Love Lasts Forever (9 page)

A soft sigh passed from her lips and the dewy-eyed expression on her face was almost Thor’s undoing. To his relief, she fought for control over the attraction they shared and won. After taking a deep breath, she gave him directions to the Brown farm. With his wary charges at his heel, Thor became a shepherd. He looked over his shoulder once to wave at Willow before leading the trio of runaways into the woods.

A wry chuckle rumbled from his chest as realization set in. A former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons was now a conductor for the Underground Railroad. If only his Pop and Cal could see him now.

Chapter Five

The trail to Reverend Brown’s place reminded Thor of the path to his father’s favorite fishing hole. Of course, a century brought some changes to the backwoods hideaway, but not many. Sugar maples with their low branches populated the way just as he remembered, except these weren’t as tall as the ones he knew. Dark green leaves, with a hint of red and gold along the edges, tapped Thor’s shoulder as he walked under the trees. Fanning the foliage aside with a wave of his hand, he glanced over his shoulder at his solemn charges.

The two younger children regarded him behind eyes bright with unrestrained curiosity while the oldest boy kept his face void of expression. Offering the trio a friendly smile, Thor’s footsteps slowed until he walked beside the children. “How long have you been on the track?”

“A while, sir,” the oldest answered.

“You’ll reach your Promised Land soon. What are your names? Y’all can call me Thor.”

Regret hit him as soon as the words left his mouth. The first meeting with Willow came to mind. At first, her refusal to call him by his first name seemed coy. In hindsight, he understood her caution. In his desire to put the children at ease, he probably did the opposite. He opened his mouth to rescind the offer, but how was beyond his grasp. Once it was out there, he couldn’t very well take it back without looking like a total jerk.

The boy’s brows furrowed together. Skepticism haunted his eyes, as if he didn’t trust Thor’s introduction. The silence lingered for several seconds before he seemed to accept that he could trust Thor at his word. “I’m Nat. This is my brother, Clay.” He pointed to the boy at his right and then at the girl to his left. “Charity’s our sister.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Thor greeted them all with a cordial smile. “How old are you? You seem rather young to be out here. Couldn’t your parents make the journey with you?”

“I think I’m fifteen or maybe sixteen years. They’re twelve,” Nat responded, answering again for his siblings. “Our Papa was sold and our Mama. . .”

Thor’s breath caught in his throat as Nat’s voice faltered. The boy’s face twisted into a frozen mask of heart-wrenching pain. Thor didn’t have to ask to know that the children’s mother was dead, and he didn’t want to guess how it happened.

He reached out his hand to offer comfort, but Nat flinched. Thor dropped his hand and shoved it into his pocket. Words of sympathy escaped him, and he didn’t know what to say. Having lost his mother at the young age of five, he could guess how the children felt. Words didn’t fill the void the loss of a mother created.

Charity’s hoarse whisper ended the silence. “Mama cried and cried when they took Papa away.” She took Nat’s hand and peered across him to look at Thor. Her brown eyes watered and marked her sadness at the memory.

Clay closed in on Nat and looked up at Thor. Unshed tears glistened in his eyes, but none fell. In low, husky tones, he added the rest. “Massa Henry didn’t like how Mama was carryin’ on so he told her to hush up. When she didn’t, the overseer took her to the whuppin’ tree. Overseer Charlie whipped her ’til he got tired, and then they cut her down from the tree. She didn’t make it through the night.”

Thor shuddered at the torture their mother had endured. Looking down at the child who walked beside him, he admired Clay’s ability to recount the events of his mother’s death without shedding tears. If the circumstances were reversed, he doubted if he could have done the same. Hell, he could barely recall a memory of her now without choking up.

Anguish lodged in his throat. No one had the right to treat another with such cruel indifference. Unable to stop himself, his hand pulled free from his pocket and closed warmly over Clay’s thin shoulder. “I am terribly sorry for what happened to your mother. I wish there was something I could do.”

“You are, sir,” Clay said, craning his neck to gaze at Thor. A thin-lipped smile made the boy looked far older than his twelve years, and then it disappeared altogether. He lowered his eyes and directed his attention away from Thor.

Before he looked away, Thor read the confusion and the grief etched in Clay’s eyes, and it pained him. Guiding them to Reverend Brown’s station wasn’t enough. The knowledge that slavery would end did little to quell his growing outrage. Abraham Lincoln wouldn’t pass the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the seceded states for another three years, making no mention of the slaves in the border states. Slavery wouldn’t officially come to an end for at least another five years.

Bile lodged in his throat at the thought of the number of people who’d suffer the same as these children’s mother, if not worse, during that time. The need to do more pulsed wildly in his veins, but he was at a loss. What could he do? Could he slip onto plantations and lead more slaves to freedom? Was it feasible? Reverend Brown said he’d find answers at his place, and now he was leading these children there. Had the reverend known he’d feel this way? Maybe he traveled back in time to lead these children to freedom and maybe others, too.

The sudden snap of a twig jerked Thor and his charges to attention. Stark fear glittered in the three pairs of eyes that cut to Thor. His stomach clenched, and he forced himself to focus. They needed him to keep a clear head. Animal or man could have made that noise. Either way, Thor would handle it. The reverend’s place couldn’t be more than a mile away. There was no way he’d get them that close to the refuge to be led astray.
Dammit! I’ll see them all the way.

* * *

Leaving the lantern on the porch was a grievous mistake
, Willow thought. Her frantic pacing wore a path in front of the fireplace.
I should have been more careful!
A lantern on the porch was a clear signal to runaway slaves that the building was a safe haven for them. If Mr. Anders had been at the cabin instead of Thor, she would have been in a world of trouble.

My distractions put those children at risk!
She must not lose sight of what’s important. She had to keep her mind clear of diversions.

“Really, Willow, it was a simple mistake!” Eva said. “No harm was done. Mind you, I still cannot understand why you didn’t invite them here. We have plenty.”

“Mr. Anders wouldn’t have been pleased, and I couldn’t ask you—”

“You should have asked me!” Eva clutched the arms of the rocking chair and pushed herself into a standing position. She crossed the room until she stood in front of Willow. Reaching out, she took Willow’s hands and squeezed. “You fret far too much. Anders isn’t here, and he would never have known those children were fed in this cabin. He’s not a heartless man, Willow. He’s just cautious. He wouldn’t have minded those children having a plate of greens.”

Willow looked at their joined hands. Their friendship was special, but there were things that Eva just didn’t understand. Anders wanted no part of the Underground Railroad. Nor would he willingly participate in the abolition movement. He had told the reverend in no uncertain terms neither he nor Eva would become involved. Reverend Brown had forwarded the information along to her.

She knew what Eva said was true. Anders had a good heart. He doted on Eva as if she hung the sun, the moon, and the stars. Nobody grieved more when their first child was stillborn. His heart was full when it came to his family, but not when it came to outsiders. For them, he was as emotionless as stone.

Willow gave Eve a faint smile as she squeezed the other woman’s hands before releasing them. “I reckon I should have asked you, but in my heart, I know I did the right thing. I’m not sure about the other though. What if he and the children get lost before they reach the reverend? For all we know patrollers are after them.”

“If Thor said he’ll find it, he will. Magnusen men are excellent trackers.”

“I know that Mr. Anders is familiar with these woods, but Thor may not be.”

“Thor?” Eve’s brows drew together to form a slight frown. Resting her hands on her distended abdomen, her head shook in disapproval. “You seem rather familiar. I didn’t want to comment on it before, but Willow, you mustn’t be fooled by his charming smile and attentive manners.”

“And I must remember my place,” Willow added with a knowing nod. “I understand, Miss Eva.”

“Now don’t be that way. You are my dearest friend! You know as well as I do, some liberties just aren’t allowed. At least not here in Georgia,” Eva stressed. “I wouldn’t want to see you heartbroken over something that could have been avoided. Thor is a handsome, delightful man, but he’s white and you’re not.”

Eva’s words did not surprise Willow. Just below the surface, she harbored similar thoughts. Anders’s relative, with his warm, inviting eyes and charming behavior, tempted her in ways she never imagined.

Willow endured a restless night because thoughts of him haunted her mind. His secret about being from the future created a bond between them. She couldn’t help but be concerned for his safety and curious about his experiences.

When he looked at her, tingling sensations rippled throughout her body. Nothing had ever sent her in such a tailspin. Most definitely if he was not there last night, she wouldn’t have been distracted. The lantern would not have been left on the porch all night, and the runaways wouldn’t have seen it.

Willow swallowed hard, digesting Eva’s comments as well as her racing thoughts. Her friend spoke the honest truth! Pining over Thor would only lead to heartache and more mistakes. She’d best keep her thoughts free of him and her mind focused on her goal of freedom for her people.

* * *

“Relax,” Thor instructed the children under his breath.

The word was just barely out of his mouth when a dirty, grizzled white man stepped from behind one of the dogwoods. A rifle rested idly in his hands, but his body language was on alert. A tattered brown hat rode low on his forehead, and the man pushed it back with his large paw of a hand. He chewed steadily. He spat tobacco juice from the corner of his mouth. “Well, looky here.”

“Hello,” Thor replied as his hand tightened its grip on the branch. “Whereabouts you headed? There’s some good fishing down by the river.”

“Ain’t out here for no fishin’.” He spat again, wiping his mouth and dark beard with the back of his hand. “I’m huntin’.”

Thor shrugged even though he understood the stranger’s double meaning. The man’s beady eyes glazed over as he stared at the children, especially when he looked at young Charity. Thor crossed over until he was a buffer between them and the bounty hunter.

Deliberately misunderstanding the man, he said, “No good game been in these parts in a long while. Wolf packs tryin’ to take over and run off the deer and such. If I were you, I’d head back toward the Etowah. The river might lead you to better prospects. You’ll find none here, friend. You can believe that.”

“Better prospects down by the river, you say?” The man grunted. He tried to look past Thor, but each time he moved, Thor blocked his view.

The stranger spat more juice onto the ground and glared at Thor. Moving the rifle to his other hand, he cocked his head to the side. “I ain’t huntin’ for no game,
friend
. Runaways bring a good price per head. Word’s out that they hide up in these foothills, and I mean to find me some.”

Thor worked hard to maintain an even temper. A muscle quivered angrily at his jaw, but other than that, his control didn’t waver. Returning the bounty hunter’s stare, his lips twisted into a cold smile. “Well, the day’s passin’, and I have things to do. Good day.”

Thor gestured with a quick jerk of his head for the children to move ahead of him. They complied while he stood still, keeping his eyes trained on the other man. “There’s some Cherokee who still live up this way. I’ve heard some tales about them and the hunts they’ve been on. Unlucky white men out here alone have disappeared in these foothills. I keep those younguns close by for protection. Be careful some old chief don’t mark you as easy pickings.”

Color drained from the bounty hunter’s face. He pulled his gaze from Thor to dart suspiciously at the woods. His brows pulled together. “You ain’t funnin’, is you? I don’t cotton to Injuns, and I ain’t ever heard nothin’ about some still hidin’ up in these woods.”

“Then you’re not from around here, are you?” Thor asked quietly. “You can heed my words or ignore ’em. The choice is yours.”

“I’m quick enough with a rifle. I ain’t scared of no Injuns—”

“Hey.” Thor raised his hand in mock defense, silencing the other man. “Your rifle probably can take care of one of them. If there’s only one, you more than likely won’t have a thing to worry about. I heard some birdcalls that sounded a might suspicious a while back. Maybe it wasn’t the old chief and his braves. All I know is I’m gettin’ out of these woods as fast as I can. I came up here with my full head of hair, and I aim to keep it.”