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Relaxation? An image of Leah pulsed through Bren s mind, and
she turned her head away to hide her grin. It dawned on her that
soldiering had broadened her acceptance of people s differences. In
polite circles, Leah would be considered a fallen woman, not worthy
of respect. But she was kind to me, and she didn t betray my secret,
Bren mused. Faith s voice interrupted her thoughts.
I had no idea they would bother taking over the town. I thought
the fighting was passing us by. You could be in danger.
Hunched over the crutch, Bren turned her head to meet Faith s
eyes. You could be in danger, too. For harboring a Confederate
soldier.
Faith s eyes widened. That thought never occurred to me. She
looked back out at the blue-clad troops, her expression turning
anxious. Please keep well out of sight.
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Don t worry, I ve been very careful about that. And I won t
stay any longer. My wound is healed well enough that I can slip away
tonight, after dark. Once I get on Redfire, the splinted bone shouldn t
hinder me.
Faith swung around toward Bren and looked up with her lips
parted. Bren s body turned of its own accord, and a surge of desire
washed over her. She could almost swear that Faith s eyes were filled
with desire, too. But the moment ended when noise came from the
loft above. Benjamin had awakened.
As Faith s tongue peeked out to moisten her lips, Bren sucked in
a breath. Faith spoke, and her voice held a slight catch. I hoped you
could stay until the bone knit all the way, but perhaps it s best that
you go.
No! Benjamin came scrambling down the ladder from the loft,
still in his nightshirt. I don t want Mr. Cordell to leave. He ran to
Bren s side and grabbed her shirttail. Please don t leave.
Bren placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. I
have to go, Benjamin. We don t want those bluebellies catching me
here. Besides, she said with a smile, how are we going to win this
war if I m not there to help? A pang struck her heart. She had
lowered her defenses enough to begin to feel like a part of this family.
The arrival of the Union troops, however, brought home the
unpleasant fact that Faith and Benjamin were on the opposite side of
the war.
Yes, sir, Benjamin answered reluctantly as Bren released his
shoulder and put her hand back on the crutch.
Since we re all awake, Faith said, I might as well fix
breakfast. I ll stoke the stove so it can warm up while we change.
Faith moved away from the window and touched her son s cheek.
Put your good clothes on, Benjamin. We ll be going to the Sunday
service as usual. Especially today. She tilted her head and met
Bren s inquiring gaze. A lot of people come to church and mingle
afterward. It s a great place to get all the news. Maybe I can find out
where the soldiers will be billeted.
That s a good idea. Bren realized she needed to ask for the
information that a Rebel would want. See if you can learn where the
others are camped outside of town. That s an area I ll want to avoid.
I ll do that, Faith said. Now, let s get ready for breakfast.
111
NANN DUNNE
While Faith and Benjamin were attending the Sunday service,
Bren sat at Faith s desk, adding another drawing to her journal. She
paused to look out the window beside her. The sun shone brightly, a
gentle warmth filled the air, and a mild breeze was just kicking up.
Bren sniffed the air and frowned. What should have been a
remarkably beautiful day was tainted with the odor of the men and
beasts that had passed by earlier. Thankfully, the breeze should carry
the smells away and let nature s pleasanter scents revive. Her face
contorted briefly, as if from pain. The Pruitts had helped her forget
the war for a while, but now it had come to fetch her back. Breathing
a sigh of resigned acceptance, she resumed her drawing.
The picture she worked on portrayed her, Faith, and Benjamin,
sitting at this same desk, looking at this same journal. She placed the
final stroke and smiled, satisfied with her rendition. When she heard a
noise just outside the front door, she assumed it was the two returning
home. She knew Faith had locked the door, but Bren hadn t bolted it
from within, so she didn t need to get up.
Suddenly, something hit the outside of the door with a loud
thump, bursting it open. Three Union soldiers charged into the room
and leveled their muskets at Bren. So the redhead was telling the
truth, the biggest soldier said. There is a Johnny Reb here. Put your
hands in the air. He motioned upward with the musket.
Startled into submission, Bren laid down her pen and raised her
hands. Her body tensed for action. But her common sense took over.
She would just quietly go along with the soldiers. After all, she was
Lady Blue. Once she gave that information to the officer in charge,
and he made inquiries, she had no doubt the authorities would release
her. But a torrent of other thoughts tumbled through her brain. A
redhead told them. Faith gave me up. She turned me in. No, she
wouldn t do that. But maybe she did it to protect her home and to
protect Benjamin. No, I can t believe she would think she needed to
do that. But no one else knew I was here. Only the doc, and he
wouldn t have any reason to betray me. She did it! She must have.
Bren felt battered by the betrayal. Dark anguish seeped into her
heart. In the short time she had been there, Faith and Benjamin had
treated her like family, and she had begun to love them. And the
strength of what she felt for Faith confused her. She hurt more from
the woman s betrayal than from any danger to herself.
Get up, and get over here, the soldier commanded. The men
tensed as Bren reached for the crutches, but she merely slid the
curved tops under her arms and moved forward, inspecting the
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THE WAR BETWEEN THE HEARTS
soldiers as she went. The big man wore a sergeant s triple chevron on
his sleeves, obviously giving him charge over the two wearing no
insignia. Her brain automatically took inventory of their physical
appearance. Two had brown hair, brown eyes, and dark beards. The
third and youngest one had black hair, blue eyes, and only the patchy
beginnings of a beard. The slim young soldier and the burly sergeant
stood nearly her height, while the other man was a head shorter.
Bren stopped in front of the sergeant. I want to see your
commanding officer. The man swung his rifle butt around and
smacked the side of it against her face, knocking her to the hardwood
floor as the crutches tumbled away. The blow slammed her cheek
against her teeth, splitting the inside skin. Though momentarily
dazed, she tasted blood crossing her tongue.
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