Rescuing Colorado
by RaeAnne Hadley
The steady rocking and clickety clack of the wheels on the train was lulling her to sleep but the laughter from the eating cars snapped Colorado back to the present. She couldn’t allow herself to get caught with her guard down; not this close to freedom.
She had been worried that her father would have his thugs waiting for her in St. Louis but if he did, she didn’t see them nor did they see her. She safely made it onto the train and into her compartment with none the wiser. Now she was less than thirty minutes from getting to Denver and she felt the excitement build. Her father’s reach didn’t extend to Colorado, the state she was named after, so she allowed the fear and tension to leave her body. She was free.
The train pulled into the station and she grabbed her knapsack, anxious to get off of the train and start her new life; though she wasn’t sure what that was going to be yet. Her initial thought was to become a school teacher. Her education at Columbia could allow her to live a comfortable life albeit it would have to be under the guise as being a man. While this plan would be the safest, the thought of spending her days inside of a school house instead of the outdoors hurt her heart. She loved the smell of the soil in the spring, the sight of new born calves during calving season, the feel of wind blowing through her hair as she raced across the fields on her horse.
Unfortunately the latter career would be harder to hide her identity, or more accurately, her gender. It was crucial for her to keep up the appearance that she was male.
The conductor swung by her car and knocked on the open-door jamb. “We are pulling into Denver now, sir. Bags will be placed on the platform for claiming.”
She nodded her head and tipped her hat in thanks. She was still practicing to get the deeper timber in her voice but she hadn’t perfected it quite yet. Hopefully people would just chalk her change in voice pitch to puberty. Despite her best attempts to make herself look like a man she resembled a boy more. Maybe she could make that work to her advantage.
She slipped her knapsack over her shoulders and followed the conductor down the hallway of the train. Bounding down the steps, she jumped onto the platform and anxiously looked around. Union Station was as grand as her father had described. His love for Colorado led to his vast knowledge of the beautiful state, along with him naming his only child after it.
She needed to find a boarding house where she could clean up and then start fresh tomorrow looking for a job. The money she was able to sneak away from home could take care of her for quite a while but she didn’t want to spend too much, lest she bring unnecessary attention to herself. She wanted to blend in, not stand out.
She ambled down the road, side-stepping wagons and people while still taking in the city. She was used to big cities, having grown up in New York, but the backdrop of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains was breath-taking. It’s no wonder her father loved it so.
She found a clean boarding house just off of the main road and secured housing for the next two days. She was prepared to be questioned as to how she had the money to pay for a week in advance but the woman didn’t even bat an eye.
She went to her room and unpacked her meager belongings. She would need to go into town and buy some clothes and a bar of soap. She desperately wanted to wash off the last four days of travel. While the hot bath she could pay for at the boarding house was tempting, she didn’t want to risk getting caught. The cold creek would have to do until she was able to find her own place.
Grabbing some coin, she went back into town. She would get her necessities today, get cleaned up in the river then get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow she planned on obtaining employment. That would determine where she would hopefully live peacefully for the rest of her life.
***
Colorado stretched under her covers, appreciating the comfort of her bed. She hadn’t slept that good since leaving her feather bed back home.
Quickly hoping out of bed, she was excited to start her day. She carefully donned her trousers and shirt. She was thankful that she wasn’t ample in her bosom because her jacket helped hide her breasts. She tucked her long strands up under her cap and eyed herself suspiciously in the mirror. She didn’t want anything to give away her gender. Satisfied with her work, she skipped downstairs and headed out.
By the end of the day, her optimism and excitement waned into depression. It appeared that every school house she went to was fully staffed with qualified teachers. Nobody needed her.
She passed the Denver High School and hesitated a moment. Should she risk another rejection? Remembering where she came from, she squared her shoulders and went inside. She found an older man, his hands full of books, walking down one of the corridors. She cleared her throat to get his attention.
“Um, excuse me.” She prayed her voice was deep enough.
The man turned to her and smiled. “Hello. Can I help you?”
She nodded. “Yes, I’m new to town and looking for employment.”
He frowned slightly. “And what is it you do?”
She smiled. “Sorry, I forgot to mention I’m a school teacher.”
“We are fully staffed here Mr…”
Colorado blushed and quickly held out her hand. “I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten my manners. Mr. Stanwick, Col…Colton Stanwick.”
“I’m John Cotton Dane, I’m the librarian here.” He stepped back and cocked his head. “You aren’t related to Johnathon Stanwick from New York, are you?”
She felt her heart leap into her throat and prayed her voice wouldn’t quake. “No. My family comes from the Carolina area.”
“Oh, okay. Johnathon Stanwick helped me create the library inside the school back in 1889. I couldn’t have done it without his support and help.”
She was kicking herself. She knew that. Her father had talked about it so many times over the dinner table. Even her mother, God rest her soul, had tuned him out after a while. She was definitely going to have to come up with a different surname.
“He sounds like a good man,” she commented casually.
“Yes, he’s definitely a good man. As far as your employment goes, we are fully staffed here, as we are in all of the school houses nearby. I have heard, however, that they are needing schoolmasters in Golden.”
“Golden? I’m not sure where that is.”
“It’s about a half a day’s ride west from here.” John looked out of the window. “It’s probably too late to head there now unless you don’t mind sleeping under the stars.”
She looked out at the waning sun. “Not particularly. I’ll secure a horse and head out in the morning.” She looked back at him and held out her hand again. “It was nice to meet you Mr. Dane. Thank you for your help.”
He shook her hand firmly. “Please, call me John. It was nice to meet you too. Good luck tomorrow.”
She tipped her hat as she had seen her father do many times and walked out of the doors. She didn’t secure a job but maybe she would be successful tomorrow. Golden. She liked the sound of it.
2
“Your horse is ready.” The young stable boy led the tall bay over to where Colorado stood. “He’s not very fast but he’s got great stamina.”
She tipped him, then grabbed the reins from his hand. “Thank you.”
“Yes sir. And be careful. There’s been a lot of horse thieves out there lately. We’ve lost some of our best horses the past couple of weeks.”
She hesitated as she swung up into the saddle. It felt so odd to be riding astride. “They kill the horses and the riders?”
He frowned at her. “No sir. They rob the riders of their possessions and take the horses. Been no murders here lately.”
Relieved, she tipped her hat and swung her horse opp
osite of the rising sun. She hoped to make it to Golden by noon.
True to the stable boy’s word, her horse didn’t move fast but he was steady and constant. Several times deer and pheasants busted out of their hidden places in the bushes and riverbeds but he didn’t flinch. She decided when she got back that she would see if the livery would be willing to sell him. He would make a good horse for her to travel to Denver once she got established in Golden.
Her stomach rumbling reminded her that she had missed breakfast and that it was fast approaching the lunch hour. She would need to stop soon anyway to water her horse.
She made her way down to a ravine and saw a river running down below. She decided to follow along until she found a way to get down to the water. Within the half-hour, she was sitting under a tree while her gelding drank and grazed nearby. The cold meat and cheese she bought from the boarding house was flavorful and she ate all of it. She should’ve saved some for the ride home but decided she could risk it. She was optimistic that she would leave Golden fully employed and her excited stomach wouldn’t take the food anyway.
She finished up the last of the meat and mounted her horse again, anxious to get to Golden. She was climbing the riverbank when a noise to the left startled her horse. She only had a moment to think how odd that was before she felt the rope tighten around her shoulders and yank her off of her horse. The pain in the back of her head as it struck a rock was the last thing she felt.
***
Her body ached and shivered as her mind came around. It was dusk and the shadows grew longer as she lay there. It hurt to move; her head, muscles and bones screamed in protest.
The ground was getting colder and she knew she couldn’t lay there much longer. She needed to find some place safe.
It took every fiber of her being to stand upright but she was able to verify that no bones were broken. Her head pounded and she had a lump on the back of her skull but that appeared to be the worst of it. She finished climbing the side of the hill and when she crested the top, looked around. She could see several horse tracks and knew she had been a victim of horse thievery. She was lucky they hadn’t realized that “he” was actually a she. They could’ve done worse than take her horse. She shuddered at the thought but also became angry. She liked that horse.
She began walking towards the setting sun and prayed she wasn’t far from Golden. Hopefully she would get there before the midnight hour.
She walked several hours but as the night got colder, her shivering became worse. She knew she was probably in shock and the cool spring evening didn’t help. She needed to find shelter; the very least build a fire.
Checking her pants pockets, she found her money and her flint box gone. Bastards had taken that too. She had no way of making a fire. She would have to find a place where she could hole up until morning.
She moved off towards the side of the mountain, hoping to find an empty cave or hole where she could curl up inside. Heat from the rocks would help keep her warm. She was entering a small grove of trees at the base of the mountain when she came across a dark cabin.
She knocked on the door several times but nobody came. Glancing around she tried the latch and opened the door. It appeared to be abandoned. The sparse living room was off to her left while a tiny kitchen area was off to her right. The small hallway led just a few feet beyond and she could see another room, probably a bedroom. She went through the cupboards in the kitchen and found dried beans. If she could get a fire going, she could boil the beans and fill her belly. Now she was regretting she hadn’t saved some of her meat and cheese.
She found a flint box on the mantel next to the fireplace and quickly had a fire going. The heat warmed her bones and her shivering finally stopped. She made up enough beans for her supper and for breakfast. In the morning she would make her way to Golden and talk to the sheriff there. Hopefully she would find someone to help her.
After she finished eating her supper, she checked the back room and found a small bed and nightstand with a lantern. She took the lantern out to the fireplace and lit it. She shook out the blanket from the back of the living room chair and curled up on the hard bed. It wasn’t anything like the bed at her boarding room but it sure beat the outdoors.
She blew the light out and lay her head down. It felt like she had been gone years instead of hours. Hopefully tomorrow would be kinder.
***
Her arm screamed in pain and her breath caught in her throat as she was drug from the bed. Her arm was twisted behind her back and she felt helpless.
“Just who in the hell do you think you are?”
The deep voice boomed in her ears and she struggled to keep the panic down. Her father found her. He sent his hired guns to bring her back. She opened her mouth to answer when he wrenched her arm again, her shoulder threatening dislocation. It was too much and she cried out.
“Please, don’t hurt me anymore.”
Her arm was released immediately and she felt in a heap to the floor, her pinned hair slipping from its confinement.
“You’re a woman?”
The light from the lantern swung around and shone in her face. It blinded her from seeing her attacker and she scrambled back towards the wall and huddled against it.
“Please. Don’t make me go back there.”
“Go back where? Who are you?”
She blinked rapidly, trying to get her thoughts sorted. This wasn’t one of her father’s hired guns. He wouldn’t be asking those questions. “I…uh, came from Denver. I was robbed. They took my money and my horse. I was cold and hungry. I knocked…”
The lantern dropped to the floor and a large man kneeled down in front of her. She found herself looking up into the most gorgeous green eyes she had ever seen.
“You are lucky you weren’t shot.”
She shook her head. “The stable boy said they didn’t kill people, they just robbed them.”
“I didn’t mean them. I meant me.”
Fear filled her throat. Maybe she wasn’t out of danger after all. “Please sir. I meant no harm.”
He sighed and dropped his head for a moment before looking back at her. “I’ll take you into town in the morning. The sheriff will help you. I’m sure your family is looking for you.”
He stood up and held his hand out to help her up. She reached for it but pain from her wrenched shoulder and made her cry out.
“Christ,” he muttered. “I thought I was dealing with a thief, not a woman.” He picked her up by her waist and gently set her on her feet. He eyed her quizzically. “A woman dressed in men’s clothing.”
She grasped the collar of her shirt and fisted it closed. “It makes it easier to travel.”
He shook his head as he turned and walked towards the kitchen. “Society is always changing”
She followed him, wondering how she was going to get out of this. He knew she was a woman but she couldn’t go to the sheriff in Golden as a woman. Nobody in Golden could know her true gender.
“No!” she blurted out. She saw his startled expression and she tried to smile calmly. “I mean, I really need to get back to Denver. I have money there and can get back in touch with my family.” She was surprised at how smoothly the lie slid from her lips.
“I don’t have time to take you to Denver. I have cattle missing up on the north-forty. I will barely have time to take you to Golden, let alone Denver.”
“I don’t want to be an inconvenience. I can make it on my own. No problem at all.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Did they knock sense out of your head too? I’m not going to let a defenseless woman to fend for herself out there with thieves and rustlers. It’s amazing they didn’t take advantage of your virtue. You won’t be so lucky the next time which is why I will deliver you safely to the sheriff in Golden. Then my conscious is clear.”
Her mind whirled as she tried to figure out how to escape this man. A plan formulated in her mind; it was her only hope. “Do you have any coffee? I could really use
some before we go.”
“Yep. If you want to make a pot, I’ll go out and get some salted pork. I don’t have any eggs, no chickens yet, but I can add the pork to the leftover beans.”
She didn’t say anything, only nodded as she waited for him to go out of the door. The minute he did, she grabbed her boots, pulled them on, grabbed her cap and slipped out of the door seconds later. She went opposite the direction that he had gone and she prayed he didn’t hear the front door close.
Racing through the grove of trees, she swore that he would be able to follower her just by listening to the pounding of her heart. Breaking through the brush, she stopped to figure out where she was. The lightening horizon indicated that east was to her left, so Golden would be on her right. If she went to Golden, she might be able to get help or a ride back to Denver but that might also be where he would go to look for her.
She giggled slightly hysterically when she realized she didn’t even know his name. But for that matter, he didn’t know hers either and since she really hadn’t damaged his property or taken anything of value, only a few beans, he might not bother to look for her at all.
That made up her mind and she decided to head towards Golden. She would risk it, especially since it was closer. She began her trek, keeping an eye out for any more thieves or for the handsome man she just escaped from.
***
It was past the noon hour when she made it into Golden. She was exhausted, thirsty and hungry. She wished she had waited until after breakfast before making her escape but she did what she thought was right at the time.
She wandered into downtown looking for the sheriff’s office. Hopefully he would be friendly and helpful.
She found it a few moments later and walked in through the doorway. A large, older man sat at a desk, a gold star gleaming on his chest. He reminded her of her Uncle Tim and she couldn’t help the smile.
He eyed her suspiciously and cocked his head. “Sutter, don’t tell me this is one of the rustlers you came in about.”
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