Undaunted Love by Jennings Wright

come in a moment, please?” her father called out.
    Surprised, Livvie walked into the small room, seeing a half dozen of the townsmen scattered on chairs or standing by the fire. She knew all but one, a young man with raven hair and bright blue eyes, much younger than the rest. He was tall and broad, and he grinned at her, stepping forward and taking her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss. She pulled it back, startled.
    “Livvie, this is Wyman Phelps. Surely you remember him? He lived here as a youngster, but moved to Savannah when his father bought a big plantation there.” Her father smiled smugly at her. She sensed the trap, but didn’t know how to extricate herself.
    “No, I’m sorry… Father, shall I tell Emmy to bring some coffee for these gentlemen?” She made for the door, but Wyman stepped with her.
    “I remember you, Miss Livvie. You sat two desks ahead of me in school, and wore your beautiful hair in braids with ribbons, every day.” He once again grabbed her hand, holding it close to his chest. “I’m afraid I was smitten even then.” Once again she pulled out her hand, glancing at her father. He was still smiling, and Livvie understood what it meant. She’d seen the same look when he’d brought Gardner Kinney home for Madeline. But Madeline had liked Gardner right from the start, and for his part, Gardner hadn’t clutched at her sister like a preening fool.
    She hurriedly stepped to the door, clasping her hands together behind her back as she smiled at the room. “I’m sure Emmy’ll be here soon with the coffee. I know you’ve all got a lot to talk about.” Turning quickly, she was out the door and down the hall in a heartbeat, not daring to look back.

    Rafe and Nackie pushed back from the small table, Nackie lighting up a pipe to finish off his meal. The money from the trees had at least afforded them plump chickens, Rafe thought, as he licked the grease from his fingers. Nackie didn’t have much of a repertoire, so they ate a lot of chicken and greens with various types of bread, but Rafe didn’t mind. After a day of cutting down trees, he was just happy to have a hot meal. And there was always soup, since Nackie kept a pot going all the time for Mariah.
    “But I don’t fully understand what it is you’re sayin’, Mistuh Rafe. How can we just up and make ourself another new country?” Nackie shook his head, sucking deeply on the pipe.
    “Can’t say as I understand it either, Nack. Best I can figure, though, the last time didn’t change a thing. Seems like the President up in Washington’s gonna let the states go, nice and peaceful. If they ain’t done nothin’ yet, looks like maybe they won’t, and nothin’ll change again.”
    They both laughed. “Yes suh, I reckon that’s so. Chickens gonna keep layin’ and rain’s gonna keep fallin’ and babies gonna keep birthin’, same as always,” Nackie mused. He tapped his pipe on the table to distribute the coals. “From what I always heard, it’s a mighty big country. Seems like enough land for everybody, now don’t it?”
    “Not here, not for me,” Rafe said, looking out into the darkness at the cleared acreage that was all that remained of his family’s farm. He looked back at his former slave. “I might go west, Nackie. Go to the territories and get me some land. Real good land, and lots of it. I can clear it, sell the timber, raise crops… If I do that, Mr. Byrd would consent for me to marry Livvie. I know he would.”
    Nackie stared at him. “Your mama can’t go nowhere, Mistuh Rafe. And those territories, they belong to the Federals, not to South Carolina or these… what do they call it? Confederate States? God has a plan for you, Mistuh Rafe but it ain’t out west. No suh.”
    Rafe leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “He’ll never consent. I’m not good enough now, even though that’s his own fault. I don’t know what God can do about that, ‘less He plans to give me my land back. But