Page 25 of After 5

Ace pointed toward the side of the house. It jutted out from the breezeway and we could see them through a cross window. If Caiyan didn’t return to his car, we were golden. We snuck around the barn and came up next to the weathered clapboard. Ace and I leaned against the house and listened to the story the old man told of the Civil War.

“An angel swooped down from the heavens and saved me from a hero’s death,” Mr. Raney said.

“An angel?” Caiyan asked.

“She was a beauty. Her white hair blew in the wind. Pink flowers scattered in it, and she wore my colors. I remember her as clear as it was yesterday.” His gaze looked far beyond the pasture behind the house. “She told me it wasn’t my time to go yet, I had lots of living to do. I have six children, twelve grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren, thanks to my angel. My first great, great will be born this August”.

“That’s a lot of kids.”

“You have any young’uns?” George asked.

I craned my neck to see Caiyan’s response.

He shook his head. “No sir. I’m not cut out to have kids.”

My heart sank. Caiyan and I never talked about kids, but I was pretty sure I wanted some…eventually.

“You gonna be missing a lifetime of happiness. My wife, God rest her soul, was the firm hand, and I was the easy goer. Was the most blessed time of my life, raising those young’uns.”

“Tell me about the angel,” Caiyan said.

“I was in the middle of a fierce battle. Most of my regiment had been used as cannon fodder. Bullets and guns blazed around me. I was hit in the abdomen and knew my time would be over soon. Them damn Yankees shooting at us from behind the stone wall would be upon me. I’d be taken prisoner, or, worse, my life would be ended by one of the angry ones. We heard tale of them. They robbed your belongings and shot the soul dead out of you. I called out for help, but it was no use, everyone around me was dead.”

I swallowed hard at the man’s story.

“Then a bright light and the beautiful face of an angel lit my soul. She swooped down and helped me toward the safe place.”

He ended the story with the fact he’d turned one hundred and three this year.

Ace’s eyebrows lifted, and he lowered his voice. “I need to know the man’s secret. He looks fabulous!”

“No Botox or spa treatments around here,” I said, causing Ace to frown at me.

“How old were you when you entered the military?” Caiyan asked.

I didn’t know if Caiyan was asking questions to substantiate his cover, because he seemed legitimately interested in the man’s story.

“I was sixteen when I joined up. My first action was in the battle of Murfreesboro. I lived in Tennessee back then. The older boys was joinin’, thought I’d go along with them. It was a fight in fire. The cannons set the cedar trees afire. The band played, and we charged.”

The old man threw his head back, cupped both hands around his mouth, and let out a guttural opera-singer quality high note followed by an angry elephant scream. There was a deep, throaty holler, then a falsetto echo back as if a mountain lion, coyote, and a screech owl sang in chorus.

The yell ended in a bout of convulsive coughs and the sound of Caiyan patting the old man on the back while his son ran to the well to fetch his father a dipper of water.

“Sorry about that,” Mr. Raney said after he regained his voice. “Gets harder every time I give it a go.”

“I’d like to record the rebel yell.” Caiyan said, his phony drawl sending a sexy sensation skipping down my spine. “Do you think you could do it again for me?”

“I can try,” he said.

“Where can I plug in this recorder?” Caiyan asked, holding up a two-pronged plug.

“Mr. Smith, we ain’t got no power,” George said. “We never did tie onto the REA to get the electricity.”

“You’ll have to go buy some batteries.” Mr. Raney motioned toward the town as he started another coughing fit.

“I think Papa best not try again.” George held the dipper of water to the man’s mouth.

“How about letting me take a look at the sword from the Civil War?”

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