Under a Falling Star (25 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

S
usanna struggled with the restaurant’s temperamental lock, every moment a stabbing pain to Albert. On her third try, Albert gently extracted the key from her hand, unintentionally brushing her fingers. A burst of longing ripped through him, making him feel even more disconcerted.

“Sorry,” he rasped out, not sure where they stood after her four days of silence. He’d hoped the kiss would start things moving in the right direction—get them talking. All it had done was make him want her more.

With a jiggling twist, the lock gave way.

“I hate this temperamental old thing,” she said as he pushed the door open for her. “I’ll have Thom replace it. I’m not even going to ask Hannah. One can only take so much!”

Susanna breezed inside. It was dark. He waited by the door as she hurried through the room and into the kitchen. He glanced at the antique Dutch pendulum clock above the wooden sideboard without even seeing the time.

Susanna returned. As he opened the door to leave, she grasped his arm. “Albert, did you check Three Pines Turn? Maybe Nate went out to the train looking for his mother.”

“The train! Of course!” Albert’s heart thumped painfully against his breastbone. He’d overlooked the most obvious place of all. “No. You’re exactly right. That’s where he’s headed. To release his mother from the wreckage.” He looked down at her skirt. “It’s only half a mile—a short ride on a horse. Would you consider riding behind me? We’d get there so much faster if I don’t have to hitch a buggy.”

“Of course.”

“You’re in a dress. And I’ve never seen you ride.”

“When have I had time when I’m always in this kitchen cooking? I used to be a good rider when I was a girl.”

He almost smiled, imagining Susanna galloping across the open prairie with her long black hair trailing behind. “You have a point. Let’s go.”

It took some doing to get her aboard Dunbar, with the wind flapping her long skirt and cape. His gelding didn’t like the idea one bit. He snorted and pranced around every time Albert tried to give her a hand up. Taking his foot from the stirrup, he pointed. “When I pull you up, slide your foot into the stirrup.”

Her cheeks went crimson. “Fine, but glance away while I gather my skirt or else I won’t be able to get past all the material.” A moment passed. “I’m ready.”

Determined, Albert reached down, grasped her arm, and fumbled her aboard behind him. Dunbar jerked to the side, and gave a halfhearted crow hop, eliciting a cry from Susanna. Albert still had a grip on her arm but couldn’t ride that way. “You’ll have to wrap your arms around my waist.”

At first, he thought she wasn’t going to comply. Then one arm came forward, and then the next. Her warmth seeped through his clothing as she gripped her hands together above his belt buckle. “You ready back there?” he asked over his shoulder.

A thunderbolt let loose, making him flinch and her gasp.

“Yes. Let’s go find Nate.”

His gelding jumped forward at his first asking, unsure of what was on his back. Usually skittish in the wind, the scent of lightning in the air had him wild-eyed. Now with Susanna’s billowing clothing, Dunbar was as unpredictable as a two-year-old on his first time out.

“Give him a minute to get used to you.” Albert tried to look behind, but the wind made it difficult. “Feel secure?” Her grip around his middle had steadily increased. They jogged a few more strides until they were out of town. “Here we go, just relax and hang on. It won’t take but a few minutes to get out there. I want to beat the rain.”

He eased Dunbar into a lope, the sky in front of them as black as night. He had to find Nate before the clouds let go. He must be frightened, and cold. What if they were wrong? What if Nate had gone in the opposite direction and this was just a wild-goose chase?

The once-obscure road to Three Pines Turn, now well-worn from the wagons and buggies that had transferred the injured passengers, flew by under Dunbar’s hooves. Albert tried not to think of Nate and how scared he might be. He tried not to think about Susanna and how good she felt with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He wouldn’t let himself think of anything until Nate was back in his arms.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

T
he specter of the train wreckage came into view, and without thinking, Susanna tightened her hold on Albert. In the darkness, with the roiling clouds overhead, flashes of light far off in the distance of the storm on its way, the crippled engine sitting askew on the twisted tracks, the whole scene looked frightening. Dread inched up her spine. She recalled the bodies, at the time of the crash, lined up in a row on the grassy bank.

“Hey, you’re shaking,” Albert said over his shoulder after he placed one of his hands over hers clenched at his middle. “Nothing to be scared of. It’s just a train off its tracks.”

Last summer, they’d been caught out in the meadow by a fast-approaching storm. At her strong reaction to the thunder and lightning, he’d wheedled from her a tiny fraction of her fear, but not from where it stemmed. He’d listened intently, and hadn’t tried to tell her that her qualms were irrational. The compassion he’d shown had touched her heart.

“I know,” she said, laying her cheek against his cool black vest. She closed her eyes for one moment, experiencing what it was like to be close to him for the little time she had left. She’d never felt safer. “When I was a small girl,” she began, “my stepfather locked me in the parlor with the body of his dead brother set out for viewing. It was stormy and dark. He made noises like a ghost and thought it funny when I cried and begged for him to open the door. Sometimes I wake up in a sweat, the sounds of those brittle branches on glass scraping in my ears.”

She was unaware that the horse had stopped and Albert had his head tipped back listening to her small voice.

He swiveled in the saddle, until he could see her eyes. “I’m so sorry.” She could tell he felt her devastation. He cupped her cheek, and for an instant she thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he rubbed his thumb over her cold skin. “I won’t let anything hurt you, Susanna. You’re safe with me.”

When lightning flashed, she trembled, but was able to say, “I know.”

Albert reached around and grasped her forearm in his strong hand. “Down you go, easy now. I’ve got you until your feet hit the ground.”

When she was stable on the uneven earth, he dismounted. More
lightning crisscrossed the horizon. Dunbar jerked back, and if Albert
hadn’t had a firm grip on the reins, the horse would have bolted.

“Nate!” Albert yelled above the sound of the wind. “Nate! Are you here, son? Come out so I can take you home!”

She joined in. After a few minutes of calling without any results, he turned to her. “Let’s load Dunbar into a stock car and start at the passenger cars. I think that’s where he’d look for his mother.” He turned and looked at her. “You ready to run?”

She nodded, but still felt flighty inside.

Understanding softened his face. He held out his hand. “It’s okay. No ghosts or dead bodies here. It’s a thunderstorm that will soon pass.”

Susanna placed her hand in his, and they ran bent over to cut through the driving wind. Raindrops began to fall. The stock cars were toward the end of the train. Susanna held her hood on with her free hand and clutched Albert’s large hand with her other.

“Nate!” he called forward and back as they ran. “Nate! Are you here, son?”

He tried to hide his anguish, but Susanna saw his mouth twist in pain. Reaching the stock cars, Dunbar didn’t hesitate when Albert climbed up into the dark interior and pulled on his reins. The horse hopped inside with loud, clomping hooves.

Standing alone outside of the stock car in the windy darkness, she tried to keep her fears at bay. Branches swayed back and forth in the nearby trees, and debris blew across the ground. The train stretched forward, growing smaller and smaller until it seemed to disappear into the murky dark clouds. For a moment, she imagined she saw a figure standing on top of the train far to the front. Fright made her flinch, and when she glanced back, the image was gone.

Albert jumped out next to her as a flash of lightning sizzled overhead, and within three seconds, a deafening clap of thunder exploded above their heads. The horse snorted and scrabbled on the wooden floor, but his reins kept him firmly in place.

Susanna flung herself into Albert’s arms, shaking visibly. She pulled back and looked up into his concerned eyes. “We need to get moving,” she said, fighting her fears as she tried to stay calm. Large drops of rain splattered around, and were soon coming down in a sheet.

Albert’s gaze softened even more and he took her hand. “All right then, keep an eye out.” He looked forward, scanning the darkness. “Nate!” he yelled again. “Come out, son! Come out and let’s go home! Nate!”

“Nate,” she called, hurrying to keep up with Albert, who’d started for the passenger cars. “Nate,” she called again, doing her best to banish the eerie feeling that kept the hair at the back of her neck prickled.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

A
slow panic rumbled around inside of Albert as he made his way slowly down the dining-car aisle. An hour had passed. The rain and howling wind were unrelenting. Searching in the darkness was difficult. He hadn’t said anything to Susanna, but it was conceivable that outlaws might be out here. It would be a good place to stay holed up and out of sight. A panicked thought struck him: perhaps someone had taken Nate as a decoy. His breath quickened. He couldn’t think that. His son was distressed and had run off. Until he had evidence, he wouldn’t entertain that option—but he would keep a sharper eye out than he’d let on to Susanna.

Some articles had been cleared by the porters after the crash, but chairs and dishes were still strewn around just waiting to trip them up. Susanna came along behind him, searching the opposite side of the car. He cursed to himself for not thinking to bring matches to light some of the lamps. Thank goodness Susanna had offered to help. With her probing one side of the aisle as he searched the other, they made much better time. His hoarse voice ached from continually calling out.

“Nate, it’s Pa,” he shouted again through his cupped palms. “You aren’t in any trouble, son. Please come out.” His boot struck something hard in the aisle. He bent over and moved the chair blocking the way. “You must be hungry. A big bowl of stew sure sounds good to me. We can sit in the restaurant and watch the storm. You can have as much bread as you want, I promise.” His voice hitched, and he blinked away moisture that had gathered in his eyes.
Where are you, Nate? Where are you son?

He stopped and waited for Susanna to catch up. It was no use. Nate wasn’t here. Or if he was, he wasn’t coming out. Albert didn’t know what he could have done better to help his son grieve, adjust to his new home. He still didn’t know why Floria had been on her way to Logan Meadows. It was all such a mystery.

“Albert, I need to poke my head outside and get a breath of fresh air. The walls are closing in on me. You keep going and I’ll catch up.”

“You all right?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ll just take a minute.”

Her hair that had been so prettily fixed this morning was now stuck to the sides of her head, and the bottom of her skirt was a mess, but in his eyes, she’d never looked more beautiful.

“Thank you for your help, Susanna. It means a lot to me.”

She gave that quirky little smile that had been reserved for him before he’d messed things up. “Of course I’d help you, Albert. I want to find Nate just as much as you do.”

Something had changed between them since her revelation about what her stepfather had done to her. He couldn’t name the transformation, but he felt it in his bones.

She laid a comforting hand on his arm, her gaze reaching deep into his. “We’ll find him, Albert,” she whispered. “I promise.”

He nodded, needing more than anything to believe her words. “I’ll keep moving forward. Don’t be long.”

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Susanna enjoyed the feel of the cool air in her lungs. She leaned against the outside of the dining car and cast her fears to the wind. The rain had stopped. If they could just get past this with Nate, find him alive and unharmed, she’d try to forgive Albert everything. But marriage was a lifelong commitment. She didn’t understand why he’d wed Floria and then changed his mind so quickly—after, of course, he’d taken what she had to offer. What had Floria been like? Was she heartbroken when her husband had cast her aside and moved away? Had she decided she couldn’t live another day without him and was on her way to try and reconcile? Susanna had so many questions, and no answers at all.

A sound caught her attention. She looked up at the clouds that were breaking up and letting in some morning light. She hadn’t meant to stay out so long. Surely Albert was already three cars ahead and wondering where she was. What was
that
sound? She held her breath, trying to discern through the wind’s howl the other, stranger, crunching she’d picked up on when she’d been in deep thought. It almost had sounded like a footstep on the gravel.

Albert turned and retraced his steps. Where was Susanna? With her fear of storms, he’d have thought she’d be back quickly. He’d like to get his hands on the cow dung that got a thrill by frightening a child. A burst of anger moved his steps more quickly.

With the aisle now clear of debris, he was able to make good time back to the dining car. He swung out the door and jumped down from the bridge that connected the train—and came face-to-face with the barrel of Laine Sadler’s gun.

Albert pulled up short, but held his tongue until he saw Susanna standing between two men, strangers he recognized from the saloon. The way her arms were pulled tightly behind her made him think they were tied or cuffed. He caught her gaze. Her ripped sleeve, the fury in her eyes, and a tiny trickle of blood on the corner of her lip said she’d put up a good fight before she’d been subdued. He’d been right about someone lurking on the train—but it wasn’t the outlaw he’d expected.

“Me and my boys have been getting mighty impatient waiting for an opportunity to bust that money out, Sheriff Preston,” Wallace Sadler said, stepping out of the shadows and lifting Albert’s gun out of the holster. “Now, though, you’re going to waltz right in and do it for us—nice and peaceful like.”

Laine Sadler let out a bark of laughter. Gone was the sweet prairie dress he’d noticed when Dalton had introduced the family. Gone was the kind and generous glint in her eyes, replaced with a cold hard steel. The wind buffeted her hat and pulled at strands of her hair, her revolver still pointing in his face.

“Who says I’ll do anything to help? Guns will be blazing before you get two feet out the door.”

The other men looked between themselves. Seemed nobody wanted to be killed before they got their share of one million dollars.

“No they won’t. Not if you want to see this little lady ever again.” Laine Sadler turned and smiled at Susanna. “If you won’t cooperate, we’ll kill you now, ride into town, and kill as many townsfolk as we can, then rob the bank. We’ll take her with us deep into the heart of Mexico. She’ll bring a pretty penny when the men are through with her.”

Albert felt Susanna’s gaze on him, strong and true. The sound of boots crunching on rocks brought all the heads around. The other two men pulled their guns.

Babcock stepped out from between two cars, the wind battering his hat and coat, his twin colts resting in each hand. His narrowed-eyed ga
ze went from face to face, skimmed over Susanna as if she didn’t mean a thing to him, then landed on Mrs. Sadler. The fool had just walked into a gunfight he couldn’t win. Babcock might take down two before he was killed, but he couldn’t get them all.

“So, you were going to cut me out just like that?” Babcock said in a half sneer. “I’ve been trying to hook up with you ever since I came out to the Red Rooster. Damn that old woman and that busybody Beth.”

Laine straightened. It was evident she didn’t know what to think of Babcock’s sudden appearance. He didn’t holster his guns.

“Evan brought me in on the deal right from the start. Said he’d sent you a telegram.”

“We never got it,” Wallace snarled. “You’re lying.”

“Could be, but I’m not.”

Albert watched the conversation bounce back and forth, hoping Babcock didn’t get his head blown off right here in front of Susanna. Babcock came a step closer.

“He’s a filthy liar,” one of the other men threw out. “We ain’t cuttin’ no one else in!”

“Then go get your sorry hides shot full of holes.” Babcock’s tone had turned to ice.

More clouds blew away, and the others seemed fidgety as the light of day encroached on their nefarious planning. There was a lot at stake.

“I can get you into the bank and you won’t have to worry about the sheriff giving you away. All he’d have to do is say one word and the guards would cut you down. Why risk it? A million dollars is a lot of money. One more split isn’t going to make a lick of difference to any of you. You’ll still be filthy rich—
and alive to enjoy it
.”

Laine shifted her weight from foot to foot and looked as if she’d just eaten a rotten oyster. “He has a point.” She motioned with her gun. “Cranston, tie these two up so we can make our move. We can’t wait any longer for Evan. Rumor has it reinforcements are on their way.”

One of the men standing beside Susanna didn’t look much like an outlaw. He mumbled, “But he’s our brother. We can’t leave him behind.”

“Shut your whiny mouth,” Wallace barked. “He should’ve been prepared when the train hit, like we planned. Then he’d’ve been able to unlock the door and we’d be long gone days ago. He gets what he deserves.”

For the first time since arriving, Babcock looked in Albert’s direction. “I’m tying him up. Preston has been a burr under my saddle since the day I arrived.” He pointed to the black eye that had yet to completely disappear. “Payback is going to feel real nice.”

“I say we kill ’em both now,” Cranston objected. “Dead men—and women—can’t talk.”

“No.” Babcock straightened to his full height. “I want the woman. She sets the moon and stars.” His gaze drifted to Albert.

Cranston snickered until Babcock zeroed in with a deadly gaze. The man shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

“You, there,” Babcock said to the short fellow. “Get the horses ready to go, as well as the sheriff’s mount in the stock car.” He pointed toward the caboose, and Albert wondered how long Babcock had been hanging around.

It was easy to see Laine Sadler didn’t like Babcock taking over. “Who made
you
boss?”

“I did. I’m the one who’ll get you in that bank, aren’t I? You got a problem with that?” Silence drew out until Babcock shrugged. “I didn’t think so. Where’s Terrence, your son?”

Laine laughed. “You mean my pain-in-the-neck little brother?” Her eyes gleamed with suspicion. “Seems Evan didn’t tell you everything about the Stone family, Babcock—I wonder why?”

“They cut out today for New Meringue,” the short outlaw said, as if he’d already transferred his loyalty to Babcock. “We’re gonna swing by and get ’em on our ride out.”

“They?”

“Him and another brother.” A half-witted smile appeared on the man’s face. “We’re
all
brothers.” He shot Laine a dirty look. “Except for our smarty-pants sister.”

“Shut your trap!” Laine shouted. “I’m amazed someone hasn’t killed you yet.”

Babcock glanced between them. “Evan probably figured the less I knew, the better. At least, that’s how I would play it. Makes no matter anyway. Now, we’ll all go into town together. After we have the money, we’ll swing back here, pick up
Suzie
and take care of him.” He glared at Albert. “The woman will ride his horse.”

Susanna’s eyes widened. Albert hoped if Nate was hiding anywhere nearby, he had the sense to stay away. Babcock swiveled his gun on Albert.

“You go with ’em, Cranston,” Laine ordered. “Make sure Babcock’s not pulling a fast one.”