MB02 - A Noble Groom (37 page)

They wouldn’t have the same devastation again, would they?

Carl pulled the horse free of the wagon.

“I’m glad you’re going to help Annalisa.” Frau Loehe wiped a stray tear from her fleshy cheek.

He didn’t wait to find out how she’d guessed he was on his way to Annalisa’s.

“I’m sure she’ll be overjoyed to see you, dearie.”

He climbed up on the horse. He didn’t have time to contradict Frau Loehe and remind her of how much Annalisa despised him for his deception.

“You take care of yourself,” she said.

“Pray.” He settled himself on the horse’s bare back and then dug in his heels. “Pray like you’ve never prayed before.”

Chapter
20

Two deer crashed through the thicket.

Annalisa jumped away from the tree, letting the small wormy apple fall from her grip.

The deer leapt over logs and kicked their legs, almost flying through the air. They bounded away without even seeming to notice her or the girls.

Gretchen gasped and some of the apples spilled out of her apron. The little girl had turned up the edges of her apron, forming a basket. She’d filled it with the bruised, rotting apples that littered the ground, following Annalisa’s instructions not to leave behind anything. They would use every apple in some way. They would dry some and press the inedible ones into cider. She would even use the cores for making vinegar.

“The deer are in a hurry, aren’t they?” Gretchen bent to retrieve the apples that had fallen but in the process dumped more on the ground.

Annalisa looked up through the thick covering of trees. The sky had turned gray—the same dirty color as her washing water
on laundry day. The heat was as stifling as it had been all summer. At least in the glade, the shade had provided some coolness.

“More story, Mama?” Gretchen straightened and followed Annalisa’s gaze to the sky.

Unease shimmied up Annalisa’s backbone.

But she peeked at Sophie asleep in her sling, then forced her attention back to the apple picking and the fairy tale she’d been telling Gretchen.

Suddenly the brush crackled again, this time with more force. And before she could grab Gretchen and run away, a hulking bear lumbered into the glade.

The words of the story died on her lips, and her heartbeat plummeted to a bruising halt.

“Don’t move,” she whispered to Gretchen.

The girl glanced up from the apples. At the sight of the bear she froze. Her face paled and her shoulders shrank, but she was obedient. She didn’t make a sound.

Annalisa had no doubt the bear was the same one that had tried to get her sow in the spring. She’d seen it a couple of other times from the distance when it had been fishing in the river, but she’d never been so close as now.

It lifted its black nose and sniffed the air. Then it tossed its enormous head, gave a grunt, and plodded away from them, in the same direction the deer had gone, as if there were a road winding through the woods that only the animals knew about.

Not until the crashing among the brush died away did Annalisa dare to breathe.

In the distance, above the wind rattling the dry leaves, she could hear Snowdrop barking. The dog’s yaps were urgent, almost angry.

Again the sense that something was wrong made a shivering trail up her back. And when a skunk waddled nearby, followed
by four young ones, their tails up, their heads lifted high, each in perfect imitation of the other, an urgency pressed down on Annalisa.

She held herself motionless until the animals had disappeared. Then she sprang into action. “Come. We must hurry.” She grabbed the basket of apples, which was only half full. “We must go see what’s bothering Snowdrop.”

“Why are all the animals headed to the river?” Gretchen asked breathlessly, trying to keep up with Annalisa as she pushed her way through the thicket. “Are they having a party there?”

At Gretchen’s observation, Annalisa nearly tripped and fell. The girl was right. The animals were all heading south in the direction of the river. But why? What was happening?

She broke through the dense foliage and stumbled into the field of potatoes that was only half harvested. The air was thick with smoke that hadn’t penetrated the woods yet.

Had the barn caught fire again?

Her gaze darted to the new barn and then the cabin. Neither of the buildings were ablaze. In fact, the wind had died down. And except for the heaviness of the smoke, everything was calm. Too calm.

Except Snowdrop.

At the sight of her and Gretchen trudging across the open field, the dog broke into a new frenzy of barking. He strained against his frayed rope, pawing the ground, and jumping in the air.

Annalisa was almost to the cabin when a dusting of ashes floated down on her. She stopped and peered into the gray sky, curious at the strange precipitation. It wasn’t until she glanced over her shoulder to the west that her heartbeat stopped altogether.

Black billowing clouds were rolling across the sky, heading toward her farm.

For a long moment she couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

More ashes sifted down on her shoulders and arms and onto the ground. They covered the dusty brown with a thin layer of white.

The dark clouds weren’t the black smoke clouds that rose from fire, were they?

She wanted to shout a denial, but the evidence around her screamed the truth. The fires everyone had been talking about over the past week had spread. And they were now headed her way.

“Ach, Gott help us,” she whispered. What should she do? Where should she go?

She glanced in the direction of Vater’s home. Dirk and Vater had started harvesting Vater’s corn. Should she grab the children and head there? He’d know what to do to keep them safe, perhaps in his big underground root cellar. Or should she try to make it to the river with the animals?

The darkness was spilling in. The black smoke high above her began to cover the sun and cast a deathly pall over the farm.

A gust of wind blew smoke and heat into her face, stinging her eyes. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand to keep from breathing in the fumes.

She didn’t know how much time she had left before the fire spread to her land. And she couldn’t take the chance of making the trek to the river. She’d have to go to Vater’s. And they’d need to run.

“Let Snowdrop loose,” she yelled to Gretchen, starting toward the barn. She would free the animals from their stalls, but then they would have to find a way to survive on their own. Hopefully, like all the wild creatures they’d seen, their instincts would drive them to the river.

In the sling, Sophie began to fuss. “Your meal will have to wait, liebchen,” she murmured as she ran toward the barn.

The door was already open, and as she stepped into the calm she drew in a deep breath of the familiar scent of hay and horses. But then she stopped short.

A strange horse stood in the center of the mow.

Slowly she approached the horse and ran her hand over its hindquarters and flank to the saddle. “Where’d you come from?” she whispered, searching the shiny leather for any identification.

Old Red gave a high whinny and kicked the wall as if to remind her why she’d come into the barn in the first place.

As she took a step toward Old Red’s stall, a hand slid over her mouth and the cold end of a pistol pressed into the back of her head.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Mrs. Werner,” said a voice in stilted German.

Annalisa froze.

The gun barrel dug through her scarf and hair into her scalp. “And I’m getting tired of waiting.” The hand over her mouth was soft and plump and damp with sweat.

The tailored sleeve, the bulky flesh, the poor German—all of it belonged to none other than E. B. Ward.

Annalisa quickly scanned the barn for something, anything she could use to defend herself.

“I’m done playing games with you, Mrs. Werner.” He pulled her backward so that she was left with little choice but to stumble against his bulging body.

She wanted to scream, but even if he removed his hand from her mouth, who would hear her except perhaps Gretchen, who was outside with the dog? And the last thing she wanted was for Gretchen to come running into the barn and witness whatever Ward intended to do to her.

“You need to sign over the deed to this land to me today.” His breath was stale and hot against her neck. “I’m not giving you a choice this time.”

When had he ever given her a choice?

“And no, Carl won’t be coming to rescue you this time. I received news he was leaving town on the
Clayton Belle
this afternoon.”

Disappointment pushed against her chest. So Carl really was going away. He wouldn’t be showing up in the doorway and asking for a slice of the apple pie she’d baked that morning.

She’d told herself she wasn’t baking it for him. But deep inside, she had to admit, she’d held on to a thin hope that maybe—just maybe—he wouldn’t be able to leave her, that he cared enough about her to want to stay regardless of all that had happened.

And yet what reason had she given him to come back? Hadn’t she made it clear she didn’t want him to be a part of her life anymore?

Ward said something else to her in English that she didn’t understand, then jerked her arm behind her back as he’d done the last time.

Pain ripped through her shoulder. She cried out, but his hand muffled the sound.

Was he going to kill her? Just as he’d done to Hans?

He could get away with murder and no one would know.

Sophie started to fuss again, louder this time.

“Keep the baby quiet.” He yanked her arm, and another burst of pain shot through her shoulder. “Or I’ll have to quiet her for you.”

The fear inside seeped into her limbs, causing her to tremble. She put her finger to Sophie’s mouth, praying the baby would suckle it.

“Now I’m going to take my hand away from your mouth. But if you scream, I’ll find a way to silence you too.” He loosened his grip. “Do you understand?”

She nodded, trying to keep her knees from buckling underneath her.

He let go of her mouth and then shoved a wrinkled piece of paper in front of her face. “This is a copy of the deed, and at the bottom it says that you’re selling me your land for fifty dollars.”

“Fifty dollars? It’s worth far more than that. I have to pay Herr Buel ten dollars an acre.”

He tightened his hold on the arm behind her back. “Fifty is all I’m willing to pay.”

Her shoulder and arm burned, making her want to cry out. But she clenched her teeth and sucked in a hissing breath. Was the land really worth all the pain? If she refused Ward’s offer, she dreaded to think what he might do to her. And even if she stood her ground and survived his retribution, she would only continue to put herself and her children in danger. He’d be back again and again, until he finally got his way.

“You’re lucky I’m offering you anything at all for this worthless piece of land.”

She didn’t respond. They both knew he wouldn’t be forcing her to sign over the deed if the land were worthless. In fact, she figured he stood to make a hefty profit by building his sawmill in such a strategic location, or he would have given up getting her land long ago.

Outside, Snowdrop had started barking again. The black clouds she’d seen earlier had moved quickly, making the shadows in the barn darker. The air had grown hotter as well, and a thick smoke began penetrating the interior of the barn.

She nodded toward the door. “I think we need to get ourselves to safety before the fire gets here.”

“We’re not going anywhere until you sign this paper.”

Sophie gnawed hungrily at Annalisa’s finger, but then gave a frustrated cry.

Annalisa bounced the fussing baby, shushing her, but all the while her mind was screaming. She had to get the girls to safety.

Suddenly Snowdrop raced through the open door of the barn. At the sight of Ward, the dog crouched low and growled, revealing his sharp teeth.

“Mama?” Gretchen called from outside the barn.

“Don’t come in here!” Annalisa shouted. As soon as the words were out, she realized the panic in her voice would likely draw the girl, so she tried to make her tone calmer. “You stay there, liebchen. I’ll be right out.”

“Sign the document, Mrs. Werner.” Ward pushed a pen into her hand. “Then we can both get out of the way of the coming storm.”

Annalisa’s hand shook.
Gott,
she silently cried, fighting off the old feelings that He wouldn’t care.
I’m going to trust that you’re here watching over me. Frau Pastor said you were big enough to listen to everybody and that you would take care of a widow like me.

Ward rattled the paper. “There at the bottom. Next to the X.”

She lowered the pen to the spot, but then squeezed her eyes closed. Could she really sign over all her hopes and dreams for the future?

A gust of wind whistled through the cracks in the walls, blowing in more smoke.

What other choice did she have?

Gott,
she inwardly pleaded,
bitte.
Help me save my girls.

“You do know how to write your name, don’t you?”

Strangely a resolved calm settled over Annalisa. She knew what she needed to do. She bent and scrawled her name, then handed the pen back to Ward.

“Good girl.” He released her arm and shoved her away.

Her feet tripped over each other, and she found herself falling into the fresh hay at the center of the mow.

“I’ll give you two days to vacate the property.” He folded the paper and tucked it into the inner pocket of his vest. Through the growing shadows his yellowish eyes and pockmarked skin took on an eerie pallor.

Then he raised his pistol and aimed it at Sophie, whose wails were growing more insistent.

“Nein!” screamed Annalisa, hunching over the baby, covering her with her own body as best she could.

Ward then swung the pistol toward Snowdrop. The dog’s barking had become louder and more insistent.

Ward’s finger wrapped around the trigger, and he took aim at the defenseless animal.