The Pony Express Romance Collection

by Blakey, Barbara Tifft; Davis, Mary; Franklin, Darlene

  Neither man prodded her further, perhaps sensing what she’d been about to say. She couldn’t help but look more than once between them, wondering why Mr. Nolan thought Dirk a liar. What could he possibly have lied about, and why? But she wasn’t about to ask for an explanation now, in the company of both men.

  They arrived at last at the fort, and Adora breathed a sigh of relief. The carriage pulled up in front of a small cottage just outside the fort: one story, thick windows, a low roof similar to others nearby. Adora didn’t wait to be helped from the carriage. She reached for the door before they’d come to a complete stop and swung it open. Just as she jumped to the ground, her eye caught someone emerging from the cottage in front of her.

  None other than Mr. Glassbrook!

  Chip wasn’t sure what sent all the color from Adora’s face, but he sensed it had something to do with the man who not only met them at the carriage but invited them inside. Glassbrook, he’d called himself. Brother to the officer’s wife Adora was to travel with.

  If Chip thought the ride to the fort a disaster—he hadn’t planned to call Stanford a liar just yet—the present tension made that episode seem delightful.

  “You’ve already made my brother’s acquaintance?” asked Mrs. Halpin of Adora. Her husband, Captain Halpin, stood nearby.

  “Yes,” Adora said, her voice surprisingly quiet. If she intended to say more, Glassbrook didn’t let her.

  “We have a mutual acquaintance on the school board,” he said hastily, which seemed to surprise Adora.

  Mrs. Halpin smiled warmly. “Then you do like children, Miss Denley? I have five, aged ten and under, so they can be quite a handful. They’re with our nursemaid right now, thus the peace and quiet, but Nanny has no desire to leave San Francisco. I understand you’re not interested in staying with us permanently, but it would be a great favor if you could help me keep the children safely occupied on such a long journey.”

  Adora’s gaze had stayed curiously on Glassbrook, but now she looked at Mrs. Halpin. “I would be pleased to be of help.”

  Mrs. Halpin exchanged glances with her husband, and both smiled. “Would you like to meet them? If so, perhaps we can settle this today, since we plan to leave by the end of the week.”

  Chip hadn’t expected such a quick departure, but that likely suited Adora just fine, even if she wasn’t as openly pleased as he’d expected. She nodded and followed the army wife from the room, a look of trepidation on her lovely face.

  Adora could barely keep her hands from trembling as she bent to formally shake the hand of ten-year-old Billy Halpin. The children, she was sure, were like children everywhere: adorable, rambunctious, as prone to laughter as tears. She had no qualms about traveling so far with them.

  But why was Mr. Glassbrook not revealing who she was? The woman he’d accused of enticing him! If this was some kind of cruel jest, letting her meet the entire family only to humiliate her later, Adora wanted no part of it.

  When the littlest Halpin burst into tears and Mrs. Halpin was busy tending to her, Adora faced Mr. Glassbrook.

  “Do you intend to ruin this opportunity for me as well, Mr. Glassbrook?” Her quiet tone, thankfully, was far more assured than she felt.

  He narrowed his gaze. “I want you out of this city, Miss Denley.”

  Leaving without fully restoring her reputation might not be the best option, but she was prepared to take it. She turned back to the children, far more comfortable than she’d been only moments ago.

  The ride back to Roseleen’s was less tense than the ride out. Besides being grateful she would never again face Mr. Glassbrook’s lies, Adora could hardly believe her journey home would start this very week.

  Dirk’s face, however, didn’t reflect her anticipation. She looked from him to Mr. Nolan, wondering again why he thought Dirk a liar. She knew anyone could lie; Mr. Glassbrook proved that. Mr. Nolan himself might have fabricated the accusation—but why?

  She only knew she didn’t want to be in the middle of another confrontation. Although she couldn’t figure out why, the suspicion between the two of them seemed palpable. They arrived back at Roseleen’s at the time she usually began dinner preparations, but when she left both Dirk and Mr. Nolan in the parlor to hurry into the kitchen, Roseleen assured her she and Jed had everything in hand.

  “It’s probably just as well that you take over,” Adora said, suddenly aware her departure came with a good-bye, “since I’ll be leaving by the end of the week.”

  Roseleen dropped her spoon onto the edge of a large pot of stew, coming to embrace Adora. “I knew as much the minute I heard about this possibility. I’ll miss you, young lady.”

  “And so will I,” said Jed, coming up behind them and adding himself to the embrace. Adora smiled through her tears.

  “You must both come to Ohio to visit,” she said.

  “Oh! What a journey that would be,” said Roseleen.

  Adora insisted they make it happen, but soon left the kitchen to make sure Mr. Nolan and Dirk weren’t still in the parlor—or worse, outside in fisticuffs. However, she found both of them still in the parlor under a thick, tense silence.

  “I’m asking again, Adora,” said Dirk. “Share with me the contents of the letter Mr. Nolan has read. I’m sure there must be something in it that will account for his leechlike behavior.”

  If Mr. Nolan took offense, it didn’t show. Adora sighed. The letter was personal, filled with family stories and pleas for her to come home. But she saw no reason she shouldn’t share it with Dirk. If he did intend to follow her to Ohio, the letter would reveal just how similar her family was to his.

  She went to her room without a word, returning moments later and handing it to him, aware of Chip Nolan’s close observation.

  Dirk read it with surprising speed—until the very last page, where he pointed to something as if it were incriminating.

  “Here!”

  “What?” She came to his side to reread the last page over his shoulder, but Dirk folded the pages and handed them to her before she knew what he meant.

  “Adora, I had no idea you were an heiress, but surely you see why this man has been so attentive?”

  She stared at Dirk, beginning to understand. It made perfect sense for Mr. Nolan to be so protective of her, and explained Dirk’s suspicions if he believed her worth a fortune. And yet, for Dirk to so quickly and easily cast aspersions…

  She’d had enough! She’d met too many people who thought gold more important than people, who didn’t care a whit about the truth.

  “I wish to thank you for your concern, but I would like it if you left.” Dirk lifted his hands, and since he was standing close by she assumed he meant to take her into his arms. She took a step back. “Both of you, if you don’t mind.”

  “What have I done,” demanded Dirk, “that you would ask me to leave? It’s him who has ulterior motives.”

  “Both of you have aimed accusations at each other all day. Mr. Nolan called you a liar, Dirk, and now you call Mr. Nolan a fortune hunter. I would rather not remain in the cross fire of such animosity. Besides, I’ll be preparing for my journey and no doubt won’t see either of you again after I leave anyway.”

  “But—Adora!” Dirk cut his protest short to suck in a breath. “If you prefer this foolhardy journey with the army, that’s fine. I’ll take an Overland and follow—but I will see you in Ohio!”

  “I cannot keep you out of Ohio,” said Adora. “But until I’m back home, I don’t want to see you again. Good day to both of you.”

  Then, refusing to return the gaze of Mr. Nolan who stood silently watching, she returned to her room.

  Chip couldn’t help but feel he’d failed. He left Adora, his only comfort Dirk’s shadow at his side. At least she’d thrown both of them out.

  Obviously that wouldn’t stop Stanford from pursuing her all the way to Ohio. How could Chip stop such a thing without appearing the money grubber Stanford accused him of being? Outside Roseleen’s, he decided to turn
the opposite direction from Stanford. He didn’t care which direction that might be. When he was a fair distance away, he turned back to see Stanford walking briskly.

  “Jackson!”

  Ha! The man stopped, though he caught himself before turning. Then Stanford walked on more purposefully than before.

  Chip knew it didn’t prove anything. He’d shouted on a sudden gamble, spurred by frustration that he was unable to change matters. It would be extraordinary to find Stanford so duplicitous, to somehow have come all this way to make Adora’s acquaintance.

  Unless that torn envelope had been destroyed for a purpose? After Stanford—or Jackson, if that was his name—had taken note of it himself after reading the contents? He’d accused Chip of being a fortune hunter when perhaps that was exactly what Stanford was himself!

  Chip abruptly changed his direction, knowing where he needed to go.

  Chapter Ten

  Adora hadn’t acquired many possessions during her time in San Francisco, so her bag wasn’t any heavier than it had been when she arrived. She wore the same brown travel suit she’d sported on the way out. Modest, sensible for a dusty trip, and durable.

  She had only one errand that early morning before her departure. Roseleen and Jed offered to take her to the telegraph office and then on to the Halpin home, and Adora couldn’t resist their company. They were chatting about a railroad connecting east to west. On the verge of a journey she knew would be long, such a vision was more than appealing. How she wished such a miracle of travel was possible!

  With the free transport that came from helping the Halpins, Adora had more than enough money to send a lengthy telegram—feeling every bit as lavish as her mother must have when sending a four-page letter through the Pony Express. She told them their letter had only recently been delivered and that she was taking the first opportunity to come home, adding an approximate date of her arrival. Then, with an imaginary kiss accompanying the missive, she left it in the hands of the telegraph operator.

  To her surprise, when she emerged from the office she found Roseleen and Jed in deep conversation with someone whose back was to her. But it was a familiar back: Chip Nolan’s.

  “Look who’s here, Adora!” called Jed, and even Roseleen looked pleased.

  She approached, unable to quell her racing pulse. Still, she hadn’t exaggerated when she’d said she’d had enough animosity, and he was half of its cause.

  “Good morning, Mr. Nolan.”

  “Isn’t it lucky he happened by,” Roseleen said, “in time to say good-bye?”

  Adora wondered if it truly was a coincidence, since she’d been aware from the moment they met that Jed thought highly of Chip.

  Chip held his hat in his hands, and looked very much the way he had on the first day she’d met him. He still looked at her with sharp interest, but now she wondered if the letter was the inspiration behind that. More specifically, the inheritance mentioned in that letter.

  “I’m waiting for a telegram myself,” he said. “My father has been doing some investigating from his end about the second bandit, the man called Jackson, and he arranged for a sheriff from Denver to send along whatever information he has.”

  “So you have a new mission now,” she said. “Finding your brother’s second attacker.”

  He nodded. “I have reason to think I may find him soon.” He looked from her to Roseleen and Jed then back at Adora. “I know you’re leaving today, Miss Denley. I wish you a safe journey, and much happiness once you’re home. And…”

  “Yes?”

  “And that business about your inheritance,” he said at last. “I admit I was struck by that fact, but only because I wanted you to know the rift between you and your family was healed. It’s yours, and you deserved to know about it.”

  She eyed him, perhaps too easily convinced he was telling the truth. She instantly regretted her rudeness of the other day. However, they were still about to embark in different directions, so there was little hope she would see him again.

  “I believe you, Mr. Nolan. I don’t want our parting to be on sour terms. I remain grateful for your help in delivering the letter.”

  “Mebbe your family will want to meet this here fella,” said Jed to Adora, clapping Chip on the back while winking at Adora. She blushed to think the older man was trying to extend their acquaintance, but if she were honest, his suggestion was a delightful possibility.

  She smiled. “If you ever find yourself traveling east instead of west for once, you must come to Cincinnati. All of you,” she added, because she’d found herself staring into Chip’s gaze and it was beginning to feel far too intimate.

  To her surprise, Chip took not one but both of her hands in his and held them gently. “I’ve had my fill of the West,” he whispered, “so don’t be surprised if I take you up on your invitation.”

  Chip watched the carriage roll away, convinced he would see Adora again.

  Perhaps sooner than she expected.

  Chapter Eleven

  Adora sang a lullaby to eighteen-month-old Lily, a habit she was certain the others enjoyed, even Billy, in spite of his effort to appear as gruff as his father.

  Leaving San Francisco had been surprisingly easy, in spite of already missing Roseleen and Jed. She wondered if her departure hadn’t been best for them. Roseleen clearly needed help in running the boardinghouse, and Adora had every reason to believe Jed was ready to provide that help. He’d whispered in her ear that he’d taken a chunk of the best silver from his mine and was fashioning a wedding ring for Roseleen. Adora had no doubt she would accept.

  She’d been surprised by only one thing: Dirk hadn’t come to say good-bye. She was curious about that, but strangely unaffected. If getting to know Chip Nolan had done anything, it had at least shown Adora that whatever feelings she had for Dirk had been shallow. If Dirk did arrive on her Ohio doorstep, it would take some doing to rekindle that first warmth she’d felt toward him.

  It had been weeks since they’d departed, and the Halpin children were, as Mrs. Halpin confessed, rambunctious. But they were rarely without a grin, and each one of them had won her heart. In fact, the entire Halpin family was dear to her, in spite of Mrs. Halpin’s maiden name. Adora tried to forget she was Mr. Glassbrook’s sister, and the more miles they traveled from San Francisco, the easier that was to do.

  When she saw the captain whispering yet again with other officers charged with their safety, she couldn’t help but be concerned. They were heading into some of the most isolated territories of the West, where not so long ago Indians harried not only Pony Express riders but stations as well. She knew the men he chatted with now were guards, keeping watch to prevent possible attack.

  That night, as on other nights, she slept with the children in their own wagon and could only sleep fitfully, praying tomorrow the miles would fly by.

  A scream woke her. Adora was instantly awake, even before Billy sat up and called for his father. She pulled him down, putting a finger to her lips to silence him. She slept at the rear of the wagon and could easily peer outside. To her horror, one of the wagons was aflame, and the sound of horse’s hooves bounded ever closer, echoes of battle cries ringing in her ears.

  She knew they couldn’t escape in the wagon, not with the horses unhitched and resting nearby. But on foot, how far could they get? She must keep the children safe…but how?

  A shadow hurled itself at their wagon and she fell back, astonished and afraid even as she threw herself over the children who were now all crying, even baby Mary.

  “It’s all right,” said a voice so familiar she squeezed open one eye, not believing what she heard.

  “Chip!”

  He didn’t acknowledge her astonishment, only turned back to the edge of the wagon, the rifle in his hand gripped and ready, though he did not fire.

  “What are you—how did you—” Her scrambled thoughts impeded her ability to speak until she forced in a deep breath. “Where did you come from?”

  “Been f
ollowing in a coach some time now,” he said, never taking his eyes from the slit between the wagon bed and the canvas cover.

  “Indians?” She hadn’t wanted to ask—she was so fearful the word would cast deeper fear into the children. But she had to know.

  “No. Jackson, and…” He stopped speaking to aim his gun but then glanced back at her. “He’s with men dressed as Indians.”

  Then noise erupted ever louder, terrifyingly close. Chip took aim again, fired once, then again. The children all cried now, even Billy, but when Adora commanded him to tend to his eight-year-old twin brothers, the boy took on the responsibility with sudden courage as he hunched over them in a protective huddle. At the same time, Adora tucked the crying three-year-old Clara between crates underneath the wagon’s seat. Then Adora dragged the huge iron cook pot to the center of the wagon. Mrs. Halpin had forgotten to store it in the wagon she shared with her husband; it was clean and more than large enough to hide the baby, whose cries soon echoed from within the safety of the iron cradle.

  Adora had no idea of time then; it played with her, confusing every moment with eternity. She hovered over each crying child, moving from one to the other with a soothing word, praying for them and their parents, too. But there were a dozen well-armed soldiers to fend off this attack. Surely they would prevail?

  One blast—then two, then another—seemed to spell the end of the fight. But she refused to leave the boys until her ears could decipher more than a resounding echo.

  Until Chip reached for her. He’d thrown back an edge of the rear canvas and looked at her reassuringly. She eyed him, grateful, confused, dumbfounded once again by his presence. Beyond him, two figures ran closer, their way lit by hints of the sunrise at the eastern horizon—the Halpin parents, frantic to get to their squalling but unharmed children.