
“Turner is upstairs shooting dow—”
Bang! Another shot cut the words short and then silence filled the night. Confused, Cole drew a deep breath and carefully peered over the windowsill once more. Three bodies lay motionless on the ground below. A fourth figure slowly stalked past the bodies. Darkness made it difficult to discern the soldier’s identity, but Cole was almost certain it was Jennings. After all, who else would shoot one of Reynolds men? Hope sparked within Cole. He may just make it out of this mess alive. With those three down, there could only be Reynolds and one other man remaining.
Jennings waved up at the window in acknowledgement, and Cole returned the gesture.
With Jennings patrolling the outer perimeter of the house Cole eased back around and sat on the floor facing the door. The unmistakable thud of footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs. After the three shots he’d already fired the men would have no difficulty narrowing down which room he was hiding in. Stifling a groan, Cole forced away the pain in his shoulder and took a second to reload. Pulling the hammer back on his pistol he leveled the weapon on the door, prepping for the moment Reynolds or his remaining man burst into the room. Mere seconds later the door exploded inward and a blaze of flashing muzzles lit the room.
Cole dove to the floor and fired wildly. Splinters and debris flew through the air, reflecting eerily in the erratic light from the muzzle flash. This was it. There was no way he’d survive the shootout. All he could do now is pray Juliet got well and away from this place before Reynolds decided to scour the countryside for her. His trigger clicked uselessly as he ran out of bullets. Before he could lament the loss of ammunition, however, a particularly blinding muzzle flash ignited, and a split second later searing pain exploded in his head, sending him spiraling into absolute nothingness.
~*~
This will work. This is a good plan. Juliet silently chanted the words in her head as she rushed through the frosty night. It took every ounce of her strength to plunge onward and not run back to the farmhouse to check on Cole and Curtis. Over and again she reminded herself that she would be no good to them without reinforcements.
“Halt!” a commanding voice boomed. “Identify yourself.”
Juliet ground to an immediate halt, shaking like a leaf. “I-I’m Juliet Jackson. T-to whom am I speaking?”
“It’s a woman,” a second voice said in mild surprise. “What do you make of that?”
“I’m Corporal Watson of the 8 Michigan Regiment.”
“Michigan…” Elation swelled in Juliet’s breast. “So you’re with the Union Army!” A hysterical laugh burst from her lips. “Thank heavens.” My plan is actually working! “I have information from one of your spies for Colonel Raymond, but first I need your help.”
A handful of blue clad sentries materialized in the darkness. “What do you mean you need our help?”
“It’s a long story and one I don’t have much time to tell. One of your own spies, Cole Turner, is wounded and being hunted by a horrible rebel officer. Cole stole intelligence that will end the war if it gets to Colonel Raymond.” She drew her gaze from man to man. “I need your help retrieving Cole Turner and bringing him to Colonel Raymond.”
The sentries regarded her warily. “You said you have the information.”
“I do have it.” She patted the satchel hanging at her side. “I know what Cole told me, but I will never manage to explain the finer details as he can. I need help going back for him. Please.”
Corporal Watson turned to the sentry at his left. “Richards, go find Major Yarborough. If there is any merit to this woman’s story he’ll know.”
It took the better part of two hours, but eventually Juliet successfully led a modest fire team of soldiers, commanded by Major Yarborough, back to Mrs. Hughes’ farm. Deathly stillness surrounded the house and fields though lamplight shone through some of the lower level windows.
Juliet steeled herself for the heartbreak to come.
As they drew nearer the house Juliet spied a horse lashed by the porch, and her spirits plunged. It was Hercules, the mount Captain Reynolds had commandeered last summer. No doubt Reynolds had come across him on his hunt for them. The gelding’s presence seemed confirmation that Reynolds and his men had prevailed over Curtis and Cole. Juliet clenched her fists. When she encountered Captain Reynolds again she would be hard pressed not to put a bullet between his eyes herself.
“Juliet?”
Instantly she recognized Sergeant Jennings’s voice. “Yes, Curtis. It’s me. I’m back with help.” Lifting her skirts, she broke into a run and dashed ahead of the soldiers. “What’s happened? Where is Cole?” She approached the house and the backdoor opened, illuminating Curtis’s outline. He held a rifle.
“Watch your step,” he called.
Confused, Juliet slowed a fraction and glanced down. Three bodies sprawled across the back walkway. A shudder wracked her as she skirted the fallen men. “What happened?” she asked again.
“Those are Reynolds’s men. Cole picked them off from upstairs.” Curtis stepped back, allowing her to enter the house. “I shot another man upstairs, and…” he nodded toward the corner. “I managed to take Reynolds alive.”
Juliet gasped as her gaze settled on Captain Reynolds. Jennings had him lashed to a wooden chair. Fury bordering madness blazed in the captain’s eyes, and a bloody bandage bound his right upper arm where he must have taken a bullet. Stunned, Juliet could do little more than stare for what seemed an eternity. “Where is Cole?”
“Dead,” Reynolds spat, glaring at her as though he relished giving her the distressing news. “I shot him in the head. His brains are splattered all over the wall upstairs.”
No! Juliet staggered backward, clasping a hand over her mouth. She didn’t want to believe it. It couldn’t be true. She looked to Curtis, praying Reynolds was simply speaking in cruel jest.
Curtis shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
Without cognizant thought she bolted for the staircase.
“Don’t go up there, Juliet. It’s bad.” Curtis grabbed for her arm, but she skirted him and grabbed a lamp from an end table.
“I have to see him,” she choked out, as hot tears started streaming down her cheeks. “I have to see for myself.”
Heart in her throat, she dashed up the darkened staircase and instantly spied a body lying over a doorjamb directly at the top of the stairs. Bile welled in her throat and she swallowed it back, desperate to remain calm. Almost instantly she realized that the battered boots were not Cole’s. Gingerly she edged past the dead soldier into the room. The golden lamplight illuminated the battle-ravaged room. Bullet holes peppered the papered walls and shards of shattered porcelain littered the floor. Juliet took in the horrific scene through tear-blurred eyes until her gaze finally settled on Cole’s motionless figure.
The shock of it nearly undid her.
His lifeless form sprawled across the floor by the far wall of the bedroom. Blood puddled on the wooden floorboards, pooling around his head. She choked back a sob, and shoved the lamp onto a washstand. Heart breaking, she crossed the room on shaky legs. All of the hopes and dreams she’d clung to over the years swirled through her head swiftly followed by all the cruel things she’d said to him in the past day. None of it mattered any more. He was gone. Dead. Ripped from the world before his time. Lost in grief, she sank to the floor beside him and buried her head in his shoulder. She curled her fingers in the worn cloth of his jacket and succumbed to tears.
A long low moan rose up from Cole.
Juliet startled and jerked backward, heart slamming in alarm. “C-cole?” Chills raced along her skin as he shifted ever so slightly beneath her.
Another miserable groan emanated from him, this
one with a bit more vigor.
“Cole!” Her spirits began to lift. “Y-you’re alive.”
“Not so sure about that,” he mumbled. “My head…” His eyes opened a crack. “What the hell happened? Why are you here?”
Euphoria swirled dizzyingly in Juliet’s head. Just when she’d been at her lowest ebb it seemed a miracle had been granted. “Curtis! Curtis, come quickly. Cole is alive.” Elated, Juliet carefully helped Cole roll to his back. He tried to sit up, but she held him down, shifting so that his head rested in her lap. She could care less about the blood soaking into her skirt. Ever so gently her thumb grazed the side of his head. A bullet had grazed his temple. No wonder everyone had believed him dead. Scalp wounds bled like crazy, but healed quickly. Another bit of healing knowledge Juliet had gleaned from her mother over the years. “Just take it easy,” she murmured, dropping the barest kiss to his brow. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Promise?” he whispered.
“I promise.”
~*~
The next hour was a whirlwind of activity. Curtis and one of the Yankees helped Cole down the stairs and Juliet bandaged his head. She hovered around his chair, scarcely standing more than two feet from him. Cole didn’t mind. He may have enjoyed the attention more if not for the headache threatening to split his skull.
A livid Mrs. Hughes paced the house, cursing them for bringing such horror to her home. Juliet tried to placate her, but Cole simply sat in silence. The old woman’s anger was warranted. Major Yarborough was more than accommodating with Mrs. Hughes, and promised that he and his men would personally remove and care for all of the dead soldiers on her property.
Reynolds sulked in the corner, obviously livid at having been taken prisoner. The sight of the arrogant bastard bound to the chair pleased Cole in no small measure.
“Poor Mrs. Hughes,” Juliet whispered to Cole. “She showed us such kindness and look what’s happened in her house.”
“It is an unfortunate reality of war,” Cole replied. “You’ve learned that too.”
She nodded. “It’s like you said, some things are simply beyond our control.”
Cole lifted his blood stained hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
Juliet looked to him suddenly, eyes wide and serious. “I have to thank you, Cole.”
“Thank me?” He furrowed his brow, utterly baffled. This without doubt had been the worst day of either of their lives. What could she possible have to thank him for?
“Yes,” she affirmed. “In a world that has dissolved into total chaos you gave me the opportunity to take back some control.”
“Control? Forgive me, Juliet, but I fail to see how any of this situation could be considered controlled.”
“For the first time in a long time I was able to consider what I want and what I believe in. I was actually able to be involved in decisions that will affect the outcome of the war. For that I am grateful.”
A flicker of hopefulness eased the pain in his body. “Does this mean you’ll come north with me?”
She glanced away. “I don’t think so,” she said after a long moment.
His spirits fell. “Pity, I could use a good nurse. Lord only knows what will come of me under the care of those army butchers—I mean doctors.”
She smiled just a bit at the compliment. “I can’t, Cole. My mother will be worried sick. I must let her know that I’m all right. Lord only knows what rumors have circulated about me after Reynolds announced to the entire countryside that you are wanted for treason… and you saw what they did to our house.”
“I understand,” Cole said. “But will it be safe for you to go home?”
She tilted her head to the side most adorably. “I think so. All of the men hunting you are dead or taken prisoner.”
Deep in thought, Cole held fast to her hand. There was so much he needed to tell her, but in his current state it was difficult to put his feelings into words. “I’m sorry, Juliet,” he said after a long moment. “In all the years we’ve known each other I-I’ve never appreciated or loved you as I should have. I see now that you’ve always been there for me.” She’d always been the girl who looked to him with the stars in her eyes no matter how he’s abused her emotions in youthful foolishness. For years he’d shown her just enough affection to keep her in tow. It hadn’t been until the war came that he’d fully realized that he loved and wanted her. It was a hard truth to admit. “I took you for granted over the years, and these last couple of days I’ve abused your trust. I understand if you don’t wish to marry me after all that I’ve put you through, but I do hope that we can part as friends.”
“Oh, Cole…” Juliet’s face softened and she leaned down to perch on the side of his chair. Her beautiful green eyes locked with his, compassionate and searching. “We will always be friends. I—”
“Time to be moving out, Turner.”
Cole ground his teeth and glared up at Major Yarborough. Terrible timing. He glanced back to Juliet.
She smiled sadly down at him. “There is so much to say and so little time.”
He reached up and cupped the back of her neck with his palm, gently stroking the soft tendrils of hair at her nape with his thumb. “There is only one thing I can think of worth saying…”
“Oh?”
“I love you, Juliet.”
She leaned in and took his lips in a soft kiss. “And I love you, Cole,” she whispered against his mouth. She pulled away and rose from the chair in one fluid motion. Stepping away from Cole she smiled at Major Yarborough. “He’s ready, sir. I’ve done all I can for him. Promise me you’ll get him to a doctor as soon as possible.”
Major Yarborough inclined his head. “You have my solemn vow, miss.”
Juliet turned back to Cole. Tears winked in her eyes. “You must take my horse. It won’t do for you to walk.”
“Are you certain? I know you only just got him back… again.”
“Very certain.” Juliet smiled sweetly down at him, a hint of mischief lighting her expression. “Besides, if you take him with you, you’ll have to bring him back one day.”
Despite the searing pain in his head Cole grinned. “Does that mean there’s hope for us?”
Juliet winked. “There is always hope, and you’ll have the length of your recovery to work on your apology.”
~*~
“If you and your man ever come to Charleston make sure to look me up. I’d love for you to meet my wife and daughter.” Curtis Jennings stopped walking halfway through Juliet’s yard and faced her. The sun tipped near midday.
“I’ll be sure to do that.” Juliet smiled through her exhaustion. She hadn’t slept since leaving home the previous morning. “I’m sure you have a lovely family. Are you sure you don’t want to come inside for a little something to eat?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’ll be on my way. Haven’t seen my wife in two years. I’m anxious to be home.”
“You don’t intend to go back to the army then?”
He flashed a wry smile. “Can’t very well go back to the Confederacy after helping the damn Yankees.”
“I suppose not.” Juliet opened her arms, inviting him for a friendly hug goodbye.
Curtis quickly stepped forward and embraced her. “You are an amazing woman, Juliet Jackson. I hope Turner knows just how lucky he is.”
So do I. “Thank you for everything, Curtis.” Juliet stepped back. “I’ll never forget you.”
With a smile he tipped his forage cap and set off for the road.
Juliet watched until he disappeared from sight and turned toward her house. Exhausted she stared at the familiar building for a few seconds before trudging through the yard. Her home looked strangely… alien. So much had changed in the last day. In reality… she had changed. Gripping the wooden porch rail she mounted the steps more than ready for a hot bath and a change of clothes. A heavy blanket was nailed over the broken window. Her mother must be home.
Juliet opened the front doo
r. “Mama?” she called, stepping inside and closing the door. “I’m home.”
“Juliet!” Her mother dashed anxiously into the entryway. “Oh, my heaves, child. Where have you been? What’s happened to you?” She grabbed her into a crushing hug.
Squeezing her eye shut, Juliet clung to her mother, fighting back tears. “It’s a long story, Mama. I’ll tell you everything, I promise, but first… could we draw a bath?”
Chapter 8
“What do you intend to do? Will you still marry Cole?”
Juliet watched little curls of steam swirl up from the top of her teacup, and sighed. “I don’t know.” She looked back to her mother, who was now fully apprised of all that had transpired… even Juliet’s role in helping smuggle the information to the Yankees. “I love him as much as I ever have.”
Her mother cocked her head to the side. “Then what’s the problem, my dear?”
Juliet sighed and took a sip of tea. Bitter. How she longed for the days when she’d sweetened it with sugar. “It’s hard to explain, but… I wonder if I really know him.”
“Oh, my dear, you know Cole Turner better than he knows himself.”
“Do I? I never would have imagined him capable of such deceit. I’m afraid I believed him to be a very different person than he truly is.”
Her mother didn’t readily respond, merely held her gaze compassionately and allowed Juliet to talk and work out her feelings.
“When he proposed I was so happy. I’d been infatuated with him for so long that I never really stopped to consider the trust that goes into a marriage. Now I’m afraid that no matter how much I love him I’ll never really be able to trust him. I’m afraid I’ll always wonder what he’s keeping from me.”
Her mother reached for her hand. “Your concerns are valid, Juliet, and I won’t begin to belittle them. However, there is one thing I want you to consider.”
“Yes?”
“You and Cole shared a major life experience in a time that is far from the ideal. Maybe that time is what you needed to find yourselves, and learn about one another in all the ways that matter. You may find that the experience you shared has brought you closer than anything else could.”
