Grooms with Honor Series, Books 1-3

by Linda K. Hubalek

  Daisy hoped Angus was alright because she didn’t relish finding her own way to a nearby town for help.

  She eased back down to the ground and looked around the area. “At least it’s not raining or snowing…yet.”

  “So far this September has been warm in the mountains but that can quickly change.”

  Angus rubbed the back of his leg, while still watching her.

  “Were you traveling with someone on this train?”

  “No. I was just on an outing to see the mountains.”

  “Last I knew you were in Chicago.”

  “I’ve been in Denver since February.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Working.”

  “Why didn’t I know this? I pass through Denver at least twice, almost every week!”

  Daisy sighed. His parents gave her an address where to write, but she didn’t want Angus to meet her out of obligation.

  “Why didn’t my folks write to tell me you were here? Did you tell them not to say anything?”

  Being a railroad detective had only sharpened Angus’ always inquisitive mind.

  “You’re always on the job, traveling some tracks between here and there so how was I to know where you were?”

  Angus struggled to stand and Daisy stood up beside him, ready to catch him if he fell. But he’d grown in height and weight since she’d last seen him, so she really couldn’t help if he tumbled back to the ground. He arched and twisted his back and rolled his shoulders trying to get the kinks out of his body.

  “Anything broken, sprained?” Daisy asked, worried since he hadn’t taken a step yet.

  “Don’t think so. I’ll live to roll down some other hill another day.”

  Angus reached for Daisy’s hand. “Come on, let’s check the others, then head up the hill to find out where we’re at.”

  Daisy took his hand and gave it a squeeze. How many times had they held hands in their youth? She never thought they’d hold hands again as adults, but she had always wished for it.

  “Lead the way, Angus. I’m right beside you.” Angus paused searching her face, as if looking for a deeper meaning. Even after eight years apart, did he feel the connection between them too?

  Daisy tried not to look as Angus turned over the bodies to check for life. Two, probably the brakeman and conductor, had been shot in the back at close range. The fireman and express agent were shot in their chests as they faced the robbers. The engineer was missing as was the train. Angus guessed the man was kept alive to move the train on after the barricade had been removed from the tracks.

  Angus called to see if anyone would answer, but no one echoed back. Apparently the passengers were still on it, either as part of the robbery gang, or hostages. Maybe it was better that she and Angus had been thrown off the train, not knowing the fate of the others.

  “I wonder which town we’re closer to. Should we walk back to Bailey or walk on to Morrison.” Angus mused while they stood on the track, looking one direction then the other.

  “You know the route and times, don’t you? Will there be another train coming through here soon?”

  “This train made the loop twice a week, so a search party wouldn’t be out for a day or two, depending on if and when the train shows up somewhere.

  “Let’s head back to Bailey because I think it’s closer. Ready?”

  Daisy looked down at what she wore now. It took them over an hour to drag the four bodies up close to the track. After they rested to get their wind back, they checked the bodies for items they could use for their survival. No weapons, unfortunately, but a tin of sulphur sticks could still save their lives along with additional clothing to ward off the night temperatures.

  Angus had pulled the jackets off the conductor and express man. The two others didn’t wear one due to their jobs. She now wore one, and carried the other besides wearing one of the men’s hat and work gloves.

  The young brakeman, not yet out of his teen years, was lying there in his union suit as she wore his trousers under her skirt. If walking the trail became too hard in her skirt, she could take it and her petticoats off, but she’d be warmer if she could leave them on.

  Daisy almost protested when Angus pulled off the men’s boots and socks, but she needed boots to hike the tracks and trails they’d be walking for who knows how many miles. Her dressy shoes wouldn’t stand the hardship, nor would her ankles. It took three pairs of socks to make the smallest pair of boots fit, but they’d work. Her feet probably stunk like the socks now, but that would be a small price to pay to save a fall.

  And she would be sure to find out the names of these four men and write a thank you letter to each of their families, if she and Angus made it safely out of the mountains.

  “Would you guess it’s about three o’clock?” Angus raised his eyebrows with his question.

  Their watches had been stolen, which made Daisy think of her reticule, containing her jewelry besides some money. Was it still in a corner of the washroom, or had the robbers found it?

  “Why?” Daisy asked in exasperation. “Why does the time matter at this point?”

  “Time for coffee and pie at the Clancy Café, Daisy. We’re late.” With a nod toward the east and a half grin Angus started walking, not waiting for her to get over her reaction. But it was what Daisy needed to start the trek to a town. Thinking about the café owned by her grandparents and the town she grew up in gave her the fortitude to catch up to Angus.

  Chapter 2

  “There’s a stream down there. Let’s get to it.”

  Angus tightened his hold on Daisy’s hand as they started to side step down the hill to the creek twenty feet below the tracks. Besides being thirsty they needed to clean their faces. Daisy’s bloody face startled him every time he looked at her, even though her forehead wound wasn’t freely dripping anymore. Besides her head throbbing—probably like his own—her nose had to be tender. A thin line of dried blood ran from her left nostril, down across her lips and down her chin.

  Did he look that rough too? Probably, but he was a man and wasn’t worried about his looks like a woman would be.

  “Slow down or we’ll end up rolling down the hill again.”

  “Easy for you to say when you have on boots that fit,” Daisy muttered. She hadn’t said much the half hour or so they’d been trudging toward town. It was rough going as they had to walk on the rock track ballast between the rough railroad ties or alongside the tracks if there was room. Sometimes the track had been carved into the side of the mountain and they hugged the rock wall, not looking over the side that dropped over the edge.

  Even though the mountain stream water would be ice cold, Angus felt like sticking his head in it to shock his headache. He crouched down on his knees to dip a handkerchief in the swiftly moving stream. It was crystal clear, ice cold, instantly freezing his fingers. He rung out the cloth and stood up to take a step back to Daisy, who still stood five feet from the bank.

  “You want to clean your own face, or shall I do it?”

  “I hope my face doesn’t look like yours.” Was she narrowing her eyes at him, or were they swollen? Oh gosh, she was sporting two black eyes.

  “Uh, hard to say without a mirror. How about we clean each other’s faces to get them cleaner?”

  “Fine. Hopefully the cold water will numb my sore chin too.”

  She hit her chin also? Now that he was studying her face, he noticed the skin on her chin was a light shade of purple. She looked like she’d fallen face first into something when she fell in the washroom.

  “Let’s step down close to the water, because we’ll need to rinse and wring out the handkerchief more than once to get us both clean.”

  Angus held on to Daisy’s forearm as they sidestepped down the bank to the water’s edge.

  “Let me clean your face first. I’m getting tired of you looking like you got in a fist fight on the playground,” Angus joked, trying to take both their minds off their situation.

  “When did I e
ver get into a fight at school?”

  Angus gently cupped her chin in his hand and wiped the wet cloth across one cheek before stopping to answer. Daisy gasped and pulled back at the first touch of the icy cloth.

  “Besides with your brother, Nolan, a time or two? I remember a scrap you and Ruth Hamman had over something she said about Cullen when he first moved in with my family.”

  He leaned down to swish the bloody cloth in the stream to clean it, then wrung it out again.

  Daisy looked upset seeing the blood he’d rinsed out, but didn’t say anything.

  “I first washed the part of your face that I didn’t think hurt. Brace yourself while I wash your nose.”

  “Ow!”

  She slapped his hand away and tenderly touched her nose to feel it’s condition.

  “Did I break it? Is it crooked?”

  “Hard to say with it being so swollen,” Angus confessed.

  “What? Are you saying I look like I’ve...been in a saloon brawl?”

  “I was going to say your face looked like you ran into a door running full speed, or were a victim of a train robbery, but a bar room fight works for me.”

  “Good gravy. Good thing I’m lost in the woods for a few days for the way my face must look.”

  “We’re not lost...and I’m sure your black eyes will look worse than better by the time we walk to town, so deal with it.”

  “What? I have black eyes too?” No wonder I can’t see very well.”

  Angus rinsed the cloth for the third time before dealing with her lumpy forehead.

  “Now I’m going to clean the rest of your face. You have a good cut in the middle of your forehead.”

  “Does it need stitches?”

  “If we had supplies I’d do it, but the bleeding had slowed down so maybe it isn’t as deep at it looks.”

  Of course the cut started to bleed again as soon as Angus dabbed it.

  “Ready to tear up a petticoat for a good cause?”

  Daisy touched her forehead, wincing when she saw fresh blood on her finger tips.

  She lifted her skirt, showing her petticoats. “Hurry up and rip a section off the oldest one, closest to my leg. I can’t stand blood dripping down my face!”

  “Hang on, Daisy. Pretend it’s rain instead of...”

  Daisy wilted over his back as he tried to sort the layers of material under her skirt. He changed positions to catch her and lay her down on the ground.

  Oh, Exodus. She fainted.

  He lifted her skirt again, then ripped the ruffle off of the thinnest petticoat. Hopefully one strip would go around her head enough times to stop the bleeding.

  After he wrapped her head, he leaned over the stream and washed his face. Splashing cold water on his face helped wake him up. His head throbbed and he’d love to lay down and sleep beside Daisy, but they needed to keep moving until sunset.

  He drank his fill of the icy water before turning back to Daisy. She sat up studying him, her face pale, mottled with bruises, but cleaner. Hopefully cleaning her face would make her feel a little better.

  “If it weren’t for the big lump on your right temple, no one would ever know you’d been in trouble. Why wasn’t I that lucky?” She tentatively touched her bandaged forehead and looked at her fingers. Her shoulders slumped in relief. The tight cloth had stopped the bleeding for now.

  “That’s the way it is when you fall face first into the floor. You need to drink some water then we’ll walk again.” Luckily Daisy was a no nonsense person so she’d take this in stride and do the best she could. Angus had always admired that trait in her. He shuddered to think of other women he knew and how they’d react.

  She lifted her hand and he pulled her up, catching her as she almost tumbled into the water.

  “Easy. Let’s not add soaking wet clothes to our problems.” No, but he could stay right by her, soaking in her body warmth and her fragrant scent instead. Daisy still bathed with lavender soap, just like she did as a young woman in Clear Creek. Too bad they didn’t have a bar of soap and a tub of hot water to share now. Nope. Don’t go there.

  Daisy gingerly walked down to the water’s edge, took off one glove and scooped a handful of water up to her lips. She repeated several times until her thirst was quenched. Daisy rubbed her hand on her skirt before sliding it back into the man’s work glove.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Not really, but I know we need to keep moving. Can we make it to town by nightfall?”

  “No. Now that I’ve gotten my bearings, I’m guessing we have ten or so miles left to walk. We’ll have to spend the night out here somewhere.”

  “Too bad we’re not home in Ellsworth County. We could stay warm and dry in a cave in Horsethief Canyon,” Daisy replied to give them a warm thought.

  “We have sulphur sticks, so we’ll make a fire if we can find some dry tender.”

  “Just like camping out down by the river at home, right?”

  “Except we did that during the summer, not up at high altitude during the fall. We’ll be lucky if we don’t have snow on us by morning.” Angus had been watching the sky through the occasional gaps in the trees. They hadn’t been blessed with warm sunlight today, and it didn’t look like there was a chance for it later either.

  “Come on, take my hand and we’ll climb back up to the track.” Angus patiently waited for Daisy to lift her skirt and petticoats with one hand then extend her other hand to grasp Angus’.

  He stared at their joined hands, thinking of his father’s words at the countless weddings he’d performed over the years. Now join hands and repeat after me...

  ***

  Daisy grabbed Angus’ hand like the lifeline it was and climbed up the creek bank the same time Angus pulled. Her mind was fussy with confusion and her forehead and nose were both throbbing. Although Angus didn’t look in much better shape, Daisy trusted him to get them out of this mess.

  He was favoring his right leg, struggling to walk at times on the rough terrain. She’d given up counting how many times he’d stop to rub the back of his neck, meaning he was worried. That was a habit he’d had since he was old enough to be in charge of his five brothers.

  “When did you last eat?” Angus stopped again before they had climbed back to the tracks.

  Daisy had to stop and think. “Breakfast? Didn’t the wreck happen before noon?” Why did it seem days ago already? Why wasn’t her mind clear?

  “Watch for wild berries as we walk. Hopefully there’s still some wild raspberries or choke cherries the critters have missed, although they’d be overripe by now.”

  “We’d have a better chance of finding rose hips,” Daisy murmured while trying to walk and search the underbrush at the same time.

  “Whatever. It’s going to be at least a day or more before we get to town so we need to scrounge for food.”

  “Don’t suppose we can head downhill and bypass some of the curves of the track to save walking?” She remembered twice when they could look down and see the tracks where the train had climbed the mountain.

  “Nope. Not at this point. It’s safer to follow the train tracks than get lost, or roll downhill again.”

  Her feet hurt from stumbling over the rock ballast and from being in boots that didn’t fit. It felt like the skin on her left heel was rubbed raw since it felt like it was on fire, but she didn’t dare complain. One, it wouldn’t help their situation, and two, she didn’t want to act like a whiny, useless female. She had worked for women like that, and it was so pathetic.

  She’d been a tomboy, running wild with her brother, Nolan, but that had been a couple of decades ago and she wasn’t as nimble as she was back then, and she was injured.

  Daisy was only four years old when her mother died of pneumonia in ‘66.

  Shortly after that, her father signed on with the railroad crew when the railroad was being built across the Midwest. Her grandparents contracted with the railroad to provide food for the workers, and the five of them camped along with
the crews as the rails were laid across Missouri and Kansas. She and Nolan were free to roam if they didn’t have to help their grandparents.

  They would have stayed with the crew all the way to the Colorado border, but one day a load of ties rolled off a car and crushed their father. They were camped near the newly platted town of Clear Creek, Kansas, and their grandparents decided they were done following the railroad.

  Their café in Clear Creek was one of the first buildings built on Main Street. It didn’t have a full upstairs, so they lived in a dugout on the edge of town until their house was built.

  In ‘68 Pastor and Kaitlyn Reagan started the church in Clear Creek, and their boys became her and Nolan’s playmates. She’d known Angus since she was six years old and he eight.

  “Daisy, you okay?”

  She had been lost in thought and realized she’d fallen ten feet behind.

  “Yes, better than the men we left behind and their widows who don’t know it yet.”

  “That’s one way to put it.”

  Daisy noticed he was resting on his left hip, trying to take pressure off his right leg whenever they stopped for a bit.

  “What’s wrong with your right leg?” she asked as she caught up with Angus.

  “No blood soaking through my pants, so I’m guessing I pulled a muscle—or two—when I tried to kick my way out of the washroom.” Angus stared at her, like he was trying to figure something out.

  “Hold on a minute…” Angus quizzed her, piercing her with a long stare. “You were sitting with the man who pushed me into the washroom!”

  “What?” Daisy tried to remember the men who sat across from her on the train. One of them pushed Angus into the washroom?

  “Daisy Clancy?! Were you part of this robbery plan?”

  She whirled around at his accusation. “Absolutely not! I didn’t know what they were planning to do!”

  “They were planning to do? How many men were in on this? And why were you the only woman in that group of men?”

  Angus cheeks glowed with his anger now, not his injuries. Daisy was sure her face matched his because of his accusations.