“Are the numbers accurate?” Levi asked, wondering where the thief could keep so many animals without someone becoming suspicious.
“They appear to be. Some farms and ranches were hit multiple times over the course of the year.”
“What does the general expect us to do about it?”
“Keep your eyes open for anything unusual. Large herds of cattle where they shouldn’t be. That sort of thing.”
“I’ll report any findings.”
After the lieutenant left, Levi went to his quarters to retrieve his hat and gloves, mulling over the information. A passing glance in the mirror atop the bureau revealed his hair and beard were in desperate need of a trim. Rubbing a hand over his bristly whiskers, he couldn’t recall the last time he’d visited a barber let alone cared about such things. The past four years had been full of death and survival with little time for anything else. Yet now, with news to deliver to a lovely widow, Levi couldn’t suppress the desire to clean himself up a bit.
A half hour later, he strode across the porch toward the steps where Corporal Banks waited with two saddled horses. If the corporal noticed anything different about him, he wisely kept it to himself. Besides, Levi noticed the younger man’s uniform had been brushed, his boots shined.
It seemed Levi wasn’t the only one looking forward to their trip to Rose Hill.
Natalie grimaced at the sight in front of her.
“Them plants shore look sorry,” Carolina said, shaking her head. She wore an old baggy homespun to work in the garden rather than risk dirtying one of Natalie’s castoff gowns. A red kerchief covered the young woman’s hair, a change from the knitted hairnet she’d taken to wearing when she’d become Natalie’s personal attendant. Natalie couldn’t help but think Carolina looked more like a slave today than she had before the soldiers arrived with their freedom proclamation.
The large garden behind the main house spread out before them. In the two days since Federal soldiers had ridden into the yard and the majority of her slaves had walked off the plantation, the rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and other vegetables had been sorely neglected. Without daily watering, the plants had quickly wilted under the relentless Texas sun, although the weeds didn’t seem affected in the least.
“They’ll perk up once we get some water on ’em,” Harriet said, already heading for a row of beans, the bucket in her hands sloshing precious drops of well water over the sides. “Jest remember not to give ’em too much. Too much water jest as bad as too little.”
“I’m helping.” Isaac followed his mother carrying a small pail.
“Me too.” Samuel hurried to catch up to his friend, but when a butterfly distracted him and he lost his balance, he splashed most of the water from his pail onto his clothes.
If their situation weren’t so dire, Natalie might smile at the sight of her son barefoot and golden haired, romping through the garden. But as it was, seeing him working—or at least attempting to work—alongside former slaves served as a stark reminder that everything in their world had changed.
Earlier, she’d overheard Moses tell Harriet he couldn’t spare any field workers to tote water to the garden. He hated that his wife would have to take care of the strenuous chore herself, but there wasn’t any other option. As the couple discussed the desperate need to keep the produce alive, Natalie, sitting outside the window on the porch with a glass of water and a fan in hand, came to the startling realization that if she hoped to survive all the changes taking place around her, she was going to have to change too.
Now, she grasped the handle of a heavy bucket full of water, already feeling the burn in her muscles even though all she’d done was carry it from the pump near the house to the garden. Heaving a sigh, she said, “We best get to work.”
“I still don’t think it right for you to be out here helpin’ us, Miz Natalie.” Carolina surveyed Natalie’s outfit with a frown. Although she’d worn an old straw bonnet and the most faded gown she owned, she still managed to appear overdressed for the task. “You gonna get your pretty yellow dress dirty.”
“Then I suppose I will have to learn to do laundry as well.” At Carolina’s wide-eyed reaction, Natalie chuckled. “I’ll water the tomatoes. You water the peas and carrots.”
The women worked nearly an hour in the afternoon sun, toting bucket after bucket from the well pump to a garden Natalie was certain had grown in size since they’d begun. The boys laughed and played in the mud far more than they actually watered any plants, but every so often they would announce they were helping. At least five blisters sprang up on Natalie’s hands, smarting each time she refilled her bucket. Sweat trickled down her face and neck, but she trudged on. If Harriet and Carolina could do the hard work, so could she.
Ebenezer’s barking drew her attention a short time later. It came from the front of the house, and she wondered if he’d cornered the barn cat again. She’d scolded him that very morning for chasing the poor thing up a tree.
“Samuel, please go see about Ebenezer. We may have to tie him up if he continues harassing the cats.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Samuel hopped up from where he and Isaac were digging for worms. Mud caked his hands and knees, and a large smudge crossed his face. Watching him scamper off around the corner of the house, she thought she’d let Moses bathe her son in the creek tonight along with Isaac. It would certainly save her from heating water to fill the tub, and he would enjoy it far more.
The dog’s barking didn’t stop. In fact, it seemed to grow more urgent.
