The Way Home

by Eliana West

  His brother shook his shoulder, calling out his name. He tried to open his eyes and sit up but he couldn’t make his body follow his command. He felt like he was drowning, trying to breathe.

  Cold metal from Dylan’s stethoscope pressed against his chest. “I need you to sit up. We need to get this smoke out of your lungs.”

  Dylan lifted Taylor up from under his arms. “Try to take a deep breath.”

  Taylor did what he was told and started wheezing and coughing until he thought he might throw up.

  “That’s good—we need to get as much smoke out of your lungs as possible.” Dylan pressed the oxygen mask to his face when he tried to remove it.

  “Stop fighting me and keep this mask on,” he growled.

  Taylor squinted toward the house, watching in horror at the flames shot up from the back corner where the kitchen was. Sam and Uncle Robert were breaking out the kitchen windows. Dylan patted him on the shoulder and ran toward the fire truck where Nate was shouting orders.

  “Taylor.” Jo cupped his face, her eyes searching his. “The house doesn’t matter. You’re safe and that’s all that I care about.”

  He pressed his face into her palm. He tried to speak but was stopped by another coughing fit.

  Jo sat next to him and wrapped her arm around him. Together they watched their friends and family fight the flames. Jo gasped and buried her face in Taylor’s shoulder when a plume of flames erupted through the roof at the back of the house.

  Dylan came back to check his pulse and listen to his lungs again.

  “I’d tell you to go to the hospital just to be safe but I know you won’t leave.”

  Taylor shook his head.

  “Keep an eye on him,” Dylan shouted over his shoulder running toward one of the volunteers who came out of the house cradling their arm.

  Jo wrapped the blanket that she had around her shoulders over both of them. A second larger truck arrived from Winona and they held on to each other, watching helplessly while the firefighters fought back the fire.

  The Jewels arrived and within minutes they had set up a station with coffee and water in the back of their car. Most of the town had arrived at Halcyon and were trying to help in any way they could.

  He was able to drink some water. The cool liquid burned against his throat.

  “Tessa,” he croaked.

  “What about Tessa? Is she inside?”

  He stared at the house. Could she still be in there?

  He started to get up over Jo’s objections and staggered.

  Dylan came rushing over and pushed him back down. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going?”

  “Tessa.” He lifted a shaky finger and pointed at the house. “Locked me in.”

  He drew in a sharp breath. “I’ll let Nate and Isiah know. You stay right here.”

  They clung together, breaking glass mingled with the sound of chainsaws. Jo whimpered and pressed her cheek again his shoulder. The sky began to glow an eerie gray orange and ash began to drift down on them. Taylor felt just as helpless watching Halcyon burn as he had trapped in the secret room.

  His mind was spinning with the reality of what Tessa had tried to do. He knew she was angry but the things she’s said… He shuddered.

  “Are you okay? Do you need me to get Dylan?” Jo asked.

  Taylor pulled down the oxygen mask. “No, I’m okay.”

  Just those three words made his chest constrict and set off another coughing fit. Jo tried to fit the oxygen back over his nose but he grasped her hand.

  “Wait.” His voice sounded foreign to his own ears. “Where are the papers?”

  Jo picked up the pile from where they were sitting next to her. “I’ve got them.”

  Taylor closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer of thanks to Ada Mae and the colonel.

  “I found it, the colonel’s will.” He nodded to the papers Jo held against her chest. “I just wanted to live long enough to keep the promise to Ada Mae, but now there might not be anything left. I’m so sorry.”

  She kissed his temple. “It doesn’t matter—nothing matters except that you’re safe.” She choked back a sob. “You could have died! I was so scared. Ada Mae will live on because we will carry her memory with us and pass it on to our children. Generation after generation will remember her name. This house is nothing to me without you here. We can fix the house but you are irreplaceable to me.” She took his face in her hands making sure he could see it reflected in her eyes when she said the words out loud: “I love you, Taylor.”

  “He closed his eyes and nodded. He reached for her and they held on tightly. If they lost Halcyon it would be okay as long as they had each other.

  At dawn Halcyon was still standing. Smoke still trailed in the air from the last remnants of the fire.

  Nate came over to where they had remained huddled throughout the night. “The fire is out. It’s going to take some time to figure out how it started.” He paused and everyone watched in horrified silence as the coroner carried out a body bag.

  “Is…is it Tessa?” Taylor asked.

  “It’s going to take a while to identify.” Nate shook his head. “A section of the roof fell from the attic through to one of the bedrooms and the body was badly burnt.”

  Jo grasped his hand. “I’m so sorry, Taylor.”

  Isiah took Taylor’s statement about how he’d been shut in the secret room and the conversation he had with the woman on the other side of the door and went back to the patrol car to call it in.

  Uncle Robert came toward them. “Callie’s gonna take both of you to my place—you’ll be bunking with me for the time being. We’ll be here for a while watching for any hot spots and helping with the cleanup,” he said.

  Jo jumped down from the truck and embraced Nate. “Thank you.” Her voice broke. “Thank you for saving him.”

  Taylor got up on shaky legs and put his hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  After Callie brought them to Uncle Robert’s, Jo took him into the bathroom and peeled away his shirt. He did the same for her. They took turns undressing each other and squeezed into the small shower in the guest bathroom.

  They gently washed away the dirt and soot, letting go of their fear and embracing their love for each other with each touch and caress. Taylor dug up one of Uncle Robert’s T-shirts for Jo and a pair of sweatpants for himself. Jo wrapped her arms around him as soon as they slipped under the covers. Taylor began to shake uncontrollably, the events of the day finally catching up to him.

  Jo pressed gentle kisses over his face and along his jawline. “She told me.” She looked into his eyes. “Ada Mae—she told me you were in trouble and I needed to get to you.”

  “She told me to hang on just a little bit longer.” He closed his eyes and shuddered. “I didn’t know if I could.”

  “I was so scared trying to get that door open.”

  “I’ll always be thankful to Ada Mae for bringing you to me.”

  “I can’t think about if I hadn’t come back to the house. You would have been alone…”

  He reached up and brushed away her tears. “I’m not talking about tonight. I’m talking about Ada Mae bringing you to Colton, to Halcyon…to me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jo woke up wondering if the day before had been a dream, but the faint smell of smoke that still lingered on their bodies brought reality crashing back. She stroked Taylor’s hair, watching the rise and fall of his chest, still trying to reassure herself that he was okay. She shuddered remembering how hopeless she’d felt trying to pry the door open. If Nate hadn’t gotten there in time…

  Taylor’s eyes opened and he brushed away the tear at the corner of her eye with the pad of his thumb.

  “Hey,” he croaked, his voice still hoarse from the smoke, “why are you crying?”

  “I was thinking about how close I came to losing you,” she confessed. “I couldn’t get the door open and I was so scared.”

  “I kept thinking about Ada Mae
, and what it must have been like for her every time he sat her in that room with no way out.” Taylor closed his eyes and shuddered. “I was thinking about how grateful I am to her for surviving so that I could love you.”

  “Taylor, I was so afraid.”

  “It’s okay, I’m all right.”

  She buried her face in his neck and shuddered. “All I could think about is that I wouldn’t make it in time to tell you that I love you.”

  Taylor pulled back, his eyes searching hers. “And all I could think is that I needed to get out to tell you that I love you and give you the colonel’s will. Halcyon will always be yours now—it will be protected.”

  Jo pressed her lips to his, tasting the salt from Taylor’s tears. All of the sudden Taylor lifted his head, his forehead creasing. “Where are the papers?” He grasped her arms looking around the room.

  “There, right here.” Jo retrieved them from the top of the dresser and handed them to him.

  “Thank God.” He slumped with relief. “Have you looked at them yet?”

  Jo shook her head. “I didn’t want to without you.”

  Taylor scooted up against the headboard and patted the spot next to him. Jo climbed in and Taylor pulled the photograph out of the journal where he found it.

  Jo gasped. She reached for the photo with a trembling hand. Her eyes darted between Taylor and the picture. “How could he have made them take this picture?”

  He pointed to the page in the journal. “She wrote it right here.”

  “Absolem insisted on taking this picture. He wanted to punish her for trying to hurt me. I begged him not to do it. He was almost crazed when he came home and found out she’d pushed me down the stairs. He was beside himself with worry that I might lose the baby. Absolem knew he had to send us away. Stephen was too dark to pass and he finally realized he couldn’t keep us safe. War is coming and he’s going to have to leave Halcyon to fight. He knows he can’t leave us here. Julia will sell us or kill us when he’s gone. We will not survive locked away in this room. He had the picture taken so that she couldn’t forget that he married her because he had to, not because he wanted to.”

  Jo read Ada Mae’s words out loud. She clapped her hand over her mouth and choked back a sob. Her hands trembled while she carefully turned the pages of the journal.

  “Her whole story is here,” she said.

  Taylor handed Jo the envelope and she turned it over in her hands. It was heavier than the first one she’d found.

  “I’m afraid to open it.”

  Taylor covered her hands with his. “Whatever it says, just know that I love you.”

  Jo nodded. “I love you too.”

  She took a deep breath and carefully broke the seal. She instantly recognized the colonel’s handwriting on the parchment.

  I, Absolem Madden Colton, being of sound mind and body, do make this my last will and testament, revoking all others. It is my will and desire that all my just debits shall be paid out of any monies due me and any money that may arise to the property mentioned hereafter. I will and bequeath to my wife Julia Colton one-third of all that I have left after my state is settled during her lifetime. I give her the mares Betty and Laurel, bridle, saddle and the landau carriage. I direct that she shall leave the house and plantation known as Halcyon and permanently move to the house in Jackson where she now resides.

  To my beloved Ada Mae, to whom I would have lived with as my true wife. You are the only woman I ever loved and our son, Stephen, my only child is my pride and joy. To Ada Mae Colton, now Mrs. Ada Mae Martin, I give and bequeath the plantation house and contents contained within, along with one hundred and sixty acres of land beginning at the point of Groves Line south of the orchard then running west to Robertson’s line at such a point as to cut off one hundred and sixty acres next to William Cullen’s farm. This includes all of the buildings contained therein known as Halcyon. She shall have, moreover, two horses, Barney and Bod, and the harness for the two, wheel horses, the plantation wagon. One horse plow, one harrow, one shovel plow, and foible plow and single trees, two cows, five hogs, twenty hens, five roosters, and six sheep. Mrs. Martin will also inherit the remaining monies I have set aside to pay any taxes on the house. It will be kept in a safe place until such time as Mrs. Martin is able to return to Halcyon.

  In the event that my wife Julia Colton passes from the bonds of this earth to the hell she so richly deserves before my passing, the entirety of my assets and estates will pass to Mrs. Ada Mae Martin.

  It is my will that the house and land bequeathed to Mrs. Ada Mae Martin be passed on to our son Stephen. Upon Stephen’s passing, after what I hope is a long and fruitful life, the property shall pass to his descendants in perpetuity.

  In the unlikely event that I shall have any children with my lawful wife Julia Colton those children shall inherit the house in Jackson and any remaining assets that I have bequeathed her.

  I hope that this, my last will and testament, will in some small way provide recompense for the pain and suffering Mrs. Ada Mae Martin endured due to my selfishness.

  Absolem Madden Colton

  “Thank God, Halcyon will be safe,” Taylor said.

  Jo buried her face in her hands and cried while Taylor held her. She didn’t believe that the will actually existed. Now she held the proof that the colonel had kept his promise.

  “He wrote it down. He meant to keep his promise.” Taylor reached up and caressed her face. “Halcyon is yours as it always should have been.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s ours.”

  They stared at the document for a long time, rereading it and then reading pages from Ada Mae’s journal. Eventually they got up, showering and dressing in quiet contemplation, each of them processing what they’d read.

  He reached for the will, frowning he took in the words his ancestor had written.

  “What’s wrong?” Jo asked, scooting closer she rested her head on his shoulder.

  His voice was raspy and raw. “He could have freed them all. The colonel kept his promise to Ada Mae but he’s no hero.” Taylor let the parchment fall from his hand and reached for the comfort of the woman he loved. “I’m so angry and ashamed.”

  Jo reached up and turned his face to hers. “We’re going to make sure they’re remembered, every man, woman and child the colonel owned.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded.

  Pulling him into a hug she whispered in his ear, “You’re a good man Taylor, you’re my hero.”

  They learned that night that Tessa wasn’t the woman who was killed in the fire when she called, frantic to see if Taylor was okay. After Taylor reassured her that he was fine she started pleading with him to work with her again but he refused. Jo stood by helplessly while he argued with her in a voice still ragged from the smoke. Tessa grew so angry that her voice got so loud Taylor didn’t need to have her on speaker to be heard. When Tessa started to turn her abuse toward Jo, he hung up on her.

  Taylor sat at Uncle Robert’s kitchen table, turning his phone over in his hands with a frown. He’d been fielding calls from the network, members of the crew, and his parents all morning. Jo threw him a worried glance while she made him a cup of tea. His voice was still ragged and his face was drawn.

  She handed him the tea and reached up to smooth away the wrinkles on his forehead. “Here, drink this and stop talking. You inhaled a lot of smoke last night.”

  Taylor took a sip and pulled her to his side, resting his cheek against her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair while he drank his tea.

  “What about you, what do you need?” His voice sounded like sandpaper.

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  He pulled her into his lap. “Always going to worry.”

  She put her fingers to his lips. “Rest your voice. Dylan will be here soon to check on you.”

  “Yes, he will,” she insisted, when Taylor shook his head. “You inhaled a lot of smoke last night. Please let your brother give you a checku
p. You scared us and he’s worried about you too.”

  Taylor nodded with a frown while he fingered the cuff of the flannel shirt Uncle Robert had loaned her that morning. It was big enough that it was almost a dress on her.

  “I’ll go into Greenwood later today and get us some clothes and toiletries.”

  “Coming with you,” he ground out.

  Jo pressed her mouth to his and gave him a kiss that left them both breathless.

  “If that’s the only way I can get you to rest your voice then I’m willing to make the sacrifice.” She smiled against his lips.

  He started lowering his face to hers when there was a knock on the door and Dylan walked in.

  “Well, I guess you two are feeling fine this morning,” he said with a smirk.

  Jo gave him a warning look when Taylor started to open his mouth.

  “He sounds terrible and I can’t get him to rest his voice,” she reported.

  “I borrowed a few things from Nate. Let me take a look.”

  Dylan set the small bag that he was carrying down and pulled out a tongue depressor and a stethoscope. Jo stood by and watched while he listened to Taylor’s lungs and looked at his throat. “Everything looks good. But Jo is right—you need to rest your voice for the rest of the day if you can.”

  Taylor nodded.

  Dylan turned to her. “How are you feeling? Any soreness from yesterday? Nate mentioned that you were fighting pretty hard to get the door open. Any strained muscles?”

  “No, I’m fine, just a little tired, that’s all.”

  “That’s understandable. Emotional trauma can be just as physically draining as physical trauma. I want both of you to take it easy for the next day or two.”

  Neither of them made it out of the house that day. Tillie came by after Dylan left with enough food to last them for a week. Callie and Dax stopped by to check in with Mae and Jacob. Chloe had gone into town and picked up some clothes and toiletries for them.

  Nate showed up late in the day with his report. The fire was started in Taylor’s room. Old construction methods and walls insulated with sawdust and cotton had accelerated the blaze. The flames traveled up the wall and into the space between the floor joists using holes in the floor to travel up to do most of the damage to the second floor. Smoke and water from fighting the fire caused more damage than the actual fire itself.