A Cowboy Unmatched

by Karen Witemeyer

  Darius bit back an inhospitable retort as he turned to face one of the investors from the tour. Drat. What was the fellow’s name? Something starting with a R. Or maybe an N? David would have remembered. He would have known the man’s wife’s name, the names of each of their twelve kids, and probably the monikers of the horses in his stable back home. All Darius could recall were the numbers. The man owned four Mississippi steamboats, each capable of hauling two hundred fifty passengers and five thousand bales of cotton.

  “We’re not against expansion,” Darius drawled, hoping the man wouldn’t notice his lack of proper address. “With the rate the Port of New Orleans is growing, one would be a fool not to consider investing in the steamboat trade.”

  The man nodded, his pea-green waistcoat not quite containing the rounded girth of his belly. “True. But riverboats are an entirely different animal from your ocean liners. Temperamental things, you know. One cannot just assume he is fit to add one to his collection without first gaining a proper respect for the vessel.”

  The smug expression on the fellow’s face combined with his superior tone snapped the last thread of Darius’s tattered hold on civility. Straightening to his full height, he glowered down at the man. “King Star Shipping does not collect vessels, sir. We live and breathe them. Not one of our transatlantic liners has failed to reach its destination, and I daresay the same cannot be said of your riverboats. One has only to read the papers to learn how often they run aground on sandbars, get snared in debris, or catch fire due to negligent captains. Not to mention the boiler explosions that sink ships and take lives when greedy pilots push their engines to reckless speeds in order to race.

  “If King Star does decide to expand into river transport, you can bet we will be enforcing higher standards than any who have come before. Respect the vessel, sir? You don’t know the meaning of the word.”

  The mottled purple hue staining the man’s face was the first clue he’d gone too far. The slap of the man’s glove across Darius’s face was the second.

  “You high-and-mighty Thorntons think you’re above the rest of us, don’t you? Well, one of these days disaster will knock on your door, and then we’ll see just how far your lofty opinions take you.” With an audible humph, the man pivoted and stormed off in the direction of the waving masses.

  Darius sighed and turned back to the railing, searching the dark water below. Lofty opinions, indeed. He never should have opened his mouth. He should have just smiled at the little peacock and walked away. But no. He’d let his temper get the best of him and spouted off like a bullheaded idiot. The green-vested fellow could be a stellar boatman for all he knew. He had no right to accuse him of not respecting his vessels or his crew. This was why David handled the people and Darius handled the accounts. The minute one of them switched assignments, a mess was sure to follow.

  If God were merciful, he’d eliminate any need for polite conversation for the length of the voyage.

  Another steamboat came abreast of the Louisiana. The bright red lettering on the side declared it to be the Bostona, and its decks were equally full of passengers and goods. Darius frowned. Must the boats pack together so closely while in port? It was bad enough that the Storm anchored nearby having just returned from upriver, but now the Bostona was crowding in. Once the Louisiana’s captain shoved off, they’d have to do some fine maneuvering to get to open water.

  Darius pulled his watch from his vest pocket and flipped open the brass case. Nearly five o’clock. Good. Time to depart.

  He replaced his watch as the chimes rang the hour from the cathedral bell in Jackson Square. Then the Louisiana’s whistle blew its piercing call, and the steamboat eased away from the wharf.

  All at once a deafening roar crashed over Darius. The deck shuddered and splintered as if besieged by cannon fire. Debris shot through the air. A metal object collided with Darius’s head, sending him reeling. He grasped the railing and barely kept himself from toppling over the side.

  Vision blurred and head throbbing, Darius closed his eyes against the chaos, trying to calm his rioting senses and decipher what was happening. Screams assailed his ears. The smells of scalded flesh, blood, and burning wood churned his stomach.

  The boilers. A moan tore from Darius’s throat as his eyes flew open in comprehension. The boilers must have exploded.

  How? They were in port for pity’s sake, not racing at top speed up the river. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not with a capable captain at the helm.

  But the whys didn’t matter. Not when people were dying all around him.

  The deck shifted, collapsing inward. Darius linked his arm around the railing. Heaven help them. The ship was going down!

  Blinking away the blood dripping in his eyes, Darius peered out over the river. They were only a hundred yards or so from the wharf, thank God. Swimming to shore would be easily managed—for those who knew how to swim, at least. Having grown up in a shipping family, Darius was as at home in the water as on land, so he had no concerns for himself. But he needed to help the others. The masses trapped on the upper decks or in the boat’s midsection would perish if they couldn’t reach the rails before the sinking vessel dragged them under.

  Recalling the ships around them, he jerked his head up. Surely the crews of the Storm and Bostona would aid in the rescue. However, the sight that met his eyes punctured his hopes. The Storm had been laid waste by the explosion, splintered and crumbling from side wheel to the stern. The Bostona hadn’t fared much better. Her upper works were a mess, her pilothouse had been knocked off, and her wheelhouse was badly crushed.

  Bodies littered the river between the three boats, some moving, others not. Bile rose in Darius’s throat.

  Then something hardened in the pit of his stomach. His fingernails dug into the railing. The ship was going down. No time for weeping over what couldn’t be saved. Turning away from the watery scene, he braced his legs wide beneath him and catalogued what could be done.

  Setting his jaw, he strode forward. Directly into the path of the man with the pea-green vest. The fellow lay crumpled on the deck, gripping his head, seemingly unaware that a deep gash in his arm bled profusely.

  The fellow’s name suddenly came to him. “Monroe!” Darius knelt at his side and yanked the wide silk tie free from his own collar as Monroe’s sluggish gaze found Darius’s face.

  “Thornton?” he rasped.

  Wrapping the impromptu bandage around the man’s arm, Darius nodded. “Can you stand?” he asked brusquely.

  “I-I think so.” Monroe started to push himself up.

  Darius grabbed the man’s good arm and assisted. “Good. The boat’s going down. We need to evacuate the passengers.”

  Monroe’s eyes rounded as Darius’s meaning sank in. “But the only way off is into the river.”

  “I know. The women will need something to keep them afloat, so their skirts don’t drag them under.” Darius scanned the deck for anything that might be suitable. “Wood,” he declared, pointing to the debris scattered about them. “They can grab on to planks and kick their way to shore.”

  Monroe nodded, his shoulders straightening like a soldier receiving orders, no sign of lingering animosity. “I’ll gather some men and see to the ladies’ safety.”

  “Good. I’ll see if I can reach the passengers on the upper deck.” Darius pushed his way through the staggering masses, encouraging everyone to make their way to the railing. Yet the farther inside he went, the more grim the scene. Dead and dying passengers covered the floor, their skin scalded from the violent expulsion of steam, bodies fatally pierced by metal projectiles launched by the explosive force of the ruptured boilers.

  The stench of blood and burned flesh clung to him as he picked his way through the horror. A woman lay to his right, moaning, her clothing shredded from the blast. He ripped his coat from his shoulders and draped it over her torso, knowing even as he did so that she’d never survive her injuries. Moving on, he tunneled his vision to a narrow space di
rectly in front of him and let his mind go numb. The people here were too far gone. He had to get to the upper deck. Had to find a way to get the passengers there to safety. But when he reached the staircase, fallen timbers barred his path. He grabbed the one closest to him and strained against the weight. It didn’t budge.

  “No!” Darius slammed his palm against the wedged beam. He hung his head—and noticed water seeping over his boots. Time was running out.

  Darius rushed back outside and headed for the railing. There was more than one way to the upper deck. Ignoring the unsteady lurching of the boat as the river sucked it down, Darius scrabbled on top of the railing, using one of the connecting pillars as a support. He reached over his head and managed to grab hold of the bottom rung of the upper-deck balustrade. Now he just had to haul himself up.

  Loud splashes echoed around him. Dark forms dove through his periphery as men and women alike started leaping from the upper deck. Darius hesitated. Should he continue?

  Then a woman’s voice cut through the panicked mass of screams. “Please, sir!” she cried. “Take my child. He can’t swim.”

  Darius barely registered the woman hanging over the rail directly above him before a pair of child-sized shoes knocked against his nose. Without thought to his perilous position, Darius released his hold on the support pillar and clutched the lad’s waist. In an instant he had the boy on the lower deck.

  Catching sight of a pea-green waistcoat, he yelled, “Monroe! Take the child!”

  Monroe turned and immediately scurried forward.

  “Here!” the woman above Darius called again. And before he knew what had happened, a steady trail of children were dangled over the side into his waiting arms.

  Sweat beaded his brow. The little ones were easy enough to handle despite their wailing, but the larger children kicked and screamed their terror, nearly sending both themselves and him over the side on more than one occasion.

  Thanking God for his height and strength, Darius wrestled them to relative safety, though they’d still have to manage their way ashore. He prayed there’d be smaller boats on hand before the Louisiana submerged.

  Darius reached for the next child, but instead he saw a girl holding fast to the outside of the rails, no adult in sight. She must have been twelve or thirteen, her eyes round, pleading with him to save her.

  But she was too far down the railing for him to reach. “Easy, now.” He held a hand out to her. “Let me come to you.”

  Taking hold of the pillar again, Darius carefully swung one leg around the post, then the other. “I’m coming. Just be still.” Her legs batted the air so wildly, he feared she’d jar herself loose before he could get into position. Darius moved his hold to the upper railing and eased a step closer to her. “I won’t let you fall.”

  He widened his stance on the railing and braced his legs to take her weight even as he reached up to grab hold of her waist. At the same moment, something below gave out a mighty groan and the Louisiana pitched violently.

  The girl’s hold broke. Darius lunged for her, but she slipped through his arm. Her scream rang in his ears as she plummeted past him into the dark water.

  Darius leaned over the side, scanning the water for the girl. How could he have let her fall? He’d promised.

  She sputtered to the surface, arms flailing in the panicked motions of one who’d never been taught to swim. Without hesitation, Darius dove in after her.

  He kicked quickly to the surface, the water too dark for him to see anything below. Yet there was no sign of her above, either. He swiveled his neck from side to side, desperate. Where was she? She should have been right there.

  Then a tiny splash to his left drew his attention. A limp hand was disappearing into the river a couple yards downstream, a hand edged with a pink sleeve.

  Darius sucked in a lungful of air and dove underwater, kicking with powerful strokes to the place she should have been. But the currents were strong, and the girl wasn’t. Darius slashed his arms through the water, hoping to collide with her torso and be able to drag her to him. He hit what seemed to be the wilted length of her arm and fumbled for a hold, but the currents tugged her out of his reach.

  Darius swam after her, but the darkness hid her from him. Deeper and deeper he went. Searching. Praying. His lungs burned, but he refused to stop. He had to find her. He’d promised he wouldn’t let her fall.

  He swept his arms out again, and his right arm hit something solid. He circled his arm around the girl’s chest and kicked for the surface. They broke through. Thank God! Darius gasped for breath yet never stopped swimming. Angling the girl so her head remained above water, he made for the shore.

  His legs finally found purchase on land, and Darius lifted the girl into his arms. Utterly depleted, he stumbled under her slight weight. Clenching his jaw, he righted himself and managed to get her to dry ground. Her body hung lifelessly from his arms. He dropped to one knee and rolled her over until she was draped across his thigh. Then he pounded her back with all the strength he had left.

  “Please, sweetheart,” he begged. “Please breathe.”

  Water pumped out of her mouth, but she remained limp. Lifeless.

  Darius cradled her body and tenderly laid it out upon the sand. He bent his ear to her mouth, longing to hear the rasp of breath even as he knew it wouldn’t be there.

  “I’m sorry.” Reality slammed into him, tearing a sob from his throat. The girl was gone. He’d failed her. He’d let her fall.

  Darius pounded his fist into the sand and shouted his grief to the heavens.

  Chapter 1

  GALVESTON, TEXAS

  APRIL 1851

  Nicole Renard gripped her mother’s letter in her gloved hand as the carriage rattled down Bath Street, away from the docks. Come at once, her mother had written. Your father is very ill. He might not survive to the end of your term.

  Nicole had packed her belongings the day the letter arrived and left Miss Rochester’s Academy for Young Ladies the following morning.

  The voyage that had seemed so swift and exhilarating last fall dragged out interminably on the return trip. Her stomach had been so knotted with worry that she rarely left her stateroom for anything other than meals. This behavior from the girl who used to cry inconsolably if her sea-captain father made her go belowdecks, where she couldn’t feel the ocean spray against her face and smell the salty tang of the sea air. The briny air and windy spray on this journey, however, only intensified her distress as memories of the strong, vital man she remembered from childhood wilted beneath her mother’s description of the decimation brought on by his illness.

  “Dear Lord,” she whispered for the hundredth time since leaving Boston. “Don’t take him from us. Please. Strengthen him. Heal him. Give me back my papa.”

  Her hand trembled, crinkling the letter. She pressed both against her stomach and blinked back the tears that threatened to escape her lashes. Nicole bit down on the edge of her tongue. There’d be no crying today. Her papa hated tears, said they were a weakness, a woman’s affliction. A man wouldn’t cry. A man would set about fixing things. So that’s what she’d do. Fix things.

  She’d spell Mother in nursing him. She’d oversee the accounts and check in at the Renard Shipping offices every day to keep him apprised of his business interests. She’d prove herself as valuable to him as the son he’d always lamented not having.

  The carriage turned a corner. Nicole braced her arm against the upholstered seat to aid her balance. Five more blocks and she’d be home. She looked out the window at the familiar landscape, her heart stirring as the marshy environ welcomed her.

  Then she saw it—Renard House. Its white columns stood tall and proud, exactly as she remembered. Her gaze flicked to the second-story window on the far side, her bedroom. The light glowing within brought a smile to Nicole’s face. All those times that she and Tommy Ackerman had stayed out too late at the bayou, fishing or playing pirate, her mother would light a lamp and set it on the table near
her window so Nicole would have a beacon to guide her home when darkness began to fall. Now, years later, as dusk settled over the island again, that same lamp beckoned.

  When the driver pulled the team to a halt, Nicole didn’t wait for him to assist her. She unlatched the door and bounded out, grabbing a handful of her full skirts to ensure she didn’t stumble. Heart pounding with a mixture of dread and longing, she dashed up the front walk. Before she reached the covered porch, her mother had both the door and her arms open wide.

  “Maman!” Nicole raced up the steps and threw her arms around her mother’s neck. In that instant, all the questions and concerns plaguing her flew out of her mind. She was home. Her maman was holding her. Everything would be all right.

  Together they swayed gently from side to side, her mother rubbing her back and humming softly, just as she used to do when Nicole had been small enough to curl up in her lap.

  “It is so good to have you home, ma petite.” Her mother eased back, taking Nicole by the arms and studying her face as if afraid she had forgotten what her daughter looked like. “But what is all this dashing about?” A sparkle lit her lovely brown eyes as she lifted a well-manicured brow. “Your father and I paid good money for that finishing school, and here you are still running about the place, as much the hoyden as ever. Really, Nicole, John looked quite exasperated when you threw that carriage door open without waiting for him. The poor fellow was probably looking forward to welcoming you home with a gallant flourish, and you stole all his fun.”

  Following her mother’s gaze, Nicole turned her head to see the coachman standing a few feet away, her steamer trunk balanced on his shoulder. The man’s expression was as bland and bored as always. John had no fun to steal. Not that she hadn’t tried over the years. It was a game she had played since childhood, trying to coax a smile out of the old curmudgeon. She’d yet to see one, but she believed they were there. The man was just too accomplished an adversary to let one slip free.