by E. E. Burke
“To the Chief,” said the man at the back.
Jake had to think a moment. His Chief? No, the railroad chief. The last time they had met, that chief threatened to shoot him in the head. Stevens might have decided to make good on it, and the sheriff willingly turned a blind eye.
“If you’ll be patient, Mr. Colston, all will be explained,” the driver said over his shoulder.
Mr. Colston. Not Indian or Red Man or Savage.
Odd. He would exercise patience long enough to figure out what they were up to and look for an opportunity to escape.
Why had Stevens sent a lawyer? It made no sense to go to the trouble to stage an elaborate ruse to gain a prisoner’s cooperation. The other two men were capable of subduing him and dragging him out, if necessary. They hadn’t even bound his hands.
Regardless, he could not gain control of the situation against three men. If he jumped from the wagon, he was in too much pain to get away. He had to wait until they arrived at their destination and then decide what to do. He might be able to talk his way out of whatever revenge Stevens had in mind. Or he was grasping at straws because he knew he had run out of options.
Jake noted the direction and landmarks along the way. They drove out of town to the place where the railroad track was being repaired. The wagon stopped in front of a railcar that he recognized as being the one Stevens used when he traveled.
The men helped Jake to the ground. They grasped his arms, too tight to be considered helpful. The pressure meant he had better not attempt to run.
No trees around. No nooses. That only meant no hanging. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t face some other kind of death.
Ahead of them, the lawyer made it to the railcar first and opened the door. As the tracklayers led Jake toward the metal steps, fear flooded his mouth.
He might not leave on his own two feet.
He swallowed and stepped up, clenched his teeth at the pain, took another step, then staggered into the car. The lamps mounted on the inside walls burned bright enough for him to see clearly. He blinked, and realized he could now see through both eyes, even the one that was swollen.
Stevens had his hip propped on the edge of his desk, half sitting, in a position that made it easy for him to come to his feet quickly. He had one hand on his knee and held a rolled up paper in the other hand. Coatless, with his shirtsleeves rolled up. This wasn’t a business meeting. But he couldn’t intend to beat his opponent to death with a parchment.
“Did you send for me?” Jake asked.
Stevens motioned with the rolled paper to a straight-backed chair next to a smaller table beneath a window. “Have a seat, Mr. Colston.” His voice carried a command while, at the same time, managed to sound polite.
The attorney closed the door. Notably, the two tracklayers remained outside—to keep guard, no doubt. The fewer witnesses, the better.
Jake sat, seeing no other option at the moment. In the subsequent quiet, he took careful notice of the man in front of him.
The railroad chief’s expression reflected no anger, no frustrated jealousy or bitterness, like before. In fact, his face revealed very little, except for a slightly raised eyebrow. That meant judgement. For what? Stealing his money or his woman? Or both?
The attorney went to a portable bar. He poured a pitcher of what looked like water into a glass and set it front of Jake. “You’re thirsty, I’m sure.”
“Yes, I am. Thank you.” Jake didn’t care if it was poison. He gulped down the contents. The water tasted so good, as if it had come from the sweetest spring.
He licked his lips. His tongue passed over cracked skin and a crusty cut. He had to resemble something scraped off the bottom of a boot, and smelled just as bad. If Kate were here, he would care. As it was, he didn’t. He didn’t even care anymore what they had planned for him. However, he was curious. “Why are you here?” he asked the lawyer.
The man poured more water into the glass. “I’ve been hired to represent you, if the case goes to court. In the meantime, I’m here as your advisor.”
Jake nearly choked on the first swallow. Who would hire him a lawyer? Kate would. If so, why bring him out here? “What is this game you are playing?” he asked without sarcasm.
Anger flashed through Stevens’ eyes for an instant, then vanished behind a closed expression. “It’s no game. You’ve been bailed out.”
“By who?”
“Me.”
“Why?”
“Because someone believes you deserve a chance to repay us for what you’ve stolen.”
Jake let the answer sink in. Somehow, Kate had engineered his temporary release by convincing them he could help. Probably with her idea for leasing land. “By someone, you mean Miss Parsons. Why isn’t she here to tell me this?”
“She’s not here because she knows better than to press her luck. As it is, you’ve damn near ruined her reputation, ripped away her inheritance, and broken her—” Stevens straightened, took a breath. “If you are the man she thinks you are, you will not attempt to involve her anymore.”
Jake gave no answer. If the railroad chief intended to slip a knife between his ribs, he needn’t bother. The blade had already been firmly planted. He understood better than anyone what he’d done to Kate. He took some comfort at having an opportunity to make up for some of the damage, although he wasn’t sure how that might be accomplished.
The railroad chief came off the desk. He spread the rolled-up paper in front of Jake. “This is a proposed agreement between the railroad and the Cherokee Nation. It states what we will pay to lease Cherokee land for right-of-way in exchange for access to water, lumber, and a portion of the taxes collected from businesses along the route.”
That last bit about the taxes, Stevens had added. Kate would not suggest the railroad skim cream off the top. Nevertheless, it was a shrewd move.
“I heard your uncle is on the tribal council,” Stevens commented, almost casually.
Kate had shared this.
“That’s true.”
“Will you tell me his name?”
Why not. Stevens could find out easily enough.
“William Ross.”
“Ross?” Stevens echoed, as if he had problems with his hearing. “Is he related to the old chief, John Ross?”
“Yes,” Jake answered without inflection.
The railroad man tilted his head. It seemed he no longer looked down his nose. “You are well-connected. That means they’ll listen to you.”
The picture became clearer. They sought to use his influence as leverage. If only it would work. Once word got back that he’d been arrested for stealing, the council would want nothing to do with him.
“What do you want from me?” Jake asked, still curious.
Stevens tapped his finger on the paper. “Take this to your uncle. Get the council to sign it.” He went back to his spot on the corner of the desk, crossed his arms over his chest. “If you’re successful, we’ll drop the charges against you.”
Jake leaned back. It took a moment for the offer to sink in. The ache in his side spread to the center of his chest, where it congealed into a mass of pain and regret. He didn’t deserve what it must’ve taken for Kate to gain the agreement of her father and this hard-nosed businessman.
Unfortunately, he could not guarantee the deal.
Did it matter? Once he’d crossed the border, he could vanish. He knew places these whites would never find him.
Stevens continued to regard him steadily. The man wasn’t stupid. He would know most outlaws would take the bargain and disappear without a trace. An honorable man would die before he dishonored the woman who’d given him a second chance.
“I will do what you ask. I cannot guarantee they will sign it.”
“Good. Don’t say anymore,” the attorney advised. “There’s an investigation underway.”
Jake conceded. If he got as far as a trial, he might as well not put the rope around his neck in advance. On the way to Tahlequah, Charley might inte
rcept him. It wouldn’t end well, no matter who came out of it alive.
What about Kate? Her conspicuous absence could mean she’d turned her back on him. Or she might’ve agreed to break ties as part of the deal. A smart move, and the right one. Even if it hurt like hell. Regardless of her reasons, the time allotted for goodbyes would soon pass.
“Do you have something I can write on?” Jake asked.
Stevens went to his desk and withdrew a sheet of paper. He placed an inkwell and pen next to it on the table in front of Jake.
He dipped the pen into the ink. Stared at the blank paper. Redbird...
Dear Kate, he wrote.
As he composed the letter, he sweated over every word. He apologized for dragging her into his troubles, thanked her for her concern, kindness and compassion.
He promised to make sure Charley did not come after her. Otherwise, he would no longer be involved with his cousin or in unlawful activities. He did not owe more penance beyond what he’d already paid. She had shown him that.
She had also helped him to see other things. Such as how life could come from death, and how giving a little meant getting far more in return.
He promised he would take her advice and find a way to be useful. Even if he couldn’t be content. He didn’t add that last part.
For her, he would strive with all his might to give her what she’d fought so hard to achieve—a negotiated settlement between the railroad and the Cherokee Nation.
The last line proved the most difficult. If he didn’t tell her in this letter, he would never have the opportunity again. She deserved to know how he felt about her.
He used a blotter, then folded the letter and put it into an envelope, also provided by Stevens. Miss Kate Parsons, he wrote on the front, then handed it over. “Will you deliver this?”
Stevens took it, tapped it against his palm, then nodded his agreement. “We have a deal, Mr. Colston. Now, it’s up to you.”
Jake kept his promise to deliver the proposal to his uncle, along with his own recommendations. While the attorney and the two soldiers who’d accompanied them enjoyed a drink in the front of the house, his uncle let Jake out the back and told him to disappear.
He’d do as his uncle suggested after he ensured Kate’s safety, which meant he had to find Charley. This time, if they fought, it would be to the death.
By the time he reached his aunt’s home, a river of stars glittered overhead. The yard was quiet. The chickens were tucked away inside the coop. No lamps were lit at the cabin.
His cousin would’ve laid low after that incident in Ladore. If he wasn’t here, Na would know where to find him.
Jake tried the door. Someone had secured it from the inside. Rather than make noise, which would alert those inside and anyone who might be watching the house, he crawled through a window.
From the fireplace, the crackling of flames licking at dried wood provided the only light and sound.
A creak came from upstairs.
Jake held still. He didn’t want to frighten his aunt. He also didn’t want to be mistaken as an intruder. “Na?” he said softly.
Another creak. A footstep on the stairs leading down from the loft.
Jake’s heart thudded harder as Charley appeared. Low light from the fire glinted on the blade of a knife he held in his hand. It was too dark read his expression.
“I wondered how long it would take for you to come looking for me,” he said in a quiet voice.
He’d been waiting.
“Where’s Na?” Jake asked. He hoped she might be around. Her presence might temper Charley’s reaction.
“She’s out delivering a baby. What else? She brings life into the world. It’s her calling. My calling is to remove what is rotten and useless—or dangerous.”
Jake resisted the urge to reach for the handgun his uncle had given him. He would defend himself if Charley came after him, but he wouldn’t attack his cousin without provocation. “Have you been holed up here since you left me in the street?
Charley quietly moved past Jake toward the fireplace. He could’ve just as silently concealed his presence upstairs. He’d wanted to be found. “Do you think I am a coward?”
Jake shook his head. He wouldn’t think that. But Charley would. Clearly, he had thought it or he wouldn’t have asked. What he’d decide to do about it was impossible to predict. “No. You were smart to leave.”
“You didn’t run. You stopped them from shooting me in the back.”
“I don’t wish for your death, brother.”
Charley kept his back to Jake. “I watched for a chance to free you. That woman accomplished it before I could.”
“Kate Parsons didn’t betray us. She didn’t tell anyone we abducted her. She didn’t send the soldiers after you. She gained an agreement with the railroad owner and their chief to release me. In exchange, I promised to deliver their proposal to the council. If they accept the terms, the railroad will lease our land. We will be paid. In the meantime, we can press ahead with the lawsuit to establish our sovereignty.”
Charley made a sound of disgust. “Do you think that will matter? They don’t care. The whites will keep coming. They won’t be satisfied with a small strip of land. They want it all. They’ll crowd us out until we have nowhere to live.”
Jake’s stomach and shoulders tensed. “I know this, Tsa-li. But I also know that violence leads to more violence. Death to more death. We cannot defeat them that way. We will be victorious only if we find a way to protect our people and live in peace.”
“I will never have peace until they are gone or I am gone. This is what I stayed to tell you. I am going to find others who will fight with me. I cannot walk your path of peace, Wa-ya.
Jake blinked at the sting of tears in his eyes. He’d known this a long time ago. He had hoped the old Charley would win the internal battle. “Before you leave, will you give me your word not to go after Redbird.”
“Is that why you are so protective of her? I wondered.” Charley turned around. His face remained hidden in shadow, but he slipped the knife into a sheath on his belt, a clear sign. “I will not harm you or your woman. She protects you, as Ocoee did long ago. I will honor her sacrifice. May you find peace, Little Brother.”
Chapter 23
Kate stood at the window in Henry’s rail car and stared out at the wooded area where Jake had absconded with her over a month ago. He had always intended to return her. He hadn’t intended to keep her heart. Nevertheless, it would remain his captive, whether he wanted it or not.
According to Henry, Jake had left almost the very moment he’d been given an agreement to take back to the council. Hadn’t that been what he’d said he would do all along? He hadn’t promised he would take her with him. He hadn’t even promised to say goodbye. He’d done that the night she’d confronted him in jail.
Since then, Henry had moved all the railroad’s resources—including his personal car— into Indian Territory. He was poised to restart construction as soon as they received word from the lawyer who’d accompanied Jake to ensure he’d do as he promised.
He hadn’t needed a lawyer. He had the mind of one, and far more integrity than most.
The door between the car and the telegraph operator’s office opened. Henry stepped through with a smile on his face. She hadn’t seen him smile in weeks. A pleasant expression made him more approachable and attractive. Neither observation stirred a flicker of desire. They might remain friends, but they would never be lovers.
“We’ve got it, Kate.” Henry strode past the desk and handed her a rolled up parchment. “The Cherokee Tribal Council signed off on the agreement. I’ve sent word to Judge Parsons. We’ll begin laying track immediately.”
The surge of pleasure she’d anticipated never materialized. Jake had parlayed her idea into a reality. Now, Henry would see to it that her father’s railroad reached the Promised Land—Texas cattle country.
“Congratulations.” She returned the agreement without reading it.
>
Henry’s smile faded. “You don’t look very excited.”
“I’m happy it’s done.”
Henry folded his arms over his chest. “As I told you before, I’m willing to tell your father it was originally your idea.”
He thought she was jealous. She honestly didn’t care that he’d gotten the credit. He had done as she’d requested and they’d struck a deal. She wouldn’t renege. She had no desire to stir a pot that needed no more stirring.
“My father’s opinion about my business acumen isn’t important anymore.”
Henry didn’t appear convinced. “What is important?”
Kate shifted her gaze out the window again. “Something you can’t do anything about.”
She would have loved to celebrate this victory with Jake. Be part of his life, now that he was free and could actually plan a future. What would he do? Find a Cherokee woman, marry, have children. Be happy. He deserved happiness after what he’d done for both sides. Perhaps he’d become a tribal council member. He could represent his nation...
“Kate?”
She swallowed a thickness in her throat that signaled an onslaught of tears. Crying hadn’t helped. She’d done enough over the past few weeks to know. Even if she moved on, she couldn’t deny her longing. “What do you want more than anything, Henry?”
He dropped his defensive posture and gazed at her, perplexed. Then his expression became more reflective. “To be president of this railroad.”
“Is that all?”
“It’s enough for me.”
“Somehow, I don’t think it will be. I hope, for your sake, it is. You’ve worked very hard. No one else deserves it more than you do.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“I am entirely sincere. I admire your determination and tenacity, and even your cleverness. Most of the time.”
One side of his mouth inched upward. He smoothed hand over his beard. Did he do it to hide his smile? Or maybe it was his honest reactions he didn’t want people to see.
Jake had no beard to conceal his facial expressions. He’d tried to remain stern and fool her into thinking he was hard-hearted, but his true character had shone through any masquerade he’d attempted. When they’d last spoken, he had dropped all pretense. Let her see the man inside, with all his scars, and his wounded, compassionate soul. He’d thought she would despise him. She’d only fallen deeper in love with him.
