The Iron Horseman (4 page)

“I’ll
see you and Mr. Cavanaugh at seven.” Levi stepped outside. The fresh air felt
amazing. While the temperature had warmed considerably, there was still a light
chill to the breeze.

He
glanced over to the smithy where a dozen railroad workers had gathered around
the fire. He suspected there wouldn’t be any new nails today. The last few days
had been spent mending fences, digging irrigation canals, and helping many of
the farmers and ranchers construct outbuildings and corrals. A good horseback
ride would do him some good before being cooped up in the boxcar on their way
through River City and on into Laramie.

Levi
headed toward the livery. It had been one of the first buildings to be erected
in Flat Plains and still smelled of fresh cut wood mingled with varnish. The
sound of an unfamiliar woman’s voice caught Levi’s attention and he scanned the
oversized barn for her whereabouts. He couldn’t see anyone. Not even the
liveryman. He walked back to Apollo’s stall and to his astonishment found the
woman standing at the gate, palm open, feeding his horse an apple.

Her
dark pecan-colored hair, unrestrained by a hat or bonnet, fell softly about her
shoulders. He’d gotten to know the people in town and for the life of him
couldn’t think as to how he’d missed the likes of her.

“Hmhmmmm.”
Levi cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Beautiful, isn’t...”

The
woman turned to face him.

“...he?”
he finished.

Her
eyes, darker than molasses and topped with thick, full lashes, burned into his
mind. She was the most captivating creature he had ever seen. The soft blue of
her dress made a stunning contrast against the nearly black tresses that hung
loosely about her shoulders. Suddenly he felt at a loss for words.

“Here
you are, Miss Walker.” The liveryman appeared from a small room at the back
carrying a saddle blanket and a heap of leather tack. He glanced up at Levi.
“Mr. Redbourne?” He glanced toward Apollo and back to Levi. “I didn’t think
you’d mind. Miss Walker here wanted to take out one of the horses and she took
an immediate liking to yours. I’m afraid she’s set her sights set on him.”

Levi
glanced at the liveryman, sure his own mouth gaped open. He could hardly
believe the man was truly indulging the idea of renting the woman
his
horse.

“I’m
afraid the lady will have to select one of the others. Since the train isn’t
leaving until tomorrow, I’m heading out to the Cavanaugh place tonight and
Apollo is how I’m going to get there.”

The
liveryman looked between the two, apparently unsure how to proceed.

The
woman turned around and placed her elbows behind her, resting them on the
stall’s gate. “Mr. Redbourne?” she asked, seeming to clarify that she had
addressed the correct person. “I was under the impression that the train
leaving tomorrow is a supply train and isn’t taking any regular passengers on
this run.”

Levi
eyed her coolly.

How
would she know that?

“Perceptive.
It’s not.” He didn’t feel like justifying himself—even to someone as beautiful
as her. “Taking on any passengers, I mean.” The train had become like a second
home to him. Each of these scheduled supply trains always included his sleeping
compartment. “I’m not a passenger. There will be another train on Thursday that
will take you all the way to Ogden if you’re interested.”

Miss
Walker raised an eyebrow and pushed herself away from the stall gate.

Levi
swallowed hard. It was simple—she was beautiful.

Flat
Plains had only been settled for a few months and he wondered how long she’d
been living here. He didn’t recall ever having seen her before. And he would
remember the likes of her—though ‘resplendent’ was not on his list. He didn’t
know of any Walkers living around here. However, his good friend Eamon Walker,
a Pinkerton for the railroad, was stationed farther west just outside of Bryan
and he wondered if the man might have relatives who’d just moved to town.

“Mr.
Gainey,” the woman said, “I’m sure the chestnut mare over there will be just
fine.” Her smile added a touch of honey to her otherwise dark eyes. She brushed
past Levi and followed the liveryman to the stall across the stable.

Had
she really expected him to give up his horse when there were plenty of others
here that didn’t belong to one of the livery’s patrons? He didn’t even know the
woman, but with eyes like hers, Levi imagined there was many a man who would do
things out of character for her.

He
shook his head—something that had become all too much of a habit lately—glad he
would be on the train tomorrow, away from the very attractive distraction.
After
the completion
, he reminded himself as he removed his tack from the saddle
rack.

It
didn’t take long for Levi to get Apollo ready for his ride. He led the gelding
out into the street, unwittingly hoping for a glimpse of Miss Walker. It
appeared that she’d already gone, so he mounted and turned toward the creek. He
told himself it was part of his job to be interested in the newcomers, but
something about her intrigued him.

As
he rode, Levi admired the vast landscape surrounding him. Flat Plains had
certainly been named correctly. There were a few sparse trees alongside the
creek that meandered through a set of small hills. Although the mountains were
visible, they were in the far distance from the new town.

CRACK!

A
gunshot sliced the air in the distance and Levi urged his mount toward the
sound. The Brickman farm wasn’t too far from here. They’d had a lot of trouble
over the past couple of weeks with coyotes and Levi hoped they hadn’t returned.
The young family’s herd was small, but they couldn’t afford to lose any of
their cattle.

“Let’s
go, boy,” he called out as he flicked the reins and squeezed his heels.

He
hadn’t gone far when he saw a flash of blue disappear down the side of the
grassy bank. He slowed the horse as he cautiously approached the creek. Indian
raids were not commonplace in this small town, but he needed to be careful. He
reached down and pulled the rifle slung across the horse’s side. He moved
closer.

There,
standing barefoot against the water’s edge, Miss Walker hunched down, filling
her canteen.

“Little
cold out here to be going around without your shoes, isn’t it?” he asked
loudly.

She
whipped around, pistol drawn.

“Whoa,”
Levi said, lifting his hands to where she could see them. “I didn’t mean to
frighten you.” The little shooter she held was not known for its accuracy or
distance, but Levi had no intention of testing its capabilities. Why would a
woman out here need a little gun like that anyway? And where had she been
keeping it? “A little jumpy, aren’t you?”

She
smiled up at him and released the pistol into a neutral position against her
flat, lifted palm. “Sorry. A woman can never be too careful.” She slid her
weapon into the folds of her skirt.

“Where
did your horse get off to?” Levi lifted his head and glanced across the flat
landscape, but he couldn’t see the chestnut mare. “Did she throw you?”

“Of
course not,” Miss Walker replied as she returned to her squatting position at
the creek. She didn’t elaborate.

Something
had obviously scared the mare.

“It’s
quite the distance back into town. Can I offer you a ride?” It was the least he
could do. Miss Walker looked up at him and bobbed her head. She took a long
swig of the water, returned the cap to the canteen, and wiped her mouth.

“Thank
you.” She climbed back up the side of the grassy embankment without much of a
struggle and it was then Levi noticed the dead snake a few feet from the
woman’s shoes.

He’d
only heard one shot. There was something more to this Miss Walker than he’d
originally thought. Too bad he wouldn’t have time to uncover her secrets. Maybe
he could come back in a few weeks and get to know her a little better.

‘Brave.’
Check.

Miss
Walker sat down next to the trail and proceeded to replace her shoes. When she
stood upright again, Levi dismounted and extended a hand to her.

“This
is most chivalrous of you, Mr. Redbourne.”

He
lifted her up into his saddle with little effort and pulled himself up behind
her. The heady scent of her hair filled his nostrils and he groaned inwardly.
It had been a long time since a woman had had this kind of effect on him.

The
train’s delay just might prove to be worthwhile after all.

Levi
Redbourne, or the Iron Horseman, as the men on the train had called him, just
might have been the most beautiful man Cadence had ever laid eyes on. He was tall
and refined and had wonderful taste in horses. The real kind—not steam
locomotives.

She
lay back against his lean form and reveled in the spicy scent of him. She had
been pleased to learn that he would be accompanying her on the train toward
Laramie. At least he would be someone to talk to, other than the two brutes
Pinkerton had sent to accompany her. They hadn’t been much for conversation.

In
addition to finding her father, she had been charged with getting close enough
to Mr. Thomas Durant that she could protect him with a close proximity. They
were supposed to rendezvous at Bryan in two weeks, the same town where her
father had gone missing, and she would accompany him the rest of the way into
Promontory. She only hoped that she would be able to locate her father within
that time. Time was running out and she couldn’t let any man get in the way of
her assignment. Handsome or not.

“So,
tell me, Miss Walker,” Mr. Redbourne’s resonant voice sent a wave of gooseflesh
down her arms, “which farm is yours? I haven’t seen you around town before.”

Good
heavens
,
she thought,
he thinks I live in this tiny little town
.

“I
don’t live here,” she said, trying to mask her disdain for small towns. “I
arrived on the train and I don’t plan on staying. I’ll be heading out in the
morning. Same as you.”

He
raised an eyebrow at her. “Now, how did you manage that?”

“Manage
what?”

“As
you mentioned earlier, that is a cargo train with supplies for the rail towns. No
passengers, remember? How did you manage to get yourself on board?”

Cadence
snorted airily. “My father works for the railroad. He has a place just outside
of Bryan and I’m going out to meet him.”

That
is my cover after all. And it wasn’t a lie.

Levi
cleared his throat. “You,” he said incredulously, “are little Cadie Walker?”

Cadence
sat up straight in the saddle, away from the firmness and warmth of his chest.
Only one man called her Cadie, and that was her father. She turned as far as
she could in the saddle, but it was no use. She could not meet his eyes.

As
if sensing her uneasiness, a deep, resonant laugh filled her ears. “Eamon
speaks of you like you are a little girl.”

“You
know my father?” Her eyes opened wide in disbelief at her luck. Or lack of it.

She
was surprised at her sudden enthusiasm to hear about her father. It had been
years since she’d seen him. She just hoped she wasn’t too late. His job as a
Pinkerton for the railroad had taken him away from home for far too long. He’d
tried to convince her mother to move west so they could be closer, but she’d
insisted she and their two children stay in Chicago. Cadence felt like she
barely knew her father anymore, but in that moment, she realized just how much
she wanted to be reacquainted.

You
sound like a little girl
, she chastised herself inwardly.
Stop it.

“Of
course I know him. Eamon and I have worked very closely over the last year or
so. He speaks very fondly of you.” He snapped the reins on the horse with a
slight jerk of his wrists. His arms felt good around her and a flush of heat
spread in her cheeks at the thought. “Look,” he said quietly, almost a whisper
in her ear.

Cadence
looked up to see her chestnut mare a few yards ahead of them, drinking from the
stream. For a horse that had been bred out West, she sure had been jittery
around that slithering critter.