by Barbara Goss
She watched as he took his rifle from his saddle and hid it under his bedroll. When he was done, he lay down on his bedroll on his side, facing the river.
After what seemed like hours but was probably minutes, she heard the male laughter and the approach of horses, and she trembled. Was she about to witness another tragedy? She didn’t think she'd be able to survive another one.
The four bedraggled men stopped in front of Carter, and she saw him stand up. The men dismounted and walked over to him with a bit of a swagger. They were acting bold, as people sometimes do when they are in a group. The men seemed fearless, they all needed a good shave, and their clothing was soiled and wrinkled.
“You alone?” one of them asked, glancing around. “We saw your fire from a distance.”
“I just put it out in order to sleep,” Carter said.
“Mighty cold for that tonight, isn’t it? Methinks you were trying to hide from us, now, isn't that right?” the one assuming the role of leader asked.
“I suppose I was. A man has no clue who’s approaching, and seeing how I'm alone…”
While they talked the other men rounded up their horses, and searched through Carter’s saddlebag. One of them tossed something that looked like beef jerky to the other three men.
The leader pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Carter. “Empty your pockets,” he ordered.
Carter complied. The leader quickly grabbed his roll of money. Susannah knew that was all the money he had with him. She saw another man pull Carter’s pistol from his saddlebag, and toss it to the leader.
.
The leader laughed. “Are you trying to tell me you’d sleep out here alone without a gun at your side? I ain’t that stupid. Pull up your bedroll.” Carter somewhat reluctantly picked up his bedroll, but before he could grab the gun, the leader yelled, “Step away!”
Carter followed his orders again.
The man grabbed his rifle and tossed it to one of the others. “Have a nice trip to wherever you’re headed. Of course, now it might take you a bit longer to get there,” he said, and the four men laughed, and mounted their horses, pulling Carter and Susannah’s horses behind them.
“Adios, Amigo,” one called as they rode away.
Susannah remained frozen to her spot. She couldn’t have moved, even if she wanted to. She felt numb, and her arms were shaking so hard she had to sit on her hands to make them stop.
She stayed under cover for a long while. She watched Carter. He simply sat staring out over the river. At one point he put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly three times. She had no idea what that was about. Was that his signal for her to come out? She was so numb, he'd have to come and get her.
Finally, after about thirty minutes of staring, he stood, walked away from their cozy campsite, and stared in the direction the men had gone. He seemed to stare for the longest time before walking over to where she was hiding in the bushes.
When he grew close, Susannah practically leaped into his open arms.
“Thank you, Jesus,” Carter said. “They didn’t know you were here. God is merciful and I’ll repay him by living my whole life for him. That was the promise I made him while those desperados were here. I prayed so hard.”
Susannah was too numb to speak. That must be when Carter felt her trembling.
“Oh, Susannah! You’ve been through this before!” He hugged her tighter. “But this time, you aren’t alone. You’ll never be alone again. Please, be all right.”
Susannah knew she had to pull herself together for Carter. He needed the assurance that she was would continue be mentally sound. For him, she was able to relax a bit.
“I…I’m all right.”
“But darling, you’re shaking.”
“Of course I am. That was scary,” she said. “Carter, you know I’m not one to give orders or nag, but I want to go home! Now! I’ve had enough camping.”
He kissed her head. “My feelings, exactly. There are only a few problems we have to solve first.”
“What?”
“We have no horses, no food, and I don’t know which home you want to go to.”
“Your home in St. Joseph. I hate it out here. I want to be in the city, where we’re never alone. Please, Carter.”
“You have my word, but we need to be smart. It’s a long walk. Are you up for it?” he asked.
“At this point, I'd be up for running.” She hugged him even tighter. As was her usual reaction after she suffered an emotional episode, she began to cry. “I want to go home, Carter.”
He rocked her. “I’m so sorry this had to happen. I should have known something like this could happen.”
She shook her head. “Don’t you dare take the blame! I’m the one who wanted to stay here…forever.”
“I want to be wherever you are. Let’s go home.”
Susannah gasped as she remembered something. “Our wedding night! We haven’t consummated it yet.”
“We will, darling,” he said tenderly. “As soon as I feel it’s safe and right.”
She looked down at the gun in her hand. “We still have this!”
Chapter 15
By the light of a full moon, Susannah and Carter scooped up all their possessions. They still had: two cups, two bedrolls, and Susannah’s saddle with all her personal items, that Carter had hidden.
They wrapped the items into one of the bedrolls and strapped the rolls onto their backs and began their walk. They had to leave Susannah’s saddle, as it was too cumbersome to carry.
Since the desperadoes went toward Oberlin, they felt they were probably safe heading for Missouri, back the way they’d come days ago.
Each time Susannah stumbled in the dark, Carter reached out to grab her. After a while, he took her bedroll from her and carried it as well his, so she'd be unencumbered for the rest of the journey.
Carter suddenly stiffened, and grabbed Susannah’s arm. Horse hooves could be heard in the distance and a whinny. They froze in their tracks. When Carter realized they were in danger out in the open, he pushed her behind a large tree trunk where they hid as they watched the horse continue toward them. Carter was surprised when the horse didn't ride by them, but walked around the tree instead, and nudged him.
“Pal!” he said. “I hoped you’d be able to break free after you heard my whistle.” He petted the horse’s mane. “Good boy!”
Pal still had a saddle on him though all the saddle pockets had been emptied. Carter sighed. At least they had a horse.
Carter tied the bedrolls to the saddle and mounted Pal. He reached down and pulled Susannah up to sit in front of him. He rather liked the closeness as she rested against his chest. Every so often he hugged her or kissed the top of her head as they rode. She responded by lovingly rubbing her back against his chest.
“We can’t ride too fast or too far riding double or it'll be too hard on Pal. I’ll be able to tell when he needs a rest. Are you okay with that?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” she purred. “It’s by far better than walking. In fact, I rather like it.” She smiled up at him.
“Hmm, I can’t wait until our timing is right,” he whispered into her ear.
They stopped periodically to rest Pal or drink some water. When daybreak came they ate some berries Carter had deemed safe. He wished he had enough money to get them a hotel room, or to wire Nathan or Seth, as he felt extremely insecure walking around without a cent in his pocket. He couldn’t recall the last time he was this broke.
They agreed that building a fire at night had proven dangerous before, so they decided to travel at night and sleep during the day. Each time, Carter found a safe place to spread out their sleeping rolls, and they slept holding each other tightly.
Carter checked his map constantly. He felt sure they were on the same trail they’d taken on the way up.
The romantic tension between Carter and Susannah grew, as they didn’t feel they wanted to consummate their marriage in daylight on the trail. They no longer felt r
elaxed on trail, but felt uptight and nervous, instead, jumping at every turn. When Carter heard any unusual noise at night, he was in the habit of putting his hand on the pistol in his pocket
About four nights later they once more heard horses running toward them at a good pace. Carter swung around to look for a place to quickly hide, there wasn’t much of a moon out, and he couldn’t find any trees or bushes to use as cover on the side of the trail.
The hoof beats grew closer, and Susannah grasped his arms tightly.
“Carter, what should we do?” she whispered.
Carter steered Pal off the trail, and since it was dark, he thought that if they were still, the rider might ride past without noticing them. It was their only option. They stood there waiting, listening to the approaching horse.
Finally, the horse and rider came into view. The rider had—of all things—a lantern tied to the saddle of his horse, which he shined right at them. Carter saw the light coming toward them as the horse trotted closer, and he tried backing Pal up to stay out of the rider’s light, but then Pal whinnied loudly. He and Susannah held their breath.
The horseman stopped. He picked up his lantern, catching Carter and Susannah fully in its glow, and they squinted at the harsh light.
Then they heard the rider laugh loudly. “Carter! It’s me, Nathan!”
“Nathan?” Carter asked into the darkness. With that light shining in his eyes, he and Susannah were virtually blinded.
“Turn that confounded thing off!” Carter yelled, his arm up to shield his eyes against the glare.
Nathan blew the lantern out and trotted his horse over to where they'd been hiding. “Thank God I found you two! I thought I’d have to ride all the way to Oberlin looking for you.”
“We changed our minds,” Carter said. “We’re going home—to stay. Mrs. Harding and I are anxious to settle down to a normal city life, aren’t we sweetheart?”
She nodded.
“Mrs. Harding? You got married without me at your side?”
“We thought it best, since we were traveling together,” Carter said. He squeezed Susannah’s arm to let her know he hadn't filled Nathan in on the whole truth of the matter.
“Congratulations! Welcome to the family, Susannah,” Nathan said, tipping his hat.
“How did you know where to find us?” Carter asked.
“I had your friend make me the same map,” he said.
Nathan scanned the area. “Where are your extra mounts?”
“Stolen. Along with two of my guns, food, and all of our money.”
“That must have been alarming. I’m glad you're both all right.”
“So, why were you looking for us?” Carter asked.
“I’m afraid Cecilia might be looking for you to cause trouble.”
“Out here?” Carter’s voice raised several octaves.
“I’m thinking she might have taken a train or stage to get to Oberlin before you did.”
“But why?” Carter asked.
Nathan’s horse danced about impatiently, as did Pal and Nathan’s extra mount. “Can we stop for the night, build a fire, and talk?”
“Now that you’re here. I suppose it would be safe. Did you bring some guns?” Carter asked.
“I brought an arsenal,” he said. “An a spare horse.”
Carter and Nathan found a secluded spot hidden from the trail to make camp. Once they had the fire going and the horses secured, Nathan pulled out a knapsack filled with dried beef, dried fruit, and a canteen full of water, which they passed around. They all sat on their folded bedrolls and ate.
“So now, tell me: why is Cecilia on her way to Oberlin?”
“Her mother was arrested, but Cecilia got away,” he said nonchalantly.
“Nathan! How can you make a statement like that without qualifying it first?” He looked at Susannah. “He’s been doing that to me for years.”
Nathan chuckled. “Here are the facts, then—glad you’re sitting down—our father rode up to deliver this news personally, just three days ago.” He hesitated to take a bite of his beef.
“Well, come on. Spit it out,” Carter said.
“They killed Hope.”
“What?”
“They killed their stepdaughter and stepsister probably to clear the way for Cecilia to have you. That’s how sure she was you’d turn back to her when Hope was gone. Don’t get me wrong—Cecilia did have pneumonia, but leaving the window open with her lying naked on the bed for days, is, in most people’s minds, murder, especially in December.”
“I can’t believe I’m hearing this,” Carter said.
“It’s true,” Nathan said. “So rumor has it that Cecilia is trying to get to Oberlin before you and get you to marry her. Meg told her you were escorting Susannah home, and that you were going to leave her at the edge of Oberlin in order to protect her reputation. Well, Cecilia was going to be there waiting for you. I wouldn’t have put it past her to have orchestrated some sort of compromising situation to lure you into in order to secure you for herself.”
“She’d still have to go to jail for what she did to Hope,” Carter said.
Nathan shook his head. “Her mother took full blame, but we know better.” He took a swig of the water. “You two can finish the water. There’s a spring about five miles east of here and we can get more tomorrow.”
Carter and Susannah passed the canteen back and forth. They drank the water, even though it was warm, without hesitation.
“Now, can we all get some sleep? I’m exhausted,” Nathan said.
They spread their bedrolls out, Susannah and Carter arranging theirs as close as they could get them, and Nathan on the other side of the fire, which Carter banked for the night.
Nathan began to snore almost immediately.
Susannah curled up to her husband. “I love you, Carter.”
He pulled her closer. “It won’t be long, now. We’ll be home soon." He kissed her lightly on the lips. “It'll will be so much better to consummate our marriage in the bed we’ll be sleeping in for the next fifty years or more,” he whispered
Carter could feel her smile on his cheek. “I’m glad it worked out this way,” she said.
“You are? Really? I’m not—because I now wish we’d have gone through with it when we had the chance. I never would have insisted on waiting if I’d known how long we’d have to wait.”
“It doesn’t make you any less my husband,” she whispered. “And it was a very romantic gesture.”
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than for us to be completely husband and wife, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he kissed her lightly, “Goodnight, wife.”
“Goodnight, husband.”
In the morning as they packed up, Nathan asked Carter, “Aren’t you worried about the havoc Cecilia might cause?”
“Not in the least. She’s headed in one direction and I’m headed in another, and that suits me just fine. Besides, now that I’m married she’ll surely give up trying to snag me.”
“Who’ll be on the receiving end of her games in Oberlin?” Nathan asked.
“Harry Boulanger, probably, since he’s the one living in Susannah’s house. Hey, that gives me an idea,” Carter said. “Why don’t we ride into one of these nearby towns and send Harry a warning by wire.”
“What would you tell him?” Nathan asked.
“To throw her out if she shows up as she's only there to make trouble.”
“I disagree,” Susannah said. “Harry can take care of himself. If we warn him, then Cecilia will know we aren’t coming to Oberlin. Let her stay there and wait for us.”
“We could send a wire saying we’re on our way—causing her to wait even longer for us there,” Carter said.
“That would be a lie, Carter Harding. Remember your promise to God,” Susannah said.
He pointed to Susannah and said to Nathan, “She’s already keeping me in line.”
“Good!” And the Nathan laughed loudly. “Someone has
to.”
Three days later, the three dusty, tired, travelers rode down the main street in St. Joseph. Susannah was never so glad to see traffic and people swarming around the shops. They had to dodge several wagons and a buggy to reach the street Meg lived on—they'd made it their first stop because Nathan had said she was worried about them.
They tied their horses and climbed the steps. They'd barely made it to the top before the door flew open and Meg greeted each of them with a big hug.
“I was so worried.”
“We’re fine. We just stopped by to let you know we made it. Now Susannah and I are going home and we’d like about a week or two of complete privacy,” Carter announced with a serious expression.
“What?” Meg cried. “You’ll do no such thing. She stays here. You’ll ruin her good name. Carter, you’re shocking me!”
“Oh, come on, Meg,” he teased. “Loosen up. It’s 1879. You’re old fashioned.”
Meg grabbed Susannah’s arm and pulled her into the house. “No! You scat, Carter!” She tried to shut the door on Carter and Nathan, but Carter blocked the door from closing with his foot.
“Hey!” Meg said with a frown.
“Meg, please give me back my wife.”
“I won’t—what? Your wife?” She held her hand to her chest. “Oh my! Carter, I’m going to scare the daylights out of you like that, someday. When? How? Come in and tell me all about it.”
“I would, but we’re a bit in a hurry. How about we let Nathan explain and we’ll see you next Sunday after church—not this week, though. We’ll be on our honeymoon.”
“Where are you two going?” she asked.
“Home.” Carter took Susannah’s arm and pulled her down the steps. Susannah turned and waved to Meg.
Chapter 16
Susannah gazed at her new home. It wasn’t as stately as Meg and Seth’s home, but it was beautiful. Her new home was a square-shaped, white limestone, two-story home. The front door was in the center of the front, with a transom window over it to let in extra light. Two long thin windows graced each side of the door, and decorated with colorful stained glass for privacy. The front door had been painted blue. On each side of the transom window were two lanterns. Two windows almost as tall as the front door stood on each side of the house, giving the rooms within brightness and sunshine.
