by Cat Cahill
At that moment, Isaac had looked at Sebastian, and he knew—his brother had invented that piece of the story. Isaac had stormed out of the cabin, Sebastian on his tail.
“There aren’t any guards,” he’d said to Sebastian. “Are there?”
His brother at least had the decency to look sheepish. “No. Not that I know of for certain.”
Isaac threw his hands up. “Then why did you say there were. Why—” He stopped as the truth dawned on him.
“I needed another man to pull this off, and I wanted it to be you.” Sebastian stood there, flanked by the cabin and the spindly aspens that grew around it, looking not even the least bit sorry.
“Is this your last job, or did you lie about that too?” Isaac almost didn’t want to know.
“It is, for now at least. I need some time away. To lie low for a bit.”
Isaac shook his head. It had been a half truth, and now, he didn’t know what to believe. The only thing he knew for certain was that he’d left Maggie without a word and he’d left Pete to handle the ranch alone, all for a brother who only wanted him to fill out his ranks, even though Sebastian knew Isaac wanted to be done with that kind of work. A brother who never once put Isaac first, though Isaac had spent his life doing just that for Sebastian. In fact, Sebastian had taken that and used it against him, lying to get him up here.
Isaac stared at his brother now, barely recognizing the man standing before him.
“Sebastian,” he said in a low voice, then stopped. He didn’t know what to say—or whether his brother would even listen. “I left everything for you. You knew I would, if you said the right words. But I’m done. I’m riding out. You ought to do the same.”
“Isaac!” Sebastian called as he walked away. “You leave now, you’re never coming back.”
Isaac continued striding toward his horse, not once looking over his shoulder.
“You’re no brother to me. Not after this.” Sebastian’s voice had grown angry, and he continued to hurl insults as Isaac saddled the horse.
Isaac didn’t speak another word. For the first time in his life, he didn’t feel guilty leaving his brother behind. At some point, he’d realized Sebastian was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions, as bad as they were. Isaac had done all he could, and all that was left to do now was pray.
It was late in the afternoon when he returned to the ranch. Eager to get inside to see Maggie and apologize for not speaking with her before he left, he rushed through unsaddling the horse and turning him out to the corral. Pete was nowhere to be found, and Isaac presumed he was working somewhere on the fencing, or was down at the creek starting work on the springhouse Maggie had mentioned they’d need. He’d find Pete later, after he’d seen Maggie.
He took the porch steps two at a time and was calling her name as he opened the door. But it was quiet inside, and the fireplace in the parlor was cold. Isaac furrowed his brow at it and called for her again.
There was no answer.
A sick feeling settled in his stomach as he moved through the house. She wasn’t in the kitchen, and the fire was out there too. He ran upstairs. No sign of Maggie, but at least her trunk remained in the corner, and her clothing still hung in the wardrobe. He paused at the top of the stairs. Perhaps she’d gone out riding. He’d mentioned yesterday she was free to do that if she stayed on the property. And she knew better now than to go driving off on her own.
But if she’d only gone riding, why would she have doused the fires?
He closed his eyes as the most likely explanation settled in.
She’d gone to find him.
If she’d asked Pete where he was this morning, he would’ve told her he’d gone to help his brother. That in itself shouldn’t have alarmed her—not enough to send her riding out after him—unless . . .
Unless she’d overheard them speaking last night.
He slammed the side of a fist into the wall. He should’ve known. Maggie wasn’t the type of woman who’d simply scurry off to bed, not after an introduction like the one she’d had to Sebastian. And certainly not when she knew Sebastian’s line of work.
She’d worried for him. If she wasn’t missing, Isaac might have reveled in that thought a bit longer. But her worry had led her out to find him, likely fearing he’d changed his mind.
He should’ve woken her and told her where he was going in person, or at least left a note. But he hadn’t, and now . . .
She was likely wandering the mountains, alone. Although alone might be better than the company of anyone who might find her up there. Images of every danger that could lurk on the mountainside raced through his mind, spurring him down the stairs and back out to the barn. He saddled another horse, found Pete down at the creek, and then was back up the mountain, searching for any sign of Maggie.
He had two hours before dark. Two hours to find her, or, God help him, he’d never forgive himself.
Chapter Nineteen
Exhaustion had overtaken Maggie several hours after dark, and yet she’d kept riding as long as she could. Luck was on her side in the form of no more rain and a nearly full moon overhead, and she’d kept going as long as her body could remain upright on the horse. And when it couldn’t, she’d curled up on the saddle blanket in a copse of trees.
She’d thought for certain she’d never fall asleep out here. It was freezing cold, and she was alone in a strange place. She imagined bears and mountain lions and wild men of all sorts lurking around each tree. But eventually, sleep had won out over fear, and she woke just as the sun crested the horizon.
Her horse stood nearby, lapping water from a mountain stream, and Maggie stood and yawned. Every bone in her body ached from soreness and chill, and her stomach rumbled. She opened what remained of the food she’d packed and allowed herself a slice each of cheese and bread.
As she ate, she considered her options. The train came by, about a mile from the ranch, at about eleven thirty each morning. She’d search for the cabin a bit longer, but if she didn’t find it, she’d head back down the mountain toward the tracks, and perhaps she could intercept Isaac there.
Mind made up, Maggie stretched her weary arms and legs one last time before resaddling the horse and heading south toward the area she hadn’t covered last night. A life of not being entirely ladylike had lent her at least a few unusual skills, riding about the plains for hours without getting lost chief among them.
After about an hour or so, she came across a curious sight. Large boulders sat crookedly behind some trees. Making her way around them, Maggie heard the sound of a horse.
Her heart lodged someplace in her throat, she drew in a deep breath and nudged her own horse forward, around the boulders, until a small cabin came into view. Five horses were corralled outside it. She scanned them, hoping to spot Isaac’s favorite chestnut mare, but she hadn’t seen the horse often enough to differentiate it from the others that grazed outside the cabin.
Heavy footsteps on wood drew her to a halt. A man stood outside the cabin, with a rifle pointing directly at her.
Maggie swallowed hard and raised her hands, since that seemed the most likely thing to do. She’d found the place. She just hadn’t thought about what would happen after that.
“I’m looking for Isaac Trenton,” she managed to say, her voice shaking only a little.
The man stared at her a moment. “Off the horse.”
She complied, her legs threatening to buckle as she climbed down, but landing safely next to the animal. As soon as she was off, he turned just a bit to call into the cabin. “Trenton. You’d best get out here.”
Maggie kept her eyes on the cabin door, even as the man didn’t lower his weapon. Finally, she’d get to speak with Isaac. She was grateful she’d found him before he’d begun making his way to the train. She’d talk to him, and they’d return home before he could make this mistake.
But it wasn’t Isaac who emerged from the cabin. It was his brother.
Sebastian paused near a post that held u
p the cabin’s roof, leaning against it in an easy fashion, a smile crossing his lips as he spotted Maggie. “Well, look what the cat drug in.”
Maggie’s heart beat wildly. Something about this suddenly didn’t feel right. “I’m here to see Isaac.”
Sebastian regarded her a moment, her hands still in the air, and then turned to the man with the rifle. “Put that down. No need to hold my brother’s wife at gunpoint.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said to Sebastian as she lowered her hands, glaring at the other man as she spoke. “Will you send Isaac out now, please? I need to speak with him.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible,” Sebastian said, pulling himself up straight and beginning to walk toward her with lazy steps, as if he had all day to cross the little clearing.
A feeling of dread began snaking its way through Maggie. “What do you mean? Did he leave?”
Sebastian stopped a foot away from her. All Maggie wanted to do was reach behind her for the horse, throw herself back onto the saddle, and race down this mountain as fast as she could.
But she wouldn’t leave Isaac behind. So she remained, feet planted on the pine-needle-strewn ground, hands clasped together, and eyes on the man who looked so much like Isaac and yet didn’t at the same time. Close up, the differences were subtle but remarkable. Sebastian’s eyes didn’t hold the warmth or mirth that Isaac’s did, Sebastians’s smile was more freely given but less sincere, and while Isaac held himself as if he owned all that was around him, Sebastian seemed to lurk about the edges, not quite claiming anything but able to fit in anywhere.
“I presume you’re here to persuade him to return home,” Sebastian said, his dark eyes on her face, seemingly watching her every expression.
Maggie swallowed, hoping courage wouldn’t fail her now. “That which I have to say is for his ears only. And if he’s left, then I’ll take my leave too.”
“He’s not left.” Sebastian gestured at the man still near the cabin and pointed to Maggie’s horse. “He changed his mind, but I informed him that a promise must be kept.” He turned to the other man, who had ambled up to where they stood. “Smith, will you see that Mrs. Trenton’s horse is unsaddled and watered?”
“That isn’t necessary.” Maggie reached for the horse’s reins, but the man called Smith had already taken them and was leading her horse away. Without the animal at her back, she felt adrift.
Or cornered.
“On the contrary, it’s vital to care well for the beasts.”
“I know that,” she snapped at him. “But I did not give you permission to take my horse, and I’d like her back. Now.” Her hands had gone to her hips, and she crushed her trembling fingers into fists.
Her outburst only made Sebastian’s smile grow. “I think I like you. If I’d had a sister, I hope she’d have been like you. Although now I suppose I do have a sister.”
“Where is my husband?” Maggie fixed a glare onto Sebastian. If the man didn’t tell her, she was about to stride into that cabin and find him herself.
“I’ll get to the point. Isaac’s helping me, whether he wants to or not.”
Maggie’s eyes strayed to the cabin as the meaning behind Sebastian’s words settled in. “You’re keeping him here against his will.”
“If you wish to put it that way, I suppose it’s accurate.”
“And you’re going to force him to work with you.” She drew her gaze back to Isaac’s brother. His eyes were unreadable, but his smile was gone. “That’s despicable.”
“He gave me his word. But . . .” Sebastian tilted his head and looked her up and down.
With every fiber of her being, Maggie wanted to cringe, but she refused to show any fear. Instead, she stood tall and waited for this infuriating man to finish his thought. When he didn’t, she prodded him with, “But what?”
He raised his eyebrows. “No, you would never agree to it.”
Understanding began to bloom, and Maggie’s stomach turned. She pressed a hand to her abdomen and looked away, at the trees, the boulders, the horses in the corral, anything that might help anchor her wildly spinning thoughts. “If you don’t tell me what it is, how will you know for certain?”
“I’ll let Isaac go from his promise if you take his place.”
The entire idea was so preposterous that Maggie wanted to laugh. What good would she be as an outlaw? And yet, if it kept Isaac away from this life he wanted so badly to be done with . . . could she do it?
She drew in a deep breath. “Might I ask what it would entail? As you might guess, I’m not particularly adept at handling a gun or taking people’s valuables.”
That smile was back, and it made Maggie feel even more queasy. “I knew you’d see reason. My men and I can handle most everything, but we could use a distraction.”
Maggie furrowed her brow. “Distraction?”
“To make the train stop. There’s nothing like a woman, alone and begging for help, that’ll make the engineer set the brakes faster. And it’ll be far less suspicious than the obstacle on the tracks we were planning.”
“If I agree to this,” Maggie said, running the edge of her coat between her fingers, “You’ll release Isaac?”
“From his promise, yes. He’ll remain here until you’ve seen your end of our bargain through.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” She paused, remembering how smoothly Sebastian had tried to talk Isaac into working with him last night.
“Do you have a choice?”
She didn’t, and he knew it. She doubted he’d let her leave now, even if she refused to help. And what if he was speaking the truth, and by choosing not to help, she doomed Isaac to whatever fate awaited him down the mountain?
She’d never be able to live with herself.
The man who had taken Maggie’s horse earlier had reappeared around the corner of the cabin. He waited there now, watching them.
Maggie turned back to Sebastian. “I want to speak with Isaac.”
“So he can talk you out of it?” Sebastian shook his head. “You know, I believe I like this arrangement more than the one I had with Isaac. And I know my brother. He’s noble to a fault. If he gets one whiff of this, he’ll insist on going himself instead.” Sebastian turned and gestured for her to walk to the cabin. “You can wait out here with Smith. I’ll bring you something to eat.”
“That isn’t necessary,” Maggie said before reluctantly taking the steps toward which he’d pointed her.
Sebastian disappeared inside the cabin without another word. Smith, the man who’d held the rifle on her earlier and who had then taken her horse, now dusted off a rickety chair for her. “Sorry it ain’t much,” he said.
Maggie sat, grateful for the rest, but too nervous about what was to come to remember to even thank the man. He leaned against the wall nearby, and she stared out at the boulders and aspens and pines, trying not to think too hard on what she’d just agreed to do.
It would be brief, and for that she was thankful. And she’d be away from the armed men Sebastian had mentioned would be on the train. Afterward, she could return to the ranch, with Isaac—provided Sebastian had been truthful with her.
She supposed she would be something of an outlaw afterward. The thought sat heavy in her chest, threatening to crush her heart. But despite how wrong it was, it would be worth it to save Isaac from being forced back into a life he despised. And to keep him safe.
Sebastian was right. She had no choice.
Chapter Twenty
The bend in the tracks was the perfect location to stage a train robbery. Although Sebastian hadn’t told him specifically where they were planning to lie in wait for the train this time, after the hassle they’d had remaining concealed until the last moment the first time around, Isaac suspected this place would be their choice.
And he was right.
After about an hour, three men on horseback—no, make that two men and one woman—emerged from behind the small hill the tracks wrapped around. Isaac had never been
so grateful to see a person in his life. But there she was, upright and looking unharmed. It took everything he had not to spring into action at that very moment. He needed them around the hill on the north side, closer to where he was, and out of sight of the other men he knew waited in the copse of trees to the south.
Even his horse was antsy, stepping back and forth. They’d been out all night, finally stopping to sleep a few hours when good sense prevailed. He couldn’t have kept the horse going forever without rest and water. But they’d been up again before dawn, combing the mountainside. He’d stumbled upon a spot near a stream where it appeared Maggie might have spent the night, not far at all from the hidden cabin. At that point, he had the sinking feeling she might have actually found Sebastian and his men. But when he arrived at the cabin, everyone had gone, already headed down the mountain to meet the train. With no sign of Maggie, he’d taken the gamble that she had, for reasons unknown, gone with them. He hadn’t thought much on why, only on the need to get down the mountain as quickly as possible.
Now, seeing her with his brother, his teeth ground in anger. He didn’t know what Sebastian must have said to put Maggie in this position, or what he’d convinced her to do. It certainly wasn’t something she’d choose willingly. Pushing aside every instinct to ride to her immediately, he pulled the watch from his pocket. The simple act brought to mind the meal they’d had at the hotel in Crest Stone only two days ago, when he’d wished for his pocket watch to complete the silly tableau they’d created. If anything happened to her before he could reach her . . .
Isaac clenched the watch in his gloved hand. It was fifteen minutes after eleven. They were north of the ranch, which meant somewhere between five and ten minutes before the train arrived. He replaced the watch, thinking again of Maggie calling him Commissioner and laughing when he’d assigned her the role of the New York debutante. She was so full of life, and so willing to share that joy.