The Outrider (Redbourne Series #5 - Will's Story) (26 page)

“I don’t think I can,” Elizabeth said, clinging
to the railing at the front of the passenger car.

Will stepped around her, climbed down onto the
train steps and held out his hand.

“I’ll help you.”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“I guess you can just go back to your seat and
read your letter,” he said, taunting her into getting over her fear.

It worked.

She moved her satchel around to her back and with
one look at him, turned around and took her first step backward down the metal
steps, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the iron rail.

“Look at me,” he said, waiting for her to meet
his eyes. “Give me your hand.”

She slipped her fingers into his and he gripped
them as tightly as he dared. “Now, place one foot on this step.” He stomped on
the bottom rung.

She squealed as one foot dangled in the air, not
quite able to reach the step.

“One more time,” he encouraged, wrapping his arm
around the railing, then reaffirming his grip on her hand.

She glanced over at him, the fear apparent in her
eyes.

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she retorted. “Should I?” She
giggled uneasily.

He firmly planted his foot at the edge of his own
step and nodded. “Jump!”

As soon as her foot left the metal stair, he
slipped his free arm around her waist, pulling her into him as he released her
hand, and planted her firmly on the top step of his platform.

“I did it!” she breathed. “With a little help,”
she added sheepishly.

He liked the color that seemed to stain her
cheeks when he was around. He only dared hope he might be some of the reason
for that.

“You’re a natural adventurer,” he praised.

As they worked from car to car, they practiced
the same technique, until they got to the last. The steps were just too far
apart to attempt the jump. Elizabeth looked up at him, her eyebrows scrunched
together. Will chuckled as he pulled a lever on the front of the car they were
on and released a bridge made of corrugated metal that swung around onto the
other car and locked into place.

Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. “Do they all
do that?” she asked, wide-eyed, a smile dancing on her lips.

“Yep,” he said unapologetically.

“Why, Will Redbourne, if I didn’t know any
better, I would say that you wanted to be close to me.”

“Is it that obvious?” he asked.

He stepped onto the bridge and reached back for
her. She slipped her hand into his and they crossed with ease. Will pushed on the
connecting slab until it clicked back into place.

“The dining car, I presume,” he said as he opened
the door. He’d been on several trains across country since the railroad had
been completed last year, and with Levi Redbourne as his brother, he’d been
privy to a lot of the luxuries offered to those who could afford it.

They stepped inside of the cart and Will smiled
at Elizabeth’s awed intake of breath.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been on a train.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen anything so
fancy, let alone been inside of it.”

She turned to look at him and he swore he could
see stars twinkling in her eyes.

“I hadn’t realized just how hard it would be
living out west without all the luxuries that London offered. That my father
provided.”

“May I see your ticket, sir?” A man, dressed in a
white shirt, black vest and pants, and a black flat-topped hat extended his
hand, a ticket punch in the other.

Will pulled his ticket from his bag and handed it
to the man.

“Your compartment is just this way, Mr…?”

“Redbourne,” he provided.

The conductor nodded and led them down the short
hallway, through a thick red-velvet curtain and stood aside, his arm sweeping
in front of a door with ornate gold foil patterns embossed around the edges.

“Will you be needing anything else at the moment,
Mr. Redbourne? Mrs. Redbourne?”

It was probably for the best that the man
believed the notion. The last thing he wanted was for talk to start among the
passengers and crew.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest.

Will glanced at the man’s nametag, then stepped
slightly in front of her. “I think Mrs. Redbourne and I are fine for now,
Lionel. Can you just tell us when dinner will be served?”

Although his family had money, they rarely used
it for this type of expense. Guilt tugged a little at his gut when he thought
about how many more jobs he would need to take to make up for this expenditure,
but he wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. He would get the money he needed for
the ship. One way or another.

“Dinner will be served at four-thirty, sir,”
Lionel said with a bow before disappearing back through the curtain.

The first-class compartment consisted of a large,
stuffed bench-like couch with several throw pillows that extended almost the
entire length of the cabin, a small table and chair in the corner, and a
folding accordion door that separated the main compartment from the sleeping
quarters.

An awkward silence ensued as Will realized they
were alone together. In his room.

“Why did you do that?” Elizabeth asked quietly.

“Do what?”

“Let him believe we are married?”

Will nodded, understanding her reservations.
“You’re going to be spending time in my compartment and the last thing I want
to do is give others the wrong impression. You are a lady who deserves their
respect. People are just too quick to judge these days and I wouldn’t want to
be the cause of an ill-fitted reputation.” Especially since Levi was constantly
on the rails. A Redbourne with a loose woman in his compartment wouldn’t be an
easy rumor to shake.

The train jerked a little, throwing Elizabeth
against him with a little squeal of surprise.

“I seem to keep doing that,” she said as she
pushed away from him. “Sorry.”

“I’m not complaining,” he said with a smile.

She shook her head with a laugh.

“Maybe we should go back out to the dining car.”

“Yes.” She was quick to respond, not meeting his
eyes as he pulled back the curtain and she hurried past him, that beautiful
stain returning to her cheeks. There was a little skip in her step as she
walked back into the large, open car with a few guests lounging in chairs or in
conversation at one of several tables dispersed throughout the cabin.

“Shall we sit and have a drink?” Will suggested.

“That sounds lovely,” Elizabeth said, opting for a
seat near the front of the car by the window.

“Good choice.” He was surprised to see flowers
adorning each of the tables in the dining car and thought how lovely one of the
pale blue flowers that matched her eyes would look tucked up against
Elizabeth’s beautiful red curls.

Movement caught his eye and he looked up to see Mr.
Henchley lurching out of sight behind the door in the next car. Did the man
really think he could follow them and not be seen?

Will had no idea what the brute was up to, but he
felt better knowing that Elizabeth was not sitting back there alone in a
passenger car full of people where no one would have noticed had she gone
missing.

He smiled.

“I still can’t believe you came to America all on
your own. You’ve done quite an impressive job of taking care of yourself,” he
commended. “If we don’t count the last few times I’ve saved your life.” He
chuckled at the look of indignation she shot his way.

“Okay,” she relented. “Twice.”

More, if you count now
, he thought, but didn’t
say it aloud. He did not want to alarm her. And as long as Henchley kept to
himself, there wouldn’t be any trouble. He’d see to that.

Elizabeth turned around to see what Will kept
looking at. There was nothing there, but a couple of gentlemen playing cards
and the door.

“Is everything all right? Am I boring you?”

“What? No. I mean, yes. Everything is fine.”

She turned around again. “Did you want to play a
game of cards?”

He jerked back a little and leaned against the
back of his seat. “Now, aren’t you full of surprises?”

“Why are you really here, Will?” she asked. “The
truth this time.”

He shook his head, shoulders shrugging, and chuckled
uneasily. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“I like to play games, but the physical kind, not
the emotional kind. I learned a few things working for my father and one of
them was to spot a tell when someone is lying. And you, Mr. Redbourne, are lying.”

“Tell? What tell?”

“That doesn’t matter. I know about the fight in
Denver.”

Now, he seemed genuinely confused.

“The fight Mr. Danvers was talking to you about.
He wanted you to participate.”

“You heard that?”

“It was hard to miss. I was sitting in the stage.
The windows…were open.”

“Then you must have heard me turn him down. I
enjoy the sport of fighting, the challenge of it, but I learned all too well,
at the hands of your father, the dangers of that world.” He glanced behind her
again.

She turned to see what he was looking at. Still
nothing.

“Do you remember a man by the name of Asa Henchley?”

“Of course. He works for my father. Why?”

“Because I saw him board this train right after
you got on.”

Elizabeth whipped around and looked toward the
back of the train and through the last window.

“Is that why you keep watching that door?”

Will nodded, then leaned forward. “You want to
know why I really boarded this train? I was…”

“Worried about me?”

He shifted in his seat. “Yes,” he said, placing
his hand over hers. “I don’t know what it is about you that makes me think…” he
swallowed, “makes me feel…”

“Yes?” She sat up taller in her seat and waited
for him to formulate the words.

“That makes me…”

Elizabeth held her breath.

“…care what happens to you.”

It was a nice sentiment and she was glad that he
cared, but a woman wanted to hear all of the reasons she was cared about, not
that there was some mysterious reason that couldn’t be pinpointed.

“Well, thank you,” she said, followed by pursed
lips. “I
care
about you too.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Elizabeth.”

“I’m sure.”

“Will, I can’t go back.”

“I know.”

Their four course dinner arrived and it was
better than anything Elizabeth had tasted in months—maybe with the exception of
the meal she’d eaten at Redbourne Ranch. They ate making small talk between
bites. Elizabeth tried to enjoy the conversation, but she couldn’t stop
thinking about the lurking man. How had he found her? If Mr. Henchley followed
her all the way to Silver Falls, she could be putting the people there,
including the preacher, in danger and that didn’t sit well with her. She had to
think of something. She finished up the last bites of her meal and wiped her
mouth with the corner of her napkin.

“Well,” she said as she scooted to the edge of
her bench and stood up, “Thank you for the meal. I should probably be getting
back to my seat.”

“If you think I’m letting you go back alone with him
out there, you’ll need to think again.”

Elizabeth weighed her choices. On one hand, crying
babies, bratty little girls who didn’t mind their manners, and a determined
henchman set on returning her to England to a life she didn’t want to live. On
the other hand, a ride full of peace and quiet, a place to stretch her legs,
and a very handsome man to keep her company. There really wasn’t much of a
choice. She sank back into her chair.

“What do you think Mr. Henchley wants with me? Do
you think he is here to return me to my father?” She thought about the type of
work she imagined the man had done for her father and gasped, a quick intake of
air filling her lungs. “Certainly, you don’t think he would…hurt me?”

“Of course, not. I know how much Sterling loves
you. The man has many faults, but his love for his family is not one of them.”

“It sounds like you admire him.”

“I admire…” he paused as if thinking of the best
way to phrase it, “his determination and drive to get what he wants out of
life, but I cannot forgive the way he chooses to go about getting it.”

Elizabeth understood that sentiment all too well.

“It’s getting late,” Will said. “I think I’ll
stay out here for a while if you’d like to head back to the compartment and get
some sleep.

She thought about arguing, but she knew it
wouldn’t do any good. Sleep sounded nice after a day like today, and now, with
Will there, she could rest easier. She picked up her satchel, scooted to the
end of her seat, and stood.

“Thank you,” she said, placing a hand on his
shoulder.

Will slipped off the bench. “Ma’am,” he said as
he made the motion of tipping his hat, although the Stetson remained on the seat.
He plucked one of the flowers from the vase on the table and handed it to her.
“Sleep well.”

The deep, rich sound of his voice shook her
insides and she smiled, in spite of herself, biting her lip. She reached out
for the stem, but he shook his head.

“Allow me,” he reached up to her face and pushed
her hair back behind her ear, then tucked the small, blue flower there.
“Goodnight.”

Elizabeth didn’t trust herself to speak. She
smiled and turned away from him.

Once she reached the cloth separator, she pivoted
so that half of her body was hidden by the thick velvet curtain. She watched Will
for a moment as he slid onto his bench, his back to her, and she smiled lightly
as he ran his hands through his already unkempt hair.

“Goodnight,” she whispered, then slipped into his
first-class compartment.

As soon as the door was shut, she leaned up
against it, her heart pounding heavier than usual in her chest. She bit her
lip, a smile forming on her face.

“I fancy Will Redbourne,” she stated with disbelief
to the empty room.

Then, as quickly as the smile had lightened her
face, a feeling of apprehension and sadness overtook her. How could she
entertain thoughts of Will when she was on her way to marry another man? A man
who would already be getting a big surprise upon her arrival.

She reached up and removed the flower from behind
her ear. Life had such a funny way. A week ago, she was all alone in a home
she’d purchased under an assumed name, ready to start a life as someone else in
a small little town in Kansas. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed
being Elizabeth Archer in these last few months, but every time Will said her
name, she felt…free.

She laid the bloom on the table in the corner of
the compartment and slipped out of her dress so it wouldn’t become too crumpled
in her sleep. She hung it over a bar in the sleeping chamber. With a last look
at the empty cabin, she closed the accordion doors and lay back, staring at the
ceiling.

What a predicament.

She closed her eyes and, despite the looming
dilemma, she smiled.

Will could not get the woman’s face out of his
head. He’d rather enjoyed their supper, liked the way she laughed. She was
unlike any woman he’d ever met before. He was used to having strong women in
his life. His mother was the most resilient woman he knew, but Elizabeth was
different. She didn’t fawn all over him like so many of the women back home
often did. She was her own person and he admired that about her.

“Lionel,” he said to the conductor, “I wonder if
I might have a slice of apple pie.”

“I think we can manage that, sir.”

He had a craving for something sweet and the pie
would have to do for now. He smiled devilishly to himself, then, his mother’s
face floated to his mind.

Respect.

Leah Redbourne had engrained the concept into her
children from an early age. She’d taught them well, but Will was the first to
admit that he’d often chosen to experience life’s lessons the hard way.

“Here is your pie, sir.” Lionel leaned over as if
telling a secret. “And I added a scoop of ice cream.”

Will liked ice cream, though he’d never tasted
any as good as Lottie’s. The family cook, who’d been like a second mother to
the Redbourne children, was as talented as they came. Her delicacies could
rival any New York establishment.

He took a bite of the pie with a smidgeon of ice
cream, but just as he brought it up to his mouth, Mr. Henchley peeked through
the window into the dining car. He took one look at Will, and ducked back into
the previous compartment. Will set his fork down on the plate, wiped his mouth
with the napkin, and decided now was as good a time as any to confront the man.

Elizabeth had made it clear that she did not want
to return to England, a thought that had disturbed him from the moment they’d
met, but it was her choice and he would make sure that her father would respect
that choice.

He moved easily into the next car as Mr. Henchley
hadn’t taken the time to return the bridge to its position. He glanced around,
scanning the sleeping passengers, but did not see him. Then, the thought hit
him. Distraction—a most effective technique. It was possible that Mr. Henchley
had not come alone. In fact, Will remembered quite clearly the band of brutes
he generally kept around. Maybe he wasn’t working alone. Maybe he’d
doubled-back.

Elizabeth.

He needed to get back to the first-class dining
car. If he was going to confront Sterling’s thug, he would make the man come to
him.

People draped over the seats, trying to get some
sleep. The small windows allowed for very little light to come into each car,
making it difficult to navigate through the darkened cars. Will tripped over
several sets of legs and travelling cases before he made his way back to the
front of the train.

When he arrived at the dining car, the lights
still burned brightly to accommodate several other passengers who’d taken a
late meal. By the time he reached his table, his ice cream had already begun to
melt. He slipped a bite into his mouth on the way to his quarters.

The accordion door to the sleeping quarters was
cracked lightly, but not enough for him to verify that she was still inside.
Either Elizabeth hadn’t thought to lock it, or something was amiss and he
decided that he’d rather err on the side of caution, so he stepped toward the
open door, feeling his hip for his gun.

With a deep breath, Will wove his fingers beneath
the handle, his gun now drawn and raised to his shoulder.

A loud snort came from the room, startling him
and bringing a smile to his face. He slipped his gun back into its holster and
stood there a moment longer…just to make sure. Sure enough, another little
snort, accompanied by several mumbled sentences, alerted Will that she was
indeed inside the sleeping compartment and all was well.