Train from Marietta

by Dorothy Garlock

  Oh blessed storm! Please go on forever!

  Wrapped in her own special enchantment, Kate was scarcely aware of anything except the man who turned his back to the storm and put his arms around her, sheltering her. Rain was sliding off the overhang in a solid sheet. She reached around Tate to make sure his back was covered.

  “Are you getting wet?”

  “Not much.” Tate was silent after the whispered words. He wanted to tell her that she was nothing like he first thought she was. It was hard for him to believe that he was here with her like this and that she was worried that his back was wet. This woman was certainly not like his ex-wife. She did not belong here in his arms, pressed closely to his chest. She should be living the life that she had been pursuing up until the time she’d gotten on the train from Marietta. This realization brought a sudden feeling of discontent to his heart.

  “Are you cold?” he asked.

  Kate shook her head. She wasn’t conscious of the cold or the hard ground or her cramped position. She was aware only of the man with the quiet face, seeking eyes, and tight arms. She didn’t feel the cool of the rain, but instead the pull of his whiskers on her hair and his breath on her face. Was that his heart or hers thumping so determinedly between them? She closed her eyes, suffused with joy and wonderment, experiencing a strange peace. He held her gently but securely, holding the storm at bay with his wiry body. She wanted to record, in her memory, this wonderful feeling so she could bring it out and relive it again and again during the bleak days ahead without him. She thought longingly of spending every day of her life with him, making a home for him, having him with her during the long, lonely nighttime hours.

  Kate was jarred from her trance when she felt Tate’s hand slide down her arm, his fingers tightening around her hand. He held it gently but firmly, and his rough fingers began to move up and down her arm, in a light caress. Kate thought her heart would stop beating. A lump rose in her throat, too large for her to swallow. She turned her face to his shoulder.

  “Shhh …” She hardly heard the sound that was murmured in her ear, but she definitely felt the lips that lingered there. It was a moment she would remember forever.

  Almost as suddenly as it had come, the rain ceased. The dark clouds rolled on as if chased by their enemy, the sun. It was as though nature was showing off for the group beneath the overhang. Even as they stood and stretched, blue sky appeared, and then a rainbow, vivid and magnificent, arched the sky.

  Kate stood on weakened legs, keeping her eyes averted from Tate, but knowing that now there was something between them that hadn’t been there before. She felt almost giddy with happiness. He had touched her, held her, but then, she cautioned herself, he was only protecting her from the storm. A little of the joy left her when she remembered that he was doing his duty and keeping his promise to his friend to get her back safely.

  “Nice, soft woman. Too bad storm has passed.” Luke was grinning as he folded his blanket.

  “Why do you say that?” Tate asked, and wished that he had not voiced the question because Luke would not let an opening like that pass.

  “Why I say that? You a man, she a woman.”

  Kate looked from one to the other, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Wasn’t there anything this boy didn’t talk about openly?

  Tate stepped outside the overhang to look around. He wasn’t absolutely sure that the storm was over. He studied the terrain on either side of them for as far as he could see. There was a chance that Hayden might be down the trail, waiting for them. But there was an even greater chance that he would soon trap them if they stayed under the overhang. The very silence worried him; there wasn’t even a birdsong to be heard. All of which meant to Tate that something or someone was near.

  “Get the horse, Luke. Be careful. It’s too quiet.”

  Kate took hold of Tate’s arm and looked inquiringly into his face.

  “As soon as a storm is over, the birds come out. I don’t hear them. Stay here while I look around.”

  Without argument, Kate stepped as far back under the overhang as she could go, leaned against the wall, and watched Tate move into the surrounding brush. Soon Luke returned, leading the horse. He brought him in under the overhang and wiped him off with a blanket. Then he put the Mexican’s saddle back on him. Luke looked at Kate slyly. She wondered if there was something else that he wanted to say to her, but she was reluctant to question him. Finally, after finishing his work with the horse, he came to stand a few feet from her.

  “Tate been long without a woman.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” He had surprised her with his bluntness.

  “He need Indian girl to help him. He not need another useless woman.”

  “Does he have an Indian girl?”

  “My sister would marry him. Even be second wife.”

  “Second wife?”

  “Tate man enough for two wives.”

  “Is it customary out here for a man to have two wives?”

  “If first wife can’t skin rabbit.”

  “But it’s against the law,” Kate protested.

  “What law?”

  “God’s law.”

  “God have no law here. He up there.” Luke jerked his thumb toward the sky. Kate failed to see the sly grin on his face.

  “What’re you up to, Luke?” Tate’s voice came from behind her.

  “Silly woman think you no need two wives.”

  “I don’t need one wife” —Tate frowned—“much less two.”

  Kate kept her face carefully composed. She didn’t look at Tate but tilted her chin and spoke slowly. “He’s the one that said you needed two wives. I hadn’t given it a thought.”

  “He’s good at arranging people’s lives. I suppose he told you that he wants his sister to be my second wife? Did he mention that he has another sister that he wants to be my first wife?” As he looked at her, his left eyelid drooped in a wink and his lips lifted slightly at the corners.

  “No, he didn’t mention that. He didn’t have time. Besides, I didn’t want to hear it anyway. I’m not interested in how many wives you have or want.” Kate lifted her shoulders indifferently and looked away, pretending to be interested in the saddle on the horse.

  Tate spoke rapidly to Luke in his native language. From the tone of his voice, he was scolding him. Luke didn’t seem to mind. He held up his hand, palm out. To Kate, it looked like a gesture of surrender. Without comment, Luke continued to gather up his belongings. He hung his food and water bag over the saddle horn.

  “I can walk for a while,” Kate said.

  “You ride,” Luke said, and picked up the horse’s reins while Tate held the stirrup for her to mount. As she settled into the saddle, she was conscious that her skirt barely covered the upper part of her thighs.

  With Luke leading the way, Tate, with the reins looped over his hand, followed. He looked over his shoulder at Kate and said softly, “Be quiet.”

  Not another word passed between the three of them until the shadows had lengthened and the sun had begun to disappear behind the hills. Kate was so tired that she clung to the saddle horn. How can they walk so far? But Luke gave no sign of letting up, and Tate stayed behind him. Finally, after what seemed to Kate to be hours, they stopped, and Luke came back to speak to Tate in low tones. Then Luke took off in a trot back in the direction that they had come.

  “What’s he going back for?” Kate dared to ask.

  Tate stepped back and stood beside her. He pointed to a rock formation off to the right. “He wants to climb those rocks and see if he can catch sight of Hayden.” Just the mention of Hayden’s name made Kate’s skin crawl.

  “Do you think he’s still following?”

  “I have no doubt of it.”

  “Will he catch up?”

  “He will. But we’ve got to choose the spot where it happens. By now, he knows we’re headed for Muddy Creek. He’ll make his move soon. He won’t attempt anything in the dark. He knows Luke’s with us and th
at he can see in the dark like an owl. It’s a myth that Indians don’t fight at night. Hayden may think that some of Luke’s people have joined us.”

  “Couldn’t we try to get behind him?”

  “With all this rain, we’ll be leaving tracks like a mule walking down a muddy road. Anyone could follow them. As soon as Luke gets back, we’ll go on. I know of one place where he won’t be able to slip up on us, and, just maybe, we’ll be lucky enough to see him before he sees us.”

  “What’ll you do?”

  “It depends on what he does.” Tate took his hat off and wiped his brow. It had become hot and sultry after the rain. “I’d like him to think that you’re no longer with us. I wiped out your tracks back at the overhang in the hope that he might think I’ve hidden you away somewhere. If he buys it, he might stay still and watch to see if I go back for you. Hopefully he’ll stay holed up for a while. It might give Luke time to make it to Muddy Creek and send a wire to Lyle.”

  “How far is it to town?”

  “About five miles.”

  “Five miles?”

  “That’s not very far for Luke. He likes to run, doesn’t matter the distance. I’ve never known of anyone who can catch him when he’s in full stride. By going now, he’ll be there first thing in the morning when the agent comes to open the depot.”

  “It doesn’t seem very safe to run at night,” Kate remarked.

  “Actually it’s the best time. For one thing, it’s a lot cooler. For another, Hayden will either be holed up or trying to find us. Even if he’s between us and Muddy Creek, Luke will find a way to slip past him.”

  “But if he sees Luke, won’t he go after him?”

  “I doubt it. Hayden’s like a bull—single-minded. He’ll be too focused on finding us to spend much time on an Indian. If anything, it’ll make him want to find us even more because he’ll think that he only has me to contend with.”

  “If he catches us …” Kate couldn’t even bring herself to finish the thought. Deep in her mind, she felt that she already knew the answer. If Hayden caught up with them, someone would get hurt.

  “If he does catch us,” Tate said, his eyes searching hers, “and I tell you to go, I want you to run towards the east. Find a place to hide and stay perfectly still. Luke will find you when he comes back from town.”

  For the next couple of minutes, both were silent. In her mind, Kate imagined what would happen if Hayden did find them. The thought of Tate being hurt, or even killed, froze the blood in her veins. If he told her to run, could she actually bring herself to abandon this man who had done so much to make sure that she was safe?

  “You think Hayden will come tonight?” she asked softly.

  “If he comes, he’ll come when the sun is low. He’ll wait until the sun is setting and then come from the west so that we’ll be blinded by it.” Suddenly Tate turned his head and acted as if he was listening, even though Kate could hear no sound. “That was Luke’s signal. He’s leaving now.”

  “I didn’t hear anything.”

  “It was the whistle of a scissortail. Luke’s father and I have used that signal for years. I’m surprised Hayden hasn’t caught on to it.”

  “Luke is leaving now?”

  “He must have found a way to slip past Hayden. Come on.” Tate tugged on the reins of the horse and moved up the hillside toward the heavy boulders. “We’ve got to get to a place where we’ll have cover.”

  Kate was frightened. The shadows grew longer with each passing moment, and she felt that the showdown between them and Hayden was growing ever closer. From the moment that Tate had saved her from Squirrelly’s clutches, she wanted to avoid this fight, but now that seemed impossible. Even though the day was still hot, she couldn’t help shivering.

  Tate led the horse around a large boulder and then stood for a minute looking back the way they had come. “This is as good a place as any,” he said as he came to help Kate down from the horse. She swung her leg over the saddle and, while tightly gripping Tate’s hand, slid to the ground. Once on the ground, Kate had to hold on to the saddle horn because her legs were wobbly.

  “What can I do?” she asked.

  “Stay here behind this boulder and keep out of sight. Your blond hair shines like a lantern in this sun. Do you have anything you could tie over your head?”

  “You want me to cover my hair?”

  “As bad as he wants me, I think he wants you more, and it probably doesn’t matter to him if he takes you dead or alive. If the ransom money has already been paid, he can’t afford to let you live. If you were to make it to the law, you could testify against him. He’s already been to prison. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep from going back. With all of that, he may shoot you if he sees your blond head poking above a boulder.” Tate removed his handkerchief from around his neck and handed it to her. “Here, tie this over your head and stay down. I’ll be over behind the rocks on the other side of the trail. If you look up, you’ll see me. I’ll take off my hat if I see him.”

  “I’m scared, Tate.” The words poured out of her quickly, her fear at what was happening bubbling over. Tears filled the corners of her eyes, and she felt her hands begin to shake.

  “It’s not a bad thing to be scared,” Tate said softly.

  “I’m scared for you.” She wanted to grab hold of him and not let him go. Her feelings for this man who had risked his life for her had grown into something that she couldn’t explain. If he went off and Hayden found him, he could be killed. If that happened, she didn’t know if she could go on.

  Tate put his hand gently on her shoulder and then slid it up behind her neck. Shivers raced down her spine. “You’ll be all right.”

  “Damn it,” she hissed through her teeth. “I’m worried about you.”

  “Don’t be.”

  The hand behind her neck drew her closer. Her eyes met his for the briefest of moments before he bent his head and placed his lips against hers, holding them there for a long minute. His kiss was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Her heart swam, and for what seemed like forever, she forgot that this might be the last of their lives. When he raised his head, her eyes were misty. She wanted to say something—to tell him how important he was to her, how he was more than just a rescuer—but the words refused to come. So she said nothing. He looked at her silently, then turned and walked away.

  For the next hour, Kate quietly crouched behind the boulder, peeking over the rock only occasionally. Most of the time, her eyes were locked on Tate. This man had become the most important thing in her life. She’d only known him for a few days! She tried to tell herself that it was because they were alone and she depended on him, but her heart told her that wasn’t true. Even when they stood on the train platform in Simon, she had felt something. At that moment, she hadn’t known what it was, but it must have been attraction. Now she had no more illusions. She had fallen for the cowboy.

  Lost in her daydream, she was startled when a hand clamped down over her mouth. She hadn’t had the time to let out a sound! Trying with all her might, she tried to move but was held firmly in place.

  “Keep quiet, bitch!” The words were huskily whispered in her ear.

  Kate knew immediately who it was. For a brief moment, she was frozen, her heart beating wildly. She looked at Tate, but he was still crouched behind the boulder and lookingp down the trail. He didn’t know that Hayden had crept up behind them. Her fear momentarily released its grip, and she instinctively dug her elbow into the man’s midsection. A blast of air hit her ear, but the grip that held her never weakened.

  “Try that again, bitch, and I’ll slit your throat,” Hayden growled.

  Kate, in desperation, looked toward the boulder where Tate was crouching, hoping to at least see him one last time.

  Tate was gone.

  Chapter 17

  “LET GO OF HER!”

  Tate lunged across the gap between himself and Hayden with a ferocious look on his face and his gun in his hand. In turn, Hayden
shoved Kate toward him. Seeing Kate come flying across the space, Tate flung out an arm to keep her from falling. Hayden took advantage of the move. His foot lashed out, knocking the gun from Tate’s hand. The move had brought Hayden close enough for Tate to strike. He doubled up his fist and swung a jarring blow that flattened Hayden’s lips against his big, square teeth. The blow would have felled most men, but it merely rocked Hayden back on his heels. Roaring with anger, Hayden pulled the large knife free of its scabbard and charged. Tate’s own anger rose. He dodged the knife and threw another punch. He moved so quickly that Hayden was forced to back up in order to protect himself from Tate’s windmill attack.

  “Go!” Tate shouted as he shot a glance at Kate. “Get the hell out of here!”

  Kate stood paralyzed, the sight of the two men fighting holding her to the ground. Her legs felt as if they were weighted down with iron chains, and her unblinking eyes stayed locked on the men. Even as she heard his shout, fear for Tate kept her from acting.

  With a quick feint, Hayden flicked the knife out and cut Tate on the chin. Pain shot through him like fire, forcing him to back away. Hayden lowered his head for a charge, and Tate let him come. Before Hayden could slash him again, Tate’s fist struck him with such force that his head snapped up and his body arched back. Hayden staggered for a moment, looking as if he might topple, then planted his feet wide apart and became as rooted to the ground as an oak tree. Tate tried to press his advantage, moving in to fell the man, but Hayden was ready. His big fist thudded against Tate’s cheekbone, opening a gash.

  Already, Tate could taste the copper blood filling his mouth. As Hayden flashed a bloody mouth of his own, the knife still moving menacingly in front of him, Tate moved to his side and then darted in low, hitting the man hard in the stomach with his head. Hayden lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground, dragging Tate with him. The sound of Hayden’s knife clattering amongst the rocks reached Tate’s ears. Gnashing teeth tried to grab some part of his face or neck as they rolled. Now on the ground, both men snarled at each other, their faces only inches apart. Hayden brought his head forward in short raps, striking Tate in the face. Blood spurted from his nose. Tate brought his knee up between Hayden’s legs, causing Hayden just enough pain to force him to drop his arms. Agile as a cat, Tate sprang to his feet.