The Raging Hearts: The Coltrane Saga, Book 2

by Patricia Hagan

  “And what about the hospital? I suppose the Yankees have taken over.”

  “Oh, yes, of course. General Schofield’s medical officer has taken over the command, and the first thing he did was to order that Union soldiers be given preference over Confederates. ‘Treat our men first,’ he said. And you know what I told him? That he might as well go ahead and shoot me because I was treating a man according to the seriousness of his wounds, that it didn’t matter a tinker’s damn to me what color uniform he wore. The other doctors told him the same thing, so he didn’t have much choice. There aren’t that many doctors, you know. What galls the hell out of me, though, is those Yankee doctors. They’ll step right over a dying Confederate to treat a whining Yankee with a minor wound. The damn bastards.”

  “Dr. Holt!” They whirled about to see a bearded, heavyset man in a bloodstained coat glowering angrily. “Men are dying and you find time to chitchat with women. No wonder the South is losing the war.”

  “You wait a minute, Doctor. This is Miss Kitty Wright, and she probably knows as much if not more about medicine and doctoring than some of your pumpkin-head Yankee doctors. And as for me ‘chit-chatting’, as you call it, I haven’t stopped working in twelve hours, not even to eat.”

  The Union medical officer raised a bushy eyebrow. “They are calling for you in surgery. As for you, Miss Wright”—he turned those cold eyes upon Kitty—“you are hereby impounded to work at this hospital since you have some knowledge of medicine. If you will see one of the nurses and properly attire yourself—”

  “What I am wearing is fine,” Kitty snapped. “And you do not have to ‘impound’ me, sir. I came here to work, and it is my intention to do so—not to stand around listening to some damn pompous Yankee try to browbeat me.”

  She whipped around and stomped down the crowded hallway, and Dr. Holt chuckled, ignoring the glare of the other doctor. Kitty Wright had been through hell and back and had not lost one bit of her spirit.

  Kitty moved among the wounded men, not caring whether she ministered to Yankees or Rebels. Her heart went out to all of them. There was more she would have liked to do for them, but the Union medical officer did not trust a female Southern nurse, and he limited her responsibilities to giving drinks of water, changing bandages and cleaning up.

  She lost all track of time, pausing only when ordered to eat. Once in a while she would curl up in a corner for a few hours of sleep.

  Since reporting to the hospital, Kitty had lost all sense of time. She was dimly aware, however, that occasionally townspeople came to visit their relatives or to claim the body of a loved one. One day, as she bent over the form of a wounded Union soldier, she heard a familiar voice.

  “How can you minister to these Yankees?” It was Mrs. Harriet Dewey. The old woman twisted a lacy handkerchief in her hands as she surveyed the sea of bodies lining the hallway. “I know of several ladies in my church who came here to offer their help to the Confederate wounded, and that nasty Yankee who took over said that if they were not willing to help with his men, then they could not help at all. Isn’t that terrible?”

  “No,” Kitty said bluntly, not deterred by the cold flash that instantly appeared in Mrs. Dewey’s eyes. “If those good women were Christians, they would care for all. The ladies of your church could take a few lessons from our own soldiers. They feel no hatred, only a deep fierce yearning to recover and go home again, to see all the suffering and anguish ended. I have seen Confederates on the mend go to the bedsides of Yankees when the staff was busy elsewhere. The time for bitterness and hatred is over, Mrs. Dewey. We would all do well to realize that and think about rebuilding our country.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, Katherine Wright!” A plump woman who had been kneeling beside her wounded husband spoke. Her face was twisted with rage. “You would like mighty well for folks to forget the past, wouldn’t you? You’d like for them to forget that it was by the hand of your Yankee lover that one of Wayne County’s finest officers was brutally slain.”

  “After that same, so-called fine officer shot my father in the back,” Kitty flared instantly.

  “You’re a fine one to talk, you little snit. You should be stoned right out of town. Everyone knows your father was a turn-coat traitor. He deserved what Nathan Collins gave him,” the woman went on, unmindful of the scene she was creating.

  Kitty felt as though the blood were boiling in her veins. Her arm that still held a water bucket shot up involuntarily. Just as she was about to send it flying straight into the shrieking woman’s face, she felt a hand clamp down on her wrist while another encircled her waist tightly.

  “Just calm down, Kitty. You might get some of your patients wet.” Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of Travis’s voice in her ear. She all but collapsed against him. “Forget her,” Travis continued as he lead Kitty down the hall, stepping around the wounded, moving out the front door into the cool air of the spring evening.

  For a moment they just stood embracing in the shadows at the porch’s edge. Travis tilted her face up to meet his tender gaze. “Have you had enough, Kitty? Have you realized that this can never be your home again?”

  “Travis…” She shook her head slowly, tears filling her eyes. God, how she loved this man, but how could she make him understand how she felt?

  “Miss Wright, are you out here?” Dr. Preston, the Union medical officer, stepped out onto the porch. Travis immediately clicked to attention and saluted. The doctor recognized him and smiled. “Oh, Captain Coltrane. I had heard Miss Wright was fortunate enough to have a Union officer courting her, but I did not know it was you.”

  “Sir, I request permission to take Miss Wright for a ride.”

  “Unchaperoned?” the doctor laughed, a nasty sound in Kitty’s ear. “Of course. Try to be back by morning.”

  “Damn Yankee bastard,” Kitty spat out as Travis steered her down the steps.

  “You’re talking like a trollop again, Kitty,” he said, sounding amused. “What would the dear ladies of Goldsboro say if they could hear you now?”

  She snapped, “Must we spend what little time we have together discussing my shortcomings?”

  He mounted his stallion, then swung her up to position her in front of him, his arms about her as he held the reins. “You are turning into skin and bones,” he said critically. “I could lift you with one hand. I know food is scarce, but I thought they would at least feed the hospital staff.”

  “I seldom have time to eat, and when I do, I have no appetite. Who wants to eat, surrounded by death and its smell all day and all night?”

  He reminded her that it had been her decision to work at the hospital. “I offered to get a room for you at the hotel. We could have been together these past nights. My bed has been cold and lonely.”

  “That is easy for you to say. I have no way of knowing whether or not you found a woman to take my place.”

  “I told you that you are the only woman for me, Kitty. Until you betray me.” He spoke between gritted teeth. “So don’t hint that I have been unfaithful. I have never liked being called a liar.”

  “Oh, Travis, I’m sorry,” she whispered, burrowing her face in his shoulder. They rode through the night. She didn’t care where they were going as long as they were together. He bent to plant a light kiss on her forehead. He was no longer angry, and their world was right again. She prayed this night would never end. As she felt his heart beating rapidly, Kitty knew what would take place between them before the black skies turned to gold.

  And she felt the beating of her own heart quicken in passionate anticipation.

  Chapter Five

  Travis found a place on the banks of the Neuse River where they could isolate themselves. Honeysuckle vines had already begun to entwine their foliage skyward, bursting into early sweet fragrance. A tall weeping willow tree bowed forward gracefully to enshroud them in its protective arms.

  Travis took a blanket roll from the back of his saddle and lay down on it, rolling on his s
ide to prop his head upon his hand, smiling at her through the thick, dusty lashes she adored. “Take your clothes off, Kitty. I want to see you naked.”

  She complied unabashedly, aware that his eyes took in every inch of her body. As her breasts spilled forward, he whispered, “I will never forget the first time I saw your breasts, Kitty. I thought they were the most beautiful objects I had ever seen—ripe, succulent, and just waiting to be devoured.”

  “You have seen many?” she teased, throwing back her long red-gold hair, feeling wanton and wicked and loving it. “You are a connoisseur of breasts? I am not sure I want hands fondling mine that have sampled so many others.”

  “You love for me to touch you all over, and you know it,” he said lazily. “You always did. You were just too much of a lady to let it show.”

  “And you tell me I have the speech of a saloon trollop?” Laughing, she raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.

  “When that temper of yours is riled, you have quite a foul mouth, m’lady, and we’re going to have to do something about that when we get married. It wouldn’t be fitting for me to have a wife who could out curse me.”

  “And you a brave Yankee cavalry officer.” She shook her head. Standing before him, completely naked, she placed her hands on her hips, legs spread apart slightly, and asked softly, “Why do I not feel like a trollop at this moment, Travis? We are not married, and we have no right to this, but I feel no shame. Your eyes devour me, and I glory in their gaze. Yet I know it isn’t just lust. There is something else, something warm, burning deep within our hearts…” Soon he was naked before her. Her eyes devoured every line, resting at last on that throbbing pinnacle of manhood that rose for her alone. He knelt beside her, warm flesh melding against her own. Gentle, teasing fingertips touched her nipples, which were already taut and prominent. “Lovely,” he whispered as his lips covered hers, tongue seeking. “So damn lovely, you are…”

  His strong hands explored the wonders of her body. His tongue touched one sweet nipple. He could feel her back arching as she strained to bring herself even closer, wanting to fill his mouth with the glory of her womanhood. He suckled until she was gasping, and then he began to move lower, his tongue trailing a path of fire as it moved across her trembling belly.

  “Travis, no,” she whispered in impassioned torment. “I…I don’t think I can stand it…”

  “Oh, yes, you can, my love.”

  Firm hands gripped her quivering thighs, forcing them apart as he pressed his seeking mouth into the softness of that delectable hub of pleasure. Her buttocks arched as a soft scream escaped from her lips. He knew his probing tongue and nibbling lips were bringing her to explosive release, and he pressed even harder, sharing her joy as she peaked, moaning and writhing beneath him. Then he lifted his body to cover hers, plunging his swollen member inside her, filling her with the fruits of his loins.

  Kitty wanted him to remain inside her forever, and she raised her legs to wrap them around his undulating buttocks, squeezing against him to hold him even tighter. Nothing else mattered, not the war, not imminent separation, not even their dissent. They were one inviolate being. And for a moment, the world stood still.

  Kitty felt the tears of reality stinging her eyes. She blinked furiously, but they spilled over, trailing down her cheeks and chin, and Travis felt a drop on his hand and instantly raised his head to stare at her in wonder. “You’re crying, Kitty. Did I hurt you? I didn’t think I was rough.”

  “No, darling, no.” She shook her head from side to side as the tears ran freely. “Just never leave me. Please. You have to find a way to stay with me forever and always. I…I’ve had this horrible feeling for days now, that if you leave me, I will never see you again.”

  He sat up, staring out at the creeping river. “You can always go with me,” he said quietly. “I can arrange it with General Sherman. He knows what a spunky woman you are, and he would allow you to travel with his ambulance wagons. The war will be over soon, Kitty. We could go home then.”

  “I am home!”

  “How can you call this damned place home?” He got to his feet and began dressing with quick, jerky movements. “You’ve seen how these people regard you. They don’t want you here. Haven’t you had enough of hatred and fighting? We can go back to the peace of the bayous of Louisiana and make a whole new life. We would never have to be separated again.”

  “You could stay here now, Travis.” She got up and moved to stand behind him, wrapping her arms about his waist and pressing her face against his back. “Who would dare lift a hand against the wife of a Union officer? We could work the land together. Poppa always said the future crop was tobacco. One day, we could be rich…”

  He whirled around so abruptly that she was caught off balance and stumbled. He caught her, holding her tightly as steel eyes met violet, each gaze filled with despair. “Kitty, you don’t understand. I’m leaving tomorrow morning, early. General Sherman is marching on to Virginia for a conference with General Grant to determine their next move. The word we receive is that Richmond is falling, and when that happens, it should be only a matter of days until Lee surrenders. But we are not certain of anything, so we leave for Virginia with the rising sun. Come with me, please.”

  “Travis, I can’t…” The words were wrenched from the very depths of her soul. “Please forgive me, but I cannot leave with you. If you love me, you will stay.”

  “If I love you?” he asked incredulously. Then, giving her a shake that sent her head bobbing, he shouted, “If you loved me, woman, you would do as I ask. If you weren’t so goddamned stubborn, you would see the folly of what you want. We can never be happy here. Why must you be so stubborn? Why must you always have your own way?”

  Their eyes locked, blazing now. Suddenly Kitty remembered she was naked, and now she found no glory in that realization and began to scurry about, picking up her clothes and quickly putting them on.

  “Kitty, be reasonable,” Travis yelled at her.

  “I will not be led around by the nose by any man.” She faced him once she was fully clothed, her chin jutting upward in the familiar stance. “I have given you my heart, but I will not give you my mind. I will not be dictated to and told how I should direct the course of my life merely because I am woman and you are man. You have known me long enough to know that I am not a servile woman. I have a will of my own, and good reasons for remaining here on my father’s land.”

  He inhaled deeply, chest swelling, nostrils flaring in his anger, but Kitty stood her ground. “I should have known better than to think you could love me or anyone, you selfish little vixen. You want me only as long as I bend to your will. Well, I must profess to love you, my dear, but the only way you will make use of my testicles is to have them plant you with the seed of a child, not to adorn your neck like a prize won in battle.”

  “If you love me, you won’t go.”

  “I’m still a soldier.” His voice softened, but his eyes remained hard. “I have to follow my general’s orders. I couldn’t stay now if I wanted to. Now, for the last time… I am asking you to come with me, Kitty. If you love me, you will follow me.”

  “Like an Indian squaw,” she snapped. “Oh, Travis, don’t you see? If it weren’t for Poppa’s land, I would go with you gladly, to the ends of the Earth, into another four years of battle if need be. I’d fight right by your side to the death, because I do love you. You must believe that. But I loved my father, too, and I made him a promise to keep the land that meant so much to him. Travis, I am to blame for Poppa’s death! I was blind to the kind of person Nathan really was. If only I had realized sooner! Oh, what difference does it make to you? You won’t even try to see things my way.”

  Sighing, he walked over to where she stood and placed firm hands on her shoulders. “Come. We have to go now. It’s almost dark. I don’t want some stray Reb to take a shot at us out here in the country. It isn’t safe.”

  She let him lead her to his horse. Before he helped her up, he said, “Kitty, d
on’t blame yourself for your father’s death. You had no way of knowing just what a scoundrel Nathan really was. According to your father, Nathan disguised himself pretty well. And you did try to avoid trouble. You said you lied to your father so he wouldn’t try to come to your aid. How were you to know Nathan would shoot him in the back when he turned away?”

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for everything you have meant to me, Travis. If we had met another time, in another place, perhaps our love would not have been shadowed.”

  Then, overcome, Kitty threw herself into his arms and sobbed, “Please, Travis, say you’ll come back to me when the war is over. I’ll wait for you. I swear to God, I’ll be waiting for you no matter how long it takes.”

  He cupped her chin in his hands, warm eyes gazing down at her moon-bathed face. Never before had he feasted upon such beauty or seen so much love written in a woman’s face. “Do you mean that, Kitty? Would you wait for me however long it might be?”

  “Yes, oh, yes, I swear on my father’s grave, Travis. I could never love another man, never let another man touch me now. If you believe me, you will return. I know you will.”

  “Kitty, understand me well. I do not promise to return. I am hurt, and I am angry that you won’t go with me now. Later, I may feel differently. It’s possible that I will return, but I make no vow. I’m proud, too, you see. I’m a man, and while you make me realize that fact more than any other woman in my life has ever been able to do, I can’t let you damage my pride.”