“The general said we could be hired to protect people and make lots of money.”
The three other soldiers nodded in agreement.
“I see. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll check on my boy.”
She hurried back to her tent. Tommy was asleep, with his book on top of him. The past few days had taken a lot out of him.
When she thought the stew must be done, she returned to the campfire, filled two bowls and took them, along with some hot biscuits, to her tent. She gently roused Tommy to eat his hot meal. Then she allowed him to leave the tent so he could get some exercise.
With the general not around, life in camp was almost pleasant. Roger even indulged in a snowball fight with Tommy, letting him try to hit him with his little snowballs.
When Patience heard the others returning, she insisted Tommy go back with her to their tent.
After a while Roger called from outside, “Miz Anderson? I told the general about all your help and he was pleased.”
“That was kind of you, Roger, but not necessary.” She preferred that neither she, nor Tommy, be mentioned to the general. To her surprise, she didn’t hear from the general the rest of the afternoon. She caught glimpses of him and Jim, but they seemed to be involved in either intense discussions or in training the troops. Judging by the grumbling of the men, she gathered they hadn’t been trained until now.
She wasn’t sure what Jim’s purpose was, but he seemed quite happy to order the men about and keep them moving. He made no attempt to contact her. Even though that was best, she couldn’t help being a little miffed.
How was he going to save them if he never spoke to her? Maybe she should’ve left this morning while they were out of the camp. She didn’t think Roger or the other three cooks would stop her.
When Roger informed her she was invited to the general’s tent for dinner, Patience asked him to feed Tommy again. She had no qualms about leaving Tommy with Roger.
The three lieutenants and Jim were again present for the meal. Good. She was anxious to see Jim again.
Kane greeted her with a big smile. “Good evening, Patience.”
She immediately became more cautious. “Good evening,” she muttered, not making eye contact with anyone.
“I understand I owe the delicious lunch to you,” Kane continued.
She frowned and quickly looked up, wondering if the man was being sarcastic. She shrugged. “It gave me something to do.” She paused, then decided now was as good a time as any. She would even placate him by using his title. “General, I need to return to Rawhide to care for my mother. I’ve been gone too long as it is.”
There was a change of demeanor in the general. “I’ve said you can leave whenever you wish. I’m not holding you.”
“But you know I can’t go without Tommy.”
“My son must remain here with me.” His words were cold.
She fell silent and no one spoke again till halfway through the dinner. The general looked at her and said, “This meal isn’t as good as our lunch. You make a much better cook than my men.”
“Thank you,” she muttered, not sure where he was going with this. She began to regret she’d made the stew. She would do well to keep to her tent tomorrow.
There was more silence.
When the meal was over, she rose to escape for the evening, but the general stopped her.
“Wait, my dear. I have made a decision.”
She braced herself for what he might say.
“I think we shall marry.”
She stared at him, completely taken aback.
“But, General,” one of the lieutenants began. The general silenced him with a hand motion. “If you are to remain here, anyway, because of the boy, you must accept my protection. After all, you are an attractive woman. The men might think you were here for their, uh, entertainment. Instead of just mine.”
Patience felt her cheeks flush, but she spoke clearly. “I am here for no one’s entertainment. I am here for my son.”
“Ah, but he’s my son. Not yours. However, with our marriage, I can give you more children.”
Patience stared at him. “No! Never!”
“Mind your manners, my dear. You have no choice. Either you leave my camp or you marry me. Tomorrow would be the perfect day, don’t you think, Jim?”
Patience looked at Jim for the first time. He hadn’t shaved since he’d come to camp. He didn’t look like her Jim. He met her gaze with a steady look. Then he said, “As good as any other day, if you intend to keep her in camp.”
“You heard her. She refuses to leave. And it will be a long winter without a woman.”
“Your men will feel the same urges, General,” Jim said, meeting Kane’s gaze. “If they see you enjoying such things, it will make their longing for female company more acute.”
“He’s right, General,” one of the lieutenants said. “Send her and the boy back to town. They’ll only cause problems.”
The general banged his hand on the makeshift table. “I am the man in charge! As such, I deserve special benefits.” He turned to Patience, still standing. “Tomorrow, my dear, we will marry. And tomorrow night, you will warm my bed.” He leered at her, and Patience couldn’t hold back a shudder.
“You may go now,” he said with a smile that made her ill.
JIM WATCHED HER leave the tent, his mind working furiously to come up with a plan to get them out of here safely.
One of the lieutenants said, “General, you’re making a mistake. The men will either leave or riot at your having a woman.”
Again the general slammed his hand on the table. “Silence! I have made a decision. The woman might try to escape. Put double guards on her tent.”
“But you said she could go,” Jim reminded him.
“Neither of them are going anywhere.”
“We could go into town, find some willing women,” one of the lieutenants suggested.
Jim could tell the man was thinking of his own enjoyment, as well as his leader’s.
“I will certainly let you go to town on occasion, but I need a woman close by. Patience chooses to remain with the boy. She will have to suffer the consequences. Plus, she’ll help with the cooking. Quite an ideal arrangement,” he said, smiling.
“Shall I do a guard rotation?” Jim had tried to work his way into the general’s favor by training the men today. It also served another purpose by tiring the men out so they’d sleep soundly.
“Not a bad idea,” Kane said. “Why don’t you take the midnight-to-four shift?”
“Fine.” That was perfect. He didn’t bother to listen as the general assigned two of his other men. The third he gave the night off. They would each be supervising four men, double the usual two.
But Jim knew he had no choice about their departure. It had to be tonight. The general roused him from his thoughts with a question about the schedule for tomorrow’s training.
The general loved the training they’d done that day. It made him feel powerful to have well-trained soldiers at his command. Of course, the men were not well-trained, Jim knew. In fact, they were rather weak and unskilled.
The general’s encouragement came in the form of screams and threats. The men would soon rebel at such treatment. In Jim’s opinion, this “army” had no chance to survive the winter. Inactivity