The Iron Horseman (12 page)

As
the man shifted his stance to change his aim, Levi stepped out from behind the
iron shield around the other corner of the devastated engine train in front of
the tinder car. “I wouldn’t,” he announced loudly.

Levi
urged the man to drop his weapon with a curt flick of his gunned hand. The
ruffian complied.

“That’s
a smart man,” Levi said. “Now, why don’t you climb down off of that horse
there, real easy like?”

The
crewmen scrambled to collect the weapons they’d thrown on the ground at their
attacker’s request.

“Where’s
Clive?” the tinny sound of the man’s worried voice grated on Cadence’s nerves.

Two
of the men grabbed a hold of him and proceeded to tie him up to the railing on
one of the overturned coaches.

Cadence
met Levi’s gaze and he nodded as if he understood what she needed to do. They
couldn’t celebrate yet. There was still one armed man looking for trouble at
the other end of the train.

He
was about to find it.

Cadence
briefly spoke to a few of the others, who surprisingly gave her their full
support, and together, five of them—including her and Levi—walked openly toward
the caboose in a solid wall of gun power. It didn’t take long to reach the
caboose. From a short distance, the bandit recognized defeat. He turned his
horse toward the field and high-tailed it for the trees.

“Should
we go after him?” one of the crewmen asked, appearing a little disappointed
that they hadn’t had their showdown.

“Let
him be. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll steer clear of us from now on.”

The
rest of the crew ran toward them and everyone started speaking at once.

A
long, full whistle carried across the air. Levi stepped into the rustling
crowd. He encouraged all of them to join together at the head of the train.

When
they reached James, he knelt next to Buck, but looked grim. The engineer was
alive. Barely.

“There
are a half-dozen horses running around here somewhere.” The men rallied around
while Levi laid out their options. “Buck’s in a real bad way and unless we can
get him to a doctor fast, we’re going to lose him.”

Apollo
and two Quarter Horses had stayed close, but the others would take some time to
collect—time Buck didn’t have.

“Listen,”
Levi said, standing up at the head of the group, “we’ve lost four of our own
today.”

“Five,”
James interjected. “We lost another crewman.”

Levi
looked at him, then with a flex of his jaw, back to the rest of the crew.
“Five,” he corrected. “Words can’t express the depth of our grieving, but we
are not done. These braggarts have not gotten the best of us. We are alive and
we will fight.”

“Here,
here,” a man yelled from the group. Others echoed the sentiment.

“It’s
time to rally together and press forward.”

“What
do you want us to do, Levi?” another man yelled.

“You,”
Levi pointed to a small group of men standing in front of the tinder, “we need
two of you to take those two horses and round up as many of the others as
possible. We’ll need to gather the livestock, but because we only have three
horses to divide among us, you’ll need to bring them back as soon as possible.
The rest of you will have to work on foot for now.” He looked at the two men
holding Clive’s captured accomplice. “You two, there is a territory Marshal
residing in Cheyenne to whom you can deliver that man. Explain what’s happened,
then send word to Grenville Dodge at the Union Pacific. You can leave as soon
as these men return with the horses.”

They
nodded.

Cadence
watched with amazement as Levi reined everyone in and gave them directions. He
united them with his words and organized them so they wouldn’t get restless. A
born leader, the crew looked up to him.

The
last of the men would be stationed at the wreckage with weapons to deter
looting until relief could be sent from River City while they waited for
another train.

“And
finally,” Levi announced, “Miss Walker and I will take Buck into River City
where there is a prominent doctor in town.”

Two
men left immediately on horseback to try to round up the six to dozen or so
head that had scattered after the train derailed, leaving one horse for her and
Levi. They fashioned together a make-shift travois or logging sled for Buck and
secured it to Apollo.

“I’ve
patched him up as good as I can, Mr. Redbourne. He’s lost a lot of blood and
I’m worried that he’s broken a few ribs as well as fractured his leg.” James
shook Levi’s hand. “He’s a good man. God speed.”

Levi
nodded. He spoke to a few of the others before joining her at the horse.

Cadence
couldn’t help but to stare at the dead bodies that now lay in a line beneath
the only cluster of trees for what looked like miles. The two Pinkerton agents
who’d been traveling with her discretely were among them, along with the
fireman, whose face was so badly burned he was almost unrecognizable, the young
Barrow, another crewman, and Clive. She turned away. Death only served as a
reminder that getting close to people was dangerous—a risk she’d been unwilling
to take since Daniel. She surveyed the wreckage again as Mr. Redbourne made his
way toward her. It all seemed so unreal. Like a bad dream from which she had
yet to awaken.

“It’s
still early yet,” Levi said as he helped Cadence up into the saddle. “I figure
we’re only a couple hours ride from River City, but with him,” Levi motioned to
the injured man lying in the travois behind the horse, “we’ll have to take it
slow. I’m hoping we can make it before nightfall.” He climbed up behind her
with a pained groan. She imagined he was more hurt that he let on.

Cadence
didn’t generally consider herself to be a stupid girl, but right now, she felt
like the child at the back of the school house with the word ‘dunce’ written on
the tall pointed hat. She and Levi would be riding into River City
on the
same horse.
How could she have been so thick? It didn’t help that he was
the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, and in her line of work, that was a lot
of men. She readjusted the leather tube slung across her back to rest in front
of her so it wouldn’t get damaged.

Levi
clicked his tongue, urging the gelding forward. Cadence couldn’t very well sit
up straight in the saddle not touching him for hours. If they were going to be
traveling for a long while, she might as well enjoy the feel of his strong
chest behind her and his arms around her. She relaxed back into his chest.
There was no sense fighting it.

They’d
only been traveling a short while when Levi shifted in the saddle.

“So,
you want to tell me what happened back there?”

Cadence
wasn’t sure how to respond. She wasn’t sure what she could say. It was obvious
that she’d blown her cover with most, if not all, the men back there. There was
no use pretending.

She
sat up a little straighter “I shot a man,” she said. “What more is there to
say?”

“You
looked quite comfortable with that revolver you carried.” He spoke as if he
shared her secret. “Did your pa just teach you well or is there something more
to the story?”

“Does
it matter?”

“Not
really, I suppose. But you’re holding up pretty well. My mama and baby sister
are strong women, but I can’t imagine they’d be holding up half so well.”

“Are
you suggesting that I have no conscience, Mr. Redbourne?”

“Not
at all, just wondered if you wanted to talk about it.”

How
could she answer that without telling him the truth? She couldn’t, so she
didn’t answer at all. Cadence reached down and slipped her hand into the pocket
of her dress. The pouch with the diamond tipped golden spike had been securely
tucked there. If Clive’s friends or anyone else wanted it, they’d have to find
it first.

“You
handled yourself very well out there. You’d give my brothers a run for their
money.”

From
the way he’d spoken about his brothers, a sense of pride welled up inside of
her.

“Thank
you, by the way. I don’t think I said that yet.”

Cadence
bit her lip.

Buck
groaned.

“Maybe
we should stop and get him some water,” she said, determined to change the
subject. They’d been following a small creek for quite a while.

Levi
pulled on the reins and the horse came to a stop near the edge of the little
winding river. He unstrapped the canteens from his saddle bag and bent down
onto his haunches with a slight grunt to fill the container.

Cadence
slid off the horse’s back. Her legs felt wobbly, like Annie’s huckleberry jam
looked every time she pulled it out to spread on her biscuits back home. As she
walked to stretch out her legs, a burning pain accompanied the unsteady feel
and she better understood Levi’s reaction to the exertion. It didn’t help that
the burn on her leg still throbbed every time her skirt brushed over it.

The
terrain they were following was not as flat and plain as the quite
appropriately named Flat Plains—which made it harder to traverse with their
passenger. Dark clouds quickly rolled in overhead and the temperature of the
air dropped considerably. Cadence rubbed her hands across her lightly covered
arms and shoulders.

“We
need to get a move on,” Levi said as he held the canteen up for Buck to drink.
“It won’t be long before that storm reaches us.”

Cadence
stood next to the mount and waited for Levi to join her. Something about him
put her at ease. She couldn’t explain it.

“Miss
Walker?” Levi said warmly. “Look at me.”

She
looked up into pools of warm honey and realized she could get lost in those
eyes.

“I
figure we have another hour or so,” he told her as he examined the cuts beneath
her eye. “Buck is still losing a lot of blood, but he’s awake.” He pulled away
and suddenly she felt cold. “Are you all right?”

Truth
was, she was tired, but she couldn’t think of a better way to fall asleep than
in Levi Redbourne’s arms.

“Let’s
go.”

The
time on the trail gave Levi time to process everything that had just happened.
It all seemed a part of some horrifying illusion. Those responsible for the
derailment would pay. Clive already had. With his life.

Levi
couldn’t help but admire the strength of the woman who’d fallen asleep in his
arms. She’d shown courage today in a very difficult situation. She’d acted
decisively—something hard to come by in most of the women he’d met. He’d been
blessed with strong women in his family, which had spoiled him for many of the
ladies who’d offered him their attentions.

Cadence
Walker was different. She was smart and funny and very influential on those
around her. Levi wasn’t at all surprised Pinkerton had hired her on to be one
of his revered lady detectives. Yes. He knew. He’d been around Eamon enough to
know how a Pinkerton acted and reacted or didn’t act at all in any given
situation. He wondered if his friend knew.

She’s
a lot like her father
,
he mused.

A
soft moan escaped Cadence’s lips and she tilted her head so that it fit
perfectly in the curve of Levi’s neck. He could get used to this.

The
small town of River City came into view as they passed through a large thicket
of sweet-smelling pine trees. He guessed it would only be another quarter hour
before they arrived.

Plop.
A lone droplet of water caressed his cheek and rolled downward.

Levi
drank in the scent of rain as he glanced up to the heavens.

“Please,
God,” he whispered into the sky, “please let it wait just a few minutes more.”

By
the time they finally reached the small settlement, gusts of wind had the town
in a flurry. There were only a few completed buildings on Main Street—a
mercantile, a livery, and blacksmith shop. Most people had been working on
getting their homes built—then their businesses would follow.

The
church and hotel were nearly complete, but the rest of the town’s businesses
were still a series of tents. People littered the street, tying down the edges
of their make-shift edifices with strong rope and iron stakes. Boards were
being hammered into place over the windows at the general store and the
Ferrier.

No
one paid them much attention as they rode down the street. Luckily, on his last
trip to town, he’d met the doctor at his home, just a few minutes to the north.

“Hang
on, Buck,” he called out, but his words seemed to be carried away on the wind.

They
pulled up in front of a quaint little wooden house, painted gray with planters
of wildflowers growing in the windowsills. The young sapling at the edge of the
property leaned to the north with the force from the storm. Levi dismounted and
ran up the few short steps to the door and knocked loudly.

A
few moments passed before the kind doctor answered his door.

“Why,
Levi,” the greying doctor pulled his shirt collar up around his neck, “what are
you doing out in weather like this? Come in and get yourself warm. Margar—”

“Please,
Doc,” Levi pointed to the sled holding his friend.

“Well,
why didn’t you say something?” he said with only a moment’s hesitation. He
grabbed a coat of the hook next to the door and steered Levi forward.

Cadence
slid down off Apollo’s back and joined them. Levi was grateful for his wide arm
span as he was able to take up both sides of the top end of the travois. The
doc and Cadence each held a side at the bottom and carefully, they carried Buck
into the house.

“Oh,
my,” the doctor’s wife exclaimed when she saw them set the stretcher on the
porch as it was too big to fit through the doorframe.

“In
here,” Doc directed.

Levi
gathered Buck into his arms and gingerly carried him into a small room at the
back of the living area. He laid the man down on the tall table in the center of
the space and backed away so the doctor could examine the patient.

Buck
reached out and touched his arm, the faint motion seeming to drain him of
energy.

“Tell
them it wasn’t my fault, Levi,” he whispered. His hand fell.

“Buck,
don’t talk like that. Doc Gordon is real good. You’ll be—”

“Margaret
will have some hot lemonade.” The doctor turned him around and with a light
push, ushered him out of the room toward the kitchen where Cadence was waiting
patiently.

“Excuse
me, ma’am.” He glanced at Cadence, then to Mrs. Gordon. “I have to go see to my
horse. May I use your barn?”

“Of
course, dear. There’s some fresh hay in the loft. Help yourself. I’m just
fixing up your wife a nice glass of hot lemonade to warm the soul. I’ll have
one waiting for you when you return.”

Did
she just say ‘wife?’
That might be a little hard to explain.

“Oh,
we’re not...um...”

“Oh,
no,” Mrs. Gordon placed a hand over her mouth. “Is
that
man,” she
pointed to the doctor’s room, “your husband?”

Cadence
looked at Levi, pleading for rescue. It was just like him to tempt fate. He’d
decided to wait until the railroad was complete before looking for a wife, and
here, fate brought the woman to him. He smiled.

“What
she means to say, Mrs. Gordon, is that we are courting. We have not yet married.

Cadence
relaxed visibly. “Yes, that is what I meant to say.”

Mrs.
Gordon clapped her hands together. “A wedding. Does your family live here in
town, dear? You must introduce us.” She muttered something more, but Levi
couldn’t hear her as she turned into the kitchen, presumably for the lemonade.

Mrs.
Gordon would assume that Cadence’s family was here, since it was highly
improper for an unmarried woman to be accompanying her betrothed on a trip away
from home. He would have to be careful on how he presented things in the
future. He smiled and reached his hand up to tip his hat only to realize it
wasn’t there.

Cadence
giggled.

Levi
liked the sound of her laugh. It made him feel warm inside like hot buttered bread
on a cold afternoon. Apollo waited patiently by the front gate, despite the
increasing storm. The rain had yet to fall and Levi recognized his ingratitude.

“Thank
you, Lord,” he said quietly. He led Apollo into the barn, removed his saddle,
brushed him down, and shoveled some hay into his stall. Luckily, the doctor had
planned on expanding and had more than one stall in his barn. “You did well,
Apollo. Get some rest and we’ll see you in a few hours.”

Levi
stepped back into the doc’s house to find Cadence sitting on the couch sipping
her hot lemonade with Mrs. Gordon.

“You
have chosen quite a lovely woman, Levi.” She motioned for him to sit down on
the couch next to Miss Walker. “She was just telling me about her life in
Chicago. You must be so proud.”

Levi
half-smiled. In all their conversations, she had yet to have told him any
details about her life in Chicago. “She should tell you more. She really is
quite a fascinating woman.”

Cadence
turned to look at him over her shoulder and squinted her eyes in speculation.

Dong.
Dong. Dong.

“That
will be my cornbread muffins. I set the clock so it would strike when they
would be done. You two just sit still and I will have them out in a moment.”
She set her teacup down on the table in front of the couch and excused herself
from the room.

“So,
are you going to tell me about Chicago?”

“I
don’t know what she was talking about really. I lived just a plain ordinary
life there.”

Levi
raised a brow.

Doc
Gordon opened the door from his office room, wiping his hands on a rag, his
features looking grim.

Levi
stood, a sudden knot of worry twisting inside his gut. Cadence stood and
slipped her hand into his as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He
squeezed.

“I’m
sorry, Levi.” Doc shook his head. “There was nothing more I could do for your
friend. The damage was just too extensive. I’m afraid he’s passed.”

A
weight dropped inside Levi’s gut and irrefutable anger welled up inside of him.
If only he’d been more vigilant.

How
could I have let this happen?

Buck
had a wife and three grown children. This news would be devastating to all of
them. He continued to stand there, staring at the doc.

Who
could do such a horrible thing?

Seven
men had needlessly lost their lives today and for what? His hands balled into
fists at the injustice of it. He wanted to scream. To hit something. To let it
out, but he couldn’t lose control. Especially not here. Especially not in front
of Cadence.

Mrs.
Gordon walked into the room holding a plate full of muffins and stopped at the
doorway. “Oh, dear,” she said quietly. She quickly moved to set her confections
down on the table.

“Thanks,
Doc.” Levi cleared his throat. “I know you did everything you could.” He
glanced at Cadence and then to Mrs. Gordon. “If you’ll all excuse me for a
moment, I think I forgot to close the barn door.” If he could just get some air
to clear his thoughts, he would be all right.

“Levi,”
Cadence placed a hand on his forearm.

It
was too much. He turned to Mrs. Gordon. “Ma’am,” he said with a curt nod, then
strode to the door.

Cadence
followed. “Levi,” she said again, her hands at her sides.

He
whipped around to face her, his eyes threatening tears that he didn’t want her
or anyone to see. More than anything he just wanted to pull her into his arms,
to find comfort in her touch. She didn’t give him the chance. She threaded her
arms beneath his and nestled her body against him. The knot in his throat grew.
He fought to keep his emotions in check.

“You,
Mr. Redbourne, did everything you could too,” Cadence whispered against him.

He
squeezed her tighter against him. “I liked it better when you called me Levi,”
he said quietly.

“Levi,”
she said his name again.

He
pulled away from her enough to see the compassion in her face. She too had had an
exhausting day, but she still looked beautiful.
Please, God, keep her safe
and we will find who did this and bring them to justice.

“Hmhmmmm,”
Doc cleared his throat. “We probably should take Mr...uh...”

“Buchanan,”
Levi provided, looking up again at the doc.

“Buchanan
into town,” the doc finished. “Since I’m guessing he has no family here, the
undertaker can make arrangements for his burial. He lives in the small house
right behind the funeral tent.”

Mrs.
Gordon rushed forward. “You and Harold can head into town. Why don’t you leave
your betrothed here with me?”

“But,”
Cadence interjected, “I need to—” What could she say?

“Betrothed,
Levi?” Doc asked, his confusion apparent. “When did this happen? I thought...”

Levi
cleared his throat and the doctor stopped his comment.

“Mrs.
Gordon’s right,” he said quietly. “It’s been a long day. If the sheriff wants
to speak with you, I’ll bring him back with us.” Levi brushed a strand of hair
from her face.

“Might
as well go on and kiss her,” Mrs. Gordon said. “It might make you feel better.”

Levi
knit his brows together and then realized his arms were still wrapped around
Miss Walker.

Cadence
looked up at him. She didn’t pull away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
If he was going to kiss Miss Walker, he didn’t want it to be because of grief
or because someone had goaded him into it. He released her.

“We
should go.”

“We
should go?” Cadence repeated Levi’s words, still reeling over them near an hour
after they’d left. She pounded at the dough Mrs. Gordon had put in front of her.
They were finishing up the last details of a late supper—since they’d taken the
doctor away from his peaceful evening.