The Escort

by Gina Robinson

She landed in his arms. He was safe. He kissed her with a passion that nearly swept her away. The crowd cheered. He turned back to look over his shoulder. The snow slid away from the downhill side of the engine. It came into view, whole and intact, covered in a sheath of ice. A team of men raced toward it to rescue the men trapped inside. She heard someone shout, "They're alive! I can see them moving!" She wouldn't let him go.

  "It was a brave thing you did today." Angelina leaned back against Tonio's shoulder and stared out at pinpoints of light from other campfires that dotted the rail bed and surrounding forest. They camped in privacy, well away from the others, in a secluded spot that Tonio had selected. The night was clear and surprisingly temperate. A soft, warm Chinook wind blew from the west. Tonio predicted rain by morning. A circle of towering white pines surrounded them in a chimney around the open sky above their campfire. The breeze rustled the trees creating a calming background to the day's events, occasionally carrying whispers of other voices and conversations their way.

  Nearly all the passengers were forced to camp out for the night. Most of the rail cars had toppled or were unstable. The few that remained upright were reserved for the most severely injured. The three men, including the engineer, were housed in one, attended by a physician who happened to be traveling home to Seattle. They were alive, thanks to Tonio and his dynamite.

  The moon rose big and full, casting its pale silvery light over their camp, blending with the golden hues of the campfire that Tonio gently coaxed. They sat together, Angelina leaning back against him, he with one arm around her, on a wool blanket spread over a soft, spongy mound of moss.

  "Don't get any romantic notions of bravery and white knights about me, Angelina. I did what had to be done."

  "You like blowing things up."

  "I like what I do."

  "I think you like it too much. It scares me." She took a deep breath. "You scare me." She didn't know why she said it.

  "It's a good thing to be scared once in a while." His mouth curved in a careless smile.

  She expected him to ask why he scared her, but he didn't. "You seem at home in the forest."

  "I should be by now."

  "Why is that?"

  "Where do you think the mine is?"

  She twisted back around to look him in the face. In his eyes, passion shone unveiled. Hard, intense, confusing. Intoxicating in its full magnitude. She stared at him, trembling on the verge of something too deep to understand. His next words made no sense.

  "You've been given a reprieve, Angel. Use it to your full advantage." His lips fell on hers. With the smoothest of movements he pulled her into his lap, facing him as he continued with his caressing kiss. His mouth warmed hers. With one fluid movement he fell back into the soft folds of the blanket, pulling Angelina on top of him. Her skirt billowed around him as she kissed and was kissed with an intensity she'd not known was possible.

  He unbuttoned her coat and slipped his hands in to caress her curves. The warmth from the fire seemed to leap into his hands as he touched her. Carelessly, sensuously he pulled her ear to his mouth and licked and kissed lazily, slowly.

  His kisses traveled softly down her neck as he pulled her blouse free and unbuttoned her shirtwaist until it hung loose and open, revealing her chemise. His hands were steady as he untied the neck of her chemise.

  Her breasts fell loose and free above him. He arched, pressing his hips firmly against hers. A warm masculine hardness met her.

  "Make me a happy man," he whispered before taking her breast in his mouth.

  "I will," she whispered. Sensuous tingles such as she'd never known shot through her, starting between her legs but ending in the remotest tips of her toes and fingers. Her breath caught and she closed her eyes so that nothing disturbed the rushing excitement that overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes, looking down to see him framed between her breasts.

  He spoke, "I'm alive—"

  She couldn't hear the rest clearly. It muffled as he pressed his lips between her breasts. She thought he said, "For the first time in years."

  "We're both alive, Tonio."

  She balanced over him, braced against the ground with her palms, her long hair loose and spilling over him along with her grandmother's necklace. He reached up and grasped her face firmly between his strong hands and looked her in the eye. "My beautiful, innocent babe. I've never wanted a woman as much as you."

  He leaned up again and licked a wide circle over her naked nipples. In the cool night air they beaded into tight, dark buds of arousal. She pressed her hips tightly down against his and threw her head back.

  Tonio pulled her down, kissed her, rolled them over, positioning himself in the commanding top position, bracing himself over her, the Chinook rustling his hair. He came down on top of her, kissing her open mouthed with a wild dance of flitting tongues. One hand caressed and kneaded her breast, tugged at the nipple until it pointed firm and long. He rubbed his chest against her.

  Eager for the feel of his bare skin, she pushed his chest up away from her and fumbled with his buttons until his shirt fell open, still tucked into his pants. She ran her fingers over the coarse, curling hair. Brushed her fingers lightly over his nipples, then tugged at them as he had hers, then released them at his hard grunt to circle his waist with her arms and impatiently pull his shirt away from his pants with one yank.

  "Too many clothes." He rolled off her, sat, and slid to her feet. "You still have your shoes on. She braced on her elbows and watched as he tugged off her ugly work shoes, then pulled off his shirt and his own boots and impatiently cast them aside. He rubbed her feet and kissed her ankles, then licked the little hollow beneath them until she shuddered.

  He stood and unashamedly pulled off the rest of his clothes until he stood naked, profiled in the moon above her. The sight of him overpowered her senses. Her eyes traveled down him. She shuddered at the sight of his long, hard length. Then he straddled her on his knees, shoving her skirt up and touching her through her pantalets. Long, sweet ecstasy coursed through her.

  "Please, Tonio…" She hadn't realized that pleasure could be so impatient.

  He pulled her pantalets off and threw them aside. Still straddling her, he kissed the hollow of her neck. She braced on her elbows with her head thrown back.

  Suddenly, he stopped. "You're a virgin. Angel, I can't take that from you."

  She put a finger to his lips to silence him. "I don't expect a commitment from you, Tonio. I know what this means. I'll go to my husband. I'll fake being a virgin. Maria told me how. But today, we almost died. I want to live. I need one time with you, Tonio. Just one to last me a lifetime. Maybe then I will be able to go on."

  She arched up to meet him. With one, long hard thrust he was in her. The physical jolt pushed her back on the blanket, rubbing her elbows across it. A scream of pleasure and pain escaped her.

  Tonio paused long enough to cover her mouth with his hand. "Quiet, love, they'll hear us."

  Then they arched together in unison. Without thinking, she grabbed handfuls of the blanket to steady herself, but the attempt was futile. The blanket scooted and bunched beneath their rhythmic motion until her legs rested in the moist moss beneath it. The pleasure built with the pain until she screamed out in final completion, the sound muffled in Tonio's hand. Seconds later he shuddered and stiffened, grunting something unintelligible into her ear. Then he relaxed on top of her.

  He whispered English words into her ear, but dazed with the enormity of what they'd just done, she couldn't bother trying to understand them.

  He lay on top of her, still inside for a long time. The fire crackled beside them, and it took her a moment to realize that the side of her body away from it felt as warm and comfortable as the side that faced it. Finally, he pulled away from her and rolled off.

  Her legs trembled, unused to mating, reminding her of his presence. She sighed, trying to capture the moment for eternity. Something warm and sticky oozed between her legs. Blood, she thought.

 
Finally he spoke. "Your marriage is so illegal, you probably don't need one, but if you want an annulment, I will help get one." He kissed her lightly. "May can help you find a job. Probably hire you on to do the baking for the Colonel. May's one good cook but a lousy baker. Colonel probably be glad to have you."

  He ran his fingers over her cheek. "Angel, I'm in the middle of something you don't understand. To involve yourself with me would be too dangerous. I can't promise you anything—"

  "Tonio, nothing has changed." She reached for her camisole and began dressing. "I have broken my vow of honor for this time only. But the disgrace of breaking my vow to marry Signor Allessandro would be too great for my family to bear. I have no way to pay him back for my passage. I will go to him."

  "Angel—"

  She pulled on her shirtwaist and buttoned it with trembling fingers. "Don't say it, Tonio." She stood, searching for her discarded pantalets.

  Tonio tossed them to her and pulled his own pants back on.

  When they had finished dressing, she turned to him, not knowing what to say. At last, she pulled the heavy gold cross over her head. She was as big a fool as her grandmother. She kneeled by Tonio, took his hand, and dropped the necklace into it. "I don't need this anymore. I have found what I was looking for. You take it."

  "I can't take this. It's your heirloom. It's too valuable."

  She kissed his cheek. "Then keep it safe for me, in case I ever need it." She stood and grabbed her bags.

  "Where are you going?"

  "To the camp. I can't stay here. There will be too much talk. Signor Allessandro will not like it. Goodbye, Tonio." It took all of her will to walk away. She kept her back straight and proud, but her spirit sagged and tears blinded her as she headed toward camp.

  Chapter 10

  Angelina sat in what must have been one of the oldest trains the Northern Pacific ran. Light green paint peeled off the walls and the seats were nothing more than thinly disguised planks which bruised her backside, but what was that compared to her heart?

  The car shuddered and swayed from side to side as it crept along, as if being hit by a strong side wind that alternately changed direction much like the wayward course of her own emotions. The injured sat everywhere, bandaged and bruised, looking pained and uncomfortable, like battle weary soldiers. She fit right in, though most could not see that her heart suffered more than her person. The smell of rubbing alcohol permeated the air, perfume of the wounded and anesthetic to the senses but not enough to numb her completely.

  Angelina found herself amazingly wakeful. Calm. Numb. She allowed her thoughts to wander, trying not to think about Tonio, but every path seemed to lead back to him. To the passion and the ecstasy of being one with him. To the feel of his kiss on her lips that would have to last forever. She tried to push the thoughts away, fearing she would fall into an abyss of depression and self-recrimination, neither of which she could afford as the train rushed her to meet the man she had betrayed.

  She leaned her head against the window. She'd made it through a night as long and cold as her empty heart and survived. Tonio had chosen to stay behind, along with a group of men, to help the railroad rescue the buried engine. Thank goodness. Seeing him would have been too painful.

  She'd risen early and bathed in snow fed water so cold that as soon as she'd waded in her ankles went numb. She would have tumbled into the water, enticed by the idea of being numb all over, but some shred of logic kept her still. Instead, she splashed her legs and body with the icy water, scrubbing with a rag to remove the crusted blood, retreating from the water as soon as her toilet was complete. She dried with another piece of rag and tossed it far away under a clump of bushes where she would never have to see it again. Then she dressed quickly and wound her hair into a prim knot.

  At last she sat on the bank and remembered Maria's instructions on acting the virgin. She pulled her bag close and tucked her bloodied pantalets inside. She would use them as proof the morning after her wedding night. She could arrange a switch.

  As she sat on the train lost in her thoughts, time raced by. Before she knew it, the Northern Pacific Flyer released a mighty puff of steam and pulled into Wallace's depot, nestled snugly against the mountainside on the outskirts of town. Behind it loomed nothing but raw wilderness climbing the stiff slope up the mountains bracketing the Valley.

  Angelina peered out the window at blankets of evergreens. High above, clouds pockmarked the sky's bright spring blue. Rain threatened. The Silver Valley looked anything but silver.

  By reputation Wallace was the heart of the North Idaho mining community. The bustling town packed itself tightly into the valley floor sandwiched between two steep mountainous hills on either side. The South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River flowed east to west on the northern side of the valley, further limiting the availability of suitable building land, creating a northern boundary and an even more compact space for the ambitious, growing town. The railroad depot was on Sixth Street, the only outpost north of the river.

  Angelina was on the wrong side of the train to see the passenger platform where scores of people waited to greet the weary travelers. The view from her window showed nothing more than towering evergreens with small buttercups cuddled in their shade. She gathered her things together and checked her appearance as the train came to a final stop. The gash on her face swelled red and angry against her skin. She hoped that Mr. Allessandro would not be put off by the way she looked. Maybe he would take pity and treat her kindly.

  "Wallace!" the conductor called out in that tone of voice that only conductors used.

  The townspeople had gathered to welcome the wounded and the heroes. They cheered as railroad men and volunteers carried injured passengers off the train. Apparently, a train full of wounded crash survivors was an event almost akin to a President's visit. The cheering continued as the less seriously injured detrained. By the time Angelina reached the platform the crowd began dispersing.

  She carried a bag in each hand and surveyed the depot for signs of Mr. Allessandro, rehearsing her greeting to him, trying to recall every detail of how Papa had described him. She saw no one matching his description, no one who appeared to be waiting for her, although the man from the train, the one Tonio had called Clell, watched her with narrow, sharp eyes and lewd interest that sent a chill down her back. She stood to the side until, except for Clell, who openly stared at her, the depot was almost entirely deserted. Still no Mr. Allessandro.

  Do not panic, she told herself. True, she was alone in a wild town and something must have happened to Mr. Allessandro to delay him. But there was no use imagining the worst. She must remain calm.

  She walked to the window to get a view of Wallace, hoping that her husband would come riding up like a knight to save her. No husband in sight but to her relief, right across the street was a building with a sign advertising it as a ladies' boarding house. She had only a few dollars left but surely she could afford a night or two there. By the time her money ran out, either Tonio would be back in town or Mr. Allessandro would show up.

  A tap on her shoulder gave Angelina a start.

  "Tonio desert you, did he? You look lost. Let old Clell help."

  Angelina spun to find herself face to face with him. He stood no taller than she did, but he looked every ounce tightly coiled muscle ready to spring. Though his words were benign, his gaze undressed her. Before she could upbraid him, they were interrupted.

  "Leave her alone, Clell. She's not one of your harpies." A woman spoke.

  "I was just offering my assistance like a gentleman."

  "Mighty kind of you, I'm sure. But I'll take over now."

  A plain, heavy-set woman with a kindly expression and lively, snapping eyes came toward her. The woman wore her hair twisted up on her head in an unattractive knot with tight pin curls bracketing her face that did little to soften her double chin and manly features. Yet the woman inspired confidence. She dismissed Clell with a wave of her hand.

  Clell reluctantl
y tipped his hat and moved off.

  "So what can I do for you?" the woman asked. "No one showed up to meet you, is that the problem?"

  Angelina spilled her troubles. "I have just arrived from New York. I came from Italy to join my husband here. He was supposed to meet me at the depot. But I do not see him anywhere."

  The woman nodded. "I see."

  Angelina couldn't tell whether skepticism or pity ruled the woman's emotions. But unlike the immigration official in New York, this woman had no power to send her back. "Maybe," Angelina continued, "with the train wreck and being off schedule, he did not know when to come."

  The woman looked kindly but doubtful. "The whole town seemed to know when to show up, honey. Is he from around Wallace or does he live in one of the smaller mining camps?"

  "He is a miner at the Bunker Hill mine. His name is Franco Allessandro." Angelina hoped that the woman might know him, but she shook her head.

  "Doesn't ring a bell."

  Angelina pointed at the building across the street. "Do they have very good accommodations at the ladies' boarding house?"

  That's when the woman laughed. "Oh, honey, I see you are new to the area. You can't stay there. That's a house of ill repute. The poor creatures who work there need our help, not a house guest."

  Angelina felt foolish and overwhelmed, suddenly young and very homesick. Almost certainly she would unwittingly get herself into trouble.

  "Come," the woman said. "Stay with me. I'll turn up that husband of yours. My husband works for the railroad. He knows just about everybody around here."

  Angelina hesitated.

  The woman extended her hand. "May Hall."

  "May Hall! Oh, thank goodness!" Angelina had never felt such relief.

  "Didn't know I was all that famous." May laughed.

  Angelina reached out to shake her hand. "Angelina Allessandro. We have a mutual friend, Tonio Domani."

  May seemed taken aback. "Tonio?"

  "Yes, he escorted me from New York." Angelina told May her story. "So I am afraid that something is wrong. There must be a reason why my husband has not come to meet me or why he has been silent this winter."