CHAPTER SIXTEEN

 

 

 

Asa hadn’t been lying when he said he couldn’t dance. Deena bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing at his gangly, uncoordinated movements. He tapped his heel when he should have tapped his toes. When everyone else spun to the left, he spun to the right. She tried, again and again, to teach him—even going so far as to move his feet for him—but she might as well have been talking gibberish. They’d moved to the edge of the dancing area, so his lack of skill wouldn’t disrupt everyone else.

“No, no, no. Three steps forward, then bow,” she instructed him.

He looked down at his feet. “Isn’t that what I’m doing?”

“You’re taking four steps.”

“Watch me do it, Papa,” SaraGrace said.

She executed the steps perfectly, then stepped back, hands on her hips, waiting for her father to repeat what she’d done. Asa tried again, and again, and again, getting worse with each attempt.

“How about we move on to something else?” he said. “Let’s try what they’re doing.”

Deena followed the direction he pointed to the nearest couple moving in sync with the quick tempo set by the fiddler. The partners grabbed each other’s left hands, pulled away, walked halfway around, let go, then stepped forward.

She nearly doubled over laughing. “If you can’t get three steps and a bow, you won’t get that.”

“Yeah, Papa, that’s hard even for me,” SaraGrace said, her expression doubtful. “I don’t think you can do that.”

“I’m feeling up for an adventure.” He moved his feet in a wild, made-up jig, ending it with a heel tap.

Deena stepped back. “My toes are not.”

“You wound me, madam.” He spread his fingers against his chest; his elbow lifted high in an exaggerated show of outrage. “I will go find someone who doesn’t mind my peculiar style of movement.”

“I believe you will find Rob over there.”

Deena laughed with Asa so hard her stomach and cheeks began to ache. She hadn’t laughed so much since her youth. These would be the happy memories that sustained her in the hard times throughout the rest of her life.

“It’s for the best,” Asa said, bending over. “My leg isn’t feeling that great right now. Please continue without me.”

SaraGrace grabbed Deena’s hand and dragged her back into the cluster of the other dancers. “Come on, Mama. Now we can really dance.”

They joined everyone else, stepping forward and then back, putting their hands in the middle and spinning in a circle, then turning around and spinning in the opposite direction. Deena couldn’t keep her gaze from occasionally wandering over to Asa.

She watched him standing next to the table laden with pies, cookies, and other baked goods and sweet treats, talking to Rob and some of the other men. He was handsome under normal circumstances, but right now, laughing and being carefree, he was alluring in a new way. He made her want to be near him, soaking in the effervescent joy rolling off of him.

“Howdy, Deena,” Alice said, catching her off guard. She waved from a little way away on the edge of the dance floor.

Deena jumped, quickly averting her unblinking stare from Asa. She walked over to her friend, leaving SaraGrace to continue twirling with a group of other children. “Hey, Alice.”

“Don’t stop looking at him on my account,” she teased.

Deena's face flamed. "What can I say? I like the way he looks when he looks the way he does now. Well, I like the way he looks at the time, but especially when he looks so happy."

She and Alice giggled, sharing a knowing glance.

"I'm glad he has you. Listen," Alice sobered. "She didn't tell me exactly what you lied about, but Mrs. Paty said you have been keeping something from Asa. She wanted me to try to convince you to tell him."

"I want to. I do, but…"

"You're scared of losing him."

Deena nodded her head. "I've been trying to tell him all week. Every time I do, he does something wonderful, and I don't want to ruin things between us."

"Come with me."

Deena followed Alice out of the barn into the warm night. Stars glittered above them, igniting the darkness.

When they were far enough away from the barn not to be heard, Alice took Deena's hands in hers. "We haven't known each other for that long, but I can tell you're exactly what Asa needs, and he's exactly what you need. You owe it to Asa and yourself to clear things up between you two."

"What do I do if he doesn't want me anymore once I tell him?"

"That won't…"

"If it does. What do I do?"

"You move on, knowing that the Lord has something else in store for you."

Deena didn't want something else. She wanted this life. She wanted Asa to be her husband and SaraGrace to be her daughter. She wanted to expand their family and stay by his side until the day they both died. But she couldn't take that choice from Asa. If he chose her thinking that she was someone else, he wasn't really choosing her.

"Will you come with me? Be nearby in case I need support?"

"Yes. I'll be right…"

A loud war cry split the air, interrupting their conversation. Deena whipped around, searching pitch blackness for the source of the disturbance. The darkness was so thick, she couldn't see anything.

The call came again this time, accompanied by several other equally loud, screeching voices. Pounding drums joined the noise, adding to the confusion. Men and women poked their heads out of the barn, to figure out what was happening.

Whoever was behind this purposely tried to make it sound as if they were a band of Ihanktonwan warriors on the verge of attacking this gathering of innocent people.

This wasn’t them. Deena believed Mr. Baile’s assurance that they weren’t the cause of the destruction happening around Ruby Creek.

"We have to go," Deena said, dragging Alice back toward the barn.

“What’s happening?”

“I think we’re being attacked.”

Proving Deena’s assumption, a shot rang out, whizzing through the air and hitting the wall of the barn with a thunk. Panic broke out. People ducked low, screaming and running around the structure, seeking shelter. More shots rang out, hitting the barn and the ground, adding to the deafening noise of terrified shrieks and fake Indian war cries.

Something flew by Deena’s head. It struck the barn, along with the bullets. As they neared the barn, she could see the object more clearly. An arrow. Several stuck out from the wooden structure.

Deena and Alice made it back into the barn unscathed. People ran in every direction. Some were leaving through the door they’d just entered. Others were climbing up to the haylofts.

“I need to find Jonathan,” Alice said, tearing her hand from Deena’s.

The selfish fear of being alone made Deena want to call out to her friend and beg her not to leave. It was too late. Alice had already disappeared into the crowd of frantic people.

Deena pulled rasping breaths into her lungs, trying to keep herself from dropping to the ground and curling up into a ball of panic. She couldn’t afford the luxury of giving in. She had her own family to find, Asa and SaraGrace. She needed to find them and make sure they were safe.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Asa! SaraGrace! Where are you?”

“Deena, Deena,” Asa called back.

“Mama!” SaraGrace whimpered.

They must be together. Good. She craned her neck, searching the area for them. The number of people in the barn had thinned, making it a little easier, but not much. The remaining individuals moved too much for her to see clearly.

“Asa, I can’t see you,” she shouted, moving in the direction she thought she heard his voice coming from. “Asa.”

Two large, calloused hands grabbed Deena’s arms. She struggled against the hold.

“Easy, easy. It’s me,” Asa’s rich baritone voice crooned next to her ear. “I got you. You’re safe.”

Deena spun around and flung her arms around Asa’s neck. She hugged him so tight she might’ve done him bodily harm if he weren’t such a huge man. He hugged her back, rocking them side to side.

SaraGrace’s small arms encircled her legs, holding on tight and pressing her body closer. She buried her face in Deena’s skirt. Deena held onto SaraGrace, needing the comfort of touching her and feeling the movement of her body with each breath she took.

“We need to get out of here,” Asa said, pulling away from their embrace.

He picked up SaraGrace and placed her in Deena’s arms. Deena held onto her, curling her body around the little girl to shield her from any flying ammunition. Before she could start running, Asa swept Deena into his arms and held her close.

He did his best to use his body to shield them both. He moved slowly, straining under the collective weight of carrying them. A tremor started in his leg and ricocheted throughout his entire body.

“Put me down. I can walk.”

“No,” he said, his teeth clenched, and the skin around his eyes bunching in a pained grimace.

Deena wanted to argue. He’d complained about his leg bothering him not long ago, and clearly, the strain of carrying her and SaraGrace was too much. He was going to hurt himself if he kept this up. But opposing him would do no good.

Asa was a protector. He’d give his life for theirs without question. As strange as it seemed—even to herself—in the midst of a shootout, Deena felt safer than she’d ever had in her entire life.

Deena’s pulse pounded in her ears like a herd of stampeding buffalo running free along the plains.

She loved him.

God help her, she loved Asa Grantt.

Instead of fighting his protection, she’d do something for him. Deena tucked SaraGrace more securely into the crook of her arms, making sure as little of her body was as exposed as possible. If Asa would give his life for her, she’d give her life for SaraGrace.

Asa trudged toward their wagon, never stopping despite his struggle. Sweat poured down his near-crimson face. His nostrils flared, and his chest heaved with each ragged breath he expelled.

Rob and Mrs. Paty ran up beside them. Like his brother, Rob did his best to keep her close by his side and shield her with his body.

When they reached the wagon, Asa quickly deposited Deena into the seat, then limped around to the other side. Deena scooted to the middle, making room for the others. Rob helped Mrs. Paty up, then took a step back.

“Get them out of here,” Rob said to Asa. “The shooters are retreating. I’m going with the others to track them down.”

Asa gave him a curt nod. “Be safe.”

Deena could tell Asa wanted to say more. To demand his brother get in the wagon and come with them to safety. But if their roles were reversed, Asa would do the same thing.

Asa cracked the reins, sending the horse off at full gallop into the darkness. The frantic screams of those still trying to make their escape slowly faded until all Deena could hear was the chirp of crickets and call of wild animals.

No one in their small group said anything. What could they say? Ruby Creek was under attack in a whole new way now.

War was officially on the horizon.