“No. If he’s waiting up in the hills, he’d see us coming a mile away.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Come on in. I told Saul to start packing. I’m taking them to King’s Ransom in the morning.”
“Good.” Clay walked beside Reno to the barn to get his horse settled. “I’m glad they’re going. What about your trip?”
Reno opened the barn door and shouldered his rifle as he moved inside. “I’ll head on to Waco to catch the next stagecoach as soon I get the kids to safety.”
“There’s no reason I can’t escort them home. Is there?” Clay waited while Reno lit a lantern. “You can head north from here. It’ll save you from doubling back. Right?”
“Sure would. Thanks.” Reno took a look around the barn as Clay cared for his horse. Mixed feelings filled his chest. “I’ll tell you the truth, I’ve never wished I could be in two places at once more than I do right now.”
Clay cleared his throat. “Your brother needs you. We’ll take care of the home front while you’re gone.”
“I know you will.” He filled a bucket with oats for Clay’s horse. “You’ve never let me down.”
Clay let out a long breath. “I wish that were true. You know I let you down.”
Reno removed the blanket from his friend’s horse and placed it on a bale of hay, indicating for Clay to place his saddle on top of it. “I understand how you felt. Losing your uncle and cousin at Five Forks.”
“Still, my attitude was uncalled for. I treated you like shit just because you made contact with your brother.”
“You’ve apologized enough. The only thing you knew of Cole and my father were the bad things I told you about.” He’d never bothered to speak of the good times. “When I went to meet with my brother, you were afraid for my safety.”
“True, but…I should have gone with you rather than acting like an idiot. I let my misplaced sense of loyalty cloud my judgement. When all was said and done, the color of our uniforms didn’t matter so much. Most of the boys I knew didn’t even understand why they were fighting. They didn’t own slaves. War’s a funny thing, men don’t usually fight for a cause. They fight because they don’t want to let their comrades down.” He bowed his head in remorse. “And I let you down.”
Reno shook his head. “Water under the bridge. You’ve proved yourself a thousand times over as far as I’m concerned.” He made sure the trough was full. “Let’s go in. There’s food. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.” Clay slapped his hat against his knee. “Lead on.” After Reno latched the door, they began their trek to the cabin. “The Locum place was hit. Got burned out.”
Reno stopped in his tracks. “You’re just now mentioning this?”
Clay shrugged. “I was glad to see you.”
With a snort, Reno chuckled. “What did you hear? Are they alive?”
“Yea. Mr. Locum was there when I rode past, searching through the rubble. They managed to escape, but a war party raided the place, taking everything of value and burning the house and barn to the ground. Stole all the livestock too.”
“Damn. The Locums are less than a mile from here. The man I ran off was probably a scout. This place could be next.” He picked up his pace. “Hell, I’ve got to get the children to safety before they come back.”
Just before they reached the door, it swung open and Saul stood there with a pale face and dark eyes. “Mr. Clay! How are you?”
“Fine. Fine.” He shook the boy’s offered hand. “Heard you had a visitor earlier.”
“We did.” Huck inserted. “An Injun. He didn’t hurt us though.”
Reno moved to the fire and propped his rifle next to the hearth. He noticed Emory was curled up on a pallet playing with his turtle while Tess was napping with her doll. “Soup smells good. Saul, get Mr. Bennett a bowl.”
“Sure thing.” The boy did as he was asked. “I packed a few things, Reno.”
“Just a few things?” He moved to one of the four windows in the cabin to peer outside. All seemed clear.
“Yea. Do you think it’s really necessary for…?”
Reno cut Saul’s question short. “Yes. It is.” He glanced at the boy and tried to ignore his beseeching eyes. “I know you’re worried about this cabin. But it’s just a house.”
“No, it’s all we have left of our folks,” Saul’s protest started loudly, but lessened when he saw