by Paty Jager
He nearly bloated with excitement as he told her about stamp mills and how he planned to make lots of money for investors. As he continued to talk, she formed a plan of her own.
“My daddy has dabbled in various moneymaking opportunities. And he has many friends who like to invest in opportunities that increase their finances.” She could see the light coming on in Craven’s head as he registered she could get him more backers.
He leaned closer. “I don’t like to talk business with so many ears around.” His beady eyes scanned the people in the train car. Her heart nearly stopped beating when his gaze lingered on Gil.
She touched Craven’s arm and looked at him with what she hoped he read as interest. “We could go to the end car and step out on the platform. No one would hear us there.” She held her breath as he mulled the idea over in his head. His eyes scanned the car once more, and a frown etched his forehead. She smiled reassuringly seeing his hesitation at whether or not she truly was a woman with a father looking to invest or a hussy out to milk him of his money.
He finally smiled and nodded his head. “Let’s step to the rear of the train.”
She smiled sweetly and hoped Gil noticed their departure. She’d been alone with Craven before and the idea of the same thing happening made her stomach pitch.
“Mr.—”
“Craven.”
“Mr. Craven, you wouldn’t make advances at me while we talk business would you?” She batted her lashes just briefly and hoped he had a whimsical comeback.
“Only if you wish me to,” he said.
Darcy let forth a loud, tinny laugh and stood. She glanced toward the rear of the car and made eye contact with Gil.
Craven stood, shoved the carpetbag farther under his seat, and offered his arm. She placed her hand lightly on his coat sleeve and grabbed her skirt in the other hand, swinging it out of the way of the seats as they walked down the aisle. At the back of the car, she stumbled a little, grasping at the back of the seat in front of Gil. He mumbled and settled the hat down over his eyes, like he planned to take a nap. Her heart skipped when his lips curved into a smile.
He would be right behind them. She straightened and commented to Craven about men with big feet and always thinking they needed more space than the average person as they passed through the door and into the open air between the cars.
The clanking of the car connection and the metal wheels on iron tracks assaulted her ears and drew her gaze to the ground flashing by.
“We could just stand here?” Craven yelled.
“I’m fearful, I’ll fall,” she yelled back at him, yanking opened the door to the next car. Her heart beat faster when she saw Jeremy duck down in a seat about the middle of the car. Two men sat in the front of the car. Their legs stretched across the aisle way and their hats tipped down over their eyes like they were taking a nap. The hair on the back of Darcy’s neck prickled. There was something familiar about one of them, but she wasn’t sure, what it was. She stared at him a moment, and Craven applied pressure to her elbow, propelling her up the aisle. She lifted her skirt and stepped over the men’s legs, making sure she didn’t disturb them.
At the back of the train, they stepped out onto the platform. The wind whistled around them, making the ribbons on her bonnet, dance around her face. But other than the clack, clack of the steel wheels on the iron railing, they didn’t have to yell at the top of their lungs to be heard.
“What’s your daddy’s name?” Craven asked, pulling out a cigar and lighting it. The smoke trailed off behind the train like a miniature smokestack.
Darcy watched it and licked her lips. She couldn’t use her pa’s name that would set him to thinking. Then she remembered the name of the rancher Gil worked for. “Jasper Chandler,” she said, hoping he’d not had any dealings with the cattle rancher or her story would crumble around her.
“And what does he do?” Craven inched closer and his hand flexed, like he itched to touch her. Her skin crawled, and her knees turned to mush. When would Gil burst through the door?
“He’s big in cattle trading,” she said, biting the inside of her lip for telling a lie. She’d always believed in the truth or small white lies to keep food in their bellies, but she’d never flat out told stories of this proportion. It made her stomach queasy. The rocking of the last car didn’t help either.
The man’s eyes lit up, and he sidled a little closer. Darcy closed her eyes and gulped. Gil, where are you?
Just as she tried to formulate another lie, the door opened. Gil stepped out onto the platform. Craven turned to him. Darcy knew the minute he recognized Gil. His fat hand whipped out grasping her arm tightly. He pulled her to him and backed up to the railing.
“What are you doing here?” Craven growled, yanking her arm behind her. Darcy cried out in pain and glanced at Gil. Anger flashed in his eyes.
Gil clenched his teeth together and felt the muscle twitching in his jaw. His gaze ricocheted from Craven’s face to Darcy’s arm pinned behind her back. This was exactly what he hadn’t wanted: Darcy in danger.
His hand slid to the gun slung low on his hip. Just the action made the tension in his jaw subside. He had to keep Craven busy worrying about him so the fat crook would loosen his hold on Darcy.
“I’ve got no problems with the lady, Craven.” Gil let his gaze rest on Darcy’s face. She was in pain, but pissed off. Good, that would give her the added strength she’d need to get loose.
“I don’t either, but we’ll keep her between us until you tell me why you keep following me.” Craven eased up on her arm.
Good. Gil moved away from the door, making Craven back to the side of the platform. The gate was closed, but he saw Darcy glance at the latch on the gate. That’s what he loved about her. She was already forming a plan to get away from Craven. Gil took a step forward to force the man against the gate.
Craven pulled Darcy closer. Darcy’s face contorted in pain. Rage flashed though Gil—hot and out of control. He didn’t dare try to shoot. Even in this close of quarters he’d no guarantee he wouldn’t hit Darcy. His hand lingered near the holster. Craven’s eyes followed every movement he made.
The door opened.
Gil wasn’t sure whether to be happy or upset to see Pete and another man step out onto the crowded platform.
“What’s going on here?” Pete asked, looking from Gil to Craven hiding behind Darcy.
Craven’s face turned ash gray at the sight of his cohorts.
Gil would have burst out laughing if Craven didn’t look so desperate. Desperate men were dangerous.
“Me and Craven were discussing the fact it would be wise for him to let the lady go,” Gil said nonchalantly and placed his foot on the bottom rail of the railing around the platform.
Pete stepped up next to him and looked across at Craven and Darcy.
“You know she gets prettier each time I see her.” Pete tipped his hat and grinned.
Gil used what little restraint he had left to keep from asking Pete how many times he’d seen Darcy.
Craven turned Darcy and stared at her.
Gil lunged forward. Pete moved at the same moment. Gil grabbed Darcy, yanking her away from Craven. Pete and the man with him grabbed Craven—one on either side.
Before Gil could check Darcy, the door opened and Jeremy stepped through dragging Craven’s carpetbag.
“Hey!” Craven struggled against the men holding him.
Gil had an idea about what the bag held. He leaned over, grabbed the straps and pulled it to the edge of the platform. Fear and greed constricted Craven’s pudgy face. His torment almost made up for the way he treated Darcy. Almost.
Gil shoved the bag over the edge.
“Jump,” he ordered Jeremy and opened the gate. Jeremy looked at Darcy then Gil.
“She’s coming right behind.” Gil gave Jeremy a push. The boy remembered to curl up and roll. When Jeremy was safely on the ground, Gil kissed Darcy and turned her to the open gate.
“What abo
ut you,” she asked, grasping his sleeve like a drowning person.
“I’ll catch up. Jeremy knows what to do.”
Craven broke loose and charged across the platform. Gil turned to keep the man away from Darcy. “Go.” He pushed Darcy as Craven grabbed for her. “Roll when you hit the ground.”
The tearing of cloth echoed in his ears. Craven held up a section of Darcy’s skirt. Gil looked back to see her petticoats flying through the air as she rolled across the ground. She was safe.
Now he had three angry men to deal with.
Chapter 20
Darcy remained on the ground and waited for the world to stop spinning. Dread entered as she reflected on the three men Gil had to battle alone. She sat up and stared down the tracks. The train appeared as a dot in the distance. She couldn’t see Gil or the platform.
“Darcy, come on, we gotta head outta here.” Jeremy grabbed her arm and started tugging.
“But Gil…” Her heart ached at the thought she may never see him again.
“He said we was to take this gold and get the rest back to Galena. Come on.” He yanked on her arm. “We gotta follow orders and everything will turn out right.”
She looked up into his young face. He believed in Gil. Jeremy had more faith in the man she loved than she did. Darcy sighed heavily and gulped down the fear lodged in her throat.
“Okay.” She stood, winced at the sore muscles and bruises and took hold of one of the straps on the carpetbag. “Which way do we go?”
“Gil said to head away from the tracks, but keep heading south.”
“When did he tell you this?” She hadn’t seen Jeremy and Gil alone since they arrived in Baker City.
“When he came through the train following you and Craven. He told me to get the carpetbag under the fifth seat and come to the back of the train.”
That was why it took him so long. He’d been planning while she fretted he wouldn’t show up in time to help her.
“Did he stop and talk to anyone else in the train?” She hoped Pete and Skunk were on Gil’s side. Though it put him in cahoots with thieves, it might keep him alive.
“Yeah. Them two that had a hold of Craven.” Jeremy motioned to switch sides. They switched giving their other arms a rest and continued across the grassy expanse. “When Gil stopped and talked to me, they put their heads together. After I passed them, they stood.” He looked over at her and shrugged with the shoulder not weighed down by the carpetbag. “I don’t know if they were going to help or not.”
A lump had crawled up her throat. Darcy swallowed. Her gut told her Pete wasn’t to be trusted, but he had a bone to pick with Craven. Hopefully he wanted revenge on the old scoundrel worse than he wanted to harm Gil.
She wiped at the sweat beading her brow. All the layers of clothing not only made walking hard, but they were hot. She looked up at the clear sky and white-hot sun. It was going to get a whole lot hotter before they made it to any trees. She didn’t know how far it was to the next town, or even where it was. They’d had some hard times in the last four years, but she’d never felt as deep a loss or helplessness as she did right now.
The carpetbag slid from her fingers. She dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands. Tears she hadn’t shed in years spilled forth, soaking her hands and the front of her dress. Her body shook as she thought of Gil facing the three men. The odds weren’t in his favor. It didn’t matter how far they lugged Craven’s bag, it wouldn’t help Gil.
A comforting arm circled her shoulders. She buried her face in Jeremy’s shirt and wept. She should be the strong one. The one to make them get up and move forward. Her body was spent.
“It’s okay. He’ll find us.” Jeremy smoothed her hair. “We gotta get this back to Galena. They think you were one of the robbers.”
The words seeped through her sorrow.
“What?”
“When you was missing right after the robbery, Craven said you were part of the gang that did it.”
She pulled back and stared at her brother. He wasn’t fooling. “They think I did it?” Blazes! She was a wanted woman. She wiped an arm under her nose and used a petticoat to rub the tears from her face. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“It didn’t seem important.” He smiled sheepishly.
“Didn’t seem important! I’m a wanted bank robber, and it didn’t seem important!” She smacked him alongside the head and stood.
Jeremy grinned from ear to ear as he stood.
“You think it’s funny I’m wanted?” She shook a fist at him and started to grin. “You scamp, you knew that would get me fired up.” She grabbed him around the neck, knocked his hat off, and rubbed her knuckles back and forth across the top of his head.
“Hey, that smarts!” He struggled.
She opened her arm, and he traveled backward landing on his backside.
“Serves you right for letting me run around as a thief.” She bent down to grab the straps on the bag. The sound of horse’s hooves rumbled in the distance and grew in volume.
Darcy turned to the sound. Two riders approached fast. There was no place to hide either themselves or the bag. She plopped down on the bag, covering it with her petticoats. It was the first time in her life being dressed like a lady came in handy. Well, almost like a lady. A lady wouldn’t be sitting in the middle of nowhere in a ripped bodice and her petticoats.
Jeremy sat down beside her looking anxious. His nervousness rubbed off. Biting her nails, she watched the men make a direct line for them. Who could be heading this exact direction? It wasn’t a normal route. They hadn’t come across any hoof prints or wagon tracks.
The horses slid to a stop about twenty feet away. When the dust cleared, Darcy looked up at a sight almost as wonderful as seeing Gil. Jeremy whooped, and they both jumped up and ran to the horses.
“How’d you find us Clay?” Jeremy asked as the two men dismounted.
Relief flowed through Darcy’s body as she looked at the Halsey brothers. One was Clay and she reckoned the other must be the infamous Zeke.
“Soon as you three—” he looked around. “Where’s Gil?”
“Still on the train.” Darcy looked at the two men. She was glad to have them here to help, but the person who needed them most was on the train.
“No, he ain’t,” Zeke said, tipping his hat back and looking her over.
“He has to be. He shoved Jeremy and me off along with that carpet bag full of gold.” The way they stared at her, she could tell they didn’t believe her. “How do you know he wasn’t on the train?”
“We were at the Powder train station waiting for the train, so we could help with Craven.” Clay stared straight at her. “When Gil didn’t get off we climbed on and walked the full length. He wasn’t there.”
Her knees buckled. Clay grabbed her about the middle, holding her up.
“Dang, does she do that often?” Zeke asked, looking at Jeremy.
“Only since her skirt caught on fire,” Jeremy said, plopping down on the carpetbag.
“Let go of me.” Darcy slapped at Clay’s hands. He held on tight, but lowered her to the ground next to Jeremy.
“Zeke, get some jerky out of my saddle bag. We can’t have our future sister, fainting from lack of food. Ethan’d have us fixing supper for a year.” He winked at Jeremy. Gratitude warmed her heart as the two men sat quietly by and offered her water to wash the dry meat down with.
When she felt stronger, Darcy related all that happened on the train. “He was standing on the back platform with Craven, Pete, and Skunk, when he shoved me off.” She looked at their faces. Neither one would give away what they thought or felt. It must be a Halsey trait. She frowned.
“We followed the tracks back from Powder. Saw the scuffle marks and your footprints, that’s how we stumbled across the two of you.” Zeke looked at his brother. “Let’s take them to the mine. They can get a couple of horses, get the gold back to Galena, and we can set out looking for Gil.”
Clay
nodded.
“Why can’t we go with you to find Gil?” Darcy didn’t want to be separated from him. She’d become accustom to having him around to talk to and touch. Her body quivered thinking of the way he skimmed his fingers over her skin. That was something she wanted to feel for the rest of her life.
“You need to get that gold back and clear your name before you end up on a wanted poster.” Clay tweaked her nose like she was a small child.
“Don’t treat me like a child. I’m a woman, and I deserve to have some say in how we find the man I love.” She stared defiantly at the men. Jeremy hid a giggle behind his hand. “What’s so funny?” She asked, turning on her brother.
“It’s kind of hard to think of you as a woman when you’re sitting here cross-legged in your petticoats.” He pointed to her hands clasping the toes of her kid slippers.
Embarrassment heated her cheeks as she glanced at the men sitting across from her. She hadn’t thought about the position before. To sit on the ground in her petticoats this way was more intimate than proper. Many times she and Jeremy had sat around a fire just this way. But you were in pants. Her petticoats were tucked around her legs with her kid slippers sticking out.
While she told of their escape, she’d noticed their eyes stray to her chest, but then all men seemed to have their eyes drawn in that direction when they talked to women. She’d found it humorous dressed in her Pa’s clothes, but sitting here in her unmentionables, she found it unnerving.
“You got a change of clothes with you?” she asked the men still gawking at her underclothes.
“You scared Gil’s gonna find out you were traveling with us in just your petticoats?” Zeke grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
“No, I don’t want to run across other randy men.” They both had the decency to blush. “I don’t think Jeremy or you need to fend off men that think I’m easy because I’m traveling in my underclothes like a common harlot.”
They all flinched at her last comment. Zeke, the smaller of the two, went to his saddlebags. He came back and dropped a pair of Levis in her lap.
