Untamed Journey (40 page)

“That’s him,” Samuel insisted. “He claimed at
the time he approached Nigel that he got the scar in an Indian
fight. He was pretty angry when he lost his bid. Nigel had him
escorted out of the building, and I never saw him again. That was
about a year ago.”

Old Mike turned to Jackson. “Are you thinking
the same thing I am?”

“It occurred to me,” Jackson nodded his head
slowly. “Wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried it. There’s a
lot of money to be made if the railroad comes through your
land.”

Emmett walked over from the far corner of the
room. “Do you mean to say you both think this Masterson fellow is
behind the train robberies?”

“That’s exactly what we’re thinking. That
spur line’s supposed to connect the Fort to the main
transcontinental line. It’ll bring a lot of money with it.” Mike
added.

“We should go after Masterson now,” Emmett
said. “We’ll take Bear Standish along. If he can identify Masterson
as the force behind these robberies, and not just Jasper Smith, we
can arrest them both. Ruth will surely be able to get an annulment,
when a husband she hasn’t spent more than a day with gets put in
prison.”

Mike ran his hands through his thinning hair.
“Ruth could get hurt, or even killed, if we try to surround the
house without knowin’ her location.”

“We should take a couple of days to stake the
place out,” Emmett suggested. “See if Masterson has hired hands or
household staff that is unhappy enough to sell us information. If
we could find Ruth’s location, we might be able to turn the tables
on Masterson and kidnap her right back. Remove her from the scene
before we arrest him.”

“But that could take days, or even weeks,”
Sue protested. “We can’t leave Ruth at the mercy of those animals
for that long.”

One of the railroad men chimed in for the
first time. “We can’t fail to act just to protect one woman,” the
grizzled ex-Marshal insisted. “Think of all the innocent passengers
that might be killed on the next train if we don’t act now.”

“And think of all the money the railroad
might lose,” Sue added, narrowing her eyes at the man.

“Just being practical, Ma’am,” the man said,
tipping his hat.

Jackson stepped between the two. “Stop
arguing. This is wasting time Ruth doesn’t have.” Jackson turned to
the rest of the waiting men. “We’ll head out immediately for the
Fort. We need information on Masterson’s whereabouts, and Colonel
Roe is the best man to provide it. If Roe can locate this man for
us, we’ll pick up our witness, and move toward an arrest.”

The men nodded their agreement at Jackson’s
plan, glad to be on the move. They filed out the front door to
gather horses and gear for the trip ahead.

Jackson turned to Sue. “I’ll get Ruth back,
no matter what it takes. But we have to work with these railroad
men, or they’ll just move on Masterson without us. And they won’t
care if Ruth gets hurt in the crossfire.”

“He’s right,” Mike insisted. “Ruth’s best
chance is for us to be right there, looking out for her first.”

Sue reluctantly nodded her agreement.

Jackson took her by the shoulders. “I need
you to stay behind, just in case Ruth makes her way back here
somehow. She escaped these men before.”

He kissed her lightly on the head. “Once we
talk to Roe, we may be able to come up with a better plan. One
that’s safer for Ruth. Try not to worry. I’ve been looking for a
woman like her all my life. I’m not going to let her go now.”

“A
re you awake, yet?”
Masterson demanded of the still figure, lying curled up on the
feather bed, hands tied behind her back. “I wouldn’t suggest
pretending sleep. It’ll just anger me more.”

Ruth lifted her lashes and stared straight
into the coldest pair of eyes she had seen, at least since facing
Jasper Smith in a darkened train compartment. “I’m awake, Mr.
Masterson. Would you untie me, please? I need to use the
facilities.” She kept her voice carefully neutral as she faced this
unknown threat with only her wits to aid her.

“I’ll send the housekeeper up shortly to help
see to your needs,” Masterson promised. “She doesn’t say much, and
is refreshingly biddable. If you could just learn to follow suit,
I’m sure we could get along wonderfully.”

“What do you expect of me?” Ruth asked
cautiously.

“Now that’s the first sensible thing I’ve
heard come out of your mouth since I met you,” he complimented, in
all sincerity. “I expect you to do what I tell you, and obey me in
all things. I expect you to keep quiet about my comings and goings,
unless I tell you to do otherwise. I expect a son or two, to work
by my side in the business I’m about to grow to ten times its
current size. Once you give me my sons, I’ll leave you be and see
to my needs elsewhere. In return, I’ll give you security and all
the comfort you want. I’m not a stingy man, and appreciate nice
things myself. You’ll get a generous allowance to run my household
if you’ll help me finalize this deal. You can use the rest to buy
whatever you want in the way of pretty things women like. Do you
have any questions about what I’ve just said?” Masterson asked.

“No, I understand,” Ruth whispered back. “I
won’t cause you any trouble. And I apologize for the whole train
incident. I was just so scared, I forgot my good sense. I won’t be
going back to my home. The War destroyed everything. Only hunger
awaits me there. This bed is soft and warm, and if you’ll let me,
I’d like to see the rest of the house.” She kept her expression
blank, hoping none of her emotions showed through.

“Of course,” he agreed. “I’ll show you around
after you wash up. But you’ll stay inside unless I’m with you.
Understood?”

She quickly nodded her agreement. “Yes, of
course.”

“It’ll work out, Ruth. You’ll see that I can
be a reasonable man, if you just do as you’re told.”

Masterson held out his arm, in a mockery of
all that was chivalrous.

Ruth bit her tongue, then took the proffered
arm. She hadn’t known her husband long, but she recognized that he
was cut from the same cloth as Jasper Smith. She could expect pain
and suffering at his hands if she were ever to defy him.

T
he men rode hard and
reached Fort Lyon at dusk. By sunset, they were seated in Colonel
Roe’s office, listening to his clerk give a rundown of what they
had uncovered.

“As the Colonel ordered, I looked into this
Frank Masterson fellow. I sent one of the privates over to the
surveyor’s office, and another soldier to the telegraph. We keep
written copies of all wires going in and out of this Fort, at the
Colonel’s order. What we found is this Masterson has been buying up
land across the territory. Near as we can tell, he has about half
of what he needs to lay a track straight through to the main
line.”

“Who owns the rest?” Jackson asked.

“That’s where this story gets interesting,”
the Colonel interjected. “With the exception of a few small
homesteads, the other half of the land has been purchased, all
within the last year, in the name of Ruth Jameson.”

Jackson jumped out of his chair and started
pacing. “Damn. Now she’s worth money to him.”

Samuel nodded his head in agreement. “He’s
smart. We routinely alert the local sheriff and the nearest land
surveyor’s office when the railroad starts scouting routes. It puts
them on the lookout for any one person buying up large quantities
of land. It’s not uncommon to see one or two of the larger land
owners try to buy out their neighbors when news of the railroad
starts. And if a neighbor doesn’t want to sell, they’ll use all
sorts of underhanded methods to scare the homesteaders into
abandoning their claims or selling cheaply. Looks like Masterson
started using his new bride’s name to turn suspicion away from
him.”

The Colonel nodded his understanding,
“Brilliant. As soon as he married Ruth, proxy or not, he became the
new owner of all that land. And with the railroad unable to keep
the original right-of-way safe, he could walk in with an alternate
route, ready to go.”

Mike scratched his beard. “So where do we go
from here? Do we stick to our original plan and try arresting
Masterson on robbery and murder charges?”

“I have a better idea,” Jackson said quietly,
turning to his cousin. “If we’re right, then he married Ruth
because of her desperate financial circumstances and lack of family
protection. He could put stolen land claims in her name, and she’d
be too dependent on him to say anything about it. What if we give
him a better proposition? A deal that will get him what he really
wanted all along.”

“The railroad right-of-way,” Samuel
replied.

Jackson nodded. “He wants money and power,
and the influence they can buy. What if you and I offer him a
better marriage deal? Tell him your boss is tired of delays
building his railroad and has told you to make this problem go
away, no matter what it takes. You have a sister who got herself in
a bit of trouble and needs a fresh start out west.”

“Go on. I’m listening,” Samuel nodded his
head in growing understanding of Jackson’s plan.

“If he marries your sister, you’d be in his
debt, and family besides,” Jackson explained. “You’d promise to
arrange a deal for the land claims he owns in his and Ruth’s name
that would make everyone happy, and your sister a rich woman. He
gets an annulment from Ruth and she can marry me instead.”

Samuel paused to think, taking a few slow
puffs on his cigar as he weighed the pros and cons of Jackson’s
idea. “It just might work,” he said. “Masterson gets his money and
marries up in society. But what do you get out of this deal? We
should insist that you get a cut too. Say half of the claims that
are in Ruth’s name get cashed out directly to you. It’s a deal that
a man like Masterson will understand. If he thinks you just get a
woman, he’ll be instantly suspicious of our motives.”

“Agreed,” Jackson replied, immediately liking
his cousin’s thinking. “We just need to figure out the best way to
approach him.”

Jackson paced back and forth, anxious to get
started.

“You and Samuel should approach him at home,”
Emmett suggested. “No offense, cousin, but if we dandy you up
right, Masterson will dismiss you as a physical threat.”

Samuel smiled easily at his favorite cousin.
“Since we both know I’ve been able to out-shoot you since the age
of ten, no offense taken. You’re right, though. I’ve used that to
my advantage before. I’ve got a suit in my saddlebag and a pair of
spectacles that should do the trick.”

“That’s good,” Jackson nodded his approval of
the plan unfolding. “Once we’re inside, we can talk business with
him. We’ll insist on seeing Ruth at some point, as a sign of good
faith. Emmett, you position yourself to get a clear view of the
house. We’ll signal our location when Masterson sends for Ruth, or
goes to fetch her himself. You’ll be able to see who is moving
about in other parts of the house, and we should be able to
pinpoint Ruth’s location.”

“Do we wait for night to get her out?” Emmett
asked.

“It might be risky to wait,” Mike warned.
“She might not be sleeping alone.” He looked to Jackson
apologetically.

“You’ve got a point,” Jackson admitted with
growing anger and worry over Ruth. “Our best bet is to get Ruth out
then and there. Maybe have papers ready for Masterson to sign.”

Samuel shook his head at the idea. “She’s his
only leverage, now that we have a witness against him on extortion.
Once we prove he stole one claim, the others can easily be
forfeited.”

“But he doesn’t know that,” Jackson insisted.
“We try your way first. If he agrees to the deal and we can walk
out with Ruth, we say nothing about his crimes. If he won’t let
Ruth go without a fight, then I move to arrest him on charges and
we take our chances,” Jackson decided.

“If you can’t find a safe way to signal us,
we’ll come running at the first shot fired,” Mike promised.

Jackson nodded his agreement. “Let’s head
out.”

R
uth spent the
remainder of her morning crying in her new prison. As hopeless as
she felt, the tears relieved some of her tension, simply by means
of exhausting her. She fell asleep and awoke near dusk, when she
heard the lock on her room unlatch.

She quickly pulled herself out of the bed and
sat in the one chair in the room, placing as much distance as
possible between herself and the unknown threats coming through the
door.

Masterson barged into the room and quickly
spotted Ruth sitting by the window. “I have to leave now,” he
announced. “Some business has come up that can’t wait.”

Ruth just nodded in silence, acknowledging
that she’d heard him.

“Since this is new to both of us, I want to
make sure you’re not tempted to change your mind. I’m locking you
in this room. Jasper Smith will be outside, but I’ll have the only
key. If you leave this room and try to escape, I told Smith I’m
done with you and he can handle things however he likes. Do you
understand what I’m saying?”

At her fearful nod, he continued.

“I assume you’re no longer a virgin, after
living with that Marshal?” Masterson changed tacks abruptly,
catching Ruth off guard once again.

“Hell, it was foolish of me to ever believe
you were,” he muttered under his breath. “That aunt of yours is a
witch, and probably pulled one over on me. But I’m fair. I won’t
hold her against you. None of us gets to pick their relatives, do
they? And I’m related to worse than your Aunt Kate, that’s for
certain.”

Masterson’s focus quickly returned to Ruth,
as he demanded a response from her. “Answer me. Are you a virgin or
aren’t you?”