Spring Will Come (79 page)

             
“Why not?”  Robert was amazed at the little girl’s innocent wisdom.

             
“Well, he told me that about you, didn’t he?  And wadn’t he wrong?” she asked.  “I reckon he could be wrong about a lot of people.  I figure I need to get to know folks for myself.  Then I can decide what they really like.  I don’t reckon I need him to decide that.”  She paused then stared up into Robert’s eyes.  “You know what I mean?”
              Robert smiled down into her sparkling brown eyes.  “I know exactly what you mean,” he agreed.   He was searching for something else to say when she spun around and reached for the bucket.

             
“I’m hungry!  How about you?”

             
Robert licked his lips. 

             
Amber laughed and reached down into the bucket.  “Mama sent us a bunch of fried chicken and biscuits.  I think she slipped some sweet potatoes from last year in here.  She even sent us some cold milk,” she said triumphantly, holding the jar high.

             
Robert heard his stomach growl in response.  He leaned back against a rock and let the magic of the creek speak to him as he devoured every crumb of the food she put in front of him. 

Clint was coming back from a ride on Granite when Robert and Amber arrived back at the cabin.  Clint’s eyes were shining brightly, his face split with a huge grin.  “Boy, is he fast!”

              “Fastest horse I’ve ever been on,” Robert agreed.  “Have any trouble handling him?”

             
“He does everything I ask,” Clint exclaimed.  “I hope I can own a horse like him some day.”

             
“You keep working.  You have a natural touch with horses.  No reason why you can’t.”  Robert meant every word he said.  The reality of that still amazed him sometimes.  It no longer mattered that Clint was black.  He was talented and intelligent.  That’s what was important.   He had helped Robert tremendously by getting Granite back in shape for the long ride south.  Granite’s muscles, grown soft by a long winter of inactivity, were once again strong and powerful. 

             
“You a rich man, ain’t you, Robert?”  Clint asked suddenly.

             
“Where in the world did that come from?”  Robert asked, startled.

             
“I know I said I’d never want to work for you, but I’s kinda changing my mind.  I know you a whole heap different than you used to be,” Clint responded.  “I bet you got lots of good horses, don’t you?  Ain’t you gonna need someone to work with them?”  He paused.  “And I figure Granite will be there since he belongs to your girl,” he finished triumphantly.

             
“Got it all figured out, don’t you?” Robert laughed.  He sobered quickly as he studied the serious look on Clint’s face.  The boy had done a lot of thinking about this.  “Clint, I would love for you to work with my horses.  You have a natural touch.  But I simply can’t make you any promises.  Except for one.  If I have anything left for you to work with and if I have any money to pay you, I would be honored to have you work for me.”

             
“But you rich, ain’t you?” Clint insisted. 

             
Robert hesitated.  “I suppose by many people’s standards I was rich before this war started.  I just don’t know what it’s going to be like when the war is finally over.  For all I know, my home has already been destroyed.  Inflation is destroying the value of Confederate money.  If we lose the war, it’s going to hold no value whatsoever.  I could already be a poor man.” 

             
Clint’s face clouded with disappointment for several moments then cleared.  “You let me know where you are after the war, Robert.  I figure I can help you rebuild.  I just want to work with horses.  I don’t know nobody else to work with.”

             
“You got a deal, Clint.”

             
Polly appeared at the door of the cabin.  “Dinner will be ready soon.”

             
Dinner was over when Polly turned to Robert.  “What you got on your mind, boy?  You been thinking hard enough to make me tired all the time we been eatin’.”

             
Robert hesitated, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say.

             
“You leavin’, ain’t you?” Polly asked bluntly.

             
“It’s time for me to move on,” Robert acknowledged quietly.               

             
Clint and Amber stopped their game of checkers.  Gabe looked up from the magazine he was reading.  Not a word was said.  They just stared at him.  A long silence fell on the tiny cabin.

             
Amber was the first to break it.  “You leavin’ us, Robert?”  Tears shone in her eyes.

             
Robert held out his arms, and she ran to climb into his lap.  “I can’t stay here forever,” Robert said gently.  “I have to go home.”

             
“But I’m going to miss you!” Amber cried.  “Why can’t this be your home?”

             
“I’m going to miss you, too.”  Robert had known breaking the news would be hard.  He hadn’t been prepared, however, for the ache in his own heart.  He had grown to genuinely love this family.  If it hadn’t been for Carrie, it would have been easy to stay here and let other men fight the battles he had learned to despise so much.  Not only was he sick of the war - he could no longer find the heart to fight for the preservation of slavery.  He knew the war was about more than that, but slavery had become the sticking point.

             
“You reckon you can make it?”  Gabe asked, his deep voice revealing his skepticism.

             
“I’m much stronger,” Robert replied.  “If I don’t go now, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get through.  Both armies will begin to move now that spring is here.  It may already be impossible for me to get through the lines, but I have to try,” he said firmly.

             
“Of course, you do,” Polly agreed. 

             
“But, Mama!”  Amber cried.

             
“But, Mama, nothing,” Polly said sternly.  “We knew when Robert got here that he wadn’t gonna stay after he got well.  Now we know about his home.  We know about Carrie.  He done got a whole life down South.”  Her voice caught as tears glimmered in her eyes.  “We gonna miss you, Robert, but I figure we’ll see you again.”

             
Robert nodded.  “Soon as this war is over, I’m going to bring Carrie up to meet the people who saved my life.”

             
Amber snuggled close to him but didn’t say anything else. 

             
“When are you leaving?”  Clint asked gruffly. 

             
Robert knew the longer he stayed the more risk he would run of being caught by the Yankees.  “I figured I would leave in the morning.”

             
Clint stared at him for a long moment.  “I reckon I’ll go tell Granite good-bye,” he said heavily.  Heaving himself up from the floor, he disappeared out the door. 

Robert was stuffed with a hearty breakfast when Clint led Granite to the front of the cabin. 

              “I reckon it’s that time,” Polly said quietly.

             
Robert tied his blanket and several bags of food to the saddle almost mechanically.  One part of his heart was beating with excitement that he was on his way home.  The other part was breaking to leave behind these people he had learned to love.  Finally he turned to gaze at them. 

             
Gabe’s massive form was outlined in the door of the cabin.  Polly was tucked under one of his strong arms, her eyes soft with sadness.  Tears running down her face, Amber snuggled close to her mama. 

             
Robert struggled for words.  “I - I just...” He shook his head.  “I don’t know how to say thank you.  I simply can’t think of the right words to tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.  You not only saved my life - you gave me a
new
life.”  Tears blurred his vision.  Wiping them away, he took a deep breath.  “I will never forget what you’ve done for me.”

             
“You’ve done just as much for us, Robert.”  Polly stepped forward to take his hand.  “White folks ain’t the only ones who needs to learn to be color-blind.  I reckon black folks needs to learn the same thing.  You done taught us that.”  She chuckled.  “I sure was mad at that fella who dumped you here then took off.  Now I wish I could find him to thank him.”

             
“Me, too,” Robert echoed.  “I wonder if I’ll ever know who he was.”  He shook his head.  That wasn’t what was important now.  Kneeling, he held his arms out to Amber.   She darted into them, sobs wracking her tiny body. 

             
“I love you, Robert.  I love you!” she cried, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

             
“And I love you, Amber.”  Robert held her for several minutes; then he gently held her away and wiped her tears.  “It’s not going to be forever,” he reminded her.  “I’ll be back to visit just as soon as I can.  And I’ll bring Carrie with me.”

             
“Promise?”  Amber brushed at her tears and tried to sound brave.

             
“Promise,” Robert said solemnly. 

             
Polly stepped forward to pull Amber back.  “We got to let Robert get going.  He’s got a right long way to Richmond.”

             
Gabe stepped forward and held out his hand.  Robert gripped it firmly, knowing no words were needed.  Everything they needed to say had already been said.  Their hearts and minds understood each other.  That’s what counted. 

             
Finally Robert turned to Granite and took the reins from Clint.  Clint held out his hand.  Robert grasped it and pulled Clint into a rough hug. 

             
Clint hugged him back briefly before the boy stepped away.  “Like I said before - you ain’t so bad for a white man,” he said gruffly. 

             
Robert grinned, swung into the saddle, and trotted away.  He looked back for one final glimpse before the woods swallowed him and made the tiny cabin invisible.  Tears blurred his vision for several minutes before he straightened in the saddle and took a deep breath.  Now that the goodbyes had been said, his thoughts flew to the South.