Chapter Five
Heart in her throat, Juliet spun and dashed to the opposite side of the slave cottage. Cole was right beside her. He pulled the sidearm form his holster and cradled the weapon with deadly intent.
"Get off my property!" a man hollered as another gunshot pierced the air. "I won't tolerate thieves!"
Juliet and Cole shared a quick look of surprise and guarded relief. "It's not Reynolds."
Pistol at the ready, Cole edged to the corner of the hut. "We mean no harm, sir. My wife and I were caught in the storm and needed shelter. We are leaving now."
"See to it you do. I catch you dawdling on my property and you'll both wind up with a bullet in your backs. I've had enough of thieves and deserters."
"You'll have no trouble from us, sir. You have my word."
"Your word means nothing to me, now get!"
"Let's go," Cole whispered, nodding toward the thicker part of the trees. "We should reach Colonel Raymond's camp within a couple hours."
"He's in Virginia then?"
"Yes," Cole replied, but did not elaborate further.
Juliet glanced over her shoulder, cringing at the thought of more gunfire following them. As soon as they'd put some distance between themselves and the violent-minded landowner, she intended to get a few more answers from Cole.
~*~
For the better part of an hour they moved at a brisk pace through the woods. Neither spoke a word. Juliet decided that one advantage of being on foot was that it kept her warm.
Finally she glanced up at Cole. "Tell me about this information that will end the war."
He met her gaze, expression drawn and plagued with exhaustion. "Pardon?"
She frowned. "Are you feeling all right? You don't look well."
He waved off her concern. "This shoulder is a little sore, but it's nothing to be concerned about."
"You were shot, Cole. There are a number of things to be concerned about. Infection to name one."
The corner of his mouth quirked in a small, almost teasing smile. "What is this? Concern for the Yankee traitor?"
"I suppose it is." She quirked a brow. "Of course if something happens to you while we're lost in the woods what will come of me?"
Cole didn't respond to her comment and Juliet instantly felt guilty for the self-centered quip. She'd intended the remark as a joke, but it hadn't come off that way at all.
Ever so gently she reached out and squeezed his hand. "Promise me you'll see a doctor once we reach safety."
"I promise," he murmured, turning his hand so that her fingers nestled sweetly into his work-roughened palm. Together they stopped walking, facing each other. Little white clouds of breath puffed out between them, mingling together in an intimate shroud of mist.
For a blissful moment time suspended and memories transported Juliet back to a simpler, sweeter time. Cole's soft gray eyes darkened into deep pools of desire, and her wayward heart tugged at memories of years gone by. At one time she would have given anything for Cole to look at her with that look in his eyes. The first time he'd stolen a kiss behind the barn whisked through her mind. She'd been but fifteen and he seventeen. Juliet sighed. The impulsive, clandestine kiss had been her dream come true... until he'd asked Missy Carlson to dance at the church social that very same night.
Cole moved slowly in on her, overwhelming her senses. "Juliet," he whispered, leaning down until he was so close his warm breath breezed over her mouth. "It occurs to me that I haven't kissed you since our reunion."
Lips tingling, her gaze flicked to his mouth. "How very remiss of you," she murmured, unable to convince herself of the need to push him away. After all, they'd been shot at twice in one day. She may very well die before deciding if he had a place in her future. What was one kiss when potential doom awaited? Rising on tiptoe, Juliet rested her free palm against his chest and brushed her lips against his.
Oh, dear... Lightning shot through her veins. Apparently one kiss entailed a great deal more than she'd anticipated.
~*~
Hope. Love. Excitement. In a word, rampant emotions thundered through Cole as Juliet's smooth lips grazed his. It had been so long, and he loved her so much. Why had he waited so long to recognize the true depth of his feelings for her? Before the war it had seemed he had nothing but time. Now time seemed to be working against him in every possible way.
Juliet started to pull away, but he followed her down, allowing his lips to linger against hers for just a few seconds more. To his immense gratification she reciprocated and leaned up, deepening the exchange. He savored the moment. Savored her taste and the velvety soft friction of her lips against his. He would never get his fill of her sweet kisses, not if they were married for fifty years.
With effort Cole forced himself to break the bond of their lips. Juliet's eyelids fluttered, and she gazed up at Cole with passion-clouded eyes. His heart slammed and skipped a beat. The wool blanket had slipped off of her head, and sunlight slanted through the trees, highlighting the reddish undertones in her hair. "You are an angel," he whispered, briefly touching her lips with his again.
Juliet sighed, her breath breezing gently across his mouth. "I wish we could just stay right here."
"What do you mean?" he asked softly.
"When we're alone like this I can almost forget the war." She closed her eyes and she drew a deep breath. "Here in the woods, surrounded by nothing but trees and snow, I can pretend for just a little while that it's only the two of us. There is no north, no south, no Captain Reynolds trying to run us down."
Cole released her hand and reached up to trace the curve of her cheek with his thumb. "We'll have our chance, Jules. Once the war is over we can make a new start. We could even go west to rebuild our lives."
Juliet's brow pulled together and her eyes clouded-this time with uncertainty. "This is all so confusing."
"I know, but try asking yourself what it is that you want."
"What do I want? Right now, I have no idea. I suppose I want... answers. I want answers." In the blink of an eye her expression morphed from the sweet miss he'd been plying with kisses to one of absolute intensity. "Are you really carrying information that will end the war?"
"I am."
Her gaze narrowed on him, eyes searching. "You're not exaggerating? Not even a little?"
She started walking again and Cole matched her pace. "I'm not exaggerating," he assured. He shifted the satchel strap lashed across his chest, trying to make it more comfortable. The ache in his shoulder was growing worse by the hour.
"Tell me about it."
Cole cast her a sidelong glance. "I don't know," he drawled, tone teasing. "Are you trustworthy? Secrecy is the business of a spy."
She quirked a brow and a little smile curled the corners of her mouth. "Then I should think you are a terrible spy."
He clasped a hand over his chest, feigning great injury. "You wound me, Juliet."
Her expression sobered as they continued picking through the underbrush. "What happened, Cole? How were you discovered?"
"I'm not certain," he replied honestly. "Captain Reynolds and his men showed up with a list of names of suspected traitors. Mine was on it. I barely had time to grab what I needed and run." Cole shifted the shoulder strap again, grimacing as a fresh jab of pain sliced along his right side. The injury was getting harder and harder to ignore. Forcing himself to focus on Juliet, he continued the story. "I couldn't go through the usual channels of relaying information because I have no idea if my contacts have been compromised. So I'm taking the information to Colonel Raymond myself. Last I knew he was in Central Virginia. That's where we're heading."
"And how will the information you're carrying end the war?"
"The Confederate generals have a plan to mass the majority of their remaining forces and make a sudden, decisive strike on Washington, D.C. They believe taking the U.S. capitol will demoralize the northern troops and citizens enough to force a surrender."
"They'll never get close enough to the capitol to launch that attack."
"Maybe... maybe not. They plan to mass the troops quickly and quietly to catch the Yankee commanders off guard. My fear is that they may succeed in launching a major attack, but it won't be enough to end the war. At this point a major southern victory will merely prolong the fighting, but ultimately the north will prevail for all the reasons we discussed earlier."
"So what is your plan?"
"If the Union generals know where Confederate forces are massing, they can crush them long before they reach Washington. The war will be over, and the Union will be preserved."
Juliet was silent for several seconds. "Won't the Confederate commanders know that you're taking this information to the Yankees?"
Cole shook his head. "I don't believe any of them are aware that I have this information. Say what you wish about my spy abilities, but I rooted this out very carefully and without detection."
Juliet looked to him with wide serious eyes. "If what you say is true, the war could be over within... months." She shook her head, dazed. "I-I can hardly imagine life without the constant worries. We could-" She averted her eyes.
"Get married and get on with our lives," he finished hopefully.
Juliet didn't say anything, and she didn't look at him either. In fact, she remained utterly silent for an entire hour. Cole would have given his right arm to know what she was thinking, especially if it meant that his right arm stopped incessantly throbbing. By the time another hour had passed and he didn't have the presence of mind to care if Juliet possessed any thoughts of mercy for him. Nearly crippled by the pain radiating from his shoulder, he could scarcely put one foot in front of the other. Chills wracked him despite the steady motion of all his limbs, and every muscle in his body hurt. He'd never felt more miserable in his life.
"Cole, you don't look well."
"Nonsense," he mumbled, jerkily turning his attention to her.
Brow furrowed with worry, Juliet looped an arm through his. "Cole-"
He stumbled and tripped over a fat log. With effort he righted himself and reached for a tree. "Perhaps I'll just rest against this tree for a few minutes." Putting his back to the fat trunk, he slid to the ground. Pain jarred through his shoulder and he stifled a groan as a wave of nausea rolled through him. Lord, help him... he might be dying. He closed his eyes, sitting perfectly still, willing the misery away. He'd done a damn fine job forcing himself to ignore the injury today. Surely he could forge ahead just a bit longer.
"Cole!" Juliet dropped beside him, taking his face in her palms. "Please get up. Don't stop. Not here." Her cold hands covered his face. "My God, you're burning up." She cursed under her breath. "We have to get you out of these cold woods and to a doctor."
"Well, well, if it isn't the Yankee and his woman," a sinister voice called.
No! Panic shot through Cole as his eyes snapped open. Juliet! He had to keep her safe. She was his responsibility. He'd put her in danger. He groped for the sidearm resting in the holster on his hip, wildly searching the woods for Reynolds and his men. His head spun dizzyingly, and he just couldn't seem to focus. The trees all seemed to blur together. Horror filled him. I think I really am dying. What would come of Juliet at the hands of Reynolds? What of the information he had with the power to end the war? How many more would parish because he'd failed?