“Wouldn’t be any use for a girl.”
Buck shrugged. “I’m sure you’d love it all the same.”
General nearly vomited at the word. “Love is a weak emotion.”
Buck leaned back against a tree, taking a spoonful of beans. “Why’d you say that?”
Frustration swelled through General, a hot wave burning beneath his skin. Why did this man have to ask so many questions? Buck had been a soldier once—he should’ve learned to bury those silly emotions long ago. The constant prying, the need for conversation; it was all unnecessary. They were both hardened men, or at least, they were supposed to be.
“Love makes a man weak.”
“What does your wife say?”
“She’ll get what’s coming to her,” General muttered.
Buck sat straighter, setting down his empty can. “What ya mean?”
General groaned, ripping a piece of bark from the log he was sitting on. “I married my wife because she was young. She was supposed to give me four sons by now, but she was too frail.” General gritted his teeth. “She blamed me for every complication, saying it was because of my discipline. Now she stole my heir.”
Buck’s eyes widened, his forehead creased. “You beat her?”
General’s jaw jutted. “I taught her a lesson. She was stubborn and pathetic. She needed to be put in her place for losing my heirs.”
“She’s a woman, General!” Buck’s frown deepened. “Ya had no right to do that. She couldn’t help losin’ those babies!”
“You sound just like her!”
“Well, maybe ya should hear it from a man rather than a woman. Maybe you’d listen!”
General stood and pointed in Buck’s face. “This is none of your concern!”
“It is when ya’re headin’ in their direction. Somethin’ tells me ya have more than a beatin’ on your mind.” Buck’s lips pressed to a thin line.
General groaned and pivoted on his feet, stomping forcefully through the snow. “We’re a hundred miles away from Gallatin County. You don’tneedto escort me anymore.” He untied the reins of his newly purchased horse and led it to the wagon to grab his supplies. As he retrieved his bedroll, he heard a click. He turned to see Buck pointing a revolver at him.
“Sorry it has to be this way. I respected ya, but now, I gotta protect that woman and babe.”
“You’re weak,” General spat. “I wouldn’t doubt you were a deserter.”
Buck’s face shook with fury, and before he could pull the trigger, General lunged forward, grabbing his arm and thrusting it to the side. A shot fired, and General wrestled the gun from Buck’s grip, only for him to drop it on the icy ground. General’s fist met Buck’s face, causing him to grunt. Buck growled, his eyes wild, and grabbed General by the collar, slamming a punch into his gut. Pain flared through General’s abdomen. With a roar, he charged into Buck’s midsection, tackling him.
General gripped his hands around Buck’s neck, but Buck overpowered him, pushing him over until General’s back was on the ground. Buck’s fist plunged into General’s face. A metallic taste filled his mouth. With a replenishing rush of energy, he pushed Buck off him and grabbed a knife from his belt.
Without hesitation, he stabbed it into Buck’s gut. Buck screamed, and General pushed harder and twisted. He smiled as Buck’s eyes met his with intensity.
“Don’t . . . you . . . touch her,” Buck whispered, blood trickling out his mouth.
General stood, pride consuming him. He wiped the wet blood from his face and grinned.The road to revenge only gets sweeter.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Josieburnedthefinalquilt, its beautifully stitched patterns curling in the flames while she watched from the porch. The fire crackled and hissed, the bright fabric slowly turning to ash. She had no way of knowing how long it would take for Travis to mend, but with each passing hour, Jonas improved. He was already joking around and playing with his toys again, telling stories about his wooden animals.
After two days without fever or symptoms, Aunt Polly and Josie moved Travis to Josie’s bedroom. He could hardly walk, but with both of their strength, they were able to assist him without any complications. Josie couldn’t recall a time in the past seven years when she’d been more worried. The man she desperately cared for had been on the verge of death while Jonas was in the clear. The uncertainty had hung over them like a dark cloud, wondering if God would grant them another miracle, and He had. Josie felt so relieved that she was able to have faithagain. The Lord delivered her and Nathan from the hands of Marcus, and now Jonas and Travis were healing.
However, the epidemic was still spreading through the valley like wildfire. According to Aunt Polly, not everyone was as lucky as them. Thankfully, the children were coming home because deep in her heart, she knew the Levingstons would be busy conducting funerals.
Josie had her share of funerals during the war, enough to last a lifetime. After the Battle of Shiloh, she had two funerals for Olivier and Trellis. Then a year later with Gettysburg, burying Zane. In February of 1865, she buried her mother and sister. Six months after marrying Marcus, her father died from a heart attack. She desperately hoped to never endure such a trial again.
