Wild Texas Rose (19 page)

Duncan was too near passing out to answer. He knew Rose would have everything ready when they pulled up beside the train. Porters would be waiting to help him inside, and as always, Stitch would disappear into the shadows.

Chapter 32

W
ith steam from the engine whirling around
them, Stitch watched men lift the stretcher from his wagon and carry the ranger into a private car. The curtains were all down, but he knew Duncan would be the last to arrive. No one would see him being placed on the special sling of a bed. No one would know how the ranger had disappeared.

Silently, Stitch moved to the end of the platform and waited. Miss Rose and all her people were safe, but he wasn’t finished with his job yet.

In the quiet night, he listened. The rain had finally stopped, but the air was thick, so damp it seemed to push against his skin. As he stared at the train car he couldn’t help but smile. Killian O’Toole was married. Something Stitch thought he’d never see. In a few hours he and his bride would be safely away from all this trouble and the others would be headed for a ranch some claimed was a fortress.

A slight sound tapped just behind him. Every muscle in Stitch’s big body tightened.

Then he smelled a familiar perfume and a hand touched his arm.

“You should be on the train, Hallie,” Stitch whispered as she moved in front of him.

“I wanted to say good-bye. I’m going with the McMurrays and I don’t know how long it will be before I get back.”

Stitch didn’t know what to say. “Good-bye, Hallie. It was real nice knowing you.”

She let out a huff. “If you’ll lean down a little, I’ll kiss you good-bye. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, but you’re a good man and I’ve decided maybe you’re a man I wouldn’t mind having as a friend.”

He leaned down, glad it was dark. His face would be hard enough to touch without having to look at it as well.

She placed her hand on his cheek and touched her lips to his. He took the feel of her like a blow, but he didn’t move. No woman, including his mother, had ever kissed him.

She stepped closer letting her body press lightly against his and, to his surprise, continued to kiss him. The woman acted like she hadn’t even noticed the scars cutting up his face and her body seemed every bit as soft as he’d imagined it might be.

When she finally pulled away, she patted his cheek. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

He smiled, wishing he could see her better. “No. It wasn’t.”

“Well, I’d best get back to the train. I don’t really know where I’m going or where I’ll end up but for the first time in a long time I’m looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings. I have a feeling that wherever I settle is where I’ll want to be.”

He reached out and took her hand. “Hallie, if you decide to work for O’Toole, I think the new missus could really use your help.”

“She’s already offered me a position, but I don’t know. Miss Rose has been good to me and she says she’ll help me find something.”

“If you work for the O’Tooles, I’ll find you.”

“And what would you be doing that for?”

“Maybe just to look up a friend, or maybe I’d come after you hoping for another kiss.” Stitch couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“Well, if you did find me, you just might get what you were hoping for.” She tugged away from him and ran back to the train before he had time to say another word.

His thoughts were full of Hallie when he noticed a coach pulling up to the station. August Myers stumbled out, a bottle in one hand and a carpetbag in the other. As he moved to the last car Stitch ran behind the train and took his place.

He watched as August stepped into the dark private car, tumbling over a few pieces of luggage before heading straight to the basket. “Hello, bride. I see you and your things have arrived,” he said, setting the bottle on a table. His rented car looked ragged and worn even in the poor light, not freshly cleaned like the one Rose had insisted on.

August kept up a steady stream of conversation as if there were someone inside the basket listening. “I hope you don’t mind if I double-lock all the doors tonight. We wouldn’t want to be disturbed, would we? By the time we reach Galveston we’ll know one another well and I’m positive you’ll have no comment about our marriage. Your father had full confidence in me. He told me to do whatever it took to make sure you and all your things make it to Galveston on time.” August laughed. “With any luck, by the time we get there you’ll already be pregnant. I think you’d make him very happy if a child were to come nine months from tonight.”

While Myers worked the knots, Stitch slipped between the two cars. Once he disconnected the last car, he stood next to August’s door and listened.

He heard the man swearing as he drank and tried to untie all the knots. Just as the train whistle blew and the engine began to roll away from the last car, Myers threw the lid open. “It’s time to come out, my—”

Amid the noise of the train leaving as it picked up speed and the long whistle blowing, no one but Stitch heard the rage of a wild boar roaring out of the basket or the screams of a drunk.

Stitch felt the car rock first to one side and then another as the animal fought to escape, but no one in the empty train yard noticed that August Myers’s private car remained while the rest of the train headed south.

As he slipped away Stitch’s only regret was that he couldn’t get a full-grown wild pig in the basket and had to settle for one that weighed a mere hundred and fifty pounds.

He laughed. “I doubt Myers will be impregnating anyone tonight.”

Chapter 33

After midnight

Fort Worth train station

A
be and Sara sat in the buggy he’d rented and
watched the newlyweds run for the train. He knew he probably should have taken Miss Norman home, but Abe didn’t want the night to end.

“I’m so happy for them,” Sara said. “They looked right together.”

“They did,” Abe answered, wondering if he’d see Killian again. He knew Fort Worth was as much home as anywhere to O’Toole, but now the new wife would have something to say.

Miss Norman curled back into the buggy, trying to stay out of the wind. She sat so straight, even in the shadows she didn’t touch him.

“It’s late, I’ll take you home.”

He turned the horse toward the lights of town. “Thank you for accompanying me tonight.”

“Thank you for inviting me.” She hesitated. “If you wouldn’t mind, Mr. Henderson, would you stop by your store? I think I left my wool shawl there.”

“Of course.”

He pulled to the back of his store and tied the horse before helping her down and unlocking the door.

She didn’t look at him as she walked through the storage room to where he’d left a low lamp burning between his desk and the study.

The schoolteacher stood perfectly still as if on the edge of a ledge. He moved around her. He’d seen her like this before and he knew what to do.

Abe didn’t say a word as he opened the door to the study and waited for her to enter. It crossed his mind that she might have simply left her shawl, but the need to hold her was too great to allow reason to prevail.

Passing him without looking at him, she moved into the study and took off her coat and new scarf. Then, she crossed to the washstand and slowly took down her beautiful hair. As she combed through the waves, Abe felt his heart relax. He hadn’t said a word. He hadn’t touched her all evening, but she’d known what he wanted and maybe, just maybe, she wanted the same thing.

He moved behind her and took the brush from her hand. As he turned her to face him her body brushed against his. Without a word, he kissed her, loving the way she gently placed her arms on his shoulders and closed the distance between them.

When he finished one long kiss, he took her hand and led her to the big old leather chair. Sitting down, he watched her standing above him still too shy to meet his stare.

His hands circled her waist then slid over her skirt and along the sides of her legs.

She remained perfectly still as he moved his hand across her middle, feeling her breathe. He pulled her to him and buried his face against her blouse, loving the smell of her and the warmth of her beneath the layers of starched cotton.

With one tug she settled onto his knee.

He placed his hand low against her waist as he kissed his way along her throat. “It is time to unbutton your blouse, dear.”

This time her hands didn’t shake.

When she finished the third button, he said, “One more tonight.”

She did as he ordered and the dress gave free revealing the valley between her breasts. He leaned her back against the arm of the chair and kissed her tenderly. When he straightened she’d relaxed against him, her eyes closed. Without a word, he slid his hand beneath the lace of her undergarment and cupped her breast. She let out a little cry of surprise as she bowed as if to meet his touch. He waited, but she didn’t try to pull away. He moved his fingers over her soft flesh and saw a tear escape from her closed eyes. One silent tear.

Removing his hand, Abe pulled her close against his heart and tried to think when all he wanted to do was touch her. Kissing her softly, he rocked her in his arms. Had she liked his touch or was she just enduring it? He wished he could tell her how much he needed her and how dearly he wanted her, but if one touch frightened her, his words might terrify her completely. He wanted her to know how being with her like this had become the center of his world.

Moving his hand along her back he waited for her to relax once more and finally she did. “Are you all right, Sara?” he whispered against her ear as he played with her hair.

“Yes, dear,” she answered.

“Did I frighten you?” His hand smoothed over her cheek.

“No, dear.”

“Then kiss me like you did before.”

She stretched to his cheek and kissed him lightly.

“Again,” he whispered, loving the way her body pressed against him as she moved. The second kiss moved from his cheek to his lips but was still featherlight.

“That one was better,” he said as he moved his hand along her side. “Now, tell me why my touching you made you cry?” He had to know what he’d done wrong.

She didn’t answer for a while and he continued to brush his hand along her back. Finally, she answered, “I didn’t expect to like it so much.”

Abe laughed and hugged her wildly. “You almost gave me a heart attack, woman. Don’t do that again.”

“No, dear,” she barely managed as he kissed her hard on the mouth.

When he finally allowed her to rest back against the arm of the chair, his fingers began to play along the valley between her breasts once more. He knew he had to say something. He had to let her know how much she meant to him. “You bring me great pleasure, Sara. When I’m not with you, I think of touching you like this.” He pushed the lace aside so he could feel more of the fullness of her. “I’ll play your proper game when we’re in public. You’ll be Miss Norman and I’ll not touch you or speak of how I feel, but know that every moment, every second that you are being so polite and proper, I’m thinking of you like this. I’ll be wanting to hold you and touch you like this.” He shoved the blouse away another inch so that he could see more. “I’m living for the few minutes we spend in here alone and away from the world.”

She was so still, he added, “Do you understand?”

She nodded and arched again as his fingers slid over her breast once again.

He tried to be gentle, but the knowledge that she wanted this between them pounded through his brain. Taking his time, he learned the curve of her and loved the soft sounds of pleasure she made. When she cuddled close so he could kiss her, Abe smiled.

“You’ll come here when you like.” He kissed her between words. “I’ll be waiting, but when you’re here, you’re mine if only for an hour.”

“No,” she said surprising him. “You’re mine.”

She straightened and kissed him lightly. “You’re mine, Abraham.”

He laughed and kissed her back, thinking of arguing but knowing that she was right.

Chapter 34

R
ose paced the length of the train’s private car
trying to shake the feeling that something was about to happen. Since her dawn kidnapping, her nerves hadn’t settled. Her insides seemed to be spinning around beneath her skin. Nothing, not filling the day with work, or worry over Duncan, or any of the hundreds of other things she’d done seemed to help. Rose felt it all the way to her bones. Trouble was barreling toward her. It might not get here tonight or tomorrow, but it was coming at full speed.

They’d been racing through the night for an hour. Duncan was sleeping like a baby in the swinging bed Stitch had made for him. Killian and his new bride were talking quietly in the far corner. Hallie had stretched out on the settee and was snoring away. Epley sat beside her, her brows knitted with worry.

Passing the girl, Rose patted her shoulder. “Everything is going to be all right, Epley, you’ll see.”

“What if Hargus and Shorty come after me? Shorty said he’d let me die tied up if I ever tried to run again.”

“How long had you been at Yancy’s place?”

“A few months. The old guy was never mean to me, but he’d lock me in the back room every night. Sometimes he’d tell me I’d done a good job of working and he’d be sure Shorty had a few extra drinks when he came in next.” The girl looked up at Rose. “I didn’t mind the work except on Friday nights when Hargus and Shorty came to town. Hargus is solid mean. He’d hit me just for the fun of it, but it was Shorty I hated. He’d watch me while he drank, then come find me.” She lowered her head. “I hated what he did, but he kept telling me it was my fault and I’d better get used to it.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Rose said as she put her arm around the girl. “I wish I’d killed them both.”

“I do too, miss, ’cause they’ll come after me and you too. I watched Hargus beat a dog to death right after I got to their dugout so I know what’s waiting for me.”

Rose brushed the handle of her Colt. Funny how the feel of a weapon could bring a kind of comfort. If anything happened she had to be prepared. As far as she knew Killian didn’t carry a gun and Duncan might not wake up in time to be helpful. “Do you trust me, Epley?”

The girl nodded.

“Then believe me. No one is going to hurt you while I’m around, but I’ll need your help until we’re safe on Whispering Mountain land. Promise me if trouble comes you won’t hesitate, you’ll run and keep running until you know you’re safe.”

The girl nodded and Rose moved away.

She began to count the hours until they’d be home. Her papa and a few of his men would be at the Anderson Glen Station to pick them up. Once they were on Whispering Mountain land they’d be safe. It seemed impossible that she’d been gone a week, but once she made it back home Rose swore she’d never leave again.

The train’s whistle blew through the night as they rolled on.

Rose moved beside Duncan and was surprised to find him awake.

“Hello, beautiful,” he whispered. “There’s something about a woman wearing a gun belt that makes my heart race.”

She laughed. “You probably need more opium.”

He shook his head. “No more. I hate what that stuff does to my head. I’d rather put up with the pain.”

She leaned close. “Get well quick, Duncan. I don’t know if I can handle much more.”

“You, Rose?” He moved over a few inches on the swing so she could join him. “I’m beginning to believe you can handle anything, baby.”

“What’s with the names?” she asked as she lowered beside him. The platform rocked slightly as she cuddled against him.

“I’m trying to find one that fits you.”

“How about just using my name?”

“I’ll explain later, honey, just get some sleep.” His good arm pulled her close and she felt his breathing slow.

For the moment they were safe and she could close her eyes. She could rest.

In what felt like minutes, Rose awoke to the jolting of the train pulled into the first of four stops before she was home. She slipped from Duncan’s side and crossed to the window. The stop shouldn’t take long to take on water, but as all inside slept, time passed and the train didn’t continue.

Finally, she could stand the wait no longer. She climbed off the train and walked beside the track to where the conductor and a porter stood. This time of night there were no stands open for burritos or fruit. Looking out at the flat land, the whole world seemed lonely.

“Is there a problem?” Rose asked the conductor.

The chubby man, with the smell of cigar and coal about him, smiled at her. “No, miss, just a delay. We got a wire that there was a broken rail up ahead and men are checking it out.”

“This time of night?”

He looked at her as if he considered her simple. “Yes, miss. No trains run until it’s safe. We wouldn’t want to lose any paying customers.”

The porter grinned. “Appears we already lost one.”

The conductor frowned and Rose glanced at the train. When she’d boarded, she thought she remembered the engine, their private car, two general passenger cars that were empty, and an old private car on the back. “What happened to the last car?”

The conductor shrugged. “He booked at the last minute. Guys on the yard were fighting to get him hooked on. I guess he changed his mind.”

The uneasy feeling hit Rose again. Something was definitely wrong. “How much longer?”

“If the break is only a few miles out we should be under way in another half hour. If not, they run the track on a handcar until they find the break or reach the next water station.”

Rose looked at the scattered buildings that seemed to be a struggling town. From the layout she guessed it must have been a stagecoach station years back. “Is there a hotel here?”

The porter shook his head.

Killian had already told her as much. He’d planned to take Victoria at least one more stop down the rail.

“Is there a place where I could rent wagons?”

Both men looked as if they thought her mad. “You wouldn’t want to do that, miss, not in the middle of the night. You and your hurt man I seen delivered would be far safer on the train.”

The porter added his advice. “Even if the repair takes till morning, we’ll be on our way before you could drive a wagon anywhere.”

Rose thanked them and walked away. She could almost hear a clock ticking in her head. Time was running out. Someone was on their way to get them and when they did people would die.

She wasn’t surprised to find the judge waiting for her on the steps of their private car. He looked even more worried than she felt, if that were even possible.

When she explained the problem to Killian, he didn’t tell her she was being foolish. In fact, he agreed with her. “I’ve had the same uneasiness since we left. There’s a pack of wolves chasing us and it’s a gamble which one will get to us first. “I’m not sure where Myers is, but he won’t just quit when he finds the note I left him at the hotel saying I married Victoria. The man may not be in love with her, but he’s in love with power.”

“Duncan’s got the Tanner brothers after him. If those two had any sense they’d lie low then crawl farther west and change their names.” Killian shook his head. “But they won’t. Their hatred is too deep. Duncan and his men killed two of their brothers during an attempted train robbery last year and I hear Jeb and Owen blamed it all on Duncan.”

Rose had heard the stories before. “From the way Duncan talks they spent every waking minute after he caught them telling him how they were going to kill him.”

Killian shook his head. “Funny, they’re not the ones I’m worried about most. I wouldn’t be surprised if Victoria’s father doesn’t come after us. I’m sure the thought that his daughter married me will send him over the edge.”

“Why?” Rose asked. “You’re a good man, Killian.”

“I’m not a war hero. August told me one night when he was drunk that the major almost didn’t let him use me as the best man because he’d heard rumors that I’d been a coward in battle. Myers laughed and said the major wanted a hero to breed with his daughter. Myers claimed the old guy told him to keep her pregnant until she’d birthed a dozen sons.”

In the still night air Rose whispered, “Were you a coward, Killian?”

He looked straight at her. “Yes. I’d been a soldier for about four months when I caught up with my older brother. We went into a battle together. We’d worked manning a cannon for hours amid noise that sounded like what I think hell must sound like. Then we were hit or the cannon blew—I don’t know which. I fell face-first into the mud and must have been knocked out. When I came to, all the men around me were dead. My brother was covered in blood. I started screaming and running. I don’t know how long I ran over the battleground with bodies everywhere, but at some point I fell over a man who was still alive. I carried him to the road and waved down an ambulance wagon. The driver was hurt, so I took over driving the team. I worked two days helping out until I finally collapsed.”

“You saved many lives,” Rose whispered.

Killian shook his head. “I couldn’t save my brother. When I got back to where he’d fallen, the Union soldiers had combed the place. His body had been taken away and put in an unmarked grave along with hundreds of others.”

“I’m so sorry, Killian.”

“I worked the rest of the war driving the hospital wagon, but I never carried a gun after that. All my family was dead and I didn’t much care if I lived or died, but now I have Victoria depending on me. I’ll do what I have to, to keep her alive.”

“Then help me come up with a plan. To my way of thinking, staying on this train is not an option.”

To her surprise, Killian agreed. “I’ll go into that cluster of buildings and see if I can’t wake up the blacksmith. Maybe he’ll sell us horses and wagons. We’ll probably need three—Victoria says she never goes anywhere without her luggage.”

Rose thought of the dozen matching bags Victoria had bought and had her maid pack with new clothes. They’d fill a wagon.

“Where do we head?” she asked.

“I ran this circuit when I was training. It’ll take us two hard days of travel, but we could go across the back country and be at another train station by tomorrow night.”

“It sounds better than waiting here.”

“I agree.” Killian took a step off the train. “Tell Victoria, if she wakes, that I’ll be right back.”

Rose leaned down so she could whisper. “Do you have enough money?”

Killian smiled. “Yeah, we got a wedding present left in an envelope. Duncan said a man dropped it off, saying only that the money was for Victoria.”

An hour later they were packed into three wagons. Rose drove the first team with Duncan settled in between boxes of supplies Killian had bought. Killian and Victoria were in the second wagon along with all her luggage.

Epley and Hattie brought up the third wagon with bedding and weapons. They were a strange-looking caravan pulling out of a no-name town in the middle of the night. Reason told Rose they could have made do with two wagons, but they’d travel faster with three not so loaded.

The conductor had asked Rose what he was supposed to tell folks when he pulled into Glen Station and they were gone. Rose didn’t mince words. “Anyone who asks,” she said, her voice hard, “tell them we vanished.”