Love Lasts Forever (10 page)

“Which way was the calls?” The bounty hunter looked from side to side. His head jerked wildly as if he heard whistles zigzagging overhead.

Thor bit back a cynical grin. The bastard didn’t mind hunting scared, unarmed people, but when he could be marked as prey, he was ready to turn tail.
Damn coward.
“They sounded north of here, but that could have been a trick. You never can tell with Indians.”

“I didn’t hear nothin’ on my way up here. Y’suppose they’d circle ’round?”

“It’s not likely. I imagine if you hit the trail hard and go back toward Canton, you’d outrun ’em. They don’t pounce on the main road. They usually get their game off the beaten path, so to speak. Better hurry though. It’ll be nightfall before you know it.”

“Ain’t that the truth!” The man spat another mouthful of brown juice then tipped his hat to Thor. He turned and took off as if the hounds of hell were yapping at his heels. The echo of snapping twigs crackled in the woods.

Thor watched the man’s retreat. Only when the sounds of the other man’s departure grew quiet did Thor move. Wary of calling out to the children, he pushed quickly up the trail. His heart beat erratically in his chest as his worry increased with each step. When he didn’t spot them immediately, he feared that his trick backfired. If the bounty hunter had a partner, Thor would never forgive himself.
I have to find those children!

Tossing the branch to the ground, he covered the mile with the fluid gracefulness he once used on the football field. His muscles soared at the unexpected use. Energy surged through his body.

His feet sidestepped rocks and leapt over fallen logs. He ignored all of it, concentrating only on the path. The children were within earshot when Willow gave him directions to the Brown place. He hoped when he silently told them to keep going, they headed for Brown’s spread and not for some obscure hiding place in the woods. Otherwise, it might take hours to find them.

The endless sea of maples, dogwoods, and oaks halted. At the clearing, he paused to catch his breath. A well-traveled road stretched and curved from the east, leading to a two-story farmhouse. The wagon he unloaded yesterday sat in front of a medium-sized barn.

Quickly, he scanned the house for the sign Willow said would mark Brown’s home. Sure enough, it was there! White bricks bordered the top section of the chimney as a signal to runaways that they could find temporary sanctuary there. He breathed a sigh of relief, but doubts lingered.

The homestead vibrated with an eerie silence. Nothing moved or stirred. Thor edged away from the woods, crossed the road and headed for the house. As he walked, he glanced around. Where were the horses, the chickens, and whatever else the Reverend kept on his place? Hell, where was Brown or his wife, Olivia? Why was it so quiet?

He started to go to the front door, changed his mind, and swerved to the right. He peered inside a window and nearly jumped a foot when a hand clamped over his shoulder.

“No, need to look any further. God’s lost sheep have been found, my boy. Like a good shepherd, you followed the right path. Now come with me. We have much to do.”

“Like what?” Thor allowed the reverend to pull him away from the window and lead him to the barn. “The wagon’s empty. What do you want from me now?”

“You’re brash. I like that.” Chuckling, Brown gave Thor a hard pat on his back. “True, the wagon’s empty, but I could use some help in here. There’s a meeting tonight, and this place could use a good cleaning.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Thor exclaimed as they stepped inside.

The barn was much larger inside than its outside appearance. For the most part, the space was clean. However, a few piles of horse dung littered the walkway. Thor’s stomach turned at the smell. He wasn’t sure which smelled worse, horse droppings or squealing pigs?

Frowning, he gave Brown a hard look. “I suppose you expect me to do something with that.”

Brown laughed again. “I take care of my own mess, son. I want you to check the kerosene in the lanterns and make sure there’s enough. I also want you to listen because what I have for you isn’t meant for the rest of the flock that will be gathering here tonight.”

“Wait a minute before you keep going on with the code words, there’s something I need to know.”

The older man folded his hands across his chest. “I’m listening. What’s on your mind?”

“I just want to make sure for my own peace of mind that the kids got here safely. Nat, Clay and Charity
are
here, right?” His eyes met Brown’s green-eyed gaze head on. The stubborn set of his jaw demanded a straight answer.

Brown dipped his head in compliance. “They made it here. Olivia is tending to them now, feeding them, and giving them proper clothing.”

“Good.” Another sigh of relief passed from Thor’s lips. “I sent them ahead without me. I wasn’t sure if they made it. Will they be safe during the meeting?”

“No one allowed on my ground would harm a hair on their heads,” Reverend Brown vowed. “Now are you ready to hear my message for you?”

Thor nodded. “I’m ready, but I think I know what it is. You want me to help on the Underground Railroad, and if that’s it, consider me enlisted. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

* * *

“You won’t rest until he returns, will you?”

Willow let the curtain fall and turned from the window. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she shrugged. “I suppose not. He should have come back by now. I don’t know what could be keeping him.”

“Maybe you should go to the reverend’s to see if Thor and the children made it there safely.”

“I can’t leave you alone. Your baby could arrive at any moment, and you shouldn’t be alone when the pains start.” She went to the stove. The warming stew claimed her attention. As she stirred the flavorful dinner, she added, “I’ll stay with you until Mr. Anders returns and then I’ll leave.”

Eva nodded and went back to mending her husband’s shirts. Willow watched her friend for a moment. Creating a home and raising a family consumed Eva’s world. The worry over whether or not the child growing inside her would arrive safely was the only negative thought to enter Eva’s mind. She never lived in fear with Anders by her side.

Willow didn’t begrudge Eva for her content life. If the world were a simpler place, perhaps her focus could be on the joys of taking care of a family. Since the world wasn’t simple for her, she mustn’t fill her mind with idle thoughts of what ifs. She must reconcile herself to the present.

Willow returned to the stew. The meal didn’t require further attention from her. In another hour or so, it would be ready. She covered the pot with its lid and joined Eva at the table. Sifting through the pile of clothing, she found another shirt of Anders in need of repair.

Neither woman spoke. A companionable silence filled the one-room cabin. Mending was a mindless task for Willow. Her fingers looped the needle in and out of the material. When one hole was patched, she searched for the next piece to sew. This repetitious movement gave Willow the freedom to expand on her earlier thoughts of liberation for her people.

For weeks, her spirit felt restless, as if some monumental occurrence was on the verge of overpowering her. Reverend Brown often said when the good Lord had a mission for a body, He’d give a warning with a strong stirring in the person’s bones. In her youth, Willow did not understand. Now her stomach fluttered, her flesh tingled, and her mind burned. If the good Lord didn’t have something special in store, she didn’t know what was wrong with her. Something extraordinary was on the horizon, and if she searched her mind hard enough, she’d figure it out.

A fleeting glimpse in her mind of dark blue eyes and a ruggedly handsome face mingled with a rich, deep voice invaded her ruminating.

Thor.

“Blessed be!” she muttered under her breath.

“What is it?”

Willow shook her head. “Nothing, I’m just having a harder time with patience than usual. I’m fine, Miss Eva.”

The other woman held Willow’s gaze as if searching for more than her words said. Then she directed her attention to Anders’s shirt.

Without the strain of Eva’s close observation, Willow’s thoughts returned to Thor. He was just a man, one who certainly had no place in her life. Surely, she could make her goals without thoughts of Thor Magnusen intruding upon them.

Very well,
she thought with a stern jab of the needle through a buttonhole.
Remember the movement.
She silently repeated the three words until thoughts of Thor drifted away, and the plight of the three children from the woods came to the forefront.

The two boys and girl were family. The resemblance was too strong to be otherwise.
Where did their flight from bondage begin? Did they have parents, and if they did, what happened to them?

What would the children discover in Canada after their ride on the Freedom Train ended? Would they find a kind family to take them in, or would they have to make it on their own?

Willow knew that the network of abolitionists who assisted in helping slaves escape to freedom would provide for the children’s welfare, but the children needed more than money. They’d need love and guidance, too.
Who would provide for their emotional needs?

“Did you hear that?”

Eva’s voice, hushed with an undercurrent of excitement, interrupted Willow’s thoughts. Disoriented at having her thoughts jarred abruptly, Willow shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything. What did it sound like?”

She moved to stand, but Eva waved in a dismissing gesture. Eva’s chair scraped across the floorboards as she pulled herself up and waddled to the door. Her slender, pale hands patted her hair into place, searching for any loose tendrils.

Eva then pinched her cheeks a couple of times before answering Willow. “It sounds like Anders.” She pulled the front door open, and a wide smile parted her lips. “He’s home!”

“Blessed be,” Willow said aloud with a soft laugh. Eva’s love for her husband was certainly a remarkable sight.

While Eva greeted Anders, Willow stored the mending inside its box and set it on the floor near the fireplace. After wiping the table down, she prepared a meal setting for two. By the time she was done, Eva returned with Anders.

“Good day, Mr. Anders.” Willow forced a demure smile as she moved away from the table to gather her belongings. Despite her deep affection for his wife, Anders’s staunch disregard for the anti-slavery movement stung. The reverend tried many times to convince him of the moment’s importance, but nothing shook him. Willow wondered how a man loved his wife with his whole heart, yet that same heart held no compassion for others in dire circumstances.

He returned her greeting with a jerk of his head. “Willow.”

She draped her shawl around her shoulders and tucked her things inside the crook of her arm. Looking at Eva, she said, “The stew should be ready in a minute or two. I suppose I’ll see you in the morning. Bye, Miss Eva, Mr. Anders.”

Eva’s face fell. “I thought you’d have dinner with us. I wanted you to be here when I told Anders about Thor.”

Willow’s heart pounded at the mention of Thor. “You don’t need me for that, Miss Eva.”

“Who’s Thor? I heard that there have been strangers in the area.” Anders demanded when Eva opened her mouth to protest further. “Is he a friend of the reverend’s?” His voice clipped with a steel-tipped edge. “I appreciate his help with the lumber, but he knows better than to bring his friends around here. I told him my views on that—”

“Anders, please,” Eva hushed him. “Thor is not one of Reverend Brown’s friends. He’s your kin!”

“My kin?” Disbelief riddled his expression. “You must be mistaken, Eva.” He shrugged out of his jacket and set it on the back of a chair then strode to the chamber set to wash his hands. “None of my kin would be caught dead down here.”

“He is a relation,” Eva argued. She looked at Willow for support. “Tell him. Didn’t you mistake him for Anders when you first saw him?”

“I did,” Willow agreed. “I didn’t have my spectacles, but there was a resemblance. At the creek, he told me he’s a Magnusen, and he later said that he’s a distant relation.”

Anders finished drying his hands and faced the women with a frown. “I don’t know any Magnusen by the name of Thor. Where is he from?”

“He said down by Atlanta.” Eva tottered across the room to take her husband’s hand. “It’s possible that you wouldn’t know him since he’s from so far south. You favor so much you must be related.”

Anders’s frown softened at the touch of Eva’s hand. He glanced at the table and then looked at Willow and his wife. “Well, where is he? The table’s only set for two.”

Willow’s stomach clenched as unease swept over her. Her eyes darted to Eva and the woman’s face was void of color. Clearing her throat, Willow answered in a strained voice. “He’s over at the reverend’s. I’ll tell him you’re back.”

“Willow, wait!” Eva spoke with sharp conviction. “What were you saying about strangers, Anders? What did you hear in town?”

“I heard bits and pieces from here and there. No one said anything about another Magnusen in the area.”