"You and I could make a good team."
"Yes." Her breathing was ragged. Tides of unexpected warmth and excitement washed through her, reaching the far recesses of her body. He toyed with a strand of her hair that had blown loose.
He looked at her expectantly, but she didn't know what he expected. "It's grown suddenly cool out here. Let's go in." She turned. He tucked his papers and vial inside his pocket and followed her in.
They spoke little for the rest of the day. What was there to say? They were attracted to each other, and it was forbidden. She would go to her husband, he to his mine. But he would never be far from her thoughts. For the rest of her life she would carry the burden of their passion and everything would pale in comparison to it.
She retired to her sleeping berth. She undressed with the light on. She pulled off her camisole and lightly tossed it at her feet. She thought she heard Tonio curse from across the aisle and wondered what had upset him.
She grabbed her brush. Her breasts stood erect and tightly budded in the cool night air of the sleeping car as she brushed her hair using long strokes. She felt glad to be free from the confines of her clothes. All the rest of her life weighed down on her too heavily. Finally, she pulled her neatly folded nightgown from the end of the bed, calmly pulling it on. Fanning her hair, she lay back on her pillow and blew Tonio a kiss before turning out the light.
The curtains across the aisle rustled. She heard the rings slide across the rod, then the thump of feet hitting the floor. Her heart thumped a loud, patterned rhythm in her ears as she waited for her own curtains to be thrown back. She stiffened and braced in anticipation, wondering what it would be like to be in his arms, here in her own berth, with sleeping people surrounding them, locked in their own private cocoon. There was dead silence.
Then she heard the rings screech across the metal rod again. And the floor wheezed as weight was lifted from it. He'd swung back into his own bed. Deflated, she slumped against her pillow. The wild, urging tingles that had assaulted her private being disappeared.
The car was stiflingly quiet. Someone coughed. She felt like screaming. Then she heard the small click of a light switch. Tonio appeared in her ceiling, shirtless, the covers pulled to just below his navel. The reflection was so startlingly clear that she could see the individual, coarse, curling hairs that clouded his chest. His black eyes flamed with passion. She couldn't be mistaken. He was like a dark, lusty dream, real and yet, not. She blinked to make sure that she was not already dreaming.
Then he winked and clicked the light off. She was seeing Tonio reflected in her ceiling. He'd seen her undress, night after night. He'd seen her half naked. She should have been furious. She should have blushed. Instead, she reached up and gently stoked the polished wood where his image had been. Then she rolled over and punched the pillow, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep.
Chapter 9
Angelina sat at a table, staring at her menu, but not seeing it. Her mind was occupied with other, more important matters. Outside her window the barren hills of eastern Montana had long since rolled by, replaced by the mountainous terrain of the Rockies. The train chugged slowly up the steep grade of the eastern slope of Lookout Pass. A porter had cracked the window beside her table. The morning air became chillier by the minute, its sweet alpine scent mingling with the breakfast fragrance of the dining car. Little clumps of dirty snow, hanging tenaciously to life in the shade of sturdy evergreens, began to appear as the train made its way up the mountain.
Angelina wore the traveling outfit Tonio had bought her in Chicago. Her small white hat was pinned slightly askance shading one side of her face. The casual observer would have mistaken her expression for serenity, seeing nothing of the turmoil and apprehension that knotted her stomach. Sometime early in the afternoon the train would descend Lookout Pass and cross from Montana into Idaho, arriving in Wallace within the hour. She had just that long with Tonio. Then he would walk out of her life.
She picked up a spoon and toyed with it as she sat, then set it down and readjusted the napkin next to her plate, wondering for the hundredth time if she had the courage to live by her honor and meet her husband. Or, if she had the courage to ask to run away with Tonio. She was fairly certain he would refuse her. He'd said almost as much. So maybe it wasn't courage she sought but resignation. She played with her grandmother's necklace.
She looked up in time to see Tonio enter the room. His dark good looks caught the attention of two ladies at a table in front of her. They buzzed in quiet conference, but Angelina knew what they discussed.
"Good morning." She smiled her finest for him.
"Playing with your cross again. Soon, you'll have a different one to bear. One that may weigh more heavily around your neck than that delightful gold one." He smiled as he seated himself in the chair opposite her. "Have you ordered yet?"
A waiter appeared. Angelina ordered in the slow, correct English Tonio had trained into her in their diction lessons. Gone were nearly all traces of her accent. He smiled in approval. It buoyed her confidence to realize that she had a gift with language. Concentrating on her English soothed her. She must appear calm and assured. Tonio ordered and the waiter disappeared.
"Today is the day you meet your white knight, is it not?" Tonio asked. "Savior from spinsterhood, great protector and all that."
"I hope. If he has received Mario's wire, he will be waiting for me."
"Then it will be your wedding day as well. The old man will probably squire you right to Cataldo Mission so you can be married legally and before God. The Mission is the only Catholic Church in the Valley. He's no doubt making elaborate plans even as we speak. I hope he gives you the fairytale wedding you deserve. And let's not forget the wedding night."
"My marriage bothers you. Tonio—"
He shook his head. "Don't say it, Angel. I told you I'm not the man for you. But to answer you, it's the idea of these mail-order, arranged marriages in general that I disapprove of. Have you forgotten where I came from?
"My parents were a mail-order couple. My beautiful mother was from Milano, and of course Papa was a Torinese. Growing up in their home, I saw how wonderfully the arrangement can work." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "What did my lovely mother get for her end of the bargain? My ass of a father and early death. Wonderful things, those. And of course, me."
"Not all arranged marriages turn out badly." She wanted to believe that.
"For your sake, I hope that's true. But I fear, well, never mind my fears. Here." He shoved some papers her way. She'd been so preoccupied she'd been unaware he'd been carrying anything.
"What are these?"
"I've written down the address of the boarding house that I stay in when I'm in Burke. The second one is the location of the mine, the third, our mine's office, and the last one is the Halls' address in Wallace. I live with them from time to time. If you ever need me..."
I always need you, she thought.
"If you can't reach me, go to May Hall. She has a heart of gold." Tonio cocked an ear. "Sounds like our engine's having a tough time of it."
Almost as soon as Tonio spoke, the pitch of the engine whine changed to an efficient hum and their speed accelerated as the train reached a plateau.
"Is this the May that Maria told me about, the one with so much influence over you?"
The train engine whined as it continued up the steep grade.
"Is that what Maria said about May?"
"Yes, and I have been secretly jealous for some time wondering about her."
He shook his head and laughed. "Don't flirt with me, Angel. Now is not the time. Once you meet May, you'll see that she's not my type. And like others I know, she's a married woman." He took a sip of coffee. "She has a mind all her own, campaigns for the suffragettes, and takes in any stray she finds. Big hearted. Al's a lucky man." He looked straight at her.
The light dimmed and a shadow fell over the table as the train entered a tunnel. Seconds later they emerged on the other sid
e, racing along at top speed.
Tonio reached to catch a pen from rolling off the table as the train rounded a narrow bend. With his free hand he reached to clasp hers. "Angelina, I have a proposal to make to you—"
He didn't finish his sentence. He was interrupted by a loud thud that resonated like thunder. In the instant before she understood what was happening, Angelina looked out the window to check the weather. The sky was clear. With a confused look, she turned to speak to Tonio. Then she screamed as the table slid across the floor.
A series of smaller thuds reverberated from the front of the train in rhythmic succession. The screech of metal slamming against metal roared through the rail car. People screamed as furniture slid and crashed to the front of the dining coach. Angelina's head was thrown back by the sudden jolt of the dining car smashing head-on into the coach in front of it. A loud release of air came from the accordion vestibule as it collapsed and the two heavy rail cars collided.
For a brief moment it seemed as though the dining car would remain upright and intact on the rails. Moments later the illusion was broken as a jolt from behind sent the dining coach shimmying off the tracks. It balanced upright precariously for a second and then toppled sideways into the hillside bank to the right of the car. Glass flew as rocks and trees covering the embankment shattered the windows. Angelina fought to maintain her balance as she was thrown sideways into the wall between two windows.
As suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Angelina uncovered her eyes and stared into the wreckage around her. A chair was pushed over on top of her, but she was too weak to push it off. To her right a large rock protruded through the shattered remains of a window. To her left a sad fir, snapped off a few feet up its trunk, oozed pitch and emitted its rich life's essence, its top hanging limply to the side. Everywhere at her feet were the smashed remains of white porcelain dishes and drinking glasses.
Her cheek stung and her right arm seared with pain. Coffee stained her sleeve. She stared at it, dazed. Still making no move to push the chair off, she picked up a napkin that had fallen next to her and dabbed at the stain as if she were still seated and had clumsily spilled on herself. The normal action was horribly misplaced in the wreckage that surrounded her. She winced the moment the napkin touched her sleeve. It took a minute for her to realize that her arm was burned, and the coffee stain was somehow responsible. Unable to cope, she closed her eyes.
Suddenly, the weight of the chair was lifted from her. She opened her eyes to find Tonio standing over her, his eyes dark with concern. She held her arms out to him. He lifted her gently and enfolded her in his strong embrace.
"I can't get the stain out."
"It's all right, Angel." His voice was soft and comforting. She thought she felt his lips brush the top of her hair. "We'll get you a new shirtwaist. Don't worry."
She clasped his neck as if it were life itself. "It hurts."
"What? Your arm?"
She nodded.
"I'd say it's burned. Just another bad cup of coffee."
She laughed. It brought her back to reality. She lifted her face to look at him. "You're bleeding." His cheek was bruised. A gash ran the length of his chin. Blood oozed out through the torn skin, peppered with the dark stubble of his beard. She dabbed at it with the napkin she still held.
"So are you." He took it from her and wiped at her cheek.
She felt weak and dazed and her head pounded from the bump it took when she hit the wall. She wanted nothing more than for him to hold her forever. It seemed to her that they were the only two people in the car. Somehow her mind blocked out the screams and cries of the other passengers. Tonio tried to right a chair for her to sit on in the ridiculously sloping car. He gave up and set her on the floor, but she refused to let go of him until he commanded her to so that he could scoop some snow from outside the broken window to put on her burn. He was carefully applying it when the thud of a metal rail car door slamming shut sounded out. Several people screamed, including Angelina. Tonio looked up, his eyes wide, a distant look filling them.
"Shit! The dynamite!"
Angelina's throat closed in horror as the same thought occurred to her. He scooped her up with lithe grace and strength, carrying her to the edge of the car where he kicked at an exit door on the uphill side until it swung open. He paused a moment on the edge, checking the jump, then plunged off with her still cradled in his arms. They hit the ground upright. Tonio ran toward the freight cars shouting. "Get everyone out! Evacuate! We're carrying dynamite!" He didn't think to put her down, though she could have run for herself, and she didn't think to ask him.
Mercifully, there were only two freight cars attached to the train. Tonio swung her down as he reached them, dragging her with one arm encircling her waist. The freight cars stood upright amid the tangle of cars on the tracks. Two crewmen were already unlocking them and swinging the doors opened as they reached them.
"Careful!" Tonio called out. "There's live dynamite in there." He turned to her. "Stay here and take cover if anything goes wrong." He left her rooted in place about twenty feet back from the cars. She watched as he talked to the men, then peered into the freight car. She could see his shoulders slump in relief. He jogged back to her.
"Thank God, Angelina! The crates are undamaged and the cars seem stable. We could've had a hell of an explosion on our hands."
People swarmed the rail bed and surrounding forest as the crew evacuated the train. Rumor spread quickly. The engineer and two crew members were buried alive in an avalanche of snow. The engine was completely buried. No one else appeared to be seriously injured. Tonio threaded his way up the tracks toward the engine, pulling Angelina along with him. A crowd gathered as they curved around the bend. Tonio stopped short at the edge of the crowd and stared over the heads of the people in front of him.
"Damn."
Angelina couldn't see a thing. "What?"
He held her up under her arms to give her a peek over the crowd. The train looked as if it had never had an engine. It was just…gone. Buried in a white blanket.
"They'll suffocate it we don't get them out." Tonio's eyes had a wild, dangerous look.
A man next to him replied. "They're organizing a digging crew. They need every available man."
"Won't be enough. There's no way they'll reach them in time. I'll bet they don't have enough shovels to outfit ten men." Tonio paused, his eyes scanning the disaster. He looked as if he were making calculations. At last he spoke. "I can blast them out."
She grabbed his arm. "No! No!"
"I have to. It's their only chance." He pulled her arm away and pushed his way through the crowd to the crewmen at the crowd front who stood watch.
He returned minutes later with the fireman and several other crew members in tow. "I'll set the charge downhill from the engine. With luck we'll clear enough snow from the downhill side to reach them."
"You could set off another avalanche," the fireman argued.
"The mountain looks clear up above." Tonio nodded uphill. "I doubt that the engine was buried by an avalanche as it passed by. More likely we rounded the corner and plowed into it. Probably happened days ago. Did you notice the pack of the snow? It's hard, like it has melted and froze again. It'll be nearly impossible to dig through by hand."
"We've sent a scout group back to the last town we came through. They're going to send for the plow and a rescue train."
Tonio shook his head. "We passed the last town twenty miles back. The rescue plow will have to come from Wallace on the other side. It'll be too late, if it isn't already. Those men are either going to suffocate or die of exposure."
The fireman didn't have a choice. "Get your dynamite."
"Move the crowd back," Tonio said. "I'll set up immediately."
"How are you going to ignite the charge?"
"With a fuse."
"A long one, I hope."
"Don't worry, I can run like a son of a bitch." Tonio laughed.
Angelina stood at his elbow,
staring at him as he argued with the fireman. He sounded arrogant and reckless. And she was afraid. "Please don't, Tonio."
He turned to her as if he'd just realized she was there, bent to kiss her lightly on the lips, and started forward. She grabbed his wrists to stop him as he moved away from her. She felt his pulse beating wildly and knew that his excitement was not caused by her but by the thrill of the power he was about to unleash.
"Worried?" He looked solemn for the first time, as if gauging her concern for him.
"Yes."
He seemed to like her answer. The spark returned to his eyes. "Good. Cheer me to victory. We're going to save those men."
He jogged off after the fireman, leaving her standing at the edge of the crowd, trying to sort through the tumult of her emotions. Did she love this man, or was it merely fear that set her heart at a tilt?
He was only a tiny, bent figure in the distance as she watched him from the safety of the crowd, crouched beneath the trees for protection. She couldn't take her eyes from him as she watched him light the fuse. Terrified of what she might witness, but too morbidly riveted on him to look away and give up what might be her last glimpse of him.
A small spark flamed to life. He straightened and watched it. Her whole being screamed at him to run. But he stayed for an endless, agonizing moment, making certain it would remain lit before he backed away and ran. He moved with grace, as beautiful as any athlete she'd seen. His arms pumped in time with his long strides as he sprinted across the edge of the slippery white mass. His stride picked up as he ran off the snow and onto firm ground.
The fuse grew shorter and shorter. The man grew larger and larger. Her eyes bounced between the man and the fuse. The blast went off. Snow spewed into the sky. She saw it before she heard it. A thunderous roar broke loose. He ran with his head bent, arms over the back of his head. Snow rained down on him. She pulled away from the crowd to run to him, ignoring the people that implored her to stay covered.
The Escort Page 11
