A week later, after Phoebe helped Abe set out nets, she helped him dig holes and cover them along key points along the property. As Abe covered the last trap, he said, “That’s all I can think of to do to protect us.” He turned to her. “None of these may even keep an intruder at bay.”
“Abe, you’ve done all you could. Ma has gotten better at her shooting, and you know I can handle a stranger who comes into our home uninvited. We’ve all discussed where we’ll go and what we’ll do next time someone threatens us.” She slipped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “There’s nothing worse than sitting back and not doing anything. We’ve planned out as much as we could, and that makes me feel a lot better.”
He drew her closer to him. “I don’t want to lose you. You mean everything to me.”
She smiled. “You mean everything to me, too. We’re in this together.”
He returned her smile and kissed her in a way that told her he loved her. Afterwards, he wrapped her in his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. She closed her eyes and exhaled, hoping he wouldn’t continue to blame himself for Gene being able to sneak into the cabin the way he had. The important thing was she heard Gene and was able to hide in a place that allowed her to save herself and her mother from any harm.
Yes, it’d scared her. It would have scared anyone in her position. But she’d known how to shoot a gun, thanks to Abe taking the time to teach her. If he hadn’t given her the tools she’d needed to protect herself, who knew if Gene would have found her and her mother? Knowing Gene had been a horrible man was the only comfort she received from killing him.
Abe kissed the top of her head. “I hope we’ll never have to go through a night like that again.”
“I do, too,” she whispered. “But if we do, we’ll be ready.”
“Yes, we will.” After a moment, he added, “As long as we’re together, we can do anything.”
She grinned. “Yes, we can. And we will. We should get back to the cabin before my mother wonders if we fell into one of the holes you dug.”
He chuckled and gave her another kiss. “I suppose we have been out here long enough.” Keeping his arm around her shoulders, he led her back to the cabin.
***
Two weeks later, after the judge read the will, he put it on his desk and glanced from Carl to Abe. “I’m sorry, Abe, but Carl has every right to the stream and twenty acres that go with it. That’s what your father stated in his will. There’s no changing it.” He leaned back in his chair and put his hands over his stomach. “Abe, I know you don’t like this, but your uncle did sell the stream and twenty acres to your father.”
Carl nodded in satisfaction. “I kept telling you I had every right to it,” he said, turning to Abe. “Maybe now you’ll finally leave me alone.”
Abe didn’t know what to say. Why would his uncle make that kind of a deal with a white man? After going through the horror of being forced from Georgia and watching his family suffer at the hands of the white men, what force on earth would compel him to sell something as precious? What had his uncle been thinking?
“Things aren’t as simple as you’re making it out to be,” the judge told Carl, drawing Abe’s thoughts back to him. “You have to have a legitimate child before you turn thirty. If not, then the stream and land goes back to Abe and any of his children.”
“There’s nothing in there about a child,” Carl argued.
“Yes, there is,” the judge replied. “It’s toward the bottom of this page.” He held up the will and showed it to him. “It’s right here if you want to read it.”
Carl didn’t reach for it right away. He tapped the edge of the chair arm for several seconds, his gaze on the will in front of him. Finally, he reached forward and took it.
This was one time when Abe wished he could read. Even if he’d had a copy of the will, it wouldn’t have done him any good. But by the way Carl’s face paled, Abe knew the judge had told the truth, that despite the sale his uncle made with their father, there was a chance he could get the land and stream back. And it would be in a way no white man could dispute.
Carl was twenty-eight. He was quickly running out of time. He didn’t have to say it. Abe knew desperation when he saw it.
“There has to be some mistake,” Carl muttered as he flipped to the first page of the will.
“No, there’s no mistake,” the judge replied. “I went through the will twice to make sure I understood it correctly. You can see for yourself what I’m saying is true, and that is your father’s signature.”
Carl scanned the page in front of him and shook his head. “Why would he do this to me?”
“To you? To you!” Abe snapped, straightening in his chair. “You think he did this to you? That was my uncle’s land and stream. My uncle was there before your family came along to upset things.”
Carl clenched the will. “Your uncle sold it. That’s what this document says.” He waved it in front of Abe. “You and your mother took everything from me. That land and stream is all I got left. So don’t you dare act like this is against you. Right to the very end, you’re getting everything. Right to the very end!” Carl bolted to his feet, moving so fast the chair fell to the floor. He shoved his finger in Abe’s face. “I hate you! Every day of my life since you were born, I had to live in your shadow. All because our no-good father loved your mother more than mine. And mine was the one who was rightfully wedded to him!”
Abe stood up and glared at him. “Oh, right. Things have been so easy for me. I grew up as a bastard.”
“You have so much, and you don’t even know it. Why can’t you be content with what you already have? Why can’t you focus on your wife? Anyone can see how much she loves you.”
“I owe it to my wife to give her a stream she can wash clothes in instead of having to pull water from the well all the time.”
“That’s enough!” the judge barked.
Both men stopped and watched as the judge slowly rose to his feet.
“I understand this is a difficult situation,” the judge began, “but the past doesn’t change anything. The will is legally binding. Abe, you will not be taking that stream unless it goes to you in the manner the will stipulates. Until then, you two will do no good to argue about it.”
“I’m getting that child,” Carl told Abe after a long moment of silence passed between them. “That stream and land are the only good things our father left me, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep them.”
“Carl Richie, what did I say?” the judge asked, turning his cold gaze to him.
With a huff, Carl stormed out of the small courthouse.
Abe took a deep breath to settle his nerves. It wasn’t worth it. He could chase Carl down and challenge him to a showdown. The last man standing with the gun still in his hand would get the stream and land. It would be quick and painless. It would finally settle the ongoing dispute. He was better with a gun than Carl.
But he couldn’t do it. Not knowing Phoebe and her mother would be disappointed in him. Of all the things Abe could say about Carl, he couldn’t say Carl was dumb. Carl knew what he was doing when he posted that mail-order bride ad. He’d selected a young, pretty, and kind woman. He figured all Abe needed was enough time with her, and he’d fall in love and want her to stay with him. Carl knew Phoebe would ultimately be his weakness.
Phoebe wouldn’t understand it if he demanded a showdown with Carl. She was from a gentler place where men didn’t have a duel over land and streams. Phoebe was a good woman, and more than that, she loved him. She’d been willing to do everything he’d asked of her, but a woman could only be expected to do so much. There was no way Abe was going to risk losing the one good thing in his life.
Forcing back the frustrated tears that sprang up in his eyes, Abe told the judge good-bye and slowly made his way out of the building, squinting at the bright sunlight that bore down on him. He supposed a hat was practical, but there was no way he’d ever wear one.
He was half Cherokee and proud of it. Someday, he might even have children, and he’d tell them the stories his uncle had passed on to him. More importantly, he was going to tell them they should never be ashamed of their heritage. No one was going to make them think less of themselves. He’d have to give up the land and stream, but he wasn’t going to give up instilling the right values to his children. And really, that was more important anyway.
Releasing his breath, he turned and headed for Lois’ house where Phoebe and her mother waited for him. On this day, however, he didn’t look away from other people when they stared. This time, he decided to meet their gazes head on, and to his surprise, a couple of the men offered a friendly nod. He hadn’t seen that before. It took him a moment to return the greeting, realizing it was the polite thing to do.
And he couldn’t be sure, but he thought the women didn’t edge so far away from him as he passed by. But maybe it was all in his mind. Or maybe, just maybe, there had been the few people who had always been willing to give him a chance, but he hadn’t noticed it until now. It was hard to tell for sure.
He was just two blocks shy of Lois’ house when Carl’s wife called out to him. Surprised since she rarely made it a habit of talking to him, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. She was following him down the dusty road. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought she’d been drinking by the slight wobble in her steps.
When she reached him, she said, “I just found out about the will.” She covered her mouth and giggled.
“I don’t see what’s so funny about it,” he said, wondering where Carl was. Certainly, he’d brought her to town, and Abe couldn’t imagine he’d want her talking to him. “Shouldn’t you be with your husband?”
“That’s what’s so funny,” she whispered. “Carl’s determined we’ll have a child together, but between you and me, he’ll never get into my bed. So you have nothing to worry about. That property you two have been fighting over since your pa died will be yours in two short years.”
Letting out another chuckle, she wished him a good day and went back toward the heart of town.
Abe didn’t know where she was going, nor did he care. She was Carl’s problem. As he continued his walk to Lois’, the reality of it all sunk in. She was Carl’s problem. He’d seen the way she and Carl argued, but it hadn’t occurred to him just how miserable Carl must be until that moment.
Unlike Phoebe, Carl’s wife wasn’t easy to fall in love with. She was probably downright impossible. Imagine a wife intentionally sabotaging her husband’s chances of inheriting something his father left him. Phoebe wouldn’t do that. The fact that it was important to him would have compelled her to do everything possible to help him.
He wasn’t used to feeling sympathy when it came to Carl Richie, but in this one instance, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Carl had to live with her every day. There was no escaping it.
Having Phoebe in his life made Abe aware of how important a good wife was in a man’s life. And, that being the case, his life was actually much better than he’d realized.
His heart lighter, he finished the path to Lois’ house and knocked on the door.
Phoebe opened it, and, with concern in her eyes, she stepped onto the porch and shut the door. “What did the judge say?”
“He said Carl has the rights to the property,” he told her. “My uncle sold it to my father, and if Carl has a child in the next two years, he gets to keep it.”
“I’m sorry, Abe. I know that’s not what you were hoping for.”
He glanced back at the town and saw an unhappy Carl helping his equally unhappy wife get into the wagon. Turning back to Phoebe, he said, “You know, I had time to think, and in all honesty, it’s alright. I have you, and that’s more than I’ll ever need.” He cupped her face in his hands and smiled. “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Then, without waiting for her to reply, he lowered his head and kissed her, looking forward to their future and the children they would one day have.
The End