The Iron Horseman (25 page)

“Cade.
Stop.”

She
should have known that Levi wouldn’t just let well enough alone.

He
caught up with her and in the next moment was standing in front of her, his arms
encircling her. Though she tried to fight him, for fear his mere touch would
change her mind, she couldn’t deny that she felt safe with him, in his arms,
and she buried her head into his shoulder.

“It’s
okay,” he soothed, his hand gently stroking her sopping hair. “I understand.”

How
can he understand?

Cadence
didn’t even understand. How could she say no to a marriage with the one man
who’d shown her it was possible to love again? She’d chosen a life that had
given her an unfoundedly sullied reputation. A profession that forced her to
keep secrets from those closest to her. He knew all of that and still he wanted
her.

What
can I possibly offer him?

She
wasn’t sure which bothered her more—the idea that she was dishonoring Daniel’s
memory by allowing herself to fall in love with another man or the fact that
she didn’t know how to be someone’s wife. She’d traded her soul when she’d
become a Pinkerton and now she had to live with the consequences. That didn’t
mean Levi should suffer because of her choices.

Levi
placed a hand on each of her shoulders and set her away from him enough that
she could see his eyes.

“I’ll
wait,” he said quietly, leaning down toward her.

Cadence’s
heart beat so loudly, the methodic sound seemed to deafen her to her
surroundings. She stood there, stock still, cursing the moment his lips would
meet hers, yet anticipating it even more. When she could feel his hot breath on
her face, she closed her eyes, her breathing staggered and short.

“I
can’t,” she cried and turned away from him, resuming her retreat to the hotel.

I
can’t.

Levi
stomped down the main street of town as the storm grew fiercer by the moment.
The Durant Three-Car Special and adjoining train cars would arrive within the
next couple of hours and he wanted to be presentable. It wasn’t every day a
body had the opportunity to witness such a historical event and to be a part of
the celebration. He’d received word that his friend and mentor, Grenville
Dodge, had been detained for a short while in Salt Lake City and wouldn’t be
able to join them until they reached Promontory Summit. However, there would
still be several other high profile politicians and businessmen on board.

Luckily,
there was still a bath house in Bryan where he could clean up, then get a much
needed haircut and a hot shave. After the events of the early afternoon, he
couldn’t wait to crawl into a tub of hot water and allow the steam to wash away
some of his pent up energy and frustrations. He made his way back to the hotel
to retrieve a clean shirt and trousers, and his wallet.

I
can’t.

Levi
couldn’t seem to get those words out of his head. He understood that he’d
probably chosen the wrong moment to declare his intentions, but he’d never felt
like this about any woman. And he wasn’t about to give up without a fight.
Cadence was strong and smart, and he loved that she didn’t dance around her
words, but said what was on her mind. Their last encounter played again through
his head. He had simply wanted to kiss the tip of her nose, to reassure her
that he understood her hesitation, but Cadence had retreated from his touch as
if it burned.

Women.

The
blaring sound of the train’s whistle carried the distance to the station where
Levi, Cadence, Eamon, and a few townsfolk waited to greet the approaching
locomotive. Cadence had determined to keep her distance from Mr. Redbourne, but
he was making that very difficult.

She
almost resented the fact that he’d had the forethought to bathe before the
train arrived. His clean scent and newly cut hair played havoc with her
insides. His freshly shaven face displayed the firm angles of his jawline and
chin, but if truth be told, she kind of missed the stubble of hair growing on
his face.

Puffs
of steam shot up into the storm with expressed fervor and Cadence tried to
remain focused on the assignment now at hand. She was to gain favor with Mr.
Durant and uncover any threats. She only hoped that they would be able to warn
them about Devil’s Gate Bridge in time to stop the attack.

Cadence
patted her pocket, containing President Lincoln’s signed spike and the cipher
journal of events. She glanced over at her father who now carried the leather cylindrical
case. He nodded. Once settled on the train, she would resume decoding the
locations of each planned attack and finally finish looking over that list.

“Nervous?”
Levi asked, probably because she couldn’t stop fidgeting. She willed herself to
stand still.

“Not
at all,” she lied. “This is what I have been trained to do.” Cadence could feel
Levi’s eyes on her. “Fine. Of course, I’m nervous.”

Levi
smiled and turned back to face the tracks.

The
engine finally came to a stop with an ardent release of steam. The train would
only be stopping long enough to pick up the passengers and then would resume
its route. The conductor hopped down off the metal step and onto the platform
with a grin.

“Mr.
Redbourne, sir, it’s good to see you’ve made it all right. Miss Walker,” he
acknowledged while reaching out to shake Levi’s hand, but Levi pulled him in
for a quick hug.

“James!
Last time I saw you, you were mending the crew and hauling logs. I guess
everything has returned to normal?”

“Yes,
sir. Can you believe we’ve come this far? By this time tomorrow, the
Transcontinental Railroad will be complete.”

Suspicion,
founded or not, reared its ugly head.

James
reached down to collect Cadence’s bag. “I guess you are traveling a little
lighter than before.”

Cadence
smiled and stepped to the side, revealing the large trunk they’d carried across
half the country. Poor thing was held together with a few yards of rope, but
she didn’t have the time or means to find something equally as capable.

James
smiled. Cadence didn’t remember him ever doing that before.

“Where
is Mr. Durant?” Cadence whispered to Levi.

“He’ll
be waiting down there,” he pointed toward the back of the train, “in his
personal coach. It’ll be the fanciest of all of them. Can’t miss it.”

Cadence
counted twelve cars in total. “It seems you don’t much care for the man, Mr.
Redbourne,” she said, then without waiting for his response, she turned to the
conductor. “I wonder if we might get someone to help my father on board. He’s
suffering from an injury and needs his rest.” She took a step back and James
saw the man about whom she’d been speaking.

“Detective
Walker?” James stood up straight and looked between Cadence and her father.
“Are you two…?”

“She’s
my daughter, James.” Eamon took a step toward the metal stair. “Don’t you pay
her no never mind. I’ve done this a thousand times. I can get to a seat all by
myself.” He pulled himself up on the railing, but his legs had already been
weakened by all the exertion of the morning. He refused any help.

“You
are one stubborn man, Daddy. They’re not going to think any less of you because
you need help recovering from a bullet.”

“You
were shot, sir?” James motioned for two large men at the end of the platform to
come and help. “I wondered why I haven’t seen you in a while.”

Cadence
suspected the men he’d called to be the Pinkerton agents assigned to this
train, but she didn’t recognize them. While she’d heard that the Union Pacific
Railroad had thousands of people on its payroll, she wondered at how her
father, Levi, and the conductor all seemed quite familiar with each other. She
guessed the number that actually rode the trains back and forth was much
smaller.

Levi
held out his hand and helped her up onto the stairs. She climbed up ahead of
her father so she could help him once he boarded. Before the Pinkertons had
made it to their coach, Levi heaved her father to the top step, much to Eamon’s
dismay, but after a few disgruntled comments, he reached out for Cadence and
they made their way to a seat.

She
trusted that Levi would find out which sleeping compartment belonged to each of
them—hopefully, this time they each would have one of their own—and she’d be
able to get her father settled for the comparatively short ride to Piedmont.
She was beginning to second guess her decision to allow her father to come
along. Not that she’d really have been able to stop him once his mind had been
made up. He looked rather peeked and she could tell by his gait, he was getting
weaker and needed some rest.

It
didn’t take long before everyone had boarded and the train was on the move.

“Looks
like there are only luxury compartments on this train. Eamon, looks like you
need to sleep for a spell. Let’s get you into the next coach and you can lie
down. At least until we get to Piedmont.” Levi turned to Cadence. “He doesn’t
look well. I’m not sure we should have brought him along.”

“You
know my father,” she said without looking up. “What would you have had me do?”

The
sound of Levi’s brief laughter warmed her.

“We
need to go and speak with Mr. Durant about Piedmont. We have no idea what
trouble awaits us there, but it will be better if the Pinkerton agents and Mr.
Durant are informed.”

“Colonel
Levi Redbourne?”

Levi
turned around and snapped a salute. “Yes, sir, Major General, sir?”

Both
men broke into wide grins and greeted each other with a handshake, then pulled
each other firmly into an embrace of genuine comradery.

“How
the hell are ya, Levi?” the Major General asked. “Excuse me, ma’am. I forget
that there are ladies aboard this train.”

“Gren,
this is Cadence Walker. We’re…” he paused. “She’s…”

Cadence
raised a brow, wondering what he might say.

“I
thought you were already in Utah on business.” Levi changed the subject.
“How…?”

“It
seems my friend is having a hard time with his words today.” The man laughed.
“It’s quite the pleasure to meet Levi’s lady friend. You are a very lucky
woman, Miss Walker. The Colonel is…well,” he clapped Levi on the shoulder, “a
great man.”

“I
wish I could say she was mine, Gren, but Miss Walker and I are not together.
Miss Walker, this is Grenville Dodge, and as I’m sure you can tell, we served
together for quite a while during the war.”

“Right
alongside President Ulysses S. Grant.” Grenville boasted. “Redbourne here was
an invaluable asset and a reputable officer. You should be proud.”

Levi
hadn’t talked much about his service in the war. She’d guessed it to be a
difficult time for him and couldn’t imagine the turmoil he must have
experienced.

“That’s
enough of the past,” Levi said modestly. “We have something far more pressing
that needs to be discussed.”

“Fine,
but first, you wanted to how I came to be on this train. Let me introduce you
to my family.” Grenville turned to her. “If you’ll excuse us, Miss Walker. It
was a pleasure.”

“I’ll
be right there, Gren. Just let me see them to their quarters first.” Levi
hunched over and pulled Eamon to his feet, draping her father’s arm over his
shoulders.

“Ready?”

Cadence
nodded. They made their way to the sleeping compartment and Levi laid her
father down on one of the beds with an ornately decorated covering. The coach
was much bigger than the one she’d slept in before. It was more open and there
were benches on the opposite side for looking out the window. While the room
was far from private, with three other beds, it was an acceptable
accommodation.

The
Major General lifted a hand to Levi’s shoulder, bowed slightly at Cadence, and
whisked Levi off to one of the fancier coaches—which she guessed were for the
railroad’s important guests and dignitaries—without a word.

Cadence
didn’t want to wait. If Levi’s friend wasn’t ready to listen, maybe Mr. Durant
would be. She needed to find him and introduce herself. Levi had told her that
his was the most ornamental coach of them all and if she was right, it would
only be two cars down. Surely, Annie would have told the railroad officer she
was coming. Cadence had expected to join up with him much sooner, but her delay
couldn’t have been helped. At least she would be able to warn him against the
looming attack.

“I
think I might just sit here for a bit, Cadie,” Eamon told her as he lay back
against the mattress.

Cadence
tucked a pillow under his head and patted his arm. “I’ll be right back.” She
stepped out onto the connecting platform of the next car.

“Miss
Walker?” The door opened and one of the large men from the platform stepped
outside. “Mr. Durant would like for you to join him in his personal
compartment, ma’am.”

That
was easy enough
.

“Of
course,” Cadence responded with a coy smile. “I would be delighted.” She stood
and brushed the wrinkles from her skirt, pinched her cheeks, and followed the
man through the next couple of coaches.

When
they arrived at Mr. Durant’s palace car, Cadence stopped to take in the
extravagance of the coach. Even the door that opened into the man’s ‘special’
car was ornamented with overlay. Without meeting the man, Cadence already
understood some of why Levi disliked him. When she stepped inside the
compartment, it seemed much bigger than she could have ever suspected.

“Ah,
Miss Walker. Welcome. I trust you find your accommodations on my train
acceptable?” A man with a long, well-kempt beard stood from behind a delicately
carved wooden desk. “Come in. Come in. Please have a seat.” He motioned for her
to take a seat in the leather-backed chairs in front of his desk.

Cadence
made her way into his car, taking in the extravagance of his quarters. Two
matching gilded mirrors sat like windows behind him, placed against a wall of
the most intricate inlaid woodwork. Couches made of the most exquisite velvet
and carved timber adorned each side of the room and brilliant crystal
chandeliers hung from the ceiling.