Chapter 4
It was hard to sleep with the thunder and rain outside, but they were all so tired, they all fell into an exhausted sleep.
Even Travis. Last night, he had only slept with one eye open while he turned the spit on the venison.
Tonight the rain helped lull him into a good sound sleep.
They all woke up to a clean washed woods to travel in.
Travis hoped that they reached Angel Falls today.
His patience was running out in talking to Lydia or even being civil to the young woman.
The sooner he could hand her over to her aunt, the better.
They were all ready to get on the horses and start out again, even Lydia.
She couldn’t get away from these people any quicker than she could.
She had put up with them as long as she could.
She had to get to civilization today or she was sure she would lose it and shoot somebody, probably Travis.
He was a know-it-all, and the bossiest man she had ever met.
They traveled in silence for most of the day.
Travis saw signs of civilization and he was thrilled.
They were close to the town. They passed several farms and then he saw the beginnings of the church steeple and school.
He almost cheered, but he just didn’t have the energy.
They marched into town slowly…everyone else was just as tired as he was.
It seemed that half the town came out to meet them.
His brother Tate was there at the beginning of the group.
“Travis…I had about given up hope that I would ever see you again. You are a sight for sore eyes! Thank God, you made it back home safe and sound!” Tate helped him down from his horse and engulfed him into a bear hug.
Travis hugged him back and tears ran down his face at finally reaching his brother after all these years.
“Tate, there were times I thought I’d never see Angel Falls again.
It’s so good to see you. I imagine your kids are about half grown about now.
They won’t recognize their Uncle Travis or probably remember me after all this time.
” Travis told him and pounded him on his back.
He didn’t want to let go of him. “How’s your wife?
Did Leah recover all right from her illness? ”
Tate stopped smiling. “Leah died, Travis shortly after you left. We found out that she had a cancer growing inside of her. I tried to make a go of taking care of the kids and the store by myself but made a terrible mess of it. I sent away for a Mail Order Bride, if you can believe it. She saved us. Her name was Samantha Grace Jones. She is amazing…we now have twins in addition to Cassie, Cam, and Chris. They are about two now and are wonderful. Charlie and Cara will wrap you around their little fingers in nothing flat.” Tate told him and smiled, really smiled.
Travis couldn’t believe all that had happened while he was fighting in the war.
Henry Williams came forward and helped Angie get off her horse. “Angie? I can’t believe that you’re finally here. It seems like it’s been forever since I last saw you. Are these your boys?”
“Oh, Henry! I’ve missed you so much. Thank you for letting us come here to live.
It’s been hard since Matthew died at Gettysburg.
These are my boys, Will and Bobby. I’ve told them all about your livery and all the animals you have to take care of, they can’t wait to help you.
I read that you recently got married and had a little boy.
I can’t wait to hold a baby again. What did you name him?
” Angie asked him as he lifted her down and her two boys.
“Lynn and I named him Henry Lee Williams, but we call him Hank, so there’s no confusion between the two of us.
He’s perfect. I love being married to Lynn and being a father.
We found a small two room house just two doors down from the livery.
Cal Long, a carpenter friend of ours is building on another bedroom to the house, he also put in a cellar, a washstand, rinse box, clotheslines, shelves, and made sure that the flu in the cookstove and fireplace were open and ready for you to start cooking.
It does need to be cleaned. I do need to take you over to the mercantile to get you some supplies to start making some good meals for the boys and yourself.
We’ll do that today after you get your stuff put away.
Where are your trunks and what happened to the stagecoach? ” Henry asked her.
It was the same thing the sheriff was asking Travis.
But Travis couldn’t answer him because Lydia was screaming for someone to lift her down from her horse.
She also wanted someone to arrest Travis Buchanan for rape.
She declared that she was pregnant and he was the father of her child.
She wanted him to be tarred and feathered for what he had made her do on their journey to Angel Falls.
Angie and Travis looked at each other and stood there and looked at Lydia. Sheriff Red Wilson walked up to her and introduced himself to her. “I’m the sheriff here in Angel Falls. Who are you and how did all of this take place with Mrs. Howard and her two boys with you the entire time?”
“Travis Buchanan is a monster. He made me ride a horse when I don’t know how to ride…
he made me get up at an ungodly time in the morning…
he and the two little boys came to the hot spring while I was still bathing and started taking off their clothes…
he…he spanked me with his bare hands…and he yelled at me and told me that I was a prima dona and a princess.
I want him locked up and thrown in jail for all of that at least.” Lydia told him and crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Travis as if to say, “I told you that I would get even with you.”
“You also said that he raped you…is that true?”
“Well, no…not exactly, but a Union soldier down in New Orleans did, and I figure one Union soldier is as good as another to make them pay for their sins. He will marry me to keep me from being an unwed mother and my baby from being a bastard.” Lydia told the sheriff.
“Ma’am, that’s not how that works around here.
It sounds like Travis did everything he could to get you here safely after the stagecoach was attacked.
And since he didn’t rape you, but another man did.
I’m not going to make him marry you, nor am I going to lock him up.
” Sheriff Wilson told her and saw her get even madder.
She did stomp her foot again. It’s also when her Aunt Mavis appeared.
“Lydia Sue Hatcher! What in the world are you doing? You don’t try and tell another man he’s the father of your unborn child when he was nowhere near when it was conceived.
It sounds like Travis had his hands full just getting you here alive and well.
I applaud him for tanning your butt. It’s what your father should have done when you were little.
I’m sorry he died down in New Orleans, but you are my problem now, and I’ll be damned if you throw a fit because Red isn’t going to throw Travis Buchanan into jail for giving you a spanking or getting you here safely.
Come with me and stop making a spectacle of yourself.
Travis, thank you for getting her here.” Mavis took her arm and made her walk beside her to her resale store.
She was giving her hell the entire way to her store, and for once Lydia wasn’t allowed to talk back.
“Sorry about that, Travis. Now will you tell me what happened.” Red asked him.
“Robbers tried to attack the stage. They killed the guard and driver. The horses went wild and went off the path and almost overturned. I climbed up and got them under control. Two of the horses were lame from the wild ride. It wasn’t possible for it to pull the coach.
I cut them free and we rode them back to Angel Falls.
The coach is still sitting there with all their trunks.
Here are all the horses. We put what we could into pillowcases.
There are three dead men there. The guard, the driver, and a salesman who was riding with us.
It would be helpful if we could send a wagon back to get the trunks for the ladies and the stagecoach for the stagecoach run.
” Travis told him calmly. He didn’t like to hear that Lydia was pregnant or that she had been raped by a Union soldier down in New Orleans.
It didn’t excuse her behavior on the trip, but he did feel a little bit sorry for her.
Having her parents killed, her home destroyed, being raped, and her way of life disappearing before her eyes had to be a terrible shock to her.
It didn’t excuse her behavior, but it did tell him that she wasn’t as bad as he thought she was.
“I’ll send someone out to get that stagecoach right away.
The buzzards should show us where it is.
It’s nice to have you home again, Travis.
I heard that you were injured pretty badly, you might want to get Doc Sinclair to check you out to make sure you didn’t have a serious setback as a result of all the riding that you did.
Thanks for taking care of the other passengers like you did. ” Red told him and saw him nod.
Will and Bobby came up to him and hugged him before they left with their uncle. Angie waved to him and smiled. He waved back and hugged Will and Bobby. He would miss the two little boys and Angie…Lydia, not so much.
Tate insisted that they go and visit Doc Sinclair before he took him home. Just to make sure that he didn’t reinjure his leg and side by riding for the last four days to get to Angel Falls.
Doc Sinclair was glad to see him. He remembered him from when he was there before he left.
“Travis, it’s good to see you. Not so good to know that you were seriously injured and sent back to recover.
Let’s take a look at that leg and your side.
” He took his time in checking out his leg and his side.
“It’s going to take some time to get some muscle back into that leg…
from what I hear, you’re lucky they didn’t cut it off. ”
“Well, I had some friends that stayed in the operating room with me and threatened to shoot the surgeons if they dared to touch the saw when they were operating on me. The doctors weren’t thrilled with their behavior, but it did save my leg.
I’m indebted to them. When the war is over, and they live through it.
I’m hoping they join me in Angel Falls. They’re good men, and I’d have them watching my back any day of the week.
” Travis told him as he began to check his side.
“It looks like you lost one of your kidneys and part of your liver when that shrapnel hit you. You are one very lucky man. I would suggest lots of rest, walking…not running or riding a horse, lots of good food, and in a month or so, you’ll be good as new.
Come back and see me in two weeks and we’ll see how that leg and side are healing.
Riding a horse for the last few days didn’t do you any good, but it didn’t harm you too much either.
It’s sure good to have you back home where you belong. ” Malcolm Sinclair told him.
“It’s good to be home, Doc. I notice that you have added two new nurses since I left. Where’s that pretty wife you had?”
Doc Sinclair smiled really big. “We have adopted two children since you left. We have a boy four years old, named Wyatt, and a little girl who is two named Rosie. They come over to your house all the time to play with Tate’s boys and his twins.
Rose loves being a mother instead of my nurse.
And I love being a father. My two new nurses are great; Lynn is married to Henry Williams who owns the livery.
Helen is married to Tom Nabors, the blacksmith.
She’s pregnant and due in about three months.
They are incredible and I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Wait until you meet Sam, Tate’s wife. She’s something else.
We don’t know what we would do without her in this town. ”
“Yeah? Tate wanted me to get checked out before he’s taking me home to meet her and all my nieces and nephews.
I’m still reeling over Leah dying. When I left, she wasn’t feeling well.
Letters didn’t get through to us as we were fighting in the war.
I had no idea that she had died and he was left with three little kids.
I can’t believe that Chris is seven, Cam is six, and little Cassie is four…
she was just six months when I left. I didn’t even know that he had twins.
A lot has happened since I left. Good to see you Doc, and I’m sure glad that you and Rose are parents.
Congratulations.” Travis told him and left with Tate.
As they were leaving, they ran into Mavis with Lydia. Lydia wouldn’t even talk to him, but Mavis did.
“Travis, I want to thank you for getting Lydia here safely. I know it wasn’t easy nor was she an easy person to work with.
I hope to change that. Her father treated her like she was a princess…
that’s over. Lydia is going to learn how to take care of herself, have a job, and get ready for a baby.
Tell Sam I said hi, Tate.” Mavis told him and pushed Lydia before her.
She wasn’t giving her a choice. Travis felt like Lydia had met her match.