Flint Hills Bride

by Cassandra Austin

  “Yeah. Or he might have gone back to the railroad. That was his original plan, and it’d be faster. I imagine he’s plenty tired of riding.” Jake straightened, shifting his weight to the other foot. He was tired of riding himself.

  “He’s turned cautious, though. He may be afraid the stationmasters have been alerted.”

  “That’s pretty vain,” Jake said. “Nobody’s particularly interested in finding him, but me. What about Diamond Springs?”

  “Little place. He could have gotten food in the store there. It’s close by.”

  But in the wrong direction. Jake had to get Emily to a town with a train station. He couldn’t continue to drag her around looking for Berkeley. It was half a day’s travel to Council Grove; he would leave Emily there. She could sell her horse and take the train home or back to Strong or off to wherever Berkeley had told her to meet him. He could spend the afternoon, and perhaps the next day, checking the ranches and farms Kinney had indicated. If nothing turned up, he would admit defeat.

  Kinney folded the map and handed it to Jake, who stuffed it into his shirt pocket. “It don’t seem right letting you share a room with the young lady.”

  “I told you, I’m not letting her out of my sight.”

  Kinney raised a hand. “I understand and I went along with the lie to the missus and the boys, but if you aren’t worried about her running off to meet this Eldon, I don’t quite see the point.”

  He had said their story was complicated, but it had gotten more so when he had tried to explain it to Kinney. The man had gotten the impression that she was virtually his prisoner. He was willing to say anything to keep him from knowing he was in love with the fugitive’s woman—pregnant woman at that.

  “I’m hoping she’ll talk in her sleep,” he said. “I think I’ll turn in.”

  “I’ll show you the way,” Kinney said, rising.

  Upstairs, Kinney stopped in front of a closed door. “I want to trust you, son. That’s why I’ll allow this. But keep in mind, my room’s right below.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jake said, waiting for Kinney to turn away before he opened the door. A lamp on the dresser burned low, casting a soft light over the tidy room. He could see Emily asleep on a narrow bed. He slipped inside the room and closed the door as quietly as possible.

  He walked slowly toward her. Her dark hair was in a thick braid that lay on the covers as if it had been flung aside. Little tendrils curled around her face. He found himself kneeling beside the bed brushing the soft hair off her cheek.

  Why did she have to get mixed up with Anson Berkeley? Why couldn’t she have fallen in love with him? The thought made him want to laugh. He had avoided her for three years because he knew that wouldn’t happen.

  He was a little surprised to realize that the baby didn’t change the fact that he loved her. He had been so angry when the realization had first come to him that he hadn’t been aware of anything else. But his anger had been directed at Berkeley, not Emily. All afternoon as he had watched over her, he had thought of the baby only as it related to Emily’s strength and health.

  Now he thought about it as another human being, a tiny child who knew nothing of his parents’ misjudgments. He pictured a toddler Trevor’s size with Emily’s fine features. He would look like Emily’s brother Arlen, he realized.

  Or he might look like Berkeley.

  He decided to hold on to that thought. He had begun to think of the miniature Arlen or Emily as his own, an impossible thought. He gave the soft cheek one more caress and turned away.

  He found an extra quilt at the foot of the bed, blew out the lamp and lay down on the rug. It made a hard bed, but he was tired enough it didn’t matter.

  Emily sat up cautiously. With her elbows on her knees she put her head in her hands and waited for the wave of dizziness to pass. Now, if she could somehow avoid the kitchen.

  She was alone, but a quilt tossed over the back of a chair indicated that Jake had spent the night in the room. She pictured him sleeping in the chair, its back pressed up against the door, the quilt wrapped around his shoulders, a shotgun across his knees. The picture made her laugh out loud.

  Laughing made her feel good. She decided that would be her cure from now on. She would laugh to dispel the illness she felt almost every morning.

  She dressed quickly, straightened the room and took her bag with her downstairs. The big living room was far enough away from the kitchen to be blessedly free of cooking smells. Her cloak hung near the front door, and she left her bag on the floor beneath it. She was relieved to find Jake’s coat hanging there. Was she still worried that he would leave her?

  She thought on that as she moved back into the room and sat down in a chair. She was most certainly slowing him down, and now their trail seemed to have disappeared. She knew Jake and Mr. Kinney had talked into the evening about where they should look next. Perhaps Jake had decided to give up.

  The thought filled her with a familiar dread. What if she never saw Anson again? She decided she wouldn’t miss him exactly, but without his name she and her baby would be outcasts. She had to find him.

  She heard someone clear his throat and jumped. One of the boys, Luke she thought, stood just inside the room. “I didn’t mean to startle you, ma’am.”

  “That’s all right,” she said, regaining her composure. “I was just lost in thought.”

  “Ma said to tell you to come eat whenever you want.”

  “Thanks,” she said, uncertain what to tell him. She couldn’t eat now, but she would be starving later. Though it would make her seem completely spoiled, she saw no other choice but to ask. “I don’t like to eat this early,” she said finally. “Could you ask her to pack something I can take with me?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he answered politely. He gave her an odd look before he turned and left the room.

  So what if Luke thought she was spoiled? So what if the whole family did? She was leaving in a few minutes, and Jake’s opinion was the only one that mattered. He already thought she was spoiled. Besides, anything was better than throwing up and having Mrs. Kinney guess her state.

  And give it away to Jake!

  She didn’t have to wait long before Jake and the elder Kinneys joined her in the living room. Jake headed straight for the door. “Ready?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said, rising. She turned first to the Kinneys. “I appreciate your hospitality.”

  “Our pleasure, dear,” Mrs. Kinney answered. She brought a cloth sack to her. “This is for later.”

  “Thanks,” Emily said, feeling embarrassed. She hurried to tuck the sack into her carpetbag. Jake waited with her cloak. She let him help her into it and followed him out the door.

  Two of the boys stood in front with the horses saddled. Jake tied her carpetbag in place and checked the gelding’s cinch before he helped Emily aboard. There were more goodbyes once he was in the saddle. In a few minutes they rode out of the yard.

  “Wait a minute,” Emily said. “Isn’t this the way we came?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “It seems to be,” she said, irritated that more information wasn’t forthcoming.

  Jake turned and grinned at her. “How would you know? You were asleep most of the afternoon.”

  She bristled at his gibe. “Maybe. But I can see the sunrise and know we’re headed east.”

  “Northeast,” he corrected.

  “Toward the railroad?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Berkeley didn’t go to Kinney’s ranch. We don’t know where he went when he left Garvey’s yesterday morning. His talk of enjoying the scenery and his intention to head straight west could have been intended to throw us off his trail. The most logical thing for him to have done was head for the railroad, and the nearest station is still Council Grove.”

  “So that’s where we’re going? And you’ll ask everybody in town if they’ve seen him?”

  “Something like that,” he said. “It’ll take us half a day to get there, and you can spend th
e afternoon sleeping in a hotel room while I ask around.”

  She turned in the saddle to glare at him. “I don’t have to sleep the entire afternoon.”

  “Really? You could’ve fooled me.”

  It sounded like his typical teasing, but there was no sparkle in his green eyes. Either he was truly irritated at her or something else bothered him. She wondered if it might be her morning eating habits. Perhaps he had been embarrassed by her request. Well, he could think what he wanted as long as her secret was safe.

  Chapter Ten

  The day had begun as warm as the past week, but by midmorning the temperature dropped. Emily drew the heavy cloak more snugly around her. “Do you think it’ll snow?” she asked.

  “Probably,” Jake answered. “Though this time of year it usually doesn’t amount to much.”

  “That’s reassuring,” she said, shivering. Of all the times to decide not to wear double layers! But it had been so nice yesterday.

  “You’ll be warm soon. It’s not much farther to Council Grove.”

  “Will we spend the night there?”

  “That depends on what I find.”

  She turned to scowl at him, but he was looking straight ahead. He had been stingy with information all day. She had a feeling he was planning farther ahead than he let on. Was he considering giving up? What would she do then?

  Perhaps, she decided, if he said the trail was lost and it was time to go back, she would tell him about Denver. Odd that she had treasured that little bit of information, almost as a last hope of escaping with Anson. Confidence in Anson had faded considerably since they had parted on the train, and now she wasn’t sure the information had any value even to Jake. Was Anson really planning to meet her there?

  She wanted to laugh at herself. If she told Jake now, her sole purpose would be to keep him from giving up. And she wasn’t even sure he would believe her.

  All the way to Council Grove, Jake reconsidered his decision. He had to get Emily off a horse and onto the relative safety of a train and ultimately home. She wasn’t going to go willingly. Abandoning her in Council Grove seemed the only solution.

  He had trouble feeling good about it, though. If there was no sign of Berkeley in Council Grove, maybe he should give up and escort the lady home. That way he would know she was safe.

  But was she really? What about the baby? He would be taking her home to face disgrace, without the child’s father available to make it right.

  No, it was better to send her home and continue his search. A glance in her direction helped to reinforce the decision. Her shoulders were hunched against the cold, and she was shivering. Yes, he needed to send her home. He should have done it sooner.

  The sky had turned a heavy gray by the time they rode into Council Grove. Jake pulled up at the Hays House in the center of town. “Hurry inside,” he said. “I’ll see to the horses.”

  “Shall I order your dinner?” she asked.

  He hesitated just a moment. Would it be easier to leave her now? But the temptation to spend a little more time with her was too great. “Whatever you’re having,” he said. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  He put the horses up in the livery across the street. He described Berkeley and his horse to the proprietor, but the man hadn’t seen either. The first few flakes were falling when he hurried back to the restaurant. He shed his overcoat, hat and gloves at the door and joined Emily at the table she had taken near the fire.

  “Thawing out a little?” he asked as he took the seat across from her.

  “Mmm, it feels wonderful. I ordered us steaks, thick and rare. I’ve been longing for one for days.”

  He grinned at her. “Are you paying for them?”

  She grinned back. “I can.”

  “I thought so, considering you could afford a better horse than I could.”

  “Yes, I noticed that, too. I thought about offering to trade, but the gelding has such a smooth gait I decided against it.”

  He laughed. She was so beautiful in the glow of the fire. Her cheeks were rosy, and little wisps of hair danced around her face as she moved. This was Emily the way he dreamed about her. He wanted her so sharply he found himself needing to break the spell. “Was your horse bought with Berkeley’s ill-gotten gains?”

  Her smile faltered for a moment then it was back. “I’m afraid it was my own ill-gotten gains,” she said, feigning remorse. “I stole it from Christian.”

  He knew his jaw had dropped. Was he surprised she had taken money before she left, or that she would admit it now? “Emily, you’ve been swiping things from your poor brother all your life. How much did you take?”

  She shrugged. “I gave part of it to Anson. He wanted to carry it. But I held some back.”

  He gazed into her serious eyes. “Why did you do that, Emily? Hold out on Berkeley?”

  She shrugged again.

  Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter with their steaks. They were both quiet for a few minutes as they started their meals.

  “Could it be,” Jake asked, watching her closely, “that you don’t trust Berkeley?”

  She looked up at him, pain evident in her eyes. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I think I wanted to save some back in case…”

  “He deserted you?”

  “No,” she responded quickly. “In case we didn’t need it, and I could return it to Christian.”

  She was sullen now, hurt and angry. He had pushed too hard. But it would be easier to walk away from her like this than the teasing beauty of a few minutes ago. He finished his steak in silence.

  The waiter refilled his coffee cup and offered them dessert. They both declined and the waiter took Jake’s empty plate and left.

  “I need to start asking around,” he said gently, longing for her smile in spite of himself.

  “Who will you ask?”

  “The stationmaster, the local law, at the livery stables. Any place else I can think of.”

  “How long will it take?”

  He hesitated, feeling guilty already about leaving her. “That depends on what I learn,” he said.

  “Of course. Shall I just wait here?”

  “You can, or you can get a room upstairs and rest.”

  “You think it’ll take a while then?” She shoved her plate aside.

  “It could take all afternoon, especially if he hasn’t been here.”

  “I see your point. Ready?” She reached into her purse and deposited a few bills on the table before she stood.

  He felt a pang of guilt for letting her pay, for letting Christian pay, but his own funds were running low. He would make it up to Christian somehow. He couldn’t help the thought that bringing Emily home safely was all Christian would ask. And leaving her here might not be the best way of doing that.

  They grabbed their coats and went through the connecting doors to the hotel. A tiny room provided space for a desk at the base of a flight of stairs. Jake rented a room in Emily’s name and brought her the key. “Room three,” he told her. “Shall I order a bath or anything else?”

  “No, I’ll be fine.” She took the key and headed for the stairs.

  “Emily.” She stopped and turned. What did he want to say to her? Goodbye? “I can have your bag sent over from the livery,” he offered.

  “Don’t bother. I won’t need anything out of it unless we spend the night.” With a wave she turned and went up the stairs.

  Jake watched her until she disappeared. He should put her out of his mind. He needed to get to work. He turned to the man behind the desk and recited his description of Anson Berkeley.

  An hour later he sat in the sheriff’s office and repeated it for perhaps the twentieth time. No one had seen any stranger who came close to the description.

  “Don’t recall hearin’ nothin’ from Topeka about this fugitive,” the sheriff said. The joints of his chair screamed in protest as his massive body tipped it back on two legs.

  “It’s not that important a case, I suppos
e.”

  “Not important, huh?” The chair banged back to the floor. Jake wondered how it could still hold the man’s weight. “The minute I get back from dinner, I hear there’s outside law askin’ after some city fella. You’ve bothered nearly everybody in town. Sounds like you think it’s important.”

  “It’s become personal, sir.”

  The sheriff laughed. “Best kind, ain’t they?”

  The sheriff stood, probably a practiced tactic at intimidation, and gazed down at Jake. Jake tried not to squirm.

  “Do you suppose, Deputy, if I know that you rode in here right about noon with a pretty dark-haired girl, ate at the Hays House, bought one room—” he waved one finger in the air “—one room then went around describing this city fella to everybody who would listen, do you suppose I would also know if this city fella ever set foot in Council Grove?”

  “Stands to reason, yes.”

  “Now think of all the trouble you would have saved if you had come to me first.” A smug smile curled his lips.

  “You weren’t in, sir.”

  The man laughed and dropped back into his chair. “I like you, boy. I wish I could help you, but your Berkeley fella ain’t been here.”

  Jake withdrew the map from his pocket “A rancher named Kinney drew this up for me last night,” he said. “Berkeley was last seen here at the Garvey place. These are the homesteads Kinney thought he might have gone to for food and shelter. Can you add any more?”

  The sheriff drew the map toward him and tapped it here and there with a thick finger. “It’s pretty thorough. There’s a little farmstead here.” He felt around on his desk for a pencil and added another dot before handing it back. “You gonna check all these places?”

  “I thought I’d give it a try.” Jake folded the map and returned it to his pocket. “If he turns up later, hold him for me. If I don’t find anything I’ll be headed back this way.”

  He stood to go, but the sheriff’s voice stopped him. “One question, Deputy. How does the girl figure into this?”