by Laura Glenn
She playfully smacked him on the chest and laughed again before sliding out of the bed.
“Where do you think you are going?” he asked, sitting up.
Kaitlyn picked up her chemise from the floor and returned to the bed. “I have to go back to my room.”
Gabriel shook his head and reached for her waist, his dark hair swaying hypnotically against his face “No, stay with me tonight.”
She stepped back just enough to keep herself out of reach as she pulled her chemise over her head. “I can’t. You know how early Eileen wakes up in the morning. What am I going to tell her tomorrow when she asks me where I was tonight?”
He shrugged and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Standing, he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. “You are an intelligent woman. Make something up,” he mumbled as he lowered his lips to her neck.
She instinctively tilted her head to the side to allow him easier access. Her knees began to feel like rubber bands as he grazed his teeth over the sensitive skin at the base of her neck.
“Just what should I say?” she whispered. “Perhaps I should tell her that I slept with her brother. Why lie about it? After all, this house isn’t that big and she’ll find out somehow that I lied to her.”
He paused, his hot breath heavy against her skin. He pulled away and looked down at her, his eyes turning serious. “That will not do. She looks up to you and I do not need her thinking it is at all proper to sleep with a man before marriage.”
Kaitlyn raised one of her eyebrows in disbelief over his hypocrisy even though she knew he was simply being a protective brother. “And yet you want me to stay with you even though we’re not married.”
His eyes narrowed as he held her gaze. “You are not my sister and I have no nefarious intentions with you. I cannot say that for other young gentlemen who may have their eyes on Eileen.”
Immediately feeling contrite, she reached up to smooth the tension out of his brow with her fingertips. Giving him an affectionate smile, she stood upon the tips of her toes and softly touched her lips to his.
Her heart filled with peace and satisfaction. His words hadn’t exactly been a declaration of love but just the thought that he wanted her to stay with him and that he wasn’t using her to simply satisfy a physical need comforted her. She needed nothing more from him at that moment.
She felt Gabriel’s lips curve into a smile against hers as he pressed them firmly against her mouth. Lingering for only a moment, he pulled away and lightheartedly smacked her on the backside.
“Off with you then,” he said as he gave her a gentle shove toward the door.
Kaitlyn threw a soft laugh over her shoulder and quickly made her way across the room. As she opened the door, she heard Gabriel settle himself into bed.
She turned her head and sighed contentedly as she allowed her eyes to dawdle upon the sexy image before her. The moonlight pouring in from the window softly outlined the contours of every muscle on his chest and abdomen. The man looked like a Calvin Klein ad as he lay back against the pillows with his hands behind his head and one long, sinewy leg sticking out of the crisp, white bed sheet covering him from the waist down.
“Goodnight, Katie,” he called to her with a devilish smile playing across his lips.
Her cheeks heated at being caught staring. She looked down and quickly said goodnight before slipping into the hallway. Closing the door silently behind her, she paused for a moment, allowing a warm glow to wash over her. Her heart tugged at her to go back to him and sleep in his warm, strong embrace but she shook her head. The physical part of their relationship had proceeded quickly but she wasn’t about to let her emotions run away with her. That part she was determined to take slowly, even if her heart threatened to explode.
Chapter Six
“They are gone!”
Kaitlyn sat straight up in bed, awakened out of the soundest slumber she’d had in nearly a week, as the shout reverberated across the room.
Eileen ran to Kaitlyn’s side and clutched her hands, staring at her with wild eyes. “They are gone!” she frantically repeated.
Kaitlyn rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with one hand. “Who?” she asked gently.
“Gabriel, Henry, all the men!” the younger woman replied, nearly tripping on her words. “They left early this morning without even so much as a goodbye.”
Kaitlyn paused, staring at Eileen in disbelief. “What do you mean gone?” she asked as sudden spasms of alarm coursed through her heart. She threw the blankets off and nearly jumped from the bed as she raced for the door.
“Mrs. Washington said that they had to march into battle this morning,” Eileen explained as she hurried after her. “Some of our troops are under attack about thirty miles south of here.”
Kaitlyn crossed the hall and threw open the door to Gabriel’s room. She was met with complete silence and emptiness. Gabriel’s bed had been neatly made and his sword and pistol were gone from where they had been lying upon the chest of drawers. Not a trace of him could be seen in the room. It was almost as though he had simply ceased to exist.
Her cheeks began to burn at the memory of the passion they had shared in the room just hours before. How could he not even say goodbye to her after what had happened? He must have left her a note or something.
She glanced anxiously around the room and then at Eileen. “Did you see a note for me in our room?”
Eileen shook her head as she nervously wrung her hands. “Are you all right?”
Kaitlyn nodded absentmindedly and rushed past her to their bedroom. She glanced around and then quickly began opening drawers and looking under books.
Gabriel had left nothing for her. He just simply left.
“Kaitlyn,” Eileen said, grabbing her friend’s arm and feeling her forehead. “You are acting feverish.”
“I’m fine,” Kaitlyn replied, shaking off Eileen’s grasp.
Eileen cast her eyes to the floor, folding her hands demurely in front of her.
Kaitlyn’s shoulders sank and she took Eileen’s hands into hers, determined to wipe away the slighted look on her friend’s face. “I’m sorry. I just thought that your brother must have left something for me—uh, I mean us.”
Eileen nodded and squeezed Kaitlyn’s hands, offering her a sympathetic smile. “They will be all right, do you not think? Mama would simply be beside herself, as would I. And if Henry…”
She obviously couldn’t finish her thought. She just put her hand to her mouth and stifled the tears filling the brims of her eyes.
Kaitlyn pulled Eileen into her arms and smoothed the hair over her back. “They will be fine,” she insisted.
Though Kaitlyn had seen for herself that both Gabriel and Henry would survive the war and go on to lead long, productive lives, part of her worried that her presence might somehow throw off the course of history. She still was not convinced that she was supposed to be here, nor was she convinced that Katie Macan had anything to do with her. The only thing she knew was that if Gabriel died in battle, she would never forgive herself in the knowledge that it was her very presence that changed history and shortened his life.
“They will be fine,” Kaitlyn repeated, more to herself than to Eileen. “You’ll see. You’ll get a chance to turn Henry’s head yet.”
Eileen giggled and pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Oh, I do hope so. And you will become my sister by law, I just know it.”
Kaitlyn smiled weakly, her heart leaping at the thought but her brain reining it in. Her insecurities took over and she began wondering if she had simply leapt to conclusions about Gabriel feeling anything but lust for her. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized how much she needed reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Damn that man.
Yeah, he was going into battle, which scared the crap out of her. But, after what they had shared, she deserved a fucking note, didn’t she? Anything would have sufficed. Had a great time last night. Off to kill some people.
Back soon. She just wanted some form of acknowledgement after sharing herself so intimately with the man.
“My apologies for falling asleep before I could unlace your stays last night,” Eileen said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “Who did you get to unlace you?”
* * * * *
For three days, the women in the farmhouse quietly went about their lives, sewing and chatting about everything but what was happening thirty miles south of them. Kaitlyn felt on edge, wondering where Gabriel was and if he was all right. It didn’t help that Alexander and James left after breakfast the same morning to go into the neighboring town on business. Though she knew it to be common for men to leave women at home alone during times of war, she couldn’t help but wish Alexander and James had offered to stay until the soldiers came back. They simply bowed before the women and kissed their hands, telling them to send word should they need assistance during the men’s absence. The feminist part of Kaitlyn railed against such worries but she was having trouble keeping them at bay considering the “man’s world” she had been drawn into against her will.
Three days later there was still no word. It was all Kaitlyn could do to distract her worried mind. Earlier in the afternoon, Mrs. Washington loaned her a book of Shakespearean sonnets, which Kaitlyn happily took up to her room. Not long after settling herself on her bed, she was asleep only to be awakened a little later by shouts and horses’ hooves coming from outside the house. She sleepily raised her head from her pillow, her ears straining to make sense out of the strange noises. Unable to make heads or tails out of what was happening, she swung her legs out of bed and stood, quickly making her way to the window. Pushing the curtain aside, she peered outside and gasped at the scene before her.
Hundreds of men seemed to be crowding the front lawn, some lying on the grass and others rushing about and shoving their fellow soldiers out of the way. Horses wandered around and large, wooden carts with restless animals attached stood in the middle of the crowd as men helped what looked like wounded soldiers out of them.
Eileen burst into the room at that moment, her arms filled with strips of white cloth. “We need you outside,” she breathlessly stated. “Everyone is back from battle.”
“Gabriel?” Kaitlyn immediately asked, practically unaware that his name had spilled from her lips.
Eileen pursed her lips together and shrugged, obviously worried. “I have not seen him yet.”
Kaitlyn nodded slowly and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, forcing herself to follow Eileen out of the room. She could barely breathe as they rushed down the stairs and out of the house. The shouts and moans became deafening in her ears as her eyes filled with the scene of blood and pain before her, fairly overloading her senses.
Out of nowhere, Henry dashed toward them, immediately grabbing Eileen’s forearms. “Mrs. Washington needs you over there.”
Eileen’s eyes lit up the moment he touched her. Kaitlyn watched as her friend fluttered her eyelids nervously and asked, “Have you seen my brother?”
The young man nodded and smiled sympathetically. “He is no worse for the wear.”
Kaitlyn’s heart leapt in her chest. “Can you take me to him?” she asked, her eyes frantically searching the crowd.
He nodded again and pointed Eileen in the direction of the general’s wife. Taking Kaitlyn by the arm, he wove in and out of the throng of people.
Her lungs seemed to collapse in on themselves as the moans from wounded men and the acrid smell of blood assaulted her senses. Her mind whirled, unable to fully take in the brutal reality surrounding her.
Peering over the heads of those around her, she finally spotted Gabriel standing several yards away. He stood a full head taller than the men around him, adding to his commanding appearance. As they moved closer, she could see the dirt smeared on his face and shirt. His expression was taut, his lips grimly set.
Henry finally managed to pull her through the milling crowd, stopping in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel took one look at her and frowned, his eyes dark under furrowed brows. Casting his eyes to Henry as he sat down on a wooden crate behind him, he coldly ordered, “Get her out of here.”
Kaitlyn’s spine stiffened in indignation. She released her hold on Henry’s arm and stared down at Gabriel, allowing her annoyance to show through.
Someone shouted Henry’s name and the young man shrugged, his lips turning up into a knowing grin. “Sorry, Captain,” he said as he turned his back and walked away.
Gabriel glared at her, his eyes glowing with a mixture of disapproval and concern. She met his stare, her chin turned defiantly upward.
“You should not be here.” His vexation was apparent as a shadow of annoyance crossed his face.
Kaitlyn opened her mouth to tell him exactly what she thought of his callous behavior when the sound of ripping fabric to Gabriel’s left caught her attention. She glanced down and saw a middle-aged man dressed in civilian clothes sitting on a little wooden stool beside Gabriel.
The man was tearing the sleeve of Gabriel’s sweaty, soiled shirt. It was then that she noticed the rust-colored stain on his arm. She gasped as the man ripped the stained sleeve in two, all the way up to the shoulder seam and exposed the gaping hole in Gabriel’s biceps.
She fell to her knees in front of Gabriel and looked up at him, her hands shaking. “You’re hurt!” she stated, her body stiffening in shock.
He grabbed her hand with his, giving it a firm squeeze. “I will be fine,” he said, his voice unyielding.
She wanted to scream at him for leaving her, to scold him for going into battle and getting himself wounded—anything to release the fear and anger rising within her. But the words seemed to get caught in her throat as she felt tears stinging at her eyes.
“Here, Captain,” the man said, handing Gabriel what appeared to be a pewter flask. “Take a couple of long drinks.”
“You should be caring for the others, Dr. Johnson,” Gabriel insisted with a shake of his head. “My wound is not urgent.”
“If you would drink this and hold still, I will be able to finish with you and go on to the more critically wounded.”
Gabriel released her hand and reluctantly accepted the flask, tipping his head back to take a couple of long swigs from the container. Handing it back, he looked down at Kaitlyn and grabbed her hand again.
Smelling the whiskey on his breath as he exhaled, she glanced back and forth between his face and his wound, watching the doctor quickly clean the excess blood from Gabriel’s arm. Her stomach churned and her mouth dropped open at the ghastly opening in his skin. It was a small hole with clean edges but that didn’t matter to her. He was wounded and she knew too much about the medical practices of Colonial America to be comforted by anything the doctor was about to do.
The doctor pulled a small instrument out of his black bag and began poking at the wound. Kaitlyn gasped again, wanting to look away but somehow frozen to the spot. Suddenly, Gabriel’s lips were upon hers, gentle but firm. Her trance was broken and she turned as he pulled away from her.
“Look at me, Katie,” he commanded with authority.
She nodded and trained her eyes to his face, on guard for the slightest wince or pained expression. After a few agonizing moments, she heard the plunking sound of metal on metal and turned to see a tiny, bloody, lead ball rolling around in a small tin bowl.
Awestruck, Kaitlyn turned her attention back to Gabriel. Not a muscle on his face had moved during the whole procedure. “Are you all right?” she asked anxiously, unconsciously stroking his uninjured arm with her free hand.
He nodded and she sighed with relief, offering him a weak smile. The break from her tension was short-lived however.
“Madam, have you ever sewn up a wound?” the doctor asked.
Her eyes warily darted toward him. The man was obviously insane. “No,” she slowly answered as she watched him thread a tiny needle with thick, cream-colored thread.
The man peered over the top of hi
s spectacles at her. “You do know how to sew, madam?”
She nodded, feeling her heart leap into her throat. She glanced at Gabriel who cocked one eyebrow at her, indicating his mistrust in her sewing skills.
Irked by his mocking expression, she gave her full attention to the doctor, determined to prove Gabriel wrong. She listened carefully to the doctor’s instructions, only looking directly at the wound when he pointed to it. When he finished his explanation, he handed her the needle and thread and began to pack up his black bag.
As soon as the needle was between her fingers, she began to panic. “I-I-I can’t do this,” she softly said, shaking her head vigorously.
“Madam, you simply must,” the doctor stated, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose with his thick index finger. “I have many more men I need to attend to and time is of the utmost importance.”
She shook her head again, immediately feeling guilty for her cowardice. “I don’t think—”
“You can do this, Katie,” Gabriel quietly insisted as he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him.
The doctor arose and handed her a small pair of scissors before disappearing into the noisy crowd around them.
She stared down at the needle and scissors in her hand, aghast at what she was being required to do. Sewing linen was one thing—flesh was quite another. Her stomach began doing flip-flops and she sat back on her heels, inhaling deeply to allow the nausea to pass.
“You have to do this,” Gabriel said, his voice firm and final.
She shook her head, determined to make him understand her reluctance. “I’ll hurt you.”
“I will survive,” he replied nonchalantly. “I have suffered worse.”
Kaitlyn looked up at him, immediately distracted from her task. “You have?”
He nodded and lifted his shirt, showing her a long, jagged scar running down his side toward his abdomen. Her hand shook as she reached out and lightly traced the length of it with her fingertip. She hadn’t noticed it during the night they had spent together since the room had been quite dark except for the moonlight. Her heart immediately began to ache at the thought of him lying in a field somewhere, bleeding and in pain.
