Im scared, Uncle Trey, Josie whispered against his neck. Wheres Miranda?
Alone and afraid and needing my help. He couldnt explain why, but he knew she had no one else. It was his job, hed spent many years helping women who slipped into his clinic on the run from their husbands, unable to pay for the broken bones he set and splinted or the lacerations to their head and face he stitched.
Maybe it was because as a very small boy hed seen his own mother treated this way during her second marriage. Finally his stepfather had had enough of Trey and sent him to an orphanage. The horror and shame still lived with him, that his mother had endured a hellish existence in order to provide a home and meals for her children. As if by helping a woman with fear in her eyes and a man on her trail, he could make a difference now.
No, it was more than that this time. Miranda wasnt a stranger whod knocked at his office door. Shed shown him a part of her hed forgotten existed in this world sometimes without hope and mercy. In a world where a little girl as sweet as Josie could lose her parents. In a world where people grew ill and died and he could do nothing to save them.
He wanted to know he could make a difference somehow, make a small piece of the world right again for a woman with gentle eyes and a smile as bright as an angels. It didnt hurt that shed been the first woman in a long time to make him feel every inch a man and forget his profession, to feel need and excitement and warmth.
He knocked the door open and nearly collided with a man in the small passageway between the first-class cars. The Pinkerton agent.
She jumped. I saw her hit the snowbank. The same agent hed overpowered in the dining car shouted to be heard above the howling wind. Thats why we were quietly following her. Why we didnt want a scene. Now shes dead, and there goes my damn bonus.
Shed jumped? Shed been so desperate that shed choose death? I failed her. Treys stomach turned, and he laid a hand on Josies back, keeping her safe in the shelter beneath his chin.
Emotion twisted through him, a mix of fury and grief so sharp he didnt think he could control it. It quaked through him and he fisted his hands, gritted his teeth. Josie needed him. He couldnt go leaping out into that storm. Yet every part of him screamed to do it.
It killed him to turn around and seek the shelter of the snug passenger car, safe from harm and the weather. Conversations littered the air. He paid no attention as he slumped into the first seat he came to, no longer able to stand. His knees shook, his legs shook, even his arms were trembling. He couldnt believe she was gone. Just like that, she would choose death over relying on himon anyonefor help.
He bowed his head as the storm outside the train worsened, forcing them to a slow crawl. There was speculation if they would have enough speed to crest the mountain peak, or if they were in danger of crashing, just as the train had done last month.
Josies locket caught the light, and he lifted it from the front of her wool dress, felt the light weight and warmth in his hand. Filled with a mothers love, Miranda had said.
And hed failed to protect her.
Chapter Four
T he train jerked to a stop. Miranda sat up and pushed her way off the extra baggage piled in the corner. Was it safe? Had they reached a town?
Light splashed through the unsealed cracks in the car. She eased through the darkness, leaned against the uneven painted boards and squinted through the narrow slat.
Yes, it looked like a train platform. Relief shivered through her. If she slipped off now, the men after her might never know where she was. Maybe they still believed shed jumped and given up their search. Maybe.
But memory of the bounty hunters flat dark eyes frightened her. He was a ruthless one, the leader of determined men. Shed been eluding him for the last six months.
He was smart enough not to be fooled by a bonnet in the snow.
Lights glowed like faint beacons through the shroud of the storm, calling her out of the corner and toward the closed door. She caught her toe on an edge of a trunk and her shin slammed hard into another piece of luggage as she fell. Pain felt far awayshe feared her feet were frostbitten.
Just as her hands were. She couldnt feel the edge of the door as she tugged it free, but she could hear the creak of steel as the opening widened. Driving snow fell like a veil, obscuring even the platform from view.
Thank heavens for this storm. It folded around her as she stepped out of the car, isolating her from the rest of the world. Ice scoured her face as she hunched into the wind. The wind beat against her, but she gritted her teeth and stumbled forward. Pain shot up her too-cold legs in fast, knifelike slashes.
The faint glow of light at the edge of the platform seemed too far away.
Just keep going. She concentrated on that light, and it guided her across the confusing world of wind and snow. The world was one icy blur, and she felt alone even though there had to be other travelers struggling against the storm.
Youre safe, Miranda. Keep walking. You cant quit now. A gust of wind blew her backward.
When she turned around, the train was nothing but the faint glow of lit windows in the dark cold night. It looks like youve escaped them. For now.
Suddenly the wind eased, and she stumbled against the protective wall of the ticket booth, closed tight for the night. The snow thinned, and she leaned against the frozen board, struggling to catch her breath.
The shrill trains whistle blasted apart the night. Heart pounding, she waited to see if anyone was following her. The wind died in a sudden gust, leaving the snow to fall in graceful swirls to the ground and illuminating her to anyone who stood on the icy platform.
Panicked, she stumbled deeper into the shadows. The train shuddered, and the engines roared. The glow of lighted windows shadowed both the falling snow and the edge of the platform where a shadowed figure stood, surveying the night.
The whistle blasted again and he hopped back aboard, his predatory movements familiar. The bounty hunter.
Had he been fooled after all? She pressed deeper into the shadows and held her breath. The clackety-clack of the churning wheels made the whole platform rumble as the train slid into the dark, taking away her adversary.
For now. Relief sliced through her, hard as the blizzards wind. Shed escaped him again.
Im awful cold, Uncle Trey, a thin voice belled above the howl of the tireless wind. Wheres your house?
Not far at all, Treys whiskey-warm voice answered. You hold on to me tight and before you know it, well be sitting in front of a hot fire and maybe, just maybe, Ill warm up a cup of hot chocolate.
The veil of snow hid all but the shape of the man and child from her sight. Her chest ached and she wished she could step out. But hed met the Pinkerton agent face-to-face. Hed seen the bounty hunter. He must have heard she was an heiress and that her father had offered a small fortune for her return.
The sweetness shed felt with him and Josie remained in her heart. She would not forget them. She would not forget the man whod made her laugh.
Miss Miranda? Miss Miranda, is that you? Josie called out above the sounds of the storm.
What should she do now? Through the curtain of snow and darkness Miranda watched as Trey strode closer. Brushed by darkness, touched by a flicker of light, he held Josie in one steely arm. His Stetson kept both the shadows and the snow from his face.
She couldnt hide any longer. Miranda stepped out of the darkness. Hello, Josie. Trey.
It is you. He fought the urge to reach out and touch her, to see if the silk of her hair and the smooth angles of her face were real and not a dream. The Pinkerton agent saw you jump from the train and
Miranda stepped farther out of the shadows, courage and grace. She was caked with ice and snow and shivering so that her teeth chattered. Her skirt was torn beneath the hem of her cloak and blood dotted her sleeve.
He still couldnt believe it. We all thought youd jumped to your death.
No, I just made them think I did. She brushed the snow from her eyes with one mittened hand. She glanced over her shoulder where the train had disappeared, the platform now empty, sheened with thick ice. Are you going to contact them?
Not on my life. His throat ached. Youre the woman who gave Josie her good-luck charm.
The wariness in Mirandas eyes changed, and she bit her bottom lip. She looked vulnerable, lost in the storm. She brushed a mittened fingertip beneath Josies chin. See? Didnt I tell you that locket was magic? Youre safe and sound, just like I promised.
Your locket sure worked real good.
Pleasure lit Mirandas face, and as the storm swirled around her, she looked like an angel, not a ghost, alive, not part of the shadows. Every time youre afraid, you just make a wish on that locket, and everything will be fine. I promise.
She gazed up at him with eyes so wide, his heart stopped beating. It was good seeing you again, Trey. You take good care of Josie.
She eased back into the unlit shadows, choosing the darkness to the light. Again she glanced over her shoulder into the darkness, where the tracks stretched unseen for mile upon mile.
Snow tapped to the hard ground, veiling her as she vanished from his sight.
Wait! He hurried after her, but the platform felt empty. He couldnt see anything in the storm.
She was gone, just like that, just as shed done on the train when hed thought her dead and lost forever. His chest balled up tight.
Miranda! Miranda, dont go. Josies distress keened in the harsh night. Uncle Trey, you gotta find her.
Did you see where she went?
The wind slammed hard, driving him back a few steps. The blizzard curled around them, dimming the already faint lights of town.
There. He caught a shifting shape and headed down the street, where the livery barn shadowed the wind. Miranda.
Her shoulders stiffened. She kept walking. The wind tangled her skirts around her ankles, and she stumbled, but caught herself before he could reach her. Youre following me.
Usually the pretty women chase after me, but in the dark its hard to be swayed by my good looks and charm, so I have to chase you. He held out his free hand and the two bagshis medical bag and her satchel. I have something of yours.
My clothes. Thank you. She smiled sunshine as the blizzard howled around them. Her gloved fingers brushed his and heat snapped up his arm.
She took her satchel with a flourish. I figured the Pinkerton men would confiscate this.
I just didnt tell them I had your satchel. It didnt seem right. We thought you were dead, and those agents were mourning the loss of a fat bonus. I just didnt have the heart to interrupt their grief.
So, I guess you know about the reward.
She might shine like a rare diamond, but she was lost, alone and afraid. His heart tumbled. Hed always been a soft touch for anyone in need. Is there a reward? For returning your satchel?
You know I meant something else. She brushed snow from her lashes.
Right. Youre afraid Im going to turn you in. Now, I could hand you over to the sheriff, if you turn out to be a dangerous felon, but its a bad storm. In another minute all three of us are going to be icicles. So why dont we just find a diner and have supper.
Could it be true? Maybe some good luck finally was catching up with her. Are you saying youll forget Im on the run if I buy you a meal?
No. Im the man. Ill buy.
Even in the dark, his grin dazzled. Though he was half frozen in the wind, humor sparkled in his eyes. The strong line of his shoulders and chest blocked the wind and most of the snow. Hed saved her on the train, just like he was doing now.
Goody! Josie managed to say, despite her chattering teeth. Im real hungry, too. Miranda, do you like fried chicken when its really crispy?
Absolutely. Trey, shes cold. You should get her inside.
Then come help me. Theres an inn just a few steps from here.
Miranda hesitated. What should she say? She needed to find a room and keep quiet. Make sure the bounty hunter hadnt sent one or two of his men to check out the town. I cant.
Not even for fried chicken? Josies teeth chattered again. Its my very favorite.
Miranda hadnt wanted anything this much in a long time. I am looking for a place to stay, and I dont know where to start. I suppose I could go with you.
Then the locket you gave Josie is working. Trey leaned forward, his chin grazing her cheek, speaking so only she could hear. Because it brought you to us.
A roaring fire crackled in the inns dining room and drove the ice from her bones. Miranda shrugged out of her cloak, startled when Trey caught the garment by the collar and helped her out of it.
He hung her cloak on a peg by the hearth. Other jackets lined the wall, collecting heat for the other diners in the room.
I shouldnt be here. She could feel it. She should stay hidden. She may have fooled the bounty hunter, but he would be back. As Trey led them to a table near the hearth, every one of the six customers waved greetings.
This was a close-knit community where a stranger would be noticed.
Let me. Trey pulled out her chair, towering over her, mountain-strong.
The breath stalled in her chest. Her skin tingled as she slipped past him. She sat down, knowing he was behind her. Having a meal with him was a very bad idea.
Do they have mashed potatoes here, too? Josie gazed up at her uncle, as if she had to make sure. And not the lumpy kind?
The smoothest in the entire town. He tucked her into the chair beside Miranda. Does Baby Beth like potatoes, too?
Shes a baby, Uncle Trey. Shes got a bottle. Josie rolled her eyes.
Treys grin flashed, sending shafts of heat straight through Mirandas heart.
The waitress appeared to take their order, on friendly terms with Trey. When she left, Trey leaned across the table, the candle flickering between them, and caught hold of her left hand.
He turned her palm over in his to study a gash, puffy and darkened by dried blood. Let me bandage this for you. You could use a few stitches.
Its not that deep. She slipped away from his touch. Ill tend to it myself.
Youre the independent sort. I noticed that. He brushed his finger against the edge of her sleeve. Thats a bad bruise on your wrist. Let me look at it. Did you do that escaping from those agents?
Fire scorched across her skin, and she hauled her injured hand beneath the table. Out of his reach. I cut my hand on the rail when I pretended to jump.