Part Cherokee, she thought. Could it be? It didn’t seem possible, but then she had once told Colt he ought to try working for the railroad when he got back from the war. If it was Colt, why hadn’t he come to her first? Why didn’t she know he was working for her own company?
“Damn it, Sunny, get in here!” Stuart came out and grabbed her arm, forcing her inside, just as one of the men who had been hired to guard her own train jumped up onto the platform, rifle in hand. Stuart closed and locked the door, and Sunny rushed to a window to watch. The scout came closer, but in all the gunfire and melee, it was hard to tell if it might be Colt. His hair was much longer than she had ever seen Colt wear his, and his build was magnificent, not at all the way she imagined he might look, after the way Vi had described him. Of course by now he would be heavier again, but she had always thought of Colt with the more slender build of his younger years. He had been slightly more filled out that night he came to see her in Chicago, but the man she was watching now had more muscular arms and shoulders. Because the day had grown much warmer, he wore no shirt, just leggings and moccasins, a gun belt slung around his shoulder and a rifle in one hand. His riding was superb, as he leaned into his horse to avoid flying bullets. His horse was sure-footed, darting first one way, then another.
He seemed to notice the extra train then. He headed toward it, apparently realizing some important U.P. official must be present and would need extra protection.
“Sunny, get away from the window,” Stuart told her. He was crouched on the floor.
“Not yet. Oh, Stuart, you should watch! It’s so exciting! And the scout! Stuart, I think it might be Colt!”
“What!”
“Come and look!” She no sooner said the words than the window ahead of her shattered. Sunny screamed and finally ducked down.
“Damn it, I told you! That could have been right where you were sitting!”
Mae let out a wild scream and came running from her private quarters. “We’re going to die!” she sobbed. “The Indians will take us, Miss Landers! You know what they do to white women!”
“Be still, Mae! There are hundreds of men on this work crew, and they all have rifles. There are even soldiers out there. We’ll be fine.”
Sunny quickly removed her hat and inched her head up to look out the window again, just in time to see the scout charging up to her car. He jumped from his horse before the animal even came to a halt, and he raised his rifle and began firing. The attacking Indians now seemed to be zeroing in on her train, and her eyes widened as they came closer. One of them was carrying a flaming torch. The scout shot at him, and the Indian’s horse stumbled and went down. The Indian tumbled through the prairie grass, setting some of it on fire, then got up and kept coming, apparently determined to set Sunny’s railroad car on fire. She saw that the scout was having trouble with a jammed rifle, and in the next instant the attacking Indian threw the flaming torch at one of Sunny’s windows. Sunny squinted, waiting for a shatter, but the torch bounced off and fell to the ground.
The scout whirled with his rifle and landed the butt of it against the back of the warrior’s skull. By then another warrior was on him. Sunny gasped when the second warrior took a swing at the scout with a tomahawk, just nicking the scout’s left shoulder. As the warrior’s horse flew by, the scout reached up and grabbed the man’s arm, yanking him off the horse and slamming him to the ground. Sunny’s eyes widened then when the scout whipped out a huge knife and rammed it into the warrior’s chest.
She sank away from the window then, holding her stomach. Mae crawled over to her and the two women held each other, while outside gunfire and war whoops raged on. Bullets shattered all but one of Sunny’s windows on one side. She and Stuart and Mae remained huddled against the steel-lined walls of the sturdy rail car.
Sunny still could not be sure if it was Colt she had been watching. Whoever it was, he certainly knew how to fight like the very Indians who had attacked him. She hoped that whoever it was, he would be all right, for he had defended her particular train car valiantly. It seemed like forever before the sound of yipping, whooping Indians began to fade, and the gunfire began to dwindle. Sunny turned to take another look outside, to see several railroad men frantically pounding at a grass fire with shovels. A few bodies lay strewn about, both Indians and railroad men, and she felt a tightness in her chest at the loss. These men were literally risking their lives to build this railroad. She vowed then and there that they would be remembered with honor.
A figure emerged from the private rooms of the car, startling everyone when he stepped into the main quarters. “Is everybody all right in here?”
All three of them looked up, and Mae let out a horrified scream. “They got inside!”
Sunny’s eyes widened, and she told Mae to be still as she slowly rose.
“Sunny?” Colt stared at her in surprise.
“My God! Colt, is it you?” Stuart had said the words as he also rose. “Jesus, man, you’re bleeding! Sit down and we’ll get something for that!”
Mae just stared in amazement that Stuart and apparently Sunny knew this wild-looking Indian who had just invaded their railroad car. Stuart barked at her to get some whiskey and bandages. She ran past Colt as though afraid he might reach out and grab her.
The shock of seeing Colt so unexpectedly left Sunny speechless. His hair was much longer, his build much more manly and powerful, but it was Colt. There were those gentle hazel eyes, and they were looking her over as though she was the most precious thing he had ever seen. His physique seemed to fill the interior of her parlor car. He stood there covered with dust and blood, parts of him glistening with sweat, which only accented the hard muscles of his bare arms and chest.
The two of them could do no more than stare at each other, stunned. Stuart had followed Mae to try to find the right supplies. “What the hell are you doing out here?” Colt finally asked.
“I—I come out often.” Why was her heart pounding so? What was it this man always managed to do to her in spite of their long periods of separation? She had not expected to ever see him again, had finally gotten him out of her blood, and now here he was again!
The shock and slight anger in his own eyes began to fade, and a hint of a smile crossed his mouth, “I knew somebody important had to be in this fancy car. I never thought it would be you.” He looked down at his left shoulder and grabbed it with his right hand. “I’d better leave before I get blood and dirt all over your expensive carpeting.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, rushing forward. “You sit right down.” She urged him onto a velvet and oak window seat, and for the next few minutes confusion surrounded them. Stuart and Mae returned with bandages, Mae standing back and staring as Sunny and Stuart cleaned the wound and wrapped it, while General Casement came pounding at the door to ask if everyone inside was all right. Stuart let the man in, scolding Mae for leaving the door at the other end of the car unlocked.
“It’s a good thing Colt and the others managed to keep those Indians at bay. They could have gotten inside the car, thanks to you.”
“Don’t pick on Mae,” Sunny told her brother, wondering if Colt could tell how flustered she was as she wrapped his wound. Did he hear her heart beating, notice the color she knew had come to her cheeks? How many times had he thought about the passionate kiss they had shared, or remembered the feel and taste of her? “This is all new and frightening to her.” She studied Colt’s muscular arm as she bandaged it. It felt strangely exciting to realize this beautiful, wild-looking man was the only one who had ever touched her intimately.
Mae sat down and cried quietly while Casement questioned Stuart and Sunny, exclaiming over the fact that they both knew Colt Travis. “Why in God’s name didn’t you tell me you knew Miss Landers?” he asked Colt.
Colt glanced at Sunny. “I didn’t want to get the job because of that,” he answered. �
��Besides, it’s been over four years since I last saw Miss Landers. We’re just casual acquaintances.”
Sunny looked down and tied off Colt’s bandages, secretly grateful for the way he tried to keep things casual and respectful. Stuart explained to Casement how they knew Colt. Casement began apologizing for the damage to the car, as well as praising Colt for giving a warning in time for the men to get to their guns.
“The Cheyenne are getting more violent all the time,” Colt answered the man. “You’d better get more soldiers out here right away, General. That’s the biggest war party they’ve sent against us yet, and the closest they’ve come to burning down the trains and everything around them. And I think you’d better hire two or three more scouts.”
“I’ll get more soldiers out here,” Sunny declared, straightening. “There will be no more delay! General Sherman is supposed to be taking care of the Indian problem, and we don’t even know where he is at the moment!” She looked at Stuart. “You go tell the telegrapher to shimmy up the nearest pole and send a message off to Omaha. I want more protection out here, by tomorrow! There is no excuse for this! I want my men protected!”
Stuart nodded and left. Casement glanced at Colt. “I’ll need you to ride out and make sure those Cheyenne aren’t planning to come back today.”
“I’ll take care of it, sir.”
“Take a minute to gather yourself. I have to go and assess the damage.” The man left, and Sunny turned to a sniffling Mae.
“Stop crying, Mae. We’re all right. This man is Colt Travis. You never got to meet him when he came to see me in Chicago.”
Mae stared and rose slowly. She thought Colt both handsome and frightening, and she found it difficult to believe Sunny could be good friends with such a savage-looking man, although there was a stirring masculinity about him that made a woman’s heart rush a little faster. “I’m glad to meet you, Mr. Travis,” she told him. She looked at Sunny. “I’ll go back to my quarters, ma’am.”
She hurried off, and Sunny turned to Colt. “Mae is my personal maid. I take her everywhere with me.” She knelt in front of him. “For heaven’s sake, Colt, why didn’t you tell me what you were doing? You must know I’ve wondered and worried about what happened to you after Vi told me how sick you were. And Andersonville! What kind of horrors you must have suffered there!” She looked him over, still shaken by his presence. “And look at you now! It’s the land, isn’t it?” She met his eyes again. “You came back out here to heal.”
He nodded, his eyes moving over her in a way that made her feel too warm. “Last spring I decided it was time to put the past behind me and get back on my feet again. I needed work, remembered your comment about the railroad. As far as letting you know—” He shrugged. “I just figured it was better I didn’t. I didn’t think I’d actually run into you, and I knew somebody in your position wouldn’t know the individual names of the men who worked for you.”
“You don’t have to put it that way. You work for the Union Pacific. I am just one of several owners. Dr. Durant is the biggest shareholder.”
He grinned facetiously, glancing around at the Victorian elegance of the parlor car. “I’d say you’re a pretty important factor in this whole thing.” He shook his head and rose. “This is some private car. I’ve never seen anything like this—a far cry from those big old boxes the men sleep in, I’ll say that.”
“Would you like some kind of drink? A little wine perhaps? I can get you anything you want.”
He moved his eyes back to hers, and they bore a strangely sad look. No, you can’t, they told her. “One shot of whiskey might do it.”
She touched his arm. “You sit back down, and I’ll have Mae go and get it.” She hurried away for a moment, through the private quarters.
Colt had seen those quarters on his way in, a small enclosure with a canopied bed and a dresser. The bed was all ruffles and silk and had been left unmade. Now that he knew who slept in it, old disturbing desires began to nudge at him. This was exactly what he did not want to happen. His plan had been to never set eyes on Sunny Landers again. Now here she was, in that beautiful blue outfit that made her eyes look even bluer. Her hair was all wound up into some kind of coif at the back of her neck and covered with blue netting, but he remembered how it looked brushed out long and golden around her shoulders.
Sunny returned a moment later with a whiskey bottle and a shot glass. She sat down beside him on the window seat and poured a shot, handing it over. Colt took it and gladly drank it in one quick gulp, deciding he needed it for more reasons than an Indian attack.
“I’m glad to see you again, Colt, to know how well you are.” Their eyes met, and she blushed and looked down. “Colt—”
“Don’t say it, Sunny.” Did she know what she did to him, sitting this close, looking like that, smelling like that? He suddenly wished he had not put off taking care of his long-neglected need for a woman. The first thing he was going to do when things calmed down was go visit the whores at the camp town. Why hadn’t that bothered him all that much until now? Damn her! “How about one more shot?” he asked.
She raised her eyes, and Colt noticed the misty look to them. She took the shot glass and filled it again, the huge diamond glittering on her left hand. He took the glass and drank down the whiskey, then took hold of her wrist with his other hand to look more closely at the ring. “Quite a rock,” he told her. “But then, Blaine O’Brien can afford the best, I guess.”
Sunny caught a hint of sarcasm in the words. She wondered if he realized the affect his touch still had on her. “I thought it was about time I gave the man an answer,” she told him. “He’s waited a long time.”
Colt watched her eyes. I’d wait forever too, he thought. But then, there would be no sense in that, would there? We already decided that. All his resolve that he had finally gotten over ridiculous thoughts about this woman left him the moment he set eyes on her again. “I hope to hell the man knows how lucky he is,” he told her. “And I hope you’ll both be very happy. I really mean that.” He rose. “You heard Casement. I’ve got to get back out there.” I’ve got to get away from you, he thought.
“Colt, I hate to see you leave so soon. Come back later and have supper with us.”
He looked down at her, and for several long seconds neither said a word. “You know I can’t, Sunny,” he finally answered quietly. “I do appreciate you fixing up the wound and your concern for what happened to me after I left Chicago. Now you know I’m all right.”
Did he realize how wonderful he looked to her, standing there with all that power, his dark skin glistening, his long hair gracing those broad shoulders? He was more Indian than she had ever seen him. “I can’t help the concern, Colt.” She stepped a little closer, her eyes pleading. “If there’s anything you need, anything at all, anytime—even after I’m married, you come to me, or to Stuart and Vi, do you hear? Promise me. I want you to be happy, Colt.”
“I already am, just being out here doing what I’m doing.”
She smiled sadly. “I suppose you are.”
His eyes moved over her appreciatively. “By the way, you get more beautiful every time I see you. There must be a lot of men who envy Blaine O’Brien.” He sighed. “Say hello to Vi for me. Tell her thanks for the nice talk we had back in Chicago.”
“I will.”
For a fleeting moment he thought of how exciting it would be to walk up to her and sweep her off her feet and carry her into that private room where the bed was still unmade. He wondered how much resistance he would get. Did she still want him that way, still think about that night on the beach, in spite of the ring on her hand? He quickly turned and left, furious with himself for the thought.
“Good-bye, Colt,” she called from the platform.
He waved, walking out to his horse, which was grazing calmly not far away. In one quick leap he was on the animal’s b
ack. He rode off, and did not look back.
Chapter 20
A cold October rain and an almost perpetual headache since returning from the line camp kept Sunny from her normal workday. She sat at the window of the main-floor parlor of her Omaha home, a much more modest structure than her Chicago mansion, since she considered it only temporary, but a home she actually enjoyed more because she had had it built herself. It was warmer than the mansion, still three stories, but on far simpler a scale. The house was frame, with a circular balconied entry portico, large windows, and dormers in the top floor with swan’s-neck pediments. Mae and the other servants lived on the top floor, all bedrooms and a parlor were on the second floor, the kitchen, elegant dining room, a library, living room, another parlor, and a marble-floored entranceway on the main floor. Every room was filled with plants and caged birds, and Sunny considered the house cheery and warm, much more fitting to her own personality than the Chicago mansion; more soothing to come home to after a long, busy day.
She had been happy here, loved it in Omaha, had struggled with her dread of having to move to New York with Blaine. She had made up her mind she could do it and be happy, since she would be a wife and probably soon after a mother. Now she was not so sure…now that she had seen Colt again. She wished she could hate him for always showing up in her life at the worst times, but then, when would be a right time? Now that she knew he was out there on the plains and in constant danger, how could she leave Omaha?
She watched a carriage come up the brick drive, recognized it as Stuart’s. She watched Vi disembark and run through the rain to the portico. She heard the knock and she waited for one of the servants to answer. She turned away from the window then and leaned back in a rocker, waiting, suspecting the reason Vi had come to see her. She heard the servant ask for Vi’s cape and gloves and hat, and a moment later Vi entered the parlor.
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