The Outrider (Redbourne Series #5 - Will's Story) (11 page)

“Mama said that you had a lead on the Ferguson
fire.”

“Three of the four suspected culprits are sitting
in the jailhouse sleeping off their drunken stupor.”

“You caught three already?”

Raine nodded, then slipped some shredded potatoes
into his mouth and chewed heartily.

“And the fourth?” Will asked.

“He got himself caught in one of Old Ferguson’s
tree nets. It seemed only fitting that I leave him there to think on it for a
bit while I got myself something to eat. He’s not going anywhere.”

They both chuckled.

“So, it seems Sven’s fever has broken,” Raine
said, finally breaking away from his food long enough that he met Will’s eyes.

“He’s still weak, but it looks good. I guess.”
Will had no idea how good or bad the prognosis would be, but he figured if Sven
was up and joking around, he was on the mend. The fever had come on so quickly.
It was hard to imagine something unseen could have drained the robust man’s
strength in such a short period of time.

“I’m sure he’ll be back to his old self in no
time,” Raine assured him.

“Not soon enough.” Will blew out a heavy breath
and hung his head.

“What’s on your mind?” Raine asked as he leaned
back against the chair, leaving the remainder of his meal in front of him.

“Sven is supposed to be the escort for the stage
that leaves this afternoon.”

“I’m sure Otis’s replacement will get along fine
with just one guard.”

They had received word that the previous
stagecoach driver was on the mend, but would not be returning to work for some
time.

“That’s just it, it’s not only accompanying the
three mail-order-brides that has me concerned, but the sizeable bankroll being
transported to Kansas City on the same stage. There should be at least four
guards, let alone the two they already have slated, but there is no way they
will be able to make it safely with just one outrider.”

Raine nodded his head, but didn’t say anything.

A few moments passed in silence.

Raine sipped off his mug.

“I enjoy riding out with the stage,” Will
continued, “but,” he looked up at his brother, “do you remember Jem Mace?” he
asked.

“The boxer who took you under his wing?”

“That’s the one. He’s fighting for the
heavyweight championship next week down in Louisiana and he’d be stopping
through Stone Creek on his way to Kennerville, just outside of New Orleans. I’ve
been waiting for an opportunity like this, since I never really got the chance
to…to…”

“Say thank you,” Raine filled in for him.

Will nodded.

“So, you have a dilemma.”

Will nodded again, more slowly this time, his
hands folded together on top of the table, his head hung low.

“Is that the only thing that’s on your mind? Your
only reason for denying the job?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, from what I heard from Mama, you are
heading back to England soon and should have many chances to see Mr. Mace. Is missing
the chance to talk to Mr. Mace really the only reason you don’t want to take
the job?”

Will thought about it for a good long while. Out
of everyone in his family, Raine would be the one to understand.

“There’s…a ship.”

“Ahhh,” Raine said, leaning back down onto the
table with his forearms. “I thought it might be something like that.”

“You know how much I’ve always wanted to have a
ship of my own to sail across the seas. To explore the world. My teaching
position in England comes with a few more incentives than what I let on. I
couldn’t bring myself to tell Mother that exploring on a ship across the ocean
is a part of my position with the university.”

Raine rested his elbows on the table, his hands
clasped together, and leaned his mouth against his hands as he continued to
listen, but still offered no advice or suggestions.

“I am supposed to be in Boston in less than three
weeks to finish the transaction. Three weeks, Raine. And then I’ll be gone five
years. Years! I want to spend every moment with the people who mean the most to
me. It’s not like there aren’t any other men qualified to do the job. What
should I do?” Will shifted his head enough that he could meet Raine’s eyes.

“Well, I can’t answer that, little brother. That
needs to come from you. But trust your gut. You are a Redbourne after all.”
Raine smiled as he leaned forward to take another bite of his meal.

“My gut doesn’t work the same as yours. Or
Rafe’s. Or even Cole’s for that matter.”

Raine paused for a moment before speaking.

“How many fights have you won in the ring?”

Will shrugged. He’d lost count. “Enough.”

“How do you think you’ve been able to do that? I
would imagine that any successful pugilist would need to depend on more than mere
strength or technique. You win because of your ability to listen to your gut. I
would venture to say, Oxford, that you are better at it than the rest of us. We
just use it differently.”

Will considered this information carefully. He
had found a lot of success in the ring, but he’d always attributed it to the
moves he’d learned and the hours of practice he’d put into it. What was his gut
telling him?

His lungs filled with air, his mind cleared, and
he knew exactly what he needed to do.

“Thanks, Raine,” he said, pushing himself away
from the table.

His brother picked up his fork and stuck it into
the remaining food on his plate. “Three ladies and a bankroll, sounds like
there is a joke in there somewhere,” he mused. “Hey, I’ve got some beef jerky
drying in the smokehouse and I think Mama just finished a batch of her fruit
jerky. You should load up. It’s going to be a long ride,” he said with a grin.

Will shook his head.

How does he do that?

Raine always knew what Will was going to do
before he did it. He had a keen sense and a unique perspective on life. That
was one of the many things Will loved and admired most about his oldest brother.

“What makes you think I’m taking the job?”

“You’re Will Redbourne. A born fighter and protector.
An adventure like this—was there really ever any question?”

Will picked up one of the biscuits from the
basket and threw it at Raine. Then, he scrambled out the door with a loud
laugh. He was right.

The stage would be here within the hour.

“Better get a move on, Will Redbourne,” he told
himself. “You are the replacement outrider.”

Lightning cracked the sky, followed by a rolling
roar of thunder. Elizabeth looked up just as the heavens broke above her. Why
hadn’t she accepted Ethan Redbourne’s offer to give her a ride into town? She’d
thought that with her simple satchel—containing nothing but a spare blouse and
skirt Grace had been kind enough to give her, her mother’s salvaged box, and a
couple of books—she’d enjoy one last opportunity to really stretch her legs
before the long journey to Colorado.

She’d been wrong. The ground grew muddier by the
second and it was becoming more difficult to lift the skirt of her dress while
holding onto her travelling bag.

“What do you have there, Caspar?” she asked as
the red coonhound ran up in front of her, carrying something in her mouth.
Elizabeth wasn’t sure she even wanted to know. The dog seemed to have more
energy than she’d had over the last couple of weeks as they’d weaned the
puppies. They had just placed the last of her five little darlings this
morning. Grace and Ethan had elected to take one and there had been several
townsfolks who had been more than happy to provide homes for the others.

The methodic beat of horse’s hooves sounded
behind her and she turned to see the form of a rider approaching in the short
distance. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the rain, but it was
difficult to make out any detail.

Another crack of thunder startled a short squeal
out of her. Her chest reverberated from the low boom that spread across the
sky. She breathed out in one quick heavy exhale, collected her skirt in her
hands again, and trudged forward.

“Can I give you a lift into town?” the rider said
as he pulled up alongside her, his hat riding low on his head, his face
obscured by the rain.

She looked out at the road before her, the town a
blurred mirage against a grey backdrop. It would be highly inappropriate for
her to be so close to a man, but she was leaving this town and no one in Silver
Falls, Colorado would ever know the difference.

“That would be most kind of you. Thank you.” Her
accent slipped a little, but she didn’t care. It was not as if she would ever
see this stranger again after today.

The rider dismounted his black and white horse and
collected her bag from her shoulder, then secured it to the side of his saddle.
She was grateful when he lowered a flap to cover the satchel for added
protection against the elements. It would be such a shame to lose the only
books she’d brought with her for this trip—especially her personally signed
copy of
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The stranger turned back to her. “Do you ride?”
he yelled through the curtain-like downpour. There was something definitely
familiar about him.

“Of course,” she called back, “when the need
arises.”

“It has.” He held out a hand and helped her up onto
the saddle, then climbed up behind her, scooping her up onto his lap.

She sucked in a breath, along with a dozen or so
raindrops. It was highly inappropriate for her to be this close to a man, but
she didn’t protest.

“Where are you headed?” His hot breath grazed the
tip of her ear, sending gooseflesh down the length of her arms. A light thrill
washed through her at the warmth of his body pushed up against her, his arms wrapping
her protectively in their strength. Elizabeth swallowed.

“Come on, Caspar,” she managed to call her dog
instead of answering his question.

The sudden intensity of the storm made it nearly
impossible to carry on any sort of conversation. Try as she might, it was near
impossible to stay upright and away from him. After a few minutes, she gave in
and relaxed against the man’s firm chest, welcoming the surprising comfort she
found in his arms.

It didn’t take long before they reached town. The
streets were understandably empty, other than a few patrons coming in and out
of the more frequented establishments. To her delight, the stage had not yet
arrived. She suspected that the sudden onslaught of rain had delayed its
appearance. Opal Gailey and another young woman Elizabeth had never seen before,
sat on a bench in front of the telegraph office, protected by the covered
boardwalk.

Her rescuer pulled up to the beginning of the covered
boardwalk next to the livery and lifted her off of his lap and slid down from
the horse behind her. A swift gust of cool air swept across her back and she
felt a momentary twinge of disappointment. She chastised herself at the
terribly forward manner in which she had conducted herself with this stranger.

He held up a hand to help her down from the horse
and she caught a brief glimpse of his face through a short break in the rain,
but as she leaned toward him, her foot caught in one of the straps and she fell
hard against his chest, nearly knocking the breath out of her. She thrust her
hands forward and caught herself on the area just below his shoulders, and she
forced her eyes upward to look into his face.

“Are you all right there, little lady?” he asked,
his mouth widening into a broad grin. “If you wanted to snuggle a little longer,
all you needed to do was ask.”

Heat flooded her face as she met his eyes.

There was no mistaking it this time. Will
Redbourne stared down at her, carved dimples adding interest to his firm jaw
and beautiful face. His deep brown eyes, framed by long, thick lashes, held
hers captive. Her voice betrayed her as she opened her mouth to speak. Nothing
came out. The dimple in his cheek deepened and his hands wrapped around her
waist as he twisted her around and set her down safely on the boardwalk.

He walked to the opposite side of his horse and
unlatched her satchel, handing it over to her, sopping wet on the outside. He
tipped his hat and winked.

“Ma’am,” he said before collecting the reins of
his horse and walking into the livery.

She watched him until he disappeared behind the
oversized doors.

Breathe
, she reminded herself.

“Was that Will Redbourne you just rode into town
with?” Opal’s voice sounded in her ear and she glanced back to see the young
woman staring after him, a dreamy expression crossing her pointed features.

“I believe so,” Elizabeth replied, still reeling
from their brief encounter.

“Too bad
he’s
not the outrider for our
trip. It would make the journey much more interesting,” the woman with Opal
said with a giggle as both ladies turned back for the bench.

A little too interesting.

“I told you I would be here.” Winnie emerged from
beneath a wide-brimmed blue parasol, holding out a yellow stagecoach ticket-sized
envelope. “Please tell Mr. MacKenzie that I am truly sorry about the change in
plans and that I wish him the best.”

Elizabeth reached for the small parcel, but Winnie
held it tightly, unwilling to relinquish it.

“You are a braver woman than I, Eliza Beth. Good
luck.” She let go and disappeared almost as quickly as she had appeared.

Elizabeth glanced down at the envelope and
reached inside to find well-laid travel plans. An itinerary outlining each
phase of the journey had been carefully planned out and the appropriate tickets
and vouchers had been included. The pastor had thought of everything. He seemed
to be a man after her own heart. A schedule she could follow was exactly what
she needed.

The clock in the tower at the center of town rang
loudly. Elizabeth glanced up. One o’clock. Hopefully, the stage would arrive
any moment now or they would be off schedule for the rest of the
trip—especially, if the driver needed any sort of break. Elizabeth opened up
the small coin purse she had inside of her satchel. There wasn’t much left and
she guessed she would need to scrimp if she wanted any food besides bread on
the journey. She snapped it closed and tucked it down into the bottom of the
large pocket on the inside of her bag. If they didn’t leave within a couple of
hours, they would miss the train in Kansas City and she certainly did not have
the funds to try to rearrange the trip.

She figured it would take no more than a couple
of hours to get to Kansas City and the train depot, and as long as everything
went as planned, they would be in Silver Falls by Tuesday evening. Her heart
hurt a little at the thought of having to start over…again. She just hoped that
Colorado would have people as good, kind, and accepting as the Redbournes. At
least she still had…

Caspar. Where’s Caspar?

She put the tips of her fingers in her mouth and
whistled for the hound, but she didn’t come.

Where could that dog have gotten herself?

Hopefully, the stagecoach driver would not have a
problem with her bringing the dog along. She’d originally planned to leave her
in a good home, but ultimately could not bear the thought of starting over all
alone. Caspar had come into her life at a time she was needed the most and she
prayed that she would be able to keep her. Where was she?

The rain continued to pour. She glanced down the
street to the road that led into town, but still nothing. At least the
boardwalk provided some protection from the storm, but she was already soaked
near through. The thought of riding all the way to Kansas City in a wet dress
was dreadful. With one more glance at the empty road, Elizabeth strode down the
boardwalk to the dressmaker’s shop.

“Oh, my dear,” Mrs. Weaver, the shop owner, said
as she walked in, “you look like a drowned cat. Can I get you something warm to
drink?”

“That’s very kind of you, ma’am, but I was hoping
you might allow me to use one of your rooms to change into something dry before
the stage arrives.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out a portion of
her new dress.

“Of course, my dear. Are you leaving Stone
Creek?”

“I am headed out with the others from the
Matchmaker Agency. I am afraid Colorado is destined to be my new home.”

The shopkeep tsked. “I heard about you girls
leaving to be mail-order-brides. Frankly, I don’t know how you do it. Leaving
home for dreams of a better life out west with a man you’ve never met. I don’t
know whether to admire the bravery or berate the silliness.”

“It sounds like you do a little of both,”
Elizabeth said with a smile.

The dressmaker smiled too. “It must be hard
moving around so much,” she said as she pushed open one of her room dividers.
“Why, you just got to Stone Creek, Mrs. Jessup. We’re still getting to know
you. I hate to see you go so soon.”

She was a little surprised at the woman’s
sentiments. She’d spent a mere eight weeks in this place, where she’d once believed
she would make her home. The time here had not been nearly enough, but she just
couldn’t chance her father finding her. He’d make her return to England and
that was the last place she wanted to be. She had to get away. To live her own
life. Away from the horrible influence of her family.

She stepped behind the divider and quickly shed
the wet garment and replaced it with the dress Grace had given her.

“After the fire,” her voice bounced off the wall,
amplifying her volume, so she quieted and tried again. “After the fire, I
realized that I did not want to be somewhere where I would be all alone. I want
to settle down, have a family, and a place of my own. This is an opportunity
that I would be a fool to dismiss.”

“It’s a real shame about Ferg’s place. It was a
beautiful home.” Something scratched against the floor on the other side of the
divider like Mrs. Weaver was moving around some of her furniture. “There
are
a few eligible bachelors here that you could settle down with,” the woman said
with a laugh.

“The Redbournes?” Elizabeth asked, repeating the
sentiments of most every woman with whom she had come into contact.

“You have to admit, they are very handsome,
hardworking, and certainly aren’t poor.”

“With qualifications like that, no wonder women
come from all the surrounding territories to garner their affections.”

What was it with the women of this town? Elizabeth’s
thoughts returned to her encounter with Will Redbourne and she understood. He
was handsome by all accounts and she’d once dreamed of him being a part of her
life—the way a girl dreamed of having her own Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s
novel. But things were different now. She needed to focus on Pastor MacKenzie. She
had to accept that her future was in Silver Falls with him, not here with the
Redbournes.