Too Many Secrets

by Marie Higgins

  Sighing heavily, she adjusted herself on the uncomfortable seat and smoothed out her dress. She’d had this particular yellow dress for many years and used it for the sole purpose of disguising herself as a working-class woman for those rare times her brother asked for her help. Even her beige bonnet was a little tattered.

  When she lifted her head to glance around the railcar once more, she caught a man looking at her. Quickly, he lowered his attention back to the newspaper in his hands. Curiosity got the better of her, and she continued to watch him closely. Every minute or so, the man would look up at her, only to turn his head as if he hadn’t been caught gawking.

  Perhaps today hadn’t been a total failure after all. For some reason, this man was watching her. Strange that she hadn’t noticed before now.

  For the next little while, she tried to visit with those around her, but she was in tune to the man on the other side of the car. Her skin prickled with awareness every time he glanced her way—which was quite a lot. She didn’t dare say anything to her brother yet, only because she didn’t understand why the man would be spying on her.

  A few times when he wasn’t watching her, she tried to study him to see if she had met him somewhere. His nose and lips looked familiar, but then at times they didn’t. If only she was closer and could see his eyes, but unfortunately, all the seats were taken.

  Although he sat with a woman and her two children, the man didn’t appear to be with them. The children would rarely go by him, and he and the woman hardly spoke to each other. Nicole scratched her nose and narrowed her gaze. Had he even been sitting in this rail car when the train had left the station?

  The rhythm of the train gradually slowed. From out the window, the train station in Ft. Bridger grew closer and closer.

  “Well, that was a wasted trip,” Gordon grumbled.

  She swung her head to look at him. “Those were my very thoughts.”

  “I hope Father had better luck with his endeavors today.”

  “Me, too.” She folded her arms and scanned the railcar once more. The man who’d been watching her earlier, had his stare on her again, but this time his expression appeared harsher. Why did he look at her with such anger?

  The beat of her heart thumped in a different rhythm as fear grew inside her. The man really didn’t appear to be mean. So then why did he make her feel as though he was upset at something she’d done?

  Perhaps she should approach him and ask him why he’d been watching her with such malice. Then again, she didn’t want her brother to turn into the overprotective guardian she’d always loathed. And for sure, she didn’t want to cause a scene.

  The train finally came to a complete stop, and immediately, the passengers rose from their seats to collect their things and leave. All except for the strange man.

  Nicole followed her brother out of the railcar, and as they stepped onto the ground, she glanced behind her. Just as she’d expected, the man was following her back a little ways, going at a slower pace. Unease twisted in her stomach as she focused ahead of her while her mind scrambled with what she could do or say to make him explain why he acted this way.

  “Paps is waiting for us.” Gordon pointed to the older man in the wagon. Paps worked at the livery stable in Belle and picked up supplies from the train station all the time.

  She put her hand on Gordon’s arm to get his attention. “I forgot something in the train. I’ll be right back.” Before hearing his answer, she turned and hurried toward the train.

  The strange man from the railcar stood with his back against the wall of the train, his arms down at his sides. In one of his hands, he clutched a newspaper. When he noticed her coming toward him, he quickly lifted the newspaper and pretended to read. He certainly wasn’t any good at this cat-and-mouse game.

  As she approached him, she finally realized his clothes didn’t quite fit his frame very well. They hung on him as if they were three sizes larger. He didn’t tear his gaze away from the newspaper, until she was right next to him. She grasped the rail and placed her foot on the first step, and then turned and met his stare.

  “I need to talk to you. Now. Come inside with me,” she said before climbing the other two steps and moving inside the empty railcar.

  She stopped just inside the door of the car and waited for him, breathing a sigh of relief when she noticed him out of the closest window, turning and coming in. As soon as he walked inside, he removed his hat. Immediately, she recognized his tousled hair, and the dreamy hazel eyes that had filled her dreams every night.

  She hitched a breath. “Oh good heavens… Ashton!” She grasped his hands. “What are you doing here and dressed like that?”

  The sensual smile she had dreamed of lately didn’t grace his face this time. As he studied her, he tilted his head slightly, appearing almost upset. “You don’t have much room to talk, Miss Bastian. From what I’ve gathered about your life, I’m wondering why you are here and dressed this way.”

  It finally hit her that he didn’t look excited to see her at all—and he didn’t call her by her given name. She must explain why she was here and on the train, yet she couldn’t tell him the truth. Not yet. As much as it hurt her to lie to him again, she must, in order to protect her brother, and her father.

  “I’m with my brother, Gordon.” She motioned toward the window to where her brother waited for her on the wagon with Paps.

  Slowly, the worried lines on his face smoothed out, yet his eyes still held a hint of distrust when he scanned the length of her body. Oh-no! She’d forgotten about her dress. What excuse could she give him for dressing like this?

  “I didn’t recognize you at first.” His voice held no emotion. “I’m not used to seeing you dressed so poorly.”

  She released a light laugh. “I could say the same about you.” She reached over and touched his mustache. “I’m sure it didn’t take you a week to grow this bush over your lips and those long, furry caterpillars by your ears.”

  His lips twitched as if holding back a smile. He shrugged. “I have a good excuse for my disguise. What’s your excuse?”

  Nicole’s body trembled and she folded her hands against her middle. Heartache gathered in her chest and left her throat dry. She’d hurt him, and she had to fix it now! “Well, I’m ashamed to say my excuse probably isn’t as good as yours.” She shook her head. “My brother and I dress like this when we ride the train, but I fear telling you might make you think differently about me.”

  Confusion deepened the lines in his expression. “Why?”

  “Because when we wear our regular clothes, people think we are wealthy, and well…they pester us for money.” She forced a frown as she tried to appear emotional. “As much as I would like to help the poor people, my family doesn’t have a lot of money.” Hesitantly, she touched Ashton’s sleeve. “You do understand, don’t you?”

  Gradually, his expression eased and the lines in his forehead and around his mouth disappeared. It only took a couple of seconds later before she saw that familiar twinkle in his eyes again. Her heart softened and she sighed a relieved breath.

  “Forgive me, Nicole. I fear it is I who has judged poorly. Of course, I understand.” He took hold of her hand. “And I’m truly sorry for thinking you had lied to me.” He took a peek out the window before returning his attention to her. “So that is your brother? I thought he was one of your beaus.”

  She couldn’t stop the laugh escaping her throat that sounded too much like a bark. “Ashton, don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have any beaus.”

  “Do you have any other family besides a brother and father?”

  “No.”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter.” He smiled fully. “I would like to meet them one day—just not right now. I’ll wait until I’m back in my regular clothes, looking like my normal self.”

  “I agree…so what is your excuse for being in disguise?”

  He glanced out the window again, before meeting her stare. “I’d tell you, but I see your brother i
s getting anxious. You’d better return.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “If you are in Ft. Bridger, I’d love for you to come see me at my office tomorrow. It’s that large red-bricked building by the train station.” He pointed west of them.

  A different rhythm beat in her chest, and she wanted to laugh with giddiness. She squeezed his hand. “Thank you for understanding, and as much as I’d love to visit you, I don’t think I’ll be in town. We’re heading back to Belle now.”

  “You live in Belle?”

  She nodded.

  His grin stretched wider. “I just purchased a small ranch near Belle.”

  Her heart skipped happily. “Then you’ll definitely have to come see me.”

  “I think I will.” He winked.

  As she hurried out of the railcar, she couldn’t feel her feet touching the ground. He actually wanted to see her again. She never had a man act so interested in her, and the feeling of excitement growing in her chest was something she’d cherish forever.

  During the ride home, Gordon chatted with Paps, but her mind was in the clouds… the heart-shaped, rainbow-filled clouds. And heaven help her, she couldn’t stop smiling. A few times Gordon looked at her strangely, but he didn’t say anything, for which she was relieved.

  When they made it home and walked inside the house, the wonderful aroma of roast duck and red potatoes filled the air, making her stomach grumble. Mrs. Phelps, the family’s housekeeper and cook, was heard in the kitchen preparing their supper.

  Father waited for them in the dining room. He had papers strewn over the table, and his light brown hair was messed due to the way he pushed his fingers through his hair when he was frustrated.

  “How was the train ride?” he asked, looking up from his papers.

  As Gordon explained their wasted day, all she could think about was how magical it had been, even if it had just happened the last few minutes before they left to come home. But still… she talked to Ashton, which was the highlight of her week.

  Gordon removed his tattered hat and jacket before sitting down at the table. “What did you find today, Father?”

  Father sighed. “I checked with the police about how much money had been taken. In each robbery there was close to one-thousand dollars. The monies were kept in an unmarked metal box. The box itself was not flashy or stood out in any way, so why would anyone want to take it—or did the thief already know it was there?” He scratched his head. “The more I learn about this, the more I think that we’re dealing with someone who is working from the inside. Robberies that are this planned out are rare. We are definitely dealing with an expert.”

  As Nicole listened, she felt part of the conversation and couldn’t stop from expressing her thoughts. “Forgive me, but that doesn’t make much sense. I mean, how would someone working for the railroad know what was in these metal boxes? Did someone from the government tell them that money was being transported?”

  Father shrugged. “From what I’ve gathered, these metal boxes were the same as what the government used during the war when they shipped money to the Union.”

  “Does that mean the person who is robbing the train was someone who’d been alive during the war?” Nicole wondered.

  Her father smiled. “That’s what I’m thinking.” He tapped his fingers on a paper lying in front of him. “When I was at Conrail’s main office asking questions this morning, one of the co-owners was suspiciously absent. Apparently, he’d been there, but nobody knew where he was or when he’d return. One of the workers said that although they all knew about the robberies, none of the three co-owners have talked directly to them to explain what is going on.”

  “That is strange,” Gordon mentioned.

  “Mrs. Phelps?” her father called out to the cook.

  She stepped out of the kitchen and looked his way. “Yes, sir?”

  “When will dinner be ready?”

  “If you want to clear your papers, I’ll start setting the table now.”

  He nodded and started gathering the papers. “Another thing I discovered,” he glanced at Gordon, “is that one of the owners of the railroad had just acquired a large sum of money within the last two months.”

  Nicole’s stomach twisted, and her hunger quickly disappeared. No, please don’t say it’s Ashton! But she did recall him mentioning the night of the ball, that he had just recently purchased a home, and then not too long ago, he told her it was on the outskirts of Belle. “Did you check the accounts of the other two owners?” Nicole aimed the question at her father.

  Mrs. Phelps bustled in the room and began setting the table, but that didn’t stop the conversation. The family’s servant was used to being overlooked when Father and Gordon talked business.

  Father nodded at Nicole. “Of course I checked. This is why Mr. Lee’s account looked abnormal—because he had more money than Mr. Larson and Mr. Nickerson.”

  Nicole shook her head, slowly at first, but faster the more she thought about all of this. “No, something must be wrong. Mr. Lee can’t be making more than the others. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Nicole,” her father said in his parental tone that set her on edge.

  Inwardly, she cringed. She should have known she couldn’t keep secrets from him. He was one of the best spies in the world. She couldn’t hide anything.

  “Yes, Father?” She sneaked a peek at him. Gone was his agent character, and in its place was her judgmental—but caring—father.

  He patted her hand. “I know you are acquaintances with Mr. Ashton Lee, but please don’t let yourself be fooled by his charm.”

  She swallowed the lump of fear lodged in her throat. “But Father, he is an upstanding citizen. Even Emily and her husband agree.”

  Her father’s mouth straightened into a solid line and his jaw hardened. His fingers grasped the linen napkin Mrs. Phelps had placed in front of him. “Nicole? Exactly how well do you know him?”

  Her heart sank. She couldn’t tell him that. If her father knew that she had been in the man’s strong arms and kissed him… Silently, she groaned. “Uh, we danced a few dances. We talked a little.”

  When her father started tapping his fingers on the table, she knew he was upset. The way the nerve in his eye twitched was a dead giveaway.

  “Did he give you the impression he wanted to court you?” he asked.

  From across the table, her brother shifted in his chair and she quickly glanced his way. Big mistake! He wore a sneer that would irritate even the most patient person. His eyes were wide with surprise, yet the smirk on his face was growing by the second.

  She put her attention back on her father. “Yes, he did, actually,” she answered softly.

  “Are you sweet on him as well?” he asked.

  She dropped her gaze to her plate of food that Mrs. Phelps had just placed in front of her. Nicole shrugged. “I thought he was a pleasant man to converse with.”

  Silence stretched around the dining room for several awkward moments. She didn’t want to look up to see if everyone was staring at her.

  When a deep sigh rattled from her father, she dared sneak a glance his way. Surprisingly, he didn’t look as mad as he had a few minutes ago.

  “Nicole, do I need to remind you how dangerous it is to be friends with suspects?”

  “No, you don’t need to remind me.” She blinked back the tears threatening to fill her eyes. Why couldn’t her father look at this as a good thing? After all, she would be able to get information from Ashton since they were friends.

  “Then I expect you to stay away from him.”

  Her father’s words caused her chest to wrench. She nodded, not daring to say anything in case her voice broke, giving away her true feelings.

  After her father said a blessing on the food, she picked up her fork and started eating. While her brother and father continued their conversation, Nicole’s mind moved in a different direction. It was time for her to stand up for herself. It was time to show her father that she was not a little
girl any longer. She could handle assignments, just like they could. And, if she had to go behind her father’s back and do her own investigating on Ashton, she’d do it.

  Although she was anxious to see him again, she worried that she might mess up this case in some way. After all, she couldn’t act like the love-stricken woman he met—and kissed—last week. Now she must put on another, more professional charade and become the secret agent she knew she could be.

  SEVEN

  Ashton scanned the railroad’s monthly budget report for the tenth time, but nothing was adding up. Of course, his mind wasn’t focused on work, but on Nicole Bastian, instead. A beautiful, mysterious, and very confusing woman.

  It had surprised him how quickly he became suspicious of her yesterday, and equally shocking was how promptly he believed her story. It sounded plausible, yet the more he thought of it after she was gone, there were still some things that didn’t make sense.

  He believed her excuse about why she and her brother dressed the way they did, hinting that they weren’t really poor. Yet, the mode of transportation back to Belle was a rickety old wagon with a driver who appeared just as old. Was her family really poor and she was too embarrassed to admit it?

  He took his focus off the ledgers and to the newspaper he’d found on the train yesterday lying on the corner of his desk. Another thing that bothered him was that article about General Babcock being arrested. The article had mentioned a journal that had been confiscated from the general’s house that had all the information the police needed to arrest the man.

  Deep down in the back of Ashton’s mind, he wondered how Nicole was involved. Or was she at all? Nothing made sense. Why did he see her sneaking around in the general’s study in the dark? But the general didn’t know her, and she didn’t know him. And why did Ashton feel there was a connection between those two?

  Shaking his head, he pushed the budget journal aside and rested his elbows on the desk. He glanced out the window. His office gave him a great view of the people boarding the train. It was good to see that the robberies hadn’t affected their business, but he knew if the police didn’t catch the thief, Conrail would go under. The government would stop using them and passengers wouldn’t feel safe riding the train.