Columns of Cottonwood

by Sandra Robbins

  Savannah bit her lip and flicked the reins across the horse’s back. As the buggy sped from the churchyard, Dante’s horse galloped past in a cloud of dust. She couldn’t take her eyes off the straight back and broad shoulders of the man riding ahead. He hunched forward as he spurred the horse on, and she clenched the reins tighter.

  Her lips thinned into a straight line at the thought of their friends and neighbors leaving them at the church. Some of them must have noticed Aunt Jane’s labored steps and her collapse. If Dante hadn’t been there, she didn’t know what she would have done.

  She might tell herself that Dante Rinaldi was her enemy, but in her heart, she knew better. From their first meeting, she had known this man was different from any she’d met before. Now he rode to get help for them. A thought that she could never voice popped into her head. She was glad he was the one who’d come to their aid.

  ❧

  An hour later, Savannah sat on the sofa in the parlor where she often sat with Aunt Jane. Dante stood at the window and stared outside. He had done as he said. She and Jasper had just gotten Aunt Jane out of the buggy and into the house when Dante arrived with the doctor.

  Again Dante had scooped Aunt Jane up and carried her up the stairs as if she were weightless. Jasper shuffled behind, insisting with each breath that he was still able to take care of his friend.

  Savannah stood, walked to the foot of the steps, and stared up to the second floor. Jasper paced back and forth in the hallway. Sighing, Savannah headed back to the parlor.

  “What could be taking Dr. Spencer so long?”

  Dante turned toward her. “I’m sure he’ll let us know something soon.”

  The sound of hoofbeats outside caught her attention. “Who is that?”

  Dante pulled the curtain back and looked outside. “A man just rode up. He’s coming into the house.”

  The front door burst open, and Jonathan Boyer strode into the parlor. He crossed the floor and grabbed Savannah’s hands. “I came as soon as I heard about your aunt. How is she?”

  “The doctor’s still with her. Maybe we’ll know something soon.”

  Jonathan started to say something else but stopped when he spied Dante. A frown wrinkled his brow. He stared first at Dante then back at Savannah. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” Turning to Dante, he took a step toward him. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Jonathan Boyer, the owner of Oak Hill Plantation. I’m a friend of Savannah’s.”

  Dante stuck out his hand. “I’m Dante Rinaldi.”

  A red flush started at the base of Jonathan’s neck and spread upward. “I’ve heard of you. You’re the thief who stole Cottonwood?”

  Dante’s hand drifted back to his side. “Bought it, not stole it.”

  Savannah touched Jonathan’s arm. “Mr. Rinaldi helped me with Aunt Jane today. It was fortunate for me that he was at church.”

  “Quite right, Miss Carmichael.” Dr. Spencer stood in the doorway. A deep frown furrowed his brow.

  Savannah hurried toward him. “How is my aunt? Is it her heart again?”

  He set his medical bag down and reached for Savannah’s hand. “Yes, but she’s resting now. I’m afraid I’ve done everything I can. Her body is worn out. I think you have to prepare yourself for the inevitable.”

  The sympathy she heard in his voice reminded her how he’d talked with her after her parents’ deaths. A tear trickled from Savannah’s eye, but she bit her lip and nodded. “I know. It’s just that I can’t imagine life without her.”

  “And she’s concerned about you, too. I can’t tell you how long she has. So put it in God’s hands and enjoy each day.”

  Savannah nodded. “I will.”

  Dr. Spencer released her hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rinaldi. I hope to see you again soon.”

  Dante crossed the room to shake the doctor’s hand. “Thank you, Dr. Spencer. I wish we could have met under better circumstances. Maybe the next time we see each other, no one will be ill.”

  The doctor chuckled. “I hope so.” He nodded to Jonathan, turned, and walked toward the door.

  When the door closed behind Dr. Spencer, Savannah faced Dante. “Thank you again, Mr. Rinaldi, for your help. I know you must have other things to do this afternoon, so don’t let me keep you.”

  His eyes widened with surprise, and Savannah felt a moment of guilt. He must think her ungracious to dismiss him so abruptly, but she feared his presence was upsetting Jonathan.

  She smiled and led the way to the front door. Dante followed.

  When she opened it, he stood in front of her for a moment. “If you need me for anything, Miss Carmichael, please let me know.”

  She extended her hand. “I will. And thank you again. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been there.”

  He looked down at her hand before he clasped it in his. For a brief moment, he squeezed her fingers then released them and strode from the house. He mounted his horse and rode away without looking back.

  Savannah stepped onto the porch and watched until he disappeared. The day had produced some strange reactions in her. During the worship service, she had fumed because her enemy had come to her church. Afterward she discovered that a kind soul inhabited the body of the man she wanted to hate.

  Now a new realization spread through her: Dante Rinaldi wasn’t her enemy. What he was, she didn’t yet know, but she looked forward to finding out.

  Six

  Savannah stared at the coffin being lowered into the ground. She wondered why there were no tears on her face. Perhaps she had shed them all in the month since Aunt Jane’s attack at church. Or it could be that her body was too exhausted from the constant care her aunt had needed in the past weeks.

  Whatever the reason, Savannah felt empty inside. The last link to the life she’d known had now disappeared. Her parents, Cottonwood and its inhabitants, and now Aunt Jane were gone. She had nothing left.

  Beside her, Jasper wiped at the tears streaming down his face. He had been diligent in his attention to Aunt Jane in her last days, just as he had been all his life. It dawned on her that they shared something in common now—neither of them had anyone or anything left.

  She glanced around at the mourners gathered in the cemetery. All the town’s residents had turned out for the funeral of one of Willow Bend’s most loved women. Her gaze drifted across the people she’d known all her life and came to rest on a lone figure standing behind the group.

  Dante Rinaldi nodded a silent greeting. His eyes held her hostage for a moment before she glanced away.

  Jonathan stood across the grave from her. He frowned and looked from her to Dante before he directed his attention back to Reverend Somers. Savannah sighed and did the same.

  With the graveside service completed, Jonathan stood beside her as she greeted every person there. From time to time, she searched the crowd for Dante, but he had disappeared.

  After shaking hands with the last mourner, Jonathan turned to her. “I’ll take you home.”

  She shook her head. “There’s no need. Jasper can drive us. You probably need to get back home.”

  “I always have time for you, Savannah. I thought you knew that.”

  Savannah inwardly flinched at the words. Since the day he’d encountered Dante in her parlor, Jonathan had returned only once to check on their welfare. Dante, on the other hand, had stopped by at least once a week. She’d found herself looking forward to his visits. It surprised her to find out that he was nothing like she first thought. In fact, she had come to like him.

  In the last days of Aunt Jane’s life, she often talked about Dante’s kind nature, and Savannah realized her aunt had been right. She pushed her thoughts from her mind and smiled at Jonathan. “To tell you the truth, I think Jasper and I need to be alone. These last few weeks have been difficult, and I just want to rest for a while.”

  Jonathan nodded. “I understand. If you need me for anything, send Jasper to Oak Hill to get me.”

&
nbsp; “I will. Thank you for coming today.”

  Jonathan walked to his horse at the edge of the cemetery and climbed into the saddle. With a wave, he galloped away.

  Savannah turned to Jasper, who hadn’t said a word since they’d left home. “Are you ready to go, Jasper?”

  He nodded and trudged behind her toward the buggy. His footsteps rustled in the leaves that had begun to fall from the oak trees rimming the cemetery. Savannah took a deep breath and smiled. Fall would soon arrive, and nature would paint its landscape with all the brilliant colors she loved.

  She always looked forward to fall because nature changed so drastically to welcome the cold days ahead. Now she needed to adjust her life to get ready for all the challenges that lay ahead. Everything she’d known was gone, and uncertainty loomed before her.

  When they reached the buggy, Jasper helped her climb in and then walked to the tree where he’d tied the horse. His stiff fingers fumbled with the reins. With a sinking heart, Savannah realized Jasper was getting old, too.

  As he turned to get in beside her, a flash of color emerged from the tree line at the back of the cemetery. Dante, sitting straight on his black horse, rode toward her. She pressed her hand to her chest to still her thumping heart.

  Dante pulled the horse to a stop next to the buggy and removed his hat. “I wanted to offer my condolences.”

  She clasped her hands in her lap so he wouldn’t see how they shook. “Thank you, Mr. Rinaldi. It was kind of you to come. I saw you at the grave site, but I thought you’d left.”

  His eyes narrowed. “The good people of Willow Bend haven’t been very welcoming to me. I didn’t want to embarrass you by speaking to you with them present.”

  She gripped her fingers tighter. “I’m sorry. In time, I’m sure that will change.”

  “That’s not important today. I just wanted to make sure you’re doing all right. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  She took a deep breath and forced a smile to her face. “I don’t think there’s anything that anyone can do at this point. My aunt is dead, my home is sold, and I’m left penniless and alone. All I can do is put my faith in God, that He will see me through this time.”

  “Penniless? But won’t you inherit your aunt’s house?”

  Savannah shook her head. “Right after the war, Aunt Jane found herself with little money. My father tried to get her to come to Cottonwood and live with us, but she was very independent. She sold her house to her friend Lucas Hawkins, who is the captain of the Montgomery Belle. He gave her the option of living there until her death. Of course, at the time, she had no idea that I would come to live with her.”

  Dante leaned forward and rested his arm on the pommel of the saddle. “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. When the Montgomery Belle docked last week on its way upriver, Captain Hawkins came to see me. He knew how sick Aunt Jane was, and he told me I could live in the house a few more years until he decided to return to Willow Bend.”

  “Are you going to do that?”

  Savannah sighed. “There’s no use prolonging the inevitable. When I said I would leave, he told me of a family in Mobile who’s in need of a governess. He thought I might be interested.”

  Dante frowned. “A governess?”

  “Yes. He said they’re a very nice family with two girls. They’re looking for a handyman, too, so Jasper and I have decided to go. Captain Hawkins is supposed to arrive in Willow Bend on his return journey to Mobile next week, and we plan to board the ship with him.”

  Dante’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re going to Mobile to be a governess?”

  “I don’t want to leave, but I have no choice.”

  “B–b–but what about your friend Mr. Boyer? I assumed you would marry him.”

  Savannah shook her head. “Our parents wanted us to marry and join the two plantations, but I realized a long time ago that I wasn’t in love with Jonathan.”

  The horse underneath Dante pranced, and he tightened his hold on the reins. “I hope you know I wish you the best. Maybe I’ll see you again before you leave.”

  “Perhaps.” She held out her hand. “Thank you again for your kindness during Aunt Jane’s last days and for coming today.”

  He gazed at her hand a moment before he reached out and grasped it in his. “It was my pleasure.”

  Her heart raced as he grasped her hand. Savannah pasted a big smile on her face and settled back in the buggy. “Good-bye, Mr. Rinaldi. I hope you can restore Cottonwood to what it was before the war.”

  He regarded her with a somber gaze. “I’ll do everything in my power to make it something you’d be proud of. I promise you that.”

  The seat beside her sagged as Jasper sank down next to her. Turning to him, she blinked back the tears threatening to flood her eyes. “Let’s go home, Jasper. We have lots to do before we leave.”

  Jasper snapped the reins, and the buggy moved out into the road. Savannah looked over her shoulder once. Dante Rinaldi sat on his horse staring after them. Her eyes grew wide at the sudden truth that struck her—she was going to miss him.

  His words pounded in her ears. He promised he was going to make Cottonwood something she would be proud of, but she wouldn’t be here to see it happen. She’d be miles away on the Gulf coast with a family she didn’t know. As she’d done ever since she realized Aunt Jane was going to die, Savannah offered up a prayer.

  Oh God, if there’s any way possible to keep me from leaving the only place I’ve ever known, I pray You’ll show me. If not, help me to accept what my lot will be. I put my future in Your hands.

  Her heart felt lighter as she finished the prayer. She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew who held her future. The faith she’d learned from her parents told her she would never be alone.

  ❧

  Dante paced back and forth across the floor of the small cabin where he’d been living since coming to Cottonwood. From time to time, he stopped and stared into the small fire he’d built. He didn’t know if the chill he felt was from cool, evening air blowing off the river or if it was caused by the turmoil within him.

  Savannah was leaving in a few days, and he would never see her again. From the first moment he saw her, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind. He’d told himself he was being silly. She hated him because she felt he had stolen her land, but that did nothing to quell the thoughts of her that ran through his head.

  He began to pace again. It made no difference. He knew what was wrong with him. He was in love for the first time in his life, and it was killing him. He’d tried to lose himself in work on the plantation, but it didn’t help. Every night he lay awake in this cabin, unable to shake his thoughts of Savannah.

  Now she was leaving, and he was helpless to stop her.

  A knock at the door startled him, and he strode across the floor. Jerking the door open, he smiled when he saw Saul and Mamie standing on the small porch. Saul pointed to the pot Mamie held. “We brung you some food, Mistuh Dante. You didn’t come for supper.”

  He glanced at the dark sky and realized the sun had set while he was agonizing over his thoughts. He held the door open wider. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t very courteous of me to ignore Mamie’s fine cooking. Please forgive me.”

  Mamie giggled. “Land’s sake, Mistuh Dante. You sho’ got a way with words. Hit ain’t no trouble for us to brang this here food over to you.” She set a pot on the table in the middle of the cabin. “Abraham kilt some rabbits today. So we gots good eatin’ tonight.”

  Dante smiled, lifted the top off the pan, and sniffed. “Aw, that smells good. And you’ve brought me some of your good biscuits, too.”

  She nodded. “Thanks to you, I kin make them biscuits. We ain’t seen no flour ’round here in a long time till you buy Cottonwood.”

  Dante motioned for them to sit. “Want to keep me company while I eat?”

  Saul eyed the chairs with a skeptical look. “You wants
us to sit at the table with you? That don’t seem right proper, Mistuh Dante.”

  Dante chuckled. “And why not? I sit in your house when I eat with you. You can do the same in my house.”

  Saul shook his head and slipped into his seat. Mamie had already sat down at the table and was dishing out the rabbit and biscuits on a plate. “Here you goes. Now you eat up whilst we sit here and talk.”

  Dante’s stomach growled from the aroma of the food. With a laugh, he sat down and began to devour what Mamie had brought. With the first bites, he nodded in Mamie’s direction. “You’re a good cook, Mamie. If I ever have a wife, you’re going to have to teach her all you know.”

  Mamie ducked her head and grinned. A shy expression covered her face. “All I know ’bout cookin’ I learnt in the kitchen at Cottonwood. Mistuh Vance and Miss Amelia used to say nobody on Cottonwood could cook like Mamie. Yas suh, that’s what they said.”

  The mention of Savannah’s parents reminded him of why he’d missed the evening meal. He laid down his fork. “I went to the funeral of Miss Carmichael’s aunt today.”

  Saul’s eyebrows arched. “How Miss ’Vanna makin’ it?”

  Dante shrugged. “She looked tired, but she’s had a lot to contend with in the past few weeks.”

  Mamie leaned forward. “What she gwine do now that her aunt done died? She gwine live in that house by herself?”

  Dante picked up the fork and stabbed at a piece of meat. “No. She’s leaving Willow Bend.”

  Saul jumped to his feet, and his chair tipped back and hit the floor with a thump. “Leavin’? Where she goin’?”

  “She’s moving to Mobile to be a governess to a family there. She plans to board the Montgomery Belle when it goes back downriver next week.”

  Wringing her hands, Mamie stood next to her husband. “Oh, this bad. Miss ’Vanna havin’ to leave home. It just ain’t right. She belongs here with us.” She turned to Dante. “Ain’t there somethin’ you can do to make her stay?”

  Dante couldn’t tell Mamie that was all he’d thought about since he’d been back from the funeral. “I don’t know anything I could do.”