Jorgine leaped out of the seat of the wagon before Big Jim could come around to help her down. “Remember, if Uncle Richard comes by in the morning, have Sally tell him I was up with a headache all night and won’t be accepting callers until afternoon, all right?”
“I don’t know about this, Miss Jorgine. Don’t seem fitting for a young lady such as yourself to be traipsing around alone in the dark.” He held up his large, calloused hand when Jorgine opened her mouth to speak. “Mr. Hudson is a fine man doing an honorable thing, helping all those folks like that. But if Mr. Richard finds out you’re working with him…” His voice trembled slightly. “Lord save you both.”
A cold shiver ran down Jorgine’s spine. Big Jim must have overheard the same conversation she had. “I’m sure Uncle Richard was only trying to impress those folks from Charleston.”
“He said any man or woman helping a runaway should be shot.” Jim lifted her valise out of the undercarriage and set it down beside her. “Said he’d kill his own kin if need be.”
Even now, her uncle’s words made her go cold, but Jorgine couldn’t stop her work now that she had seen the need. She lifted the basket of sandwiches she and Sally had made and settled it into the crook of her arm. “Just because he said that doesn’t mean he’ll do it.”
“Doesn’t mean he won’t either.”
She threw a shawl around her shoulders. “Well, I don’t think I’m in any danger from him. I’m not sure what he wants from the Wakefields, but he needs me to get it.”
“What about Mr. Hudson?”
That question kept her awake at night. If something happened to Hudson, if her uncle found out what he was doing and went after him, she wasn’t sure what she would do. Thank God for small miracles. “Didn’t I tell you? Mrs. Wallace is feeling so much better, they decided to cut their trip short and return home. Hudson will return to Atlanta by the end of next week.”
Jim studied her for a long moment. “I is sorry, Miss Jorgine.”
Not nearly as much as she was. For the first time in her life, she felt a part of something more than herself, something that truly mattered. God had opened this path to her as well as certain truths. “For God so loved the world. “Not based on the color of their skin, but everyone.
Then there was Hudson. Jorgine drew in a deep breath of cool air. He was nothing like the rogue he pretended to be. In him, she’d found a quiet strength born out of his convictions, someone she could lean on in a world teetering on the brink of war. His faith had helped revive her own after the barren months following her engagement to Win.
A knot formed at the base of her throat. How could she marry one man when her heart belonged to another?
Now was not the time for such thoughts. A large group of runaways was expected this evening, and there was much to prepare. Jorgine untied her bonnet and put it on the wagon seat. “We hope to have everyone moved out before dawn, but that’s only if things go smoothly. Hudson will bring me around the back way in case Richard has his men waiting at the front gates.”
“I’ll be sitting up, waiting.”
Jorgine glanced over at him. The dark hair she remembered as a girl had given way to silver, the gentle lines in his face a witness to times gone by. Big Jim was a constant in her life, one of the few people she still trusted. She threw herself against his strong chest. “I wish you were my uncle.”
Jim gave her shoulder an awkward pat then folded his arms around her. “It’s going to be all right, little girl. God’s at work in all of this. You’ll see.”
“I already do.” She gave him a kiss on his whiskered cheek then stepped back, reaching for her supplies. “But you don’t have to sit up. Go on to bed.”
“I’ll be deciding what I need to do.” Grabbing the leather strap on the seat, he launched his large frame into the wagon. “You be careful, you hear me. I’ll be praying for you both.”
Before she could thank him, he slapped the reins against horseflesh and jutted forward. Moments later, the wagon slipped out of sight. She’d tried to convince him and her cook, Jocelyn, to run, offered to help them get settled as she would Sally. But the man had refused. “Master Emerson told me to watch over you, and I aim to do just that.” Maybe after she married Win, she could convince them to go.
Jorgine gathered her things and glanced around. A large moon overhead cast light over the short meadow on the opposite side of the clearing, away from prying eyes. Hudson always met her near the tree line as soon as Big Jim was gone. So where was he? Her uncle’s words exploded through her mind. Had he been discovered? Was Hudson being stood in front of a tree, his hands and feet tied with rifles aimed at his chest, awaiting the fatal bullet? Without thinking, she started toward the woods.
“Jorgine?”
Relief flooded through her at the sight of his tall, lumbering figure hurrying toward her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him then press her head against his chest and listen to his heart beat strong and confident. Instead, she took a calming breath. “You scared the fire out of me.”
“Were you worried about me?” There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Yes. No.” She pressed her lips together. “Uncle Richard said he’d shoot anyone he caught helping the runaways, and when you didn’t come right way, I thought…” She took another breath. “Forget I ever said anything.”
He stepped closer, his hands cupping her face. She breathed again, but this time, her lungs filled of him, of wood smoke and soap. Jorgine leaned into him. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. It was nothing as dire as all that, but I can understand why you’d be upset. Your uncle should be taken out and horsewhipped for saying such a thing in front of you.”
Relieved yet feeling awkward, Jorgine stepped out of his embrace. “He didn’t really say it in front of me.”
“You were eavesdropping?”
“You don’t have to make it sound so vulgar.” She shoved her valise at him.
Hudson took the case then offered her his arm. “I just didn’t expect a lady like you to lower yourself to that level.”
“How do you think women find out half the things they do? Their husbands and fathers certainly don’t tell them.”
Laughter rumbled in his voice. “Well played.”
She dismissed the tiny irritation she felt and pressed on. “You never told me what kept you.”
Any note of humor was gone when he spoke. “The passengers arrived early.”
“Early?” Her skirts caught on a downed limb as Hudson hurried her into the forest. “But they weren’t supposed to be here until after midnight.”
Twigs snapped beneath his boots. “The conductor got wind of a raid that was planned for tonight. He thought it best to move them as quickly as possible.”
A raid. She’d never considered that possibility. “That was smart thinking on his part to move them like that.” Jorgine stopped, Hudson’s blistering pace leaving her out of breath. “Could you slow down just a bit?”
“I’m sorry.” His words came out a bit breathless. “But we have a situation with one of the runaways, and we need to get back as soon as possible.”
Her heart sped up. “What kind of situation?”
Was it her imagination or had Hudson gone a shade paler? “One of the women who arrived this afternoon is laboring with her child.”
“Oh dear. That is a problem. Aren’t there other ladies to help her?”
Hudson shook his head as he gently pushed her forward. “There’s only an older woman who is blind, from what I can gather.”
Nerves jangled around in her stomach. “What about her husband?”
His hesitation sent a pang of despair through her chest. “Beaten to death a few days ago. It’s why the woman ran. She didn’t want her baby born into that.”
Jorgine couldn’t blame her. The thought of a child being born into forced servitude sickened her. This woman needed her. But should she tell Hudson her only birthing experience had been in the stables? No, he had enough to worry about now. Jorgine picked up the pace. “I’m going to need a small fire and clean water.”
“We can’t chance building a fire, not with the raiders still out there.” Concern crept into his voice. “And the only well on the property is polluted.”
“Then we’ll have to make do with creek water.” She yanked at her snagged skirt, and it ripped. “As long as I have a lantern to clean the scissors, I can manage.”
“Are you sure?”
Poor man. She knew how he felt. Right now, she wasn’t certain about anything. “Papa always said a baby has a way of making grown-ups feel completely helpless, yet hundreds are safely born every day.”
“My papa has said much the same thing.” He gave her a slight smile. “Doesn’t really matter when it’s happening, does it?”
As they broke into the clearing, a loud moan from the larger of the two sheds rent the air. Whether they were ready or not, this child would be born. Turning to Hudson, she gave him what she hoped was her most confident smile as she took her valise. “Would you do something for me?”