Glimmers of Change (63 page)

Moses knew by the sounds behind him that his men had shifted to form a barrier in front of the woods, but it was also obvious to him that he was going to have to do more than threaten. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said grimly, as he took careful aim and pulled the trigger. The report of his rifle echoed through the clearing.

Cannon yelled. “You shot me, you filthy nigger!” His eyes widened with pained disbelief as his rifle clattered to the ground. He grabbed his arm as his horse skittered beneath him.

“Only in the one arm you have left,” Moses said coldly. “And I only nicked you. I might not be so careful next time.”

Cannon cursed loudly, his voice filling the late afternoon air as his eyes glittered with hatred. “You made a big mistake, boy!”

“That might be,” Moses said evenly. “But I’m feeling the urge to make a bigger one.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve run out of patience, Cannon. I’m giving you ten seconds to go back down the road the way you came. In exactly ten seconds, the twenty men behind me are going to open fire. We don’t usually miss what we’re shooting at,” he added casually.

“Ten…nine…eight…”

“We’re coming back,” Cannon yelled.

“Seven… six…”

By the time Moses had reached five, the clearing was empty. He started to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly realized there was still one lone horseman hovering at the edge of the woods, almost hidden in the shadows. He stiffened and raised his rifle again, but he was too late to stop the vigilante from raising his weapon and firing several shots into the woods. Moses was thankful he had told everyone to hide behind trees. He prayed they had followed his orders.

“We’ll be back,” the man shouted, before he turned and galloped away.

Several of his men fired in retaliation, but the vigilante was already gone. The only sound was the drum of horse hooves as the horsemen fled. Moses didn’t lower his rifle until the afternoon was once more silent.

“Look at them white men run!” one of his men hollered jubilantly.

“We did it! We scared them off!” another laughed triumphantly.

“Well done, men!” Moses turned and added his congratulations to their celebration, knowing how much it had taken them to overcome their fears and stand up to the vigilantes. Even though all of them were veterans, what they had done was a far cry from going into battle under the American flag. They had started a fight that would probably not end for a very long time. The reality would sink in soon, so he let them celebrate now.

He nodded to Eli. “Please go into the woods and tell the women and children it is safe to come out.” He believed the vigilantes were gone, but he also didn’t want to give them an opportunity to find the trail through the woods and attempt to come up behind them.

He turned to the men when Eli rode into the woods. “You heard them,” he said quietly. “They say they’re coming back. We scared them off, but men like that operate from fear and pride. We made them look ridiculous. Right now we’re all together, but once we go home it’s going to be up to us to protect our families.”

Simon nodded, his eyes narrow with anger and worry. “What should we do, Moses?”

“Keep your weapons handy,” Moses replied. “And teach your wives how to shoot. Two of you are better than one.”

“You want us to teach our wives how to shoot a
gun
?” one of his men asked in confusion. “I reckon I can take care of my family myself!”

Moses shook his head. “Don’t be a fool. You can’t always be around. What happens if you’re out in the fields and they come back? You won’t be able to protect them. You have to make sure your wife at least has a chance.”

“He’s right,” Simon called. “We taught Rose and June how to shoot. I hope they never have to prove what good shots they are, but they’re ready if they have to be. I’m going to set up a target range here on my land. Tomorrow night I want you all to bring your wives.”

“And any kids over fourteen,” Moses ordered. “I fought with kids that age in the war. They need to have a chance to help protect their families.”

“I thought the government was going to protect us once they let us go free,” one of the summer employees complained. “Why ain’t they doing nothing?”

Moses knew now was not the time for sympathy. “The government can’t be everywhere at one time, Bart,” he said flatly. “I already told you things are going to be real hard for a while. I wasn’t kidding. Things are out of control in the South right now. It’s not going to change soon. You can wait for the government to show up, or you can make sure you protect your family.”

The man stared at him and nodded slowly before he looked at Simon. “I’ll have my wife here tomorrow night,” he promised.

Moments later the women and children began to stream from the woods. Moses watched as men greeted their families, laughing about their exploits. He was certain Rose would be the last from the woods because she would stay behind to make sure everyone found their way out. Still, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she appeared.

Suddenly he stiffened. He held his breath as his eyes searched the group for Felicia. He couldn’t find her. A frantic glance toward Rose told him his wife was looking for her, too.

“Amber! Amber, where are you?”

Moses spun around as Polly began to weave her way through the crowd looking for her daughter. Where were the girls? The last he knew, they were going off into the woods to build a fort.

Gabe was beside him in an instant. “Where’s my girl, Moses? I thought she went into the woods with Polly.”

Moses was suddenly sure there wasn’t time for an explanation. “Come with me,” he answered. He broke into a run as he headed for the woods. “Felicia! Amber!”

Before he could reach the woods, Felicia came stumbling toward him, tears streaming down her face. “Moses! Moses!” she screamed.

Moses reached her in seconds. He scooped her up into his arms and grabbed her close to him in a fierce grip just as Rose and Polly raced up to join them. “Where is Amber, honey?” He dreaded her answer.

“We were hiding in the fort,” Felicia cried as she brushed away her tears. “We saw everyone running into the woods so we decided to stay in our fort.”

Moses sucked in his breath. The branches they had surely used to build their fort had probably given them a sense of security, but they would have done nothing to stop a bullet. The look he exchanged with Gabe told him Amber’s father was thinking the same thing. “What happened?”

“Amber got shot,” Felicia whimpered, her face crumbling as her eyes filled with fresh tears. “We was hiding and then all of a sudden…” She buried her face into his shoulder again.

Moses knew Felicia was horrified for her new best friend, but it was more than that. He knew she was also reliving the moments she had watched her parents die. He rubbed her back gently and tried to speak calmly. “Can you show us where your fort is, Felicia?”

Felicia nodded through her sobs.

Moses caught his breath as he heard the pounding of hoofbeats again. He shoved Felicia into Rose’s arms and sprang for his rifle. He could see his men doing the same thing. He groaned, knowing there was no way to get the women and children to safety again if the vigilantes returned with reinforcements. He had been wrong to think they had scared them away. He forced his thoughts away from Amber bleeding in the woods as he turned and raised his rifle.

Moses gasped with relief when Robert galloped into the clearing. He and Clint had stayed at the stables today to make sure his latest foal and the two who were just days old were alright. Moses shook his head to clear the roaring in his ears.

“What happened,” Robert yelled as he slid Granite to a stop. “I heard gunfire!”

Moses nodded. “I can’t explain it now,” he said quickly. “Amber has been shot. We have to find her.” He understood when Robert’s face went ashen. Robert loved Amber like a daughter.

“Where is she?” Robert managed as he vaulted off Granite, handed his reins to a woman standing close by, and then put a hand on Gabe’s shoulder.

Felicia lifted her head from Rose’s shoulder. “I can show you,” she said bravely, as she gulped back her tears. She slid down from Rose’s embrace and turned to run back into the woods. “Follow me!” she cried.

Robert grabbed Moses’s arm. “You stay here in case something else happens. We’ll find Amber.”

Moses ground his teeth but stayed where he was. He knew Robert was right. The vigilantes could return at any moment.

It took less than a minute before all of them were standing in front of a flimsy, makeshift shelter fashioned from fallen limbs. Robert reached the fort first, groaning when he saw Amber lying on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding her.

“Hey, Robert,” she whispered weakly. Then she caught sight of her father. “Daddy!” she gasped. “It hurts, Daddy…”

“Amber!” Polly screamed, dashing forward when she reached the fort and caught sight of her daughter.

Rose held her back. “Let Robert and Gabe carry her out,” she said firmly. “They’ll take her to the clinic. You and June can take care of her there.”

Polly nodded, tears streaming down her face. “They shot my baby,” she moaned.

Robert knelt down next to Amber. “Hey, honey,” he said quietly. “Can you tell me where you hurt?”

Amber gulped. “My leg hurts real bad,” she answered, the tears coming for the first time.

Robert moved her hand gently, wincing when he saw the hole in her thigh but relieved that there wasn’t more blood. The bullet hadn’t hit an artery. He unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it off quickly, and tied it firmly around her leg to stop the bleeding. “We’re going to get you to the clinic, Amber. Will it be alright if your daddy carries you out of here?”

Amber nodded quickly. “I think I’m ready to be out of my fort now,” she agreed. She paused, her eyes grave with worry. “Am I gonna be paralyzed like you were, Robert?”

Robert shook his head firmly. “Absolutely not. Your leg is going to hurt for a while, but you’re going to be fine. Do you want to know how I know?”

Amber nodded her head, her eyes fastened on him.

“Your leg is hurting real bad, isn’t it?” he asked tenderly. When Amber nodded, he gave her a big smile. “If you were paralyzed, you wouldn’t be able to feel it. You wouldn’t be hurting at all.”

Amber gazed into his eyes and then looked past him to where her mama was peering into the fort. “Is that right, Mama?”

“That’s right,” Polly said soothingly.

Amber seemed to be satisfied. “I’m ready to go.”

Robert nodded to Gabe, who knelt down and pulled Amber gently into his arms. “This is gonna hurt some, honey, but we have to get you to where Mama and June can make you better.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Amber said bravely as she blinked back her tears.

Felicia clung to Rose as Gabe carried Amber from the fort. “Are those men coming back to shoot us?” she asked in a terrified whisper.

“No,” Rose said firmly, praying she was right. She knelt down and pulled Felicia close. “You did just the right thing coming to get us. That took a lot of bravery.”

Felicia relaxed just a little. “Amber is my best friend,” she said, her voice still a whisper.

“She’s lucky to have you for a best friend,” Rose said soothingly. They wouldn’t know the full extent of the little girl’s injuries until they got her to the clinic, but Rose’s intuition told her it wasn’t too serious. “Amber is going to be alright,” she said soothingly.

Felicia clung to Rose’s hand as they walked through the woods. Her little eyes never quit moving, but Rose couldn’t fault her for watching out for trouble, because she was doing the same thing. She had stayed close enough to hear everything that had happened in the clearing. Carrie had told her after New Year’s Day that Daniel Cannon could be a dangerous man. Sowell, the plantation owner who had led the men back in January, had been almost ready to listen to reason that day, but Cannon’s anger had spurred him on. Rose knew a man with that much anger usually didn’t let reason get in the way of impulsive, irrational action. If Cannon could find more men ready to face twenty men with weapons, he might return.

Rose took a deep breath when they reached the clearing. Gabe and Robert were just laying Amber down in the wagon on the pile of blankets that everyone had contributed. Polly was sitting in the wagon next to her daughter, and June was already perched on the seat. As soon as they had her settled, Gabe leaped up to the wagon seat and picked up the reins. His face was tense, but his voice was easy as he urged the horses forward slowly, trying to not jostle his little girl any more than necessary. Robert fell in beside him on Granite. He was going to act as a guard for them, and he wouldn’t leave Amber until he was sure the little girl was all right.