Isaac Decker proved easy to find. The boy stood transfixed on the edge of a blazing field, as if he couldn’t tear himself away from the sight. Louise called his name. Jimmy called his name. The boy stood motionless, unhearing.
Jimmy began to run ahead, but Louise stopped him. “We don’t want to frighten Isaac. Let me talk to him.”
“We ain’t got much time, Miz Smythe.”
“I know, but we have a little.” She pressed a handkerchief to her nose and mouth so the smoke didn’t overwhelm her.
Both she and Jimmy had already begun to cough. Soon it would overcome Isaac. How the boy still stood amazed her. She pushed forward, twigs snapping beneath her feet. If Jesse was right, they could catch fire in an instant, trapping all three of them.
They hadn’t taken the time to get damp rags or assistance. Once she reached Isaac, she would give him her handkerchief and pray she had enough breath and strength to get him out of harm’s way. The boy was several paces away when a twig poked through the hole in her right shoe and stabbed into her foot. The pain shot up her leg to her knee. She hopped a bit but pressed on. She had to bring Isaac back. That meant not startling him, though he should have heard her approach. Since he hadn’t turned around or given any indication he’d heard her, she must assume he did not.
“Isaac?” She softly called his name when she drew close.
He did not so much as waver.
“Isaac.” This time stronger and more forcefully.
Again he did not seem to hear.
She touched his shoulder. “Your papa is looking for you.”
Isaac started. “Sadie.”
Louise was confused. “Sadie is at home. I saw her just a few minutes ago.”
“Sadie went to get her kitten.”
Louise didn’t understand. “But Cocoa is at home too. I saw her too. With your sister.” The smoke made her cough. Why wasn’t Isaac coughing? “If you come with me, I’ll show you.”
“Have to find Sadie.” He stepped toward the burning field.
“Sadie’s not here. She’s perfectly safe.” Louise grabbed for his arm and missed, but in that instant she understood. Isaac was lost in the past. In last November’s schoolhouse fire, Sadie had left the classroom to find her kitten. According to Pearl, Isaac had felt responsible, because he hadn’t told either Pearl or Amanda, who was helping out at the school that day. Amanda believed that guilt still dogged him today, even though his father had tried his best to alleviate it.
She raced after Isaac and this time caught his arm.
He shook violently and struggled to break away. “She’s going to die. She’s going to die. Don’t you see? If I don’t find her, she’s going to die.”
Isaac was caught in the past. He pulled free of Louise’s grip and began to run alongside the blazing field. She followed, calling his name. He wouldn’t believe the truth. He also wouldn’t halt. He was trying to make up for his earlier error. She must find another way to stop him.
She balled her hand in frustration, squeezing the handkerchief. That was it!
“Isaac!” She ran after him. “You need to bring this handkerchief with you to cover Sadie’s nose and mouth so she can breathe.”
He stopped and turned around. That’s when she saw the trembling. He was going to collapse. She motioned for Jimmy as Isaac fell prostrate in her arms.
* * *
How was a man supposed to work when the woman he cared for was missing in the midst of raging fires? He’d seen the bodies floating on the surface of the Mississippi when the Sultana went down. So many needless deaths. Tonight could bring another.
Jesse threw all his strength into hauling the wet blankets up the ladder and tried not to think of either the Sultana or Louise. Such efforts were useless. Soon his thoughts drifted back to Louise. What had she said? That a person could only do his best and leave the rest to God? That offered no consolation. Jesse hadn’t done his best in Vicksburg. Neither had he done so here. He should have insisted on joining Roland. The men here could handle the dwindling numbers of blankets and the bucket brigade.
“I have to go,” he shouted up to those on the roof. “Could someone take my place at the ladder?”
“I will,” said a voice from behind.
Jesse whipped around to see a tall man with the build of a lumberjack. Jesse assumed it was Mrs. Evans’s husband since he’d seen the two walking home from church together. “They’ll find her.” The man clapped him on the shoulder. “Louise is a strong and resourceful woman.”
“Yes, she is.” But fire could overcome.
“Sawyer Evans.” The man stuck out his hand.
Jesse didn’t have time for pleasantries. “Do you know which direction Roland and Calloway went?”
“You can trust them. They know the area better than anyone.”
It wasn’t a matter of trust. “I can’t just stand around waiting.”
“I understand. It’s tough to wait when you love a woman.”
Love? Jesse nearly choked. “We’re not courting.”
After all, more than two dozen letters awaited his reply, and more were sure to arrive on the next mail boat. Many had the right qualifications for a lighthouse keeper’s wife. Louise did not.
“All in good time,” Evans said. “Give her time and space. She’ll come around.”
Jesse didn’t have the heart to tell him that Louise wasn’t the one holding back. Let them think it was her decision. He owed her that much. As a widow, she’d already endured loss, even though her husband was rotten. The man had apparently left her in a poor situation if she had resorted to answering an advertisement for a wife. Just like the women clamoring for his attention. That thought made him grimace.
“You can be sure that Roland won’t rest until Louise and the boys are found,” Evans was saying. “Isaac is his nephew.”
The family connection was meant to console. Jesse also knew firsthand Roland’s diligence, but no assurance could wipe away the fear that he had made a huge mistake. What if he hadn’t rousted Louise from the school? That building was so far from the fires that she and the students still wouldn’t be in danger there. Had he sent them from comparative safety directly into harm’s way?
“Roland helped take care of the boy,” Evans continued, “after Garrett lost his first wife. I’m praying they find him soon. I’m praying for them all.”
“Last blanket,” said a woman as she handed it to Jesse.
Evans grabbed one end of the blanket. “I’ll go up behind you. Then we’ll look for Louise.”
Jesse nodded his thanks. He’d been bringing up the heavier rear all night. It was a relief to let someone else shoulder the load for once and an even bigger relief to go after Louise.
A bobbing lantern caught his eye. He stopped, trying to make out who it was.
Evans figured it out first. “That’s Calloway. Hey, Ernie!”
The man veered their way.
Evans said what Jesse couldn’t get out. “Did they find Louise and the boys?”
“Not yet. We need reinforcements.”
Jesse dropped the blanket. “Show me the way. I have to find Louise.”
* * *
Louise couldn’t stop coughing. Even with her arm pressed over her nose and mouth, the smoke was so thick and acrid that she could barely get a breath. Jimmy was ahead of her, half carrying and half dragging Isaac, who had succumbed to the smoke. With every step they got farther ahead of her.
Her legs felt like lead. Her throat burned, and her head ached. She could hardly draw a breath. It got difficult to concentrate, and she could barely see the path in front of her, even with the lantern.
Jimmy moved quickly under the light of the moon, dipping in and out of shadows. Gradually the landscape began to blur until Louise struggled to make out the boys. They were so far ahead of her now.
She tried to call out to Jimmy, but only ended up hacking and coughing again. This time the spasms stopped her. She bent over, trying to catch her breath. The wind blew, but it was hot, so hot, singeing the skin on her hands and face.
Where was that path? Where did Jimmy and Isaac go? Her lantern sputtered out. She peered into the blackness. Was that Jesse? In her muddled mind, she saw him loping toward her, exactly the way he’d approached that very first day on the dunes.
In fact, she was on the dunes. How did she get there?
The sand grated between her fingers. It filled her shoes. The sun should be shining, shouldn’t it? Mustn’t be careless with her magnifying glass. Could start a fire.
“Louise! Louise! Mrs. Smythe!”
Someone was shaking her.
“The boys.” Her voice sounded odd, detached.
“Roland and Garrett have them.” That man’s voice again.
“Jesse?” The word was thick, as if her tongue wouldn’t work properly.
“She’s delirious. We have to get her into clean air.” A man’s voice. Not Jesse.
Someone lifted her, but she couldn’t see who it was. Nor could she speak a single word. Her lips moved. She felt them. But nothing came out. She pushed against the man’s arms.
“Calm down, Louise. You’re safe now.” That was Jesse.
She laid her head on his strong shoulder. He carried her with ease and tenderness. Secure, she stopped struggling and slipped into unconsciousness.