Confederate Lieutenant Anderson Blanks has grown weary of the War Between the States. He is all too aware of the tenuous thread that ties him to this earth -- as he writes a letter home to his sister, he realizes he may be among the dead by the time she receives the missive. His melancholy mood is shared by other soldiers in the campsite; in the cool Virginia night, the pickets claim to hear ghosts in the woods, and their own talk spooks them. Andy knows the "ghost" is nothing more than a wounded soldier left on the battlefield, dying in the darkness. With compassion, Andy takes the picket's lantern and canteen in the hopes of easing the soldier's pain. After a tense confrontation with the soldier, Andy is shocked to discover none other than Samuel Talley, a young man Andy's father had chased from their plantation when the romantic relationship between the two boys came to light. The last time the two had seen each other, Sam had been heading west to seek his fortune, and had promised to send for Andy when he could. Then the war broke out, and Andy had enlisted in the Confederate Army to help ease the financial burden at home. Apparently Sam had similar ideas -- he now wears the blue coat of a Union solider. Sam is severely wounded and infection has begun to set in. Andy can't sneak him into his own camp for treatment because all Union soldiers are taken prisoner. But Andy's Confederate uniform prevents him from seeking help from the nearby Union camp, as well. It's up to Andy to tend his lover's wound and get Sam the help he needs before it's too late ... and before Andy's compatriots discover Sam's presence.

A Heart Divided

He kept his voice light. “He said he thinks this Eli can help you. Your sawbones?” 


Sam sighed. “Yeah. Eli’s patched up Herbert a half dozen times alone, so I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about. Herbert’s a bear when he gets to playing cards.” 


With a laugh, Andy said, “We have a few men like that, too. Heaven help you if they lose a hand.” 


“Herbert’s a good man,” Sam told him. “Good to have by your side when you’re in a fight.” 


Carefully, Andy asked, “You told him about me?” 


“Do you mind?” Sam turned his face up to Andy’s and studied him for a moment before he kissed the exposed skin of his lover’s neck. “You’re my boy. He told me about his girl and so I told him about you. I didn’t think—” 


“It’s okay,” Andy said, a little too quickly. When Sam tried to sit up, Andy hugged him closer. “I guess it’s different up north. I just think about my daddy and keep my mouth shut, that’s all.” 


Chapter 25