Page from a Tennessee Journal (AmazonEncore Edition)

her yet. Why else did things that could never be keep planting themselves in her head?
    She looked toward the curtained window. There was no time for foolishness. Every second in this too-short night had to be spent making a plan to put a considerable distance between Alex and John, between herself and the devil.
    “It might be best for the baby if John don’t see it right off. Down coun…” She started off as slow as she could.
    Alex laid the sleeping baby on the bed. He took Annalaura’s hand in his.
    “If John Welles lays one hand on her or you, it won’t take me no time to kill him.” Alex’s voice came out strong and certain.
    A chill ran from her shoulder blade to her tailbone. Alex released her hand and reached over to pick up the child.
    “I’m takin’ her to my place.”
    A horde of white-robed night riders rode into Annalaura’s head. Carrying the baby, Alex moved toward Becky’s safe.
    “Yo’ place?” The words rushed out on a shriek. “You can’t take her to yo’ house. She just born. You’ll kill her if you take her out in the night air.” Another wave of fear welled up in her stomach.
    Alex pulled an old shawl, brown from age, from a drawer and wrapped it around the baby.
    “Give her to me. She needs to be fed.” Annalaura pushed herself up farther in the bed.
    Alex stood by the safe, patting the shawl-wrapped baby. Annalaura leaned forward in the bed, her arms stretched out as far as they would go, willing Alex to come to her. With his face set hard like she’d never seen before, he started slow steps back to the bed. As though she knew the trouble she was in, the baby started wailing. If John came to Becky’s cabin and heard the cries of a newborn…When Alex stepped close enough, Annalaura tugged at his pant leg.
    “Alex, please. I needs to feed her.”
    He stood looking down at Annalaura, his jaw muscles locked tight, the baby’s wails coming louder.
    “When can she leave?” Alex looked at the child, then back at Annalaura. “When can the two of you leave?”
    Annalaura tried to walk her hands up his leg to the shawl-wrapped baby. Alex took a step backward. Behind him, she watched the darkness that had covered Becky’s window curtain all these hours show signs of letting go. Daybreak was about to cut through the night. Annalaura let her hand drop from the edge of the shawl to Alex’s leg. She laid on gentle strokes just above his knee.
    “We both got to get a little stronger, but that ain’t gonna happen if you don’t let me feed her.” She succeeded in keeping her voice steady.
    Alex turned away and walked to Becky’s wood-block table, where the light from the kerosene lamp couldn’t reach him.
    “If you say you and Dolly can’t leave now, I’ll just wait here ’til you can.” He kicked Becky’s shored-up chair from the table, but he didn’t sit in it. “Where’s the old woman’s shotgun?”
    Annalaura fell back on the bed, her tired arms dropping on the mussed covers. The baby thrashed in Alex’s arms as he scanned the walls. She watched him step around the broken chair and walk to the fireplace wall, where Annalaura remembered Becky kept the shotgun. Thank the Lord, that rusty old blunderbuss was gone. Alex peered at the empty hook, turned, and stomped at every floorboard in the cabin that looked loose. The newborn filled the room with her cries, and her mother’s heart with fear.
    “Listen to me, Alex.” She had no more time. “Give me Dolly, now.” She pushed herself upright in the bed, struggled her feet out of the covers, and stretched them to the cold floor. She felt the old floorboards skidding out from under her as she started to slip off the bed.
    Alex blocked her slide with his free arm and chest. He laid the baby on the bed and took her in his arms.
    “I ain’t gonna leave you here for that nig…for that bastard to come after you again.” His lips brushed her ear with a soft ness, but his voice sounded hard.
    Alex shifted her back in bed to the squalls of little Dolly. Annalaura reached a hand toward the shawl-covered bundle, her eyes away from him. She gathered the baby in her arms, unbuttoned her chemise and set the little mouth to her breast while Alex smoothed the blankets around her. Dolly lost the nipple, screamed, and Annalaura put her breast back into the infant’s mouth.
    “I want the two of you to come to the farm.” Alex settled in on the bed next to her. His voice carried the sound of wonder.
    As the baby suckled,