Cole followed the men to the station and he unhooked the horses from the wagon, letting them into the corral. At least they’d get a rest.
Cole and Bret saddled up and joined the two other men, racing after the stagecoach at a neck-breaking speed. He hoped they’d make it there before the robbery happened. There was no telling what would happen and what danger McKenna was in at that moment.
* * *
McKenna had her fingers on the ledge of the window, searching the landscape, but she didn’t see any riders following them. When she looked back at the occupants in the coach, the women were quite pale with worry, but the men were rather smug-looking.
“I suppose the prospect of being robbed doesn’t bother you, Charles or Albert,” McKenna said.
“Not in the least, Miss. It routinely happens, and I have no cash or valuables. Of course, you ladies have more of value under your skirts,” Charles stated matter-of-factly.
McKenna narrowed her eyes. “You’re crude and a cad,” she vented at them. “It’s no wonder you’re traveling with your brother and not a wife. I can’t imagine any woman spending more than a minute with you, Charles.”
Charles leaned forward, his eyes wide with anger. “I’d watch myself if I were you, Miss. Your husband isn’t here to protect you.”
Ethel patted her bag. “No, but I certainly have something that can take care of you with one shot if you speak to the lady like that again.”
Charles sighed heavily, but at least shut up for the moment, which McKenna was very happy about since she had never been around a man the likes of Charles before. She was also not used to a man speaking the way he had to her. She shouldn’t have spoken to him like she did, but how could she hold back when a man spoke that way in the company of women?
McKenna relaxed when they traveled for a time without incident —until shots were fired. The stagecoach continued to race forward, and the driver and the man riding up top returned fire. She bit down on a fist when she heard the man cry out and fall off the top of the coach, and then four men on horseback circled them. Only then did the driver stop the stagecoach and toss down his rifle. She shook her head at Ethel to indicate that she wasn’t to take her gun out. One pistol would hardly be of much use against four men with rifles, who could perhaps be killers even.
The door to the coach was opened and a masked gunman said, “Out, passengers. Once you surrender your valuables, we’ll be on our way.”
McKenna gulped as she was the first one helped out by a man with an S scar on his hand. She was soon followed by Ethel and Bella, who appeared calm while McKenna was shaking head to toe as she stared at the masked men. She looked down quickly so as not to draw attention to herself.
When Charles and Albert clambered out, they laughed. “If it isn’t the Bart Gang. This is a real honor.”
The men didn’t respond, just began to toss down bags and the strong box.
When they took McKenna’s bag, she implored the men. “Please don’t take my bag. I was just married, and I’m meeting my husband at our destination. I don’t have any valuables, I assure you.”
“What a joke,” Charles said. “She must be hiding something somewhere, probably under her skirts since she didn’t put anything in the strongbox. I bet Red would put up a real good fight if you tried to check.”
In response, the man with the scar hit Charles on the forehead with the butt of his rifle. He fell to the ground, bleeding from the brow.
“I might be a robber, but I have some decency.” He brought McKenna’s bag to her, setting it down. “Sorry about that, ma’am. You can keep you bag.”
“But what about the other man on the stagecoach? Didn’t you just kill him?”
“Not at all, just winged him. We’re not murderers unless pushed,” he said, looking in Charles’s direction.
The strongbox was taken and four men on horseback raced to the scene, rifles blazing.
It was Cole! “Please, don’t hurt my husband!” McKenna shouted, pointing in Cole’s direction.
The Bart gang, as Charles called them, took off with two of the men on horseback racing after them.
When Cole and Bret made it to the stagecoach, Cole dismounted in a hurry and took McKenna into his arms. She certainly allowed him to comfort her since she was still shaky after the encounter.
When he pulled away, he searched her face. “Are you okay?”
“Y-Yes, but I’m worried about the other man who rode on the stagecoach.”
Cole moved toward Charles. “Not him,” she said.
The man who had been riding on the stagecoach walked up, holding his arm with the other. “They just got me in the shoulder. If it hadn’t been the Bart gang, I’d have been a goner. They’ve never killed anyone that I know of and actually are kind to women. Whoever they are, their mamas certainly taught them right. Can’t say that for most other gangs.”
“Are you going to be okay for the rest of the trip?” McKenna asked, concerned about him.
“I’ll go back to the station where I’ll be looked after.”
“You could take my horse back with my brother Bret, and I’ll ride shotgun for the trip into Silver. All Bret will have to do is get the wagon and meet us here. We were following the stagecoach and fell behind after we had trouble with a wagon wheel,” Cole said.
“That sounds great,” the driver agreed. “We’ll wait here until you retrieve your wagon. I don’t image the Bart gang will be back.”
McKenna was happy about that. She’d feel so much safer with Cole traveling with the coach for the duration of the journey. They relaxed on boulders nearby as water was passed around. Albert attended to his brother so McKenna didn’t have to feel obligated. She had a feeling that he would have enjoyed watching that gang have their way with her. She actually didn’t feel being robbed was all that bad anymore. She sure didn’t like it that they robbed them, but at least nobody was seriously hurt. Was it wrong to feel a little happy that one of the gunmen put Charles in his place for his suggestion to search her? She didn’t want to see him hurt, but she was tired of his crude mouth.
When Bret showed up with the wagon, the passengers loaded back into the stagecoach and Cole took his place atop to be on lookout. McKenna, for one, hoped the rest of the trip would be uneventful. That was until she was put up in one of the cabins at the next station with her husband!
McKenna fidgeted nervously. This was the last thing she needed. The day’s events had been enough. She glanced over at the bed and realized she’d have to share it with Cole.
“Don’t worry,” Cole said. “All I need is one blanket and I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“The floor? But won’t that be uncomfortable?”
“I’m used to it. I’ve been sleeping under the stars since we’ve been on this trip.”
“That’s much better than sleeping on the floor.”
“Unless you’d rather—”
“Certainly not!” McKenna interjected.
“I was going to say is you’d rather be the one sleeping on the floor.” He smiled.
She had to smile at that, too. “I’m sorry. I guess I put my foot in my mouth that time.”
McKenna sat on the bed. “There are so many things I don’t know about you. What is your family like?”
“I only have one brother, Bret. Our parents were killed in a fire during the Civil War in Atlanta. We possibly would have been, too, if we were there, but we were living with our Uncle Ben at the time in Ohio. We tried to get our parents to join us, but they insisted on staying to protect the plantation, and we were only children at the time. It’s not like we’d have any say in the matter.”
“Your parents were slave owners?”
“No, their workers were all free blacks. Father treated them well, even built them decent housing and a schoolhouse. That didn’t sit too well with his neighbors, though,” he explained.
“It might have been his neighbors who burned the house down. Tempers flared during the Civil War.”
&n
bsp; “That’s what I suspect, but there’s no sense in dwelling on that now. Our parents made sure the workers made it north when the war began. He knew there’d be trouble for them if they didn’t leave.”
“That’s some family history. I can barely even hear your southern drawl,” McKenna remarked.
“Believe me, I had to teach myself not to talk like that. Southern people weren’t treated that well up north during the war. If anyone had known that our family owned a plantation, I’m not sure if they’d have believed that our parents had no slaves.”
“Probably not.”
McKenna felt so close to Cole right then, even though he was across the room.
“Besides that your parents died in a buggy accident, what else can you tell me about them?”
McKenna smiled. “Well, they were desperately in love to their last breath. If they hadn’t gone together, I can’t imagine what one of them would have done without the other.”
“It seems like you were good at running the store. How long have you done that?”
“I’ve worked in the store since I was ten, and ran it outright the last three years so my parents could have time to travel together.”
“And what of a beau?”
“I didn’t have time for that silliness. Running a business took most of my time.”
“I mean no disrespect to your parents, but a woman your age is normally already married. You’re spinster age.”
She sighed. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that said.”
“And how about your sisters?”
“Abigail has never had any interest in being courted. She’s been running the household for some years and will be in charge of my sisters while I’m gone. I mean, until I send for them.”
“I can see that about her, but certainly you have one sister who is interested in getting married.”
“Kayla, but she needs to pay attention to her studies. She’s the first female to go to college.”
“That is strange, but if she’d rather get married, why push her to get an education?”
“Because a woman can’t always depend on a man for everything. If I hadn’t lost the store, we’d have no worries, but now things are more complicated. Penelope is courted regularly, but so far none of them resulted in a marriage proposal. She falls in love so easily. Cadence has never shown any interest in men that I know of. I felt bad leaving, since it was so hard on Cadence when our parents died and she didn’t want me to go.”
“It sounds like you’re very close with your sisters,” Cole said as he shook out his blanket. “I think it’s about time you left the nest and embarked on a real adventure. You have to admit it’s been quite, er … adventurous already.”
“More than I cared for.” McKenna yawned. “I’m not sorry that Charles got the butt of a rifle to his head. He’s been quite crude to me.”
Cole’s face tensed. “Oh, has he? I’ll have to take care of that tomorrow.”
“Oh, please don’t. I think he’ll shape up with you around now.”
He sighed. “Very well. Get some sleep, McKenna. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice, but sleep didn’t come easy with Cole so close. She so wanted to tell him to sleep in the bed with her, but she worried what would have happened if she did. She just felt so bad that he was having to sleep on the floor after he saved her life, or at least accompanied the men from the stagecoach station. The robbery certainly wasn’t the highlight of her life, but the robbers at least only seemed interested in the money. She wondered if they ever recovered the strongbox or caught the Bart gang.
McKenna rolled over and hit her pillow a multitude of times before she felt satisfied. She sure missed her bed back home and feather pillow. She stared over to where Cole was sleeping and closed her eyes quickly when she looked directly into his eyes. She had a very uncomfortable sleep after that.
She heard him laugh for a moment and that was enough to make McKenna cringe. She didn’t want him to think she was interested in him that way. She was just looking to see how comfortable he might be on the floor. She just wouldn’t admit that she liked him at least a little. It was nice to hear about his family, and she wondered just how young he had been when his parents died. He had to have at least been young enough to not be able to bodily remove his parents from their plantation, not that it mattered. She imagined they wouldn’t have gone quietly even if that were the case.
Since she wasn’t able to sleep all she could think about was her sisters. Would they get on okay without her being there? Yes, they’d be fine; Abigail would make sure of that.
Soon, Cole’s breathing was even enough for her to know he was sleeping, and she nodded off not long afterward.
CHAPTER SEVEN
McKenna was bone-weary by the time they finally neared their destination many days later. Luckily, they had no further trouble on the way. When the driver called out that they were headed into Silver, McKenna practically stuck her head out of the window. Even Ethel and Bella scrambled over to get a look-see.
She was overwhelmed, not at what the town was, but what it wasn’t. Silver wasn’t what she’d expected at all. It was dirty and dusty, not to mention insufferably hot. Sweat was working into places she’d rather not mention.
They passed row after row of tents with grimy-faced men huddled over campfires, tin cups in their hands. There were some women, too, but they were just as dirty and appeared worn-out to the bone.
“I didn’t know there’d be women here, too,” McKenna said.
“They most likely work in the kitchen tent where the prospectors eat, some of them wives of the miners,” Ethel explained.
It was then that the stagecoach passed a much larger tent. Smoke escaped through a pipe peeking through the top of the makeshift kitchen facility, the fragrance of bacon and eggs wafting over to them.
When they finally made it to where there were building structures, there was only a bank, jail, saloon, and an empty building that had a ‘sold’ sign hanging in the window next to that. When McKenna glanced across the street, more buildings were being built and there was a restaurant, but she was shocked to see a store, which was already in place and quite open for business! How will they ever be able to make a go of opening another store in this town if there already is one?
The stagecoach came to a halt and Cole jumped down and opened the door, helping McKenna down first before moving to assist the other ladies.
“Thank you, kind sir,” Bella said with a cockeyed smile.
The bags and suitcases were handed down. Cole took McKenna’s bag, but they hadn’t made it all that far when a man approached who wore a sheriff’s badge.
“I heard you had a little trouble on the way, Richard,” the sheriff said.
“What happened to the last sheriff?” Richard asked.
“You know how it is; the undertaker can’t make coffins fast enough for sheriffs in this town.” He laughed.
“Nice you can laugh about that, but it’s going to be weird calling you Sheriff Milford.”
“You can call me Hank, like always.”
“We were robbed by the Bart gang. They made off with the strongbox, but that’s all.”
“I know. I have the strongbox locked up at the bank. They caught up with them, or the strongbox at least. Seems like the gang wanted to escape more than they wanted the contents,” Hank explained.
“Blast it. I was hoping they’d be caught this time for sure. They shot Sam.”
“Just winged him, actually. He’ll recover nicely the men who brought the strongbox here said,” Hank informed him.
“If I’d have known we could have been robbed, I would have carried my money on my person,” Ethel said.
“Aren’t you William Braxton’s wife?” the sheriff asked. “You look just like the woman in the picture he carries around with him. He’s working his claim now.”
“Good, that means I have time to freshen up before I see him.”
>
“You can all check into the boarding house. It’s the best place in town to stay.”
“Not me,” Bella said. “I’m heading over to the saloon.” She strutted right over there, too, smiling wickedly at the men who passed her by.
“I’m sorry you had to be in the company of a woman like that, Miss,” Sheriff Milford said.
“I didn’t mind it. She’s a nice gal, but I can’t say the same for some others.”
Ethel slapped McKenna on the back with a laugh. “I like you, McKenna. You’re my type of woman.”
Charles glared at McKenna. “The sooner I part company with you, the better,” he said.
Cole took a step in Charles’s direction. “I’d watch how I spoke to my wife or about her.”
Albert grabbed his brother’s arm. “Let’s head to the saloon. I think we both need a drink.”
McKenna sighed. “Thanks, Cole. Will we be going to the boarding house now?”
“We need to head to the bank first. I’ve been in contact with a Mr. Smith,” he responded.
“Oh, yes. Mr. Smith handles all business transactions in town besides banking. He even weighs the gold prospectors bring in,” Hank explained.
“He sounds like a busy man,” McKenna said.
“Sure is. He should be in now if you need to see him,” the sheriff said.
Cole carried McKenna’s bag and handed it off to his brother, who’d just pulled up in the wagon. He then made his way into the bank with her by his side.
Inside, there were two windows with bars in front of it, presumably for the safety of whoever worked back there.
Cole went up to one of them and said, “I’m here to see Mr. Smith. I just came to town on the stagecoach.”
“And your name is?”
“Cole Winters, from Halston, Ohio.”
The woman didn’t move; a small, balding man with glasses walked out of an office that had the door open. “Come on in, Cole. I was hoping you’d show up soon.”
McKenna proceeded her husband into the room.
“Oh, Mrs. Winters. You can wait in the other room while us men do our business.”
McKenna, (Sweet Western Historical Romance) (Nevada Brides Series Book 1) Page 6