It was still dark when Walt’s plantation came into sight. Beth took the lead then and walked her horse past the house and toward the ravine, stopping well away from the edge. Reining up, he spat on the ground and then pinned her with a hard look. “What is this? A joke?”
“No joke. This is where Pa hid the deed.”
Was Pierce far behind? Or was he still under Bear’s watchful eye? Beth didn’t see how Pierce could know that everything would turn out well, but she was determined to play her part as though she knew the ending.
Dismounting and tying off the reins on a nearby tree limb, she turned to face her uncle. “The deed is buried in the fifth cave on the right.”
Walt’s jaw dropped when his eyes followed hers to the caves. For the first time in her life, Beth witnessed the man’s total astonishment. “This ain’t funny, Beth.”
“No, sir,” she agreed. “But like I said, Pa had a sense of humor.” Correction: He was downright brilliant.
“Why…why…the low-down, conniving…” He paused and then spat on the ground again, his eyes assessing the deep gorge by the light of the moon. “How did Emmett get to the other side without killing his fool self?”
Beth didn’t say anything.
Walt focused his attention again squarely on the ravine. “Girl, if you’re lying to me, we’re going back, and I will horsewhip Joanie and make you watch.” His angry words broke through her silence.
“I’m not misleading you. The deed is in the fifth cave on the right. Pa said it was in plain sight.”
Walt snatched off his hat and threw it on the ground. “Of all the…”
Beth turned away at the string of oaths pouring from her uncle’s mouth. If Mary Margaret were present she would probably pray for him, but Beth felt nothing but revulsion.
They stood, silence settling around them. Now what? She glanced toward the woods, straining to detect any sign that Pierce was nearby. Instinct told her he wouldn’t follow that closely. It would take a while to overcome Bear, escape, ride to the plantation…
What if he doesn’t come? What if he mounts up and rides in the opposite direction?
She wouldn’t blame him, yet somehow she knew he’d be there for her. Maybe Preach would come with him, but Gray Eagle would never desert Joanie. Her heart longed for the same devotion. How she’d changed. In the brief time that she’d known Captain Montgomery, he’d stolen her heart like a seasoned pickpocket.
Wasn’t that just like a man?
“Well?” She asked as the silence stretched between them. “You’re not going to cross that ravine, are you?”
Walt focused on the gaping chasm, and she knew he was weighing the matter. “Your pa made the jump?”
“He said he did, but he was lucky. If the rope had slipped or frayed, he would have been at the bottom of the ravine.”
“But he made it.”
She didn’t intend to lie. “He did. He said he did.” Her eyes discreetly searched the brush lining the gulch. Pierce, where are you? The sounds of night birds were her only answer.
Time stretched. Walt sat on the ground, deep in thought. Beth saw all sorts of emotions play across his frazzled features. Fear. Logic. Greed. Anger.
Greed won out. “Come daylight, I’m going to make the jump.”
“Uncle Walt, I…I wouldn’t.” She detested the man like raw liver, but she couldn’t watch him leap to his death without arguing on behalf of sanity.
“Shuddup. That deed will set me up for life.”
“Not if you don’t have a life, which you might not if you attempt that jump.”
“I can do anything Emmett did.”
“True, but Pa might have had the Lord’s blessing.”
“Emmett’s dead. Hardly seems like one of them there ‘blessings’ to me.”
The party of three rode through the darkness. Bear had proved no match for the Cherokee warriors who had followed behind the nun, Pierce, and Beth. Bear was now secured to a pole in the sweat lodge, whining and crying for his pa. Pierce hoped time spent in the sweltering tent would sweat the meanness out of the headstrong cousin.
Gray Eagle, who was more than willing to support his friend and help rescue Joanie’s sister, knew of a back road to the cotton plantation, so the three men arrived undetected. They now squatted in the thick undergrowth watching the scene play out before them. Beth stood back while Walt knelt, fashioning a thick rope.
“Obviously, he’s planning to make the jump,” Pierce whispered.
“He won’t make it,” Preach predicted.
“Beth’s pa did.”
“He was lucky,” Gray Eagle said.
Sweat rolled from Walt Jornigan’s temples as he stood at the precipice in the morning light. Wandering over to a rock, Beth sat down, weariness evident in every line of her posture. She glanced over when she heard a faint hissing. Eyes widening, she spotted Pierce. He was bent, peeking through a bush, finger to his lips. She almost called out but caught her response. He’s here! He came!
Then he let go of the branch and faded silently into obscurity.
Walt rummaged in his saddlebag and took out a lead pencil and a scrap of paper. Sitting down on the ground, he began to write.
Beth couldn’t control her curiosity. “What are you doing?”
“I’m cipherin’.” He focused on the task. “Ever heard of that, girlie? Smart folks don’t just leap over ravines. They cipher their moves on paper so’s they don’t make a mistake. That’s what your pa did. He ciphered his move. I’d bet my life on it.”
“I don’t think Pa knew how to cipher.”
“Oh, he was wily. Yes, ma’am. Real wily, and I’d bet cash money he learned how to cipher from your fancy book-learned ma.” Walt bit the tip of his tongue and drew. “Now, lemme see. My rope is about sixty-eight feet long. That’ll have to be enough for me to make a seventy-foot jump.” He glanced up, scratching his chin. “I wish I could measure exactly how far across that is.”
Beth didn’t know how to cipher, so she couldn’t dispute his figures. All she knew was that there was no deed on earth that would make her leap that canyon.
His tongue wedged between his teeth, Walt scribbled. “You’re gonna be glad you decided to cooperate with your ol’ Uncle Walt. You know that, girl?”
Beth didn’t respond, but that didn’t stop Walt from going on. “Yes, ma’am. Once I get my hands on that deed, we’ll be sitting pretty. Might even share some of my riches with you and Bear once you get hitched.”
“I’ve told you before that I won’t marry my cousin. I’ve heard that terrible things can happen when a person does that.”
“Oh, yes you will. You’ll do what your uncle tells you. You hear that?”
Beth turned away from the man and the pencil stub feverishly bobbed. “You think I’m a fool,” he said.
Beth remained silent.
“Fess up. You think I’m an idiot.”
Drawing a deep breath, she said, “Yes, sir.”
Pausing, he lifted an angry brow. “Are you sassing me?”
“No, sir. You asked a question and I answered you.”
“You’d better watch your tongue!” Moments passed and he paused. “Go over the details again,” he demanded.
“What details?”
“How did Emmett jump this here span without falling into it?”
Heaving another deep sigh, she said, “Pa said he tied a rope to that hickory.”
“Yeah. Go on.”
“He told me he climbed the tree, tested the rope, and then swung over.” She lifted her eyes. “He said it was close. He almost didn’t clear the canyon.”
“But he did.” Walt focused on the chasm and then switched back to his notes. “That’s the point. He did, and so can I.”
“I wouldn’t try it.”
He stood, stuck the pencil behind his ear, and began to scale the tree, a rope hanging over his arm. “That’s the difference betwixt you and me. You’re scared of your shadow, and I’m not afeard of nothing.”
“Except honey,” she muttered.
His face turned red and his eyes bulged. “When I come down from here,” he hissed, “you’re gonna feel the sting of my whip on your sassy back.”
Beth met his gaze steadily, not a whit of fear in her being. “Make your silly jump.”
“That’s exactly what I’m gonna do. I’m here to stay, darlin’. I’m gonna be your new papa-in-law.” He steadily climbed upward. “Ain’t that a happy thought?”
Beth ignored the taunt as she watched him scale the tree to its top and then tie a thick knot. Testing the hemp with his weight, he swung out and then back under the tree a couple of times. The rope and branch held his weight.
Her eyes skimmed the brush, taking comfort in knowing Pierce was here. Did he plan to intervene or simply let Uncle Walt do what he would? The rope looked sturdy, and Pa had successfully swung over and then back. Maybe Pierce was waiting until Walt made the jump, retrieved the deed, and returned. And then what?
Walt paused at the edge of the canyon and retied the rope, slightly adjusting its length. He tested the rope one more time, and then giving a one-finger salute to his temple, he grinned. “I’ll be back with the deed. Don’t you run away—you hear me? I’ll find you, Beth. Wherever you go, you’ll never have a moment’s peace. But if you’re a good girl and stay until I get back, your ol’ uncle might decide to give you and Bear a fair chunk of the plantation.”
“Wonderful,” Beth murmured. She had no reason to run with Pierce waiting nearby.
Giving a confident nod, he grasped the rope. “Adios!”
Springing to her feet, she watched her uncle leap. But even before he was halfway across the ravine, the tree branch groaned, and Beth watched in horror as it gave way, lowering Walt’s body by several feet as he swiftly approached the other side. She realized in an instant that he wasn’t going to make it. He hit the opposite wall full force, and the shock caused him to let go of the rope. She could hear him cursing at the top of his lungs as he disappeared.
She went to the edge of the chasm and peered over, staring at the tiny, motionless form of her uncle far below. “Oh my goodness!” He’d actually done it. He’d actually killed himself. Beth stared in shock. “Oh my goodness!”
Pierce, Gray Eagle, and Preach appeared. Pierce took her arm and gently led her away from the horrific sight. She gasped, trying to comprehend what she’d just witnessed. Gray Eagle peered over the rim.
“I…he…” Beth’s voice caught in her throat as she turned into Pierce’s waiting arms.
Glancing over his shoulder, Pierce consoled her. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s over. Common sense should have told him that it was foolish to try such a jump. The tree branch giving way wasn’t your fault.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, though she didn’t know why for the life of her she was crying. He’d been nothing but a cruel taskmaster to her and her family. Perhaps it was relief that she was finally free of the burden of being hunted by him, that she could actually begin to think about living her life as she chose. As Joanie chose.
“What about the deed?” she finally whispered against his chest.
“Is it important to you?”
“No. I don’t care if remains there for eternity. I have my land—and if the deed stays in the cave, then no one can sell the plantation. It will belong to the slaves.”
He sighed. “No, Bear will probably still run roughshod over the plantation, but that can’t be your concern now. Joanie is your concern.” He rubbed a hand soothingly over her shoulder, his chin on top of her head. “Let’s go home. Preach and Gray Eagle will never mention a word about any of this to anyone.”
“But…wait.” She drew back to look at him. “The sisters could use the money from the sale of the plantation.” Beth thought about how frugally they lived. That deed could provide much: ample food, new material for clothing, spring seed for their gardens. The slaves would be set free. No longer would they have to spend hours picking rows of cotton or separating the lint of a cotton plant for its seed.
Pierce shook his head. “And which sister would make the jump? Sister Mary Margaret?”
Beth perked up. “She would!”
He laughed. “She won’t, and I guarantee that the deed wouldn’t hold any temptation for them.” He watched her smile even as she swiped at her tears, and he pulled her close again. “What do you say about heading on home?” he whispered with his lips against her hair.
“Home? Where is that?”
Lifting her face to his, he smiled into her eyes and then kissed the end of her nose.
“Pierce?”
“Yes, Beth?”
“I know this seems odd…but Walt was kin. May I say a short prayer over him?”
He nodded. “I think that would be real nice.”
The party stepped to the rim of the canyon and the men removed their hats. Beth took a calm breath, aware that this would be her first public prayer. She bowed her head and concentrated hard on the words that wanted to come, so wanted to come. “God…I know You don’t hear from me much, but I’m going to get better about talking to You more regularly. Thank You for bringing me and Joanie this far.” She glanced over at Pierce, aware of him standing beside her, hat in hand, head bowed. “I…didn’t love Uncle Walt…not the way the Bible says, and I ask forgiveness for that. I hope he finds…something in death he couldn’t find here on this earth. Amen.”
“Amen,” the men chorused.
“That was very nice, Beth. I’m proud of you,” Pierce said as he draped his arm around her waist and they walked back to the waiting horses.
Nice, but he hadn’t answered her question. He had acted as though he knew something about the matter she didn’t know.
So, where exactly, did the captain think her home was?