Forever Ashley

by Lori Copeland

  Aaron swore, taking a step forward, but Ashley firmly restrained him.

  “I would be happy to ride with you, Captain.” She smiled. “If you would be so kind as to bring my horse?”

  The captain signaled for their mounts to be brought around.

  “Are you comfortable?” the captain inquired when Ashley was safely aboard the horse again.

  “Quite comfortable, Captain. Thank you.”

  Lifting his hand, the captain moved the patrol out.

  Two men rode in front, two behind. Two rode in the middle of the group so that Aaron had no opportunity to exchange words with Paul. Ashley could tell by Aaron’s expression that he was worried about what had happened, but there was nothing she could do or say to him.

  As they approached Lexington, the loud volley of gunfire reached them.

  Slowing the patrol, the captain listened as the shots grew louder.

  One of the three men captured earlier burst out laughing. “Ha! The bells are ringing! The town has been alarmed. You’re all dead men!”

  “What does he speak of?” the captain snapped.

  “I don’t know, sir…unless the town has been warned.”

  The patrol was halted, and, with their guns trained on the prisoners, the officers hurriedly conferred among themselves.

  Paul worked his horse closer to Ashley and Aaron.

  “What happens now?” he whispered.

  “I don’t remember,” Ashley whispered back.

  Paul glared at her irritably. Wonderful! Now her memory failed her.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ashley watched as one of the officers separated from his companions and rode back to Elijah Sanderson, one of the first three prisoners.

  “I must do you an injury,” the redcoat said as he quickly dismounted.

  Elijah drew back, and Ashley tensed as she watched the officer draw out his knife. Was he going to kill the man right in front of them? Would she and Aaron be next?

  Edging forward in the saddle, she watched as the officer stepped closer.

  “Dismount,” the redcoat ordered.

  Elijah got off his horse slowly. He stood beside his mount, visibly quaking now. “Make it merciful, gov’nor. I have no wish to die a lingerin’ death.”

  Stepping forward, the officer firmly gripped the horse’s bridle. The knife flashed in the moonlight. With a surgical slash the officer cut the bridle, then the girth. The saddle and bridle hit the ground simultaneously.

  The officer then turned to Jonathan Loring and Solomon Brown. “Dismount!”

  The two men obeyed, their eyes fixed on the young Tory. Again the knife flashed. Moments later three horses stood free of their saddles and bridles, and three men were standing in the road, waiting to meet their fate.

  Ashley glanced apprehensively at Aaron and Paul, wondering if one or the other would attempt to intervene.

  “On your way,” the officer ordered with an absent sweep of his hand.

  Sanderson, Brown, and Loring stood rooted to the spot, their eyes still fixed upon the young British soldier.

  Loring regained his bearings first. Clearing his throat, he stepped forward. “Uh…begging your pardon, gov’nor…did you say for me to be on me way?”

  “Yes, you fool. On your way,” the redcoat snapped. “We’ve no time to be bothered with prisoners.”

  The three men suddenly broke into a run, disappearing into the thicket seconds later. Twigs snapped, branches popped, and bushes rustled as the men beat a hurried retreat.

  Remounting, the officer lifted his hand and the patrol moved forward with Aaron, Ashley, and Paul Revere still under guard.

  They hadn’t ridden far when the sound of gunfire reached them. Ashley glanced reassuringly at Aaron as the patrol reined in.

  The soldiers sat for a moment, listening to the shot echoing over the countryside. By the frowns on their faces, they were clearly puzzled by the loud volley.

  The British began to confer in low, anxious tones as a second volley sounded.

  Ashley edged her horse closer to Aaron’s. “Why have they stopped?”

  “The militiamen have assembled,” Aaron returned quietly.

  The officer in charge called over his shoulder to Revere. “How far is it to Cambridge?”

  “Some distance,” Revere returned vaguely.

  The officers resumed their conversation in hushed whispers.

  “What do you think they’re discussing?” Ashley murmured.

  Aaron shifted in the saddle, his eyes riveted on the two officers. “I would say that they’re trying to decide what to do. It would be ill fortune for a small troop to be caught without reinforcements, under the circumstances. By the looks on their faces, I believe they realize that.”

  One of the officers turned and threaded his way back through the pack. When he reached Paul, he reined the horse to a halt.

  Viewing the soldier who sat guarding Aaron, the officer asked, “Does your horse grow weary?”

  “Stumbling, sir.”

  The officer’s eyes motioned toward Paul. “Then take his.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Turning to the guard sitting on the left of Ashley, the officer asked, “And your mounts?”

  “The same, sir. Extremely weary.”

  The officer’s gaze fixed on Ashley coldly now. “I pray that you will excuse our deplorable manners, lovely one, but our horses grow weary. If you and your…gentleman friend would be so kind as to offer yours?”

  Aaron and Ashley dismounted. Handing the guard her reins, Ashley murmured, “Good luck. With this horse, you’ll need it.”

  The guard raised an imperious brow at her.

  “Believe me, you’ll understand completely a mile down the road.”

  The assigned guards dismounted, then turned to strip the saddles and bridles. Slapping their horses’ rumps, they sent them off into the night.

  As they mounted the confiscated animals, they listened as the sounds of gunfire grew closer.

  “You’re a lucky man, Revere!” the officer called.

  “As you say, Captain.”

  The officer wheeled his horse, and the patrol rode off.

  Ashley, Aaron, and Paul stood in the middle of the road, choking on the British dust.

  “Well, how do you like that?” Ashley complained.

  “I can’t say that I do.” Aaron watched as the patrol grew smaller.

  “Now what?” Ashley sighed, sitting down for a moment on a large rock.

  “We go on.” Paul straightened his waistcoat irritably.

  “I was afraid you’d say that,” Ashley murmured, getting up again.

  “The moon is too bright to follow the road. I know a less traveled way. Follow me.”

  Ashley fell into step with the two men as they started off through a pasture.

  Paul cursed as they hurried along. “History is being made, and me without a horse!”

  It seemed to Ashley that she had been in love with Aaron Kenneman all of her life. As they walked along the moonlit road, she thought about the men she’d dated over the past few years. There wasn’t a one—with the exception of Joel—whom she felt so close to or trusted as much. She would trust Aaron with her life—she was trusting him with her life—and somehow, though they had barely come to know each other, she knew he’d changed her life forever.

  Dropping back a few steps, Aaron urged Paul to proceed ahead of them.

  “We’re in the midst of crisis,” Paul complained as he took the lead. “And all you two can think about is…each other.”

  Drawing Ashley close, Aaron grinned then pressed his lips to her temples. “Does he speak the truth? Are your thoughts consumed with me?” he teased.

  She blushed, realizing that somehow her earlier reflection had been transmitted to him—which really didn’t surprise her. It seemed everything about him was designed to make her think.

  Becoming serious, Aaron said softly, “If this was a different time…if we weren’t embroiled in this ba
ttle…” He paused, finding it difficult to go on. “I would hold you close and make you promises,” he finished gently.

  Taking his hand, she smiled. “And I would nurture your promises.”

  He paused, caressing the outline of her face with the tips of his fingers. “This Joel that you speak of. Is he good to you?”

  “Yes…he is. In so many ways he reminds me of you.”

  “Then when this is over, you must go to him.”

  “I can’t. I was so selfish. I thought that if he loved me he had to spend every minute with me.”

  “I’m sure he wanted to.” He brushed a wisp of hair from her cheek.

  “But he couldn’t. Being with you has shown me that…and so much more.” Her fingers rested against his cheek. “Now I understand that a doctor’s life is different from a baker’s or a shopkeeper’s. People don’t need you just between the hours of dawn and dusk.”

  His smile was warm. “Would that sickness were so considerate.”

  “You see, I thought Joel could just tell his patients to take an aspirin and call him in the morning. Now I understand why he couldn’t. And I appreciate him all the more because he wouldn’t.”

  “Then you must tell him so.”

  “If I ever have the chance. He probably will never forgive me, but I would feel better.”

  “He’ll forgive you.”

  “No, I was too thoughtless. You just don’t know…”

  “I do know. If he’s the kind of man you could love, he’ll forgive you anything. When this is over you’ll tell him how you feel, and he’ll understand. And one day, after you’ve been married for a very long time, you’ll look back and laugh at how afraid you were that he’d stopped loving you.” His gaze searched hers in the moonlight. “And when you do, I hope you’ll remember me fondly.”

  “I’ll never forget you,” she promised. “Oh, Aaron, I’m so scared.”

  His eyes grew more tender. “I cannot believe the Ashley Wheeler that I know is scared of anything.”

  Ashley sighed. “But I am, Aaron. I’m such a mess.”

  “You are reluctant to allow a man to love you?”

  “No, I’m afraid that I’ll never be able to commit to one man. I’m terrified that if I marry, one day we’ll both wake up and not be able to stand each other. Can you understand…does that make sense?”

  “Mayhap it would be easier to understand if I, too, were not the man who was in love with you.”

  “Oh, Aaron.” She pressed toward him, engaging him in a long, urgent kiss.

  As their lips parted, his eyes searched hers again. “Have many men asked to marry you?”

  She nodded, ashamed to confess just how many chances she’d been given to make a lasting commitment.

  She frowned when she saw his look of disappointment at her candor.

  He draped his arm around her waist, and they began walking. “Mayhap there is a bond between us that will remain long after we’re parted,” he said. “I would like to believe this is true.”

  “A bond?” She didn’t want to think about losing him. She couldn’t bear to think about losing him. “No, if this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up. Maybe it is a time warp and I won’t ever have to go back.”

  His mouth lowered to hers again, stilling her protests. Savoring the moment, she closed her eyes, trying to capture and hold him in her memory forever.

  Distant sounds of gunfire eventually drew them back to the present. Aaron sighed. “Paul is outdistancing us. We must keep up.”

  “Come, come!” Paul called, urging them to stop their nonsense and get on with business.

  Ashley clasped Aaron’s hand, and together they began running across the field after Revere.

  They raced through the night. At first, Ashley was able to keep pace with the men, but after fifteen minutes or so, she began to lag behind.

  When they had gone a mile or more, her breath was beginning to come in gasps. She had no idea where they were or where they were going; she just kept running.

  On they ran, scrambling through brush and thicket. Ashley gasped as a branch came back to whack her in the face. The force of the blow nearly knocked her off her feet, and Aaron’s hasty apology did little to dull the sting.

  They jumped a ditch, and her ankle twisted as she landed, but on she limped, clinging to Aaron’s hand.

  Stumbling over clumps of grass, she was certain she had just stepped into a fresh cow pile, but she was afraid to stop long enough to investigate.

  The pungent aroma a few minutes later told her she had been right. She winced, skidding into another wet pile. This time she pitched forward, her eyes widening as she slid past the squashy patty.

  Struggling back to her feet, she called to Aaron, who paused only long enough to see that she was all right before he ran on.

  Up ahead she could see Paul’s silhouette as he set an even faster pace toward Lexington.

  As they neared a small farmhouse, a stone wall loomed before them.

  She groaned aloud as she watched Aaron leap the wall behind Revere, then reach out to drag her over after him.

  Tumbling over the top, she lost her balance and fell, landing on top of Aaron.

  Collapsed beneath her weight, Aaron tried to struggle out from beneath her, but she suddenly broke out laughing. This was so absurd!

  “Ashley, we have to hurry,” Aaron scolded, struggling back to his feet.

  Rolling her head to one side, Ashley’s merriment dissolved when she saw a granite headstone not more than six inches away.

  “Oh!” She scrambled to her feet, backing away from the gravesite.

  “Come now, ’tis only a family graveyard,” Aaron whispered.

  “Only a graveyard?” Now she was running around a graveyard in the dead of night. She forced herself to swallow the lump of panic in her throat. She refused to attend funerals, and it would take a team of pack mules to drag her into a cemetery!

  Muttering a quick apology to the occupant of the grave she was trampling, she ran on.

  “Paul is almost out of sight,” Aaron called. “Run faster!”

  She groaned, trying to ignore a painful cramp forming in her left side.

  By the time Lexington was in sight, Ashley was gasping for breath.

  Collapsing on the steps of John Hancock’s house, she listened as Paul rapped on the door.

  Hancock opened the door a moment later, still pulling on his coat.

  “John! Am I glad to see you. I thought you might have left,” Paul said, leaning against the doorframe to catch his breath.

  “Paul?” Hancock was surprised to see Revere standing on his porch again. “What’s wrong now? Adams and I are just leaving.”

  Paul quickly explained the circumstances, and John summoned his clerk, John Lowell.

  “John, fetch my carriage,” he ordered. “Revere, Kenneman, and Mistress Wheeler will be riding with us.”

  John bowed, hurrying off a second later. In a matter of minutes, the carriage was brought around. Aaron quickly helped Ashley aboard, then Hancock, Adams, Lowell, and Paul joined them.

  Inside the coach, Ashley sat squeezed into a corner next to Aaron, who held her protectively as the carriage lurched forward.

  The coach careened through town as the driver whipped the team into top speed and sped back along the moonlit road. Ashley clung to Aaron, wondering if they would live through the night. Aware of her anguish, Aaron pressed his lips to her temple, holding her reassuringly.

  Hancock and Revere were deep in conversation when suddenly Hancock jerked to attention.

  “I’ve left my trunk of papers in Lexington!”

  “Confound you, John!” For the first time Aaron lost his patience.

  “We have to go back. If the British find them, we’re lost!” John leaned out the window of the carriage, shouting, “Stop!”

  “What is going on?” The driver fought the horses, trying to bring the carriage to a complete halt.

  Hancock laid a restraining hand on Paul�
��s arm. “It is risky to return by carriage, Paul. The British draw closer.”

  “Then I will walk back,” Paul said firmly. “You cannot risk being caught and we can’t leave those papers behind, John. If the English find them, our cause will be irreparably harmed.”

  Paul opened the door and stepped out of the carriage. “Continue on. I shall secure the papers and then meet up with you later.”

  Releasing Ashley reluctantly, Aaron prepared to go with Paul.

  John Lowell reached out to block his efforts. The older man’s eyes radiated deep concern. “I will accompany Paul.”

  Aaron glanced at Ashley, who by now was staring at him, near tears.

  “John, I can’t allow you do that. ‘Tis too dangerous,” Aaron protested.

  “Please.” John’s smile was gentle. “I have only myself to look after.” His eyes returned to Ashley. “Grant me the honor of going, instead of you.”

  Ashley gripped Aaron’s arm. “Please, Aaron, let him go.” Her heart was in her eyes as she gazed back at him. She had an inexplicable feeling that if he went with Paul, she would never see him again.

  After giving John’s shoulder a firm squeeze, Aaron moved around him to exit the carriage. “You are welcome to come along, John, but I must go with Paul.”

  Ashley sat forward as John exited the coach behind Aaron. As Aaron closed the carriage door, his eyes met Ashley’s. “I will be safe. You are not to be concerned.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Pushing the door open, Ashley tried to scramble out of the coach.

  “No!” Aaron caught the door and held it. “You are to continue on with Hancock and Adams.”

  “No!” Ashley argued. “I’m going with you.”

  “Ashley,” Aaron began patiently, “you cannot go with me. You are near exhaustion as it is. Paul, Lowell, and I will return to Lexington, and you will—”

  “I’m going.” Again Ashley tried to force the door open, but Aaron stubbornly refused to permit it.

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes, I am.

  “You will do what I say.”

  “I won’t,” Ashley stated emphatically. “I’m afraid you’ll be hurt.”

  “Kenneman,” Hancock said wearily, “are you going or not? We could all be old men by the time you settle this dispute.”