Just One Kiss (The Dream Catcher Series-Book Two) (7 page)

“How you gonna be around, if you care about her, and not say or do somethin’?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. I had no idea,” Joe apologized.

Joe hung his head. “There’s more--”

“Well, you might as well go ahead and tell it all, Joe.” Lee fretted, his fist coming down on a low beam.

“The Jeffries, they been over here a lot. They been threatening Miss Hattie. Somebody even set fire to the house a couple of times. But the worst of it is, the youngest one has an eye for her. Oh it ain’t like that, he just wants to ruin her somehow. He wants her in her place as he calls it.”

Lee whirled around. “Frank! And does she reciprocate this attention?”

“No sir, she don’t. She ain’t no flirt. And she knows her place. She knows he’s pokin’ fun at her. She got more pride than a body would think. She usually has a rifle pointed at them when they come. Otherwise they might have done even more damage.” Joe glanced at his old friend.

Lee shook his head now, hanging it. “If they touch her, I swear I’ll kill them.”

“Yes sir, I believe you would.”

“Well, you’ve handed me a big problem. Now I gotta figure out how to solve it,” Lee said, his voice going softer, his temper easing a bit.

Dil’s death hit him hard. He’d hoped after all this time they could work the land together.

“What you gonna do, Mr. Lee?” Joe asked sadly. “You think I should put her out?”

Lee stared at the old man. “No! She’s a right to the land, Joe. Let me have some thinking time. Can you feed me here for the next day or two ‘til I figure out what I’m going to do?”

“Yes sir.” Joe perked up quickly. “I knowed you wouldn’t have the heart to just throw her out…”

Lee flopped on the floor and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

Joe watched, concern lacing his expression. “Are you alright, Mr. Lee? You ain’t hurt or nothin’ is you? I mean…”

Lee opened his eyes slowly, his dark blue gaze on Joe and then the house. “No, I’m alright. It’s just well, I’ve been runnin’ away from this place for years. When Ma and Pa died, I thought it useless to stay here. Then Dil and me got together again and built the new house and we were proud of it. We both intended on coming back to it. But the trouble didn’t stop. At one point, I thought I’d never come back here, but despite everything, it’s the only place I ever called home. And yet, all after the war I realized I wanted to come home and make this my home, as it should be. I figured me and Hattie could work it all out between us. After all, I gave her the place, myself. But I needed some money for those taxes too. So I gathered all my pay and headed home. I figured if I came home with money in my pocket the Jeffries would never see their names on this deed. I seen death, I seen sorrows, and I seen men die for no reason. I’m tired, Joe. Just very tired. And now to hear that Dil is gone, well, maybe I should have just kept walkin’ west myself. Maybe it’s a sign I don’t belong here. Maybe I ought to just turn around and walk away. Might be better for everyone that way.”

Joe shook his head. “No sir, you belong. You belong more than anybody, I knows that. This is your home. Your folks lived here. It’s fittin’ and right that you live here. We’s got problems, but we can work ‘em out.”

“I’m half in love with her now, Joe. How am I gonna keep my hands off her? I didn’t want to be, I knew it would mean trouble for the both of us, but I swear she’s the only one I thought about all those years. And now she’s here, and I want to claim her as mine…but…”

“I don’t know…I surely don’t know.”

Lee cupped his hand over his face for a minute, thinking about Hattie and then his brother. His only link. He missed him more now than he had in all the years they weren’t together. He could still picture Dil pullin’ a good one on him and laughing about it. The fun they had made it harder to take his death. He hadn’t expected this. Death was all he’d seen for years. Soldiers freezing to death because they had no shoes, or boots or blankets. Brothers killing brothers, fathers killing sons. Now he came home to find Dil dead, his only brother, his only link to family.

“Okay, when I figure out what I’m going to do, I’ll let you know. Fair enough?” Lee asked, trying to clear his mind of it all. “Until then, don’t tell her who I am.”

“Fair enough.” Joe stared down at his friend. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. Truly I am. I wish I had better news fer ya. You paid a terrible price for all this.”

“You mean the arm? Actually Joe, I’m still as good as ever, you’ll see. You don’t have to be sorry about me. It’s life. It’s the way it is.” Lee nodded, besides nothing he could say could make it better. “Ever since the war, things have been changin’.”

“This ain’t no fittin’ homecomin’ is it?”

Lee smiled sardonically and shook his head. “I think I need some more sleep.”

“Yes sir.” Joe left quietly. “I’ll leave you alone with your sorrow, but if you needs me, just holler out the door.”

“Where you goin’?” Lee asked.

“I’ll sleep outside. I feel like you need a little privacy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You won’t sleep outside. You’ll stay in here with me. I’m sorry I make you uncomfortable, but it is a lot to take at once,” Lee explained weary from the news and not knowing exactly what he’d do about the woman.

“I knowed that’s right.” Joe nodded.

“So, tell me about Hattie and Sam. Do you like her, I mean them?” Lee asked, slipping out of his worn out boots and tossing them in a corner.

Joe eyed the boots, then dropped his head. He fidgeted for a minute then replied, “Like any other woman, I guess. Well, no sir, she ain’t like anybody I ever knowed. She’s quiet and gentle and caring.”

“So what do you think of her?” Lee chuckled.

“Yes sir, she’s a good woman. She’s more than good. But she don’t dress up much. She came here with practically nothing, the clothes on her back and a few fer the kids, that was all. She acts like she is happy here. She never complains about all the work, just happy to have it. But if she was a mind to, she’d be one of the prettiest ladies this side of Alabama.” Joe smiled.

“Well, at least that fits. Now tell me about the important things. What kind of person is she?”

“Nice, well sir, she’s polite, she’s got manners, she makes her kids mind and don’t spoil them rotten. She teaches them stuff. And she really don’t want no troubles. But she’s got ‘em,” Joe said sadly.

Lee frowned. He didn’t want any trouble either. He’s seen enough to last a lifetime. He’d have to see after her.

After a lot of thought Lee asked, “Why did they burn the house? Trying to scare her out?”

Joe hung his head as though he didn’t want to talk any more but felt compelled to answer.

“Yes sir, they did want to scare her out. But she didn’t budge. She got out there and fought that fire and put it out before it did too much damage. She couldn’t get no help to rebuild, so she left it. But things need some repairs around here, Mr. Lee. That old house is gonna fall down without it some repairs. I’m glad you are home so we can take care of it. The Jeffries made it even harder for her when they got the dry goods place to not sell her any feed for the animals. ‘Course we can find a place on down the road that will sell us some supplies, if need be.”

Lee nodded, his frown growing with every word. “And this Frank wants her for himself?”

“It seems so.”

“Well, he won’t get her, not by a long shot. Not unless that’s what she wants.”

“No sir, she don’t want that at all, I can tell you. I hate to say it, ‘cause it will just make things harder for you, but she acts like your widow.”

Then it hit him. Lee sat up and stared at Joe. “I’ve got to tell you Joe, I want no lies between us. I want you to know how I met her and Sam. I want you to know everything. It all began before I went to war. I ran into Sam one day, cryin’ over a man hanging in a tree: his pa. So I buried the man, and was gonna take him to town when Hattie came out of the bushes. She couldn’t have been over fifteen at the time. Now I had two kids and didn’t know what to do with them. So I took them into town, and ran into Gloria Newcomb who offered to take care of them for me. I left her some money and left the kids there. Through the years I thought about Hattie and Sam. When I thought I was dyin’ I signed over that deed to Gloria, thinkin’ they would all be taken care of. Gloria wrote me a letter back sayin’ she got the deed, and thanked me, that they would be on their way soon. I figured even if I lived, I could come back and work the place for her. When I got into town, I saw Hattie, wasn’t sure it was her, it had been a long time and she sure filled out as a woman since I seen her. Anyway, I saw Sam and knew it had to be them. On the way out here, I saw her again, they were picnicin’ and then someone shot at them. I took the kid that was hurt to the wagon and she told me to come here.”

“They fired on her and them kids?” Joe asked as his brow shot upward. “She didn’t even tell me about it. But then, she don’t speak of her troubles. It’s like she don’t want to put nobody out.”

“I brought her back to the house, but I didn’t ask no questions. I thought it would be best to learn about it from you first. I needed to know all you could tell me.” Lee shook his head and smiled. “I had no idea that I was supposed to be dead. I heard Jeffries talking to her in town and telling her the land wouldn’t be hers long.”

Joe scratched his head. “Well sir…lovin’ a black lady ain’t gonna be easy, you know…”

“No, but I know that, and for both our sakes I don’t intend telling her how I feel,” Lee admitted.

“That ain’t very fair to her, is it?”

“No, but at least it won’t give her any more trouble than she’s already got.”

Joe nodded. “Lord, Lord, there’s gonna be trouble no matter what, Mr. Lee.”

Chapter Three

“Come out of there…” a voice yelled from a white hooded man on a horse.

Hattie sent Lily to hide with Joe as she came out on the porch. She wore men’s pants and shirt, and a flop hat. She had a rifle on her arm, but seeing the odds, she lowered it quickly. She stood looking out over the fifty head or so of men. Fear skidded down her back but she knew better than to show it. She knew they were here to scare her again, and they were doing a dandy job of it, but she’d die before she let them see her fear.

They all seemed to stare for a few minutes as the horses stirred against each other.

Hattie shivered, sweat trickled between her breasts. She was way outnumbered.

Silence sliced the air for tense filled moments, as horses stirred and neighed.

“What do you want?” she asked, her voice low and husky with fear.

“We warned you once to git, but you didn’t listen. This is your second warning, don’t let there be a third. Because next time we come after you. We don’t need your kind here. Ain’t no squatter gonna ever own land here, and ain’t gonna start now,” the man said. “We done told you that, girl. We aim to run you out and you might as well understand it. We don’t stand for people come in tryin’ to take over the land that don’t belong. You don’t seem to know your place girl, and we gotta show you. Negroes don’t own land here.”

“I done told you Gloria Newcomb signed over the deed to me, and the judge here in your town done said it was legal and binding.”

“That don’t matter, we can change that real quick. Besides, we don’t believe you…lady. This land belonged to the Nelsons. For years now. Not no Negro. Why, even Ole Joe knows his place around here and he’s been around longer than anyone but the Nelsons.”

“But, Gloria signed those papers over to me. Now I own the land, ‘cause Mr. Lee and Mr. Dil are dead. I have the right to live here. The judge agreed. Are you goin’ against the judge?” she quipped with a slight show of temper.

“Don’t matter what the judge said. Don’t matter at all. We are our own judges and jury. In case you ain’t noticed. Like as not, he ain’t put the fear of God in you lady, but we can. You ain’t welcome in the state of Alabama and you are gonna know it before this is over. You need to get back to Arkansas or where ever you came from, where you belong. You and them kids of yours, too.” The man in the tallest hood nodded to one of his men. The man threw a torch on the shed. “We done told you, squatters ain’t welcome. And the way we see it, you ain’t nothin’ but a squatter. You ain’t got no man, you cain’t run this farm. You cain’t pay the taxes. Now woman, take note of it. You pack up your belongings and git out of here, or we’ll run you out. We don’t want to see those little girls hurt, and I’m sure you don’t either. So get to packin’.”

Hattie raised her head and stared at them as she came closer. Every limb in her body shook with raw nerves. “I’m not a squatter. I own this land fair and square. I know what you want, and had you asked decent like, I’d have given you water rights, but you came in here with guns and tried to force me out of my own place before you even knew the facts.” She fisted her mouth to keep from screaming. “I’m not a squatter and you know it. I got rights, and you know it. Now, get out…” she shouted when her courage returned. “Get away from my home.”

“Remember, the next time it’ll be the house--and maybe you in it!” And then they rode off as fast as they rode in.

When they were gone, Hattie ran to the shed to try to save it, but Joe pushed her away. “Leave it be, Missy, leave it be…”

The tears rolled down her cheeks as Joe took her in his arms.

“Why can’t they leave me alone, I’m not bothering them…” she cried. “I ask nothing of anyone.”

Joe shook his head. “Take the younguns to the house…I’ll take care of this.”

She gathered Lily, Violet and Daisy and went back inside, her shoulders drooping as she walked. Violet limped slowly by her side.

“Don’t cry Mama, it’ll be alright.” Violet cried right along with her.

***

As soon as she was gone, Joe searched for Lee. He peeked inside the shed to see if he was there, when Lee called from the edge of the trees.

“I’m over here, Joe,” Lee called as he came out of the woods and looked up at the house.

“How’d you know they were out there?” Joe asked as he tried to shovel dirt on the flames.