Much to his relief, English Bob and Gerard had finished changing out the team of horses by the time he returned outside with Eleanor in his arms.
The outrider gaped. “What happened?”
“The lady has taken ill. She can’t travel. She insists on staying here until she’s well.”
“All right.” English Bob agreed with shocking speed. “You got enough rooms for all the sick people staying here?”
“Just.”
The two male passengers circled around the corral, and Nolan adjusted Eleanor in his arms.
The first passenger did a double take. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s sick. She’s staying.”
The second man breathed a sigh of relief, then caught himself. “Sorry to hear that. We’ll miss her, um, conversation. She enjoyed talking. A lot.”
The driver and the outrider clambered atop the stagecoach. “C’mon, boys,” English Bob called. “I’m leaving. With or without you.”
With a last glance at Eleanor, the passengers swiftly returned to the stagecoach. No one wanted to risk Eleanor waking.
Nolan adjusted his burden. He’d taken this job for the peace and quiet. He was going to demand a raise the next time the owner of the Pioneer Stagecoach passed through town. They certainly didn’t pay him enough for all his troubles.
The driver tipped his hat, and Nolan lifted his eyes heavenward, offering up a brief prayer of thanks.
This situation was growing more ridiculous by the moment. At this point, he wouldn’t blink an eye if a traveling circus set up tents in town. He sincerely doubted anything would surprise him at this point. If they all survived unscathed, he’d have a good belly laugh remembering the look on English Bob’s face.
He’d certainly never forget the look on Eleanor’s face when she’d recognized Dakota Red from his Wanted poster.
Eleanor stirred in his arms. “What happened?”
“You fainted, ma’am.”
“Set me down this instant.”
“Certainly.”
Nolan masked his grimace and set her on her feet.
The stagecoach driver shouted and the horses surged ahead in a rattle of harnesses. Nolan nearly collapsed. He’d dodged a disaster. For the first time in a week, something had gone has planned.
“Why is the stagecoach leaving?” Eleanor shrieked, her arms flailing. “I’m supposed to be on that stagecoach.”
Her face flushed, and he noted the exact moment she recalled the reason for her earlier faint.
“Help!” she screamed. “I’ve been kidnapped!”
* * *
Tilly heard the commotion all the way from the relay station. Captain Ronald hobbled into the room.
“You have to be careful,” she said, jerking her head over her shoulder. “You’re supposed to be dying.”
“Snyder is gone,” the captain replied defensively. “He left as soon as the stagecoach took off.”
Another scream sounded.
“What’s wrong?” the captain demanded. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know.” Tilly wiped her hands on a towel. The captain was far too accustomed to giving orders. “Stay in here, and I’ll see what’s wrong.”
“You’re just a woman. You should stay here. Where it’s safe.”
“You’ve been shot.”
“No matter.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re risking our plan of escape. If the outlaws know how well you’re getting around, they’ll watch you.”
“That woman is clearly in distress.”
“I’ll make you a bargain. If you can beat me to the door, you can see what’s happening first.”
The comment wasn’t very charitable, but she didn’t appreciate being referred to as “just” a woman.
As the captain limped behind her, Tilly stepped out the door. Nolan strode toward her, a woman marching beside him.
Tilly’s stomach dropped. “Eleanor!”
“I demand an explanation! I have been kidnapped.” Eleanor cupped her hands over her mouth. “Help me! I’ve been kidnapped. Someone help me!”
Tilly picked up her step and snatched her sister’s arm. “Be quiet, Eleanor. I can explain everything.”
“This man accosted me.” Eleanor’s expression shifted, and she tucked her hands against her chest. “There’s an outlaw on these premises! I saw him.”
“I know,” Tilly soothed. “Come inside and I’ll fetch the girls. I’ll fix you a cup of tea.”
“The girls? What are the girls doing in the middle of nowhere? What are you doing here, Tilly?” Eleanor pressed the back of her hand against her forehead. “Oh, dear, I fear I’m swooning again.”
Tilly ushered her inside, where the captain waited. Eleanor glanced at the handsome captain and her cheeks flushed. She collapsed strategically, or so Tilly thought, and Captain Ronald caught her. He staggered against the strain on his injury.
“You’d best carry her, Nolan.” Tilly heaved a sigh. “I’m so sorry. Eleanor has always had a flare for the dramatic. I’ll fetch the girls.”
“I’ll see to her.” Nolan gathered the prone woman. “I’ll put her in the girls’ room.”
The captain reluctantly released his hold on Eleanor and Nolan rested her sister on the counterpane and backed away. As she went to fetch the girls, she noticed the captain smooth his hair and straighten his lapels.
Tilly returned with the girls, who’d been playing near the blackberry bushes. Since the incident with the jail cell, they’d limited the girls’ play area during the time the stagecoaches passed through town.
Once inside, Victoria caught sight of her mother and dashed over. “She’s fainted again, hasn’t she? She’s always fainting.”
The three girls crowded around their mother.
“Your mother has had a shock.” Tilly approached the doorway and stood beside Nolan “She wasn’t expecting us to be here.”
“Why are we still here?” Caroline asked. “Why didn’t we get on the stagecoach with Mama?”
“I’ll explain everything later,” Tilly replied, unbearably weary.
Eleanor’s arrival complicated an already impossible situation. The chance of the seven of them escaping was slim. While Tilly was grateful the girls had been reunited with their mother, she feared for their safety.
“How come later never comes when you’re an adult?” Carolina’s quizzical expression matched her sisters. “Adults are always saying things like that, but then you never answer.”
“I know what it means.” Victoria harrumphed. “It means they don’t want to answer. At all.”
“Oh.” Caroline gaped. “That explains a lot.”
Nolan drew Tilly aside. “I’m sorry. I almost convinced Dakota Red to let Eleanor leave with the girls.”
The frustration in his voice was obvious.
Tilly longed to comfort him as he’d comforted her, but she was painfully aware of their audience. “What happened?”
“She interrupted my plea. She recognized Dakota Red from a Wanted poster she’d seen in Virginia City. He couldn’t let her leave after that.”
Captain Ronald peered over Tilly’s shoulder. “How is the young lady? Was she traveling with her husband?”
“My sister is widowed.”
The captain slid his thumb down the muttonchops on his chin. “Widowed, you say.”
Tilly stifled a sigh. At least she no longer had to contend with the captain’s halfhearted flirtation. He’d be fully occupied with Eleanor from now on.
The captain gazed at Eleanor’s beautiful face in repose, and his expression turned wistful. “Can I be of assistance?”
Tilly prodded him back toward the table. “She’s fine. She’s had a shock. Rest your leg. Eleanor
will need you at your best if we find a way to escape.”
“Yes. Of course.” He stared past her into Eleanor’s room. “I’ll be at the ready. You may depend on that.”
Tilly might as well have been part of the background for all the captain was paying attention to her. Even in a faint her sister attracted admirers. Though she sensed her sister’s faint was more for effect than an actual affliction, she’d best check on her.
Eleanor’s eyes fluttered open. “What is it? What’s happened?”
Tilly groaned. Therein lay the difficulty. With the girls, they were dancing a line around the truth.
Tilly smoothed a hand over Victoria’s hair. “Girls, I need a moment alone with your mother.”
“But she’s only just got here,” Caroline said, pouting. “We haven’t seen her in days and days.”
“Seven days,” Victoria chimed in.
“Mama.” Elizabeth’s lower lip protruded in a pout. “Want Mama.”
“I promise I’ll be quick.” Tilly urged them from the room. “Run along.”
Shoulders slumped, the girls dutifully exited the room. Tilly ignored her twinge of guilt. Though the girls were anxious to see their mother, they’d have to wait. Their lives were at stake, after all.
Tilly fluffed the pillows behind Eleanor’s head and spoke in low voice. “You’re being held hostage by three outlaws at a relay station in the abandoned town of Pyrite, Nebraska, along with me, your daughters, the stagecoach manager and a wounded cavalry officer.”
“I never did understand your sense of humor, Matilda,” Eleanor huffed. “I hold you to blame for this. I’m sure it’s something you’ve done.”
“Do not call me Matilda.” Tilly clenched her jaw. “We haven’t told the girls that the men are outlaws. We didn’t want to worry them. Don’t say anything.”
Recovering quickly, Eleanor pushed herself upright. “My girls are being held by outlaws? How could you have done this?”
“I’ve done nothing,” Tilly insisted.
“These sorts of things never happen to me.”
“Really? Because this sort of thing just happened to you. If you had listened to Nolan instead of butting in on his conversation, you’d be on your way to Omaha with the girls.”
“Whatever are you babbling about? Who is this Nolan person?”
“Nolan, um, Mr. West, is in charge of this stagecoach stop. He was attempting to negotiate the release of the girls when you barged in and recognized the outlaw. Dakota Red couldn’t let you leave after that.”
“How was I supposed to know this horrible town had been overrun by outlaws? Blaming me is entirely unfair.”
“Never mind,” Tilly said wearily. There was no use arguing with Eleanor. She always had the last word. “Your girls have missed you. They want to see you.”
She turned on her heel and stalked from the room. The girls rushed past her, calling greetings to their mother without giving Tilly a second glance. Tilly suppressed a sigh. Understanding the girls’ enthusiasm only made the sting worse.
The two men exchanged a glance.
Tilly slammed a plate on the table. “Are you hungry?”
“Not particularly,” Nolan said.
“Good. Let’s eat.”
Captain Ronald braced his hands on the table and lowered himself onto a chair. “Would someone mind explaining what’s happened?”
Tilly clutched her head. “It’s a long story.”
“We appear to have an abundance of time.”
Once she’d completed her explanations, the captain leaned back in his seat. “Your poor sister. She’s had a tough time lately.”
“Yes. Poor Eleanor.” Tilly braced her chin on her hand. “This has been awful for her.”
Eleanor appeared in the doorway.
She held a handkerchief before her mouth. “What is this I hear about guns?”
Tilly stood and took her sister’s hand, leading her to the table. “Not in front of the girls.” She plucked a basket from the counter. “Why don’t you three gather some blackberries for your mother?”
“Mama!” Elizabeth clapped. “Boo-berries.”
“Do we have to?” Victoria grumbled. “I want to stay.”
“Run along.” Tilly nudged her on the shoulder. “We’ll make muffins tonight.”
“You’re not my mother,” Victoria declared. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m your mother and I’m telling you to gather some blackberries.” Eleanor straightened her spine. “Tilly, give them a smaller bowl. They’ll never fill that.”
“It’s raining,” Victoria whispered to her sister. “Mama hasn’t even noticed that she’s letting us play in the rain.”
“Hush,” Caroline ordered. “Or she’ll change her mind.”
Her cheeks burning, Tilly dutifully retrieved a smaller bowl. As though sensing her humiliation, Caroline gave her an encouraging smile. Tilly’s stomach dipped. Eleanor had only just arrived and she’d already been demoted. Eleanor was treating her as though she was a child, and Caroline’s commiseration only made it worse.
“I demand an explanation.” Eleanor gracefully perched on the edge of a chair. “I have children. What sort of danger have you gotten us into, Tilly? What’s this Caroline tells me about being locked in a jail cell? I entrusted you with a very simple task. You were to safely accompany the children home to Walter’s parents in Omaha. I knew I never should have trusted you.”
“Nothing was Tilly’s fault,” Nolan said. “She’s the reason we’re all still alive and planning an escape.”
Eleanor flicked a glance in his direction, and Tilly sensed she’d eliminated the stagecoach man as an ally. Her sister turned her attention toward Captain Ronald, whose admiration was obvious.
“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.” Eleanor held out a limp hand in the captain’s direction. “I’m Mrs. Lehmann.”
Tilly was fairly certain her sister’s eyelashes fluttered.
“I’m Captain Ronald, ma’am.” The captain awkwardly stood and bent at the waist. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep your family safe, ma’am.”
“The girls haven’t eaten properly in days. Victoria says you’ve been feeding them nothing but berries and muffins.” Eleanor stood. “Their clothing is a mess. Elizabeth is covered in stains.”
“I haven’t exactly had time for washing up.”
“Even in the best of circumstances, you’ve never been responsible. They need routine. They need a schedule. You wouldn’t understand, dear, not having children of your own.”
“Captain Ronald.” Nolan stood and shuffled his feet. “We should see to Eleanor’s bags. They’ve been left in the rain. I’ll bring them around back so you can assist me and still stay out of sight.”
“Of course. Right away.” The captain stood and limped after Nolan. He paused before Eleanor. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lehmann.”
Tilly groaned. Though she was grateful for their polite exit, the humiliation stung. Her annoyance blossomed into full-blown anger.
She wasn’t one of Eleanor’s children, she was her sister. Her equal. And it was high time Eleanor started treating her as one.
Chapter Seventeen
Once the men were out of earshot, Tilly leaned forward. “I’m not your servant, I’m your sister. I set my own plans aside to help you, and all you’ve done is complain. If you didn’t want my help, you shouldn’t have asked me.”
Eleanor assumed an expression of weary boredom. “I’d almost forgotten about your trip to New York City. We both know that was just another one of your foolish ideas. You’d have found an excuse not to go. Something else would have attracted your attention. You never could stay with one thing. You always find an excuse to quit.”
“That�
��s not true.”
Tilly ducked her head. The widows and orphans seemed a lifetime ago. No one could blame her for being distracted by their current situation.
“It’s true and you know it,” Eleanor insisted. “I have a stack of partially embroidered towels that you never finished. Remember when you were going to write that novel? How many pages have you written? Five? Ten? Don’t blame me because you delayed a trip you were never going to take in the first place.”
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t be as perfect as you, Eleanor.”
“Don’t take that tone with me. It isn’t my fault you can’t stick with one thing for very long. I’m hardly to blame. You have no idea what I’ve been through these past few months.”
“What have you been through?” Tilly clenched her hands. “Why did you stay behind?”
Eleanor flushed. “I told you. I had things to do and the girls would have gotten in the way.”
“The girls say that you despise the bank. An odd comment, don’t you think?”
Eleanor shot to her feet and whirled away. “You can’t pay any attention to what children say. Surely you know better.”
“If you’re having troubles, Eleanor, you should confide in me. Father and I can help.”
“Help? From you? That’s rich.”
“Admitting you need help isn’t a sin.”
Eleanor spun back around and pointed her index finger. “Don’t you dare pass judgment on me.”
Tilly had obviously touched a nerve. Her history with Eleanor had taught her that this was the time for retreat. When Eleanor felt threatened, she attacked. And Eleanor had always been the better verbal warrior.
These past few weeks had stretched Tilly’s nerves to the breaking point, and she wasn’t afraid of Eleanor any longer. After facing down sure death at the hands of a band of outlaws, she was itching for a quarrel.
“Why shouldn’t I pass judgment on you?” Tilly demanded. “You don’t have any problems judging me. You’ve been criticizing me for the whole of my life. Nothing has ever been good enough for you.”
A Temporary Family Page 19
