Sagebrush Bride (43 page)

“But
I don’ see him!” Katie insisted, her nose pressed against the window.

“Don’t
worry, Katie. Cutter will catch Shiftless. Come away from the window now.”
Katie moved away from the window, into Elizabeth’s lap, and Elizabeth snuggled
her closer, thinking that there’d be so much to do once they reached Sioux
Falls—in spite of the fact that they’d brought so few of Katie’s things:
just a few of her dresses, a small doll, and her dog. Just as soon as they
arrived, Elizabeth planned to move her own things into her father’s room. Katie
could have hers. And then Elias had promised to bring the rest of Katie’s
belongings in the fall, when it would be cooler and would be easier to travel.
Her brows knit. What would she say to Elias when he came and found Cutter gone?
Well, she’d think of something. In the meantime, she only hoped Cutter would be
able to catch Shiftless.

But
then her brows furrowed as she considered another matter entirely. How would
she manage Katie and continue her practice at the same time? She glanced down
at the small child curled so cozily in her lap and resolved that whatever
needed to be done, would be done. If it meant bringing Katie along as her
father had done with her, then so be it. And if it meant hiring someone to
watch Katie when Elizabeth wasn’t able to, then that could be arranged, as
well. In the meantime, there didn’t seem to be much sense in worrying over it.
As her father used to say, everything was certain to work out as it should.

“Ma’am?”

Startled
from her musing by the deep voice at her ear, Elizabeth glanced up to find a
pair of intense green eyes looking down at her. Aside from his astounding good
looks, the man wore military blue and a smile that easily disarmed.

“Ma’am?”
he inquired again, his lips quirking. “You Mrs. McKenzie?”

Elizabeth
hesitated a moment over the falsehood, staring at the man as though she’d
momentarily lost her wits. But then she glanced down at Katie, and Katie stared
back so expectantly that she turned immediately back to the soldier. “Yes,” she
said firmly. “Yes, I am.” She lifted her chin as though to dare him to dispute
her. “Is something wrong?”

The
soldier smiled. “Well, no, ma’am... it’s just that... well, your husband asked
me to tell you that he needed you to join him outside.”

Elizabeth’s
brows knit in confusion. “But I don’t understand. He told me to wait aboard the
train—that he would join me as soon as he... Oh, no, is that it? Has he
had trouble securing passage for the horses?”

The
soldier cocked a brow at her, and once again Elizabeth was struck by his
remarkably good looks. The only thing that detracted was the fact that his hair
was too long over his ears, and a bit unkempt. Other than that, his appearance
was impeccable.

“Dunno,
ma’am,” he said. “Your husband just asked me to deliver the message, is all. He
did still have the horses. But you can ask him yourself, if you like... I’ll
escort you right to him.”

Something
about the way the man looked at her sent a shiver of apprehension down
Elizabeth’s spine. His smile, though warm, didn’t seem quite genuine. Tamping
down her sense of unease, Elizabeth shook her self out of her daze, irritated
with the stifling sense of paranoia she’d recently developed. Why should she
suspect the man wished to harm her? Clearly Cutter had asked him to
come—otherwise how would he have known they were man and wife? Playing at
man and wife, she reminded herself. Besides, he was an officer of the U.S.
Army, sworn to protect... and they would be stepping off the train in the broad
light of day, besides. What harm could possibly come to them? “Yes, of course,”
she said decisively. “Thank you.” She started to rise at once, rousing Katie
and lifting her into her arms.

Katie
clung to her. “I hope he didn’t lose Shifless,” she mumbled sleepily.

Elizabeth
patted her back reassuringly. “No, sweetheart, I’m certain Shiftless is just
fine.” Praying to God that it was the truth, she edged out into the aisle, and
readjusted Katie’s weight on her hip.

“This
way,” the soldier directed, clearing his throat.

“But
I thought the cattle and horses were loaded from the other side,” she said.

“They
are,” he said quickly, “but I don’t think he could get them on. Seems everyone
decided to ride the rail on the same day.” He laughed and then stopped her as
she shrugged and started in the direction he’d indicated, gripping her by the
shoulder. “Maybe you should leave the kid here?” he suggested with a curt
motion of his head.

“Leave
her? Here?” Elizabeth glanced at the seat she’d occupied and then gave him an
incredulous glare. “I’m afraid not, Mr.... er…

“Colyer,”
the man replied with an engaging grin. “Jack Colyer.”

“Yes,
well... ” Elizabeth gave him another reproachful look, and then turned to make
her way down the aisle. “I could never leave Katie to wait alone,” she said
with certainty.

Katie’s
head popped upright, her sleepiness shrugged away for the moment. “Yeah!
Because I’m only this many,” she was quick to inform him. She held up five
fingers, glared at them fretfully, and then shoved one down.

Colyer
shrugged. “Whatever,” he said. Didn’t mean anything by it, kid—just
thought you might wanna save the seat for your mother, is all.”

“She’s
my new mommy!” Katie proceeded to tell him. “An’ you know what?... We’re going
to my new home now. An’ my uncle, you seeeee, he scared away my dog, but don’
worry, he’s gonna get him back,” she assured him brightly.

No sooner had Elizabeth stepped off the train when
Colyer lifted Katie out of her hands. “Here,” he offered graciously, “let me
help. She looks awfully heavy for you.”

“No—really!” Elizabeth protested, her hands
flying out to bring Katie back.

Colyer gave her a look that sent another shiver of
apprehension coursing through her. “I insist,” he told her firmly, and then he
bent to whisper into her ear so Katie couldn’t overhear. “Walk or I slit the
kid’s throat.”

Elizabeth came to an abrupt halt, too stunned to
believe that she’d heard him correctly. Her chin fell and she started to ask
him to repeat himself, but the look in his eyes as she turned kept her from it.
She shook her head.

“Walk,” he instructed, shoving his jacket aside to
reveal the leather sheath where his knife was buried.

Icy fear gripped Elizabeth at the sight of it. The
color drained completely from her face. Her heart racing with terror, she
considered screaming for help, but Colyer gave her a look that chilled her to
the bone, paralyzing her momentarily, and she wondered how she ever could have
thought him handsome. The look transformed him completely.

“Walk,” Colyer snarled, when Elizabeth only
stared. “And just in case you’re thinking to scream, just remember that we have
your husband trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey ready to be spitted.” He
snickered maliciously, letting her know that he knew, without a shadow of
doubt, that Cutter was nothing more to her than her lover. He shoved her
forward abruptly, and she stumbled over her feet. But she turned and managed to
do as she was told, her mind racing frantically.

“At least let me carry Katie,” she said quickly,
her voice wavering slightly.

Colyer chortled, nudging her forward again. “Think
I’m stupid?” he asked viciously. “Get a wiggle on it, dove... before my fingers
get itchy.”

Elizabeth needed no further urging. She walked
blindly through the crowd, aware of the fact that Colyer was directly behind
her, ready to thrust her forward when she didn’t move quickly enough. Aware,
too, that he held Katie’s fate at his will. And Cutter’s?

What could he want with him? With Katie? She
couldn’t fathom. Biting into her lower lip to stifle her cry of panic, she
shook her head in denial, for there was no reason she could determine.

The buildings Elizabeth passed became a blur, the
people faceless. Her heart hammered with fear. Unexpectedly Colyer thrust a
hand on her shoulder, shoving her abruptly into an alley, where two men waited,
one mounted, the other not. Both she recognized at once. But there was no sign
of Cutter, and she knew at once that Colyer had lied. The knot tightened in her
stomach as she looked frantically about for some means of escape.

There was none—not while Colyer still held
Katie.

“She’s frightened—please! Let me hold her
now!” Elizabeth said anxiously, and tried to take Katie from his arms. “We’ll
do as you say,” she swore. “Just let me hold her!”

Colyer dodged her, boosting Katie up into the arms
of the youth Elizabeth remembered only as O’Neill.

The look on O’Neill’s face mirrored the horror in
her heart.

“Y’ didn’t say you was bringing the kid,” O’Neill
objected, his Irish brogue coming out with his agitation. “I won’t be havin’
nothin’ ta do with killin’ a babe!”

Katie began to whimper in his arms. Elizabeth
tried to take her from O’Neill, but Colyer snatched her by the waist and
dragged her away, lifting her up onto his own bay. He mounted behind her.

Magnus nosed his horse closer to O’Neill’s, and
the hostile set of his shoulders made Elizabeth’s breath snag. “You got a
problem with this, Blue-boy?” he asked, borrowing the epithet Cutter had used
for him. “If so... you can just take off right now.” He made a motion with his
head for O’Neill to leave, but his hand went to his revolver in a clear warning.
“Just turn that yellow tail of yours around and ride.”

O’Neill’s gaze shifted from Magnus to Colyer to
the child in his arms, and then back, narrowing shrewdly on Magnus. “I’m no’
stupid, man. I turn this horse about and you shoot me in the back. Is that how
it works?”

“Well, now,” Magnus said, baring his teeth in some
semblance of a smile, his tone taunting. “Why don’t you try and see?”

O’Neill shook his head slowly. “No’ bloody
likely!” And then, as though suddenly realizing his tenuous position, he told
them. “I’m with ya now—don’t ya doubt it. I just don’t ken ta killin’ the
girl, is all. It’s no’ right! Besides, you said it would just be the
woman—you said she didn’t matter because she was a breed-lovin’ whore!”
He gave Elizabeth a quick, assessing glance, and then his eyes reverted quickly
to Magnus, but Elizabeth noted the fact that he was unconsciously petting
Katie’s back, soothing her. In spite of his comforting, Katie’s eyes were wide
with fright, and Elizabeth’s heart cried out for her.

Magnus noticed, as well, and gave O’Neill a
narrow-eyed scowl. “Yeah?” He flicked a look to Colyer, then back to O’Neill.
“Well, don’t shit yourself over it, kid. Let’s just get the hell out of here
before McKenzie finds us. This ain’t the place for what we got in mind.” He
turned to wink at Elizabeth, and then motioned for O’Neill to move ahead of
him, before he fell back to ride momentarily beside Colyer.

“Thought you said the boy would go along with
anything,” Colyer hissed at Magnus. “Thought you said he had stars in his eyes.
All we need is for him to go causing trouble for us now!”

Magnus gave Colyer a cold-eyed glance that shifted
to include Elizabeth. “We’ll take care of it,” he said simply, and then he
moved to take the lead.

Elizabeth stiffened with the import of those
words, but Colyer only snickered at her response, nuzzling his nose into the
back of her hair. It sent another chill down her spine. “You’ll never get away
with this,” she hissed, shrugging away in disgust.