Free Brings the Lightning (The Ames Archives Book 1) by Peter Grant Page B

sister. Until I’m safely out from under their military government, I just won’t feel safe. I don’t feel guilty in the least for deceiving them.”
    “I understand, but… what about all that money the men gave me? I
can’t
keep it, Walt! I just can’t! That sergeant thought I was a war widow, but my husband died years before the war.”
    “Of course you can keep it! You never claimed to be a war widow, and I didn’t say you were one. If the sergeant assumed that, you’re not to blame. Besides, even though he offered it to me, I couldn’t have accepted a reward. Some of those soldiers were bound to object. They’d have wanted more for themselves. On the other hand, by asking them to give it to you, I made them feel good about themselves. The way they see it, they’re helping someone who’s lost everything. No, you’d best take it.”
    “That’s almost two years’ salary for a schoolteacher! What shall I do with it?”
    “You’ll need a home of your own in due course. That should be enough to buy a house—a nice place, with a couple of extra rooms. You can rent them to other teachers or ladies of good quality, and make some more money that way.”
    “I owe you so much, Walt! You’ve been a real blessing to me, and given me a whole new perspective on life. How can I ever thank you?” Her voice shook a little, and she couldn’t meet his eyes. Despite himself, his heart went out to her.
    “You already have,” he assured her. “In a way, you’ve been as much of a blessing to me. I’ve spent the last three years fighting a war. There’s still a lot of anger and bitterness inside me. Helping you makes me think about someone else’s needs, and keeps me from always thinking about my own. What’s more, your friendship and companionship have come to mean a great deal to me. You’re good company.”
    She blushed. “I’m glad, because your friendship has meant a lot to me as well.”
    He smiled. “I’d better leave you to get some sleep. Goodnight, Rose.”
    “Goodnight, Walt.”
    He was surprised to discover how much the thought of parting from her unsettled him. As he closed the connecting door, he wondered for the first time what it would be like to have a wife. He’d never seriously considered marriage before—during the war he hadn’t thought about much more than staying alive—but the past week in Rose’s company had opened his eyes to many things he’d been ignoring.
    It took him a long time to fall asleep as he mulled it over. It had felt good to know Rose was guarding his back. You could trust a woman like her—and damned if she wasn’t a pretty one, too!

The waterfront in St. Louis was the busiest, most bustling place Walt had ever seen, even compared to the large army encampments he’d known. A couple of dozen paddlewheel riverboats and steam tugs were tied up along the quay, along with scores of wooden barges used to float cargo up and down the Mississippi River. Gangs of men loaded and unloaded cargo, passengers searched for their ships, friends and relatives looked for new arrivals, freight brokers and wagon drivers bustled to and fro, and NCOs bawled orders at animals and people. A cacophony of sound, drifting clouds of smoke from the ships’ funnels, and the odor of dung dropped by all of the draft animals made it an unforgettably noisy and smelly spectacle.
    As the riverboat edged up to the quayside and the first lines were thrown, Jason appeared along with Elijah and Samson. “We’s come to get your bags, ma’am, suh,” he announced, indicating the carts the three were pushing.
    “Thank you, Jason,” Rose said, smiling.
    “And here’s the other half-eagle I promised you,” Walt added, handing over two five-dollar gold coins, “plus a third one to divide between Samson and Elijah for helping you.” The two men beamed as he named them, and nodded their thanks.
    “Thankee, thankee, suh!” Jason enthused. “You’se been real gen’rous. Iffen you sails aboard