The Iron Horseman (22 page)

Cadence
wheezed.

Levi
shook one of the wet blankets free and tossed it over the top of Cadence. He
doused the bottom of her skirt, wrapped another around himself, and reached
down for her, lifting her into his arms. Without wasting another moment, he
hurled himself through the flames and didn’t stop running even once they were
outside in the fresh night air.

Rafe
followed.

Levi
ran as quickly as he could with Cadence in his arms until he was far enough
away from the house that smoke did not hang on the air around him. He stopped
just outside of the gate and carefully set Cadence on the ground. He tore the
blankets back away from her face.

She
coughed again, gasping for air.

“Breathe
deeply, Cade.” He brushed the hair from her soot-stained face as he sat down
beside her. “Take a deep breath. The fresh air will make you feel better.”

Fire
and Cadence did not mix. At least this time he didn’t think she’d sustained any
burns.

“That
was quick thinking, Levi.” Rafe said, dropping down next to them both. “How’s
the breathing?” he asked, the doctor inside of him surfacing.

Levi
looked down at her. She no longer looked like she was struggling for every
breath.

“You
called me Cade.” She smiled at him, her hand wrapping around his forearm.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice raw and raspy, “for not dumping me in the
trough.”

Levi
laughed in relief, pulling her upward and into his embrace. Her hair smelled of
burning pine.

“Can
you sit up on your own?” he asked as he pulled away from her.

“Of
course, I can,” she responded even as she fell backward again.

“Whoa.”
Levi caught her before she hit the ground. “Come on. We need to get you back to
town.”

“At
least we still have this.” She held up the leather bound book.

Levi
picked her up again, taking the small package from her hands.

“What
do you want to do about the house?” Rafe asked.

“I’ll
head back into town and see if I can round up some men who can ride out and
help extinguish the fire,” Levi responded as he carried Cadence back to the
wagon. “Maybe we should let the horses and cattle out into the field in case
the fire jumps to the stable.” He walked around the side of the buckboard,
reached down into the back, and opened the small lockbox secured beneath the
seat. He laid the book inside and closed the lid.

“I’ll
see if I can find some buckets in the meantime,” Rafe told him. “Maybe I can
get the yard wet enough that it won’t spread.”

Levi
released the back latch of the wagon and set Cadence in the bed. He didn’t
trust her to remain upright on the buckboard seat. Luckily, there was a crate
full of empty, dry potato sacks he could to use to help keep her comfortable.

The
temperature had dropped significantly over the last hour and Cadence had
started to shiver. He wished he could use the blaze to help keep her warm, but
he was worried it might do more harm than good. He just needed to get her back
to the hotel where she could get into something cozy and dry.

“Levi?”
Cadence grabbed a hold of the wagon’s side and pulled herself up into a sitting
position. “I am fine. It’s just going to take me a while to fully catch my
breath.” She inhaled deeply followed by an exaggerated exhale. “See?” She
shrugged.

A
loud crackling sound split through the air as a portion of the roof fell into
the study.

Cadence
turned her attention to the burning house. “We don’t have time to go back to
town to get help. We need to get that fire out now or everything will be gone.”

“Sweetheart,
it would take an act of God to get that fire out without help from town.”

BOOM!

A
loud crack of thunder rolled across the horizon.

Levi
and Rafe both looked up as the heavens opened and an onslaught of rain dumped
down on top of them. They glanced at each other and suddenly a wellspring of
laughter erupted. The sound of sizzling embers played like music in Levi’s
ears.

Cadence
smiled at him. “I guess He was listening.” She swung her legs out the back of
the wagon and braced herself against the wooden flap.

It
was the most beautiful sight Levi had ever seen and he stared at her for a few
moments, rain streaming in rivulets over his head and face.

“What’s
wrong?” Cadence bit her bottom lip and pulled at the sodden locks of hair just
below her ear.

Levi
strode over to her and delved his hands into the hair at her nape, his fingers
bracing her jaw and his thumb her chin.

“You
are some woman, Cade Walker.” He leaned down in slow descent and paused a
moment before capturing her warm, moist lips fully in his. He could not lose
her. Not now. Not ever.

Her
arms wove up and around his neck, her hands gripping his too-long hair, pulling
him closer. The soft moan that escaped her throat was nearly his undoing and an
unwitting groan formed in his own. He tore his mouth away from hers.

“Don’t
ever scare me like that again.” He leaned his forehead against hers for a brief
instant, then forced himself to take a step back. To leave the heat of her
touch.

Cade’s
shoulders flinched, unraveling her tough façade—though she was resilient, she
shivered from the cold and Levi had nothing to warm her.

“I’m
not riding back here,” Cadence informed him. “I’m feeling much,” she slid off
the back of the wagon and back into his arms, “much better.” She shoved away
from him and walked to the front of the buckboard, climbed up into the seat,
and turned to look at him.

“Merle’s
going to run out of room in that little jailhouse.” Rafe unlocked Eddie’s cuffs
and pulled the man to his feet. “Unless you want to walk back to town behind my
horse, I suggest you get in the back of that wagon.”

“Rafe,
I don’t know if that’s such a good idea…unless you’re going to ride back there
with him.”

“No
need. I’ll just cuff him to the latch at the back and ride behind you. He won’t
do anything stupid, now will you, Eddie?”

Eddie’s
lips crinkled into a scowl that looked as if he’d sniffed something sour, but
he didn’t respond.

“I
can take Cade with me if you’re worried she might fall.”

Levi
raised a skeptical eye at Rafe. “How about you drive this old cart with your
prisoner in the back and I’ll take Cadence with me on Lexa?”

Rafe
rubbed his chin briskly with the back of his hand. “Smart man.” Rafe clapped Levi
on the shoulder, lifted Eddie into the back of the wagon, and clamped the cuffs
to a metal casing ring, then made his way to the front of the buckboard.

Levi
smiled despite himself. He climbed up into Lexa’s saddle and urged her forward
up alongside the wagon seat. The ride would take no more than fifteen minutes
or so, but he didn’t think the saddle horn would be a comfortable place for a
woman for any length of time, so he maneuvered behind the saddle onto the broad
backside of Rafe’s enormous mare.

“Come
on.” He held out a hand to her. “You’re with me.”

Cadence
blinked a couple of times against the torrents of rain that still fell. She
shook her head and smiled, pushing off the toe board, and arranging her foot on
the corner of the box. Her skirt looked weighted with all the excess water and
she wavered slightly. Levi was afraid she might slip, so before anything else
could befall her, he lifted her up and into the saddle in front of him.

The
dress she wore did not allow her to straddle the horse, but he preferred her
sitting sideways.

“Better?”
he asked.

“Much.”
She leaned against his chest, her head cradling in the perfect spot beneath his
chin.

Levi
tightened his hold on the reins, making sure she would be secure in his arms.

“Levi?”
she spoke quietly, her breath hot against the skin of his neck.

“Hmmmm?”

“Thank
you…for not leaving me in there to die.”

How
could he tell her he wouldn’t lose her? Couldn’t lose her?

“You’re
an amazing woman, Cadence Walker.” He chuckled to himself as he leaned down and
placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I couldn’t have left you even if I’d
wanted to.”

Silence
passed between them for a few excruciating moments. He couldn’t deny the
feelings he’d developed for her any longer.

“I
love you.”

Cadence
couldn’t remember ever having slept so well. She opened her eyes, the dizziness
and headache gone. Soft beams of sunlight filtered in through the sheer
curtains at the window.

I
love you
.

The
words echoed in her head, each time filling her insides with a combination of
gratitude and excitement splashed with fear. She’d loved one man before and
she’d lost him. She didn’t know if she was strong enough to ever face that kind
of loss again.

“I
love you too,” she whispered aloud, brushing a finger across her lips, still
tingling from his kiss. Though she hadn’t been able to admit it last night.

The
journal and list.

Cadence
bolted upright and threw the covers off her legs. She hoped the leather-bound
bundle would have vital information about the attack planned for the railroad.
They needed to examine the list for any familiar names and see what they could
figure out from the journal. The ceremony celebrating the meeting of the rails
was coming quickly and she was afraid they may not be able to stop an attack before
it was too late.

Would
having a date and a time be too much to ask?

It
didn’t take long for her to get dressed and to make herself presentable. She
dropped down onto the floor, lifted the quilt from the bed, and looked beneath
to verify that the cylindrical package was still secured to the mattress
support boards. She could not risk it or the Lincoln spike getting into the
wrong hands. Today she would meet Thomas Durant and everything had to be
perfect.

Cadence
opened the door. An empty wooden chair had been stationed just outside of her
room and a half-filled glass of water sat next to the leg. She smiled to
herself. Levi had kept watch over her all night. He didn’t know about the
several weapons she kept within arm’s reach during any assignment.

Focus!

It
had been a long time since something had distracted her this much, but Levi
Redbourne had certainly proven to be a troublesome diversion. One she could ill
afford if she kept acting like a…well, like a female. She walked down to her
father’s room, but when she opened it, it was empty.

Where
could he be?
Her heart skipped a beat and the pounding grew stronger. She lifted the hem of
her skirt and raced down the steps, careful not to catch her foot on her dress.

Once
out in the street, she glanced over to the town square where a dozen or so men
stood around, scratching their heads, examining a pile of neatly stacked wood.
As she got closer, she realized that the gallows was gone. Each of the boards
had been neatly stacked on top of one another, completely dismantled. Next to a
skillfully wound rope, several small boxes full of misshapen nails were aligned
in a perfect row.

Levi.

Cadence
smiled to herself. The beautiful man had shared a lot with her while they’d
traveled together alone across the territory. One night, just before dozing off
to sleep, he’d told her about the many shenanigans he and his twin brother,
Tag, had used to pull on his family and friends. When she’d first met him,
she’d have never guessed him capable of such tomfooleries, but now…now she’d
seen him change. She’d seen a spark reignite the light in his eyes. He’d shared
with her how the war had changed him and that his days of pulling pranks were
long over, but just maybe he’d remembered who he was. Remembered how to find
the joy in living.

It
had to have been him. Who else?

The
train was scheduled to leave Bryan today at three o’clock. Cadence had no
choice but to be on it. More people were going to die if she couldn’t figure
out how to stop these southern sympathizers from attacking the celebration at
Promontory Summit. She needed to find Levi and to get that journal. They had
some time to sit and try to figure out where and when the next attack would be.

Cadence
marched into the sheriff’s office to find Merle sitting behind the desk with
his feet elevated…again. The two imposters, who had accosted her, the doc, and
her father yesterday, each sat on one end of the lone bed in the cell. Eddie
sat in the corner of the enclosed area on the floor, apparently sleeping with
his head up against the bars.

“Have
you seen my father?” she asked the deputy.

Merle
scrambled to his feet, grabbed ahold of his belt, and adjusted his significant
belly.

“Redbourne’s
got him down to the doctor’s office. Guess Elvin’s going to be the new town doc
and he’ll be setting up shop there.” He shot a disdainful look at his
prisoners. “Miss Walker,” he said as she started back out the door, “I’m real
sorry about your pa. I’m sorry I didn’t…”

“It’s
all right, deputy. At least you found out the truth before it was too late.”

He
hung his head.

“Oh,
and Merle,” she waited until he looked up at her, “
every
life is worth
saving…if you can.” She walked out the door.

Clive’s
face still haunted her.

If
you can
,
she reminded herself.

Cadence
knocked on the door to the doctor’s office before pushing it open to find Levi,
his large, dark Stetson covering his face as he leaned back in one of the three
black padded chairs beneath the window. His even breathing told her that he was
sleeping. Or, at least trying to sleep. It was no wonder after the night they’d
had. Not to mention to then have completely disassembled the gallows.

The
man must be exhausted.
She almost hated to wake him, but she really needed that
journal.

Voices
came from the room in the back.

“He’s
almost back to his old self,” Levi said, his hat still covering his face.

Cadence
jumped. “You startled me.” She swatted at his arm.

“Might
as well sit for a spell. Elvin’s checking his wound.” He lifted the brim of his
Stetson to glance at her and smiled. He nodded sideways, indicating the empty
chair next to him and then returned his hat to hide his face.

“Train’s
leaving today, right?” she asked, taking the seat next to him.

“Mmhmmm.”

“You
still coming with me?”

“Mmhmmm.”

“I
need to get that journal from you. We have to look at that list and try to
decipher the passages in the book. There has to be some information we can use
to find out what is going on or a clue as to who we can confront for answers.”

“Already
did.”

“Confront
someone?”

“No.
Looked at the list.”

“Without
me?” Cadence couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice.

“Rafe
wanted a copy of the list to give to the Marshals who should be arriving this
morning from Cheyenne.” Levi handed her the book with the list sticking out
from the binding. “I didn’t give him the journal. Just showed him the list to
see if he saw anyone he knew.”

“And
did he? Were there any names
you
recognized?” She asked, pulling the
parchment from the pages of the journal.

“I’m
afraid not. Though, my brother said that one of the names sounded familiar, but
he couldn’t place it. A woman, I think. I figured you’d want to hold onto that
book. It appears to just be a bunch of journal entries and letters.” He
readjusted his hat. “That’s a really interesting trinket attached to the buckle
there though. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

Cadence
looked a little closer at the small metal medallion. Molded in the center was a
laurel wreath encasing a man astride a horse with a broad X marking the
background of the engraving.

The
Confederate States.

Cadence
had been warned about a group who still believed the country was at war. But
this was proof that somebody was still in the midst of the fight.

“Rafe
thought that maybe if the Pinkertons and Marshals worked together, you all
might be able to figure out what’s in that book and, hopefully, prevent a lot
of bloodshed. That
is
what you want, isn’t it?”

“What?”
She’d heard him, but it took a moment for his words to register in her mind.
“Of course it is.”

Copy
the list?
It was such a simple thing. She wondered why her father hadn’t thought to make
a dozen copies and send them to various Pinkerton’s across the country. Surely,
they would be able to uncover some of the spies in their network. Maybe she
should wire a list back to the agency.

That
is exactly what I am going to do.

Cadence
determined to wire the names on the list back to headquarters before leaving
today. If this extremist group was working so hard to stop the railroad,
chances were they would be conspiring to prevent other such achievements
throughout the nation. She opened the journal and started to scan the names
scribbled on the worn parchment.

The
door to the doctor’s office opened and Rafe stepped inside, followed by two
other men, nearly as tall as any Redbourne she’d met. Cadence looked up, raised
a brow, and leaned over to Levi. “More of your brothers?” she asked without
taking her eyes off them.

Levi
guffawed as he stood, his hat still in his hands. “Nope.” He held out a hand to
help her to her feet. “Speak of the devil,” he said, turning to his brother.

Cadence
clapped the book shut and stood.

“Levi.
Cadence.” Rafe acknowledged as he stepped aside to reveal the first man. “This
is Marshal Keaton Stevens. The real one. My friend and our ally.”

The
Marshal extended his hand to Levi, who shook it firmly. He then looked at
Cadence, bent down, reaching for the empty hand resting at her side, and took
it into his. Raising it up to his mouth, he kissed the back of it. She found
his touch to be more…gentle than she’d expected.

“Ma’am,”
he said with a deep, gravel-like voice that no doubt had gained him the favors
of many a lady, “it’s a pleasure to meet a woman such as yourself. Redbourne
here tells us that you work for Allan Pinkerton.”

Her
smile froze in place and she simply dipped her head with the smallest of
movements in acknowledgement, not sure whether she should openly recognize that
fact. This was new territory for her as she generally worked alone and deeply
undercover. If everyone found out who or what she was, she would lose any
future usefulness in the field and probably land herself right out of a job.

Cadence
imagined that Marshal Stevens was quite effective at keeping the peace…and she
was sure he quickly gained the support of the ladies in any town. His eyes were
an odd color of grey, but stood out drastically against the tanned skin of his
face. Handsome, she imagined most would say—if not a little rough.

Still
, she thought as she
glanced over at the man next to her,
he is no comparison to Levi Redbourne
.
She leaned closer to the man she feared owned her heart until their arms
touched. She was surprised at how quickly she’d come to appreciate having him
near.

“We
came the moment we got word that you’d captured that blamed imposter.” He
finally released her hand and cleared his throat, rubbing his fingers together.
“He’s been pretending to be a lawman throughout four territories now. He’s a
slippery one all right. Escaped capture quite a few times. No one seems to have
been able to get ahead of him. Until now.” He tipped his hat. “Nice work, madam
detective.”

“How’d
he get your badge?” She recognized that he was attempting to flatter her, but
she wanted to know. It was a fair question.

“Now
that’s a story in and of itself.” The man behind Rafe stepped forward, clapped
Marshal Stevens on the back as he slid past him to the forefront, and extended
his hand. “I’m Jeb.”

“Well,
Jeb
, let’s hear it.” She’d dealt with enough men who thought they could
weave a tale around the truth.

Jeb
whistled. “Tough as nails.”

Cadence
turned to Levi. “He’s definitely not the quiet one,” she whispered loud enough
they could hear.

The
door to the back room swung open and her father wobbled into the waiting area
with a groan alongside Elvin. “Thanks, Doc. You sure got the touch.”

Cadence
rushed forward and squatted low enough that her shoulder could snuggle up
beneath Eamon’s arm for support.

“Don’t
you have a job to do elsewhere, young lady?” he said. “Seems to me you should
be headed to the end of track.”

“Part
of my assignment was to locate the missing agent. You,” she responded as she
helped him into one of the chairs, “are the missing agent. I had to make sure
that you were okay.”

“And
now?”

“And
now, I’m headed to the end of track. I just have a few questions for you about
that journal. What did you find out?”

Eamon
grunted as he adjusted in the seat. “I’m afraid I did not have enough time to
discover anything. I seem to have gotten shot before I had the chance to figure
out the cipher, though I think the key is in a book. Not sure which one.”