Twelve

Amanda could not recall a time when her world had seemed so chaotic, and yet wasn’t that what she had craved all those long, boring days back on the ranch? Still, she needed to put things in order.

There were the Baxter children to consider. With their father in jail, they might easily fall back into old habits. There was Seth’s brother, who was no doubt in danger, and although she did not know the young man, he certainly deserved help. And finally, there was Seth’s ridiculous marriage proposal. Of course, he hadn’t meant it. He had been trying to throw her off asking what he had told Jess. Sometimes men could be so transparent.

But with everything she had on her mind, her greatest concern was Seth’s welfare. Phony proposal or not, she loved him, and although Addie had assured her he would make a full recovery, her friend had given no indication how long that might take. The man had been shot. He could be bedridden for weeks. Every time he moved, his grimace told her he was in pain. And wounded or not, she had no doubt he would do whatever necessary to be sure his brother was safe, even to the point of jeopardizing his own health.

She knew her brother well enough to realize that stopping the Stock gang was his main concern, whether or not he had jurisdiction. Jess could not stand by and allow innocent people to be robbed of their life savings. No, he would not make finding Seth’s brother a priority, no matter what he had told Seth.

Later that evening, she had dinner with Addie at the hotel where she and Jess had decided to stay the night. Addie told her that Judge Ellis was trying to convince Jess to take on the sheriff’s job. They had even gone so far as to deputize him, but he was more concerned about making sure Addie got home as soon as possible to be with her father. Amanda had hoped she might persuade Jess to at least alert the militia to be on the lookout for Seth’s brother.

“I have to say I never would have thought that sweet Mrs. Rosewood was somehow mixed up in this whole business,” Addie said as they finished their dessert.

Mrs. Rosewood—of course.

The night of the robbery Judge Ellis and the district attorney had told Miss Dooley to lock Mrs. Rosewood’s room after it had been searched for clues. But what if they had missed something? Later that night, she impatiently waited until Ollie had left for work, and Miss Jensen and Miss Dooley were sleeping, before using a hatpin to pick the lock on the widow’s door. Before turning in for the night, Addie had administered Seth a dose of pain medication, and when Amanda checked, he was breathing deeply and evenly—fast asleep.

There was enough light from the streetlamps to allow her to move around without bumping into furniture or otherwise alerting others. On the bed lay an outfit of trousers, a shirt, and a man’s jacket. The woman had intended to change. What had stopped her?

The dressing table was cluttered with hairpins and bottles of cologne and open jars of creams. More clothes hung in the wardrobe—the trappings she had used for her disguise as a grieving widow. It was as if she were a snake casting off one skin for another.

Amanda allowed herself a wry smile at the analogy. The woman was a snake, all right—and so were her two sons.

Disappointed, she was about to leave the room when she noticed a piece of torn paper on the floor just under the bed. She picked it up and took it closer to the window to read. It was part of a train schedule. At first she dismissed it as unimportant, but then she realized she had a clue that would help catch the gang.

She tiptoed out of the room, making sure to lock the door behind her, and headed straight for her room to change into riding clothes. She was just pulling on her second boot when she looked up and saw Seth leaning unsteadily against her door.

“Want to tell me where you think you’re going?”

“You should be in bed.”

He grinned. “Come with me, and I’ll go.”

“You are impossible.” She finished dressing and stood.

“And you, my lady, are not going anywhere.”

“I have news for Jess and the others.”

“Jess is right down the street—no need for riding clothes.”

“Jess and Addie left for Whitman Falls.” It was a small lie. She knew they were at the hotel packing.

He hesitated. “What news?”

She handed him the scrap of paper. “I don’t think the outlaws are on horseback or headed for the border. I think they knew that’s what you and the others would think, so instead they planned to escape by train. The next train headed south is tomorrow at noon. I think they are still in the area.”

She knew he agreed when he pushed away from the door and headed across the hall to his room, where he started to dress.

“Oh no, you don’t,” she told him, grabbing his shirt and clutching it to her chest.

“Then go wire Jess to come back, and get Judge Ellis over here. I’ll not have you riding the countryside trying to find a bunch of thugs—and do not tell me that’s not what you were planning to do. Once everybody’s here, we’ll figure out how we’re going to stop the Stocks from boarding that train without innocent people getting caught in the crossfire.”

* * *

By the time Amanda returned, Seth had managed to get himself dressed, and he was sitting at the small desk in his room. He heard Miss Dooley’s voice. “I’ll make coffee,” she announced with her usual tone of resignation. She was a good soul, however, one who cared deeply about the community her father had helped build.

To his surprise, Amanda, Jess, and Addie all crowded into the room. “Amanda said the two of you had left.”

“Well, we’re here, so let’s get started figuring out a plan that will end this once and for all.”

The two women sat on the side of the bed while Jess paced. “If they are still around here and planning to catch the train, there could be big trouble,” he announced, as if they didn’t already know this.

“I’m betting they’ve split up,” Seth said, “with the bulk of the gang already heading south, and Rudy and his mother planning to take the train.”

“I have an idea,” Amanda said. “What if we let them board the train? Let them think they’re getting away?”

“So innocent people on the train get shot instead of the folks here? Yeah, that’s a great plan, Sis.”

“Hold on,” Seth said. He glanced at the small clock on the dresser. “We’ve got several hours before the train rolls into the station. They’re bound to wait until the last possible minute.”

“What’s your point?”

Seth picked up the schedule Amanda had found and studied it. “The train makes one stop before it comes here. If we could intercept it at that stop…”

Amanda saw where he was going with this. “We could have passengers get off there and wait for another train,” she said.

“And so,” Jess said sarcastically, “an empty train rolls into town? Oh yeah, that should work. They won’t be the least bit suspicious of that.”

“Hold on a minute, and let me finish,” Seth said. “We get the regular passengers off, but replace them with soldiers from the fort—armed and ready to take down the outlaws.”

“You think they won’t notice soldiers in uniform?” He gave a frustrated grunt and turned away.

“They could dress in regular clothes,” Addie suggested. “Of course, there need to be some women aboard as well.” She glanced at Amanda and smiled.

“Get that idea out of your head right this minute, Addie Porterfield,” Jess said, alarmed.

“Then the plan can’t work,” Amanda said.

Jess paused in his pacing, and she could see that he knew she was right. “Well, maybe some soldiers could dress in women’s clothing,” he suggested.

“No time for that,” Seth said. “We’d have to find clothes and make sure they shaved and…” His voice trailed off, and the four of them were sitting in silence when Miss Dooley arrived with coffee and biscuits.

“Well, this is a lively bunch,” she muttered. Amanda filled her in on the plan as they served coffee.

“Whatever we decide, the first step is to stop that train,” Seth said, “and alert the garrison at the fort.”

“Maybe Eli Baxter could carry a message to the fort’s commander,” Amanda suggested. “It would be a way to do something that could help his father’s cause when his case comes to trial.”

“I’ll have Bessie go get him,” Miss Dooley offered.

As Amanda had expected, Eli was thrilled to take on this responsibility. He barely had the envelope with the instructions Addie had written for the colonel before he was out the door and down the stairs. The problem was that Ellie had come with him, and now insisted on being given some job to do as well.

“What if we disguise her as a visiting celebrity,” Miss Dooley suggested.

“Yes, I’d be a good actress. Mother always said as much.”

“To what end?” Jess asked. “Put the kid in danger? No.”

“Too dangerous,” Seth agreed. “We should dress up one of the younger men.”

Ellie turned to Amanda. “Please, Miss Porterfield. You’ve taught us that we need to do what is right to help others. Well, surely this is an opportunity.”

“Hold on,” Addie said. “If there’s some excitement at the station that attracts attention and delays the train, won’t that make it harder for the Stocks to board and easier to be seen and captured?”

“She’s got a point,” Jess said.

“If I may contribute something,” Miss Dooley said as she stepped fully into the room. “I have heard that the actress, Louise Goodfellow, is touring the area. She’s very popular, and if word got out that she would be passing through…”

Jess rubbed his chin—a sure sign he was considering the idea.

“But not Ellie,” Seth insisted.

On one hand, Amanda could understand the girl’s desire to take on the role. On the other, Seth was absolutely right. She could end up in the middle of a gunfight, in which case Amanda would never forgive herself. “I have a way you could help without endangering your safety, Ellie.”

Everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to explain her idea. If only she had one fully thought out. “It seems to me,” she began, “that we will need a signal when Rudy Stock and his mother approach the train station. That’s when the musicians will start playing, and everyone will gather round to greet the train.”

“They will want to stay well away from any activity,” Seth added. “Most likely they will look for a car at the back of the train to board.”

“And once they do,” Amanda told Ellie, “you will let the rest of us know, so we can signal the conductor to get the train moving. By then, it will be too late for the outlaws to do anything but jump from a moving train once they realize the only other passengers are members of the militia.”

“But where will I keep watch, and how will I let you know, and…”

Amanda looked to Seth for answers.

He glanced around the room and smiled. “That window there has a bird’s eye view of the town—especially the train station. I chose this room for that very reason. You, young lady, will stay right here with me, and we’ll keep a lookout together—providing I can persuade my jailers here to let me sit in the chair there.” He glanced at Addie and Amanda.

“As long as all you do is sit,” Addie said.

Amanda saw that this was a way to make sure Seth didn’t become part of the action that would unfold at the train station. “I think that’s a great idea. Two sets of eyes are always better than just one.”

“So once we spot them, then what?” Ellie asked.

“You run to the drugstore across the street from the station, and when the marshal here sees that, he’ll signal the conductor to move the train out.”

“We still don’t know who will pretend to be the actress getting off the train,” Ellie pointed out.

“I am,” Amanda announced, and before anyone could debate the matter, she took Ellie’s arm and added, “Come and help me find a proper disguise.”

“Amanda!” Seth and Jess spoke in unison, protesting her decision as Amanda closed the door behind her.

* * *

To everyone’s amazement and delight, the plan seemed destined to go off without a hitch. The crowd in the know gathered, soon augmented by curious bystanders. In the distance, the train whistle sounded a series of friendly toots. The crowd grew more excited as word spread of someone famous arriving. As one, they turned in the direction of the arriving train.

Of course, there were several details the bystanders did not know. They did not know the train was occupied by armed soldiers. They did not know that Amanda—disguised as the actress in an oversized feathered hat and an elaborate brocade gown more suited to the Blue Parrot than to teaching the Baxter children—was waiting in an empty boxcar on the track next to the one that would bring the train to town. They did not know that once the train had pulled to a stop, its engine wheezing and heaving as if trying to catch its breath, Amanda would simply move from the boxcar to a platform between two passenger cars and then out into the sunlight, where she would be greeted with cheers from those in on the scheme, as well as those who had no idea what was happening.

Seth focused his binoculars on the spot where he knew Amanda would emerge then slowly scanned the surrounding scene. Ollie led a trio of musicians toward the station, positioning them on the platform, and then doing the same with four dance hall girls. The mayor, along with Judge Ellis and District Attorney Collins, stood waiting to receive the celebrated arrival. Seth also saw the pharmacist’s daughter and Miss Dooley and others he recognized mingling with the bystanders.

And then he saw Rudy Stock and his mother—and Sam. They had taken his brother hostage and moved through the alley toward the rear of the train. Every muscle in Seth’s body tightened. He thought of the promise he’d given his mother to make sure Sam was safe, and yet here he sat—helpless to do anything but watch as his brother was used as a shield.

“Ellie, could you get me some water, please?” He intentionally made his voice weak and clutched his bandaged side when the girl turned to look at him.

“It’s empty,” she said, holding up the pitcher and glass.

Seth was aware that he had drunk the last of the water. “Please?”

“I’ll get some.”

“Use the bathroom sink,” he called as she started from the room. “And let it run so it’s cold. I feel like my throat is on fire.”

She hesitated, glancing at the window with a worried frown.

“I’ll keep watch,” he promised, and lifted the binoculars to make the point.

As soon as she was through the door, Seth struggled to his feet, thankful that he’d insisted on Jess helping him dress before he took his place in the chair by the window. He pulled on his boots, grimacing at the shots of pain that ricocheted through him with every movement. He grabbed his gun from the holster, tucked it into the waistband of his wool trousers, and stepped into the hallway. He could hear the water running and the clang of the metal pitcher as Ellie tried to fit it under the spigot. Holding onto the bannister for support, he hurried down the stairs, paused for a minute at the foot to catch his breath, and then opened the front door.

The difference between the shadowy light of his room and the bright sunlight took some getting used to. A wave of dizziness threatened to overpower him, and it took a full minute before the figures gathered around the station took solid form. He glanced from the crowd to the side street, where he could see Rudy’s mother prodding Sam forward, while Rudy followed close behind, pulling a cart loaded with two valises. The three slipped behind the caboose, and he lost sight of them.

Seth made his way to the cover of the awning outside the drugstore and waited. The band struck up a tune as the train rolled to a stop. Everyone waited. Seth watched for Amanda to appear as planned. Once he knew she was safely out of harm’s way, he would raise the alarm by firing his gun, knowing Jess and the soldiers would take action. But when she didn’t step onto the platform, he saw Judge Ellis disappear into the shadows and then reappear a moment later, looking befuddled.

Seth pulled his gun from his waistband and limped around the back of the train, where he saw Rudy Stock had shoved Sam aside and grabbed Amanda.

Mrs. Rosewood pulled off the large hat meant to serve as part of Amanda’s disguise, and when Sam tried to come to Amanda’s aid, Rudy struck him with the butt of his pistol. The boy dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

The duo—with Rudy half-carrying Amanda—boarded the first car. Because the blinds had all been pulled on the other cars to disguise the presence of the soldiers, those men had no way of knowing that the Stocks were on the unprotected one. If Rudy and his mother barricaded themselves in that car, they would have control of the train—and they would have Amanda.

Seth hobbled down the alley, where Sam was trying to get to his feet once again. “You okay, kid?” he asked as he stopped to be sure his brother wasn’t seriously hurt. He turned at the sound of footsteps and saw Jim Matthews coming his way.

“I’ll take care of him!” he shouted, heading straight for Sam. “The train’s moving out.”

Sure enough, the train rolled forward, and as it did, Seth saw shades raised in the rear cars, even as soldiers dressed in street clothes stepped onto connecting platforms to find out what had gone wrong. He ran alongside as the train gathered speed, his ankle feeling like it was on fire. An officer leaned down and offered him his hand, and with a mighty tug, swung Seth onto the train.

As they rolled past the station and confused onlookers, Seth could still hear the musicians playing. And as he shouted to be heard above the rush of wind and the noise of the train, he fought for enough air to make it from one breath to the next.

It was a losing battle. The officer helped him inside the rear car to a seat where Jess glared at him as if this was his fault. Then he saw blood staining the bandages wrapped around his torso and shoulder.

* * *

The minute Rudy dropped her on the floor and headed toward the locomotive, Amanda glared at Rudy’s mother, who was making herself comfortable in a plush seat just inside the door. “You won’t get away with this,” she challenged.

The widow, who had seemed such a timid soul during their time together in the boardinghouse, laughed. “Honey, we already have.” She raised the shade and nodded to the passing scenery outside.

The train was moving. Amanda saw the stunned faces of Ollie and Miss Dooley and Addie as the train chugged out of the station. She bolted for the door, only to be stopped by Rudy.

“Everything under control up front, son?” Mrs. Rosewood nodded toward the door that led to the engine.

Rudy grinned. “Yes, ma’am. Amazing what a handful of gold coins will buy you these days.” Without pausing for further conversation, and dragging Amanda with him, he moved quickly to the back of the car, where he used an iron rod to barricade the door. Then he tied Amanda’s wrists so that she stood stretched in the aisle between two rows of seats near the back, closest to the door that led to the rear cars.

“Let’s see what them soldier boys do when they come rushing through that there door and see you standing smack dab in their line of fire.” He was giddy, clearly assuming he and his mother had won.

Having secured her, he retrieved the two valises he had heaved onto the platform after shoving Amanda to her knees. She could see how heavy they were and assumed they did not contain clothing. He placed them on the floor near his mother and collapsed on the seat next to her. Like a little boy exhausted from a long day of play, he rested his head on her shoulder as she stroked his cheek.

Amanda rolled her eyes and forced her attention on the door. Think.

She had not seen Jess among the passing faces of the crowd. Was it possible he had boarded the train? Was it possible that even now he was planning her rescue? She tried to see through the soot-covered glass of the connecting doors. She could see movement but not really make out individuals. The soldiers had their orders, and unless someone had seen the Stocks take her hostage, or maybe if Sam had been able to sound the alarm, or maybe if…

She stared harder at the silhouettes beyond the glass. Two men, clearly in a heated discussion. Two men whose body movements she knew all too well. Jess. And Seth! Oh please, stop arguing and think, she silently pleaded. She watched as a man in uniform stepped between them. Then she saw them peer through the glass, trying to see into the car where she was held captive. Jess wiped away soot with the sleeve of his shirt, then a minute later the door opened, and her brother and Seth stepped onto the platform.

No! Go back! She glanced over her shoulder—mother and son were still comfortably enjoying the ride, oblivious to her or whatever might be happening in the rear cars. They were confident they had won, and that made Amanda furious.

She tried her best to communicate with Seth and Jess through sign language, tilting her head to make them see she was tied, trying to maintain her balance as the train picked up speed, and then looking over her right shoulder toward the outlaws in the front seat. All she could do was pray they understood her signals.

Relieved when Seth and Jess returned to the other car, she turned her focus to escape. Sweat rolled down her neck, back, and arms. Her gown was stifling, and the energy it took to keep her balance in the moving car only added to her exertion. But then she realized she could use her discomfort to her advantage. Slowly, so she did not attract attention, she twisted and pulled, allowing the dampness of her skin to moisten the rope binding her wrists.

A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she saw Jess exit then climb to the roof of the car she occupied. Not three seconds later, Seth followed. She wanted to protest. He was in no shape for such exertion. He could fall. They could both be killed.

“Whatcha looking at, girlie?”

She hadn’t heard Rudy leave his seat. For a big man, he was surprisingly agile. Realizing she had nearly succeeded in freeing one hand, she quickly shoved it forward so the ropes would appear secure. “Could we possibly open a window?” she asked.

Rudy ignored her and glanced at the car behind them and grinned. “Looks like those soldier boys don’t quite know what to do, Ma.”

Amanda could see the soldiers milling about. Occasionally, one would come to the glass and peer through. Rudy pulled out his pistol. “Can I shoot, Ma?”

“Put that thing away.”

“Aw, Ma, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel for sure.” But he slid the pistol back in its holster. “I’ll go check on the engineer. Seems like we’re slowing down some.”

“There’s a tunnel,” Amanda volunteered.

“Good thing them boys back there have realized you’re standing in their way, then,” Rudy said. “It would be a real shame if they decided to start shooting in the dark of the tunnel.” He grabbed Amanda’s face with one beefy hand and forced her to look at him. “That would be a damn shame, girlie, ’cause when this is over…? Ma says you’re all mine, and I got plans—I got plans you can’t imagine.”

He was close enough that she could smell his fetid breath and see his bloodshot eyes. Amanda did the first thing that came to mind. She spat in his ugly, pock-scarred face.

Rudy moved his hand to her throat and squeezed. She couldn’t breathe, and all she could think was that she didn’t want to die.

“Rudy!” Mrs. Rosewood snapped. “We’ve no time for that.”

The outlaw loosened his grip but did not release her as she gasped for air.

“I’m gonna take my time, girlie, and when it’s over, you’re gonna wish I had finished you now.” He gave her a shove that served to loosen the ropes as he stalked toward the front of the car. “I’ll go check on the engineer now,” he muttered again, as he passed his mother standing in the aisle.

“What’s happening back there?” she asked, standing and staring down the aisle, as she pointed in the direction of the car behind them.

“I don’t know,” Amanda lied. “I think they’re confused—disorganized.” Please come closer, Amanda silently pleaded. She had loosened the ropes enough so that both hands were free.

Just as they entered the tunnel, shots rang out from the front of the train. Mrs. Rosewood turned her back to Amanda, and seeing her chance, Amanda shoved the older woman to the floor and fell on top of her. Behind her she heard glass breaking as soldiers stormed through the barricaded door.

“No!” she shouted, afraid they might trample her in their zeal to do their duty.

“Hold your fire,” she heard the officer command.

For an instant, everything stopped, and as the train emerged into daylight, Amanda turned to see half a dozen soldiers standing by the rear door as Mrs. Rosewood struggled beneath her.

Amanda ignored her as another shot rang out from the front. “Go!” she shouted to the officer. “I’ve got this.” To prove her point, she grabbed the loosened ropes and used them to hog-tie the woman—always Mrs. Rosewood to her.

Clearly impressed, the officer directed his men to climb over the seats as they made their way forward. She stood to watch them go just as Jess came through the door.

“Stock shot the engineer and fireman, then turned on Seth and me. He got off a second round before I killed him, but we’ve got a bigger problem.” Wild-eyed, he surveyed the men before him. “Anybody here know how to stop this train? Otherwise, the way that steam is building up, the thing’s gonna explode.” He dropped onto one of the seats, clutching his arm. Blood oozed from a wound above his temple.

Amanda pushed her way forward. “You’ve been shot.”

“It’s nothing.” He pressed his hands to his head. “We’ve got to move everybody to the back or jump. Seth is…he was…” His eyelids fluttered as he passed out.

“You heard my brother,” she said. “Help him, so we can all move to the rear.”

When the soldiers gathered to tend to Jess, she slipped through the forward door and onto the platform, where she stopped. Below her the ground whipped by as the train rocked precariously from side to side. Between her and the locomotive was the tender. She had to get to Seth before the train ran off the tracks and crashed, or exploded as Jess had predicted.

She reached for the ladder on the tender. Behind her she saw soldiers carrying Jess and Mrs. Rosewood toward the back of the train. Clearly, no one had yet realized she wasn’t with them.

Because her gown was weighing her down, she pulled off the skirt and let the wind carry it away. She did the same with her petticoat and, dressed in pantaloons and the top half of the brocade gown, she pulled herself up the five steps of the ladder, inched her way across a short catwalk, and down onto the coal pile used to feed the engine. Covered in soot, she slid forward into the cab.

Seth’s back was to her, and the noise of the whistle, the racing locomotive, and the building steam pressure was deafening. He was shirtless, and his bandages had come undone and pooled around his waist. He bled where the stitches had broken and was covered in sweat. She saw how the muscles in his back strained as he tried in vain to slow or stop the runaway train.

“There’s a steep incline ahead!” she shouted as she touched his shoulder, and he spun to face her. “Maybe that will work.”

He shook his head. “You have to jump,” he said, “when the train starts to climb.”

“Not without you!” She shook her head as the wind tore at her hair that had come free.

Seth cupped her face in his palms. With his thumbs he wiped soot from her lips. Then he kissed her. I love you, he mouthed, and kissed her again, even as she realized he had moved her closer to the door.

She wrapped both arms around his neck and held on. “Then don’t leave me!” She glanced over her shoulder and saw the grassy landscape rush by, and tightening her hold on him, she fell backward as the train started its climb.

Seconds after they hit solid ground, Amanda groaned and tried to sit up. Although she could still hear the moving train chugging its way up the mountain, there was no wind, and she was surrounded by an eerie silence. In the fall she had released her hold on Seth, and now he lay facing away from her, as still as the air.

She’d killed him.

Imagining the worst, she crawled to his inert body. “No,” she whispered as she touched his bare shoulder and saw blood oozing from the gunshot wound he’d suffered a day earlier. “Oh please, no,” she whispered as she knelt next to him and looked around for help.

Behind her she was faintly aware of an explosion, and seconds later, she was pelted with what she thought must be ash and shrapnel. She covered Seth’s head with her folded arms and face, determined to protect him from further harm, and felt his breath on her cheek.

He was alive! They were both alive. They could have a life together after all. She released a strangled mix of laughter and tears and stroked his face. But then she thought of the others—Jess had still been on that train.

“Stay here,” she whispered to Seth. “I have to…I’ll get help.”

She struggled to her feet, and in so doing saw that they were surrounded not by ash and shredded metal as she had thought, but by scraps of paper money and bent gold coins. She blinked as the loot from the robbery blanketed the area. Then, through the smoke from the explosion, she saw movement and swallowed the fear that had built in her like the steam in the train when she saw soldiers emerge from the wreckage of the rear passenger car. It had been far enough away from the explosion to suffer only minor damage. They helped Jess down and supported him as they moved away from the wreck.

“You folks all right?” the officer shouted, waving to Amanda.

She waved in return as from the direction of town she heard the fire wagon and riders racing cross-country. She staggered back to where Seth lay and collapsed next to him. She cradled his head in her lap, noticing for the first time the blood pouring from her thigh and the metal shaft that had penetrated the skin.

“We’re going to be all right,” she whispered, and as she slipped into unconsciousness, she prayed it would be true.