The Whippoorwill Trilogy - Sharon Sala Page 0,56

pondered the dilemma his family was in, but it was near morning when the answer came; right out of a dream, and as if God himself had spoken.

Isaac sat straight up in bed and reached for his gun, still not certain the voice that he’d heard had been in his head and not inside the cabin with him and his family.

Minna rolled over in bed and clutched the covers beneath her chin. “What’s wrong, Isaac? Is there a varmint prowlin’ outside?”

Isaac’s heart was still pounding as reality sank in. He set the rifle beside his bed and then laid back down. Slipping an arm beneath Minna, he cuddled her close.

“No, Minna honey, there’s no varmint. I reckon I was just dreamin’.”

She snuggled her face against his chest, relishing the safety of his presence, and soon fell back to sleep. But Isaac couldn’t have shut his eyes to save his soul. He was too busy planning the best way to confront the enemy and bring him to heel.

And so the week passed while Baby Boy followed his father about their farm and pretended his life wasn’t hanging in the balance. Each day that a sun came and went without being forced back to school was, for him, a day of joy. But with each new sunrise came an unsettling fear that his mother would put the coveted education over his personal feelings and force him back into an impossible situation.

“Pa, where are you goin’?”

Isaac paused in the act of harnessing the mules to wipe sweat from his brow.

“Into town to get some things for your momma. Want to come?”

Baby Boy ducked his head. The offer of a wagon ride and the possibility of a sweet treat at the general store were hard to pass up, but if he went, it would be near to impossible to bypass the blacksmith’s son. He was the one who’d started the teasing Baby had endured, although Baby Boy privately thought that Arnold Detter’s son didn’t have a name that was all that much to brag about, either. Going through life with the name of Pearl had to be hell for a fellow to live down. If Baby had been a little older, he might have understood Pearl Detter’s need to ridicule someone besides himself, but he wasn’t. Wisdom doesn’t normally come to a man until some time after he’s bedded his first woman and survived a fight for his life. Baby Boy had yet to do either. He was just hoping to get past his eighth birthday with all of his permanent teeth intact, and he feared if his momma made him go back to that school, it wasn’t going to happen.

Isaac suspected the reason why Baby didn’t want to go with him. But he also knew that to run from a fear was the single worst thing a man could do, no matter what his age. Once in the habit of ducking a problem, the habit seemed to stick throughout life. It made a weakling out of a good man every time.

“I’ll let you drive,” Isaac offered.

Baby Boy vaulted into the seat. He’d suffer a bloody nose any day for the opportunity to drive his pa’s fine team of mules.

“I’m ready when you are, Pa,” he said, his palms fairly itching to take the reins in hand.

Isaac hid a grin. “Just let me get yore momma’s list and we’ll be off.”

Minna had overheard their conversation and met Isaac at the door with the list and a warning he knew meant business.

“You bring him back in one piece, Isaac Jessup, or so help me God, I’ll take a stick to you, myself.”

Isaac grinned, then lifted Minna off of her feet and danced her around the kitchen.

“You’re awful pretty when you’re mad.” Then he stole a kiss she didn’t much bother to dodge.

“And you are a scoundrel, Isaac Jessup. Now get! I’ve got things to do.”

“We’ll be back before chore time,” he promised.

She stuffed the list in his shirt pocket. “Tell Baby I’m making apple pies, but I don’t want to milk that darned cow by myself. She kicks worse than a mule.”

Isaac grinned. He heard more than complaint behind her words. She was telling him she loved him and needed him as best she knew how.

“You won’t have to, honey,” he said. “I’ll be back in plenty of time to do chores.”

“Pa! Let’s go!”

Isaac grinned. “Sounds like our son’s impatient to get his lights punched.”

Minna frowned. “All I know is, Baby better not be the