She nodded. “I am not surprised. We will be fine here. I have faced this before. I know how to hide what needs hiding, and how to keep from being shot because some fool is in the mood to shed blood.”
Abigail started up the stairs and prayed Mrs. Beaton’s confidence was not misplaced. She stepped into her room and found Noah sprawled on her bed looking at a book. He sat up and immediately saw the puppy. His eyes wide with surprise and hope, he slid off the bed and walked over cautiously. He patted the puppy who immediately bathed his face with enthusiasm, making the boy giggle.
“What are you going to name him?” she asked.
“I can name him?”
“Of course. I got him for you.”
“He’s mine?”
“He cannot make a mess in the house. Mrs. Beaton is very firm on that.”
Noah took the puppy from her and hugged him to his chest. “He won’t. I will make very sure of that. I was good with my puppy.” He studied the little black and white dog wriggling in his arms. “This one doesn’t look like my puppy at all. Mine was all brown. I think I will name him Wags.”
“Wags?”
“Because he does a lot of that. See?” He held him out from his body for a minute and the whole animal shook from the force of the tail wagging he did.
“I guess he does.” She patted the dog then moved to her chests, opening the one she used most often and beginning to toss things inside.
“What you doing?”
“Packing. I need to leave in the morning.”
“I’ll go pack, too.”
Abigail sighed. “No, love, there is no need for you to pack.”
Noah stopped heading out the door and walked back to her side. “Why?”
“Because you can’t come with me now. It would be too dangerous.”
“Then you should not go!”
“I have to. I have to drive the wagon.” She reached out to take his hand in hers, but he stepped back and put the hand on the puppy. “I need to have a place to live before I take you with me. I have no home, no husband, and no idea when I will find either. When I gain at least a home to call my own, I will come back for you.”
“You are taking the baby.”
A direct hit, she thought, and scrambled to think of a way to explain that. “A baby needs an adult to care for it all the time. I promised Julia I would care for her child. Promises are meant to be kept, you know.” Noah nodded. “He needs to eat round the clock and he cannot even go to the bathroom by himself but needs his napkin changed, and he cannot run away from any trouble that finds him.”
“I don’t want you to leave me. I could help you with the baby.”
“You probably could but there is still the problem that I have no place ready for us to live. After I find a house for us, I will come back for you, Noah. This isn’t a forever type of leaving. I am just taking Matthew home because he is badly wounded. Once he is settled and has his family to care for him, I will look for a place to live where you can come and stay with me. Noah?” she called when he just turned around and walked out.
He kept on going and she heard him run to his room. For a moment, she thought about going after him then shook her head. She could not give him what he wanted. The tears shining in his eyes had cut her to the heart but she had to harden herself against them. She had a very good reason to make him wait. He would have to accept that.
Finishing her packing she fetched her gun from where it stood near the door downstairs and put it with the chests. She had saved so little she did not want to lose it now. Once done she went down the stairs and into the kitchen to help Mabel one last time. When the children trooped in to sit at the small table set aside for them, she was saddened by the fact that Noah did not come down with them. Each child sent her angry glares and she accepted that she was now the bad one.
“So you are leaving us,” said Maude as the stew was passed around the table.
“Yes. Matthew is too injured to join the army when it leaves to join with one of the bigger forces south of here.”
“The soldiers are leaving, too?” asked Anne, her sultry voice a little high with shock.
“They are but I am not sure when. Fairly soon I think, as they were packing stuff up when I left the infirmary.”
Rose frowned. “So, there will be no one here to protect the town.”
