Wolf Shadow (37 page)

“Tell him he’s being watched and…” Teressa frowned. “I don’t
know! If he’s being followed, there’s no way for us to meet.”

Cynthia tapped her fingers on the table. “Maybe he needs a
disguise?”

“A disguise?”

“Of course! Let’s see. What about one of my father’s suits?
Oh! Even better. What about one of Helga’s dresses? He could wear one of her
big hats, too, to hide his face. She has one with a black veil that she wears
to church.”

“Wolf? In a dress?” Teressa burst out laughing.

“They’re about the same size,” Cynthia said, giggling. “He
could even wear her dress over his own clothes.”

“It’s worth a try. If he’s willing, tell him to meet us at
St. Mathias at two o’clock.”

“Us?”

“Of course. No one will suspect three women going to
church.”

Cynthia grinned. “Are you going to wait for me here?”

“No. Someone might be watching me, too. I’ll have Mason
drive me to town and drop me off at Lawson’s. I’ll go out the back door and
meet you at the church. Are you sure you want to do this, Cyn?” Teressa asked.
“After all, your reputation…”

“Fiddlesticks! You’re my best friend.” Cynthia said, patting
Teressa’s shoulder. “I’ll see you at St. Mathias at two.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chance paced the floor of his hotel room, wondering if
Teressa had received his message, wondering if she would come.

He lifted a hand to his head. He had taken the time to stop
and see a doctor the night before. The sawbones had cleaned the wound,
remarking that Chance was lucky he had such a hard head.

The clock had just struck the quarter hour when there was a
knock at the door. Bless the girl. She was here.

Her name was on his lips as he opened the door, but it
wasn’t Teressa. It was her friend, carrying a wrapped parcel in a large string
bag.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, frowning.

“May I come in? I have a message from Tessa.”

Chance stepped back to allow her into the room, then closed
the door behind her.

He listened somewhat skeptically as Cynthia told him their
plan. When she finished, he eyed the parcel she had placed on the bed.

“Hurry,” she said, “it’s almost two.”

Chance opened the package to reveal a dark brown and green
dress and a large, floppy-brimmed hat with a veil. “You want me to wear this?”

Cynthia nodded. “No one will recognize you.”

Chance grunted. That was for damn sure. “What about shoes?”

“I can’t help you there. Helga has very small feet, but I
think the dress is long enough to cover your boots.”

Chance shook his head, then reached for the dress, pulled it
over his head, and shoved his arms into the sleeves.

“It fits,” Cynthia exclaimed. Moving around behind him, she
began to button up the back. “Your gun makes a large lump on your hip. Maybe
you’d better take it off.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You can wrap it up in the paper and I can carry it in my
bag.”

Chance considered that for a moment, then nodded. Reaching
under the skirt, he removed his gunbelt and wrapped it in brown paper, then put
it in the bag.

Cynthia put the hat on his head and dropped the veil in
place. “Your long hair adds the perfect touch,” she remarked. “Let me see you
walk.”

“Walk?”

She nodded and made a “get-along” motion with her hand.

Chance walked across the floor.

“No, no, no,” Cynthia said. “You have to take much smaller
steps, and try to move your hips a little, like this.” She walked to the window
and back. “See?”

With a shake of his head, Chance tried again.

“That’s a little better. Try again.”

With an aggrieved sigh, Chance shortened his stride and
tried to put a sway in his walk.

Ten minutes later, Cynthia was of the opinion that he was as
good as he was going to get.

“Let’s go.” She picked up her bag, a small gasp of surprise
issuing from her lips. “How do you wear this thing? It’s so heavy.”

Chance shrugged.

“Remember,” she said, opening the door. “Small steps. And
keep your head down.”

Feeling like a fool, Chance followed Cynthia down the
stairway and out of the hotel. She had a carriage waiting out front. He watched
her climb in. She was all grace and elegance. Following her inside, he was
certain he looked anything but graceful.

Once the carriage was under way, he glanced out the window.
No one seemed to be following them.

St. Mathias was located on the corner of a quiet
intersection. When the carriage came to a halt, the driver hopped down from the
box to open the door.

Chance put his hand on Cynthia’s arm to stay her. “Wait a
minute,” he said quietly.

“Thank you, Parker. I believe we’ll just sit here a moment.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the driver replied, and moved away from the carriage.

“What are we waiting for?” Cynthia asked.

“To see if anyone comes up behind us.”

They sat there for perhaps five minutes before Chance deemed
it safe to enter the church.

Teressa was waiting for them on the back pew. There was no
one else in the church save for an elderly woman kneeling at the altar.

Chance slid into the pew beside Teressa, and Cynthia slid in
beside him.

Teressa looked at him and burst out laughing. She clapped
her hand over her mouth when the elderly woman turned to stare at her.

“I overheard my father talking this morning,” Teressa said,
her voice low. “What did he do to you?”

“He tried to shanghai me.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “He wouldn’t!”

“Well, he did.”

“Were you scared?”

He took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I was
afraid I’d never see you again.”

“Are you all right?” she asked anxiously.

“I’m fine.”

“What are we going to do now?”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to be with you.”

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Now?” She had nothing but the clothes on her back and her
reticule, which held only a few dollars and a lace handkerchief.

“Right now. There’s a train leaving in about thirty minutes.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go.”

He squeezed her hand. “That’s my girl. I’ll leave first. Cynthia,
can you take her to the station?”

“Of course.” Cynthia pressed one hand to her heart. “Oh,
this is so romantic!”

Chance grinned at the girl’s theatrics. “Tessa, I’ll see you
at the station.” He squeezed her hand again. “Be sure to bring Cynthia’s bag
with you,” he said, and slid out of the pew.

Cynthia moved closer to Teressa. “I’ll miss you,” she said
woefully.

“I’ll write to you,” Teressa said. “And you can come to
visit us.”

Cynthia brightened. “Oh, that would be so exciting! What
shall I tell your parents when they come looking for you?”

“Just tell them I’ve gone home.”

* * * * *

Thirty minutes later, Teressa was sitting beside Chance, who
was still in disguise. “What about Smoke?” she asked. “Are you just going to
leave her here?”

“No. I asked the livery man to have her loaded on the next
train.”

“Why didn’t you bring her on this one?”

“I didn’t want to arouse any suspicion, in case your
father’s having the livery watched, too.”

“Oh. I still can’t believe he tried to shanghai you.” The
very thought sent chills down her spine. Men who were shanghaied were rarely
seen or heard from again.

With a shrill whistle and a grinding of wheels, the engine
set into motion. Teressa glanced out the window. She couldn’t help feeling a
moment of regret at not being able to tell her mother and father goodbye and
yet, if it wasn’t for her father, she wouldn’t be running away.

With a sigh, she settled back in her seat once more. “Are we
going to the ranch?”

“Yeah.” If Bryant came after him again, he wanted to be on
his own land.

Tessa was quiet a moment before she said, “Do you think my
father will come after us?”

“What do you think?” He shifted on the seat. “I feel as if
I’m smothering in this thing,” he said, brushing at the veil that covered his
face.

Teressa grinned at him. “I guess you could take it off.”

“Good idea.”

The train wasn’t too crowded; there were only a few other
people in the car, most of them looking out the window. A woman was crooning
softly to the baby in her arms. A man in a suit and tie was reading a
newspaper.

For all that he’d thought no one was paying any attention,
all eyes seemed to be on him as he jerked the hat from his head and tossed it
on the floor, then turned his back toward Teressa so she could unbutton the
dress.

Chance hadn’t known too many embarrassing moments in his
life, but this one topped them all. Rising, he stepped out of the dress and
shoved it under the seat, along with the hat. Picking up the string bag, he
unwrapped his gunbelt and holster and strapped it on. The familiar weight of a
gun on his hip was reassuring.

He ran a hand through his hair, wishing he hadn’t left his
own hat at the hotel.

Teressa grinned at him. “Welcome back, Mr. McCloud.”

“Very funny,” he muttered.

“It was a good idea, though, wasn’t it?”

He nodded. “Was it yours?”

“No, Cynthia gets all the credit.”

“Smart girl.”

“Yes. I’m going to miss her.”

He slid his arm around her shoulders. “Are you sure about
this?”

She snuggled against him. “I’m sure.”

“I’d like us to get married as soon as we get back to the
ranch. How do you feel about that?”

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with love. “Wonderful.”

He kissed her lightly. “We’ll talk to the preacher as soon
as we get to Buffalo Springs.”

The trip to Crooked River was uneventful. Disembarking from
the train, they went directly to the stage depot. The next stage to Buffalo
Springs wasn’t due until the following afternoon. Chance bought two tickets,
and then they walked down the dusty street toward the center of town.

Crooked River was booming, Chance thought, glancing around. There
were new buildings going up on both sides of the street. Several others wore
new coats of paint.

Teressa tugged on his arm and he turned to see her looking
in the window of the Bon Ton Millinery Shoppe.

“Look,” she said, pointing at a white straw hat bedecked
with colorful ribbons.

“It’s pretty.” He ran a hand through his hair, wishing again
that he hadn’t left his hat back in ‘Frisco.

“Do you think I could try it on?”

“Sure, honey. I’ll wait for you out here.”

With a smile, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Chance watched Teressa sit down on a small stool while a
gray-haired lady in a dark blue dress handed her the bonnet. Teressa put it on,
deftly tied the ribbons beneath her chin, then turned toward the window. She
tilted her head to one side, a smile on her face.

Chance nodded his approval.

She spoke to the clerk, then pulled two dollars from her bag
and handed it to the woman. A moment later, she stepped out on the boardwalk.

“Do you like it?” she asked.

He nodded. “Very much.” He ran his hand through his hair
again. “I need a new hat, too.”

“There’s a shop over there,” Teressa said, pointing across
the street.

She entered the store with him, stood quietly while he tried
on a black hat with a rolled brim.

He turned to face her. “What do you think?”

“I like the tan one.”

Chance plucked another hat off the shelf. “This one?”

Teressa nodded.

Removing the black hat, he tried on the tan one. “All right,
the tan one it is.” He paid for the hat, grateful that the men who had
shanghaied him hadn’t robbed him as well, although he imagined they would have
thought of it sooner or later.

Leaving the store, they continued down the street to the
hotel where Chance secured a room for the two of them.

Teressa couldn’t help blushing when the clerk’s gaze settled
on her left hand, obviously looking for a wedding ring. Squaring her shoulders,
she met his smirk with an aloof expression.

The clerk slid a key across the desk. “Room 23.”

“We’d like some hot water sent up for a bath,” Chance said,
picking up the key.

“Yes, sir.”

Taking Teressa by the hand, Chance headed for the staircase.

Room 23 was located at the end of the hall. It was a large
corner room, with one window overlooking Main Street and another overlooking an
alley. Starched white curtains hung at the windows. The bed was large, covered
with a blue and beige spread. A large cherry wood chest with an oval mirror
stood against one wall. A comfortable looking overstuffed chair stood in the
corner. There was a zinc tub partially hidden behind a screen.

Chance tossed the key on top of the dresser, then drew
Teressa into his arms. With a sigh, she rested her cheek against his chest. His
lips brushed the crown of her head as his arms tightened around her.

“Tell me no one will ever separate us again,” Teressa said,
clinging to him.

“No one will ever take you from me again, I can promise you
that.”

She smiled up at him. “I love you, Wolf.”

He arched one brow. “Wolf?”

She shrugged. “That’s how I always think of you. Would you
rather I called you Chance?”

He chuckled softly. “Sweetheart, you can call me anything
you want.”

Rising on tiptoes, she locked her hands at his nape and
pressed her lips to his, only to pull away when there was a knock at the door.
“That didn’t take long,” she remarked.

“Not long enough,” Chance muttered as he opened the door to
admit two young men carrying buckets of hot water.

They filled the tub, nodded at Teressa, and left the room.

“Too bad the tub’s not bigger,” Chance mused as he closed
and locked the door.