The Lover (20 page)

Eagle Jack was coming to her, but he could yet get killed, right before her eyes.

He passed her window and reached a spot even with the front of the car, then he stood up in the saddle.

Molly kept running. Susanna quit breathing.

She longed, she
ached,
to join in the chorus of voices calling for the train to slow but she'd lost her power of speech.

She leaned forward for a better view out the window ahead of her seat.

Molly held her speed, pacing the train, and the handle for climbing the steps was right at Eagle Jack's hand. He grabbed it but he made no attempt to come in at the door.

Somehow, in the next instant, his big body was hurtling into the car through the window of the first seat. Its occupant, a quite small man, immediately leaped up and into the aisle to get out of his way.

Everybody in the car was screaming or exclaiming, yelling or shouting, except for Susanna. She sat with her hands still clasped to her tear-soaked face, too astounded to make a single sound.

Her heart was in her throat, pounding ninety miles a minute.

In an instant, Eagle Jack was on his feet in the aisle, brushing himself off. He looked up and met Susanna's eyes.

He was grinning, the rascal was grinning at her as if he'd done nothing at all, much less something so dangerous he could have plunged to his death.

That grin filled her with such joy that her heart couldn't contain it.

He started toward her with his light, swaggering walk unchanged by the rocking of the train, which was rapidly picking up speed. A minute more, and Molly could never have caught it.

When he reached Susanna's seat, he sat down beside her as carelessly as if he'd been away for only a moment. He took off his hat, dusted it with one hand, and placed it in his lap.

Then he spoke as if they'd just been interrupted in the middle of a conversation.

“What I was wondering, Susanna,” he drawled, “was if I come to live at your place, would you make pie every day and even let me have a slice for breakfast?”

She melted.

“And what would you be doing at my place every morning?”

“Bein' your husband,” he said. “I've been thinkin' about it a lot.”

“But, Eagle Jack, that's commonly known as settling down. I thought you were afraid of that.”

“I am,” he said, with his very most charming grin, “but you'd be there all the time to keep me from bein' too scared, wouldn't you?”

Her heart swelled with love.

He reached over and pushed her hair back from her face and used his thumb to trace the trail of the tears rapidly drying on her cheek.

“I don't care if we're at Brushy Creek or where we are,” she said, through trembling lips, “all I want is for us to be together, Eagle Jack.”

He bent his head and she lifted her mouth to his. The other passengers cheered and cheered while they kissed. They kissed for a long, long time.

Susanna put one of her hands on the back of his neck and held him to her. She was never going to let him go.

They might just kiss all the way to Texas.