The Bartered Bride (The Brides Book 3) (34 page)

Another bead of sweat joined the first.

Jem didn’t dare look out at the covered boardwalk where Gabe was waiting next to Annie and Mae. Mae who was dressed—to her considerable delight—as a servant lad with a cap pulled low over her forehead, her curls trapped up in a thin mobcap, which she wore underneath the hat. He knew without looking that Gabe appeared pale and about to pass out any minute. He also knew without looking that Annie was valiantly and as discreetly as possible giving Gabe support. She looked every inch a wealthy doctor’s wife in one of Lorelei’s old suits, a woolen burgundy affair done up to fit her, with sleeves that hugged her arms down to her wrists and a fashionable bustle worked into the skirt. Somehow.

Annie’s skirt dropped clear to the floorboards, long enough to hide the fact that she was wearing her work boots and not footwear as equally fashionable as the suit. That would have required a significantly higher heel. And, Jem had told her, in the event they needed to run, he wanted her to be able to run. She hadn’t objected in the least.

A friend of the doctor’s wife had done Annie’s hair this morning in town—which was why they were late. With coils and curls and hairpins tucked up under her hat in some mysterious way, no one would have recognized Annie. Not even Creed. Jem had to give her a second glance himself every now and again. She looked like she’d lived in a big city all her life, coddled and always dressed to the nines. Pearls, cameos, and all that went with it.

Ray had offered to stay and help keep Gabe upright, but after some deliberation they’d all agreed too many people would recognize Ray. He was practically a fixture in Colorado Springs, at least among a good many shopkeepers. Church folks too. And they wanted no trails for Creed to follow.

So they’d placed Annie on one side of Gabe, and a good strong support post on the other.

“Sir?” the clerk prompted. “The first-class tickets?”

First class. If Creed was on the train, he’d ride first class.

The realization struck Jem, and he knew he needed to change tacks.

“No,” he said, thinking quickly. “Do you have seats for us in the back of the train?”

The clerk raised his brows.

“My”—Jem caught himself up before saying daughter—“servant lad enjoys looking off the back of the caboose,” he explained.

“Ah, I see,” the clerk said, accepting this with an almost parental sort of smile, as if he remembered having small children of his own. He glanced out the window, his gaze falling on Mae in her boy’s clothes and cap. “Have a care he doesn’t fall off.”

“I will,” Jem promised, handing over the amount the man quoted for the tickets.

He turned to leave, hoping he hadn’t made them somehow more memorable, and fearing he had. What sort of doctor employed a servant lad who was three years old, or nearly?

He should have said son. He should have said
son
.

Jem hurried to Gabe’s side, gathering his bags under his left arm and slipping his right hand under Gabe’s elbow, taking nearly all the boy’s weight onto himself.

“We’ve got to board,” he said, leading them in the direction of the caboose. “Now.”

He didn’t know if Creed was on this train. He didn’t know if Creed was following, or already on his way to Denver. All Jem knew was he needed to get Gabe into a seat and get them all out of view. As quickly as possible.

* * *

The stuffy air in the caboose closed in on Annie. It was warmer here than it had been outside. The train had stopped to let passengers on and off in whatever town they were in—she hadn’t heard the porter properly.

The day had started much cooler. Now the sun was high and the weather warmer than she’d expected. She also wasn’t used to wearing quite so many clothes. All these layers: shift, corset, bustle, the shirtwaist, the slim-fitting suit coat, and finally the skirt that skimmed down the sides of her waist and hips and flared out all the way down to the floor. Such heavy fabric. Pretty, but heavy.

She simply wasn’t accustomed to it. Or to all the curls, loops, and pins in her hair. The little hat. With its lacy black veil that draped ever-so-fashionably over her eyes. They all conspired to make her unrecognizable. They all conspired to make her hot and breathless too. That, and the coal stove that was blazing in one corner of the car. She wished she could remove the cloying weight of her suit coat, but the sleeves were too tight for easy maneuverability, and she didn’t dare draw attention to herself. The car was nearly packed with passengers.

At least when the train had been rumbling along, a breeze had come in through the windows. She fanned her face with her hand. Beside her, sharing the seat, Mae did the same, copying her.

“I’m hot,” Mae said, jutting out her lower lip.

Annie smiled sympathetically and tapped the brim of the boy’s cap Mae was wearing. She too was unrecognizable as the little girl she was, at least from any distance.

Facing them, Jem sat shoulder to shoulder with Gabe, discreetly offering him support. He had to keep Gabe’s back from touching the cushions, which would have surely been agony.

Gabe must have been feeling the close heat too, for he suddenly pitched forward and would’ve fallen to the floor of the train if Jem hadn’t grabbed hold of him.

Annie made an effort not to gasp aloud.

Gabe let out a groan that tugged on her heart. His face turned a sickly gray color, his brow damp with a fine sheen of sweat. The poor thing was hurting badly. What she wouldn’t give to take away his pain.

“He needs to lie down on his stomach,” Jem said, his voice muffled by Gabe’s sleeve.

Annie tried not to show her alarm, noticing a man in a business suit glancing their way and frowning. She straightened primly, pretending to flick a speck of lint off her already impeccable sleeve. To her relief, the businessman soon turned his attention back to his newspaper. Jem’s attention was so focused on getting Gabe’s coat removed, he hadn’t even noticed the man staring at them. Annie was glad. He had enough to concern him.

“He needs this shirt off of him too,” Jem murmured, sounding frustrated. “Some salve. Some laudanum.”

Annie leaned across Mae to try to pry the sliding window open a little further, but it wouldn’t budge. It seemed well and truly stuck. Finally, the train jerked forward and pulled away from the depot. They were moving again.

“Gabe’s sick,” Mae said, her little face worried.

Annie slipped a comforting arm around her.

“Yes, he’s sick,” Jem said carefully, flashing a grateful glance at Annie. He’d been so careful all along that Mae didn’t learn what had happened to Gabe. Abuse such as he’d suffered was too horrible for a girl her age to know about. It was too horrible for Annie at times. Like now.

“But we’re going to take care of him,” Jem added. His voice was so reassuring, so confident, but his eyes revealed his concern.

Annie worried that memories of Lorelei’s fever and loss were wearing on him. She tapped on the brim of Mae’s beloved cap again to distract her and make her smile.

Mae straightened and pulled away, saying, “My cap.”

Annie glanced around to make sure no one was watching them. She lifted one finger, a habit that was hard to break, and then made the sign for
yes
, nodding with her fist. “Yes, it’s your cap,” she signed.

Mae scrambled off the seat. “I want Sugar.”

Annie glanced nervously at Jem, hearing the trebly note of distress in Mae’s voice.

“Ray’s got Sugar. Remember?” Jem said in a calm voice. “He’s going to take real good care of her. He promised. And I believe him. Don’t you?”

Mae stood there in her little boy’s garb, looking so lost and out of place all of a sudden. She stuck out her bottom lip and her chin wobbled.

Oh dear
, Annie thought. Any moment now, Mae was going to dissolve into tears and she’d likely work herself up so much, she wouldn’t nap. She loved that dog. Truth be told, Annie missed Sugar too. Missed her soft fur. The way she leaned against Annie’s legs, just waiting to be patted.

“Ray promised, Mae,” Jem said. “You’ve got to believe she’s going to be just fine. I caught him slipping a whole slice of bacon to her this morning before we left.”

“You did?” Mae’s chin lifted.

“Yep, sure did.”

“I saw it too,” Annie signed, angling herself away from any prying eyes and keeping her hands to one side, nearest the window.

“You did?” Mae placed her hands on Annie’s knees. Her touch seemed hesitant, soft as a butterfly.

Annie nodded, putting on her most trustworthy expression, which wasn’t difficult since she had indeed seen Ray slipping bacon to Sugar. He’d been babying that dog since his trip into town to see the veterinarian.

“We’re not leaving Sugar forever, Mae,” Jem promised. “I told you that, and I wouldn’t lie. She just couldn’t come with us, not with Gabe sick like he is.”

Mae climbed back onto her seat. Soon, she slid sideways against Annie and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

“I’ve been thinking,” Jem told Annie quietly, “and I’m going to get off at the next stop, Littleton.”

Why?
She widened her eyes.

“I can’t in good conscience let Gabe go on like this. We need to find him a bed for the night.”

Annie chewed the inside of her cheek. He’d said
he
was getting off at the next stop, not
them
. She checked the other passengers again. No one was paying them any mind, so she signed, “Are you worried about Creed?”

Jem glanced at Mae. Finding her absorbed with the laces of her boots, he replied quietly, “I’m always worried about Creed. The doctor told me he’d come by twice earlier this week.”

“He went to the doctor’s?”

“Twice.”

“But, I thought he didn’t know the doctor.”

“He doesn’t. He’d never been there before, never once. But he has to know Gabe needs medical attention.”

“Take me to my uncle,” Gabe mumbled, lifting his head. “Get yourselves away.”

“We will,” Jem said. “But we’re going to stop for the night. There’s a hotel near the Littleton depot.”

What he didn’t say was that they were all worried that Creed would go to Gabe’s uncle’s. That he might even now be there.

Gabe closed his eyes and leaned more heavily into Jem’s side. He might have even lost consciousness. Annie hoped he could sleep for a while.

“I’ll search the boardwalk for any sign of Creed,” Jem said quietly. “Once I’m sure it’s clear, I’ll come back for you.”

“Will there be enough time for us to get off the train—all of us?”

“I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“What if Creed is there?” Annie asked, her hands flowing swiftly from word to word as never before. “What if he sees you? What if the train starts to leave?”

“Continue on without me, even if I don’t get back before the train pulls away. I’ll catch up with you somehow.”

“Come back,” she signed. The businessman was looking their way. She didn’t dare sign any more.

“I’m sure I will,” Jem said, but his expression revealed he wasn’t as sure as he sounded.

Annie tried to imagine continuing on without him. Tried to imagine taking care of Gabe and Mae alone.

Please come back.

FORTY-FIVE

J
em stepped down from the car, intent on making certain the way was clear for them to get Gabe off the train. He glanced first one way—up toward the depot—and then the other. Seeing no sign of Creed, he strode toward the head of the train. He could see the hotel with its vacancy sign. It was so close. Just a matter of stepping off the platform, then crossing the street.

The train whistle sang out. He had minutes to spare.

He was about to jog back to the caboose, when a man emerged from the depot and tugged down the brim of his black Stetson.
Creed
. Larger than life. As mean-looking as ever.

Here in Littleton.

Creed strode toward Jem, half the length of the boardwalk between them. His long leather duster opened with every stride, exposing the gun belt around his thigh.

All the air sucked out of Jem’s chest. His glasses took that precise moment to inch their way down his nose. He didn’t need the aggravation right now. He slid them into place. Kept his gaze forward.
Just walk
.

Sweat beaded on his brow. Not that he feared for his own safety. He could defend himself. He had a gun weighing down his medical bag, and he could fight. Just a couple of days ago, he’d held Creed by the throat. Could’ve easily killed the man. But Annie had been right there. Her presence and his own conscience had been the only things stopping him. Though his capacity for violence wasn’t something Jem liked about himself, he was fully prepared to defend himself and those he loved if he needed to. It was as simple as that.

As Creed approached, Jem’s thoughts sped forward. He thought of Mae first, being a father. And Annie.
His wife
. And, of course, Gabe. Gabe didn’t deserve what had happened to him. He deserved to get away, to start a new life.

Jem’s boot heels thudded against the boardwalk. He gripped the handles of his black medical bag. He could swing it right in Creed’s face if he needed to. This one held the cash. The other was still on the train. Had he made the wrong choice? He’d thought Gabe might need the salve. But he should have left Annie some money to hold.

Why hadn’t he?

If she needed to go off alone with Gabe and Mae—if he had to waylay Creed, for instance—she’d need cash. She could hardly do anything without it.

Lord, he wasn’t meant for intrigue. Had never trained for this. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

Creed came abreast of him and paused. “Have we met?” He stared intently into Jem’s face.

“Never had the pleasure,” Jem mumbled, tipping his bowler and not slowing a single beat. His words were true enough. They’d “met” several times, but Jem had never experienced a moment of pleasure knowing this man.

Jem continued on by. He did his best not to stare at the train’s caboose just ahead of him, at the window where he knew Annie was looking out with a concerned expression. He caught sight of her anyway. He simply ducked his head and marched past, as if that had been his intention all along.

Creed’s footfalls stilled behind him. Jem sensed him standing there, watching. Speculating. Jem didn’t dare look back, didn’t dare slow his pace. He just kept going.

* * *

Annie held her breath at the second sounding of the train whistle. Out her window, thick clouds of black smoke filled the air, billowing upwards into the sky.

And Jem still hadn’t returned. Where was he? What were they supposed to do?

She held on to Gabe as best as she could as the train let out a hiss and jerked forward. Mae climbed into her lap, concerned. “Where’s Daddy?” she whispered.

Annie peered out the window, hoping.
Please.

Her gaze was captured by a black bag being dropped over the back rail of the caboose. She saw a flash of gray, a man jogging behind the rolling train, keeping pace with them. He vaulted over the metal railing and landed lightly on the rear deck. With seeming unconcern, he straightened his smart frockcoat and bent to recover the black bag from the deck at his feet. He entered the car just as casually as if he’d simply been standing on deck for a breath of air and had come in because the smoke had gotten thick.

Annie gaped at him.

He was here.

He must have been waiting on the backside of the tracks, opposite the depot and the boardwalk. Behind the train, away from Creed’s searching eyes. Away from her eyes too, as it turned out.

She surrendered her place beside Gabe to Jem, gathering Mae into her arms and switching to the facing seat. Jem set his bag down and slid it against the wall of the car.

Annie peered out the window as the depot rolled past. There was no sign of Creed.

She couldn’t sign with Mae in her arms, so she let out one small grunt.
Creed
?

Before Annie could set Mae down, the little girl hopped off her lap and crowded in close to Jem. She reached up to place one hand on his cheek, seemingly entranced by his smooth skin.

“Daddy, where
were
you?” she asked. “We
missed
you.”

“You did?” Jem asked, his tone falsely jovial. He waggled his eyebrows at her and covered her much smaller hand with his. His more serious gaze met Annie’s. “Well, I’m here now, aren’t I?”

With her arms freed, Annie signed, “What happened?”

Jem took Mae on his knee for a moment and let her lean her head way back against his chest. During all this, he managed to keep a steadying arm on poor Gabe, who was dozing now, thankfully.

“I don’t think he recognized me,” Jem said, “but I didn’t want to take any chances. So I ducked behind the train.”

“I thought you—” Annie started to sign, all her pent-up worry rushing forward.

“Well, I’m here now.” Jem gave Mae a little squeeze, his mouth curving into a grin that reminded Annie of their days in the classroom back at the school for the deaf and mute. He really was an appealing rascal at times. No matter that she’d been terrified for several long minutes thinking she was going to have to continue without him.

“What now?” she signed primly, then folded her hands on her lap.

“Annie, I’m back now.” He evidently read through her calm expression to the distress underneath.

She nodded, her face crumpling for one moment, then she quickly turned to look out the window, not wanting Mae to see. She fiddled with the top button of her suit coat, then unbuttoned it, and the next one. She needed to
breathe
.

“I don’t like the idea of going straight to Gabe’s uncle’s place,” Jem said. “Creed’s either coming from there or he’s headed there. We have no way of knowing which. He could be on the train right now.”

Annie widened her eyes at him.

“If he’s here he’s in first class,” Jem said, as if that solved any problem. As if Creed couldn’t move from car to car, searching. Jem likely knew that too but didn’t want her to worry.

She glanced at Gabe, wondering if he’d heard Jem’s words. His expression didn’t change one whit, so perhaps he hadn’t.

“Denver’s the next stop,” Jem said. “I’d really like to get Gabe to a hotel, the closest one we can find to the depot. We’ll hole up for the night, get a bed for him so he can lie on his stomach and get some rest. Some good rest,” he amended, looking at Gabe’s slack face.

Annie settled back in her seat. She tried to hide it but was afraid Jem was all too aware that her gaze was fixed on the connecting door at the front of the caboose, just waiting for Creed to walk through at any moment.