When All My Dreams Come True (45 page)

1873 Colorado Territory

H
er mama once said that men thought with their hands long before the reaction reached their brain. Now, with this scowling fellow pointing a gun at her, Grace Bradley had to agree with the voice of wisdom.

He cocked his pistol. “Show yourself. And no sudden moves. I ain’t afraid to shoot.”

How on earth was she going to talk her way out of this one? Maybe hiding under the tarp tied over Cade Ramsey’s wagon wasn’t one of the brightest things she’d ever done, but desperation forced extreme measures.

Truth be told, it was his own fault she’d been discovered. He was the one who’d managed to hit every stinkin’ hole in the road. Each bump jarred her bones into an unmerciful meeting with the lumber stacked in his wagon bed. The last jolt forced a loud gasp from her, and her final shred of hope for freedom had vanished with the click of the gun hammer.

“I said show yourself or I’ll shoot.”

“Hold your horses. I’m coming out.” Hair draped her face, and
she puffed it away from her mouth. “Put that gun away before you hurt someone.”

Grace wormed her way to the back of the wagon, picking up slivers as she went, and with every inch of progress she schemed on how to get Cade to help her continue her flight. Then she’d disappear somewhere into the world and start a new life—free from Frank Easton, an overbearing brute of a man whose first wife, Maria, had disappeared without sign or word. How could Daddy even consider forcing her to marry into that situation?

The tarp grew tighter as she neared the tail of the wagon. One attempt to stick her hand out to loosen the ropes earned her nothing more than chafed knuckles and a broken fingernail.

“Thanks for all your help,” she huffed.

She lifted the tarp as far as it would go and heaved herself toward the sliver of daylight, hoping for enough strength to push through. The sudden release of the tarp sent her sprawling over the end.

She scrambled for something to catch onto, and her grasping fingers connected with cold, hard steel. She latched on to avoid planting her face in the dirt. An explosion blasted near her ear. She screamed as she hit the ground, ears ringing. A heavy weight landed on top of her, knocking the breath out of her.

Cade clamored to his feet to stand over her. Before she could get her bearings, he pulled her up by her arm. She stood blinking at the horses charging off in a cloud of dust, the careening backend of the wagon belching lumber and supplies in its wake.

Cade’s jaw hung slack a moment before he clamped his mouth shut and holstered his gun.

The expression on his face changed from annoyance to surprise. “Grace? What …?”

She looked from him to the retreating cloud of dust then back at him. “Sorry?” she said with raised brows and the most convincing expression of innocence she could muster.

“What in tarnation are you doing?”

The look of little-girl helplessness on her face made most of Cade Ramsey’s irritation seep away. He glanced down the empty road, then back to Grace.

“Are you hurt?”

She shook her head and peered up at him, her brown eyes round in her pale face. She still wore the same dress from the funeral the day before, though now dusty and wrinkled.

Cade peeled off his hat and scratched his head. “What were you doing in the back of my wagon?”

She smoothed her skirt. “Hiding.”

“What was that?”

Her chin lifted, and she stared him in the eye. “I said I was
hiding.”

“The question is, why?”

She looked around. “Can I help you clean this up?”

Cade crossed his arms over his chest.

“Please? The quicker we gather this stuff, the sooner we can get moving again.”

“What good will it do me without the wagon?”

She glanced down the road, then started walking. “All right, let’s go get them.”

He groaned and followed. All kinds of critters had crossed his path when he was young, needing some kind of aid. Why did it have to be a woman this time? One who left disaster in her wake, no less. He figured her assistance would be about as helpful as an avalanche in a snowstorm.

“Hold up.” He moved in front to stop her. “You wait here, and I’ll bring the horses back. It doesn’t take two to catch them.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Besides, they may have gotten pretty far, and those shoes don’t look like they’d be much for a long hike.”

She looked down then nodded. “All right. I’ll wait.”

He took off at a brisk walk. In mere hours the sun would nestle
into the Rockies, calling a halt to his day. He sure didn’t need any more delays.

The horses had stopped not more than a mile away, though they’d gone off the road to graze next to a swollen stream. Small chunks of ice floated in the rushing water, and a dirty snowdrift oozed moisture as the sun declared its victory over the long cold season. Cade could only hope the wagon wheels weren’t bogged down in some mud hole.

He called to the team as he approached so they wouldn’t bolt. They only glanced at him before continuing to nibble at the few blades of new spring grass. A quick inspection of the wheels revealed no damage. He climbed aboard, and headed back, stopping to pick up anything that had fallen out during the horses’ flight.

He returned to find Grace busy stacking the lumber and piling the supplies next to them. The gesture surprised him, though he was pleased at her achievement, right up until she dropped a board onto the stack. The
crack
sent the horses into another wild dance before he managed to calm them. He glared at her, only to receive another innocent look along with a shrug.

“Sorry.”

He choked back a comment and set the brake on the wagon. Together, they loaded the lumber and supplies in no time … and without incident.

She darted another glance down the road behind them, then turned and looked him in the eye. “Can we go now?”

“Who’s after you?”

“No one. I’m just ready to be on our way again.”

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later.”

He lifted her onto the seat, then climbed up beside her and sat thinking for a moment.

“What are you waiting for?” she said.

“Sanity.” He grabbed the reins and turned the wagon around.

“Wait. What are you doing?” She jerked on his arm. “You’re going the wrong way.”

He reined the horses to a stop. “At the funeral, you asked to go to Rockdale with me. I said no. Instead, you hid out in my wagon.” He propped one hand on his knee and peered at her face. “You’re not in trouble, are you?”

“No.” She plucked at her bottom lip with her thumb and forefinger, brows puckered. “I’m not in trouble.”

“You’re not a very good liar, Grace. You might as well tell me the truth.”

She craned her neck to peer down the road. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, for starters, the way you check the road every few seconds.” Her gaze darted up at him again. “And because of the way you’re almost pulling off your lip.”

She dropped her hand to her lap and clasped it with her other hand. “I’m not pulling off my lip, and I’m not in trouble.”

“So you’re hiding out because …?”

She tapped one finger against her chin. Once more, her mouth opened and closed. She slumped. “I don’t know how much I want to tell you.”

“Well, right now, I’ll take anything.”

“Fine.” She let out a gust. “I needed to leave town, and I didn’t want anyone to stop me.”

“And the reason you
needed
to leave town?”

“That’s what I don’t want to tell you.”

Women!
He slapped the reins against the horses’ rumps.

Panicked, she jerked back on them. “You can’t take me back there.”

“At least tell me this. Did you know you were hiding in
my
wagon?”

“I felt pretty certain.” She shrugged. “You rescued me once at the funeral. I thought maybe you’d help me again.”

The vision of Grace being manhandled at her mother’s funeral played through his mind. He still wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t stepped in, despite Frank Easton’s threats for interfering.

“So you want my help, but you won’t tell me why.”

She mashed her lips together tighter than a miser’s fist.

“Tell me you at least left your father a note explaining your plans.”

Grace looked away from him and fiddled with a button on her coat.

Cade threw the reins down. “You didn’t leave a note? Your father knows nothing?”

“He probably doesn’t even know I’m gone yet.”

He jerked the hat from his head, ran his fingers through his hair, then shoved his hat back in place. “So, more than likely, your father is worrying himself sick over you right now, isn’t he? He just lost his wife, and now he may fear he’s lost his daughter as well.”

Tears appeared in Grace’s eyes, and she gave him a stricken look.

They sat in silence while he sent up a plea for wisdom. “Neither of us is going anywhere until you tell me what this is about.”

Her delicate hands clenched into fists. She huffed twice. “It’s a matter of life and death.”

“Whose?”

She peered up at him, desperation in her eyes. “Mine. So, you’ll take me with you, won’t you?”

“Only as far as the next town. Then I’m going to buy you a ticket back to Pueblo and put you on the stagecoach myself.”

“You’re such a gentleman, Cade, and it’s not the first time I’ve noticed.” She straightened and smoothed her skirt. “I can’t wait to meet your mother. She has to be a special woman for you to turn out so nice.”

He gripped the reins until he thought they would cut into his palms. “I said you’re not coming with me.”

She frowned and propped her fists on her hips. “Well, I’m certainly not going back to Pueblo. Why do you think I left there in the first place?”

“I don’t
know
why you left there in the first place. You won’t tell me.”

Grace’s chin dropped to her chest, but the way her shoulders shook, she had to be laughing. He groaned and flicked the reins again. The sooner he got rid of this woman, the better.

He looked heavenward before fixing his gaze on the road.
This is my punishment, isn’t it, Lord? I got angry with You over Kim, so now you’ve sent me this infernal woman as my discipline
.

Steel scraped against leather as he felt his pistol leave the holster. In the next instant Grace turned, and an explosion deafened one of his ears.