Tom nodded and took Janie’s hand. They stood near the wagon with the boys as Sara took her place on the platform. Sara couldn’t bear to look back at them, knowing that her tears would not hold for much longer. She was relieved once the attendant had taken her ticket from her.
“Climb aboard, miss,” the man instructed. “Your sleeper is in the third carriage.”
She nodded and glanced over her shoulder only briefly, giving a quick wave before climbing the steps onto the train. Her tears began to flow freely once aboard the first carriage, and she hurried down the aisle to the privacy of her own sleeper compartment. There she no longer had to be brave and resilient. Sara tossed her shawl over one end of the small bed, crumpling down into the other end.
Staying well out of view of Tom and his family, Sara gingerly peered out the window. Just beyond the station, remaining on horseback, she caught sight of Logan. His emotionless stare evidenced his own heartache. She believed that his interest in her had been genuine, but until he could learn that secrecy had no place in a relationship, Sara knew he was not ready for one of his own.
Before she was truly ready to pull out of the station, the train whistle blew overhead. A moment of panic spread over Sara and she huddled near the window, desperate for one last look at this new world that had embraced her.
Soon, the clanging of the carriages catching tension against one another jarred its way down the line. Sara’s carriage jolted into motion, and the small platform outside her window disappeared from view. Whether she’d been right or wrong in her decision to leave, there was no turning back now.
She watched as Logan raced his horse away from the train. His fervor could be seen in the way he spurred his steed onward. She waited until his figure had disappeared in the distance. Knowing that she must now put it all behind her, she pulled back the blanket on the small bed and climbed in, hoping to finally find the sleep that had eluded her the night before.
Despite Logan’s hopes that Sara would change her mind, she was now gone. He raced along, angry and hurt. Turning off the path and circling around the south end of town, Logan rode on toward a river situated half an hour away. If there was one thing that bounty hunting had given him, it was a knowledge of the area.
Retreating to one of his old hideaways, he finally slowed his pace as he reached the tree line near the river. Logan dismounted and tied his horse near the water. Still muttering over Sara’s boldness, he climbed up on a rock near the river and lay back. Alone once more, he began to feel that he was far better suited for solitude.
Logan drifted so far off in his thoughts that he nearly missed his horse’s sudden distraction. The stallion sniffed at the air and huffed, listening attentively to the sound of riders approaching. Noticing at the last second, Logan slid off the rock he’d been sitting on and quietly pulled his horse under denser cover. Two riders soon appeared in the open field beyond the trees. Logan tensed, instantly recognizing the scruffy face of Philip Tucker.
“I don’t see why we had to come all the way over to Kansas,” the other man groaned. “If Logan Payne is content to leave us alone, why can’t we do the same?”
“Because the price on his head is worth the inconvenience,” Tucker growled.
“I’ve never even heard of this man named Moran.” He lifted the brim of his hat just far enough to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Why are you suddenly taking orders from him?”
“Because the crimes he’s interested in are child’s play, but he has the fortune to pay out to whoever will do his work for him.” Tucker leered at his companion. “Besides, whatever his reasoning might be, it would benefit us to have Payne out of the way. Now I’ve got someone itching to pay me to take care of it!”
As the riders moved on, Logan waited until they were well out of earshot before taking a decent breath. “I knew it,” he muttered. “I knew Levi wouldn’t give up so easily. But he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can take Oakmede back now.”
Welcoming the distraction from the events of the morning, Logan mounted up and rode off in the opposite direction to Tucker. His old nemesis might not know where to find him, but Levi would. His first concern was for Janie and Tom and the boys. Once he could be sure they were safe, he could finally turn his attention to putting Tucker behind bars once and for all, and with any luck, Moran would go with him.
Chapter 18
A knock on Sara’s compartment door finally woke her from a deep slumber. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, half hoping that her departure from Oakmede had only been a bad dream. She sighed upon glancing at her surroundings.
Outside her window, she could see that the sun was already sinking low in the sky. There was no doubt that she’d needed the rest, but she had not planned on sleeping the day away. A second knock on the door finally pulled her out of bed.
“Hello, can I help you?” Sara asked, opening the narrow door.
“I’m sorry if I disturbed you, miss,” a young attendant answered. “Supper has been served in the dining car if you’re interested.”
“Thank you,” she nodded, releasing the attendant to move on to the next door. Sara quickly glanced in the small looking glass, smoothing back her hair and wiping away the sleepiness from her face. However much she was enjoying her solitude, it was sure to be a long night if she skipped supper. Reopening her door, Sara found that a queue of passengers had already formed in the aisle. Finding a place in line, she joined the parade toward the dining car.
Soon, the welcoming aroma of hot biscuits and chicken floated in the air. Entering the large dining carriage, Sara quickly found an open seat at a table near the window. Though she genuinely wished to be alone, a young couple soon took the two seats on the other side of the table.
The husband lovingly pulled out the chair for his wife, who was clearly expecting a child and ready to give birth any day. Sara cordially nodded, hoping that conversation would not necessarily ensue.
“Hello,” the woman smiled. “I’m Patricia Brighton, and this is my husband, Lucas.”
“Hello,” Sara replied, trying to force a smile. “I’m Sara Bailey.”
“Isn’t all of this grand?” Patricia beamed. “I never dreamt I would be traveling in such style!” She ran her finger over the glass that had been placed in front of her. “Have you traveled by train before?”
“Yes, I rode one on my way out here. I’m now returning home,” Sara explained. “May I ask where you’re going?”
“Washington,” Lucas spoke up. “If all goes well, we will be safely home with family before our baby arrives.”
“How wonderful for you. Congratulations!” Sara smiled and politely thanked a waiter for the tea that had just been poured for their table.
“Thank you. And where is home for you?” Patricia asked.
“Baltimore. We will likely be traveling most of the way together.”
The small talk over the table subsided as plates were distributed to each of the diners. Sara lingered over her plate, suddenly feeling an old familiar cramp return to her stomach. This lovely young couple looked like everything she’d hoped to one day have with Logan. They were genuinely in love, happily settled on the frontier, and soon to share with family the welcoming of a new baby. Somehow Sara’s appetite waned.
Before long Patricia and Lucas were wrapped up in their own conversation, giving Sara a welcome opportunity to slip back to the privacy of her own compartment. After asking a waiter, she collected her meal and carried it with her. Settling back in by herself, Sara gazed out the window at the full moon that shone overhead. She wondered if Logan might be looking up at that same moon right now.
“You’re the one who chose to leave,” she reminded herself. “And you had a good reason for doing so.” She sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall and holding her teacup. Somehow, none of the arguments for leaving that had played through her mind over the last few days seemed very convincing right now. Whether she’d been right or wrong, there was no denying the pain that cours
ed through her heart. “He could still change his mind,” she whispered.
No longer hungry and hoping that sleep might silence the thoughts that whirled in her mind, Sara crawled back under the blanket. Moonlight beamed through her window as the train rocked back and forth on the track. The silhouettes of tall pines and full, round oaks passed in front of the light, casting strange shadows across her little room. With few other choices she lay in bed, struggling with her thoughts through the long hours of the night.
One terribly long week later, Sara awoke early on the morning of her arrival in Baltimore. She changed out of her travel clothes and washed her face. Of course, Mother would be happy to have her return, and it wouldn’t do to arrive in such an emotional state. This should be a cheerful event.
Tom was a free man again, proven innocent with his name now cleared. Sara could report back to her mother the joy of seeing Tom returned to his family. There was no need for her to be weighed down with the heartache that loomed over Sara’s being.
A quick knock on her door told Sara that they were pulling into the station. Sara peered out the window, struggling to find the enthusiasm to be home. Though Mr. Jenkins was supposed to be collecting her, Sara caught sight of her mother waiting for her. Sara quickly took one last deep breath as the train crept to a stop. Trying to clear her mind, she plastered on a smile and collected her things.
“Hello, Mother!” she exclaimed, dragging her trunk and squeezing her way around the busy platform to where her mother waited.
“Sara! My dear!” Mother called, rushing to her and wrapping her in a hug. “I’m so happy to have you home safe and sound.”
“Are you here by yourself? You’ve never liked to fight the chaos of downtown.”
“No, Mr. Jenkins drove me, as he had promised. He’s waiting in the carriage. How is Tom?”
Sara quickly flagged down a station attendant, paying him for help with her luggage. Then she took her mother’s hand and let her lead the way through the crowded station. “Tom is doing very well. As I wrote to you before, things were as we expected. Tom had been framed by a crooked man in Oakmede. But his name has now been cleared, and he and Janie can resume the life they moved to Kansas to claim for their family.”
Mrs. Bailey nodded along, having recalled most of that information from Sara’s letter after Tom’s exoneration. “Now, when you wrote to me, you mentioned quite a lot about some ‘Mr. Payne’. Who is he?” she asked, finally reaching Mr. Jenkins and the carriage.
Sara’s heart sank, having hoped to leave Logan out of her return. “He is Janie’s brother, who has settled in Oakmede with Tom and their family.”
“I see. The way you went on about him, I half expected him to show up with you,” her mother laughed.
Sara swallowed hard. “Oh, of course not,” she replied solemnly.
Knowing her daughter well, Mrs. Bailey squeezed Sara’s hand. “I’m sorry darling, I can see that I upset you. Was my assumption correct then?”
Sara shook her head. “Whatever might have been between us can’t continue anymore. Things simply didn’t work out. If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to focus on what is ahead of us here.”
Taking her seat in the carriage with Sara, her Mother nodded. “I understand. In that case, I hope that there will be much to look forward to over the coming months.” She put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders, pulling her in close. Together, they returned home.
Sara gazed up at their modest two-story home as Mr. Jenkins drove up to the front porch. Its old familiar windows reflected the morning sunlight, and the rocking chairs on the front porch squeaked a bit in the breeze.
Sara took a good, long breath. “Home,” she whispered. “Whatever I’ve left behind me, I will enjoy being home.” She hauled her trunk out of the carriage and thanked Mr. Jenkins for all his help over the past months.
Inside, Sara and her mother sat and talked over a cup of tea. Naturally, she was curious about the wilds of the frontier and about the little town that her son now called home. Sara retold the account of the last few months, struggling her way through it, as Logan had played far too big of a role to be omitted from the story. Even coming out of her own mouth, the picture painted of this mysterious man reminded her of how she’d fallen in love with him in the first place.
That evening, Sara settled back into her old bedroom. It felt familiar and welcoming, and all of the things it should be, yet there was still an emptiness about it all. She unpacked her belongings and hung her dresses back in the closet. By the time she’d finished, utter exhaustion had crept over her. Changing into her nightgown, Sara welcomed the opportunity to crawl into bed and forget her troubles for a few hours. She was sure to need the sleep, as her position at the factory could not wait any longer. There would be time to adjust back into her old life here, but work must resume immediately.
The following morning, Sara rose early and shared a quick breakfast with her mother before setting out on the five-block walk to the factory. The early-autumn air held a refreshing crispness in it, and the leaves had just begun to change into their spectrum of crimson and gold.
The Peterman and North Clothing Factory stood proudly up ahead, casting its shadows down the street. Sara approached the entrance, silently praying that her supervisor would still have a position for her.
Stepping inside the massive structure, Sara immediately felt her throat tighten. The dust in the air seemed thicker than she remembered it, and the puny beams of sunlight that made their way through the windows overhead left the workers desperate for light. Sara knew that nothing about this place had changed, no matter how different it felt. It wasn’t the place that was different, it was her. Those beautiful weeks spent out in the open, fresh air had altered her view of the world. And the vast size of the factory no longer seemed spacious, but instead the walls closed in around her, leaving her feeling panicked for air. The life that she had once been so comfortable in now felt very dismal indeed.
Greeting her old supervisor, Sara was relieved to be escorted straight back to her old workstation. The same drab material sat in mounds around her. Taking her seat, she set to work.
Even with the time she’d been away, the measuring and marking and cutting down to size all flowed with ease. She almost wished that she had a more complicated task to handle, as it would require her thoughts to be more focused on her work. Nonetheless, there she sat.
Over the following few days, the feel of autumn swept in across Baltimore. Though it was a very different feel than in Kansas, as there were far fewer crops to be harvested in and around the city, it had become a tradition to observe harvest celebrations just the same.
With each new invitation that arrived at the house, Mother grew more and more excited. This was her favorite time of the year, and it had been made all the better by welcoming her daughter back home in time to celebrate together.
Sara, however, was not in much of a celebratory mood. For her mother’s sake, she played along and sent responses to the invitations. But she felt guilty that her heart was somewhere else, while her mother was so happy to have her at home.
When the evening of the first event arrived, Mother came knocking on Sara’s bedroom door.
“Come along, darling,” she urged. “You’ve not even laid out your clothes yet! What did you have in mind?”
Sara sighed, wishing more than anything that she could get out of going. “I don’t know. I hadn’t made a decision yet.”
“Well, let’s see then,” she said, opening Sara’s closet and flipping through the gowns. “Oh! This one has always looked so lovely on you.” She pulled out the same plain blue dress that Sara had worn on the day she’d hoped to impress Logan.
Sara’s heart skipped, not wanting to be reminded of him all night. “Thank you, but I think I’d prefer the green one,” she urged.
“Alright,” Mother nodded. She pulled the dress out of the closet and swished her hands in the air, trying to get Sara to get moving. “You know, Mr. and Mrs. Je
nkins’ son will be at the party tonight. He’s always been such a kind-hearted young man.”
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