The Iron Horseman (24 page)

“That’s
hours yet. You’re just going to sit here? And what? Wait?” Cadence helped her
father into the chair. She must have caught sight of the bag because she bent
down and grabbed a hold of the handle, pulling the bag up in front of Eamon’s
face. “What is this?”

Eamon
attempted a laugh, but coughed in its place.

“You
were planning on coming all along,” she stated accusingly.

“Guilty.
I might have had Doc Fister pick up a few things for me at the General Store.”

She
crinkled her brows and looked at Levi.

“Elvin,”
Levi whispered at her confusion. He didn’t remember ever having told her the
man’s last name.

She
nodded, her lips forming an ‘oh.’

Cadence
eyed her father warily. “Did he pick you up something to read?”

“Nope,”
a voice called from behind her. Elvin stood with a big smile on his face
holding a deck of cards. He set them down on a small table and pulled it over
in front of Eamon, then grabbed a chair and sat down opposite him.

Levi
laughed. He couldn’t help it. It took a moment, but Cadence laughed too.

“Maybe
you should just stay here with the doc until this whole mess is all over,” she
told her father.

Suddenly,
all laughter was gone.

“I
ain’t dead yet,” Eamon said seriously. “I’ll be there, on that train, at three
o’clock.”

“We
don’t want to cause panic on board the train, so maybe we should just keep all
this information to ourselves—except for Gren Dodge and whoever the Pinkerton
is traveling with them. They’ll know what to do.” Levi knew enough that a Pinkerton
always traveled with Durant and if Gren understood there could be trouble, he
would take any necessary precautions.

It
didn’t take long before Cadence and Levi had collected their meager belongings.
When they passed by the table where Eamon and Elvin were playing cards, she
took the cylinder package from around her neck and handed it to her father. She
leaned over, whispered something in his ear, and kissed him on the temple.

“Take
care of him,” she told the doc, then turned to Levi. “The preacher?”

Levi
smiled to himself.

Cadence
stared at him a moment. “You know, Mr. Redbourne, you are a very beautiful man.
Anyone ever told you that? Strong. Smart. I might do well to keep you around.”

Eamon
nearly choked on the ale he’d just swallowed and he started to cough, but Levi
didn’t take his eyes off Cadence. Heat flooded his neck and he raised an
eyebrow at her, the corner of his mouth turning upward.

“Why
Miss Walker, I do believe you are a first for me.” It took every ounce of
control he had to refrain from dropping his bags and pulling her into his arms.
He doubted her father would appreciate the forward display, so he held his
ground, feet planted firmly in place.

“Breathe,
Daddy,” Cadence said with a giggle as she turned to leave.

Levi
took that advice, sucking in a large breath. “I’ll be right there,” he told
her. He exhaled. “Elvin,” he asked the doc, “can I have a moment?”

Elvin
joined Cadence as they walked out onto the boardwalk under the terrace roof.

The
rain seemed to keep rhythm with Levi’s heart as it pounded relentlessly in his
chest. His mind was made up. He smiled.

Eamon
pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face.

“What
can I do for you, son?”

Cadence
ducked under the church’s awning while Levi closed the umbrella he’d stopped to
purchase in the mercantile on the way over. With the rain coming down like
this, she had to admit that she was grateful she would not be out in the storm,
astride a horse, tirelessly trying to make Piedmont before the train.

What
had I been thinking to even mention it?

Levi
pounded on the door of the small house that had been attached to the back of the
church. It wasn’t long before a thin, blond man with spectacles resting at the
tip of his nose appeared in front of them, a book open, and a pencil behind his
ear. He looked up from what Cadence guessed was his sermon and smiled.

“Come
in. Come in.” He motioned them into a small parlor room adorned by a simple
couch and two chairs with a low table in the center.

Levi
leaned the umbrella against one of the corners in the entry and the both of
them took a seat, as directed, on the couch.

“I
am Pastor Nichols. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure.”

“My
name is Levi Redbourne and this is Cadence Walker.”

“Well,
Mr. Redbourne. What can I do for you and Miss Walker this beautiful morning?

Cadence
glanced out the window and scrunched her eyebrows together.

“Don’t
worry,” he said with another smile, “I do know it’s raining. I just find beauty
in it.” He clapped the book he’d been holding shut and snapped his fingers. “A
wedding. You two would like to get hitched. Is that it?”

Levi
cleared his throat. “Not today. We wondered if we might be able to borrow a
bible.”

“Is
there something particular you are looking for? Maybe I can help,” the pastor
offered hopefully.

“It’s
not that kind of question, Preacher.”

It
was Pastor Nichols’s turn to be confused.

“We
just need to know what is said in Matthew, chapter sixteen, verse eighteen,”
Levi told him.

The
preacher pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose and opened the book
he’d been holding. He turned the pages until he found the appropriate section.

“Well,
let’s see here…And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it.”

Cadence
mulled the passage over through her mind. It only took a moment. She and Levi
both shot to their feet. “Devil’s Gate Bridge,” they called out in unison.

“Thank
you, Preacher,” Levi said, shaking the man’s hand enthusiastically. “You may
very well have saved a lot of lives today.” He retrieved the umbrella from the
entry and opened the door.

“Just
a moment, please.” Pastor Nichols stepped over to a humble bookcase in the
hallway, pulled out a small, worn copy of the Holy Bible, and handed it to
Levi. “You never know when you might need to look up another verse.”

Levi
nodded. “That’s mighty kind of you, Preacher.”

Cadence
waited under the awning until Levi had opened the umbrella before stepping back
out into the rain. The hem of her skirt was already covered in mud, but she
preferred to keep the upper half of her dry to stave off the extra chill.

“It’s
Devil’s Gate,” Cadence told her father as soon as they entered the hotel dining
room.

He
swung his head around to look at her. “You got all that from reading through
some old journal entries? I read every blasted letter and didn’t see anything
about an attack.”

“You
were right before. It
is
a cipher. See?” Cadence pulled out the book and
opened it to the appropriate entry. “Every letter that has been capitalized and
every number is a part of the message.”

“Well,
I’ll be. I guess the agency hired some of us for our brawn and others for our
brains. Smarty.”

“Devil’s
Gate Bridge was built specifically to get the trains across the river and over
that deep valley.” Levi placed a booted foot on one of the empty chairs next to
her father and rested his arm on his leg. “Without it, the railroad cannot be
completed and the train would never make it to Promontory for the ceremony. We
have to stop them. Whatever is going on in Piedmont could just be a
distraction. To give them enough time to damage the bridge.”

Cadence
looked at Levi as if for the first time. As much as he gave credit to his
brothers for being the lawmen in the family, he was good at decrypting
information. Enough that if he wanted to, he could fool the best of them into
believing that
he
was the bounty hunter, Pinkerton, sheriff, or all
three. She imagined that Levi was a man who would excel in any profession of
his choosing.

“How
much longer ‘til the train is supposed to arrive?” she asked.

Levi
pulled a fancy silver watch from his pocket. The thick chain dangled as he
clicked it open. “If it’s on schedule, I imagine we have another few hours or
so. Why?” he asked with a wry grin. “Do you want to go for a ride?” He held up
the umbrella.

Cadence
couldn’t help herself. What started as a light giggle erupted into a laugh she
could scarce contain.

“Yes,”
she dared him.

A
loud guffaw sounded from the card table. Her father had obviously also found
amusement in their conversation.

Levi
held up one finger and disappeared out into the rain. When he returned near ten
minutes later, he held out a crooked arm to her. She eyed him warily from her
chair next to the fireplace, but curiosity got the better of her and she stood,
weaving her hand onto the little shelf made by his proffered arm.

“Make
sure to stay where folks can see you, Redbourne. I wouldn’t want anything to
spoil my daughter’s reputation.”

Cadence
smiled at her father and Levi nodded.

“M’lady,”
he almost sounded like a British Lord, “your carriage awaits.”

They
stepped out onto the covered boardwalk, in front of which a single seat covered
carriage was hitched to two horses—Apollo and a sorrel she’d never seen
before—complete with a driver. Levi took her hand from his arm, opened the
umbrella, and held it up while helping her into the carriage. Before she sat
down, she spotted a small bunch of wildflowers with hues of yellow, blue, and
pink tied neatly with a purple ribbon on the seat. She scooped them up, sat
down, and raised them to her face. Their sweet aroma filled her nostrils and
brought a quick smile to her lips.

Levi
climbed up next to her, reached for a folded blanket on the opposite side of
the seat, and pulled the small quilt around her shoulders. She hadn’t realized
how chilly it had become and was surprised at and thankful for the warmth the
coverlet provided. The rain still came down in a drizzle, but she was surprised
that it did not make it into the carriage.

“They
are lovely,” Cadence said, lifting them again to her face.

The
carriage started moving forward at a slow and easy pace. “I hoped you’d like
them. They reminded me of you.”

She
glanced over at him, not daring herself to speak.

“Against
some of the greatest odds, these beautiful little flowers grow in a terrain
that is often harsh and ever-changing, yet they survive while still maintaining
their beauty, grace, and dignity.”

She
met his eyes, searching them, but for what she was unsure.

“Every
day you do something new that surprises me, and every day I find myself falling
further. Faster. Deeper. I love you, Cadence Walker.”

Cadence
swallowed.

“Will
you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”

Silence.

Cadence
didn’t know what to say. She knew she returned his sentiments, but his timing
couldn’t be worse. She still had a job to do and with the threat of an attack
at Devil’s Gate Bridge, she needed to focus.

She
smiled as good a smile as she could muster and she fought back the tears that
threatened. “I love you too, Mr. Redbourne.”

His
smile broadened.

“I
just can’t marry you.” She pounded on the front of the carriage and it came to
a stop. She removed the quilt from her shoulders and jumped down.

“Cade?”
he called after her.

CRACK!
BOOM!

Streaks
of lightning followed a roll of thunder across the sky.

“I’m
sorry,” she screamed back at him, hoping the words had not been swallowed by
the new whirl of wind that danced around them.

His
use of her preferred name was too much and the tears began to flow, melding
with the drops of rain tapping against her face. She couldn’t risk him seeing
her heart breaking, so with the flowers gripped against her chest, she started
to run through the mud and seemingly never-ending showers. She glanced up to
gain her bearings. Luckily, the driver hadn’t taken them too far from the main
street and she headed back toward the hotel.