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Lizzy and the Rainmaker

Published by Matthew Holley at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 Matthew Holley
Chapter 1

"Ain't this exciting?" I exclaimed, standing up in our single horse-driven wagon to get a better look at the exciting and bustling town of Stillwater.

"Elizabeth Viola Cooper, sit down before you fall out!" my ma, Annie, barked.

I knew from past experience that when Ma addressed me by my given name, instead of the usual "Lizzy", she meant business. I reluctantly sat back down on my sun-bleached wooded bench next to my younger brother, Billy and even younger sister, Katie, but my excitement wasn't dampened.

"What kind of example are you setting for your brother and sister?" Ma said.

"They ain't paying me no mind."

"Stop saying, "ain't" and stay your butt down before I have to tear your hide in front of all these folks."

I knew Ma would never make good on her threat, she just worried so over us kids. I did my best not to give her too much grief since she was raising us by herself. You see, Pa was killed in an accident at work some time back and it's just been us four and, of course, Grandma Viola whom never did like going into town. "It's a den of iniquity", she would say.

Despite Ma's scalding, the wonderment of the fast-pace excitement offered by the "big city" could not be wiped from my face as I smiled at the sights, sounds, and smells of town. It was a treat for me every time my family made our bimonthly pilgrimage into town to buy supplies and to sell our goods. On this trip we brought with us several dozen chicken eggs, stalks of corn harvested from our small field, and a couple of quilts hand sewn by Grandma Viola.

I had to squint my eyes as a small puff of wind blew dust towards us churned up by a passing stage coach full of people leaving the nearby train station and heading for the much bigger town of Jackson. The dusty conditions were due to a year long drought being suffered throughout the country. The lack of rain created dust storms every time the wind decided to blow. The many various shop, lined up on both sides of the street, kept a dusty display window despite the shop owner's futile attempts to keep them clean.

Ma turned our horse-drawn wagon towards the town's general store and said, "Whoa, boy." as she pulled back on the reigns. The horse obeyed her command and stopped, blowing dust from its equine nostrils and simultaneously sending a quiver down its brown back to knock off some of the traveling dust. The horse began slurping up water from a troth provided by the shop owners for their patron's horses.

As I was helping Katie down from our wagon, I noticed a painted wagon on the other side of the rust-colored road with a crowd of people gathered around it. On both sides of the wagon were painted the words, " _Snake Oil Liniment. A cure-all for anything that ails you!_ " and under those words in smaller print it read, _"Licensed Rainmaker"_. I wondered to myself if one could actually obtain a license for such ridiculous nonsense.

A colorful little man was standing between the wagon and the crowd separated only by a small wooden table full of an assortment of bottles varying in size and color. He supported the strangest looking dark red mustache I had ever had the humorous pleasure of seeing. It reminded me of the horns of a steer, the way the ends pointed up towards the sky. He was dressed in a lime-green suit with a matching bowtie, black polished shoes, and a black stove-pipe hat with his red curly hair poking out from under it. He carried an ivory handle walking cane which he was using to point to the bottles as he gave his sales pitch.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Stillwater, please gather 'round for I'm about to cure all your ailments. In these bottles are the most powerful elixirs known to man, concocted by medicine men in Asia. A secretly blended mixture of venom and oil from the giant cobras living in their jungles will cure anything from a nasty cold to a dreadful hangover to curing consumption and everything in between."

I stopped and watched the salesman with annoyance in my eyes. Pa had warned me against imposters such as this one, trying to sell impossible dreams to gullible people. He always said not all snakes crawled on the ground. I recognized this man as such a person and continued to leer at him. My frustration grew as I realized some folks in the crowd seemed to believe the lies this man was feeding them.

"Is there one among you who would like to try a sample of my miracle remedies; someone with an ailment perhaps."

"I would," a frail sounding female voice called out from the back of the crowd.

Out stepped a skinny, young blond woman with a small but noticeable scar just above her right eye. Coughing and wheezing, she approached the salesman.

"What's your ailment, young lady?"

"The doctors say I have asthma and---" she coughed loudly." There's nothing they can do for me."

"That's because doctors don't have what I have. Now, let's see."

The salesman slowly looked over each bottle before choosing a small red one.

"Yes, this is the right one."

He uncorked the bottle and handed it to the lady.

"Take a swallow, young lady."

She did as she was instructed while the crowd looked on. She placed the bottle back on the table and ran her hand down her throat and over her chest. She started exaggerating her breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"I can breath!" she cried. "Look, no more coughing! It worked! Thank you, thank you so much. I must have some! How much is it?"

"For you, only a dollar."

She presented a dollar coin, gave it to the salesman, and walked away hugging the bottle tightly as if she was a mother protecting her child from danger.

"Do I have any more takers?" the salesman asked, scanning the crowd.

"Your sign says you're a rainmaker," a man in the crowd said. "Can you make it rain?"

"Yes, sir, I can. I was instructed in the ancient art of rainmaking by a powerful Cherokee medicine man years ago. Are any of you in need of a rainmaker? I have my drums in back of the wagon."

"It hasn't rained here all year. Our crops are withering away and the river is getting so low it's becoming difficult for the loggers to move their logs downstream," another desperate voice in the crowd sang out.

"Well, for the small price of one hundred dollars, I can give you folks some rain."

I looked at the faces in the crowd to determine if any of them looked like they believed this snake in the grass. Much to my disbelief, I saw several whom seemed to be excited about the possibility of this "rainmaker" being able to make good on his promise. I couldn't hold my anger back anymore. I approached the salesman.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, filling these good folks' heads with false promises! You're nothing more than a lying cheat!"

"Dear girl, I'm not a cheat. I make good on all my promises."

"Okay then, you make it rain first and then we'll pay you!"

"My dear, it doesn't work that way," the salesman patronizingly said through his fake grin. "I must have the money in hand first, and then I can give my full attention to the task at hand. I can't have the worry of whether you good folks will pay me after the job is done. Not to say that you'll wouldn't"

"You need to go and leave these people be! We don't need the likes of you trying to steal our hard earned money! Now, get!" I angrily ordered.

"I'll not be run out of town by some little chick-a-dee like you."

"Then, I'll run you out of town," Sheriff Johnson said as he stepped through the crowd holding a yellow piece of paper in his hand.

Sheriff Johnson was a tall man and built like an oak tree. His dark hair was beginning to grey and his age showed through the wrinkles around his eyes but, none the less, he wasn't a man you wanted to get into a tussle with. He was also an honest man and wore his badge with pride but he wouldn't hesitate to take you down if he found you on the wrong side of the law. He had also been a close friend to my Pa and, therefore, to me.

"Sheriff...how can I help you?" the salesman nervously asked.

"By leaving these good people alone and skipping town."

"Now, Sheriff, I have every right to be here. You can't run me out of town."

"I won't have to. After reading this telegram I just received, these folks will do it for me."

"What's it say?" a women in the crowd asked.

"It says, 'Good townspeople of Stillwater, be wary of a traveling salesman claiming to be a rainmaker. He took our town for a hundred dollars and produced no rain. He travels in a painted wagon and wears a green suit and a black stove-pipe hat. He has reddish hair and an English mustache and travels with his young wife who has a small scar over her right eye."

The edgy salesman slowly started putting his bottles back into his wagon. The glare of the crowd was filling him with fear and he started noticeably perspiring. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The crowd saw him as the snake I knew he was.

"Listen to me," the salesman pleaded as he continued to load up his wagon. "That telegram is a vicious lie. I would never cheat anyone out of their money. I'm an honest, God-fearing man."

"You finish putting your stuff back in that wagon and leave this town before we decide to tar and feather you and run you out on a rail," Sheriff Johnson warned.

"There's no need to do that. I'll leave, but only because I see that this town has no need for my special services."

The salesman put the last of his bottles into the wagon, climbed aboard, and tipped his hat as he took off down the road.

"Don't forget to pick up you conniving wife!" I yelled.

As if on cue, the lady with the scar whose asthma was "miraculously" cured scrambled into the painted wagon and, together, the salesman and his wife were off to con some other folks out of their money. It serves people right if they want to be so gullible as to believe in miracles, especially from a clown like that one was.

I watched as Sheriff Johnson bent down and picked up a pebble from the ground. He presented it to the crowd and sarcastically said," I have a magic pill here that will make you strong as a bull. Do I have a volunteer? Who will buy it for...say...twenty dollars?"

A few folks in the crowd chuckled while others looked away in embarrassment and shame for being so naïve.

I addressed the dispersing crowd. "I can't believe some of you actually believed that man! How foolish can you be?"

"That's enough, Lizzy," Ma said. I hadn't notice she was behind me. "Let's get inside and leave these good folks alone. They have enough egg on their faces."

We walked inside Summerland's General Store which was stocked with nearly anything a person could need. Billy immediately walked over to the right side of the store where a brand-new ax was displayed on the wall. Its handle was made from red mahogany and its steel head was polished to perfection. One could see their own reflection in it. Ma walked up behind my brother who was staring into the head of the ax, knowing all too well why he was there.

"Pa would have liked this one," Billy said with a smile.

"He sure would have. It's a pretty one!"

Ma placed her hands on Billy's shoulders and pulled him close to her and hugged him. Her eyes went misty and I knew she was missing Pa again. We all did. She sighed deeply and kissed her son on top of the head.

"We best get what we came for. Grandma Viola will start to worry if we're gone too long."

Ma and Billy walked up to the counter together where Mrs. Summerland was just finishing a sale with an overweight older gentleman who was supporting a long white beard that lay upon his round belly. I took Katie by the hand and walked her over to the many jars of hard candy on display, deliberately placed on a low shelf, I suspected, to ensure the candy was at eyelevel with any small children who entered the store.

"How can we help you today, Annie?" I overhear Mrs. Summerland ask with her always genuine smile. I could tell she liked Ma, always remembering her name and showing sincere compassion towards her for being a single mom raising three children by herself.

"I have a couple baskets of corn and tomatoes in the wagon, a few dozen chicken eggs, and two quilts Ma made."

"We'll take it all. Just gather what supplies you need and we'll make the trade."

"Thank you, Mrs. Summerland."

Ma began picking up a few candles, some kerosene, and other items on her list. She looked over at Katie and me as we both held up one finger in the air with a mile long grin and glanced down at the jars of candy. Ma smiled while she nodded her head and formed the words, "Just one" with her mouth. Katie eagerly picked out a piece of candy and held it in her hands like it was made of gold. I selected a piece of candy and placed it inside my pocket. Grandma Viola loved hard candy almost as much as Katie did. My piece of candy was for her. Billy had ventured to the other side of the store by himself to look at an assortment of cane-poles. Ma continued retrieving items from her list.

After gathering the supplies she needed, Ma walked back up to the counter.

"Are you done, Annie?"

"Yes, Mrs. Summerland."

"And how's Viola these days?"

"Oh, she's doing just fine. I'll tell her you asked about her."

"Please do. Perhaps next time she'll come with you. I haven't seen her in ages."

"Perhaps... she doesn't much like being in town. Too many devilish folks, she says."

"Sometimes, folks can be a little hateful, but you just have to overlook them. Well, your wagon's been unloaded. You didn't have a whole lot this time, did you? This lack of rain is hurting everyone's crops this year, I'm afraid."

"I can put some of this stuff back if it's too much!" Ma said with concern.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. You brought us plenty to cover what you have here. Don't you fret none about that."

"Thank you, Mrs. Summerland. You're a kind woman."

Katie and I joined Ma at the front counter.

"You just take care of these precious children of yours, especially that little Katie. She's so adorable. Has she gotten her piece of candy yet?"

"Oh, yes. That was the first place she ran to."

"That's good. How's Billy doing?"

"He's doing great," Ma said as she turned around to see where he had gotten off to.

She looked towards the cane-poles, but he was not there. I saw concern in her eyes as she hurriedly scanned the store. She quickly walked around the store searching for Billy with Katie and me trying to keep close behind her. She then instinctively ran to the store-front window to look outside and I saw a wave of terror instantly engulfed her entire body. As I followed her eyes to the direction she was looking, I saw why she was so terrified. Billy was about to step in front of a fast approaching stagecoach. His attention was fixated on a black and white spotted puppy sitting in the middle of the street.

Ma dropped her supplies, ran out of the store, and sprinted towards Billy, screaming out his name!

"BILLY! BILLY... STOP!"

Billy didn't seem to hear Ma's desperate cries over the noise of the city and his infatuation with the small puppy as he stepped in front of the rapidly moving stagecoach. My heart stopped and I was petrified with fear; I couldn't move. I just held tight to Katie's hand as the horrifying scene through the dusty window seemed to move in slow motion.

Despite Ma running faster than I had ever seen her run before, I could tell she wasn't going to make it to Billy before the stagecoach did. Horrible images of my brother being trampled to death burned through my head. I tried to close my eyes, but they to were frozen like the rest of my body. I knew I was about to lose my brother... first Pa and now, Billy. My anger with God began to resurface.

Miraculously, just before trampling hooves crushed Billy, a man quickly ran at him, swooped him up in his arms, and leaped to the safety of the boardwalk. I don't know where this savior came from. I guess I was so fixated on my brother I didn't notice him until he was on top of Billy, stealing him from the cold grasp of Death's hand.

An immediate wave of relief and unimaginable joy swept from my head to my toes. I felt my blood rush back into my extremities. The world around me returned to normal speed and I noticed the sound of my own heart beating inside my chest. I then heard Katie whimper in pain. I looked down at her and realized I had been squeezing her tiny little hand so hard her fingers were white. I let go, thankful she was unaware at what almost happened to her big brother.

"Billy!" I heard Ma cry as she rushed to her son and embraced him with all the strength she had left. Katie and I walked out to join them.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, Ma," Billy answered, a little confused at what had just happened.

"What were you doing?" Ma's fear had turned into anger. "You could've been killed! You know you're not to venture out in the city by yourself. What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Ma." Billy was on the verge of crying. "It's just that I saw a little puppy in the street, and I was afraid he would get run over."

"Don't ever do that again. You nearly killed my heart."

Ma turned her attention to her boy's savior. He looked to be in his early twenties with dark brown hair that rested on his shoulders and the greenest eyes I've ever seen. He was remarkably handsome, stood about six feet tall, and looked stout in his white button-up shirt and brown slacks. He was carrying a make-shift nap-sack over his broad shoulder and when he looked at me and smiled, showing his dimples, it strangely made me blush ever so slightly.

"Thank you, so much, mister, for saving my boy! I don't know what I'd have done if I'd lost him. Thank you!"

Ma held on tight to Billy's hand and tears fell from her eyes as she thanked the stranger over and over.

"There's no need to thank me. I did what needed to be done...nothing more."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"It's Luke."

When he spoke, it sounded more to me like he was singing than actually talking. It was such a sweet sound...a sound I could have listened to all day.

"Just Luke?"

"Yes, just Luke", he chuckled slightly.

"Okay... just Luke...are you from around here?" I asked just to hear him talk some more.

"No, I just got into town and was looking for a place to find a meal when I noticed Billy and the puppy. I'm so glad I was close enough to help!"

"Where are you from?"

"Nowhere, really."

"Hmmm...you're a strange one," I said." You're not running from the law, are you?"

Luke just snickered and shook his head.

Ma stepped up to Luke and looked into his eyes...studying them...trying to look into his soul. She had always fancied herself as being a good judge of character and later told me he had the most "honest" eyes she had ever seen. She said it was like looking into a newborn's eyes, full of innocence. She didn't know exactly why, but she trusted Luke implicitly.

"You have a place to stay tonight?" she unexpectedly asked Luke.

"Ma, what are you doing?" I sternly questioned although I pretty much knew what she was up to. "We don't know him. Just thank him and let's be on our way."

I wasn't concerned Luke was standing right next to me and could hear me. I was always the type to state my opinion no matter who could hear.

"Now Lizzy, that wouldn't be the Christian thing to do and you know it."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. I had stopped calling myself a Christian ever since God let Pa die. I remember running out of the cabin the day our family got the news there had been an accident at the logging camp and three men had died, one of them being my Pa. I ran to the edge of the river, crying uncontrollably, and fell to my knees. I looked up into the sky with rage.

"I prayed to You ever night to keep my family safe. You didn't listen. You took my Pa from me! Why? He never done anybody wrong. How dare You! You have no right to take him from me! He is mine! I will never believe in You again."

That had been two years ago.

"Luke, you're coming home with us. I'll fix you a good meal and make you a place to lie down in front of the fireplace. That's the least I can do for you for saving my son."

"I couldn't impose on your family like that," Luke insisted.

"See Ma, he can't impose. Let him be on his way and we can do the same," I said as I heading for the wagon hoping Ma would follow suit. Luke was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on, but inviting a complete stranger into your home was not smart. I couldn't understand what Ma was thinking. This wasn't like her.

"Now, Lizzy, I've made up my mind. Luke's going with us and that's that. I don't want to hear any sass from you, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And I don't want any lip from you either, Luke. Just get in the wagon. I won't take "no" for an answer."

"Yes, ma'am!" Luke said.

He climbed into the wagon and sat next to me. He then leaned over towards me and asked, "Is she always this demanding?"

"You ain't seen nothing yet!"

Chapter 2

"What's your name?" Luke asked the little girl riding in back of the wagon with Billy.

I reckoned he already knew Billy's name from the frantic screams of Ma right before he pulled him from the path of the oncoming stage coach.

"My name is Katie. I'm six years old. Pleased to meet you."

"Katie...that's a pretty name."

"Thank you, very much. My ma gave me my name."

"And what's your ma's name?"

"Ma."

Everyone chuckled.

"What do your ma's friends call her?"

"Annie"

"And what do your friends call your ma?"

"Miss Cooper."

Luke extended his hand out to Ma who removed one hand from the reins and shook his hand.

"Annie Cooper...it's nice to meet you."

"That was cute, but it was a long way around in getting my name. You could've just asked. Anyhow, it's good to meet you too, Luke...?"

"Just, Luke." He then turned his attention to me. "And what's your name?"

I remained tight-lipped, still frustrated Ma was bringing a stranger to our home, a stranger who refused to indulge his last name.

"That's Lizzy," Katie blurted out.

"Lizzy...what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

I looked towards the river we were riding beside to keep Luke from seeing the grin that formed on my face without my permission. I didn't know why I cared this stranger found me beautiful? He was indeed handsome, but I've never needed or even wanted the affection of a man... well... besides Pa's, but I surprisingly found it exhilarating when Luke called me "beautiful".

We rode the remainder of the hour long trip not saying a whole lot. Katie entertained us by reciting her ABC's and counting to ten several dozen times. Billy tossed left-over corn kernels out of the back of the wagon, trying to hit passing trees. Ma hummed a few spiritual hymns to herself and I pretended to still be mad about bringing a stranger home, even though I couldn't help myself from periodically glancing up at his handsome face and enjoying the feel of his shoulder against mine.

We finally arrived home which was a small log cabin built by Pa. Its roof was adorned with weather-worn cedar shake shingles. A wrap-around cedar porch encircled the perimeter of our cabin and a stone chimney hugged the right outside wall, getting narrower at the top as it rose beyond the roof line. A picture-glass window embellished the front of the cabin, positioned beside a red front door. A wood framed barn, matching the color of the front door, stood behind the cabin to the right while a small outhouse sat to the left. A small section of land next to the barn was fenced to corral our black and white dairy cow which was grazing on a few twigs of grass stubbornly growing around the fence posts despite the lack of rain.

Luke helped Ma and I unhitch the wagon and take the horse into the barn. We put some feed in the horse troth, closed the stall door, and led Luke to the front of the cabin where Grandma Viola was sitting. She was sewing a quilt. Her hands were moving so fast, I often wondered how she did not poke the needle straight through her finger.

Ma presented Luke to our seamstress.

"Luke, this is my mother, Viola Wilson. Ma, this is Luke."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Wilson."

Grandma Viola was in her early sixties with snow-white hair stacked in a bun on top of her head. She had relatively few wrinkles for a woman her age which she contributed to "honest living". She was wearing a multi-colored dress with sleeves that ran all the way to her wrist. She looked up from her quilt through her glasses and gave Luke the once over.

"You look as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Have a sit down."

I couldn't help but smile at Grandma Viola. She seldom had a good thing to say about anyone; "mean and on'ry" is what people called her. But I knew it was all put on, for underneath the rough façade was a heart of gold which I was fortunate to witness on a few occasions.

Luke sat down in one of the porch chairs.

"Would you like some lemonade?" Ma asked Luke.

"That would be nice, thanks."

"It'll make your face pucker like wet sheepskin before a hot fire," Grandma Viola commented.

"Oh, it ain't that bad," Ma said, shaking her head and smiling.

"Ma, you said don't say "ain't"," Billy said as he walked onto the porch from inside the cabin.

"You're right, I'm sorry. It _isn't_ that bad."

"Where's Katie?" Ma asked.

"She's inside the cabin playing with her rat," Grandma Viola answered in disgust.

From somewhere inside the cabin, Katie's voice could be heard yelling, "It's not a rat. It's a chipmunk and his name is Chippy."

"Whatever it is, you best not be playing with it inside the cabin," Ma warned.

Small footsteps could be heard quickly descending from the loft and running towards them. Katie had her chipmunk cupped in the palms of her hands, running for the door to get outside. As she passed Ma going inside to fetch some lemonade, she said, "Sorry, I forgot."

"Forget again and that rat finds a new home!"

"Chippy's a chipmunk, Ma!"

Katie took Chippy to the edge of the porch, sat down cross-legged, and began playing with him.

"Chickabiddy, don't let that varmint near me! I don't like rats!" Grandma Viola told Katie.

"Chipmunk, Grandma!"

She grinned at her grand-daughter for a second, and then turned her attention to Luke as her grin faded into a frown. "Where'd you say you were from?"

"Down South."

"What do you do for work?"

"Whatever odd jobs I can find in whatever town I find myself in."

"Are you one of those land-loppers?"

"Land-loppers?"

"Those vagrants who stroll about from one town to another, usually up to no good."

"No, ma'am, I'm not a land-lopper. I'm just trying to find where I belong."

"You got any kin folks?"

"None I'm aware of."

"How can you not have any kin folks? What... did you just fall from the sky?"

"Ma, leave the boy alone. Stop prying in his personal affairs," Ma said as she came out on the porch with a mason jar full of lemonade for Luke. "Here you go. I'm going back inside to start supper." She then looked sternly at her mother. "Ma, you be nice!"

"Ain't I always?" Grandma Viola said while nudging me in the side and smiling.

"Grandma, you're mean enough to steal a fly from a blind spider," I joked.

"Well, you're mean enough to steal the coins off a dead man's eyes." Grandma Viola came back.

I saw Luke smiled as he watched Grandma Viola and me laugh together.

"Chippy, where'd you go? Chippy?" I heard Katie cry.

"He probably jumped off the porch again," I assumed. "Look under there."

Katie jumped from the edge of the porch and began frantically searching for her pet. Then the three of us remaining on the porch heard an awful "crunch" sound. It came from underneath Grandma Viola's rocking chair. She immediately stopped rocking...her eyes round as saucers.

"Please tell me what I think just happened, didn't," she pleaded as she was frozen in her chair, too afraid to move.

I was the first to dare to look. The chipmunk, a little flatter now, was under one of the rockers in a small pool of blood, his left hind leg still twitching.

"Oh, poor little guy."

I felt a sickening taste in the back of my throat. Not for the death of a chipmunk, but for the death of Katie's chipmunk. I knew she was going to be devastated.

"Chippy, where are you, Chippy? Where are you hiding?" Katie called from underneath the porch.

Luke quickly got out of his rocking chair and went over to the grizzly scene. He bent down, gently pushed the rocking chair forward enough to retrieve the chipmunk, cupped it in his hands so Katie wouldn't see it, and hurried around to the back of the cabin.

"Where's that boy going with the road-kill?" Grandma Viola asked.

"Beats me."

"Well, go see, Lizzy."

I stood up and went around the cabin in search of Luke. I found him standing in a field of waist-high grass with his back to me. For an instant, I thought I saw a flash of light pulse around him. As I got nearer to him, I noticed he still had his hands cupped, holding them tight against his chest. His eyes were closed and he jumped slightly when I spoke.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

Luke turned to face me. "You scared me."

He was still clutching his hands to his chest. I could see part of the chipmunk's tail dangling between two of his fingers.

"What are you doing with Chippy?"

Luke was about to answer when Katie approached us.

"Grandma said you have Chippy! Where is he?"

"Did she tell you what happened?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't have to be the one to tell Katie what happened to her beloved pet.

"She said Luke has Chippy. Do you have him?"

I knelt down on one knee in front of my sister and placed my hands on the side of her arms to brace her for the shocking news.

"Oh, Katie...something terrible has---"

"Chippy! You found Chippy!" Katie screamed in jubilation.

Katie ran to Luke who held out his hands palm up. Chippy was sitting in them unharmed, his little nose sniffing the air.

Katie scooped the chipmunk up and ran off with him back towards the front porch.

I looked at Luke, confused and shocked.

"That chipmunk was squashed! I saw it! Deader than dead!"

"Not completely dead."

"What did you do to it? How's it alive?"

Luke pressed his lips together hard, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He then looked down at the ground for several seconds, obviously not wanting to tell me what I wanted to know. But, finally, he confessed.

"I healed it."

"But how?"

"I'm not sure. I know I can do it but I don't know how I do it. There's a lot about myself I'm not sure about."

At that moment, I realized why he wouldn't tell us his last name.

"You don't know your last name, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Or where you're from?"

"No."

"Did you bump your head or something?"

"I don't think so."

"What do you know about yourself?"

"About two years ago, I remember waking up in a field outside a little town in Georgia, naked as a new born baby. I couldn't remember anything... how I got there, where my clothes were, or even my name. I borrowed some clothes from a scare-crow standing in a corn field and made my way into town."

"Wearing clothes from a scare-crow? That must've been a sight," I chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess it was. I walked into town and ask everyone I saw if they recognized me. No one did. So, I traveled to the surrounding towns asking folks there if they knew me, but always with the same results. I continued my trek from town to town trying to figure out who I am."

"So your name isn't Luke?"

"I don't know. It could be. I just don't remember. I just choose it."

"When did you discover you could heal chipmunks?"

"It's not just chipmunks. The first thing I healed was a wolf."

"A wolf!"

"Yeah, I was walking down this river between towns when I came upon a wolf lying near the shore line. His stomach was covered in blood. Someone had gut-shot him and he was slowly dying in agony. I had every intention of just passing him by, but his whimpers tugged at my heart. He was in such pain. I needed to end his suffering somehow. I cautiously approached the wolf and knelt down beside him. He showed no fear of me as he tried lifting his head to look at me, but, apparently, didn't have the strength. His eyes were glazed over. He was close to death."

"I slowly placed my hand on his side wishing I could help him. I could barely feel his heart beating and his breathing was very shallow. Suddenly, it felt like my life was being drained from me... like the wolf was taking it from me... absorbing it. I couldn't control it and it scared me. I was about to remove my hand from the dying animal when I noticed his eyes were returning to a pale yellow, his breathing was becoming deeper, and I could feel his heart beating harder. Soon the strange draining feeling began slowing. I looked down at the wolf's belly and could no longer see a wound, just blood-stained fur.

Eventually, it was as if the wolf was full of... my life. I removed my hand and fell back on my butt, exhausted and dizzy. The wolf got to its feet and looked me in the eyes... into my soul, it felt like. He then turned and ran into the woods leaving me confused. As I was getting to my feet, I looked across the river and saw and old Indian man looking at me. I don't know if he witnessed the whole thing, but, just like the wolf, he to disappeared into the woods."

"Is there anything else you can do?"

"What? The power of healing ain't good enough for you?" Luke teased.

"I was just wondering."

Luke hesitated for a moment. "I know this is going to sound strange, but I can feel nature."

"You can feel nature? What does that mean?"

"It's hard to explain. I feel every living thing around me, like they're part of me; everything from the tiniest beetle to a huge grizzle bear, from flowers to trees, from the rivers to the sky. It's like I'm connected to them somehow. Does that make any sense?"

"Not really. Are you sure you didn't bump your head?"

"You can't tell anyone about this. I've had folks find out what I can do and it has always turned out bad. Folks fear what they don't understand. I've been called everything from a witch to the Devil himself. Once, I was run out of town with a lynch mob chasing me."

"Don't worry, this is our little secret. I won't tell a soul."

I wasn't sure why I trusted Luke as implicitly as I did. He had no idea who he was, yet I felt like I'd known him all my life. I felt comfortable around him. I felt drawn to him in a way I didn't understand.

Many times in the past, when my father was still alive, I was forced, many times, to listen to Ma's story of when she first fell in love with Pa. She doesn't tell that story anymore and, now, I miss it. I recall her saying that when she was with Pa she became aware of her own breathing and was conscious of her own heart beat. Her jaws would ache from smiling so much and the palms of her hands stayed moist with perspiration.

I looked down at my sweaty hands, tried to control my breathing, struggled to regulate my heart beat, and did my best to keep from smiling so much. I was forced to come to the realization I might be falling for Luke... but how? It didn't make sense to me. I'd know him for less than a day. I asked myself if a day could be long enough to fall in love with someone. I wondered if Ma fell for Pa so quickly and so easily.

Chapter 3

"Lizzy, supper will be ready in an hour," Ma called from the front porch. "You and your brother need to water the crops before then."

"Yes, ma'am," I yelled back.

Luke followed me from the grassy field, where I had just witnessed a miraculous resurrection of a chipmunk, to the barn where Billy was already gathering the water buckets.

"Do you want to help?" Billy asked Luke.

"Sure, what do I do?"

"Grab a couple of buckets here and we'll head down to the river."

We all grabbed two buckets apiece and headed for the Yazoo River located only a short distance behind the cabin. The river was wide in most spots with precipitous banks on both sides and a multi-colored pebble bottom. The water in the river was shallow due to the lack of rain and just skimmed across the surface of the pebbles in several locations. We made our way down a well worn gully to the edge of the river where it was deep enough to fill our buckets.

"Don't fill them too full," I cautioned Luke. "They get heavy very quickly and we've got to make this trip about a dozen times."

"Really? How often do you have to water the crops?"

"Twice a week since it stopped raining."

We began making our first trip towards the thirsty crops planted just behind the barn. Billy was taking the lead, struggling a bit with his buckets because, as usual, he filled them too heavy. But he had made this trip several times and knew the implications of filling his buckets with too much water so I figured maybe he was just trying to show off in front of Luke.

"So, Lizzy, do you have a sweetheart?" Luke blurted out.

"A what?"

"A beau."

"I don't see how that's any business of yours," I playfully teased.

I was taken back a bit by Luke's sudden interest in my personal life. I became embarrassingly excited over the notion he might be as interested in me as I was of him.

"She doesn't," Billy told him as he set his buckets down to rest.

"Mind your own business, Billy... and pour some of that water out so it won't be so heavy."

"I got it! We're almost there."

"Next time listen to me and don't fill them so full. You're going to pull your arms clean out of your shoulders."

"I don't need you telling me what to do," Billy said under his breath, now lagging behind.

We reached the crops and poured the contents of each bucket on the first row of parched plants. The dry soil gulped the water down in seconds and appeared to beg for more. We headed back to the river with our empty buckets to repeat the process several more times.

"Why don't you have someone calling for you?" Luke asked me.

"She does... Randy Johnson."

"Randy Johnson is a coot," I intensely stated. "He's so dumb; he couldn't hit the ground with his hat in three throws."

I smiled at myself for I knew Grandma Viola would have been proud of that remark. I made a mental note to repeat it to her as soon as I got back home. I knew she would get a kick out of it.

"Well, he sure is sweet on you." Billy began mocking Randy, hugging himself and kissing his hands. "Lizzy sit next to me in church. Lizzy go to the dance with me. Lizzy kiss me."

"That boy hasn't ever asked me to kiss him. And if he did, I wouldn't. He's so immature and silly."

"Why are you asking about Lizzy's boyfriend, Luke?" Billy asked, still using his mocking voice. "Are you sweet on her?"

I glanced nonchalantly at Luke in anticipation of his answer. I was somewhat shocked at how eager I was to hear what he had to say.

Luke smiled at me and answered Billy.

"Lizzy is a very pretty girl."

"Girl? I'm nearly sixteen!"

"I'm sorry," Luke said with a chuckle. "I meant that you're a very pretty young lady."

"Thank you. That's better," I said with a smile that must have looked as big as a cow tick gone unnoticed for weeks.

"Lizzy's sweet on you, too," Billy teasingly said and smiled hugely at me.

"Shut your mouth!" I barked and slapped Billy on the back of his head. "I ain't sweet on nobody!"

Of course, I was, but I didn't want Luke to see me as being too presumptuous or too forward. Ma always said a lady ought to play hard-to-get and make the caller work for your attention.

"Well, you ain't stopped smiling since he got here?" Billy commented. He then ran towards the river before I could explain. I looked at Luke, a little embarrassed.

"Don't pay him any mind; he's just talking foolish," I explained.

"Oh... what a shame," Luke remarked.

Luke felt sorry I wasn't sweet on him! That meant he wanted me to be sweet on him, which meant he must be sweet on me! And I wanted him to know I was sweet on him. How long was I supposed to play hard-to-get? My head was going dizzy.

We continued to make trips to the river until all the crops were watered; nine trips total. We were emptying out the last bucket when Ma called us in for supper. She had cooked nine-bean soup and sweet cornbread with banana pudding for dessert. Everyone had their fill of the delicious meal and, afterwards, carried their full bellies to the front porch.

The sun was getting low in the sky and the first of the fire-flies were making their appearance. I sat in the porch swing next to Grandma Viola and we watched Katie play with Chippy on the floor of the porch deck. Luke sat adjacent to us in one of the single rocking chairs. Billy was in the kitchen with Ma helping to wash dishes being that it was his turn. I heard him mumbling to himself that he couldn't wait until Katie was old enough to help with the chores.

"I'm glad to see your rat is still alive," Grandma Viola said. "I was sure he was a goner after hearing that awful crunching sound."

"GRANDMA! Don't tell her that!" I earnestly said.

"Oh, she ain't paying me no mind. She's in her own little world as happy as a pup with two tails."

"Are we going to go visit Anamosa tomorrow?" I asked Grandma Viola.

"I suppose. We go every Saturday, don't we?"

"I thought she was your friend?"

"She is, child, but she's getting up there in age. Sometimes, it's hard to see the old coot like that, knowing I'm not far behind her. Some days, she moves as slow as molasses in January."

"Grandma, you're too mean to ever let life slow you down."

"Thank you, Lizzy. That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Grandma Viola patted me on the knee and we exchanged smiles.

"Who's Anamosa?" Luke asked.

"She was a friend of my Grandpa Cooper."

"Right..." Grandma Viola said slyly. "...a 'friend'."

I knew what she was getting at, but since Anamosa and Grandpa Cooper lived together and were never properly married, then she was just a friend in my book.

"See, Grandma Cooper died when Pa was a little boy. Grandpa Cooper took her death pretty hard, but he knew he had to keep strong for his son. He resigned from the Army and became a farmer so he could be home with Pa everyday.

A few years later, while Pa was in school, Grandpa Cooper was heading for town to gather supplies when he heard a women's scream. He left the trail he was following and headed towards the source of the cry. His horse climbed a small hill that over-looked a small gorge and the reason for the women's scream became quite clear.

Down below were six soldiers whom were tormenting an Indian family. Two of the soldiers were beating on the eldest Indian while another one was holding a young boy down on the ground with his foot while bear-hugging the mother who was trying desperately to escape in order to help her three daughters who were being attacked by the other soldiers. The soldiers were trying to have their way with the girls.

Grandpa Cooper immediately grew angry, not just for the sins being committed by these boys, but also because they were representative of the United States Army and such behavior was not tolerated by the government in his book. He galloped towards the soldiers with his pistol drawn. He approached them and stopped a short distance from their position. It became obvious they were drunk and hadn't even noticed that Grandpa was there.

Grandpa Cooper fired his Colt in the air twice. The soldiers jumped, stammering for their pistols, and drew on Grandpa. Grandpa told the soldiers he was a lieutenant in the army and if they didn't leave immediately, he would have them all court marshaled. They were too drunk to put up much of an argument and reluctantly departed.

The eldest Indian approached Grandpa. Grandpa Cooper recognized him as being from the Choctaw tribe of Indians. They were prevalent in this area. The Choctaw man started speaking to him but Grandpa Cooper didn't speak his language. He just tipped his hat towards the Indian and turned his horse around to leave. This is when the Choctaw man spoke to the elder of the three girls and pointed at Grandpa.

Grandpa started back up the hill, but when he glanced back, he noticed that the Indian girl was following him on foot while the rest of her family was walking the other way. Grandpa pointed at her and told her to go home, but she refused. Grandpa galloped away until she was out of sight but then he began to worry about her being in the wilderness all alone. He turned back to see if she was still following and, sure enough, she was. Grandpa knew enough about Indian culture to know that once an Indian father gives his daughter to someone, she is his forever until death. He felt he didn't have a choice but to take the girl home where she helped raised Pa as her own child and stayed with Grandpa till he died."

"Wow, that's a remarkable story," Luke said.

"Do you want to go with us when we go see her?" I asked.

"I would love to."

The sun was fading fast behind a canvas of Southern Magnolia trees. A long-horned owl was calling for its mate from atop a redwood tree. The crickets began their mating songs and were soon joined by the croaking of bullfrogs. A whip-poor-will could be heard in the distance followed by the soulful cry from a lone wolf. More fire-flies came out, rhythmically blinking their luminescent to the sounds of nature's orchestra.

"It's time for me...," Grandma Viola let out a yawn, "to retire."

She stood up from the swing, kissed me on the cheek and gave Luke a quick smile. She then turned to Katie and took her by the hand.

"Come on, Chickabiddy, let's put you to bed."

"Aaahhh, Grandma, I'm not..." Katie tried to stop her yawn, but it was too powerful.

"See, child, you're tired. Let's go and put your rat in its crate."

"He doesn't like it when you call him a rat!"

"Sorry, Chippy. I didn't mean to offend you."

Grandma Viola turned around and looked at me, waving her finger in the air.

"If this boy tries any thing un-gentlemanly, I'll be just inside with my 12-guage, okay? I'll fill him so full of buck-shot he'll be pissing them out for weeks."

"Grandma, watch your language!" I exclaimed with much embarrassment. I looked over at Luke who, much to my relief, was trying to keep from laughing. I guess he realized Grandma Viola was joking...at least, I think she was!

She and Katie walked inside as Ma was walking out on the porch with a burning candle. She placed it on the railing of the porch.

"It's getting dark out here. I thought you two might want some light."

"Thanks, Ma."

"I'm going back inside to help Billy with his reading. If we're a sleep before you come in, I've made a place on the floor, next to the fireplace, for Luke to sleep. I'm sorry we don't have better accommodations."

"No, that'll be just fine. You'd be surprised at some of the places I've slept."

"Good night, you two."

"Good night," we rang out in unison.

Luke looked over at me and smiled a warmly smile. His dark brown hair sparkled in the candle light and his dark sun-kissed skin glowed. I could see the candle light flickering in his eyes and off the moistness of his lips. He easily made me smile every time he looked upon me, filling my very soul with happiness. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking at that very moment.

I had never really been interested in the opposite sex. I always found the boys around my part of the woods too immature and they constantly got on my nerves, asking me to go here or go there. And no matter how mean I was to them, they wouldn't leave me alone, especially one Randy Johnson. Ma said it was because I was so pretty, but I have never thought of myself as pretty... not until I was looked upon like Luke looked upon me.

Luke was different than any other boy I'd met. Not because of his unique gift of healing, but in the manner he looked at me... like he could see into my soul. I felt tingles run up and down my body when he was near and my hands would start to perspire. My heart felt like it was performing somersaults and my chest tightened to the point it became difficult to take the next breath.

We both sat on the front porch in silence for several minutes. I stared at the flame dancing on top of the candle while simultaneously watching Luke out of my peripheral vision. I could see him glancing my way every so many seconds, each time causing my heart to skip a beat. I kept wishing to myself he would ask to sit next to me but he remained stubbornly quiet. Did he not want to sit next to me or was he being gentlemanly like Grandma Viola warned him to be? I opted for the latter. But after several minutes of waiting for Luke and realizing he wasn't coming to me, I couldn't stand it any longer.

"There's plenty of room on the swing here." I told Luke. "I know those rocking chairs aren't very comfortable. Only if you want to, that is."

Without saying a word, Luke stood up and joined me on the swing. The tingling started again.

"It must be hard not knowing where your family is or not having anyone! Going from town to town trying to figure out who you are and where you're from."

"It does get lonely sometimes, but the need to know who I am drives me to keep going. I know somewhere out there is the answers I seek. Somebody must know who I am and why I can do the things I can do."

"I know the pain of losing a parent. I can't imagine not knowing who my loved ones were. You're a strong person."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you lose your pa?"

"He worked for the lumber yard, loading trees onto the trains. He and two other men were standing next to a loaded train car when the cables binding the trees broke, sending them down on top of Pa and the other two men."

Luke wiped a tear that escaped from my eye and was rolling down my cheek. It didn't bother me that Luke saw me cry which was unusual for me. I never let anyone see me cry, but I wasn't ashamed crying in front of Luke. Strangely, I enjoyed feeling vulnerable in front of him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you about your pa. I should've known it would upset you."

"It's all right. It's good to think of him... to remember him. He was a great man and a greater father. I miss him dearly."

I wiped a few more tears from my face.

"Look at me... crying in front of you like a baby."

Luke gently wiped another tear from my cheek and smiled.

"Don't be ashamed. There's no shame in crying. It means you care. I think it's beautiful...I think you're beautiful."

I stared into Luke's deep green eyes and was mesmerized as the candle light flickered inside them. Luke leaned in closer to me, his eyes darting from my eyes to my lips. I could feel his warm breath against mine. I knew what was about to happen. I moistened my lips with my tongue in anticipation of my first kiss.

As I leaned toward Luke, I awkwardly bumped his nose with mine. I didn't know how to kiss a boy, so I tilted my head slightly and let Luke come the rest of the way. The instant our lips touched, every nerve in my body exploded and I trembled uncontrollably, like one does when they are freezing except I wasn't cold.

The softness of Luke's lips pleasantly surprised me. He later told me it was his first kiss also, at least, as far as he could remember. He gradually moved from slowly kissing my top lip to kissing my bottom lip and then returning to both lips. I allowed my lips to part and the tips of our tongues caressed one other. My entire body was more alive than it had ever been and I was truly lost in that moment.

We passionately kissed for several minutes...or hours, I'm not sure which. We were both lost in an unfamiliar world of young passion, neither of us wanting to leave. However, the loud hoot of an owl shattered the enchanted world we were floating in and brought us back to the front porch. I opened my eyes, not remembering ever closing them, and looked pass Luke. The owl who had disturbed us was sitting on the rail of the porch only a few feet away. It just stood there, curiously watching us like some nightly sentinel.

Luke turned to see what I was staring at.

"Hey, boy, what are you looking at?" he softly asked the owl as he slowly stood up and moved towards the creature.

The owl kept his eyes on Luke but, strangely, made no attempted to fly away. Luke reached out his hand and cautiously touched the owl on its head. The owl closed its big yellow eyes and allowed Luke to caress it, letting out several low coo sounds. When Luke finished rubbing the owl, it turned around and flew out into the night.

"That was amazing! I've never seen anyone pet a wild owl like that! How'd you do that?"

"Nature's creatures seem to have no fear of me. I don't know why."

"That must make you an excellent hunter."

Luke just chuckled.

He sat back down beside me and looked into my eyes. Neither one of us knew what to say, neither one wanting to ruin this perfect evening by saying something foolish. I was racking my brain for something romantic to say before I headed to bed, but then I remembered an old saying of Grandma Viola's, "If you want to not say something foolish, keep your mouth shut."

I kissed Luke on his forehead and said, "I'll see you tomorrow." I quietly went inside and made my way to Ma's room where we shared a bed. I slid slowly under the covers so not to wake her and stared into the dark with a mile wide grin.

"I hope Luke will be warm enough," Ma whispered.

"I thought you were asleep."

"No, not yet. You two have a good time?"

"The best!" I said as my smile grew from ear to ear.

Chapter 4

The next morning, I woke to the smell of pancakes. I quickly slid from underneath the covers and walked into the kitchen where everyone, except Ma, who was cooking up the last of the cake mix, was already sitting down at the table with a glass of milk and a plate full of pancakes.

"We thought you were going to sleep all day," Ma remarked.

"The early bird gets the worm," Billy said.

"But the second mouse gets the cheese," Grandma Viola remarked, grinning at Billy.

I sleepily rubbed my eyes and sat down next to Luke. The event of last night was still fresh in my mind. I felt mildly awkward in front of Luke, but I couldn't remove the smile from my face.

"What are you all smiles about this morning?" Ma asked, although I had a pretty good idea she already knew why her daughter was so happy as she glanced over at Luke who had the same silly grin plastered on his face.

"You two are grinning like a weasel in a hen house," Grandma Viola added.

"Can't we just be happy without a reason?" I asked defensively.

"I suppose you can," Ma remarked and winked at me.

"Are you going with us to go see Anamosa?" Billy asked Luke.

"If Miss Cooper doesn't mind."

"I don't mind...and call me, Annie. "Miss Cooper" makes me feel old."

"Just wait 'till you start being called grandma," Grandma Viola commented.

Ma either didn't hear Grandma Viola or was just ignoring her. Her attention had turned to Katie.

"I know you don't have that rat at the table!" Ma said sternly to Katie.

"He's hungry!"

"Put that thing back in its crate! You can feed him after we're all done."

"If there's anything left," Billy tauntingly said.

Katie stuck out her tongue at her brother who returned the jester. She then hopped down from her chair and returned Chippy to his crate.

"These are good pancakes, Miss...I mean...Annie." Luke said.

"Thank, you. I learned from the best."

Ma bent over and kissed her mother on top of the head.

"I taught you well," Grandma Viola said with a mouth full of pancakes.

"Since Billy has already milked the cow this morning, Lizzy, I want you to gather up some eggs so we can take a few to Anamosa. And see if we have anymore corn ready to be pulled."

"Yes, ma'am."

I finished my breakfast and got up from the table to head outside.

"Can I help?" Luke asked.

"Of course," I said with a smile.

"Can I help? Or course," Billy teasingly mocked, batting his eyes and making kissing sounds.

"Shut up!" I ordered.

" _Lizzy and Luke sitting in the swing, k-i-s-s-i-n-g_ ," Billy started singing.

"You sneaky little pervert!" I cried, my face glowing red with embarrassment.

"Billy, that's enough!" Ma warned. "You know better than to spy on people."

"But Lizzy and Luke were---"

"Not another word! You heard me! You're not too old for a switching."

"I was just playing... gosh!"

Luke and I quickly went outside to the chicken pen to escape any further humiliation.

"I'm sorry about my brother. I can't believe him, sometimes."

"It's all right, but now I feel a little awkward around your ma."

"Don't be. She'll be fine."

I began nudging chickens from their nests looking for a few eggs to give to Anamosa. Every nest that had a chicken nestled on it presented eggs. Grandma Viola always said that was a sign of good fortune coming one's way. I never gave much mind to such nonsense.

Luke watched me as I collected eggs but said nothing. The awkward silence began to make me nervous and I wondered what he thought of last night's happenings. Did he enjoy it as much as I did? Did he think I was too audacious for kissing him not having known him very long? I needed to know how he felt about all of it before I burst.

"I really enjoyed last night," I said, not daring to look at him. "I've never kissed a boy before. I hope I didn't completely make a fool of myself."

I felt Luke walk up behind me and brush the back of my hair with his hand. My heart immediately began beating fast and my breathing became more rapid. I turned around to face him. He gently moved a strand of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. He then softly brushed my lips with the tip of his finger. I quickly got lost in his eyes just as I did last night. He slowly leaned in. Again, my body tingled and trembled as we exchanged kisses in the middle of clucking chickens.

I then heard a faint "cracking" sound and immediately felt something wet and sticky running through my fingers...a chicken egg! I had forgotten I was holding an egg in my hand before Luke started kissing me. Now, yoke ran down my fingers and onto the ground. We both looked at the mess and started laughing and finished filling the basket with eggs.

The ride to Anamosa's cabin was short compared to our trip into town. Anamosa's cabin was only half the size of ours and it was in much need of repairs but she stubbornly refused to let anyone work on it, saying it was fine just the way it was. The elderly Indian woman, I knew as my adopted grandmother, stepped out of her cabin and onto the porch as we approached.

"I hear you coming for long time," Anamosa hollered in her high pitched, broken- English, voice.

"Well, there sure ain't nothing wrong with your hearing," Grandma Viola yelled back.

Ma stopped the wagon in front of the cabin. Luke jumped out and held out a hand to help Grandma Viola down.

"I can get down myself. I don't need some young huckleberry trying to hold my hand. Move out the way. You can help Lizzy down."

I handed Katie down to Luke and then offered my hand to him with a smile. We all walked to the cabin where Anamosa invited us in.

"This is Luke, a friend of Lizzy's," Ma told her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Luke said, extending his right hand.

Anamosa took both of Luke's hands in hers and looked strongly into his eyes.

"I know you coming here. I have dream about you. The Great Spirit tell me you will take me home. It is time. You are very special boy!"

Everyone looked puzzled at Anamosa's comments but we just brushed them off as crazy talk from an old woman close to senility.

"We brought you a few things," Grandma Viola said.

"You no have to do that. I get my own things."

"Now, Anamosa, you're getting too long in the tooth to be going into town to get your own supplies," Grandma Viola said. "Besides, we don't mind doing it."

"Thank you. Come in kitchen and sit. I have coffee on stove. Almost ready."

We all sat down at her over-sized maple-top table. It nearly took up the whole space of the kitchen. Ma tried on several occasions to get her to sell it and buy her a smaller one, but Grandpa Cooper had built it with his own two hands and she refused to get rid of it.

"Anamosa, we don't care for any coffee today, but thank you anyways," Ma said.

"I wouldn't mind a cup," Luke spoke up.

I lightly kicked Luke's leg under the table and motioned for him to come closer. I cupped my hand over his ear and whispered in it.

"I forgot to warn you. Her coffee taste like something coming out the south end of a donkey. You're going to be sorry!"

"How bad could it be?"

"You'll see."

Anamosa poured Luke a cup and placed it in front of him.

"Here you go. I no have milk for coffee. Betsy all dried up." She pointed out the back window to where her lone cow was corralled.

"Yeah, that old heifer has been dry for nearly a year now," Grandma Viola told Luke. "I tried a few times to draw milk from her, but it was as useless as back pockets on a shirt."

As Anamosa walked back towards the stove, Luke cautiously took a sip of coffee. Immediately, a look of discuss swept over his entire face. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't force himself to swallow the retched brew and had to spit it back into his cup.

"I told you," I mocked while quietly chuckling.

Anamosa removed a pan of cornbread from the stove, divided it into squares, and served it to us along with mason jars filled with sweet tea. We ate and talked for a few hours.

"If that cow ain't giving you any more milk, you should have it butchered. Ain't no since in letting good meat just stand around like that," Grandma Viola said.

"I know, but I give her name. Her name, Betsy. Now, she like a friend. I no can eat my friend."

Luke leaned over to me and whispered, "I'll be right back," and left the cabin.

Anamosa grabbed a few dirty dishes from the table and carried them to the sink to be washed.

"Let me help you with those," Ma offered.

"No, sit down! I wash them. Visitors in my house no do chores. You sit."

"Yes, ma'am," Ma said, sitting back down.

"Now, what that fool boy doing to Betsy?" Anamosa said out loud.

We all looked at Anamosa and saw her looking out the kitchen window. Luke could be seen kneeling down beside the cow with both arms around its belly and his head against the cow's side.

"It looks like he's hugging the cow," Grandma Viola observed.

I tried to think up a good excuse for Luke's strange behavior, but all I could come up with was, "He really loves cows!"

"Well, if he keeps loving up on ole Betsy like that, I'm going to have to get them two married," Grandma Viola joked.

"Now, he try to milk Betsy. Ain't no use, she dry as dust," Anamosa said.

"Well, you know how stubborn these young ones are today. They think they know everything, but most of them are plumb weak north of their ears," Grandma Viola commented.

"Here he come with one of my milking pails," Anamosa informed everyone.

Luke stepped through the door and placed the pail on the counter. Anamosa looked inside and her eyes widened in surprise. The rest of us followed suit and saw that the bucket was half filled with milk!

"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!" Grandma Viola exclaimed. "You got milk from ole Betsy! How'd you manage that?"

"I suppose she was just going through a dry spell," Luke said, looking at me and smiling. "But she seems to be all right now."

"When you go, take some milk with ya," Anamosa said. "I no can use all this before it go bad. I keep enough for me and enough to make head-cheese for when you come back."

"Thank you, Anamosa," Ma said. "We best get scooting along now. The kids have got their chores to do at home and I've got Katie's dress to mend before church tomorrow."

"You no gotta run off so quickly. You just get here. Your heels ain't even cooled down yet!"

"We'll be back in the morning to take you to church with us. You're going with us to church, aren't you?" Ma asked her although Anamosa had never turned down an invitation to go to church. She loved listening to the gospel songs, clapping her hands and trying her best to sing along. Ma said listening to those hymns was how she learned to speak English.

"Yeah, you're going to the ole gospel mill with us, aren't you?" Grandma Viola added. "Although, they should call it the gossip mill."

"Ain't that the truth," Ma agreed. "Oh, that reminds me. I hear tell from some of the ladies that Mr. Folger fell off the wagon again."

"You don't say. I can't blame him though, being married to such an old bitty like Victoria."

"Ladies, the good book says spread the gospel, not the gossip," I joked.

"It ain't gossip if it's the truth," Grandma Viola snipped.

"So, Grandma Viola, you'll place your hand on the holy bible and swear that what you two are saying is the truth?"

"I wouldn't...I mean to say...If I..."

"That's what I thought. Now, say good bye to Anamosa and you two heathens get your fannies in the wagon," I playfully ordered Ma and Grandma Viola.

Surprisingly, they both turned around like two scolded children and headed for the front door.

"I wonder how she got so mean," Grandma Viola pouted.

"Look who's asking," Ma said through a chuckle.

We rode back towards home leaving Anamosa standing in her doorway waving goodbye. I always hated leaving her there by herself, all alone except for an ole milking cow, but she had repeatedly and stubbornly refused Ma's offer to come move in with us. She would say," The time soon come when I return to my people. Until that time, I stay here."

A few hours after arriving home, I was sitting next to Ma on the front porch swing. She was sewing a tear in Katie's dress from the Sunday before when she decided to chase a rabbit through some briars. Luke was out back helping Billy clean the barn stalls and Grandma Viola was taking a nap.

"Ma, when did you know you were in love with Pa?"

"I suppose it was the moment I laid eyes on him. He was the most handsome thing I'd ever seen."

"What did it feel like to be in love?"

"It felt... wonderful."

"But how did it make you feel inside, when he got... close to you?"

"Oh, you want to know how I felt inside."

"Yeah."

"Well, I remember my heart beat so hard that I feared your pa could hear it. I couldn't seem to catch my breath, my hands would sweat, and my body trembled uncontrollably."

"Oh."

"Oh, what? Have you been experiencing these "feelings" when Luke is around?"

"I don't know."

"Yes, you do. Have you taken a fancy to that boy?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me. I'm not blind. Heck, it's about time you showed an interest in boys. Grandma Viola was worried you'd be a gal-boy forever."

"It's just that...it's embarrassing. Just last week I was making fun of Laura at church for making goo-goo eyes at Steven and, now, here I am doing the same thing with Luke. Why can't I control myself when I'm around him? Why can't I think of nothing else but him? I don't like feeling this way."

"I'm sorry, Sweaty, but you're in love."

Chapter 5

The next morning, I woke up with the remnants of a dream still lingering in my head. I was souring through the sky as if I had wings, climbing higher and higher until I was piercing through white bellowing clouds. Then I remember being in the mist of those clouds, standing in front of a set of pure white stairs that disappeared higher into the clouds. Luke was standing at the bottom of the stairs smiling at me. I was filled with overwhelming happiness and serenity and peacefulness. He pointed up towards the stairs. As I look up, Pa stepped through the clouds and down the stairs. He was dressed in a white robe and sandals and was smiling at me. As I began to run towards him, I awoke.

I smiled and wiped away a single tear that was rolling down my cheek. I missed Pa. I turned over and saw that Ma was already out of bed, so I jumped up, slipped on my robe and headed for the kitchen.

"Hey, sleepy-head, you're just in time to help me cook these eggs," Ma said.

I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her and squeezed.

"I love you, Ma!"

She turned around, with a slightly confused look and embraced me. I, admittedly, didn't give hugs away very often.

"I love you too, Lizzy."

I let go of her and started cracking eggs into a bowl while she threw a little more wood into the fire chamber of our cast iron stove and began preparing some biscuits.

"Where's Luke?" I asked, noticing he was not still asleep on his makeshift bed in front of the fireplace.

"He offered to chop more wood. He said he noticed yesterday we were getting low. He took Billy with him to help. Luke's a fine boy."

I smiled from ear to ear. I was happy Ma approved of Luke. I dumped the yokes of the eggs into the hot pan and began rapidly stirring.

"I'll finish this while you go wake up Grandma Viola and Katie," Ma said. "We don't want to be late for church."

"I don't know if Luke has anything fittin' to wear to church," I worriedly said.

"I have a few nice clothes of your pa's I think will fit him nicely."

"You don't mind if he wears them?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded. Now, go wake your grandma and sister up."

After everyone ate breakfast, I found Ma kneeling in front of Pa's old oak wardrobe trunk. She seemed hesitant to open it. I wondered if she had opened the trunk since Pa passed. She smiled at me, closed her eyes tightly, held her breath, and slowly flipped open the lid. We were immediately hit with the scent of Pa and, for a brief instant, he was there in the room with us. I closed my eyes as long as I dared, allowing myself to enjoy this fantasy, if only for a little while. Eventually, I opened my eyes and Pa was gone. All that remained was a trunk full of his clothes. I didn't allow myself to cry for all the crying I had done in the past, hadn't brought him back to me.

We began rummaging through the clothes until we found some slacks and a dress shirt we were sure would fit Luke. We gathered the clothes up and took them to him.

"Here you go. These should fit you just fine," Ma said, her eyes a little misty.

"Are you sure you don't mind me wearing your husband's clothes?"

"They're yours now. You can go to my bedroom and try them on."

The clothes fit Luke perfectly and I thought how handsome he looked all dressed up. The rest of us got dressed for Sunday church. Everyone was waiting on the front porch for me to finish getting dressed when I stepped out in my white cotton shirt, blue over-alls, and boots.

"Elizabeth Viola Cooper! I know you don't think you're wearing that to church! Where's the dress Grandma Viola made you?"

"It's all itchy and uncomfortable. There're plenty of people who dress like this in church. I don't think God really cares what I'm wearing."

"Nice try, but you go straight back in there and put that dress on. And hurry, we're going to be late!"

My ploy to wait till the last minute to get ready for church so I didn't have to wear a dress failed miserable. I never felt like myself in a dress... like I was trying to be someone I wasn't.

"You're lucky, Lizzy. I use to make your ma wear a corset," Grandma Viola yelled from the porch. I then heard her say to Ma, "She's going to be mad enough to swallow a horn-toad backwards."

After a few minutes, I walked out on the porch wearing a huge frown and a yellow-colored dress which hung just inches from the floor and sleeves that stopped at my elbows. I frustratingly tugged at the itchy fabric. I never did feel comfortable in a dress. Wearing dresses made some girls feel pretty. It just made me feel vulnerable.

"Much better," Ma said. "Doesn't she look lovely, Luke?"

Everyone looked at Luke who was staring at me with his mouth hanging opened and an awe-stricken look plastered on his face. He eventually realized Ma had asked him a question.

"She is beautiful!"

My frown instantly turned into a mile-wide grin and I believe I actually blushed a little. All of a sudden, I didn't so much mind wearing the dress, seeing the reaction Luke had towards it. I had never actually cared whether people thought I was pretty or not... that was before Luke arrived.

"Okay, everyone, let's get a wiggle on. We don't want to be late," Ma said as she shoed everyone to the wagon. "We still have to stop by and pick up Anamosa."

Then, with a little over-acting, Ma pretended to trip over something on the porch and exaggerated a stumble.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Luke. I tripped over your jaw."

Luke closed his mouth and looked away from me quickly as his whole face turned beet red from embarrassment.

Everyone chuckled. I just smiled, savoring the fact I had that much effect on Luke simply by wearing a yellow home-made dress.

The wood-framed church, with its white siding boards and stain-glassed windows, was about half-way between home and town. It was big enough to hold nearly a hundred patrons but in recent years had only been filled to about half capacity since a new church had been built closer into town. The pastor of our church was Reverend Bill Johnson... brother of Sheriff Johnson. He was in his mid-fifties, cleaned shaven with a mop full of black hair. He was married to June, ten years his junior, who always had an infectious smile on her face. They had two children, Sandra, twenty three, and Mary, whom they had late in life, was eight.

When we arrived, we met Reverend Johnson standing outside the church door greeting people as they entered like he did every Sunday.

"Good morning, Miss Cooper...Lizzy, that's a beautiful dress...Billy...and little Katie, you're as pretty as a rainbow...and Miss Wilson, you're looking lovely this morning...and welcome, Anamosa...and who is this fine gentleman with you'll?"

"This is Luke," Ma informed him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Luke."

"Like wise, Reverend. Are you any kin to the Sheriff Johnson in town?"

"He's my younger brother. I enforce the law of God and he enforces the law of man."

"You two kind of have the same job," Billy pointed out.

"Kind of, except when you break man's law, you must pay a fine or imprisonment or face the widow's tree to be forgiven; when you break God's law, you have only to ask for forgiveness. Now, you folks go on inside before I start preaching out here."

There were plenty of places to sit inside the church. Mrs. Johnson was up front playing the organ as the congregation was socializing on their way to finding a place to sit.

Reverend Johnson closed the door as the last family entered and he made his way to the pulpit.

"Good morning, church. What a beautiful day the Lord has provided for us. Let us start this morning with a prayer."

The congregation bowed their heads as Reverend Johnson continued.

"Lord, I give thanks for this wonderful morning and for the folks here who have gathered today in worship to You. I pray for all who are not here due to illness, that You will heal them of all their infliction...including Sarah."

Reverend Johnson had to pause a moment, swallow a huge lump in his throat, and fight back the tears. Mrs. Johnson wept silently at her organ.

"Who's Sarah?" Luke whispered to me.

"She's his niece... Sheriff Johnson's daughter. She's been sick for several months now and the doctors don't know why. She just keeps getting worse."

Reverend Johnson composed himself and continued.

"...and we pray for rain. You know our situation, how our crops are withering, how our wells are drying up, and how the lumber yard is laying folks off because the river is getting too low to receive logs from upriver. Keep our faith strong and we will believe that You will provide us with all our needs. Amen."

"Amen," the congregation repeated in unison.

"Now, turn in your bibles to Hebrews 11:6. I'll call upon our guest, Luke, to read this passage, if he doesn't mind."

Ma found the verse in her bible and was about to hand the book to Luke so he could read it aloud, but he was already standing up with no bible in hand.

" _Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen_ ," Luke recited.

"Very good," Reverend Johnson exclaimed. "And now, if the congregation will turn to Matthew 7:7-8."

Before the congregation could find this passage, Luke had already started quoting it.

" _Ask, and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."_

"Very impressive, young man," Reverend Johnson admitted.

Luke sat down with a slightly bewildered look on his own face.

"How'd you do that?" I whispered.

"I don't know. I don't remember ever reading the Bible."

After the hour long sermon from Reverend Johnson was over, the congregation lingered around the church socializing and getting caught up on the latest gossip. I wanted nothing more than to get home and change into my cotton shirt and over-alls and burn my uncomfortable dress. The last thing I wanted was to run into Missy and Veronica Williams, but I did anyways.

Missy and Veronica were blond-headed sisters, fifteen and sixteen, respectively. Their father owned The Train Expo store in town, making them one of the richest families around. Mr. Williams was friendly and humble, traits which didn't get passed down to his daughters. I called them "rich snobs" who took after their ostentatious and often arrogant mother. Mrs. Williams would have rather attended the new church in town, but Mr. Williams was good friends with Reverend Johnson and so they attended his church, much to the dismay of Mrs. Williams and her two daughters.

"Well, if it isn't Lizzy Cooper, all dressed up like she was a lady," Missy said in her condescending voice.

"Yes, but a polished piece of cow dung is still just a piece of dung," Veronica remarked with a smirk. "Besides, it looks like her mother sewed that dress from a potato sack. Poor girl, I suppose she can't afford a catalog-bought dress from New York like ours."

I felt my blood boil and I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from saying anything... especially in front of Luke. I needed to just walk away before I did something I might regret but the Williams sisters wouldn't stop.

"And who is this handsome specimen of a man?" Veronica asked, eyeing Luke up and down like he was a dress in a store she was contemplating on buying.

"I'm Luke," he said, extending his hand to shake hers.

"A lady doesn't shake a gentleman's hand. She presents her hand..." Veronica extended her hand towards Luke, palm down. "...and the gentleman gently takes hold of it, lifts it to his lips, and places a kiss on top."

"Okay," Luke said and executed the "proper way" of greeting a lady.

This made my blood boil even hotter. I feared I would bite my tongue off if I bit down any harder. I told myself to stay calm and walk away.

"There's going to be a town shindig Tuesday out by the river. There's going to be lots of food, music, and dancing," Veronica said, batting her eyelashes at Luke. "Why don't you go with me and I'll show you how a real lady should act."

"If I do go to the shindig, I hope to go with Lizzy," Luke told them.

"Why would you want to go with her?" Missy asked with arrogance. "She doesn't even like boys."

Missy and Veronica looked at each other and gave a smugly giggled under their breath. I could no longer control my anger. My blood was erupting out of control like a raging volcano. My anger caused me to have tunnel-vision making everything around me fade away except my two victims standing in front of me. Without saying a word, I rushed the two sisters, clothes-lined them with my outstretched arms, and knocked both of them to the ground. I then proceeded to straddle both girls as best I could and began relentlessly tearing at their hair and dresses like a savage wolf ripping at its prey.

The panicked cries of the two sisters caught everyone's attention at the church and they all looked to see what all the commotion was about. Billy later described the scene as seeing a crazy girl on top of the two Williams girls, throwing punches and tossing shreds of blond hair and pieces of fabric into the air, and Luke doing his best to get the crazed girl off them. He said he was filled with pride for his older sister and had to bite his lip to keep from verbally cheering for me. Everyone else ran to help the two battered girls just as Luke was finally able to pull me off them.

"Lizzy, what's wrong with you?" Ma angrily demanded to know.

"Now, who looks like a piece of dung?" I shouted out to the two sisters. Their dresses were torn, their hair was in disarray, and they were covered from head to toe in dust. They also had a few abrasions on their faces that I didn't intentionally mean to give them. My anger caused me to go a little overboard.

"Lizzy, get in the wagon, now!" Ma commanded.

I did as I was ordered, but I couldn't help myself from malevolently smiling at the two humiliated sisters before I left.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Williams, I don't know what possessed her to do that."

"I bet I could guess," Grandma Viola said under her breath. "It's about time someone knocked them off their high and mighty horse."

"This is exactly why I wanted to go to a civilized church," Mrs. Williams started ranting. "Being out here with these uncultured animals, something like this was bound to happen! Just look at my precious daughters; look at their dresses!"

"I'm so sorry! I'll pay for the dresses; somehow, I'll pay you back," Ma insisted.

"You bet you'll pay for them, and then maybe you'll learn to keep your daughter on a leash!"

I could see from our wagon Ma's face starting to boil.

"Now, hold on just one second!" Ma angrily began. "Your two daughters---"

Grandma Viola grab Ma's arm to hold her back. I wasn't the only one who had a temper in my family.

"Don't allow yourself to descend down to her level," Grandma Viola said leering at Mrs. Williams.

Mrs. Williams was about to say something nasty to Grandma Viola when Reverend Johnson intervened. "Now, Mrs. Williams, I thought a lady always kept her composure."

"Well...yes we do. You're right, Reverend, I shouldn't lower myself! Come children, we're leaving." She looked at Ma before she walked away and said, "I'll expect payment for the dresses by the end of the month."

As she headed for her stage-coach style wagon, Mr. Williams lagged behind long enough to whisper to Ma.

"Don't you worry about the money for the dresses; I'll take care of it. I'm sure my daughters deserved what they got."

Then he trotted away to catch up with Mrs. Williams who could be heard asking, "What did you say to that women?"

"I feel for that poor man," Reverend Johnson said out loud.

"I'm sorry Reverend Johnson for Lizzy's behavior. She has always had trouble controlling her temper."

"Don't you worry none about it. Perhaps God wanted to bring those two girls down a notch and used Lizzy to do it. We all get spitting mad sometimes, but lack the conviction to do anything about it. Lizzy's a free spirit. She reminds me a lot of Sarah."

"How's Sarah doing?"

"Not too good. She's in a lot of pain. Her mother and father stayed home with her today because she was running a higher than usual fever. The doctors still don't know what's causing it. She has her good days and her bad. We just keep praying to God that she'll be healed."

"We pray for her every night, too."

"Thank you, that means a lot."

"I best get going. I've got to deal with Lizzy."

"Don't be too hard on her. Oh, by the way, my wife and I were planning to take a trip to your place tomorrow to look at your husband's plow if you're still interested in selling it."

"Yes, I am. Come by any time. We'll be there."

"Good, we'll see you tomorrow."

Ma climbed in the wagon without looking at me and headed for home. No one said a word for several minutes until Ma finally broke the silence.

"I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed!"

"Yes, you have, Ma," Billy interjected. "You remember when Katie peed on the preacher."

Everyone chuckled but Katie.

"No I didn't!"

"You were too small to remember," Billy told her.

"Why did you have to pick a fight with them...especially them?" Ma asked.

"Miss Cooper, if I may, it was them that were picking on Lizzy. They called her a piece of dung and said her dress was ugly," Luke explained.

"They called my dress ugly?" Grandma Viola exclaimed. "Lizzy, you should have knocked their teeth out!"

"I tried!"

"Ma, don't encourage her!"

"Maybe I wouldn't have gotten so mad if you hadn't kissed her hand!" I said, crossing my arms and looking away from Luke.

Luke chuckled. "I was just trying to be 'gentlemen like'."

"Well, you can put a suit on a pig and call him a gentleman, but he's still a pig!"

"Lizzy, that's uncalled for," Ma said.

"I'm sorry, Lizzy; I didn't mean anything by it," Luke pleaded.

"I can't believe you didn't stand up for me, instead of being all nice to them."

"Lizzy, I was trying to calm the situation, because I knew those stupid girls didn't realize they were looking down the throat of an alligator... one that was ready to bite their heads clean off. I knew you didn't need anyone standing up for you...not you! You're tough as nails, Lizzy Cooper."

I turned and looked at Luke with a huge grin. He got me.

"You really mean that?"

"I sure do."

I wrapped my arms around Luke's arm and held him close to me.

"I'm glad you two made up but, I'm still mad about you getting in a fight at church," Ma said.

"I'm sorry, Ma. It won't happen again."

"Don't be so hard on her, Annie," Grandma Viola said. "You should be proud of your daughter, taking on two girls at the same time...and winning! Besides, I remember a certain little girl who use to come home from school quite a few times with black eyes and scraps from fighting."

"Ma use to get in fights!" Billy exclaimed with zealous.

"Ma, they don't need to know that!" Ma said to Grandma Viola. "I was a foolish kid in school."

"Did you win any of the fights?" I asked.

A proud smile formed on Ma's face." Every one of them!"

Chapter 6

The next morning, I woke early. I rose out of bed and felt a pain in my right shoulder. I figured it must have happened when I jumped on Missy and Veronica. I smiled to myself... the pain was worth it.

I slid out of bed without waking Ma and made my way to the sitting room where Luke was still sleeping. I quietly sat down in a chair next to his sleeping mat and watched him sleep. I wondered how anyone could look as handsome as he did. I had known him for only a few days, but he was all I thought of. He was constantly on my mind, when I was awake and even when I slept. I wondered if this was how everyone felt who were in love.

I could no longer wait for him to wake. I looked around to make sure we were alone and quietly made my way over to Luke. My heart began beating hard inside my chest as I knelt at his side. I held my hair away from my face with one hand, slowly leaned over, and kissed his lips. Luke awoke to see me hovering over him. He smiled and kissed me back.

"Good morning," he whispered in a deep sleepy voice.

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You were up every two hours?"

"No, I guess I should say I slept like a log."

"Oh, you woke up in the fireplace?"

"Are you always this chipper in the morning?"

"I have been lately."

We kissed again. I couldn't imagine anyone being as happy as I and I wished that this feeling would never end.

"It's my turn to feed the animals and clean the stalls," I informed Luke. "Do you want to help me?"

"Of course, I do."

"Good, then get up off your lazy butt and come with me."

After three hours of cleaning the stalls and the chicken coop and feeding the horse, cow, and chickens, we rested against the fence.

"Thanks for helping me. It usually takes me until after lunch to finish. What do you want to do now?"

"Whatever you want to do, but I should go down to the river and wash up first."

"I know a good place along the river where it's deep enough to bathe. It's only two whoops and a holler from here. I'll show you."

We started across an open field towards my favorite spot on the river.

"Be careful where you step, there're prairie pancakes all over this field. Those damn free rangers act like they own the whole world," I warned while hopping over a pile of cow chips.

After a ten minute walk, we reached a section of the river where the water was still deep due to a hollow. Water running down the river dropped into this spot creating a small waterfall which normally wasn't present when the water level was higher. Both sides of the river were thick with moss-covered cypress trees and lush green plants thriving near the river's edge, making it a very secluded location. Luke walked down to the shoreline, knelt down, and began washing his arms and face, trying not to get his shirt and boots wet, but failing. He stood up.

"I'm going to take a swim. It'll be a lot easier to get clean that way."

He took off his boots and socks and then his shirt. I had seen Pa and Billy without their shirts on and once even saw Randy Johnson without his, and it had been no big deal for me. But, I found myself staring at Luke's bare chest with a feverish fascination I had never experienced before.

"I need to strip down to my under pants, so you'll have to turn around until I get in the river."

I turned around until I heard Luke splash into the water.

"Whoa, this feels good!" he exclaimed.

I sat on a root of a cypress tree and watched Luke swim to the other side of the river and back.

"Come, on in, the water's fine," Luke called.

"I didn't bring my swim trunks."

"Just go in your under garments."

"I'm not wearing any under garments."

"Too bad, you're missing out."

I couldn't believe I was about to do what I was about to do. I knew it was wrong, which was thrilling in itself, but it also felt so right at the same time.

"Turn around and close your eyes."

"What for?"

"Just do it...and don't you dare turn around!"

I carefully scanned the woods and, after deciding no one was around, I quickly began undressing. I was no stranger to skinny-dipping, but I had always been alone... until now. I was so filled with an excitement like I use to get when I was younger and was doing something that I knew I wasn't suppose to be doing, like the time I snuck some of Grandpa's tobacco and went behind the barn to try some. My hands trembled trying to unbutton my clothes while keeping an eye on Luke to ensure he didn't turn around.

After taking all my clothes off, I quickly jumped in the river. I resurfaced and looked at Luke who was still looking the other way. Part of me was glad Luke had not tried to peek, but another part wondered why he didn't.

"You can turn around now."

Luke turned around to find me smiling at him with just my head and shoulders above the surface of the water and my wet hair clinging to my sun-kissed skin.

"Doesn't this feel good?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, it does, but it's not fair that I'm the only one actually skinny-dipping."

Luke smiled, reached below the surface, removed his undergarment, and tossed it on the shore.

"There, feel better?"

"Hey, fair is fair."

Luke started moving closer to me.

"That's far enough. I don't want you to see anything you ain't supposed to be seeing."

"You're so beautiful with your hair all wet like that. I just wanted to kiss you."

I allowed that thought to roll around my mind for a few seconds until I could no longer resist the temptation. It was so wrong, but I wanted him to kiss me...here and now!

"Okay, put your hands behind your back and close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Okay."

Luke did as he was instructed.

"Don't you dare open your eyes or I'll drown you!"

I moved closer and soon our bodies were inches away from each other. I slowly leaned my head towards his, ensuring our bodies didn't make contact, and began kissing him. My heart beat so rapidly, it felt like it was beating inside my throat and my trembling body made ripples in the water.

Abruptly, our romantic world we had gotten lost in exploded into a million pieces when I heard Billy's voice.

"What are you'll doing in there?"

I quickly pushed Luke away and swung around to see Billy standing at the river's edge.

"Nothing!" I screamed. "Go home!"

"I want to go swimming too...hold on here...," Billy said when he noticed mine and Luke's clothes lying on the ground. "Are you'll naked?"

"Billy, just go home!"

An evil grin appeared on my brother's face.

"Okay, I'll go home."

He swiftly grabbed all the clothes lying on the ground and ran for home.

"BILLY, NO! COME BACK HERE!"

He just kept running, laughing all the way.

"I can't believe he just did that! I'll kill him when I see him!"

Luke began chuckling.

"I'm glad you think this is funny. What if he goes and tells Ma?"

Luke's laugher immediately turned into concern.

"All right, you stay here and I'll go get our clothes back," Luke said.

"You're naked. What if someone sees you? What if Grandma Viola sees you?"

"Hopefully, I can find Billy and our clothes before that happens."

"All right, but hurry. No telling who else might show up."

"I'll be right back. You might want to close your eyes. I wouldn't want you to see anything you're not suppose to."

I closed my eyes and listened as Luke ran out of the river. Try as I might, I couldn't fight the temptation to take a peek at his bare butt before he vanished into the woods. It was a sight I wouldn't soon forget.

Luke later told me about his romp through the woods. He said he tried to stay as concealed among the trees as he could, until he came to the open field we had crossed earlier. He would have to make about a hundred yard dash through the open field until he got to a small section of woods directly behind the cabin. He took a deep breath, made sure no one was lingering out back of the cabin, and sprinted across the field as fast as he could, unable to miss all the cow pies.

He made it to the concealment of the woods without anyone noticing him. Then, much to his relief, he saw our clothes lying on the railing of the back porch. He quickly ran to the back of the barn keeping an eye out for any movement inside the cabin. He slid along the outside of the barn wall cautiously, inching closer to his goal. On the ground, he found an old rusty lid to a frying pan which he picked up to cover himself. He made it to the front of the barn and had only twenty feet to go and he would have our clothes. He quickly stepped forward, all his attention on his prize, his hand outstretched to retrieve the clothes.

"Luke!"

He froze just a foot away from the clothes. He turned around slowly and his heart sunk. Coming around the side of the cabin was Ma, Reverend Johnson and his wife.

"Where are your clothes?" Ma alarmingly asked.

"I...I was swimming in the river. Billy decided to play a joke on me and took my clothes."

"You were swimming naked?"Ma asked.

"I didn't want to get my clothes wet."

The back screen door opened. Grandma Viola stepped out with, at first, a look of shock that smartly turned into a sly smile.

"What's for supper?" she joked.

"Ma, Reverend Johnson is right here!"

"Sorry, Reverend, I didn't see you standing there."

"No problem, I just stopped by to look at a plow."

"Instead you get to look at a plow-boy," Grandma Viola chuckled.

"MA!"

"I reckon I best get back in before I get into anymore trouble," Grandma Viola said.

"Reverend, I apologize," Ma said. "We don't usually have naked men walking around the place."

"I'm not here to judge, but shouldn't we let the poor boy get dressed?"

"Oh yes, of course. I'm sorry. Here are your clothes." Ma picked up the clothes to hand them to Luke when she noticed something. "Wait one dang second...these are Lizzy's boots! And these are her cover-alls!" Ma angrily discovered.

"Miss. Cooper, I can explain. It's not what it seems." Luke said, his eyes full of fear.

"Lizzy?" Reverend Johnson muttered softly as he looked across the open field.

Ma turned and looked in the direction the reverend was looking. Luke told me Ma's mouth dropped to the ground, for running across the open field was her daughter, naked as the day she was born. I had gotten cold waiting in the river and also grown tired of waiting for Luke to bring my clothes to me. I thought the coast was clear when I started sprinting across the field only to discover it wasn't but it was too late to turn back around. I covered what I could and ran faster than I ever had. Ma covered her face and just shook her head. After several long seconds, she forced herself to look up at Reverend Johnson and his wife like a women defeated.

"Reverend Johnson, I don't suppose there's really a lot to say here. I hope we'll still be welcomed back in church after all this, but I would understand if we weren't."

"Don't you fret any about this. Believe me, I've been witness to worse things than seeing two naked people running around," Reverend Johnson assured her. "I'll come back another day to look at that plow...when everyone has all their clothes on."

"Thank you, Reverend."

"Maybe we'll see you'll at the town dance tomorrow. And hopefully, we'll be seeing a little less of Luke and Lizzy." Reverend Johnson joked which made Ma feel a little better about the whole situation.

"Thanks again for stopping by. Have a safe trip."

After Reverend Johnson and his wife left, Ma turned around to face Luke. Her forced smile instantly transformed into an angry frown.

"Get yourself in the barn and get dressed. I'll take Lizzy's clothes to her myself."

Ma handed Luke his clothes and he shamefully walked to the barn using his clothes to hide his bare butt. Ma made her way towards the woods she had seen me run into. By this time, I had seen Luke standing with Ma, Reverend Johnson, and his wife. I knew he had been caught so I just hid behind an outcrop of bearberry shrubs waiting for everyone to leave when Ma found me.

"Hey, Ma," I said with shameful humility.

"Get your clothes on and both of you meet me on the front porch."

The tension was thick as Luke and I sat on the front porch watching Ma paced back and forth trying to gather her thoughts through the fiery forest of anger burning inside her. She finally stopped to address us.

"Please tell me what you two were doing naked together."

"Nothing," I insisted. "We were just swimming."

"Just swimming...naked...and nothing else?"

"We kissed."

"And Billy saw you?"

"Yes."

"And if Billy hadn't stopped you, what would have happened next?"

"Nothing, Ma! We were only kissing! You have to believe me!"

Tears filled my eyes now. Not for being caught naked with Luke, but for the disappointed and hurt look on my mother's face.

"Do you realize the shame you would bring to this family to be with child and unwed. Do you know how ashamed of you I would be? More than I am now!"

"We were only kissing, nothing else! I would never do anything like that!"

"Miss Cooper, I would never be with Lizzy unless we were married. I respect her too much to do that. And I would never intentionally bring shame on this family. I know what we did was wrong and I take full responsibility for it. And if you ask me to, I'll leave right now."

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea," Ma said.

"No, please, No" I begged as I got up from my chair and dropped to my knees, tears starting to run down my face. "Don't send him away! Please, I'll do whatever you want! Just don't send him away!"

"I'll need some time to think about it. Luke, you go help Billy water and weed the crops. Lizzy, you start cleaning the cabin from top to bottom."

"Yes, ma'am," we both answered in unison and left the porch like two scalded pups with their tails between their legs.

"Come on out. I know you were listening," I heard Ma say, so I stopped and listened from just around the corner.

Grandma Viola walked out from inside the cabin and took a seat on the porch swing.

"Go ahead, give me your thoughts. What should I have done differently?" Ma asked.

"I think you handled that just fine."

"But..."

"But, Lizzy is a good girl. She has always been very responsible, a little hot-headed like her ma, but always responsible. I don't think you have to worry about her. Besides, she'll be seventeen in a few months. She needs to start thinking about getting married and starting a family of her own before she becomes an old hag. Luke's the first boy I've ever seen her interested in. You might think twice about sending him away."

"But what are folks going to say about Lizzy and Luke seeing each other while living under the same roof, not married."

"Annie Wilson Cooper! Since when have we ever cared what folks think?"

Ma smiled at her mother and agreeingly shook her head.

"You're right, Ma. You're always right."

"And it's taking you this many years to realize that?"

Ma chuckled.

"So, whatcha going to do? You going to send the love of Lizzy's life away?"

"I don't know. I'll let them stew in it for a little while until I make a decision."

"That's my girl!"

Ma went back inside, leaving Grandma Viola on the porch.

"You still ease-dropping, Lizzy?"

I came around from the side of the cabin.

"How do you do that? I was quiet as a church mouse!"

"I suppose you heard everything?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thanks for sticking up for me."

"No problem, but a word of advice. Be real nice to your ma for the next couple of days if you want Luke to be allowed to stay."

"I will."

Chapter 7

The next day, Luke and I followed Ma around helping her with all her chores and, when they were done, asking if there was anything else we could do for her. I'm sure she knew we were trying to keep her buttered so she wouldn't decide to tell Luke he had to go. I didn't know it at the time, but she had already decided the night before to allow him to stay, but she figured she would let us two love-birds stew in our worry for most of the day.

Eventually, however, she became annoyed with us being up her butt every time she turned around. "You two best start getting ready for the town dance. We'll leave in about an hour."

"Does this mean he can stay?"

"Yes, but don't make me regret this decision."

"We won't," I promised and hugged her neck tight.

After we changed clothes, Luke and I sat on the front porch with Grandma Viola who was wearing her fancy church dress.

"What are you all dressed up for?" I asked.

Ma came walking out the door just about then.

"Ole man Henry is coming to call on your grandma and take her to the dance."

"Grandma has a fella?" I couldn't believe it.

"No, I don't! I don't know why that ole coot insists on coming by. He's so ugly; he could back a buzzard off a gut-wagon."

"That's not true," Ma disagreed. "He's a handsome gentleman."

"Sure as heck ain't. He fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down."

Luke and I chuckled.

"Don't encourage her," Ma said.

"Plus, he's broke. He's as poor as a church mouse...and his mustache smells like a mildewed saddle blanket after it has been ridden on a sore back horse for three hundred miles in August."

"Ma, you're on a roll today. Sebastian Henry is a good man and I believe he shaved his mustache off."

"Well, I'm just going because I feel sorry for him."

"Ma, he really likes you a lot. You need to be nice to him when he gets here. You never know, you could end up skinny-dipping with him in the river."

"Hardly. Your father is the only one I ever bathed with."

"Before or after you were married?" I had to ask.

"Before and after."

"You never told me that!" Ma exclaimed. "I knew Lizzy took after you, but not to this extent. You... Jezebels!"

"Grandma Viola, I guess the cats out of the bag now." I teased.

"You know what they say about that... letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back in," Grandma Viola commented and winked at me.

"Here comes ole man Henry now," Ma announced.

Sebastian Henry drove his wagon to the front of the porch and climbed out. He was in his late sixties, skinny with a head full of white hair and no mustache. He stepped onto the porch and removed his cowboy hat.

"Good afternoon, Viola. You're looking lovely today."

"That smooth talking won't work on me you ole coot."

"Sassy as ever, just like I like 'em"

"How are you doing, Mr. Henry?" Ma asked.

"Gooder than a fox in a chicken pen. You've been doing all right?"

"Yes, sir, happier than a pig in mud."

"That's pretty darn happy." He then turned to me. "Hello, little Lizzy. You're looking pretty."

"Thanks."

"And who is your friend?"

Luke stood up and shook Sebastian's hand.

"I'm Luke, pleased to meet you."

"Likewise."

Sebastian turned back towards Grandma Viola and offered his hand.

"Are you ready to go?"

"I reckon, but I don't need your help to get out of this swing," she said and swatted his hand away.

Grandma Viola stepped to his wagon and began climbing in. She was having a little difficulty, so Sebastian gently put his hand on her buttocks and pushed her on up.

"Take your hand off my fanny!" Grandma Viola screamed.

"I was just helping you get in the wagon." Henry said as he suggestively raised his eyebrows up and down rapidly.

"I know what you were doing! You can't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining! Now, you'll act like a gentleman for the rest of the evening or, heaven help me, I'll beat you to within an inch of your life, which, at your age, ain't very long."

"Yes, ma'am," Henry said as he climbed into the wagon and gave us a smile and a wink.

"We'll be right behind you as soon as Billy and Katie get ready," Ma called after Sebastian and his date.

After a few minutes, we were all ready to go.

"Lizzy, grab the lantern. It'll be dark on our way back home," Ma ordered.

I did as she said and we all climbed into the wagon and headed for the town dance.

The dance was being held in the same place as it was held every month, an open field located in a valley next to the river. It was surrounded by steep hills making the festival seem loud as the sounds echoed throughout the valley, like an amphitheater, someone once compared it to.

The place was packed by the time we arrived. A band was on a wooded stage sawing their fiddles and plucking their banjos while many danced on the saw dust covered dance area. Several cloth-draped tables were covered with a huge assortment of foods and drinks and several hogs were roasting in the ground. Badminton nets were set up, horse-shoes were being tossed, and some were target practicing with their pistols a safe distance from the party. The children were engaged in several games of "capture the flag", "dodge ball", "kick ball", and "Red Rover".

Ma took Billy and Katie over to the kid's games and then sat with the ladies as they watched the children play. Luke and I walked around the festival taking in all the sights and smells. We watched a man getting dunked in the dunking tank, marveled as Mr. Jackson performed his magic tricks, and applauded as little Johnny Smith played "Little Drummer Boy" on his drums while his sister sang.

Soon, it was announced the hogs were ready for eating and everyone gathered at the tables for the feast. It was obviously there was less food on the tables than last month due to the lack of rain, but everyone seemed to have gotten their fill and, afterwards, they returned to dancing, playing games and socializing. Luke and I continued our walk together. We walked up on Reverend Johnson and Sheriff Johnson in conversation and overheard them talking with several other men.

"The lumber company laid-off ten more men," Sheriff Johnson said. "Our town's going to go under if we don't get some rain soon."

"That's a fact," one of the men said. "I can barely keep my crops alive or my cows watered."

"Yeah," another one added." I heard that Cecile lost fifteen of his herd last month because of this dang drought."

"Something best change soon or this town will dry up like the river is."

We continued to walk pass the men and headed down towards the river. The river here was only inches deep, the water skating on top of the pebbled bottom.

"Wow, the river is getting real low," I commented.

I looked to Luke who was lost in his own thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Luke remained in a trance.

"HELLO!" I almost yelled.

"I'm sorry."

"What had you so wrapped up?"

"This town really needs rain, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, like the sheriff was saying, the lumber yard is about to shut down. If it does, the train will have no reason to come here and this town will swivel up and blow away with the dust."

Luke looked at me intensely for several seconds and then took a deep breath.

"I can help."

"How?"

"I can make it rain."

"What?"

"I can make it rain. I've done it before."

"You made it rain before?"

"Yes."

"Like a rainmaker?"

"I guess."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because the last time I made it rain, it didn't go so well. First the town folks were happy that I made it rain, but then their happiness turned into suspicious. They began making claims I must be a servant of the devil to have such powers and they even threatened to hang me. I ran away as fast as I could. I told you before; folks fear what they don't understand."

"They wouldn't do that here. These are good people here. If you can make it rain, you have to do it! This town is dying!"

"I know. Let's go talk to the sheriff."

We found the sheriff still engaged in conversation with his brother.

"Sheriff Johnson, can we talk to you?" I asked.

I hesitated for a moment knowing how outrageous what I was about to say would sound, especially to the sheriff. I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but, well... here it goes. Luke can make it rain."

The Sheriff and Reverend just stared at me like I had lost my mind, puzzled at my comment. Finally, Sheriff Johnson spoke.

"What do you mean, he can make it rain?"

"He's done it before," I assured them.

"You mean like those traveling rainmakers claim they can?" Sheriff Johnson asked.

"Yes, but Luke says he really can and I believe him."

"You believe he can make it rain?" Sheriff Johnson said in shock. "You, Lizzy?"

Reverend Johnson looked at Luke suspiciously.

"Now, son, you know no one can just will it to rain. That power is God's and His alone. I don't know why you told Lizzy you could make it rain, maybe you were just trying to impress her, but you shouldn't go around telling lies like that, especially knowing how desperate all these folks are around here for rain."

"Sir, I'm not lying."

"No one can make it rain," Reverend Johnson insisted becoming a little agitated.

"If Luke says he can then he can!" I insisted. I was beginning to wonder why we brought this to them in the first place. Luke could have just done it without their knowledge. I still wonder why he wanted to talk to the Sheriff first.

"Brother, what would it hurt to let him try? You're not asking for money, are you, Luke?" Sheriff Johnson asked.

"No, sir, of course not!"

"Then, I don't see any harm in letting him perform his little rain dance. It might be amusing."

"These folks are so desperate for rain; they're willing to believe anything." Reverend Johnson said. "I don't wish for them to get their hopes up just to have them shattered when this boy doesn't produce rain. It may devastate them."

"Oh, I think they can handle it." Sheriff Johnson said. "They're stronger than you give them credit for. But to ease your mind, we'll just tell them it's a show."

"It's your call," Reverend Johnson said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sheriff Johnson climbed into a nearby wagon and stood up in the back.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" he yelled above the crowd.

Everyone turned and looked towards the sheriff.

"We have a special event planned for this evening. Luke here is going to show us a rainmaking ceremony. Now, don't none of you be foolish enough to think it will actually rain. This is only for fun. If anyone is interested in watching, meet us down by the river."

The sheriff jumped down off the wagon.

"The show's all yours," he said to Luke.

Luke led all who were interested to the river. On the way, he grabbed little Johnny Smith and his drums. There were nearly thirty people gathered around Luke to watch the show.

"First of all, I need a huge fire built right here," Luke said as he drug his foot in the sand creating a rather large circle.

Several people left to gather enough wood to fill the sizeable circle Luke had created. After several minutes, the fire was burning, its flames licking ten feet into the sky. He then turned to Johnny Smith with his drums.

"I won't you and...you," Luke pointed to another small boy in the crowd. "...to beat on these drums with a constant beat...boom...boom...boom." The two boys did as they were instructed. "Good... just like that. Don't let the beat stop for anything. If you get tired, then have someone else take your place, but whatever you do, don't stop the drums. And you folks keep the fire going. I'm going up yonder on that ridge. I may be up there for quite awhile. You must keep the fire burning. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone nodded their heads that they understood, with a few rolling their eyes.

Luke headed for the ridge and I followed. I looked up into the sky on the way and couldn't find a single cloud. Once we reached the base of the ridge, Luke turned to me.

"I have to go up there by myself."

"I can't go?"

"No, it's best if you stay down here."

"Fine, I'll help keep the fire burning and beat on those drums until you come back."

"Don't fret too much about that. The fire and the drums are just for show. They really have nothing to do with making it rain."

"Then why have them go through all that trouble?"

"If they believe the fire and the beating of the drums have something to do with making it rain, it helps keep some of the accusations off of me because they're participants in the rain making. Plus, the more people who actually believe the rain is coming, the easier it will come. Faith can move mountains."

"You really believe you can do this, don't you?"

"I can. Don't you have faith in me?"

"I'm trying. I know if anyone could do this, it would be you."

"I'll show you, Lizzy Cooper. I'll bring you some rain."

I watched him walk up the steep ridge and out of sight. The drums in the background were steadily beating...boom...boom...boom. I once again glanced up into the clear sky. I found myself wanting to believe...for Luke's sake... but I couldn't. My faith had died with Pa.

Thirty minutes passed and then an hour. The crowd was getting bored quickly and some left. I half heartedly tried to keep people interested in tending the fire and beating the drums, but my lack of enthusiasm was as transparent as my faith it would rain. We had already gone through five drummers and the fire was only half the size it had originally been. I looked up periodically to see if Luke was returning from his seemingly futile attempt at rainmaking.

Another thirty minutes went by. The fire was only a few feet high, the crowd had dwindled down to only a few spectators, and I had lost the last of my drummers to his parent's calls that they were leaving to go home. The sun was quickly setting to the west and twilight was falling, but no rain.

Sheriff Johnson came by.

"Looks like the shows over. It would have been fantastic if your boyfriend was the real deal, but it was good of him to try."

He smiled, patted me on my shoulder, and walked away.

A feeling of disappointment began to loom over me. I wanted to believe Luke could actually make it rain, but reality was setting in fast. It was almost dark and not a single drop of rain. I decided to make my way up the ridge and let Luke know I was proud of his efforts, but it was time to go home.

I climbed the ridge and found Luke standing in a small clearing with his back towards me. His hands were outstretched towards the heavens while his whole body gently swayed back and forth, from exhaustion I presumed. I quietly approached from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder. He rapidly swung around in surprise that he was not alone. I took a few steps back in shock at what I saw. The whole of Luke's eyes were completely white with no trace of the green of his irises or the black of his pupils. He quickly closed his eyes for a few seconds and when he opened them, they were back to normal.

"I asked you not to come up here!" Luke said.

"I'm sorry," I said still a little scared and confused at what I saw. "What was wrong with your eyes?"

"What do you mean?"

"They were all white and scary looking!"

"I didn't realize they did that. I fall into a trance when I call for rain. You startled me out of it."

I walked up to Luke and placed my hands on his shoulders and gave him an, "I'm sorry it didn't work out" look.

"It's getting dark and we have to get going, but you made a good effort. I'm proud of you for that."

Luke smiled a chessy cat smile and looked over my shoulder.

"Why the big smile?" I asked.

"If you still don't believe I can make it rain, then look over yonder, Lizzy...here comes the rain!"

Just then a strong, cool breeze blew against my back. I quickly spun around and was astonished at seeing huge black clouds rolling towards us. Lightening raced through the bellowing clouds as distant thunder echoed across the valley. An electrical charge could be felt in the air while the chilly wind picked up, blowing my hair back and sending a chill down my spine. I turned around and gave Luke a look of surprise and then one of pride. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him.

"You did it! You actually did it! I'm so sorry I ever doubted you. I should have known. I should have trusted you."

"It's okay, Lizzy, but we best get down from here and start heading home before the storm hits."

The wind began blowing harder, the sky quickly turning dark. Everyone at the dance was trying to gather their belongings before the rain started, running to put them in their wagons. The scene looked chaotic except for the fact everyone had smiles on their faces and they were laughing. They were so thrilled to see rain clouds, they didn't much care about get wet. It was a welcoming sight, so long overdue. However, as Luke and I were making our way though the crowds, I couldn't help but see fear and apprehension on some of the town folk's faces when Luke passed by.

When we arrived at our wagon, Ma, Billy, and Katie were already waiting for us. We climbed aboard and Ma hurriedly turned the wagon towards home.

"You did it!" Billy excitedly exclaimed. "You made it rain!"

Chapter 8

"Billy, no one can make it rain, except for God," Ma explained to Billy as she drove the wagon towards home.

"But Sheriff Johnson said Luke was going to show us how to make it rain, and he did...he made it rain!"

"Billy, it's like your grandma always said, timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance."

"So, you don't believe Luke had anything to do with the rain coming?" I asked.

"No, it was just pure coincidence."

"But it hasn't rain here for---"

Luke placed his hand on my knee and shook his head.

"Let it go," he whispered in my ear. "Trust me, its best if folks don't believe."

"How'd you do it, Luke?" Billy asked.

"I didn't, Billy. It was just a coincidence like your ma said."

"Some coincidence," Billy said not really wanting to believe Luke but knowing, deep down, that such things weren't possible. He had stopped believing in fairy tales years ago when he caught Ma putting a penny under his pillow... a job he had always thought was performed by the tooth fairy.

Small droplets of rain began to fall. It was becoming apparent we were going to get wet before we arrived home. Ma dared not try to go any faster for it was dark and she could barely see the trail in front of her. She was navigating by the little light given off by the lantern Billy was holding and the horse's natural instinct of knowing where home was.

With the cabin in sight, the clouds burst open and rain poured from the sky. I imagined I could hear the plants and trees gulping the much desired water while at the same time giving off a simultaneous sigh of relief. The dusty trail quickly turned into a muddy ditch as the horse shivered from the frigid rain.

Ma turned the wagon directly for the barn, and drove wagon and all inside. Luke unhitched the wagon and put the horse in its stall. We then made a mad dash to the front of the porch where we found Grandma Viola already sitting in her swing.

"It's about time you'll got home. I feared you might have made a wrong turn in the dark and was in Iowa somewhere. Next time, maybe you'll leave earlier."

"Well, Ma, I had no idea it would decided to rain."

"Luke knew," Grandma Viola said giving him a sly grin.

"Don't you start, now. No one can make it rain."

"Your pa believed in rainmakers. He said he saw one make it rain when he was a young boy."

"Young boys can be very impressionable." Ma said. "Besides, it's like you always said, it's about timing. It was going to rain tonight no matter what Luke did."

"So, you think this was all a big coincidence?" Grandma Viola asked.

"Of course it was," Ma said confidently.

"Doesn't the Bible say if our faith is as a grain of mustard seed, we can move mountains?" I asked Ma.

"Well, yes, but---"

"Then, why can't someone have faith enough to will it to rain."

"I suppose they could, if they were spiritual enough. No offence to you, Luke, but I don't see you as being very spiritual."

"What does a spiritual person look like?" Grandma Viola asked her daughter.

"I don't know. I just don't think they go bathing with a girl they just meet."

Luke stared down at the wooded planks of the porch floor not daring to look Ma in the eyes. He realized she was still perturbed about the whole swimming naked incident with her daughter and it filled him with shame. He wished he could convince her of how innocent the whole thing was, but he supposed, from a mother's point of view, it was sinful.

"Katie and Billy, come with me and let's get out of these wet clothes," Ma said. She then looked at Luke and I. "You two should do the same."

"We will. I just want to sit on the porch awhile longer," I said.

Ma took Katie and Billy inside leaving Luke and I with Grandma Viola while the rain continued to fall and the candles flickering in the light breeze.

Grandma Viola looked through the porch window into the cabin to make sure Ma was nowhere near. Satisfied she wasn't, Grandma Viola looked at Luke with a grin on her face.

"You did make it rain, didn't you?"

Luke remained silent and glanced over at me.

"It's okay, son. I believe there are people walking this earth whom God has given special abilities to. There are too many accounts in the past of folks who could do remarkable things, not for some of them to be true. The Bible is packed full of these folks who could perform miracles, everything from making it rain to the power of healing, just like you can do."

Both Luke's and my eyes grew huge.

"Don't look so surprised. I know Luke has the power of healing. I felt that critter being crushed under my chair. There's no way it could have survived without a little help."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

"What, to your ma? She would have thought my cheese done fell off my cracker."

"Thanks, Grandma, for not blabbing."

"Your great-grandpa, my pa, was witness to an Indian rainmaking ceremony when he was young."

"He was?" I asked with great interest.

"Yes, his pa was a missionary, trying to teach the Osage tribe English. He often brought my pa... his son...who was about fourteen, along with him when he made those trips into the wilderness to where the Indians lived.

"On one particular occasion, Pa watched a real live Indian rain dance. The members of the Osage tribe, both men and women, lined up across from one another and started performing a strange dance where they would zigzag in between each other while chanting unfamiliar words. They wore blue paint on their faces and turquoise feathers in their headdresses which, my pa was told, signified rain. A huge fire was burning and several drums were being beaten.

"One lone Indian stood on a high ridge with his arms outstretch towards the heavens throughout the whole ceremony lightly swaying back and forth. After a few hours, storm clouds started rapidly rolling across a blue sky as if pulled in by some magical force. Soon thunder sounded across the sky followed by lightening and then the heaviest downpour my father had ever witnessed."

"So that lone Indian was a rainmaker and the crazy dance, the fire, the drums were probably just to allow the tribe to think they were helping cause it to rain, to help them believe the rain would come, like Luke does with the building of the fire and the beating of the drums," I surmised.

"I suppose," Grandma Viola said." Who showed you how the make it rain?"

"I don't know. I just knew I could do it as certain as I knew I could talk. I don't know who taught me to do either one. I just know I know how to do it."

"Same with your healing power?" Grandma Viola asked.

"Yes, I don't know how I'm able to do it. I can't remember anything past about two years... where I'm from or what my name is."

"Have you ever healed a person?"

"Not that I can remember. I healed a wolf once, accidentally. It felt like my strength was being sucked out of me and I was very weak afterwards."

I felt Luke shiver.

"Are you cold?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

"You need to get out of those wet clothes before you catch your death." I warned him.

"You can use my room to change," Grandma Viola offered.

"Okay, thanks. You need to get out of your wet clothes too." Luke said to me.

"I'm fine. I'll change in a little while."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Luke left.

"You really like that boy, don't you?"

"Yes, grandma, I do...a lot!"

"You're not concerned he might leave?"

"Leave, why would he leave?"

"He's been searching for answers for nearly two years trying to find out who he is. Has he stopped his search?"

"I don't know."

"Before you get too much in love with the boy, you might want to ask. You already had to go through the pain of losing your pa; you don't need to go through anymore unnecessary pain. You need to ask him."

"I just assumed he was staying."

"Never assume anything. Remember, in life, you can never tell which way the pickle's going to squirt."

Grandma Viola got up from the swing.

"Well, I'm plum tuckered out. I'll see you in the morning. It looks like it's going to rain all night. Good night, Lizzy"

"Good night, Grandma Viola."

Luke was coming out as Grandma Viola was going in.

"You going to bed already," Luke asked.

"Yes, my old bones are tired."

"I hope you have a restful sleep."

"Thanks, same to you."

Luke sat down next to me and held my hand. I tried to muster up the courage to ask if he was staying, but couldn't. I was afraid of knowing the answer. I was afraid he might be leaving. But I told myself if he did leave, I would go with him. That decision comforted me. I sat next to Luke on the porch without saying a word about what I had decided and just enjoyed being with him.

Chapter 9

I was awakened early the next morning from a wonderful dream I was having by loud noises coming from the kitchen. In the dream, Luke and I were married. We were arm in arm standing in a field of white daises watching our children play down by the river shore. I looked behind me and saw Ma standing on the front porch watching us. Then Pa walked up behind Ma, put his arms around her, and kissed her on the cheek. He then looked up at me and smiled.

I arose from bed and walked to the kitchen. The noises that woke me from my tranquil dream were being made by Grandma Viola. She was banging dishes and closing cabinet doors in an obvious attempt to wake the whole house.

Luke was not asleep on his mat by the fireplace. Obviously, Grandma Viola's ruckus in the kitchen had already woken him. I glanced out the front window and saw the rain was still falling but not the gully-washing it had been the day prior. It was a light steady rain falling from the fully gray sky which seemed to stretch endlessly in all directions. The sun's light could barely punch through the shielding of the rain clouds, resulting in an eerie twilight effect. A populous of bullfrogs croaked their mating calls and the crickets strummed their legs together in a celebration of the welcoming of the rain.

Ma stepped out of her room yawning. She too was awakened by Grandma Viola's early morning rampage.

"You're up early," Ma said in her low sleepy-voice.

"I'm sorry, but I want to go see Sarah this morning." Grandma Viola said.

"Sarah...Sheriff Johnson's daughter?" Ma asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I had a dream about her."

Ma's blood went cold. The last time Grandma Viola had used those words, it was about Pa. She had warned him not to go to work that tragic morning because of a bad dream she had the night before, but he dismissed her warning as superstition nonsense. Ma had also sensed a dark gloom in the air that morning, but she also disregarded it as irrational fear brought on by her mother's warning. Now, she wished a thousand times she would have had faith in her mother's intuition. Ma never questioned her again.

"I'll hitch up the wagon and put the top on. Lizzy can stay here and watch Billy and Katie."

Just then, Luke walked in the front door.

"I need Luke to go with us," Grandma Viola said with earnest.

"Go where?" Luke asked.

"To see Sarah." Grandma Viola told him.

"Why do you want Luke to come with us?" Ma asked Grandma Viola.

"It's important."

"I'll go," Luke said.

"Then I'm going to," I insisted.

"Someone has to watch Billy and Katie," Ma said. "They're too young to be left alone and they don't need to see Sarah in the condition she's in. It would only frighten them."

"Annie, you stay here. Let Lizzy come," Grandma Viola ordered.

"Are you sure?" Ma asked.

"Yes, I think it would be best."

Luke hitched up the horse to the wagon and put the wagon's top on to keep the rain off us. The three of us rode through the mud and the muck towards Sarah's house. I hadn't seen Sarah since she had gotten sick and, I admit, I was a little apprehensive. Ma and a few women from the church visited Sarah a few times after she became sick but I didn't go. I felt ashamed for not visiting but I knew it would pain me to see anyone suffering like folks told me she was. I know it wasn't right to stay away and I hated myself for allowing my fears to keep me away. She deserved better.

Sarah's house was slightly bigger than ours and a lot more modern. It had pane glass windows, tar shingles, and composite cedar lap siding. The members of the church built the house for Sarah's parents nearly three years ago. Pa had helped in its construction.

We stopped our wagon in front of the cabin, got out, walked to the front door, and knocked. No one came to the door. We knocked again. It took several seconds before our knock was answered. At the door was Sarah's ma, Bettie, who answered with a look of surprise on her face. It was obvious she had been crying. Her eyes were tear-stained and red.

"Viola, what brings you'll out here on such a gloomy day."

"Bettie, is everything all right?" Grandma Viola asked ignoring Bettie's question. "Is anything wrong?"

Bettie tried to answer but began sobbing instead. Grandma Viola wrapped her arms around Bettie and held her tight. Sheriff Johnson appeared from down the hallway. He also showed signs of intense crying.

"Hello, Lizzy, Miss Wilson, and Luke. What brings you'll out here on such a gloomy day as this?"

Grandma Viola smiled kindly.

"You and your wife are so much alike. She just asked us the same exact question."

"And what was your answer?"

Grandma Viola's face became weighty.

"Sarah...how's she doing?"

Sheriff Johnson took a deep ragged breath and swallowed hard.

"She _was_ doing better, we thought, but this morning the fever grew worse than it ever has and she...she...she's in so much...pain."

His voice cracked and he tried hard to fight back the tears but one managed to free itself and roll down his right cheek.

I looked at Grandma Viola astoundingly. Her intuition had been correct again.

"Reverend Johnson just left to go fetch Doctor Harris," Bettie managed to say, wiping more tears from her eyes.

"Again I must ask, what brings you here?" the sheriff asked.

"Grandma Viola had a dream that something was wrong with Sarah. We rushed right over," I told him.

"You have a miraculous gift, Miss. Wilson... a God-given gift. We appreciate you coming, but there's not much we can do until the doctor gets here."

"I believe there is," Grandma Viola said. "Can Luke see her?"

Luke pulled Grandma Viola aside...far enough that Mr. and Mrs. Johnson couldn't overhear their conversation.

"Miss Wilson, I know what you have in mind, but I just don't know about this!" Luke whispered worriedly in her ear. "She's a child, not a wolf! I don't know if it will work the same."

Grandma Viola placed both her hands on his shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes.

"You can do this. I have faith in you and there aren't many people I can say that about. Besides, you can't make her any worse than she already is. Just go in there and try. That's all I ask of you... for the little girl's sake."

Luke looked scared and unsure of himself, but he knew Grandma Viola was right. He had to at least try.

Grandma Viola approached the Johnsons. "Luke is ready to see Sarah."

"What do you think Luke can do for Sarah?" Sheriff Johnson asked. "Is he a doctor?"

"No, he's more. Just allow him to see Sarah, and then you'll know. I'm asking you to trust me."

Sheriff Johnson looked at his wife who nodded her head in approval. They both showed us to their daughter's room.

Sarah was lying in her small bed, her blond hair wet and matted to her head from perspiration. I barely recognized her. Her skin was extremely pale and ashy and looked very dry. Her lips were cracked and her forehead showed lines of pain as did her tightly closed eyes. Her whole body looked tense...she was hurting. I couldn't hold back the tears when I looked upon her frail body.

"She doesn't respond to my voice anymore, but she cries out in pain," Bettie said in a somber voice. "It's like she's half awake and half unconscious."

"Would everyone mind leaving the room?" Luke asked.

"Why...why do you want us to leave?" Sheriff Johnson asked with much concern in his voice.

"Please, let's just do as Luke says," Grandma Viola said as she herded everyone out of the room. "Everything will be all right. We'll be just on the other side of the door."

The bedroom door was shut and Grandma Viola stood in front of it like a sentry. The Johnson's faces were filled with worry and concern and topped with confusion. They didn't understand what she and Luke were up to, but they trusted Grandma Viola or perhaps they allowed it out of pure desperation.

Several minutes passed without a sound coming from the other side of the door. The apprehension from the sheriff and his wife was growing thick in the air. Even Grandma Viola looked a little anxious. I could tell she was wishing Luke would hurry for she didn't know how much longer Sarah's parent's patients would last.

Suddenly, an intense light poured from under the door for just a second and then a thump was heard from inside the room. Grandma Viola immediately opened the door. Luke was lying on the floor not moving and Sarah was sitting up in her bed, confused but awake. Her skin was its normal color and her eyes shined with the sparkle of youth. She was obviously no longer in any pain.

Sarah's parents ran to her and held her tight, sobbing uncontrollably. I rushed to Luke's side just as he was coming to. He shook his head to remove the cobwebs and opened his eyes to see me smiling. He smiled back.

"What did you do to my little girl? How did you heal her?" Sheriff Johnson enthusiastically asked.

"I'm not sure. I just laid my hands on her and she took what she needed from me to get better," Luke explained in a voice that sounded like it belonged to an old man.

"Then she's healed?" Bettie asked with zest.

"Yes, ma'am, I believe she is." Luke responded.

Mrs. Johnson went to Luke, who was still sitting on the floor, got on her knees, and hugged his neck tight.

"Thank you, so very much! I don't know how you did it and I don't care! My little girl is all better now thanks to you!"

She then joined her husband still hugging his daughter.

"We're going to get out of your hair and let you be with your daughter," Grandma Viola announced. "We'll see you'll in church Sunday... all three of you."

"Oh, we'll be there!" Bettie said. "You can be assured of that! We have a lot of praise to give, both to God and to Luke."

"Please, Mrs. Johnson, don't tell anyone about this!" Luke pleaded.

"Okay, if that's what you want." Bettie promised with a bewildered look.

I had to assist Luke to his feet, because he was extremely weak and his legs were shaking under him. He leaned on me for support, not willing to trust his legs to carry him to the wagon. When Grandma Viola opened the front entry door to exit, Reverend Johnson and the doctor were just arriving.

"Oh, you scared me," Doctor Harris said. "I was about to turn the door knob when the door suddenly opened. What brings you'll out on such a rainy day?"

"We came by to see Sarah," I answered.

"Please excuse us," Reverend Johnson said as he pushed his way into the cabin. "But the doctor has to see Sarah right away. She's very---"

Reverend Johnson froze in mid stride as his mouth dropped open. His little niece was standing in the living room between her parents, all three of them supporting huge smiles on their faces.

"What's going on? What happened to Sarah? She looks so good!" Reverend Johnson asked in a confused excitement.

He dropped to his knees in front of Sarah and placed both his hands on the side of her rosy cheeks. His eyes filled with tears.

"You look so good," he exclaimed and hugged her tight.

"You're squeezing the breath out of me," Sarah said.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so happy you're awake! But how?" He looked up at his brother for an explanation.

"I'll tell you everything later." Sheriff Johnson said.

"I take it I'm not needed here," Doctor Harris commented.

"Nope, we beat you to it. You're a day late and a dollar short," Grandma Viola playfully said as she followed Luke and me out into the drizzling rain and into the wagon.

Luke passed out in the back of the wagon as I headed the wagon towards home. He was exhausted; his energy had been drained from him to save Sarah. Grandma Viola placed one of the blankets we always keep in the wagon over Luke to try and keep him dry from the rain leaking through the wagon's worn canvas top. The cold rain was chilling me to the bone and I shivered violently. I pulled the blanket that was over me up over my nose with my free hand, trying to breathe some warm air into it.

Finally we arrived home and I pulled into the barn. Ma ran from the cabin, through the rain and met us inside the barn.

"Where's Luke?"

"He's in back with Grandma Viola," I said while unhitching the horse from the wagon.

Ma walked to the back of the wagon.

"I need help with Luke," Grandma Viola said.

"What's wrong with him? What happened?"

"He's fine. Don't get your dander all up in a wad."

Grandma Viola started gently slapping Luke in the face.

"Luke, wake up. We're home now. You have to help us get you inside."

Luke woke up and stumbled out of the wagon. Ma and I wrapped our arms around his waist and helped him inside the cabin.

"Take him to my bed," Grandma Viola ordered.

We led him into Grandma Viola's room and tucked him into bed. Luke was very lethargic and passed out the second his head hit the pillow without uttering a word.

After watching him sleep for several minutes, I quietly left the room closing the door behind me. I found Ma and Grandma Viola sitting on the front porch.

"Okay, you two, tell me what's going on. What's wrong with Luke? What happened?" Ma asked.

Grandma Viola looked at me and then bluntly answered. "Luke healed Sarah."

"What do you mean, Luke healed Sarah?"

"Sarah is no longer sick. Luke made her all better."

"How?"

"He doesn't know how he does it," I interjected.

"He's a healer," Grandma Viola added.

"A healer? You mean like miraculous healing, like we read in the Bible?"

"Yep!" Grandma Viola answered.

"Are you serious about this? You two aren't making a joke?"

Grandma Viola looked seriously into Ma's eyes. "I wouldn't joke about this!"

"So, that's why you insisted Luke go see Sarah. You knew he was a healer, but how?"

"A few days ago he saved Katie's squished and mostly dead rat," Grandma Viola said.

"Katie's chipmunk was squished?" Ma asked. "Doesn't anyone tell me what goes on around here? Did Katie see him do it? Did she see him heal her chipmunk?"

"No, he hid it from her," I told Ma. "He tried to hide it from me to, but I caught him."

"And I figured out what happened when Katie came running around the cabin with her rat in her hands and it was alive," Grandma Viola added. "I knew I had squished it a good one... flatter than a flapjack... but there it was, running around like nothing had ever happened."

"And neither one of you thought this was something I would like to know?"

Grandma Viola and I just looked at each other, realizing that perhaps we should have told Ma.

"Anamosa's cow!" Ma suddenly exclaimed. "Luke healed it to, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did," Grandma Viola said proudly.

"How did you know he could heal Sarah?" Ma asked.

"I didn't really and I don't think Luke knew for sure either, but I had to try...we had to try."

"Healing ain't the only thing he can do," I mentioned.

Ma looked out towards the rain and sighed.

"He really did make it rain," she said as a matter-of-factly.

Chapter 10

Luke didn't wake up until the next morning. I periodically checked on him throughout the night to make sure he was okay. Grandma Viola slept with Ma and I slept next to the fireplace where Luke usually slept. I didn't mind it because the blankets smelled like Luke and I imagined he was sleeping next to me all night long. I got up when I heard Grandma Viola's door open and saw Luke step out.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him.

"Much better. I don't think I woke up at all after my head hit the pillow."

"You didn't."

"Were you checking on me last night?" Luke asked with a huge grin.

"Several times," I answered with an equally huge grin.

"You're so sweet, thanks."

Luke held me tight and kissed me.

After everyone woke and we were all finishing breakfast, we heard a wagon pull up outside. I went to the window to look outside. "It's ole man Henry!"

"Now, what does that old fool want?" Grandma Viola remarked.

"He's coming to see his sweetheart," I giggled.

"I ain't nobody's sweetheart. There ain't nothing sweet left about me."

"Oh, Ma, be nice and go welcome him in."

"Welcome him in? He's about as welcomed as a rattlesnake at a square dance."

"Lizzy, let Mr. Henry in since your grandma seems to have lost her manners." Ma said.

I opened the front door just as Mr. Henry was stepping onto the porch and stomping the mud from his boots.

"Good morning, ole man...I mean, Mr. Henry. What are you doing out so early?" I asked.

"I've come to see if your grandma wants to ride into town with me."

"Well, hi there Mr. Henry," Ma said as she walked towards him. "Come on it."

"I best not. I have mud all over my boots. I don't want to track up your floor. Is your ma busy?"

"No, she's just cutting up some snap peas in the kitchen. Come in and see her." Ma again invited him in.

"No, I'll mess up your floor. Ask her, if you will, if she would like to ride with me into town."

"I'll go ask her. I'll be right back." Ma told him.

Billy then walked to the front door.

"Hey, ole man Henry. Why don't you come in and sit a spell."

"I have mud on my shoes from the rain. I don't want to bring it inside."

"Ah, that's all right. Mud is just dust with the water squeezed out."

Mr. Henry chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it is. But I think it best if I just stand here."

"Okay," Billy said and ran back into the kitchen.

"You're kind of fancy on my grandma, ain't ya, Mr. Henry," I grinned.

"Yeah, I suppose I am. Although, I'm not sure why. She's as mean as a snake."

"Hey, I heard that!" Grandma Viola said as she rounded the corner. "Why do you keep coming around if I'm so mean?"

"I'm sorry, Viola. Please forgive this ignorant old man. I was just funning with the child."

"I don't care to go into town. I've nothing I need there." Grandma Viola said.

"Well, I was thinking about buying you one of those fancy church hats, but I don't know which one you would like."

"You were? Well, then, that's different. I best be going with you. There ain't no telling what kind of hideous hat you might come back with. I'll just go grab my coat."

Grandma Viola left for her room.

"You're a smooth one, Mr. Henry," I grinned.

"My pappy always said that the way to a woman's heart is through your wallet."

Grandma Viola returned with her coat on and her hair up in a bun. Mr. Henry led her to his wagon and they left for town as the rain was now only a drizzle and the grey clouds were starting to break. As I watched them head down the trail, they were passed by a man on a horse heading towards me. As he drew nearer, I could see it was Sheriff Johnson.

"Howdy, Sheriff. What brings you way out here?"

"Hey, Lizzy. I came to have a word with Luke."

"Why do you want to talk to Luke? Is anything wrong?"

"I think it would be best if I could talk with Luke."

Just then, Ma and Luke walked out of the cabin.

"What's this about?" Luke asked.

"Can we talk in private?"

"Whatever you need to say to me, you can say it in front of Mrs. Cooper and Lizzy."

"All right then. A federal marshal came by my office early this morning and asked me to post this around town."

Sheriff Johnson unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Ma. Concern blanketed her face as she read it. When she was done, she handed me the piece of paper to read. My heart immediately sank when I saw what it was. It was a wanted poster with a likeness of Luke's face. It read, " _Wanted for the killing of Sheriff Calhoun's brother, Ben Calhoun, from Liberty County."_ A five hundred dollar reward was being offered for the capture of Luke.

We all looked at Luke for an explanation. I prayed he would tell us it was all a big mistake, but he didn't. He lowered his head and began confessing.

"I did kill Ben Calhoun, but it was an accident. Sheriff Calhoun and his brothers run Lincoln Town in Liberty County by means of fear and trepidation. They do whatever they want using terror and intimidation to control the town and, if someone stands up to them, they simple kill them."

"I know all about Lincoln Town's reputation," Sheriff Johnson said, "and I've heard some awful stories about the Calhoun boys, but I hoped most of them were exaggerated."

"They're not. The town folks there live in fear. They try to avoid running into any of the Calhoun boys or their posse for fear of what may happen to them or their family."

"What happened, Luke?" Ma asked somberly.

"I had been in town for a week and found a job working in the saw mill, sweeping the floor and helping stack the newly cut lumber. The owner, Tom Sheppard, let me stay in the loft above the saw mill. He warned me to stay clear of the Calhoun brothers or any of their men.

"I did my best to heed his warning, but this one day, Mr. Sheppard sent me to the blacksmith shop to retrieve a part he had fabricated for the saw. On the way, I heard the sound of a whip cracking in the distant and as I rounded the corner of the bakery shop, I saw a group of four men standing over another man who was lying on the ground with several laceration and cuts about his face and body. One of the four men had a whip in hand and was using it on the poor battered man while the others laughed and taunted him.

Most of the town folks went about their business, ignoring what was going on, but I noticed an elderly woman leering at the scene of violence with anger in her eyes. I rapidly approached her.

"What's going on here?"

"Ben Calhoun and some of his goons are beating Timothy Smith and no one here will lend a hand to help him!" She then shouted at the passing town folks who pretended not to hear her. "YOU'LL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"

"Why are they beating him?"

"Ben Calhoun made some ungentlemanly comments to Tim's wife and Tim made the mistake of standing up to him."

I became furious. I quickly made my way to the men just as Ben Calhoun was rearing back with his whip to strike Timothy again. I grabbed the end of the whip and ripped it out of his hand. He and the others spun around in shock and disbelief.

"Boy, you just made the worse mistake of your life!" Ben Calhoun angrily stated.

He quickly pulled his pistol and fired at me from only a few feet away but somehow missed. I immediately took a step forward and punched him in the face as hard as I could. He hit the ground, dropping his pistol.

The other three men surrounded me. The one directly in front of me pulled his pistol but I was faster. I grabbed the back of his hand with my left hand, pulling his arm towards me, and struck the back of his elbow with my other hand, breaking his arm. I knew I had broken it by the sharp crack I heard followed by the man's agonizing scream. The man directly behind me was met with my foot smashing into his left knee. Again, I could hear the snapping of bones. He hit the ground holding his knee in torment.

By this time, Ben Calhoun had recovered and jumped on my back. I spun him around until he went flying in the air. His neck landed on the edge of a watering troth instantly killing him.

As I was about to deal with the remaining man, several more men came running towards me with pistols in hand. They surrounded me with their pistols aimed towards my head. They saw that Ben Calhoun was dead, and promptly arrested me. They said I would hang the next morning when the sheriff got back in town. I was placed in the county jail, but escaped a few hours later in the dead of night."

"Are you here to bring him in?" I frantically asked Sheriff Johnson. "Because it was an accident and if Luke is taken back to Liberty County you know he'll never get a fair trial!"

"Relax, Lizzy, I'm not here to arrest Luke. I couldn't after what he did for Sarah. I'm here to warn you."

"About what?"

"Sheriff Calhoun knows Luke's here and he and a huge posse are heading this way. If they left right away, I suspect they'll be here in two days."

"How do they know Luke's here?" Ma asked.

"My deputy wired a message to Sheriff Calhoun saying he recognized Luke from the town dance last night. It only took him asking a few folks around town to find out where Luke was staying. I couldn't stop him from doing his job, but I can sure as hell give you a head start, boy."

"I appreciated it, Sheriff Johnson," Luke said. "I'll get packed and leave right away. I don't want to cause anyone here trouble and Sheriff Calhoun brings a lot of trouble."

"Where will you go?" Ma asked.

"Don't answer that until I leave," Sheriff Johnson said, "I don't want to know anymore than I do. I'll be leaving now. Good day and good luck, son."

Sheriff Johnson got on his horse and rode away.

"I'll head north and try to lose them in the wilderness." Luke told Ma.

"I'm going with you," I firmly stated.

"You most certainly are not!" Ma firmly stated.

"You can't stop me! I won't let Luke go alone!"

I had never stood up to Ma like this before but I felt I couldn't be without Luke. I was willing to walk to the ends of the world with him. I was going with him and no one was going to stop me... not even Ma.

"Lizzy, it might be dangerous. Maybe your ma is right," Luke said.

Now, I was both angry with Luke for siding with Ma and scared he might actually leave me. I fought hard to keep my tears from flowing but my emotions overwhelmed me.

"I want to be with you! I need to be with you! You're not going to leave me! No matter where you go, I'm going!" I lost the fight over my emotions and began crying. It wasn't until that very moment that I realized just how much I had fallen in love with Luke. The thoughts of being without him almost devastated me. "I love you, Luke. I'm not going to lose you."

"I love you to, Lizzy. I want to be with you always. I'll never leave you," Luke assured me and wrapped me tightly in his arm, instantly calming me down.

I looked back at Ma who had tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Ma. I have to go with him. I belong with him."

"I know you do." She wiped the tears from her eyes and managed a faint grin. "Let's get you two packed."

Packing to leave Ma was the hardest thing I had ever done in my young life. I had never been away from her for more than a day. My heart ached and I couldn't swallow the lump in my throat. I didn't know how long we would have to be gone and, for a second, I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I fervently shook that thought from my head. I needed to be with Luke. As hard as it was to leave Ma, it would have been doubly hard to let Luke leave.

We walked out on the front porch to say our goodbyes when Anamosa seeming appeared from nowhere.

"Anamosa, what are doing here? How did you get here?" Ma asked.

"I walk."

"You walked. You would have had to left last night to make it here by now!"

"I like walk at night. Much cooler."

"Why did you do that? Why did you come all the way here?"

"The Great Spirit tell me in dream, I must protect Luke. I must take him away from here."

Just then a shiver ran down my back.

"Where are you supposed to take him?" Ma asked.

"Home. I take him to my people."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Yes, I am old but still have good mind. I will show the way."

"Lizzy is coming with us," Luke told her.

"I know. Now, come. We have long journey ahead."

"You need to rest first," Ma told Anamosa.

"No time. We must go now."

We said our goodbyes to Ma, Billy and Katie and promised them we would return. I just didn't know when.

Chapter 11

It must have been nearly three hours since we left home. Luke and I followed Anamosa through dense woods, down steep valleys, up precipitous hills, and across open prairies. She appeared to know exactly where she was going and she was setting a relentless pace, staying several feet in front of me and Luke. She no longer acted like an old weak Indian woman, but more like a young girl on the first day of spring. I was admittedly growing a little weary, but Anamosa showed no signs of fatigue or slowing down, so I did my best to keep up. Maybe the excitement of finally going home drove her like a thirsty mare to water.

"Lizzy, I need to tell you something," Luke said as he helped me over a fallen tree which lay in our path.

"What is it?"

"Back at your place, when I was telling Sheriff Johnson about the accident with Ben Calhoun, I left a part out."

"Which part?"

"The part where the Calhoun's men tried to kill me."

"They tried to kill you?!"

"When they saw that the sheriff's brother was killed, one of them immediately pulled his pistol without saying a word and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The gun didn't fire. Then, I felt another pistol in the back of my head. I closed my eyes tight, waiting for the shot but all I heard was the click of the hammer."

"His pistol didn't go off either?"

"No, so they drug me to an oak tree behind the tavern, threw one end of a rope around one of the many thick limbs, tied the other end around my neck and proceeded to haul me high in the air, but as soon as I felt tension on the rope, the limb broke!"

"You got to be kidding!"

"I'm not! It happened just that way. A couple of Calhoun's men were Mexican. They said something in Spanish about Diablo, made the sign of the cross across their chest, and ran away scared. That's when the others, a little spooked, decided to throw me in the jail cell and wait till Sheriff Calhoun returned the next morning."

"I'd be spooked to. I kind of am now. How'd you escape?"

"It was several hours into the night when I heard the lock on my jail cell door click open. I immediately looked but saw no one. So I walked to the cell door and pushed against it. It opened! I cautiously stepped out of my cell and tiptoed to the front room where I saw the jailhouse guard slumped over his desk snoring. So I continued to the front door and simply walked out. My guardian angel was watching over me that day!"

"Your guardian angel," I scoffed. "Please...there's no such thing,"

"You don't believe in angels?"

"Not anymore. They're just fairy tales for children and week-minded fools."

"Lizzy, you don't really believe that, do you?"

"With all my heart! What did you do next?" I said to change the subject because I started to see disappointment in Luke's eyes because I didn't believing in angels.

"I ran. I ran for several days until I found myself in Stillwater. There I met you and your family. You know the rest."

We continued to follow Anamosa for several more hours until she finally stopped under a huge willow tree standing next to a river.

"We sleep here tonight," she said. "Luke, find wood and make fire. Lizzy, get water from river for cooking."

After we ate the bean soup Anamosa cooked up, we settled into our blankets around the fire for some much needed sleep. I hadn't slept outside since I was a little girl when Billy and I use to camp in the back yard. We never stayed the entire night. Strange sounds in the night air always scared us back inside the cabin.

Now, I had no cabin to run back to, but I had Luke. He looked so handsome in the glow of the fire with flickering shadows dancing across his face. I wondered if he found me equally handsome, then he smiled at me as if he was answering my very thought. I smiled back and laid my head down on my blanket and soon fell asleep from exhaustion. I dreamt of Ma, Grandma Viola, Billy, and Katie...and, of course, Pa.

The next day, was filled with more travel as we followed the seemingly inexhaustible little Indian woman. Anamosa walked like some magical force was pulling her forward. She said very little as she treaded onward. I admire her tenacity and steadfastness and hoped I had half of what she did when I became her age.

"How long do you reckon we have to stay gone," I asked Luke.

"Just until Sheriff Calhoun stops looking around for me."

"How long do you think that will be?"

"I don't know. It may be awhile, but you don't have to stay with me. You can go back home whenever you want."

"Is that what you want?"

"Of course, not. I never want you to leave me, but I don't want to be selfish. Your ma didn't want you to leave her."

"She understood. I miss her, but I can't be away from you."

"I'm glad you came. I hate that I put us in this situation, but I'm glad you're here with me."

"You didn't put us in this situation. It was an accident. Everything will work out, you'll see."

"This coming from someone who supposedly lost her faith."

"I believe in you!"

That evening, Anamosa found a spot near a small pond to camp. We ate more bean soup and settled around the fire Luke had built.

"Anamosa, when's the last time you seen your family?" Luke asked.

"I go for my father's funeral ten years ago."

"Why didn't you stay?"

"It was not time to stay. The Great Spirit tell me in dream, he would say to me when it time to go home. Three nights past, he tell me it was time to go. He told me to bring Luke with me and his mate. You his mate, yes, Lizzy?"

I blushed at the notion of being called Luke's mate. So did Luke.

"Anyways...," I said, "do you have family left?"

"Oh yes, my mother, two sisters, and two brothers. My oldest brother, Koi, he the chief of village.

"How big is your village?"

"Small village, maybe thirty."

"That is small! Why so small?"

"My father wanted peaceful tribe. He say no stealing from white man and no killing unless one's life or life of family in danger. Many young men want to fight the white man. They leave and go to other village who will fight. Many die fighting white man."

"Are you excited to go home and see your family?"

"Yes, very excited, very happy."

"Did the Great Spirit tell you how long we would have to stay with your tribe?"

Anamosa became noticeably nervous and started fidgeting with her blanket.

"We sleep, now, yes?"

"Anamosa, you're keeping something from us. What is it?"

"I sleep now," she said as she attempted to get under her blanket.

"Anamosa! What are you not telling us?" I asked very sternly.

Reluctantly, she sat back up and looked sorrowful at us.

"I have dream. Soon, White Spirit Horse will come down and take one of us to next life."

"When? Which one of us?" Luke asked in earnest.

"I don't know. Dream not clear. Now, I sleep."

Sleep? How did she expect me to sleep after what she just said? But then I reminded myself I didn't believe in such foolishness. There was no Great Spirit and there was no God. God was supposed to be full of love and compassion, not possess the kind of cruelty it took to take a little girl's father from her. Surely, this world was run by fate...with no one at the reigns. It was the only explanation I had for my Pa dying. I fell asleep thinking about how my life would have been different if Pa was still alive.

Early the next day we continued on our journey. Anamosa informed us we should arrive at her village before sunset. I noticed the closer we got to her people, the faster she seemed to move. Her feet appeared to float over the ground. It took all Luke and I had to keep up with her. I suppose I would also be as anxious and excited to see my family as she was after years of not seeing them.

Suddenly Anamosa stopped, looked back over her shoulder pass Luke and I, and motioned for us to be quiet. Luke and I froze as she appeared to be listening for something. After a few second, she quickly came to us.

"Someone follows us. We hide in bushes and wait."

"Sheriff Calhoun?" I asked fearfully.

"No, someone on foot...someone alone."

I don't know how she was able to deduce so much about the person following us. I guessed it was because she was Indian. I've heard a lot of remarkable stories from folks in town about how well Indian's tracking abilities were. I realized now those stories weren't exaggerated.

We hid in some tall bushes for several minutes when I heard someone coming through the thickets. I held my breath in anticipation of who would appear. I hoped it would be anyone other than Sheriff Calhoun or one of his men.

Out into the clearing walked an Indian man who looked to be in his early twenties. I thought Anamosa's plan was to remain hidden in the bushes until he passed, but she had a different plan. She busted out of the bushes and confronted the young man. His eyes grew wide in surprise and he didn't know whether to stay or run.

She began to yell in her native tongue right in the face of the scared young man. Every time he would take a step back from Anamosa, she would take a step forward staying in his face, continuing her rant. Finally, she stopped screaming and the obviously frightened Indian ran back into the thickets from where he had previously emerged. Anamosa motioned for us to come out from our hiding place and we began heading for her village once again.

"Hold on, Anamosa, what just happened? Who was he? What did you say to him that scared him so much?" I asked.

"He outcast...how you say?.. A bad apple. He must do something bad to offend his people. He branded with "the mark" on his neck to tell everyone he is bad man and deserves not to be Indian. He will be rejected by his people till day White Spirit Horse come down and take him to his judgment."

"Why was he following us?"

"Don't know."

"I wonder what he did."

"Don't know... something bad. Now, he must survive alone."

"How?"

"Many outcasts must swallow pride. They seek white man to trade with. They trade furs, fish, meats, information, or anything they have the white man want for what they need."

"What did you say to him that scared him so bad?" Luke asked.

"I lie. I tell him I evil spirit and if he don't stop following me, I will make all his hair fall out his head. Indian men so vain," Anamosa said with a smirk.

We continued on our journey for several more hours. I began to notice that Anamosa's already quick pace was getting faster. I could tell her excitement was rising which could only mean one thing, we were getting close. Just as I had speculated, we walked into a clearing that revealed a wide flat-topped hill several yards away. Visible, on top of this hill were some tepees with thin columns of smoke creeping out of the top of a few. I heard a strange yelp coming from somewhere through the woods to the right of us followed by a repetitive call from the hilltop. They knew we were here. Soon several Indians were standing on the hillside looking down at us.

Anamosa continued forward and hollered something in her native tongue at the Indians on top of the hill. A woman's shriek was heard atop the hill. The Indian line separated allowing a woman through who began running towards us. Anamosa began running towards her until they met in an emotional embrace of smiles and tears. Soon others came down the hill side to embrace Anamosa and welcome her home. Together, they all started up the hill as Anamosa motioned for us to follow. I admit I was a little apprehensive about walking into an Indian village, but I trusted Anamosa and I had Luke beside me.

Chapter 12

As we topped the plateau, the bustling life of an Indian village came into view. The whole scene was as if it was taken directly out of one of the many nickel books I'd read in the past. There were a few women, with their babies supported in their cradle boards, grinding corn by rolling it over their matates. Another women and a young girl was scraping a hide. I couldn't exactly tell which kind of animal it was from, but probably a large deer. A few young girls were carrying buckets of water while others carried handfuls of wood. An elderly woman sat on a tree log weaving a grass mat, her face as wrinkled as wet sheep skin. Far on the other side of the encampment, several men and young boys were carrying carved-out canoes down the hillside. Apparently, there was a river near by and they were heading for it.

All the women and children stopped their activities and came over to greet Anamosa with hugs and kisses to her forehead. Then they turned their attention to Luke and me. I could tell they didn't know what to think of us by the confused and concerned looks on their faces. But Anamosa said something to them in her foreign language and all their faces immediately turned merry and we were welcomed with kisses to our foreheads.

Several of the women led Luke and I to a teepee and motioned for us to go in. I gathered this was where we were to stay. We pulled the canvas flap back and walked inside, hunching over a little because of the low ceiling height. This was my first time inside a teepee and I found it surprisingly roomy. It was empty except for a few blankets folded on one side and a circle of large rock in the center used to corral a small fire for cold nights.

Anamosa followed us inside.

"I tell my people, you family. They treat you like family. They expect you to act like family. Family has chores to do before night falls. Come and help."

"Of course. We'll be happy to." Luke said.

"Oh, one more thing," Anamosa said before she walked outside. "I tell them you two married."

"What?" I exclaimed. Although the very thought thrilled me.

"Believe me, it easier this way. Lot less explaining."

I spent the remaining afternoon gathering wood and water with three young Indian girls. Anamosa was helping prepare the evening feast while Luke spent the afternoon with several Indian men as they taught him how to shoot a bow and arrow. I soon came to the realization most chores in an Indian village were done by the women. The men were the providers and protectors and had to spend their time perfecting both duties.

After the chores were finished and the day's light had faded, everyone gathered around a big round raging fire pit encircled with logs for sitting that were placed a safe distance away from the heat of the fire. We sat as some of the elderly women, including Anamosa, passed out food for everyone. We had venison, corn on the cob, and sweet potatoes; all as good as I'd ever ate. Afterwards, the women left the men sitting around the fire to pass around a smoking pipe. I found Anamosa sitting on the grass, behind her teepee, enjoying her own smoke and watching a full moon fighting to shine its light through a cloudy night sky. I sat down next to her.

"I didn't know you smoked?"

"I seldom do. It help me calm my stomach."

"What, was it something you ate? Does Indian cooking not agree with you?" I snickered.

"My heart is heavy for Koi."

"Your brother? Why?"

"He man of peace. He also very spiritual. The Great Spirit give him gift of reading dreams...his dream or someone else dream. It no matter, he can read them."

"Like Joseph, in the Bible, when he interpreted the Pharaoh's dreams."

"I never read Bible, but I hear preacher in church tell story of Joseph many times. It always make me think of Koi. He could read dreams when only small boy."

"So, why are you sad?"

"A Navajo chief from across river come see Koi many times and many times Koi read his dreams. For this, chief give Koi and our village protection from hostile tribes. Navajo chief very powerful, many men in his village. Nobody bother us for they fear him, what he might do to them."

"That sounds like a good arrangement. Your people get to live in peace and all Koi has to do is interpret dreams."

"It make my people weak. We no can protect our self without help. Sometimes, I feel shame for my brother. A spiritual man is no warrior. My people need warrior."

"So something happened between your brother and this Navajo chief?"

"Navajo chief has young daughter. Koi has young son. Each time Navajo chief come to village and have dreams read, he bring young daughter. It not long before she and Koi's son fall in love, but Navajo chief only want daughter fall in love with warrior. He forbade union of young couple."

"Three day ago, young daughter run away from her village and come here to be with Koi's son. Koi's son beg Koi let her stay. Koi agree. When Navajo chief find his daughter with Koi's son, he grow angry. He call Koi thief. He tell daughter he no longer her father. Then he tell Koi he must pay for stealing from him. He take Koi's wife, Leotie. He say Koi can have her back when he bring him twenty horses."

"Twenty horses! This village doesn't have twenty horses! Where's he going to get twenty horses?"

"Don't know. We have little money to buy horses and Koi will not steal horses. He only pray to Great Spirit to bring Leotie back."

"Can't Koi just exchange the Navajo chief's daughter for his wife?"

"No, Navajo chief's daughter part of our tribe, now. She belongs to us. She carries Koi's grand-child."

"What will happen if Koi can't come up with twenty horses to give to the chief? What will happen to Leotie?"

"She will belong to Navajo chief."

"How can he do that? It's against the law!"

"We no live by same laws as white men. Our laws not the same."

"How can Koi not do anything? He has to do something to get her back. She's his wife. Or is being an Indian's wife different than being a white man's wife?"

"He care deeply for Leotie, but he swore oath to Great Spirit to be man of peace and faith. He believe Great Spirit will return her because he had dream they together again."

"A dream! He's going to do nothing because he believes in a dream?"

"Koi's dreams are powerful. They always right, whether they good or bad, they come to be."

Anamosa sighed deeply. I noticed her mood became darker with her last statement, as if she knew of impending gloom.

"What's wrong, Anamosa?"

"Koi tell me of dream he have many times now. In dream, he see our people, all our people, Choctaw, Navajo, Cherokee, Blackfoot... all of us marching in one line away from our land. We are being driven away by white men. Many my people cry. So many tears, rivers overflow their banks. This time of sorrow approaches soon."

"Anamosa, I just can't believe anyone would allow such things like that to happen. This is your land. You can't be driven off it."

"I hope you right and Koi wrong."

Just then, Luke startled me as he appeared from around the teepee. He was stumbling a bit and seemed a little confused. He was talking louder than he needed to be for such a quiet night and his face was plastered with a silly smile.

"There you are, my little Lizzy. I walked around this whole village looking for you. I can't seem to find our teepee. They all look the same."

"Are you all right?"

"I feel great!" Luke giggled. "I can't feel my skin and my head feels like it's floating, but I feel great...very happy! I never smoked before."

"You baby," Anamosa teased. "I smoke many times...feel nothing."

I stood up and put my arms around Luke to support him.

"I'll show you to our teepee. It's right over here."

I led him to our teepee just a few feet away and tucked him in for the night. I then lay beside him and imagined we were married. Just that simple thought made my heart race and my face display a smile I couldn't wipe away.

"What are you smiling about?" Luke whispered.

"Nothing," I said, too embarrassed to tell him of my thoughts.

"It's great being here with you," Luke said, staring up at the small opening at the top of the teepee where smoke from a fire could escape. There was no smoke this night for it was far too warm outside to need heat from a fire. "It kind of feels like we're married."

"I was just thinking the same thing!"

Luke rolled over to face me and ran his hand down the length of my arm with a sly grin on his face.

"We could pretend we are married."

"Why, Luke! You should be ashamed of yourself for having such thoughts! I will be married to a man first before I lie down with him. I will assume that smoke has your head clouded and that's why you're talking so boldly."

"I was just kidding you," Luke chuckled as he turned over on his back. "I know you too well to try anything like that."

"You know me?"

"Of course I do! You're kind yet let no one push you around, you're compassionate yet have a fiery soul, you're strong-minded yet allow others to take control when need be, and you have a heart full of love yet guard it closely. And you once had faith but now you're lost in the darkness, searching for answers that aren't there."

"Do you have faith?"

"Oh yes, Lizzy. I have faith I will discover who I am. I have faith in the goodness of humanity. I have faith that everything will work out just fine and I have faith in you, Lizzy Cooper. And one d-d-a-a-y-y...w-w-e-e..."

The intoxicating effects of the smoke Luke had shared in the circle of men were taking its toll on him as he succumbed to sleep. I kissed him on his forehead, rolled over on my back and whispered," Does your faith know where I can get twenty horses?"

Chapter 13

I woke up early the next morning and, for a second, thought I was back home in my own room, but soon the cobwebs in my head burned away and I remembered I was in a teepee in the middle of a Choctaw village in the heart of Indian country. I was alone for Luke had already woken and left without waking me. I felt home-sick for the first time since we left. I missed Grandma Viola, Katie, and even Billy, but especially I missed Ma. And the part that fretted me most was I didn't know how long we would have to stay gone. I didn't know how long Sheriff Calhoun and his men would look for us before they gave up. How long do you look for your brother's killer before you give up? Maybe never!

That notion scared me. I loved Luke with all my heart even though some people might say we barely knew one another. But I felt such a strong connection to him that couldn't be explained. I could never leave him. Only the other side of the coin, I loved my family absolutely and longed to be with them again. I felt torn, like my heart was being wrenched between the love for my family and the devotion I felt for Luke.

I put aside my internal emotional battle for the moment. I knew it was a futile fight with no possible outcome which could please both sides. I had made my choice, whether right or wrong, the decision was made. I shrugged off my worry and walked outside to search for Luke.

I scanned the village and saw Luke in the distance standing beside Koi. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could see their heads were thrown back in laughter. I began to walk towards them when, suddenly, yelps of alarm from some of the men in the village stopped me in my tracks.

I saw Koi quickly push Luke into a nearby teepee as he ordered two men to stand guard over him. The women gathered their children and ran into their teepees. The men, who had given the cry of alarm, ran up to Koi and spoke to him in earnest. Then, together, they hurried to the plateau's edge to get a view of what had alarmed the men. I should have ran and hid like the women and children, but, instead, I went to see what impending danger was coming.

As I looked down at the valley below, I saw what looked like thirty men on horseback rapidly approaching. I didn't have to see their face to know who it was. It was Sheriff Calhoun and his men, without a doubt. He had found us...but how?

Suddenly, Anamosa appeared from nowhere and threw me into the closest teepee. She placed one finger to her lips motioning for me to be quiet. But the silence was soon shattered with the approaching thundering sound of horse's hoofs, followed by the angered voice of Sheriff Calhoun ordering Koi to present the man who killed his brother. I heard nothing from Koi because he remained tight-lipped which caused Sheriff Calhoun's voice to grow louder with annoyance.

"Did you or didn't you hear me, Chief?" Sheriff Calhoun yelled. "I know that boy is here! If you don't hand him over right now, I'll kill everyone here! Do you understand me?"

Alamosa began to walk outside the teepee so I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Where are you going?" I asked under my breath.

"Koi will not speak. I must speak for him."

Then she departed the teepee leaving me behind. With trembling hands, I parted the canvas flap of the teepee ever so slightly so I could watch. Bravely, Anamosa approach Sheriff Calhoun and his men who stood only a few feet away from my teepee. I could see that all the sheriff's men were armed and did indeed number nearly thirty. Koi stood with twelve of his men facing Sheriff Calhoun's men. Only four of the Indians were holding rifles while the others held knives and bow and arrows.

"What does this withered old squaw want?" Sheriff Calhoun asked his men as Anamosa approached them.

"I here to speak for Koi."

"Fine, tell him to hand over the boy. I know he's here."

Anamosa re-laid the message to Koi who replied back in his native tongue. She translated his words back to the sheriff.

"We have not the boy you seek."

"Yes you do," Sheriff Calhoun said with confidence. "We were told he was here by another Indian who saw him heading this way with a young white girl and a little old squaw."

Just then, making his way through the wall of horses and approaching Sheriff Calhoun, was the young Indian man who Anamosa had caught following us a few days ago. He was the informant. The young Indian man gave Anamosa a quick evil smirk. She returned a look of anger and disappointment back at him. The sheriff tossed the outcast a small bag which I could only imagine contained gold... his payment for turning us in. He claimed his prize and disappeared back through the barrage of horses.

"Okay, if you won't cooperate, we'll search this entire village until he's found."

Sheriff Calhoun was about to direct his men to start the search when Koi ordered his four men to draw their rifles. They all aimed at the sheriff.

"What do you think four rifles are going to do against all of us?" Sheriff Calhoun snickered," Do you think you can shoot us all?"

"No," Koi said through Anamosa, "just you."

I could tell by Sheriff Calhoun's expression he was taken back a little by this predicament, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I don't think you will. I've already been told that this is a village of prayer and spiritual enlightment or some crap like that. You believe in peace, not fighting. You aren't warriors. Ain't that true?"

"We never had much use for fighting," Anamosa translated.

"That's what I thought," Sheriff Calhoun grinned. "Lower your rifles."

The four Indians with rifles remained steadfast.

Sheriff Calhoun motioned to a few of his men who picked up their rifles and shot recklessly a couple of times into random teepees. The Indians with rifles looked to Koi for instructions who immediately ordered them to lower their rifles. He wasn't willing to risk the lives of the women and children hiding inside those teepees. Sheriff Calhoun ordered a few of his men to dismount and take the rifles from the Indians. After collecting the rifles, the rest of Calhoun's men began shooting into the teepees again.

I then heard Luke's voice screaming for the men to stop shooting. I looked and saw him running towards the sheriff waving his arms and shouting. The two Indians who had been guarding over him were lying on the ground. Luke had forced his way through them to get to the sheriff.

Koi looked back at the number of teepees riddled with multiple bullet holes and then glared back at the sheriff with fire in his eyes. He was ignored by Sheriff Calhoun who was fully focused on Luke standing in front of him.

"So, you're the son-of-a-bitch who killed my brother?"

"It was an accident! He came at me and I knocked him to the ground. His head hit a water troth. I swear it was an accident!"

"So is this!"

Sheriff Calhoun swiftly drew his pistol and shot Luke in the stomach. Luke fell to his knees holding his belly in shock and obvious agony. Small trickles of blood ran between his fingers. I screamed and began running to him but Anamosa caught me and held me fast. I dropped to my knees screaming and sobbing for Luke.

"I only gut-shot you, boy. I don't want you to die just yet. I need you to suffer!" Sheriff Calhoun sneered. He then motioned to two of his men. "Drag him over to that tree, prop him up and tie him to the tree so he can watch."

The two men did as they were ordered and tied Luke, who was grimacing in pain, to a pine tree. Luke was in too much pain to stand, so they left him sitting down, tying his hands together around the trunk of the tree. The men rejoined the others and mounted their horses.

"Boy, open your eyes," Sheriff Calhoun shouted. "I don't want you to miss anything. Everything that happens next is your fault. You brought all this upon these people when you killed my brother. They will pay for your sin. Out here, I'm the judge and the executioner. I'm the final voice of justice!"

I looked towards Luke through watery eyes. His head was pointed slightly towards the sky, his eyes were closed, and the agony which had covered his face only moments before had vanished. He looked serine and peaceful and appeared as if he was...praying!

"Boy, you praying for a miracle, cause that's the only thing that's going save you out here," the sheriff mocked. He then motioned for his men to spread out in a semi-circle and draw their rifles. Some aimed at Koi and the Indians standing in front of them and some aimed towards the teepees.

Sheriff Calhoun lifted his right arm in the air to ready his men. Before the sheriff dropped his arm to start the massacre, I looked back at Luke just as he opened his eyes. I could see nothing but the whites of his eyes just like the night up on that ridge when he had made it rain. At the same instance, the sheriff dropped his arm and his men pulled their triggers. I closed my eyes tight and waited for the awful explosive sounds of thirty deadly rifles firing, but all I heard was thirty clicks as the rifle's hammers fell ineffectively.

I opened my eyes in surprise and saw the same surprised and bewildered look on Sheriff Calhoun and his men's faces. We all knew that miss-fires happen on occasions, but never with thirty rifles at the same time. I remember thinking to myself...it would have taken a miracle.

Suddenly, my attention was directed towards Koi when he screamed something in his native tongue. I saw him reach behind his back and produce a hatchet, from where, I couldn't tell you. He reared his arm back and threw it with all his might at Sheriff Calhoun. The hatched found its mark and sunk deep into the sheriff's chest with a sound very much like when Pa used to split open a watermelon with his machete.

Sheriff Calhoun gasped loudly, reached for the hatchet imbedded in his chest, and fell off his horse. He hit the ground with a loud grown and didn't move. The rest of Koi's men, quickly and swiftly and with much skill for being "peaceful" people, attacked the sheriff's men with knives and daggers. The sheriff's men, not being skilled in hand-to-hand combat, were quickly over whelmed and soon all laid dead on the ground. The triumphant Indians hooped and hollered their victory cries.

I saw Koi approach Sheriff Calhoun who was lying on his back, spitting blood and struggling to draw a breath. Koi bent over, looked the sheriff in the eyes, and, to my shock, spoke in English.

"I say we never have much use for fighting. I never say we didn't know how!"

And with that, Sheriff Calhoun drew his last breath.

I broke free from Anamosa's hold and ran to Luke who was now slumped over; the rope around the tree was the only thing holding him upright. I quickly untied the rope and eased him to his back.

"Luke," I cried, "open your eyes! Don't leave me! I need you! I love you! Open your eyes!"

Through much effort, Luke opened his eyes. His breathing was labored and when he spoke, I noticed blood in his mouth.

"Oh, Lizzy, I'm sorry... I put you through... all of this. I...didn't mean...for you to get...hurt, not you! Please, don't...cry for me. It's time...for me...to...go home."

"No, you can't leave me! It's not fair! I can take you home! Let's go home together!"

"Lizzy, it's time...for me to...go to my home...in heaven. I can't go...home but by way of...death. It's all right...Lizzy; I'm ready...to go home. It's time. You...must let me go. Please, Lizzy...let me go!"

"Okay," I sobbed as a saw the tremendous amount of blood flowing from his belly. I knew he was in pain. I had heard stories of how painful being gut-shot was and how very few people ever survive them. "You go home. You go home and rest now. I'll miss you every day."

Luke swallowed hard and choked on the blood in his throat. He wrenched his eyes in pain for a few seconds and then looked back at me, smiled, and said, "I remember what I am, Lizzy! I remember!" He then looked towards the heavens and closed his eyes. His smile widened and he whispered under his breath," I see your pa. You...have his...eyes."

His smile then faded, the air in his lungs escaped, and his whole body went limp. Luke was gone! I held his body tight and sobbed hysterically.

I don't know how long I held Luke's body, but when Anamosa came to my side, the sun was low in the western sky.

"Lizzy, come with me. Let my people prepare Luke's body for Great Spirit to receive. Come, Lizzy, walk with me."

I stood up on aching knees and placed my arm around Anamosa. She led me through the village and towards the river. I noticed on the way that the sheriff's horses had been gathered together in a make-shift corral and Sheriff Calhoun's body, along with his men's, were being piled one on top of the other to be burned as is custom with the enemies of Indians.

"Were many of your people hurt?" I asked Anamosa.

"A few cuts and bruises, but everyone okay."

"That's amazing! All the shooting the sheriff's men did and none of your people were killed?"

"The Great Spirit watch over us. The Great Spirit tell Kio to watch over Luke and our people would be protected."

"Right before Luke passed, he said he knew _what_ he was, not _who_ he was! Do you know what he meant by that?"

"Yes, Luke was Adawehi. You white folks call them angels."

"Angels?" I exclaimed in shock. "Are you trying to tell me Luke was an angel?"

"Many times our ancestors tell us stories of Adawehis walking among people. While living in the heavens, some Adawehi grow curious to know what it like to be human. On rare occasions, the Great Spirit allow one of them come down here and experience being one of us. But while here, the Great Spirit no allow Adawehi to remember what he is. How can one really know what it like being human if one know he is not?"

Suddenly it all made sense...as much sense as it could. Why Luke couldn't remember who he was, how he could heal, and why he seemed to be able to look directly into your soul when he looked at you.

"I can't believe I was with a real angel. I can't believe I didn't know. But why did God, I mean the Great Spirit, allow all of this to happen like it did?"

"He works in mysterious ways. Maybe it to allow an Adawehi to be human for a while, maybe it was to give Koi horses he needed to get wife back, or maybe it was to restore a little girl's faith."

As we continued to walk through knee-high brushes, I was startled by the distinctive sound of a rattler. I immediately stopped in my tracks and looked down to locate the snake, but it was too late. The viper had already struck at me with such speed I couldn't react in time. I felt the creatures fangs penetrate the skin of my left leg just above my ankle.

I fell to the ground, knocking Anamosa down with me, and grabbed at my leg. Anamosa quickly crawled over to me to investigate what had happened.

"A rattler bit me!" I cried.

"Let me see," Anamosa ordered.

I lifted my slacks up to reveal where the snake had bitten me. Astonishingly, there were no puncture wounds, no marks of any kind. I pulled my slacks back down and discovered two hole in them where the fangs had gone through and I know I had felt the pain of the fangs entering my leg, but there was no wound.

Anamosa then motioned for me to look on the ground in front of us. Lying in the grass, belly up, was a dead rattle snake. She began to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Look like you have guardian angel watching over you."

I looked up into the heavens, smiled hugely, and whispered," Thanks, Luke!"

The End

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