“I will not be moving in until we’re married,” she said.

“I’m a patient man,” Shipley said. “But my patience has limits. Did you have a date in mind for the nuptials?”

“You may announce our engagement at Christmas,” Dovie said without emotion. “I will marry you no earlier than Valentine’s Day.”

“And your wifely duties?” he asked.

“After the ceremony, of course.”

“Of course,” Shipley said, his grin widening. “But Valentine’s Day is more than two months away. How do you expect me to satiate my masculine urges until then?”

“I suggest you go across the street to the Sidewinder,” Dovie said. “You claim to know the owner. Perhaps he’ll give you a discount?”

“Oh, Mrs. Pritchard,” Shipley said to himself once she left the hotel. “I do look forward to our wedding day.” He extinguished his cigar in the remains of his drink. “And especially our wedding night.”

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

It took Pritchard and Ditch almost three weeks to make the nearly two-hundred-mile journey south to Washington, Arkansas. They hadn’t forgotten how easily they’d been captured. As a result, they took their time and were extremely cautious in their movements.

Arkansas had declared itself a Confederate state, but most of the northern region was still infested with Union forces. Pritchard and Ditch hoped to see fewer bluecoats the farther south they rode.

They crossed the Arkansas River east of Fort Smith to avoid the Union troops posted there. Traveling by night, they took cover in woods or thickets during the day, and avoided detection by steering clear of roads and towns.

They were able to skirt the larger columns of Union troops they encountered by sticking to the forests and adhering strictly to their nighttime-travel routine. When they began to observe more Confederate units than Union ones, by mutual agreement, they decided not to announce themselves until they spotted rebel cavalry. Ditch’s brother was supposedly assigned to such a unit, and the last thing they wanted was a repeat of their encounter with the reb infantry regiment back in the Ozarks.

Pritchard and Ditch found late autumn in Arkansas mild, compared to Missouri, and noticed the weather got milder as they progressed south. There was fresh water in the numerous streams, ponds, and lakes, still-green grass for the horses, and plentiful game. They had no trouble bagging deer, turkey, and rabbit, taking turns hunting with the Hawken.

Each morning they would find a remote place along their route to make camp. The location was carefully selected. It had to be hidden and defensible, and was typically within a stand of trees or in heavy brush. While one of them tended to the horses, the other would take the Hawken and scout the vicinity. Pritchard and Ditch took pains to ensure there was no one in the area before discharging a weapon or building a fire.