Yet this inconstancy is such, as you too shall adore, I could not love thee, dear, so much, loved I not honor more.
– Off to War, Lovelace
Carter saw Andrea leaning against a tree, her thoughts apparently so absorbed on the men spilling out of the farmhouse behind him that she didn’t notice his approach. Her eyes flicked from face to face as men shouted and hurried to obey orders.
When her gaze finally met his, he read in her furrowed brow that she sensed the distinctive undercurrent of excitement. She knew without asking that a decision had been made, and it was not hard to see that the men preparing to carry out that decision approached it with enthusiasm.
Carter paused and looked back at the men, too. What he saw on their faces was what he knew was in their minds. They were already thinking of the end result of today’s contest and their greatest reward—to see Hunter approach them after the battle, feel his hand on their shoulder, and hear him say, “Well done.”
These men would fight like demons—and face anything the enemy could throw at them—just for the chance to hear those two words from their commander’s lips.
“Colonel wants to see you,” Carter said in a low voice when he reached her.
Andrea’s eyes shifted to a point over Carter’s shoulder, and the light reflected from them announced the approach of the most dashing and indomitable soldier in the Confederacy. She smiled as he drew near—or tried to—her trembling lips revealing the overwhelming emotions she felt at the mere sight of him.
“Ride with me a moment,” was all Hunter said when he reached her.
Carter watched the two mount, their legs swinging across the backs of their horses in perfect unison, both settling into their saddles with gentle ease—an act he suspected was more a result of the injuries each had suffered than in deference to the backs of their mounts.
Andrea turned toward Carter a moment, obviously trying to wear the same expression of calmness that Hunter so coolly displayed. Before gathering her reins, she saluted in Carter’s direction, her lips showing a smile of hopeful optimism, her eyes a look of intolerable dread.
The slender youth and the strong, bronzed officer then swung their horses around to the right and pushed them into a canter in perfect stride and harmony, as if there was but one mind and soul between them. Carter watched them ride away side by side, boot to boot in silence, two opposite forces of energy that had finally found perfect balance.
To a stranger, it might appear they were drawn together by the mysterious relationship of opposites, but Carter knew their affinity to one another was actually their strong likenesses. Both were as stubborn, intrepid, and fiercely independent as any two people could be.
He could well imagine the spirited clashes and passion that flickered and flamed between them when they were alone. On second thought, perhaps he could not. He saw the sparks flying when they but stood in the same room. He could not imagine the meteoric brilliance that flamed when they were in each other’s arms—and he felt his face turn scarlet at the thought.
In any event, he was glad that a truce had been called, fortifying a bond and creating a union that not even war, hopefully, could separate.
* * *
Hunter rode into a small grove of trees and watched Andrea cautiously scan each shadow and silhouette within its depths, her mind obviously alert to any danger that might be hidden within. “You are safe within my lines.”
Andrea focused her eyes on him for a moment. “You forget. I am an enemy among your men and a traitor among mine.”
“You are not the enemy of this Command, I assure you.” He urged his horse a step closer, and spoke in a serious tone. “My men have decided the battalion will cross into Virginia. You apparently influenced them with your logic.”
“And yet you disagree?”
“I am of the mind it is better to have fought and lost than never to have fought at all.”
“It is not rational or logical to gamble all and gain nothing. Besides,” she said, her tone serious as she moved her horse back a step to look at him more fully. “It should worry you, as it worries me, that I am being forced to give you advice on being rational and logical.”
Hunter gazed in awe at the bright smile of humor she wore on her lips despite the desperate situation. She looked perfectly majestic sitting arrow straight, yet relaxed, on her horse, one hand on the reins, the other on the back of her saddle as she twisted to face him. Yet, he felt a sudden stab in his heart when he thought how few minutes they had to talk.
“Miss Evans, I rely considerably on your judgment and hold your opinion sacred, believe me.”
“The ford is not easily accessible to a large number of men.” Andre’s tone grew serious again. “There is danger in delay.”
“Yes, I understand. “I have a squad moving out as vanguard to help Pierce’s men protect the ford. I want you to go with Carter in the main body. I will move up with the rearguard.”
Andrea started to shake her head.
“That’s an order. I’ll be right behind you.”
“But the rearguard will be the most heavily engaged.”
“So be it.” Hunter’s gaze shifted to a place over her shoulder. “The fault is mine, so must the remedy be. I will not leave until my men are safely in Virginia.”
A gust of wind swept down upon them, causing Andrea’s horse to rear and, almost in the same instant, buck, while hopping and sidestepping in apparent fear. Hunter watched her bring him back under control, never so much as blinking an eye or changing her relaxed stance in the saddle—or apparently even taking notice that he was attempting to dislodge her.
“Easy, big boy,” Andrea said soothingly, bending down to pat him on the neck to calm his quivering. “Nothing but the wind.”
The horse stood trembling with alarm, relying on nothing but her voice to keep him from running straight to kingdom come for safety. Andrea appeared surprised when she looked up and read the amused amazement on Hunter’s countenance.
“The boys gave me this horse as a practical joke” she said, patting the animal on the neck again as if his behavior required an explanation. “Told me if I wanted a broke horse when I requested a mount from government stables then I should have specified as such. They had a jolly good laugh when I got on Buck here the first time.”
Hunter winced. “He’s not broke and you took that fence earlier?”
“There are only two ways he could have gone—over or through.” Andrea shrugged. “My odds were fifty-fifty.”
“And you think fifty-fifty makes good odds?”
Andrea turned in her saddle again to face him, leaning back and resting one hand on her horse’s rump. “Lighten up, Colonel. You said yourself you don’t bother to count odds, which is for the better, because I’m afraid that yours today are not nearly so high.”
Hunter ignored the comment. “The boys, as you call them, that gave you the horse…they are on the other side of the hill?” He did not say to whom he was referring, merely nodded toward the Union line.
Andrea’s expression turned instantly mournful, though she looked down to escape his gaze. She nodded, making it perfectly clear that the soldiers in blue whom he considered dire enemies, were friends and comrades by whose side she had shared danger and laughter, peril and mirth. She was one of them.
Or had been.
Hunter, who so rarely showed emotion, became clearly overwhelmed by it now. His eyes misted at her commitment and devout loyalty to him. “You have done me and my men a great service today,” he said, bringing his horse next to hers. “One that I can never hope to repay.”
Andrea grabbed his gauntleted hand, his earlier stinging words apparently forgotten. “But you can.” She looked earnestly into his eyes. “I will let you pay it back, slowly, for the rest of your life.”
Hunter’s mouth curled into a smile, relieved that she was not angry, and now, somehow elated at the prospect of having such an overwhelming debt to pay. “Do not worry, Private Evans, I fully intend to honor my obligations.”
Leaning forward then, he gave her a long, adoring kiss.