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Meramec Caverns
Outlaw Country, Missouri
KATIE MOPPED AT HER brow with the sleeve of her dress. The heavy, dark blue fabric seemed to attract the heat. Before long, she’d have to do laundry. She stole a glance at Peter. Sweat gleamed on his brow as well. Still, he never once complained about the heat or the Amish clothing. In fact, he’d worn a tiny smile, most of the time, since the beginning of this journey.
“Where are we now, Peter?”
“Missouri. Kind of pretty, isn’t it?”
The land that surrounded them was like nothing she’d ever seen. They were in the woods, no doubt about that, but the massive rocky outcroppings that peeked at them from above the canopy were nothing short of majestic. “This surely has to be God’s country, as much as Indiana. Don’t you think?”
Peter pushed up his hat as a rogue breeze swept a swirl of coolness through the buggy. Katie tipped back her head and closed her eyes, relishing the welcome chill.
“I’d say that’s your answer,” Peter replied, sucking in the draft. “God’s country for sure.”
Katie studied the giant walls of rock as they passed. Trees of every color dotted the ridgeline, no doubt hiding more adventures behind their leaves and branches than were offered down here on the stagecoach road. “What’s a bounty hunter, Peter?” The question flew off her tongue before checking with her brain.
The smile faded from Peter’s face. “It’s been two days since we’ve seen any bounty hunters, Katie. Or outlaws. You’re still thinking of them?” Peter dipped his chin until it almost touched his chest before snapping the reins over Sookie’s back. “Or should I say thinking of him.”
Still your words do nothing but bring hurt to those you love. Or those who love you. Nice job, Katie Knepp. “I got the impression that asking what a bounty hunter did was something that shouldn’t be spoken of in their presence. But I know I can ask you anything.” Katie knotted her hands in her lap. “I just want to know who we were dealing with is all.” Her voice sounded meek, even to her own ears.
Peter has been there for me in good times, but even more faithfully in bad. She had agreed to marry him after she was baptized in the Amish church. However, it had never been clearly stated as to whether or not her failure to be baptized in the Church negated their engagement. Since they were breaking from the Old Order settlement of Gasthof, the rules were no longer clear. Katie jerked at her covering strings. Everything used to be so simple. Maybe this trip will do nothing but bring hurt to everyone. Why did you have to cause such a ruckus, Katie?
Peter’s voice was equally mild when he finally spoke. “I’m sorry for speaking so sharply to you, Katie. Just a bit jealous, I suppose.” The canopy of trees closed overhead as Peter continued, even more softly than before. “I saw the way Bob Dalton looked at you. He could have whisked you off to more adventure than you could stand. Enough to fill three lifetimes, no doubt. I half expected you to go on with him.”
Fiddling with her covering strings, Katie looked everywhere but at Peter. “You never answered why you gave up everything in Gasthof to come with me.”
Peter reined Sookie to a stop. “Now that’s the easiest question you’ve asked today.” He shifted. “Because I love you.”
Katie’s heart jumped in her chest. Peter’s stare seemed to burn on her face, but still she couldn’t meet his eyes. Those stormy, sea green eyes that had haunted her dreams until visions of Texas had pushed them aside.
Still Peter stared. “I’ll always love you. As far as I’m concerned, leaving Gasthof didn’t change anything. I still hope to marry you.” He drew in a deep breath. “Someday.”
Katie caught a twang on the word. “Someday?”
Peter’s lips pulled back into a forced smile. “I came along to see that you made it safely to where you want to go, Katie. May seem that I haven’t done such a good job so far.”
I didn’t want to say that.
Pausing just a moment, Peter stuck his hand in his pocket. “But so you know, I wasn’t going to let those outlaws snuff us out.” From his pocket, he produced a tiny little pistol. “I wasn’t going to use it unless I absolutely had to. Luckily, Bob Dalton ensured this little knuckleduster remain a secret.”
Hands flying on their own, Katie clutched at her throat. “Oh Peter, the Amish don’t—”
“The Amish man,” Peter interrupted, “would never let an outlaw just simply take the life of the woman he loves.” He slipped the little .22 caliber pistol back into his pocket. “Or maybe I’m just not good at being Amish.”
“Oh, Peter—” Katie gently laid her hand on his. A wave of heat, not brought on from the horrendous drought, radiated up her arm.
“Don’t say it. Don’t tell me you love me and don’t tell me you still want to marry me.” Peter slid his hand out from under hers and snapped Sookie back into a trot. “I won’t accept it until this trip is complete, and your wanderlust is satisfied.”
Ooh, wanderlust. I like that word. “Alright, Peter. That’s fair enough,” Katie said to her lap. God, again, please forgive your stubborn servant.
Sookie’s hooves had clipped along awhile before Peter broke the gentle silence again. “A bounty hunter kills men or takes them in to be killed. For a price.”
Katie’s brow knitted above her eyes. “For a price? They trade men’s lives for—money?”
“That’s how some men choose to make a living for themselves.”
Katie felt a rush of sadness tug at her heart, weighing it down. “Why? Why would they do such a horrible thing?”
“They track down horrible people,” Peter explained patiently. “Those with bounties on their heads aren’t usually found in the front row of a church house.”
Katie started to respond, but Peter hurried to cut her off.
Peter didn’t look at her as the words rolled off his tongue, strongly and with a purpose. “Might have done it myself, on occasion.”
Katie’s jaw dropped lower than it ever had before. “Oh, Peter. Isn’t that akin to murder?”
Peter shrugged. “I said life with the English was hard. I did things I wasn’t proud of, but I turned from those ways and embraced your culture. And I embraced God for the first time in my life.”
A haze hung over the southern tree line, catching Katie’s attention as she pondered Peter’s words. God forgives when we ask Him to do so.
“Would you hold it against me, chasing down men who do nothing but bring down the human race, and turning them over to authorities? Then being paid for doing so?”
Katie studied the haze as it grew thicker, tinging the sky a shade of wintery gray. A sharp, stinging odor curled into her nose. Slapping one hand over her mouth and nose, Katie reflexively grabbed Peter’s arm with the other. “Peter—I smell smoke.” I suppose Bob Dalton was right about the fires, too.
Moving quicker than Katie ever figured possible, Peter yanked Sookie to a halt and hopped deftly from the wagon. Speaking in slow and soothing tones, Peter took her by the bridle and led her off the trail. He glanced about only a moment before the mouth of the cave seemed to open up before them, right out from the trees.
“Thank you, God,” Peter said loudly as he led both horse and buggy into the mouth of the massive cavern. “You certainly do provide for Your children, even when they don’t know that they need it.” Grinning, Peter trotted back to the buggy and extended his hand.
Heat rose into Katie’s cheeks, but she took Peter’s hand and stepped down.
“M’lady,” he said with a devilish wink.
The heat burned hotter and began to course through her veins.
“Well, I suppose our friend was right in his assuming fires would be brewing down south,” Peter said, removing his hat. His blonde locks were plastered against his forehead in almost perfect curls.
The sudden urge to run her fingers through those curls tingled in Katie’s fingertips so fiercely that she clasped her hands behind her back. “Hmm?”
“It’s a fire. Because of the drought.” He flipped his hat back up to his head and pulled it down into place. “Well, what do you say we bring this buggy in as far as it can go and wait out the fire in the coolness of this cave?” Peter gestured over his shoulder.
Katie’s mouth opened slightly. “Al—alright,” she managed. Eyes wide, she took in the full, gaping expanse of the rock cavern.
Black soot marks dotted the back part of the cave and the walls. “Others have been here,” she whispered, her voice full of awe. Curiosity taking over once again, Katie stepped toward the shadows that stretched forward from the darkest recesses, she examined every detail.
Tracing her fingers along the wall, Katie made it all the way to the furthest most point in the cave. “Oh Peter, come look!” Dropping to all fours on the damp cavern floor, Katie peeked around a camouflaged corner. “It goes even farther back. We just have to squeeze through here—”
Peter appeared at her side with a kerosene lamp. “Dark in there,” he said with a grin. “Let’s go exploring.”
Peter went first, squeezing through the little opening with the lantern. Katie looked up as she made her way into the inconspicuous entrance. The opening goes all the way up to the top. Hmm, it even opens up more up there. Pressing herself through the crack, Katie shivered as she emerged into the absolute darkness. Stepping quickly, she joined Peter as he stood silently with his back to her. “Peter, I—”
“Shhh,” he answered. “Just look.”
The sight laid out before them made Katie rub her eyes. Peter could only gaze about the underground wonderland same as her. “It’s like something right out of a dream,” he muttered.
Or a nightmare. The cave room was large with giant, glistening spikes hanging precariously overhead and the light from the lamp cast a rainbow of colors in the gleaming rock forms. Drops of water dripped from every spike, creating a surreal musical experience that threatened to overwhelm her. “It’s so large, you could hold a barn raising right here and never touch one of those giant spikes,” she gushed. “Look, there’s a lake over there.” Katie took his arm, and they stepped closer to examine it.
Sure enough, rivulets of water cascaded down the wall and poured into a clear pool against the nearest wall. A fan of ripples floated from the wall in elegant, tiny waves. Peter held the lantern down closer. “You can even see the bottom. Here, hold this a second.” Passing their light source off to Katie, he rolled up his sleeve. “I have to try and touch the bottom. It looks to be just below the surface.”
Reaching into what probably was the purest pool of water they’d ever seen, Peter was clear up to his shoulder before he pulled out his dripping arm. “The bottom’s not as close as it looks. This is the clearest water, Katie. I bet it tastes just divine.” Cupping his hand, he helped himself to a mouthful. “Mmm,” he groaned, closing his eyes. “I knew it. It’s delicious.”
Flinging the lantern down with reckless abandon, Katie cupped her hands as Peter had done and drank from the seemingly bottomless pool. “It’s so crisp I just want to bite it,” she squeaked, slurping at another mouthful.
Peter nodded. Tiny droplets of water dripped from his lips. “Me too.”
Having drunk her fill, Katie sat back on the chilled ground. “And it’s so cool in here.” Tilting her head back, she let the chilled cave envelop her roasting body. “It actually makes this dress bearable!” Katie shivered, relishing the goose bumps that cropped up along her arms inside the dark, long sleeves.
Peter removed his hat and stared at her. Wordlessly, he reached down and helped her to her feet. “You’re really very beautiful Katie.” His voice was edged in such sincerity that Katie’s knees wobbled. “That fire inside you—the same one that burns inside me and aches for adventure—makes me love you all the more.” Setting his hat by the pool of water, Peter moved toward her.
Without thinking, Katie stretched out her hands and stepped to meet him. “Peter, I would like to tell you that—”
Gently, he laid a finger across her lips. “Hush, sweet Katie. Let’s enjoy this adventure. We have the rest of our lives to say words to one another.” Peter’s breath was warm on her chilled face as he leaned in close.
Katie closed her eyes and stretched to the tips of her toes. Could this be it? Our first real, shared kiss?
“Well, what do we have here?” A cold voice came from the furthest recesses of the cave, resounding with an eerie echo. “Just who I was lookin’ for.”
Katie dropped back behind Peter, heart thundering in her chest. Forgive me God, but I’m quite thankful for Peter’s pistol right now.
Footsteps clunked against the cave floor. “Who knew you liked to hide out with outlaws, too?”
Katie squinted into the darkness, but could make out nothing more than a sinister figure cloaked in darkness. Something rang with familiarity in the slightly nasal toned voice. “Jesse James took refuge here, so the legend goes. History books will confirm the fact that Johnny Tyler did, too.”
Johnny Tyler! I knew it; Katie thought, her hands balling into fists.
His face more gaunt and wicked than before, Johnny staggered out of the shadows and into the pale light afforded by the lone lantern.
