Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ever Ridden A Train?
Silas was whistling a happy tune as he entered the dining room the next morning. He took his seat, cradling Grace in his arm as he looked at those already there. Comanche seemed to be in just as good a mood as Silas was and had a smile on his face as he sat beside Frankie and leaned over now and then to whisper intimately into her ear.
Colt shook his head and scratched at his bearded chin. "It ain't natural to be so damn happy in the morning." He grumbled.
"A good woman's love will do that for you." Silas replied, kissing Grace's forehead.
"So far in my life there's one ever been one female that could put a smile like that on my face first thing in the morning." Colt admitted.
"Secret lover?" Frankie asked with a teasing raise of her brow and Silas watched Colt's eyes fill with a mixture of love and pain as he seemed to be seeing into the past.
"My daughter." He replied quietly just as Evangeline, Charlotte and Katherine came into the dining room, carrying steaming plates of bacon, sausage, egg, biscuits, gravy and fried apples.
"You have a daughter?" Silas questioned and Colt grunted before beginning to fill his plate with food, clearly done speaking.
"Good morning." Jedidiah exclaimed brightly as he entered the dining room. "I trust you all slept as well as could be expected after the whopper I laid on ya yesterday."
"I didn't sleep worth a darn." Ox mumbled as he staggered into the dining room and scratched at his messy dark hair. Silas found himself chuckling as the man gave them all a sleepy wave. "I'm real glad you have enough room here for all of us, Aunt Rachel, but have you got any beds that are just a bit bigger?"
"I'm sorry, Ox, I don't." Rachel replied regretfully. "Was it a tight fit?"
Ox flopped down in a chair and Silas saw him smile nervously at Katherine as she sat down across from him. Silas thought these people were wasting too much time. Clearly Ox was interested in Katherine and it was clear that Katherine was lonely so what was taking them so long to at least speak to one another? And then there was Colt and Evangeline! While it was clear that Colt had demons and more than likely a rather tragic back story, Silas could tell the man was interested in Evangeline and Evangeline seemed just as interested in him, however neither would act on those feelings.
Silas hated to see such precious time being wasted when time was a commodity that seemed to be rare and vanishing quickly.
"That bed was at least three feet too small." Ox admitted with a sigh.
"Why don't you simply nail a few boards to the end of the bed to rest your feet on?" Comanche asked with a grin and Ox seemed to think on that a moment and then nodded.
"I reckon that would probably work!" He frowned. "Why didn't I ever think of that?"
"I wanted to let you all know that I took the liberty of preparing the horses this morning and packing up quite a few supplies. It shouldn't take long once you finish eating to get the rest loaded up and be on our way." Jedidiah said happily as he sat down at the table.
Silas frowned and adjusted Grace in his arm. "When did we agree to leaving?"
"We didn't." Colt growled. "What do you think you're doing, old man?"
"Were you not just about to tell me that you'd talked to several in your group and thought on it last night and decided that coming west with me was a good idea?"
Silas could see the surprise on Colt's face. It was clear the man lacked faith but Silas didn't. He didn't know if this man was a prophet or not but Silas believed that Jedidiah believed in his own abilities and honestly having something to believe in and follow would be good for the group. It was good for all humanity.
"The words 'good idea' never once crossed my mind." Colt mumbled.
Jedidiah seemed quite amused at Colt's expression which could almost be considered a pout. Jedidiah flashed a wide, broken toothed grin and nodded.
"Sure it did. Now weren't you just about to let everybody know y'all were coming along with me?"
"I hadn't talked to everybody yet." Colt countered stubbornly and Jedidiah spread his arms.
"Then talk to them. We're all here together and I cannot think of a better time."
Silas saw Colt take a deep breath and then his dark blue eyes looked over everyone at the table. Silas was pleased to see that he seemed to be coming out of whatever high strung, temperamental mood he'd been in the last few days. It would certainly make being in close quarters with the man easier—and safer.
"Alright, y'all. Let me hear it."
"I already told you I want to go." Katherine replied and Colt nodded.
"I told you I wanted to as well." Evangeline replied and then when Colt turned toward the next person she held up her hand and his eyes went back to her as his brow rose. "But I want to add that I'll respect any decision you make and follow it."
"You barely know him." Frankie snorted. "Why so loyal?"
Silas groaned and laid his free hand on Charlotte's hand on top of the table. Frankie and Evangeline wouldn't know how to simply get along if you stuck them in a room and forced them to at gunpoint. Of course most of that blame lay on Frankie. Her sharp tongue caused more than a few headaches.
"It doesn't take long to realize a good leader when you meet one." Evangeline replied. "He actually asked for my opinion, that alone earns him a good deal of my respect and add to that the fact that he saved my life and I will gladly go along with whatever choice he makes here this morning."
Frankie stared at Evangeline as if she had a third eye and then nodded slowly. "Well alright then."
"Thank you, Evangeline." Colt said quietly and the tenderness in his tone clearly didn't miss Ox's ears who sat up a bit straighter and sent a very territorial glare in Colt's direction.
Colt turned to Comanche and Frankie. "What do you think?" he asked them.
"I go where she goes." Comanche conceded with a tip of his head in Frankie's direction and Frankie rolled her eyes.
"Little shadow." She replied, though Silas saw the way she laid her hand gently over his arm as she did. "I'm not really the settling down in one place type so I'm up for a little adventure." She replied with a nod. "There will be rabid to kill along the way won't there?" she asked Jedidiah and the man laughed loudly.
"The entire world seems to have gone rabid; I think it's pretty safe to say that we'll see a few."
Frankie smiled. "Then I'm in for sure."
Colt then turned to Silas and Charlotte. "And the two of you; how do you feel?"
Silas met Charlotte's gaze and then squeezed her hand urging her to speak. They had talked about this long into the night and had agreed on their decision. Charlotte nodded.
"We want to go west. Faith is all we have left. It's all we've had for a while now. And Jedidiah has helped to give us just a little more of that."
"Alright then, old man." Colt said as he turned to look at Jedidiah. "You heard them. We're going west. But there is one condition."
"I don't want to take over, Colt. You are more than welcome to continue to be the boss and I will simply guide your path a little."
"I don't think Colt likes Jedidiah's insights into his mind." Charlotte whispered to Silas and he nodded in agreement. Colt looked confused and that confusion quickly seemed to be becoming temper.
"So I'm the boss and yet you went ahead and made plans for us to leave today?"
"Yes." Jedidiah agreed. "And I suggest you eat with haste. We only have a couple of hours...."
"A couple of hours for what?" Ox asked, frowning around the bite of eggs he had just shoved into his mouth.
Jedidiah glanced out the window. "Before another—what did y'all call it—herd? Yes that's it. Before another herd of rabid pass through. This one a whole lot bigger than the last."
The dining room filled with a loud chorus of 'Whats!?' and Colt shoved back his chair, leapt to his feet and went to the window, yanking back the heavy curtain and scanning the yard.
"I reckon I said you have a couple of hours, Colt. They ain't here yet." Jedidiah stated and Silas saw the look in Colt's eyes when the man whirled around that said he was at his breaking point.
Without warning, Colt drew his gun, took three long strides and aimed it directly at Jedidiah's forehead. The table seemed to gasp in unison and Rachel called out, jumping toward Colt, only to be stopped when Ox's big arm looped around her waist and held her still.
"I've had about all I'm gonna take of this, old man. You can come with us west and hell I'll even humor you and let you take us to this so-called 'promised land' but I won't have you pretending to be some kind of mind reading future teller the whole damn time and scaring everybody."
"Scaring anyone was not my intention." Jedidiah replied calmly as he looked up at Colt unblinking. "Though a bit of fear is a healthy thing now and then. This herd will be massive and if we are still in this house....." Jedidiah sighed. "I have seen what will happen if we stay and it isn't anything that any of us want to have happen."
"Why should we believe that?' Colt ground out, not lowering his gun. "Just because you say so? Who the hell are you?"
"Jedidiah Gray. Prophet of sorts. You should have more faith than what you're showing, Colt. Sarah and Loralie would want you to trust in the belief of a...."
"You're gonna shut the hell up right now." Colt snapped, cocking the revolver and pressing the cold metal against Jedidah's head. "You won't mention either of those names again and if you do I'll be giving you one more hole to breathe out of. Don't you question my beliefs either. I believe in plenty but what I don't believe in are old men using scare tactics to try to get what they want."
"Colt, step back a little and put your gun away. No one needs to be shot today." Katherine urged as she walked to Colt and put her hand on his arm. Without breaking eye contact with Jedidah, Colt slowly lowered his gun and then strode to the corner where he leaned against the wall, pulled his hat low and seemed to raise a thirty foot wall around him.
"I know that faith is a hard thing to have in a man like me." Jedidah spoke up, offering a smile. "But I wish you all would simply trust. I knew you were coming. I knew your names. I know your stories. Is that not enough? We are meant to go west. There is a place there where something is waiting for us... It's over those mountains and we just have to get to it."
"We have already said we are going." Comanche assured him and Silas nodded.
"That's right."
Jedidiah held his arms out and shrugged. "Then if you believe enough to follow me than believe me when I say there is a herd of rabid coming. Hundreds. They will tear this house apart, brick by brick once they smell the fresh meat inside."
Silas felt Charlotte shiver against him and he kissed her temple comfortingly.
"I won't leave my home to be torn apart." Rachel argued as she pulled herself out of Ox's grasp.
"Why should we even believe there's a herd coming?" Frankie asked with a shake of her head.
"If you don't believe me then by all means stay. You will die if you do but you will die believing me."
"We're going with you, old man. We already agreed. I guess you don't know the past quite as well as think you do." Colt ground out from the corner.
"I'm not leaving my home to be destroyed." Rachel repeated and Evangeline stood up and clutched her arm.
"Aunt Rachel, didn't you hear him? You'll die if you stay here!"
"Then I'll die defending my home." Rachel replied, throwing her shoulders back and raising her chin. "I worked too hard to build this home to have it destroyed by those bastards."
"But Aunt Rachel you can't do that to us! To Ox and me! We came all this way because we wanted to be with you. We've lost everyone....."
"You'll be just fine, Evangeline. You are a strong girl; stronger than that idiot brother-in-law of mine ever gave you credit for; and Ox is a tough grown man."
"You're one hundred kinds of selfish ain't ya?" Frankie demanded of Rachel and Silas's eyes widened in surprise. Frankie was taking Evangeline's side? That wasn't something he had ever thought he'd see happen.
Rachel fixed her with a glare. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Frankie replied, pushing herself to her feet and adjusted her crutches under her arms. "Those two lost their whole family except for you and now you're gonna leave them too? All for a house?"
"I have given my entire adult life to this home; this plantation. This place is my home."
"Not anymore." Silas said gently.
"That's right." Charlotte agreed as she took a squirming Grace from Silas's arms. "Home is a thing of the past right now. A memory."
"We've all had to leave our homes to stay alive." Katherine agreed. "Why should you be any different?"
"Dying for a piece of wood and stone does indeed seem the thing a fool would do." Comanche added.
Rachel had tears in her eyes as she looked around and then she walked over to Jedidiah and took both of the man's hands in hers.
"Are you sure about this? You know I trust you but..... Are you sure?"
Jedidiah stood and offered her a gentle smile. "I wish I could say no but truth is, Rachel, I'm positive. We have to leave here. Those rabid are going to tear this house apart and no amount of wood on the windows or guns will keep them out. There will be too many."
Rachel's breath hitched in a sob but then she nodded and swallowed hard. "Okay then. Let's eat quickly and get everything packed up. We have a journey to start."
"Where we going first?" Frankie asked as everyone but Colt sat back down.
Jedidiah grinned as he looked at her, his forkful of gravy covered biscuit hovering in front of his lips. "Have any of you ever ridden a train?"
***
Once everyone had eaten and the women had gone upstairs to pack all the clothes they could find, Silas walked outside to find Colt tossing the sacks of food they were taking into the wagon.
"Colt, is there anything wrong?"
"Wrong?" Colt asked without looking at him. "No. Why do you ask?'
"Because you pulled a gun on an innocent man this morning."
Colt sighed and rubbed his face. "I don't like him."
"Why?" Silas questioned patiently.
"Can't say for sure." Colt replied, going back to loading.
"Could it be because he knows things you'd rather nobody know? About your past? About your wife and daughter....."
"Don't, Silas." Colt snapped without stopping his work. "Now I'd like to think us friends, but don't go prying into something that ain't no business of yours."
"I lost my brother to this madness, Colt. Evangeline and Ox lost their mother and father. Katherine lost her mother. Charlotte....."
"It's not the same." Colt argued. "Now go find something useful to do."
Silas wasn't ready to give up yet. Stubbornness was one trait that the good Lord has blessed him with more than enough of. "Pain is like a sickness, Colt. You keep all that locked up and it's gonna eat you alive a little more every day."
Instead of saying anything in response Colt simply tossed a sack of flour extra hard. Silas scratched at his chin.
"Colt...."
"Silas!" Colt yelled loudly, pausing with his hands on sack of potatoes and looking up at Silas from his crouched position. "I appreciate the effort, I do. But there ain't nothing wrong with me that I'm gonna talk to you about. I'll be just fine."
Silas would have pushed farther, knowing that doing so was risking serious injury, but at that moment Charlotte called from the upstairs window needing his help. Silas sighed and watched Colt hoist that sack of potatoes into the wagon before turning and heading back into the house.