Redbird

by E. E. Burke

  “Our idea? Since when did it—?”

  “Present our idea to lease the land, suggest an alternate route, one that doesn’t come anywhere near your aunt’s farm. Once my father signs off, which I’m sure he will, you and I can present the proposal to the tribal council. Why wouldn’t they agree? It makes perfect sense.

  “And if I refuse, you turn me in to the sheriff for stealing?”

  “No, I tell them you abducted and molested me.”

  “Thunderation!” His roar spooked the horse and the stallion broke into a canter. Kate clung tight as he pulled back on the reins and regained control. “That is a lie.”

  “No, it isn’t. You did abduct me, and you kissed me. Three times.”

  “At your invitation, if you recall.” Jake gave the horse his head across a flat stretch of land. Kate clung tight as a tick. He had no cause to get angry with her, having only himself to blame for this mess. If he had not come up with the idea to take her, none of this would have happened.

  He also would not have met Redbird. If he had any sense, he would regret it.

  “Please, Jake. Together, we can resolve…we don’t have much time.” Her voice sounded faint as the wind carried her words away. “I’ve overheard…father will ask the President to send troops…enforce the railroad’s right… You know where that will lead. Don’t let hard feelings get in the way…”

  Feelings? He had done his best to ignore them. Emotions were messy, confusing and generally inconvenient. The ones she stirred up were also dangerous. Thinking of her as Redbird and the fulfillment of a vision would only lead both of them into a world of hurt.

  If he were honest, though, he had to admit that part of him wanted to follow Kate Parsons to see where this crazy idea of hers might lead. Her idea. Not his.

  He dared not approach the council and invite their questions. It didn’t mean he couldn’t take her proposal to his uncle, who could present the idea. She was right about courts. The case could drag on for years. He wanted an end to this feud as much, if not more, than she did, and leasing land seemed a better solution than stealing the payroll.

  Jake turned the horse north toward Kansas, in the direction of a town he had never intended to visit again. “I will take you to Ladore. We will ride there. No trains. After you talk to your father, if he agrees with your proposal, I will take it to my uncle.”

  “We’ll take it, you mean.”

  “No. You will not come back with me.”

  Chapter 14

  The sun had climbed high into the sky by the time the worker’s train rolled to a stop near a section of track outside of Ladore. Henry followed the tracklayers who left the open-air car and walked to the construction area where new ties were laid out alongside the iron rails.

  In their rush to make the border first, he had instructed his men to forego proper grading to save time. Now, they had to spend the extra money to fix it. Kate hadn’t agreed with his decision. She hadn’t understood what success required. He’d told her he was prepared to pay the price. How was he to know the cost might be her life?

  He’d fought several losing bouts with his conscience over the past three days, and his nights hadn’t been conducive to sleep. During that time, they’d received no communication, no ransom note. What that might mean chilled him to the bone.

  Henry spotted the black-haired Irish foreman and waved. McGrady had sent him a telegram and requested that they meet here and with haste. The message contained few details. Its tone indicated important news.

  An army officer, whose wife owned the local hotel where Kate had been staying, accompanied McGrady. Two of the remaining companies of soldiers sent into Kansas to keep the peace between the railroad and the settlers were stationed just outside of town. They might’ve found Kate. Or, God forbid, what was left of her.

  “Chief.” McGrady tugged the small bill on his cap. “Thanks for coming up here fast.”

  The Irishman’s tanned face reflected uncharacteristic solemnity. He didn’t have good news, that was for sure.

  Henry braced himself for the worst. “Well? Have you found Miss Parsons?”

  “No, chief. We do have news that might pertain to her disappearance.”

  As frustrating as it was not to find her, this meant there was still hope.

  “It’s about one of the temporary workers we hired back a few months ago. Apparently, he had asked questions about Miss Parsons—who she was, if she was married, whether she belonged to you. The boys didn’t tell him anything, of course, except to mind his business. It’s not unusual for fellows to talk about women. They thought nothing of it at the time. Then after she turned up missing, well, they got to thinking they ought to say something.”

  “Damn right.” Henry’s instincts told him they’d picked up the scent. “Who is this temporary worker? Where is he now?”

  McGrady shrugged his bulky shoulders. “That’s just it. He’s long gone. I reckoned he’d drifted off with some of the others who went to work for the higher wages Mr. Joy offered at the time. The name he gave, turns out it belongs to a dead man.”

  Henry swore. “There’s got to be some way to find him.”

  “There’s more, chief. Seems this worker also asked about the payment schedules. Again, not unusual. Everybody wants to get paid. Except, looking back, the timing is awfully coincidental. He vanished right before our payroll got stolen out from under our noses.”

  Henry looked between the two men’s grave expressions and the pieces fell together. “You surmise the incidents are connected?”

  “Yes sir, I’m thinking so,” McGrady confirmed.

  The payroll theft had been the work of a local family of thieves, likely hired by a competitor.

  “Didn’t you catch the men who pulled that heist, the Russell gang?” Henry asked Major Bradford. “They were in jail, last I heard.”

  “They still are,” the officer conceded. “Given this new information, I wonder whether we have the right men. They’ve maintained their innocence.”

  “That temporary worker,” McGrady said. “If we can find him, he could lead us to whoever it was that actually robbed us—”

  “The same ones who took Kate,” Henry finished. “Good thinking, McGrady. Let’s find the scoundrel. Do you have a description?”

  “Not much, Chief. Just that’s he’s a tall Indian.”

  Chapter 15

  Kate held tight to Jake as his horse crested the edge of a plateau, where lion-colored grass bent by a persistent wind stretched for miles around. At this pace, they would reach Ladore before nightfall. They had ridden hard, stopping only to catch a couple hours sleep or to snatch a bite to eat. He hadn’t touched her again except to help her mount or dismount.

  She tried not to be disappointed, and failed.

  He might kiss her like he needed her more than air, yet he’d made no promises, and had never led her to believe this attraction would go anywhere. If she pushed him too far, he would take what she offered and would still leave her.

  She should’ve thanked him for not ruining her. Instead, she’d manipulated him into taking her to Ladore, which might explain why his mood had soured.

  The horse splashed across a creek. Water sprayed the bottom of her skirt and pantaloons. Her outfit had been past saving before they left the farm, but he didn’t have to gallop through every mud hole and make it worse.

  He charged his horse up the bank. She glued herself to him to keep from toppling backwards.

  “Are you comfortable?” he asked sharply.

  The tautness of his muscles signaled he was not. Was he bothered because her breasts were pressed against his back? He should’ve thought of that before he raced up the bank.

  “I’m enjoying this ride more than the one we made to your hideout.” She didn’t elaborate about which particular aspects of that trip had disturbed her. Wouldn’t it surprise him to learn she feared her attraction to him more than the danger he posed?

  He’d been gruff and tried to pretend indiffere
nce, yet he couldn’t hide his true nature. Even when she’d been bound and frightened for her life, she had sensed Jake’s compassion. He won her trust, then her heart. How easily he’d done both should terrify her.

  Without further comment, he slowed the horse to a walk. His mood would no doubt improve once they’d said their goodbyes.

  She adjusted the straw hat to block the blinding rays coming from the west. If only she could hold the sun responsible for her tears. Sadly, she could place the blame nowhere save at her own feet. If she hadn’t insisted on getting her way, Jake might not be angry with her.

  On the other hand, if she didn’t press him to change course and attempt a peaceful solution, he could end up in jail—or worse.

  “I know you’re put out with me. Don’t be. If you ride away without a resolution, what good does that do? At least this way, there’s a chance my father will reroute the line, and your aunt won’t have to move.”

  “There’s also a chance he’ll have me thrown in jail.”

  “I won’t betray you, Jake. I’ll tell him that I left on my own, to seek a meeting with the Cherokee leaders. You offered to help.” One problem remained. She hadn’t yet come up with a solution. “I’m not sure what to say about Charley.”

  “Leave him to me.”

  Jake had protected her thus far.

  “I trust you. Will you trust me?”

  “What if your father does not accept your story?”

  “He will, because what I’ll tell him sounds like something I’d do. I’m headstrong.”

  “I had not noticed.”

  She smiled into Jake’s back. “If he won’t listen, I can recruit Henry’s support. He can be reasoned with, especially when I explain how it works to his benefit. He might decide he wants to propose the idea himself.”

  At this point, she didn’t care who got the credit. If everything worked out, Jake would soon be on his way with a proposal for the council. His family would keep their land. Bloodshed would be prevented. She could rest easier knowing he would be safe.

  In the distance, several buildings rose out of the prairie.

  Ladore.

  The sight of the recently created railroad town called to her mind the long journey she’d taken as they’d built the Katy line. She’d clashed with her father and Henry nearly every step of the way. Would the two men listen to her now? They would if she could present an intermediary with close ties to the tribal council.

  “When we arrive, I’ll arrange a room for you at the hotel.”

  “I can find my own lodgings.”

  “There’s only one hotel in town.”

  “They have stalls at the livery.”

  Did he honestly think she’d let him sleep in a stall? “Stalls are for horses. If you’re worried about the cost, don’t be. The railroad rents extra rooms for out-of-town visitors that sit empty most of the time. You can take one of those.”

  “Don’t count on them giving me a room.”

  He didn’t mean because he was poor. It slipped her mind, sometimes, about him being an Indian and what that meant in a world dominated by whites. He certainly never forgot, and couldn’t, even if he wanted to. There were plenty of people who would invariably remind him.

  “Eden won’t turn you away. She’s very open-minded.”

  “I’d rather not attract the extra attention.”

  She stopped trying to convince him to take a room. Why spend their final hours together arguing?

  They rode into town late in the afternoon. Ladore had grown as fast as a six-month-old puppy, and looked about as awkward, with boards thrown down as makeshift sidewalks and canvas tents standing in for businesses and homes. Permanent structures were going up fast, if the steady crack of hammers was any indication.

  Jake maneuvered his horse around a flotilla of flatbed wagons loaded with building supplies. More settlers poured in every day, just as he’d predicted. He had good reason to worry and to resent the ever-widening immigration.

  He remained tense and kept his gaze trained ahead of him, not letting on that other people’s stares bothered him. The disapproving looks they drew were a small part of what they would face should they remain together. He had known this all along and had tried to warn her.

  She considered herself liberal-minded, yet she had never been the object of scorn for simply riding down the street. Not until now. The men they passed looked at them with varying degrees of crude curiosity and outright disgust.

  “Their opinions don’t matter,” she whispered against his shoulder. “The only thing that matters is what we can accomplish together.”

  As several mounted troops rode by, Jake tugged his hat brim low over his eyes. Even though he dressed like a drover, his jet black hair, brown skin and distinctive features gave away his native ancestry. He might fear they would stop him and ask why he was riding double with a white woman.

  “The soldiers have too many other problems to deal with,” she said, as much to reassure herself. “They’re here to guard the railroad.”

  “And the railroad heiress.”

  “I’ve never been guarded by soldiers.”

  “That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

  Did he mean because Charley might be following them or because she had been alone on the night that she’d stumbled onto them in the railcar? Had soldiers been with her, she had no doubt the confrontation would’ve turned into a bloodbath. She was glad she’d been alone.

  The Ladore Hotel, at three stories high, was the tallest building in town. The railroad had blocks of rooms held for employees and guests. Kate considered Jake her guest. She would introduce him as a diplomatic envoy in town on business.

  After he’d secured the reins at a hitching post, he helped her down. His hands remained on her waist a moment longer than necessary. His eyes gleamed golden with intensity. If he regretted the fact that they would soon part ways, his pride would not allow him to admit it.

  Jake had been her anchor these past few days, as well as her protector. A surprising friendship had sprung up between them. More than that, he’d given her a taste of true passion. Deep in her heart, she knew she would never have that kind of relationship with Henry.

  Not that it mattered. Jake would be gone, regardless.

  She considered for a moment how he might react if she put her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss. But if she engaged in such an outrageous act in public, it would create a scandal and ruin their chances to gain a settlement with her father. Her sole focus had to be on the bigger goal, not her selfish desires. “When we get inside, I’ll need to introduce you. I don’t know your surname.”

  “Just use Colston,” he said in a low voice.

  “Jake Colston.” She tried it on her tongue.

  The crease between his brows deepened. “My father’s name.”

  “Did he name you Jake?”

  “He didn’t know I existed.”

  A thousand questions popped into Kate’s head. She held them in. The mysteries in Jake’s past would remain his secrets. She’d brought him here for one purpose—to settle the standoff between the railroad and the Cherokee people.

  She forced a cheery smile and offered her hand. “Mr. Colston, a pleasure to meet you.”

  “The pleasure is mine, Miss Parsons,” he replied in a silky drawl. He grasped her hand gently and brushed his thumb over the inside of her wrist where her pulse throbbed. Every inch of her skin tingled as if she’d been bathed in a shower of sparks.

  When he dropped her hand, she had to catch her breath.

  Good grief! Time to pull herself together. If they were successful, she would win her father’s approval and gain a place at his side. He might even consider appointing her to an official position that didn’t require her to marry Henry. None of this would happen if her father thought she was involved with Jake. Considering Jake didn’t want to stay with her, she wouldn’t have to choose between a life with him and her longtime goal.

  Deep in thought, she
didn’t immediately see the beggar.

  A grimy man wrapped in an Indian blanket squatted near the front steps of the hotel. He held out his hat.

  Jake’s expression didn’t reflect recognition or friendly acknowledgement, but he spoke a few words in the language she’d heard him use with his family. It could’ve been a greeting or a curse, hard to tell. Then he offered the man a coin.

  The beggar raced off to retrieve Jake’s horse.

  What an odd exchange.

  “Did you give him leave to take your mount?” she asked Jake.

  “As far as the livery.”

  She glanced over her shoulder with doubt. Some beggars were also thieves. “How do you know he won’t steal it.”

  “I trust he won’t.” Jake’s firm statement struck a sharp blow to her breastbone.

  He’d put his faith in that beggar, apparently because the man had Indian blood, yet he still distrusted her. After she’d offered her help, repeatedly. After she’d offered her body.

  He might think she’d done it to manipulate him, like before.

  What an ironic twist. It was now up to her to gain his trust. Could she guarantee his safety as well as he’d watched over her?

  A sense of foreboding stole over her. What if she’d misjudged the situation? If the looks they were getting were any indication, bringing Jake into Kansas could pose more danger for him than she’d anticipated. “If you feel uncomfortable, you can leave. I’ll bring my father down to the Territory to meet with you there.”

  “We are here now. Might as well do as you suggested.” Jake took hold of her arm and pulled. “We should go check on that hotel room.”

  “Fine, yes. Let’s.” At least he’d stopped talking about sleeping in a stall.

  He opened the door and motioned her inside.

  The lobby teemed with tracklayers, garbed in denim bibs, thick-soled shoes and heavy gloves. Engineers and firemen were easily identifiable from the soot on their skin and clothing.

  “Why are these tracklayers in town?” Jake spoke softly next to her ear. His breath brushed her cheek in a warm caress. “I thought this part of the line was finished months ago.”