As he rode, Lieutenant Will Eagle reached up to touch the two crossed straight pins on the collar of his jacket. The crossed pins were the sign of the Keetoowa, the traditional branch of the Cherokee that were loyal to the Union. The hot summer sun reflected off the little X of steel the crossed pins made on his blue uniform.
Chapter 20
April slept until the middle of the afternoon at the old woman’s cabin. After getting directions to Fort Gibson, she bought the old woman’s mule and started out. She wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do next, but she had to get away from Jim Eagle before he tracked her down and she weakened and told him everything. She was helpless against her attraction for the man. Then she remembered that she’d given Jim her virginity and she was nothing more than a plaything to him, and she gritted her teeth with anger.
It was late afternoon when the log buildings of the fort came in sight.
“Hallo the fort!” She reined in and waved to the sentry, who seemed to come awake.
“Halt! Who goes there?” The very young soldier aimed his rifle at her, the hot sun gleaming off the barrel and his bright brass buttons.
“Don’t shoot! I’m April Grant.”
“Advance and be recognized.” He lowered his rifle. Now she noted movement as soldiers came out of the stockade or reined in if they were riding past, staring in disbelief.
She rode up.
The curious Yankee soldiers crowded around her. “A girl. A pretty girl. What’s she doing out in the middle of this war?”
“Can someone direct me to your commanding officer?” She hadn’t figured out what she’d say, but if she were lucky, soon the major would find her and tell her what to do next.
The young soldier motioned with his weapon. “Come on, miss, I’ll take you to the colonel. You fellows stop gawkin’ and get out of the lady’s way.”
She was aware of the hungry stares of the men as she rode into the stockade. Soldiers were coming out of barracks all over the grounds as word spread about the visitor. The sentry helped her from the mule in front of a log building. “This is the colonel’s office,” he said. “I’ll tie your mule, ma’am.”
“Much obliged.” She went up the steps and into the crude log cabin.
The colonel looked up from his desk, where he was conferring with a lieutenant over a map. “Yes?” He had a big mustache and looked annoyed at being disturbed. “How can I help you, miss?”
What could she tell them that might be believable? “I—I’m April Grant,” she stammered, “and I’ve come—”
“Kawoni?” The younger officer looked up from the map and smiled almost as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Why, Will Eagle, so good to see you again.”
He came around the desk and took both her hands in his, shaking his head, still smiling. “I thought I’d lost you forever. What are you doing in this area?”
“Uh, I came back to bury my mother.” That was partially true. Will was as handsome as she remembered, but lacked the virility and the rugged masculinity of his older brother.
“I’m so sorry; I hadn’t heard.”
Now the colonel stood and smiled. “Well, Lieutenant, I didn’t know you had a sweetheart.”
She started to correct him, then realized that a woman riding into the fort unescorted might be under suspicion. “I—I heard Will might be here at Fort Gibson, so I couldn’t leave the Nations without seeing him.”
The Cherokee smiled warmly at her as she pulled her hands from his. “I don’t know whether you could get out of the Nations anyway, Kawoni, without great risk. Why, those rebs are getting so sassy, they captured our supply boat a few days ago.”
“Really?” She feigned surprise.
The colonel nodded to her. “I’m sure you two have a million things to talk about so I’ll dismiss you, Lieutenant. We’ll talk later.”
“Thank you, sir.” Will saluted smartly, took her elbow, and escorted her out of the hot, dusty office. “Oh, Kawoni, you don’t know how glad I am to see you. When you went north, I thought we wouldn’t see you again.”
She felt rotten for getting his hopes up. “Will, I’m really not staying. I’ll be headed back to Boston as soon as there’s enough break in the hostilities for me to travel without danger.”
He frowned as they walked across the parade grounds. “Oh, I had hoped . . . never mind.” He spoke now in Cherokee, and she frowned at him.
“Will, I’m sorry, but I’ve turned my back on life as a half-breed Cherokee. I call myself April Grant now.”
His dark eyes told her he understood. “It gets to be a burden, being Indian. I feel like I’m always trying to live that down.”
“Your big brother always thought we should be proud to be Cherokee.”
“Jim, yes, he was foolish that way.” Will frowned.
She sighed. “If I have enough money, I can live as a white girl back east and no one will laugh at me.”
“I know. I’m aiming to be a top army officer, maybe on a general’s staff so I can live down my brown face.”
“My white father said that was why he took me north.”
“Jim never saw it that way.” His handsome face mirrored pain and conflict as he paused in the shade of a tree. “Oh, I reckon you haven’t heard. Jim and Tommy are both fighting for the Confederacy.”
She averted her eyes. “I hope this hasn’t made enemies of you three.”
“It tore the family apart, but then, there’s hundreds of families all over the country in the same fix.” He shrugged and leaned against a tree trunk. “You remember, Tommy and I never got along, but he’s easily led. Jim and I were close, but you remember how stubborn he was.”
She thought about Jim with a pang of sorrow. “Yes, he was, wasn’t he?”
“Always had to be the leader because he was the oldest,” Will said in a bitter tone. “I tried to convince him the Cherokee would be better off sticking with the Union, but he wouldn’t believe it.”
She picked a wildflower and twirled it in her fingers. “You think you might still be enemies when this war’s over?”
“I wish I knew.” Will sighed. “The Union is bound to win. If Jim weren’t so stubborn, he’d realize that. He’ll probably want to return to the ranch, but I’m not sure the place will be still standing at war’s end.”
“Is your mother all right?”
He nodded. “Last time I heard, she was still trying to hold the ranch together for her sons, not realizing that two of us hate the ranch.”
She remembered and said, “It’s over east of Tahlequah, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Everyone in the area knows the Eagle spread and brand. I don’t know what will happen to Jim and Tommy when the Union wins.”
She twirled her flower, probing for information. “Are you that sure the Union will win?”
“Of course. They’ve got the money, factories, and everything else they need to win a big war. Anything I can do to bring the war to a close sooner, I’m prepared to do.”
Now she looked up at him and frowned. “Anything?”
His dark, handsome face furrowed. “I reckon. The sooner the rebels are defeated, the better. But enough about the war. You certainly put yourself in danger riding in here from your old home place.”
She didn’t want to talk about that—too many questions she didn’t want to answer. “I—I thought so, too. That’s the reason I sought refuge here at the fort. Does Jim know you’re stationed here?”
He shook his head. “I have nightmares about having to finally face him in battle.” His face saddened. “I don’t think I could kill him, Kawoni—I mean, April.”
“Nor could he kill you,” she said.
“I don’t know about that. He was very angry that I deserted and went over to the Union. I wanted to be on the winning side. Jim just wants to do what’s noble, even if it’s hopeless.”
She put her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. “You don’t give yourself enough credit,” she said gently.
He sighed and looked away. “In times of war, men do things they regret later. They make mistakes.”
She waited for him to elaborate, but he did not.
“But enough about this terrible war.” He seemed to brighten as he smiled at her. “Do you think you might stay awhile now that we’ve finally found each other again?”
She’d have to stay until the major contacted her and told her what to do next. “I’m a little short of money, so I really need to find a way to earn the price of a stagecoach ticket when things get a little more quiet in the Territory.”
“Why didn’t you say you needed money? Why, Kawoni—I mean, April—I’d be glad to—”
“No, I wouldn’t think of it.” She didn’t want to feel obligated to Will.
“Well, I heard they were looking for a part-time clerk at the sutler’s store. You’d bring in some business from all these lonely soldiers.”
“Will, you flatter me, but I’d be interested.”
“Good.” He offered her his arm. “Let’s go see about it, shall we? By the way, there’s going to be a big Fourth of July dance for the officers. I’d love to escort you.”
She took his arm, relieved that she’d be able to wait for days, or even weeks if necessary, for the major to contact her. As she looked up at Will and took a really good look, she noted for the first time that the sunlight gleamed on a pair of straight pins in his collar, stuck in such a way that they made a perfect X. “What—why do you wear those?”
He grinned at her as they began to walk toward the sutler’s store. “These? The crossed pins are the sign of the Keetoowa clan. All my Cherokee soldiers wear them.”
She only nodded, too stunned to say more as she remembered what the major had said to her about the X clue. Then she remembered Jim Eagle drawing that mark in the dirt. Were these two in some kind of spy network together? No, what a crazy idea. Well, when the major showed up, she’d tell him and let him deal with the information.
The elderly sutler and his wife were only too happy to offer her a clerking job and a bed in the loft of the store. The big Fourth of July dance was several days away. Perhaps there she could pick up bits and pieces of military gossip that would let her know what was going on with the war. Certainly she hadn’t learned much among the rebels.
Later that night, April lay sleepless, trying to puzzle things out. All the Keetoowa were wearing crossed pins on their collars, so maybe that clue meant nothing. She could not believe that Will, her old sweetheart, could be a spy, and certainly not Jim Eagle, with his dedication to the Southern cause. As she lay there, April decided that the only logical thing to do was keep her ears open, listening for information, as she’d meant to do before she was kidnapped off that ambushed Yankee boat. Sooner or later, the major would ride into the fort, and she would tell him whatever she had found out and collect the reward. A couple of months from now, she could be living comfortably back in Boston, and no white girl would dare look down her nose at April ever again.
The next morning, April began her job as a clerk. The few ladies at the fort were eager to hear news of events back east. They may have been a little superior in their attitudes toward a half-breed clerk, April thought, but their curiosity brought them into the store in twos and threes.
“What are the fashions now back east?”
April smiled. “Hoops are getting even larger, if possible. Mrs. Lincoln is said to be spending a fortune on clothes and even gloves, and the president can’t do a thing with her.”
The colonel’s wife paused and frowned. “You know, I heard she was a sesesh. Her brothers are fighting for the Confederacy.”
The other ladies looked aghast.
April did not comment as she totaled up the purchases.
“And what else is new?” another prompted.
“There was an uprising in New York City. Irish immigrants fought being drafted into our army, and some of the city was burned and a bunch of people killed in the riot.”
The ladies paused and made disapproving sounds.
The colonel’s wife looked at her. “Tell me, Miss Grant, are you related to the general?”
April hesitated. “I—I don’t know for sure.” She wanted their approval, and if the white women knew she had chosen the name because it was close to “Giyuga,” they would not approve.
Now all the ladies seemed to warm to her. She felt guilty, and yet it was good to be accepted.
One of the ladies peered at her over her spectacles. “You are coming to the dance, aren’t you, Miss Grant? Our young men are so handsome, and you’ll enjoy the celebration.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” April smiled and nodded, thinking about the one man she really cared for. Things could never work out between her and Jim Eagle. Once she reported to the major and collected the reward, she never expected to see Jim again. “I’m afraid I don’t have a suitable dress. . . .”
“Oh, we’ll remake something for you, dear.” The elderly colonel’s wife seemed to have warmed considerably since she thought April might be related to General Grant. “Someone will have a ball gown we can cut down for you.”
“You’re so kind.” April’s mind was busy. She had a job and a place to stay, but she’d have to be very careful because she could trust no one. The next several weeks were going to be both dangerous and important.
Every night now, she woke up drenched with sweat, and it wasn’t just the summer heat. She was having nightmares about being stood up in front of a firing squad, but she was never quite sure what the color of the uniform was. However, there was no doubt who the officer leading the execution squad was. She saw his grim, handsome face glaring at her as he gave the order to fire. It was Jim Eagle.
The colonel’s wife dug in her closet to come up with an old ball gown, and some of the other ladies offered pieces of ribbon and lace. April, being clever with a needle, managed to transform the old dress into a beautiful pink fashion by the afternoon of the dance.
As she dressed for the event in the July heat, she decided she would listen to all the gossip and see if there was any hint of a traitor in their midst or any information that might bring her that reward.
Lieutenant Will Eagle called for her that evening. “I had forgotten how beautiful you are, Kawoni.”
“April,” she corrected him firmly, and took his arm. In her other hand, she carried a lace fan.
“It’s just across the parade ground,“ he said as they walked into the dusk of evening. “The band has been practicing all week. We haven’t had a dance or anything much except fighting the last few months.”
She fanned herself as they walked along through the hot July evening. “I’m looking forward to it, Will.”
He smiled at her. “And the men will look forward to dancing with you. I’ll have to fight to get my name once on your dance card, but I intend to monopolize you.”
She remembered now how sweet and gentle he had always been, not at all like his fiery older brother. “I’ll be sure to save you plenty of dances, Will.”
“You know, Kawoni—I mean April”—he glanced sideways at her—“when your father took you away north, I was thinking of proposing marriage, except that you were too young.”
She didn’t want to get in any deeper with him emotionally, because she did have some scruples about leading him on when it could never be. “Will, let’s not talk about the old days. I’ve closed the door on my past. I’m living like a white girl in Boston now.”
He smiled at her as they strolled across the fort’s grounds. “Maybe you’d like being one of those society ladies with a husband on the president’s staff. No one would laugh or be snooty to you then.”
She thought about being Will’s wife, then remembered the heated passion of Jim’s kisses. “Let’s talk about something else, shall we?”
He sighed. “All right. Let’s talk about the future. The Union is going to win this war, and I’m doing everything I can to help them. Maybe when this is over, I’ll be a highly pl
aced officer, with a lot of traveling and mingling with important people. It sounds as if we want the same things.”
“I suppose so.” She focused on the path as she walked. “I’m just not the type to be an old-fashioned Cherokee wife on a ranch out in this wilderness.”
“So for the right man—”
“It is a lovely night for the dance.” She changed the subject. For the right man. She wondered if the right man for her was Jim Eagle, but of course, that could never be.
He glanced sideways at her and patted the hand that was gripping his arm. “All I’m asking is that you consider it.”
“I will. Oh, look,” she said brightly, “it looks like there’s going to be a big crowd.”
Up ahead of them, in the mess hall, lights streamed, and music floated on the hot air from the open windows. A few buggies were tied up outside, and a handful of officers gathered in small groups, talking and smoking before going inside. She noted that many of them were Indians—mostly Cherokee, no doubt. They quickly snuffed their smokes and hurried to greet Will Eagle. “Lieutenant Eagle, we had no idea you knew such a lovely lady; do introduce us.”
Will frowned. “I’ll introduce you inside, but be warned, I intend to hog her dance card.”
A white officer grinned. “We’ll see about that.”
Another made a bow. “We will be awaiting the pleasure of the lady’s company.”
April nodded and fluttered her fan, acknowledging them.
Inside, the room was crowded and heavy with the scent of wildflowers that had been picked and put in vases around the few tables. Faded red, white, and blue banners hung from the rafters. At the front of the hall, a perspiring group of musicians in blue uniforms and gleaming brass buttons was playing loudly but not too well.
To Tame A Rebel Page 25