The Iron Horseman (2 page)

Kansas,
Redbourne Ranch, Early April 1869

Clank.

Metal
slammed against metal as the oversized horseshoe fell to the earth, encircling
the iron post that had been pounded into the hard ground. Levi Redbourne shook
his head as he watched his oldest brother toss his second horseshoe into the
air.

Clank.

This
time it had stuck in the ground and fell over to lean against the pole.

“How
do you do that?” Levi asked incredulously, using a stick to mark Raine’s newest
score in the dirt. “I guess your duties as assistant deputy in town haven’t
taken enough of your time. You’ve been practicing while I was gone.”

Raine
laughed. “Maybe you shouldn’t be gone so much.”

Levi
missed being on the ranch. He missed his family even more, but the work he was
doing with the railroad meant something. He’d seen far too many people lose
everything after the war, so when the opportunity arose that allowed him to
offer a new start for many of them in towns across the West, he’d jumped at the
chance.

“A
small herd of wild horses broke through the fence in the north pasture,” their
father exclaimed as he dismounted his horse and started for the stable at a
quick pace. Jameson was as healthy and spry as any of his seven sons.

Levi
and Raine both followed.

“I
think two of our mares may be in heat. If they couple with that blasted
stallion leading the herd, no one will want the foals,” their father said,
grabbing an extra rifle. “Tag and Ethan are both out on a run with Marty and I
need some help. It’s getting late, so we need to hurry. Levi, go get Cole. He
can work with Maverick tomorrow. Raine…”

Levi
didn’t hear the rest of his father’s instructions to his brother as he headed
out to the corral where Cole, his youngest brother, worked into the late hours
of the evening with the newest addition to Redbourne Ranch—a beautiful black
Arabian stallion. This horse was vastly different from the Morgans and Quarter
Horses they generally bred, but Cole had fallen in love with the stallion at
auction and their father had relented.

“There’s
trouble,” Levi called out to his little brother.

Cole
pulled the rope in that he’d been using to run Maverick around the corral. He
led the horse from the large enclosure, closed the gate, and mounted bareback.
“Well, let’s go.”

Levi
shook his head. “Show off,” he called after him as he ran to the stable where
Apollo, his own grey and black mount, had already been brushed down, watered,
and stalled for the night. He reached up onto the wall to retrieve the tack
he’d returned there just over an hour ago.

It
wasn’t long before the four of them were ready to ride. Cole had left Maverick
in the stable and now rode one of the broken Quarter Horses. Levi wished Tag
were here. His brother was one of the most talented wranglers he’d ever seen. He
would have loved the challenge of pulling two mares away from the bunch of wild
mustangs. He probably would have tried to convince their father to capture the
stallion and then offer to break him. Levi was like Tag in a lot of ways, but
getting a kick out of being bucked off a wild horse over and over was not one
of them.

Jameson
whistled loudly. Seamus, their giant black and white sheep dog, bounded around
the corner of the barn barking and wagging his tail with anticipation. It was
almost as if he instinctively knew what he was supposed to do.

When
they reached the north pasture, it didn’t take long to spot the downed fence.
The top two boards had been broken completely in half with splintered pieces
dangling from the side and one plank lying haphazardly on the ground. Raine and
Levi jumped their horses over the downed fence, then dismounted. They made
quick work of strapping it back together with a skein of wire Raine had thrown
into his saddle bag. They would have to bring some new boards out here in the
morning with the wagon to replace the broken planks and the fallen post.

“It
looks like they’ve headed over toward the creek on Cooper’s property,” Jameson
said, circling back around to the fence. “Cole, go let Mr. Cooper know that the
mustangs are running wild on his land. He’ll want to make sure to keep his
horses corralled for the time being.”

“Yes,
sir,” Cole said as he pulled toward the Cooper stead.

It
was near dark when they were finally able to round up the missing mares, along
with a few others they’d recognized from neighboring ranches. They would keep
the other horses in their corral overnight and then deliver them back to their
owners in the morning.

“You
look like you could use a bed.” Raine clapped Levi on the shoulder once their
horses had been tended to for the night. Again.

“I
could use a little something to eat first,” Levi replied with a tired smile.
“I’m famished.”

They
all laughed when his belly gurgled in confirmation. As they rounded the house,
soft tones from a guitar carried to Levi’s ears. Hannah sat on the porch at
their mother’s feet and played while Leah hummed along.

It
was expected of most girls that they learn to play the piano, but for the
Redbourne family, it had been a requirement for all of them. Some had learned
to play better than others, but they all could pluck out a tune.

However,
a few of them had chosen to play additional instruments as well—Hannah loved
the guitar, Ethan played the cello, Rafe the harmonica, and Raine had taken after
his father on the fiddle. As if on cue, the three brothers joined in and
started to sing as they each stepped up onto the porch. Levi sat on the
railing, Raine leaned against the doorframe, and Cole joined Hannah on the
floor. The ballad seemed to resonate against the semi-enclosed veranda and Leah
Redbourne closed her eyes, a smile resting on her face as she listened to her
children’s music.

“It’s
been a while since we’ve all sung together. It’s too bad that everyone couldn’t
be here,” Raine said knowingly.

“Christmas.
You’ll all be home for Christmas, won’t you?” their mother asked, sitting
forward on her chair. “Levi?”

The
holidays at Redbourne Ranch were something to experience, from the turkey run
and archery tournaments to the traditional selecting of the tree and dancing.
He loved Christmas at Redbourne Ranch, but he just couldn’t promise anything.
Not right now.

“I’ll
do my best, Mama,” he said, stepping forward and kissing her on the top of her
head.

She
gripped his arm and looked up at him.

“I’ve
missed you, son,” she whispered.

“Me
too,” he whispered back.

“How
about something with a little more spirit, sis?” Cole asked.

Immediately,
Hannah started plunking out one of the rousing songs she’d written just last
year—evoking loud laughter and a few slapped knees. This song spoke of a young
girl with seven overprotective brothers who scared off all potential beaus.

“I’ve
got warm natillas cooling on the counter.” Lottie, the family’s beloved Spanish
cook, opened the door, enticing them inside with her delectable custards.

“Did
I hear someone say ‘natillas’?” Jameson came bounding up the steps and through
the door before the others could scramble to their feet. “I guess they’re all
for me,” he called back, laughter filling his voice.

When
Levi arrived in the kitchen, there were small warm custards sitting in front of
several chairs. He took a seat and waited for his father’s cue before scooping
into his.

“Heard
the train’s leaving on Monday,” Jameson said without looking up from his treat.

Levi
glanced at his mother who had stopped eating mid-spoonful. He’d worried about
how he was going to tell her he was leaving. She had always supported him and
his other siblings—even when they had a mind to do something that took them
away from her. She and their father had let his brother Rafe spend a summer
living amongst the Pawnee Indians when he was just eighteen. Will was across
the ocean studying at Oxford University—although he was expected to graduate
this fall. Ethan and Tag often ran herds between Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming
and were gone for long stretches at a time. And it wouldn’t be long before Cole
joined them. Still, Levi hated seeing the sadness on his mother’s face each
time one of them left.

Leah
swallowed. “Well, we need to make the best of the time we have together.” She
managed a smile.

“The
decision has been made to join the rails at a place called Promontory Summit in
Utah early next month,” Levi volunteered the information before anyone could
ask. “I have to make stops in several towns along the way with much needed
supplies.”

“I
still don’t understand why you want to give up ranching for an iron horse,”
Cole said through a thick bite of the cream delicacy.

“I’m
not giving anything up. I have the opportunity to build up communities instead
of tear them down. Not everyone was as lucky as us after the war. Many lost
everything—their families, their livelihoods, their homes. I wish I could do
more. The government stipends only go so far.”

Raine
looked down at his custard, an amused smile played on his face.

“What?”
Levi asked with a mock punch to his brother’s shoulder. “You know how I can do
more?”

Raine
looked up at him with a wide spread grin, but didn’t say anything, he just took
another bite of his custard.

Levi
looked around at the others at the table. All appeared equally as confused.

His
oldest brother stood to clear his dish and the distinct clacking of his fancy
new spurs triggered a thought—

My
inheritance.

But
that would require finding a wife and his job didn’t allow proper time for that.
No wonder Raine was smirking though. He’d already gotten his sizable
inheritance when he and Sarah had gotten married. Levi didn’t know how much
exactly, but he knew it would be enough to make a difference. He shook his head
and pushed the idea from his mind.

“My
work with the railroad is full of adventure. Besides, I’m taking Apollo along
in the livery car and I’ll get plenty of opportunities to ride.”

A
bride?
the thought sneaked in again. The railroad would be complete in a month’s time.
Maybe he’d entertain the notion then. He and his brother exchanged a knowing
look.

Done.
He scooped the last
bite of the natillas into his mouth and nodded.
After the ceremony, at the
completion of the rails, I’ll start looking for a wife.

“He’s
a Redbourne,” Jameson said, looking up at Levi, and pulling him from his
thoughts, “he’ll always be a horseman.”

Raine
clapped him on the shoulder with a chuckle. “The Iron Horseman.”

Chicago,
Late April 1869

“I’m
not going to lie. It’s a dangerous assignment.”

Cadence
Walker hadn’t joined the Pinkertons to be safe. “I understand, Annie,” she told
her friend and recent mentor. “I can handle a little gold nail.”

Annie
looked at her with pursed lips and squinted eyes.

“And
the double-crossing braggart,” Cadence added with a dramatized lilt and an exaggerated
roll of her eyes.

“Just
as I suspected,” Annie gloated, her hands perched firmly on her hips. “I told
him you were too emotionally involved for this assign—“

“Oh,
but I—“

Annie
held up a hand. “I think losing Ms. Warne has affected his judgment, but…he
seems to think you’ve got the perfect cover.” She shook her head, pulled the
hem of her dress from the floor, and crossed the room toward an oversized
wardrobe.

Cadence
forced the upturn of her mouth into solemn corners. She missed Ms. Warne too. After
all, the young woman spy had been the one to introduce her to Allan Pinkerton.
But, if Cadence had learned anything over the last couple of years, it was that
people left. They died. And she had no say in the matter. Not even her father,
another Pinkerton agent, knew of her involvement with the agency. If he ever
found out…