Take Me Home, Country Roads

The sun peeped in the window early the next morning, leaving no sign of the thunderstorm that had raged for most of the night. The rain had stopped around 4am, which I knew because I was still awake, grinning foolishly to myself as I lay in bed, staring at the timbered ceiling and thinking of Cap.

There was no reason for me to like him. Sure, he was sweet and kind and attractive and smart and brave and loyal and protective and all the things that I wanted in a boyfriend. But he was, quite literally, from a different time and place than me. We were worlds apart in our mindsets and our goals and our views. And yet there I was, feeling giddy and overwhelmed with butterflies and affection at the very thought of him. Now it has been confirmed that he had feelings for me too – I might not have been here that long, but I knew him well enough to know that he wasn't just another Johnse. Cap cared about me and he never would have let our night in the barn happen if he didn't want a serious relationship.

But was that what I wanted? A serious relationship? The short answer was yes. Desperately. But if I let myself think about the future…Would I stay in this place and time to be with him? Or would I go back to where I came from?

I rolled over on the mattress, wincing slightly as a piece of straw jabbed at me through the linen and brought me back to reality. I didn't belong here. No matter how fun it was to play the antebellum housewife, did I really want to spend my entire life here? And did I even have a choice?

I knew sleep was not in my immediate future, so I climbed quietly out of bed and dressed, before heading downstairs and watching what was left of the sunrise. Soon enough, I heard Levicy and Anse emerge from their bedroom and I wrapped my shawl around me tighter. Today, I thought, things would be different.

The day was spent doing chores and cleaning up after the storm. The chickens were in a state with their coop knocked over and Mary's cat eyeing them hungrily; three lanterns had been shattered by the debris kicked up in the wind, and even the scarecrow in the garden had his face in the dirt. A few trees were brought down on the property, so Devil Anse and his younger sons took to work sawing them and getting what firewood they could for the winter. I imagined that Johnse was passed out at the dripstill – or, cringingly, in the arms of some tart in Mate Creek – and would be more of a nuisance than a help, even if he were around.

Levicy kept me busy in the kitchen in the afternoon, teaching me to make applesauce biscuits and her famous elderberry pie, which she entered every year at the Election Day fair. I was never a big baker and she gave up after I forgot to double the recipe for the third time (honestly, if you only ever make two batches at once, why not just write double the numbers in the recipe?) and I found myself plucking away at Ellison's guitar on the porch, watching the boys cool off with some water from the well.

Robert E beamed as his father clapped him on the back and for a job well done and Cap splashed water on his face, the droplets gleaming off his skin and trickling down the back of his neck. I gulped and forced myself to focus on what I was doing. I needed to get some new songs sorted for the kids. I knew a lot, but I had to change so many words it was hard to remember them all. Not to mention the notes…I really missed YouTube one days like this.

I had just finished getting the first verse of 'Jolene' down when Cap made his way back up onto the porch and leaned against the wooden post, gazing down at me. I forced myself not to look up at him, to pretend I didn't know he was watching, but found that my fingers stopped working as fluidly, that the words that were just a moment ago so fresh in my mind had vanished and had been replaced by images of the previous night.

"Don't stop," he said, as I let my hands fall from the guitar. "I love hearin' you play."

My eyes met his and I felt a blush start to creep up my neck. "You don't know what I'm playing."

"Don't matter," he grinned, knowing full well how fast he made my heart beat. "When youse playin', it means youse happy. And that's all I need to know."

"You're cute, you know that," I responded, trying to maintain some of my composure.

His teasing smile became more sincere, and his one good eye darkened to a deep shade of blue. "And you are beautiful."

Now, my blush came out in full force. "And you're a flatterer. We can go back and forth like this all night."

Cap opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the slow roll of thunder as it climbed over the hills. His shoulders sagged. "Another storm's a comin'." His mouth twisted to the side with worry.

"A little rain never hurt anyone," I offered.

"Ain't a little rain that worries me," he said. "A few year's back, we had storms like this come through. The Tug flooded somethin' fierce and a few folks drowned. Lots don't have houses on hills like we do, neither."

His words sank in. It had never really struck me how well off the Hatfield's were. It was true, they had a big house up on the hill and with plenty of land protecting them on all sides. Ellison was the same, while Wall lived in a nice apartment in Mate Creek. I didn't know where Jim Vance lived and frankly didn't care. But there were plenty of people in the area who lived in one room shacks in the mountains or by the river. A storm like this could blow their roofs off or wash away everything they owned.

"Pa will probably want to go check on some of them tomorrow," Cap continued, coming fully onto the porch and standing next to me, so we were both looking out over the West Virginia hills. His hand brushed my shoulder and I shivered. "You cold, Emma?" He asked, though his teasing smile suggested he knew otherwise.

"Can I go with you?" I asked, looking up. "Tomorrow, to check on anyone who might need help."

He became serious again and nodded. "Course you can, Ems. Might take some folks' minds off of their worries to have the Yankee Girl around."

"I'm not some circus freak," I replied, rolling my eyes and smiling.

"Coulda fooled me. I done hear tales about you Miss Emma. How you can walk on your hands and speak in tongues. Only a matter of time 'til they convinced you can talk with animals and control the weather."

"Ooh and now I can perform magic? That's fantastic!"

Cap grinned. "Don't be too excited, folks round here can be mighty suspicious. Might some to say you've got the Witch's Mark and haul you off to prison."

"And where does one have a Witch's Mark?"

"Oh, I don't know. On your feet, arms, back, stomach, anywhere I s'pose."

"Well," I said, standing up and moving close to him. "I guess that means you'll have to vouch for me then. Since you know there is no Witch's Mark anywhere on my body."

Cap gulped and I was pleased to have won this round of teasing. I stepped away casually before he had another chance to respond and picked up the guitar. "I'm sure your Mama wants some help with dinner." I glanced down at his breeches and smirked. "Maybe you should go back to the well and cool off again."

I grinned as I walked back into the cool house, hearing Cap muttering to himself as he walked awkwardly back to the well.

That evening, the storm arrived in full force, even stronger and noisier than the one before. The children begged for a song, but it was too loud and I felt a migraine coming on, so I asked Cap to read for a bit. He wasn't thrilled with the request – I realized that he was embarrassed with his slow reading in front of me – but I insisted and handed him my new copy (and first edition!) of Pride and Prejudice.

I sat at his feet with the children, eventually resting my head against his knee as I closed my eyes and listened to his low voice reading Jane Austen. Nancy braided some of my hair, Robert E practiced cleaning his Pa's old pistol. Levicy put her pies out to cool on the table and Answer read the newspaper. The little children listened to their brother and fell asleep one by one on the dusty carpet in front of the fire place. Even the cracks of thunder wouldn't wake them.

"I think it's time to put the children to bed," Levicy said, coming over, and Cap marked the page in the book.

"We'll get them, Ma," he offered, standing and putting the book on the shelf. He held out his hand to me and I stood, conscious of Levicy's eyes on our touching skin. I pulled my hand away quickly and picked up Elliot and little Detroit, whose thumb was in his mouth and other hand latched around a toy horse his uncle Lias had whittled him. Cap got the two little girls and we headed up the stairs.

"I'm worried Johnse didn't come over today," I mentioned quietly as Mary and Elizabeth snuggled into the little bed they shared. "He was pretty upset when I saw him yesterday."

"Johnse falls in and out of love like you and I change clothes," Cap assured me, taking Detroit and Elliot from me and heading back to the boys' room. "He'll be back in a few days."

"You sure?" I asked, following.

"You said you left him at the tavern, right?" Cap confirmed. "Well, Alex Messer and French and Lark and the others will look after him." Cap turned to me in the dark of the room and took my hand in his. "Don't you worry 'bout him, Emma."

Robert E and Nancy came trudging up the stairs, sent to bed by their parents, despite their protests that they were old enough to not have a bedtime.

"Will you sing us a song, Emma?" Nancy asked through a yawn. I pulled away from Cap casually and went back into the hallway to meet here.

"Not tonight, Nancy," I replied, brushing some hair from her face and ushering her back into our room. "It's late. Tomorrow I'll teach you a new one, though."

She took this happily and crawled into bed. I headed back out to the hallway, planning on getting some water before bed, but jumped as Cap appeared in front of me, illuminated only by moonlight, and kissed me hard on the mouth.

"Oh!"

"Shhh," Cap hushed, laughing. "Don't wake the kids!"

"Don't scare me, then," I whispered back, glaring at him.

We stood there for a moment, looking at each other, his hands still resting on my waist.

"I'd really like to kiss you, Miss Emma Anderson," he said with a smile.

"I believe you just did, Mister Cap Hatfield."

"Yeah, but I want to kiss you again" – he kissed me – "and again" – kiss – "and again" – kiss – "and again. Anytime and anywhere I want.'

"So, why don't you?" I asked, slightly breathless.

"Well," he said, with an even more exaggerated southern drawl, if that was possible. "You see, some people might not think its proper and all. I don't think them city friends of yours would like a country boy like me much with my slow talkin', tobacco spittin', and horse ridin'."

I grinned at his silliness. I loved it when he was like this.

"Oh really?" I asked, in mock seriousness. "And what about your friends? How would they feel about you kissing a Yankee girl?"

"Oh, they're jealous, let me tell you."

I smacked him on the chest. "You told them? When? How?"

"Of course!" he replied, laughter lighting up his face. "They've known since that night at the barn dance that I fancied you, Miss Emma. Didn't surprise them none."

"And when we do more than just kiss? Will you tell them all that, too?" My voice dropped into what I hoped was a sensual tone. Cap's face darkened.

"No, I keep that all to myself."

"You better," I replied, pressing my chest against his, letting my hand drop slowly down his front and resting teasingly on his belt. A low groan emitted from his throat, and I smiled with the effect I had on him.

Before he couldn't respond, or I could make him suffer anymore, we were distracted by frantic shouting from outside.

"Mr. Hatfield! Mr. Hatfield!"

It was Roseanna.

Cap and I looked at each other, before quickly moving downstairs. Anse was at the door with his rifle, one suspender undone and boots off, clearly ready to settle in for the night. Levicy was right beside him, shawl wrapped around her shoulders and lantern held up. As they opened the door, Cap and I went to the front window, peering out through the rain to see a drenched Roseanna fling herself off of the back of a dappled grey horse and stumble to the porch.

"My brothers have got Johnse," she sobbed, her tears mixing with the rain. Cap stiffened beside me. "They're planning on killin' him at dawn!"

I looked to Cap, but he was already up, grabbing his pistol from the mantle and securing it to his belt. Her words ricocheted through my brain. Johnse? Killing him at dawn? What the hell was going on?

"Where is he?" Anse asked, as Roseanna shivered and sobbed before him. Her eyes were wide with desperation and fear.

"If I tell you, you gotta swear you ain't gonna hurt my brothers."

"If my son is safe," Anse replied impatiently, "no harm will come to your brothers. Now where is he?"

"They got him at my Uncle Harmon's old place." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Levicy and Anse sprung into action.

"Go, go, go," Levicy urged, "I'll get your boots."

"Please Mr. Hatfield, hurry!" Roseanna sobbed, and Levicy and Anse came back into the house. Cap was already dressed and I watched in momentary shock as the flirtatious, happy boy transformed into a stern, hardened man right before my eyes. Anse grabbed his coat and guns, turning to look at his son.

"You ride to your Uncle Jim and then to the tavern, see who's there. Meet me at the crossing."

Without another word Cap went out into the night to ready the horses. I followed him automatically to the porch, watching him sprint to the barn.

"Emma."

I looked down, having forgotten poor Roseanna, who was still standing in the rain.

"Roseanna, come inside," I said, hurrying out into the rain to get her. "I'll tie your horse." Shakily, she headed up the stairs to the waiting Levicy. For the first time, I saw some sort of affection between the older woman and the younger girl – maybe Levicy had finally warmed to Roseanna, seeing as she had come to warn them about the danger Johnse was in.

The whole thing seemed crazy, I thought as I tied her horse to the post. Why on earth were they going to kill Johnse? This couldn't be real, could it? But the reactions of the others made it all too authentic.

I looked over as Cap burst out of the barn on Star, rifle in hand.

"Cap!" I cried through the storm, my legs carrying me to him without much thought. He waited and when I reached him, he leaned down, allowing me to stand on my tip toes and press a hard kiss to his mouth. He pulled away after too short a moment, and with one last look at me, he kicked Star into a gallop and rode off into the darkness.

Anse hurried out of the house as I made my way back in, not even acknowledging me as he ran by. Roseanna was at the table, crying hysterically, as Levicy rubbed her back, her own face stretched with worry.

"It will be okay, right?" I asked breathlessly. "They'll get Johnse and everything will be fine." Roseanna let out another sob and Levicy took a seat beside her, not meeting my eye. Unsure of what to do, I put another log on the fire. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night.