Chapter 15
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
“We cannot simply let them go without doing anything!” A man named John spoke up from the crowd that had gathered near the front of the station.
Although their assailants had tucked tail and ran in the middle of the night, men had begun to gather at Elijah’s at first light to discuss what should happen next.
Tensions were high and opinions divided, and the discussion had quickly poured out of the little cabin into the bright morning sunlight.
Jacob stood next to Edmund to the right of the crowd with his arms crossed.
At the front, Daniel Boone raised his hands.
Though he wore an unassuming brown waistcoat over his linen shirt and breaches, his sharp nose lent to his air of authority as well as his gray hair, earned through experience here in the Kentucky wilderness.
“We are too far outnumbered. It would be unwise to follow them. I know William Bryan’s loss was devastating, and that many of you want revenge for the destruction that occurred outside the fort walls and for the three men that were injured.
But you would lose far more in a pursuit than you have as it is. ”
Every structure outside the fort had been burned to the ground while the siege was fought.
While a few of the men such as Boone and Elijah Craig attempted to talk peace, men were outraged, including those who bore injuries.
One man stood in the crowd, supporting the move to send a party after their attackers, despite his arm hanging in a sling after having sustained a shot.
“We could ambush them, attack them while they are on the run,” another man yelled out.
“They are not on the run. They have retreated because they realized they could not penetrate our station walls. The element of surprise is not a given.”
Jacob spoke up. “What if it could be?” He had to admit, sitting back and allowing the men who had attacked them to go free did not sit right with him either.
When that bullet had ricocheted, Dawn’s life had flashed before his eyes.
And when he saw Mrs. Abbott’s cabin on fire…
How could he do nothing? “We could scout out their location, keep a safe distance away, and attack when they are least expecting it.”
“As though they will not be sending scouts out as well? I cannot condone this.” Elijah crossed his arms.
“I would certainly caution against it.” Daniel Boone’s face was grim.
“Well, I cannot sit idly by! Sometimes decisions should not be based on what is safe but what is right. Anyone that wants to fight, come with me!” Jacob knew not the name of the man who yelled out, but his face was nearly as red as the hair on his head, possibly more so. Shouts of agreement resounded.
Boone and Craig seemed to have lost control of the meeting as men marched off toward the magazine room. Morgan led the group, but would there even be enough ammunition left to adequately supply an attack party?
Jacob frowned and waited. Edmund remained at his side rather than heading after the others had Boone’s and Craig’s words of caution swayed him?
If Jacob were a single man, he would not hesitate to follow the others, but he had not only himself to consider.
Was it in Dawn’s best interest for Jacob to stay back and defend them from the fort or to put his life in danger in an effort to eliminate the threat?
He must do all in his power to ensure her and Mary’s safety.
“I will go.” Edmund finally spoke up. “These men cannot go unpunished.”
“I will go as well.” Despite Elijah’s earlier rebuttal, an experienced scout could still be needed on the trip.
Edmund frowned down at Jacob, his blond brows lowered over his blue eyes. “I am not sure that is wise.”
Jacob stretched taller. “What do you mean?”
“It may be advisable for one of us to stay behind with Mary.”
Jacob’s fists clenched at his sides. “And it is better for you to go than I?”
“You have Dawn as well.”
“Most all of the men going will be leaving wives behind.” He flung his arm in the direction of the group moving toward the magazine room.
“They have no one else to go in their stead. You do.”
Here he was all over again, being asked to stay behind with the women while everyone else pursued the noble fight. Suddenly, the choice was clear.
“If it is right for them, then it is right for me.” Jacob lifted his chin and leveled his gaze at Edmund.
The older man’s jaw worked before he dipped his head in a nod.
Perhaps he had grown to feel protective over Jacob?
After all, they had all become an odd family of sorts.
Jacob had never held it against his father for trying to protect him either.
But he could not allow his future to be dictated by someone else.
Or to stand by and allow others to take action in his place.
Jacob followed Edmund to the magazine room where a large crowd had gathered. It seemed that the majority of the men, including the reinforcements Elijah had sent for, believed pursuit was the best course of action.
Morgan did his best to see to it that each man was equipped with two guns, whether they were their own or the fort’s, as well as a substantial amount of shot supplies.
Hang fires, when the trigger was pulled but the gun did not fire, were not uncommon with the black powder rifles that each man carried.
During battle, one could not take the time to find what was wrong with the weapon.
Instead, it was best to switch to another rifle if multiple hang fires happened consecutively.
Thankfully, the only time Jacob had dealt with such was in training with the Continental Army.
Additionally, he already carried both a rifle and a pistol, so he had no need of additional arms.
Still, as he assessed the crate of supplies Morgan had handed him, a fission of fear wound its way through his middle. Jacob tamped the sensation down. This battle he prepared for was like nothing he had faced before. But was that not what he had wanted?
* * *
“Bad men gone?”
“Yes, my dear.” Thankfully, when they had awakened that morning, the air had been blessedly quiet, and Jacob had been lying beside Dawn.
She had hoped that the enemy’s retreat meant the end of the fighting, the end of the nightmare, but the quiet had been so easily shattered when the men of the fort had met to discuss the next course of action.
Discussion had quickly turned to shouting.
At length, that had subsided, though it was unnerving not knowing what was decided, and Jacob had yet to return.
Still, Dawn had taken solace in Mary’s presence and the simple rhythm of homemaking, putting her newly learned bread-making skills to use. It was an incredibly satisfying feeling, to do something for those in her care simply because she wanted to, not because she was made to do so.
When Dawn heard Jacob’s boot steps on the porch, her heart lifted.
She wiped her hands on her apron and turned to the door with a smile.
But the face of the man who entered was grim, mouth set in a line, and he carried one of the very crates she had spent the prior day delivering to the men.
Suddenly, it was as though she could be knocked over with the slightest of breezes.
Jacob walked over to where she stood, now gripping the edge of the table. “We are going after them.”
“What?” Her voice sounded as though she was in a tunnel. She settled into the chair beside her.
Jacob glanced at Mary, then back at her. “Not Craig or Boone, but the majority of us.”
“Why are Elijah and Daniel not accompanying you?”
“They do not believe we should go. The group that is going is more than a hundred strong, though.”
“Why do they believe that you should not go?” Why did it not reassure her to know they would be in such numbers? That did not seem to negate the danger.
“They believe that it is too dangerous.” His jaw worked, and his glance flicked to Mary again.
Dawn stood and took his arm, steering him outside, onto the porch. “Why is it too dangerous?” Somewhere along the line, her fear had transitioned into anger.
Jacob seemed to deflate a little. “Because we will still be outnumbered. They believe we will sustain losses. Possibly many.”
“Then why are you going? If we are safe here, why are you going in pursuit of a fight?” Dawn searched the face of the man she loved, with his familiar brown eyes, but found no answers.
“Because they attacked us. They attacked the people I love. Either of you could have been killed.” He threw his hands in the air.
“So you are going to go and get yourself killed instead?” Dawn regretted the words as soon as they had left her mouth. Most likely, Mary could still hear every word they said.
Jacob’s jaw set. “Edmund is going too.”
Dawn sucked in a breath. “You are both leaving us? What will Mary do if something happens to both of you?” Tears rimmed her eyes.
Jacob avoided her gaze. “I…I will not let that happen.”
“You cannot guarantee something like that. You cannot.” Her voice cracked. “What will I do if I lose you?”
Jacob took her hand and squeezed it. “I will do my best to come back to you. But they may need a scout. And I cannot just sit by and do nothing.”
“You would not be doing nothing. You would be taking care of your family.”
“I will be taking care of my family. Just not in the way you believe I should. We did what was right when we fought in the War of Independence, and I have to do what is right now. No matter the risk.”
Dawn’s face heated. There was nothing she could do to sway her husband. He was leaving her, after all, and far sooner than she had ever imagined. Their marriage was not consummated and might never be. That thought hit her like a punch to the stomach.
And Mary’s uncle was leaving her too. The girl’s only flesh and blood. Of course, he had not been around much since her arrival. Instead, she had still spent much of her time in Dawn’s care. But what was she and Mary to do if neither of them returned?
Dawn turned and headed back into the house.
Inside, she shoved her hands into the dough and began to knead it once more.
It did not matter that she was overworking the dough and the bread likely would not turn out.
She needed a way to harness the frustration and pain that bubbled inside.
And her husband would not be here to impress with the loaf, anyway.
Jacob silently entered and started to pack. With a sigh, Dawn abandoned the dough and prepared him a pack of food to take. Her heart ached with every morsel that she added, every morsel that he may or may not live to eat, but at least he would not die of starvation.
Finally, Jacob stood at the door, laden down with supplies, with his pistol strapped to his leg and his rifle over his shoulder. “Goodbye, Dawn.” He spoke softly.
“No go!” Mary squealed and ran toward him, attaching herself to his leg. Jacob knelt and hugged her little body.
Dawn fought the tears that pricked at the backs of her eyes as she went to retrieve the child.
“He will be back, my dear.” She barely managed to whisper the words as Jacob handed her over.
Then her voice broke, and she buried her face in Mary’s soft hair.
She wanted to turn, to cling to Jacob and beg him not to go, but comforting Mary had to come first. Jacob’s hand came to rest on her back.
Dawn knew not how long they knelt there beside the open doorway, with Mary wrapped in her embrace and Jacob’s hand at her back. But then he was gone. And she could not stop the tears from flowing.