“That hole’s big enough for Kirby. Now dig another one, and make it big enough for yerself, Luke.” Carl Lee’s latest command brought Hope to a halt.
“You can’t kill Luke, Carl Lee. He’s one of us.” Jimmy Ray’s high-pitched voice trembled.
“Shut yer trap, Jimmy Ray, or I’ll toss you in there with him.” Carl coughed and waved the shotgun toward the hole.
Hope gulped down the lump of fear that had settled in her throat. There wasn’t time to go back to town. She had to do something. And she had to do it now. Careful to avoid stepping on any fallen branches, she circled around to a spot where she might be able to descend the knoll without being seen.
Assured she could sneak down behind Carl Lee, Hope crept down the slope and situated herself out of sight near the still. Her breath caught when Blue ambled around the still and plopped down beside her. She offered a silent prayer that the dog would remain quiet, that she’d catch Carl Lee off guard, and that no one would be injured. Keeping her eyes fixed on Carl and holding the shotgun beneath one arm, she bent to the side and untied the rope that was fastened around Blue’s neck.
The dog whined again. Carl spun around, and with the shotgun trained on the large man, Hope stepped from her position alongside the still and shoved the muzzle into his back. “Drop your gun, Carl Lee.”
Carl glanced over his shoulder. Instead of dropping his weapon, he made a slight turn toward her and howled a boisterous laugh.
“Blue! Sic ’im!”
On Luke’s command, the dog lunged at Carl’s arm. He screamed in pain, and his gun fell to the ground. Luke sprang forward and scooped up the man’s weapon. Blue’s teeth remained implanted in Carl Lee’s beefy forearm, the dog’s guttural growl never ceasing.
“Call him off me!” Carl swung his fist in an attempt to wrest the dog from the painful hold. Sensing the danger, Blue jumped back. The movement yanked Carl’s arm in another direction and caused him to scream again in pain.
“Leave it, Blue!” Luke shouted. Instantly the dog released Carl’s arm, yet remained poised to strike if need be. Luke nodded at the still. “Hope, grab that piece of rope he used to tie Blue and bring it here.”
She did as he requested and held the gun on Carl. “Put your arms behind your back, Carl.”
“That dog of your’n hurt my arm real bad. I can’t—”
Luke didn’t wait for him to finish his excuse. He grabbed the man’s arms, pulled them back, and tied his wrists together. Carl yelped when Luke checked to make sure he couldn’t wiggle free of the rope. “I don’t have any sympathy for you, Carl. You were planning to kill me and Kirby.” He leaned around to face Carl. “Remember?”
Carl shook his head. “C’mon now, Luke. You know I woulda never shot you. I mighta gone through with shooting Kirby ’cause he sure enuf deserves it. And if you woulda jest kept your nose outta all this, things would be jest fine.” He shifted his weight and tipped the upper part of his body toward town. “In fact, why don’t you untie me right now and then you and your little gal can get on back to town? Fergit what you saw down here, and we’ll fergit we ever saw you. Right, Jimmy Ray?”
Jimmy Ray sat hunched on a jagged boulder with his arms wrapped around his torso. “They ain’t gonna let us go, Carl Lee. We done wrong, and now we gotta pay fer what we done.”
Kirby cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to interrupt Jimmy Ray’s sad story, but could someone untie me?”
“Not just yet, Kirby. You don’t deserve to be shot by Carl Lee, but before I untie you, I want to hear exactly what was going on. I can see this is a mighty fine operation.” Luke swung his free arm in a wide arc. “I’m guessin’ you’d be responsible for all this, Kirby, except I don’t think you’ve got the know-how to make shine. Was it you and Carl Lee making the shine, Jimmy?”
The boy shook his head. “Naw. Jest me.”
Luke turned to Kirby. “I already figured you were selling the shine outta your truck. Smelled it the day you wrecked into that tree.”
Kirby appeared unshaken by Luke’s remark. “You’ll be hard-pressed to prove I sold it to anyone. You think the owners of those speakeasies are going to admit to buying moonshine?”
“I don’t think there will be much of a problem convincing the revenuers what you were doing. Besides, I’m sure Jimmy Ray will be willin’ to cooperate, won’t you, Jimmy?”
Hope stepped to Jimmy’s side and sat down beside him. “Your ma is going to be real disappointed in you, Jimmy. She told me you’d been bringing home a lot of money lately. She said she was worried because you were working so many long hours at the mine.” She looked into his eyes. “You weren’t working at the mine, were you?”
“No, ma’am. There weren’t time to work at the mine and make shine, too. ’Sides, Kirby pays me lots more money to make shine than to pick coal.”
Kirby strained against the ropes holding him to the tree. “Shut your mouth, Jimmy. Don’t you say another word.”
Luke pushed his hat back on his head. “Don’t tell the boy what to do, Kirby. He’s not gonna take all the blame for this.” He frowned at Carl Lee. “So if you’re not helping to make the shine, what’s your part in all this?”
Carl Lee glowered at Luke. “Ain’t you or no revenuers gonna tie me to this here still. This is all Kirby and Jimmy Ray. Let the revenuers haul ’em off and I’ll git on home.”
“You were threatening to kill me and Kirby a few minutes ago, Carl. I’m not about to send you home. Was Kirby holding out money on ya?”
“Naw. Worse than that. He tried to go into business with me and Alvin, but when I told him I wouldn’t pay him what he wanted, he said he’d find some other way to make some extra money. Made us think he was gonna be shootin’ dice or playing the horses.” Carl glared at Kirby. “Instead, he set up his own still and got Jimmy Ray to make his shine. Then he went and sold his shine for cheaper. He thought we’d never figger out it was him, but we ain’t as dumb as he thinks. Didn’t take long afore we knowed what was goin’ on. We ain’t gonna let no city fella come in here and take over our business. ’Specially not one who’s got a rich pappy and ain’t got needs like the rest of us.”
Luke strode to the tree and loosened the ropes around Kirby’s body, but he didn’t untie his wrists. Using the longer rope, Luke tied it around the waists of both men. He then stepped over to Jimmy Ray. “Do I need to tie you to these fellas or are you gonna come along peaceable-like, Jimmy Ray?”
The boy got to his feet. “I don’t need to be tied up. I’m ready to go and take my punishment.”
Luke shook his head at Carl Lee and Kirby. “That boy’s more of a man than the two of you put together.” He poked Carl with the end of his gun. “Now get moving.”
Luke figured they made quite a sight coming over the hillside, him holding his shotgun aimed at Kirby and Carl Lee, who were tied together like a couple of wild horses, with Jimmy Ray, Hope, and Blue trailing along behind.
Little wonder they caused such a commotion when they marched through town.
CHAPTER
26
Luke stepped inside the small jail cell and leaned against the thick sandstone wall. Jimmy Ray sat huddled on the unforgiving metal cot attached to one wall of the six-by-six room. It was good the boy hadn’t reached full height yet. Any taller and he would have had to sleep curled up like a dog. While Luke understood the purpose of jail was punishment, he feared this small, dank room with only a cot and a slop jar might be Jimmy Ray’s ruination.
Along with Kirby and Carl Lee, Jimmy Ray had been jailed until the circuit judge came through Finch a couple of weeks ago. The revenue agents had visited the town and destroyed the still. They’d been delighted to testify that they were certain the moonshine had been sold at surrounding speakeasies. Along with testimony from the estranged wife of a speakeasy owner, there had been enough evidence to secure convictions. Neither Carl Lee nor Kirby would say where either of them had sold the shine. Carl Lee’s refusal to provide any names or places didn
’t surprise anyone, but most of the locals, Luke included, had expected Kirby to disclose everything he knew to gain favor from the judge.
Soon after Jimmy’s confinement, Hope’s father had encouraged Luke to visit the boy in jail. “It’s important Jimmy doesn’t feel he’s been forgotten. The Bible instructs us to care for those in need and those who have been imprisoned. I think you’re better equipped to help the boy than I am.” The affirming words had inspired Luke, and he’d visited the boy each day. He prayed he could make a difference in Jimmy’s life, both while he was in jail and upon his release. “How you doing today, Jimmy?” Luke’s words echoed in the musty stone cell.
The boy shrugged and peered up at him. “Not so good. This place is awful.”
Luke nodded. “Sure is, but it’s lots better than the place where Kirby and Carl Lee will be spending the next five years. The judge was kind to you because of your age, Jimmy. He realized a young fella like you is easy to influence.” Luke squatted down in front of the boy. “I brought you a Bible and some of the papers Miss Hope uses when she teaches. You need to use this time to think about the future and decide what you want to do when you get out. The judge is giving you a chance to change things around.”
“I dunno. Sittin’ in this place for four months is a long time. I think I’m gonna lose my mind in here.”
Luke shook his head. “Not unless you keep telling yourself that’s what’s going to happen.” He placed his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Look at me, Jimmy. I care about you. I’ve been praying for you and so have the preacher and Miss Hope, and we’re going to keep praying for you. God loves and forgives you for what you’ve done, and just like we want the best for you, He wants it even more. The thing is, you’re the one who has to decide. Are you going to let what happened in the past control your future, or are you going to read the Good Book and make changes in your life? You can sit in here and wallow around about how hard you got it, or you can be thankful you got only four months and you’ve got time to pray and spend time with the Lord.” Luke tapped his chest. “His Spirit’s right there inside of you.”
“Yeah, well that sounds mighty fine when you can walk out that door, but I’m in here by myself.”
“There you go, heading back down that path of feeling sorry for yourself. I know Kirby led you astray, but you could have said no. You trying to convince me you don’t know right from wrong?”
“Naw. The schoolteacher always said I was as dull as ditchwater, but my ma taught me right from wrong. I was jest tryin’ to make enuf money so’s my ma could get by a little better.”
Luke nodded. “What you wanted was honorable, but the way you went about it was all wrong.”
“I know, but how come Kirby’s pa is such a bad sort and nothing happens to him?”
“Most would agree that the way Mr. Finch operates the mine and treats his workers is both dreadful and immoral, but it isn’t illegal. You broke the law, and now you’re paying for the choice you made.” Luke sat down beside him on the narrow bunk. “Mr. Finch arrived in town yesterday. He says he’s going to make some changes. We’ll see what he does about the mine, but I have a feeling he’s got some real regrets about sending his son down here.”
Jimmy nodded. “My ma says she’s got her some real regrets about not askin’ me more questions ’bout the money I was bringing home. She said she shoulda knowed I wouldn’t make that much money working at the mine.” His lips drooped. “It was nice seeing Ma so happy when I’d hand her that money.”
Luke smiled at the boy. “I know, Jimmy, but you’ve got to find ways to help that won’t cause you to end up in here again.”
“You think Mr. Daniels will give me a job back at the mine when I get outta here?”
“I can’t speak for Mr. Daniels, but I’ll put in a good word for you.”
“Thanks, Luke. I promise I’ll start doing some reading and praying on my own. Maybe you’re right. The time will pass quicker if I keep myself busy and remember I’m not in here alone.” He smiled. “I got Jesus right here with me.”
“You certainly do, Jimmy.” Luke stepped out of the cell and reached for the barred door.
“Will you come back and see me?”
“Every day.” Luke stepped aside when the sheriff approached. The cell door clanged shut, and the sheriff turned the key in the lock. “And remember, you’re not alone. You have your family, you have us, and you have Jesus.”
Luke and Nellie walked up the hill after the evening meeting, him carrying his Bible, and Nellie tucking her old umbrella beneath her arm. He gave his sister a sideways glance. “You might as well say whatever it is you’ve got on your mind. I can tell you’ve been itching to say something for the last couple of days.”
Nellie paused a moment, then looked up at him and said, “Appears to me that you and Hope are moving past friendship into something more serious.”
He grinned and blushed like a schoolboy caught stealing a kiss. “I’d say that’s a pretty good guess. The fact is, I love her.” He pulled a long breath. “And believe it or not, she loves me.”
Nellie gasped. “She told you that she loves you?”
Luke chuckled. “I know it’s hard to believe anyone could love your brother, but it’s true.”
She shook her head. “It’s not hard for me to believe a girl would fall in love with you, Luke, but, well, I mean, Hope? She’s used to a different kind of life than we have. It’s one thing for her to come here for a time and help her pa with the music and teachin’ the young’uns, but I don’t know if she’s the type of gal who’d find it easy living back here in the hills. And when her pa gets orders from his church to move on, what then? She couldn’t stay behind. Where would she live?”
“I’d like to think she’d be living with me.” Luke’s smile broadened.
“W-what? You ain’t jest talking about courtin’ kind of love. You’re talking ’bout marrying kind of love?”
“I didn’t know there was a difference, Nellie. I thought when a man courted a woman and told her he loved her, it was because he planned on marrying her.”
“Well, yeah, but you know, sometimes it’s jest sweetheartin’ and not the real kind of courting where you plan on getting hitched.”
“If you’re set on making a distinction, then you can be sure that this is courting. I love Hope and want to take her as my wife. My feelings for her go way beyond what you call sweetheartin’.” He frowned at his sister. “I thought you’d be happy. Way back you told me Hope was like the older sister you always wanted but didn’t have. When we get married, she’ll be just that, your older sister.”
“I know what I told you and I do think of her like a sister, but . . .”
“But what?” He hadn’t meant to shout.
Her features hardened and she stared at him like he was a dropped stitch that needed to be pulled back in place. “What about us, Luke?”
“Who is us? What are you talking about?”
Nellie stared at him and tapped her fingers to her chest. “Us! Your family! Me, ma, the other kids. Who’s gonna take care of us? I can’t go down in the mines, and Joey can’t even work as a picker for two more years. How are we gonna get by without your pay and all the work you do in the fields? We need that food to get by, Luke.”
His sister wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t already thought about. While he hadn’t asked Hope if she’d consider living in Finch for the rest of her life, he was certain she loved him. And wouldn’t she realize that they would remain here if she agreed to marry him? He’d even gone to Uncle Frank with a few of the same concerns Nellie had set forth.
“I know about my responsibility, Nellie. Truth is, all those same things worry me too, so I talked to Uncle Frank. Figured maybe he could give me a bit of advice about the future.”
Nellie’s eyes took on a glint of hopefulness. “What’d he say? Bet he thinks just like me.”
Luke shook his head. “Not exactly. He said, ‘You know I would never let your ma or the young’un
s go without.’” Those words had soothed Luke. They’d been what he wanted to hear, but he doubted they’d be enough for Nellie. “He said I had those same thoughts when Pa died, but the family was still doing fine. He said he wouldn’t let any of you do without.” He shot her a reassuring smile. At least he hoped it would relieve some of Nellie’s concerns.
“But we’re not Uncle Frank’s responsibility. Sure, he’s family, but what if he goes off and gets married? There’s always a chance some widow will snag him. Besides, you need to remember that Hope didn’t grow up in these parts. I love Hope, but this ain’t her true home. If her pa had to leave, I reckon she’d be aching to go, too.”
He didn’t want to admit it, but Nellie’s words struck a chord deep within. He hadn’t asked Hope if she thought she could live out her years in these hills.
Nellie placed her hand on his arm. “Any gal from up here on the hill would understand our ways and would be willing to move in with the family, if need be. We’re all used to living cramped in tight quarters and feeling a gnaw in our stomachs from time to time. Hope’s different. I’m not saying she wouldn’t try to make do, but in the end I think you’d both be miserable. You because you couldn’t give her the life she’s used to, and her because she couldn’t be happy with the life you could provide.” She offered him a weak smile. “I don’t mean to be hurtful, but truth is truth and you need to accept it.”
Overhead, the skies had darkened, and a clap of thunder threatened a coming storm. They were almost home when thick gray clouds descended and a soft rain began to fall. Nellie opened her spindly black umbrella and held it toward him. Rain dripped down the side of the slick fabric and onto his shoulder.
The Chapel Car Bride Page 26
