Wyoming Lawman (21 page)

B
y sunrise, Matt's bones ached like an old man's gout. The coffee he'd consumed tasted bitter on his tongue, although he was certain Dan felt otherwise. Carrie had been up half the night, making sandwiches for them all and keeping coffee on the stove. Matt couldn't help but hope he'd see Pearl, but she'd stayed upstairs. He knew, because he'd watched the light in her window. Long after midnight, she'd blown out the wick.

Alone in the dark, he'd looked up at the sky. Instead of stars, he'd seen a thousand blind eyes. Bands of clouds had swept over the points of light, hiding them and then revealing them again as if God were blinking. Each time he wondered why he couldn't do the one thing that might have given him peace. He couldn't forgive God, and he couldn't ask for forgiveness for himself.

While standing guard, he'd thought a lot about what Pearl had said about that night in Virginia. She'd been wounded by a crime as heinous as the one Matt had committed, yet she'd gone on with her life. He wanted the same freedom, but how did he get it? He owed a debt for what he'd done in Virginia. Somehow it had to be paid. He'd heard what Pearl had said about Jesus dying for his sins.
He'd once believed in that gift and supposed he still did, but somehow believing God could forgive him wasn't enough. He felt dirty inside. And he still thought the Almighty had blinked on that fateful night.

Would his feelings change if he stopped the Golden Order? Matt didn't know, but he wanted to sleep without bad dreams. He couldn't bring Amos McGuckin back to life, but maybe he'd find peace if he could stop the Golden Order.

Even more important, he had to protect Pearl and her father. The Golden Order hadn't struck during the night, but Matt couldn't relax. If the G.O. wanted Matt and Tobias, Pearl was the perfect bait. Matt intended to put her on the train before Jasper opened his shop, but what about the errand boy? If he'd revealed the plan to Jasper, anything could happen.

Yawning, Matt leaned against the railing at the far end of the porch. He'd been up all night along with Dan and two other deputies. He'd sent Jake Murray home an hour ago. Charlie Dibbs was checking the horses, and Dan had gone to the livery to fetch a hack for the ride to the train depot. Until Matt saw the train pull out of the station, he wouldn't take his eyes off Pearl for an instant.

As if he'd called out her name, she stepped through the front door. “Matt?”' “Over here.”

As he pushed off the railing, the sun turned the day into a haze of gold. The light glinted off her hair, and his mouth gaped at what he saw. In place of the braid he'd come to expect, she'd swept half her hair up and let the rest fall down her back. Matching blue ribbons held the waves in place, the ribbons he'd given to her to say thank you…the ribbons that now said so much more.

When she saw him, she smiled. It didn't look the least
bit forced, though she had to be hurting. “Good morning,” she said. “I thought you might want breakfast. Dan and the other deputies, too.”

“Jake left and Charlie's busy.”

“What about Dan?” Her eyes twinkled. “I'm sure Carrie would be glad to see him.”

“No doubt.” Matt was sincerely happy for his friend. “He's getting a hack from the livery.”

She paused. “What about you? Are you hungry?”

“I'll pass.” A single meal wouldn't satisfy him.

Dressed for the trip in a paisley skirt and a royal blue jacket, she looked both gracious and bold. Only the shadows below her eyes hinted at yesterday's trouble. Matt thought of Tobias urging him to tell Pearl how he felt. He hadn't done it last night, and he wouldn't do it now. He had to stick to the business of protecting her. “Are you packed?”

“Yes.”

“And your father?”

“He's having breakfast with Carrie.” She spoke as if nothing were wrong. “She leaves for school in a few minutes.”

“Good.” He wanted today to be like any other day, although he hoped Carrie would pay extra attention to Sarah. The child hadn't been herself when he'd left her with Mrs. Holcombe.

Pearl glanced down the street. “I guess we didn't have any visitors.”

“No one. We'll leave for the station as soon as Dan gets here.”

“So this is it,” she said mildly.

“I guess so.”

She looked at him with a kindness he didn't deserve. “I have to say something.”

“Pearl, don't.”

“Please,” she said quietly. “Give me this moment.”

How could he deny her a final request? How could he deny himself? Even dying men got a last meal. “What's on your mind?”

She raised her chin, then tried to smile. Her lips quivered, but her eyes stayed dry. “You, Matt Wiley, will live in my heart forever. You've given me gifts I'll treasure, and you've restored a part of me I thought was gone forever. Thank you.”

“Pearl, I—”

“Please.” She touched her index finger to his lips. “Don't say anything.” Leaning forward, she closed her eyes and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

Every instinct told Matt to pull her into his arms. She deserved to be kissed properly, by a man who loved her and would cherish her. He couldn't be that man, so he settled for taking her hand in both of his. Unable to let her go, he raised her fingers to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He yearned to tell her he loved her. Instead he spoke a painful truth. “I'm sorry, Pearl. I can't say what you deserve to hear.”

Her eyes filled with unshed tears, maybe a hint of anger, but she kept her chin up. “Don't be sorry, Matt. I'm not.”

“I've hurt you.”

“You've helped me. I have no regrets and neither should you.”

Just like that, she'd forgiven him…. He'd tied Pearl in knots, yet she stood here loving him without expectation. Saying nothing felt all wrong, but speaking from his heart would confuse them both. Vaguely he thought of Tobias asking him if he was cowardly or stupid. The question fit now, and he didn't have a good answer.

A hack rattled in the distance. Matt looked down the street and saw Dan. At the same moment, Charlie arrived
with Matt's horse and his own. Feeling grim, he let go of Pearl's hand. “I'll have Charlie fetch your trunk.”

“Thank you.”

As she went back in the house, Matt spoke to the deputy. Five minutes later the trunks were loaded and Charlie had climbed on his horse. Everyone else gathered on the porch. With Toby in her arms, Pearl hugged Carrie goodbye. Teary-eyed, Carrie hugged Tobias, then told Matt she'd give Sarah an extra hug when Mrs. Holcombe brought her to school. Dan got a kiss on the cheek. After a last look at them all, she hurried down the steps and headed to Miss Marlowe's School.

Tobias offered his arm to Pearl. “It's time, princess.”

Without looking back, she took her father's arm and walked to the carriage. Tobias handed her up, then climbed up and sat next to her. As Dan took the reins, Matt mounted his horse and the little entourage took off for the train depot, with Matt in the lead and Charlie guarding the rear. As they rode down the empty streets, Matt peered between houses and down alleys. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. In the business district—the section well away from Jasper's shop—Cheyenne began to stir and he felt hopeful the G.O. hadn't learned of Tobias's escape. If Matt had been planning a kidnapping, he'd have sprung the trap in a quiet neighborhood, not in a part of town with witnesses.

As they neared the depot, the locomotive sent puffs of steam into the morning sky. Carriages pulled up to the station, leaving passengers and their baggage on the crowded platform. Dan steered to an empty spot, hopped down and went to unload the trunks. Charlie joined him, leaving Matt to hand Pearl and Toby out of the carriage. Silent, he escorted Pearl and her father to the ticket window. He made the purchase, then handed the tickets to Tobias. “There you go, sir.”

The man's brow furrowed. “I expected to pay.”

“The city's paying,” Matt answered. “You've earned it.”

Tobias put the tickets in his coat. “I'll want to know what happens. You'll be in touch, I'm sure.”

“We'll need you to testify.”

“Of course.”

The three of them walked through the crowd to the waiting train. When they reached the passenger car, Pearl stopped at the bottom of the steps. She turned to say a final goodbye, but Matt wasn't about to let her board without seeing who else had gotten on. Brushing by her, he climbed the steps, surveyed the other passengers and saw only strangers. Reassured, he motioned for Pearl and Tobias to come aboard.

Hugging Toby close, she slipped into a window seat. Before sitting, Tobias turned and offered Matt his hand. “Deputy, it's been a privilege to know you.”

Matt grunted. “I'd hardly call it that.”

“Nonetheless, that's how I feel.”

Tobias broke the handshake and sat. Against his better judgment, Matt looked at Pearl. She'd turned to the window, giving him a view of the hair cascading down her back. With her face turned, he could indulge in a long last look and that was what he did, until Toby cooed and reached for him. It would have been the most natural thing in the world to lift the baby and hold him high like he used to do with Sarah, kissing her tummy while she laughed and kicked. Matt imagined holding Toby like that, until the conductor announced the train would leave in five minutes.

“Goodbye, sir,” he said to Tobias. “Pearl?”

Turning from the window, she met his gaze with an arched brow. “Goodbye, Matt. Stay safe.”

“I will,” he murmured. “You, too.”

Her chin stayed firm, even defiant. In her own quiet way, she was daring him to speak from his heart. Matt wanted to offer a dare of his own.
Marry me.
But he wouldn't do it. Until he could be the man she deserved, he had no business telling her he loved her. Deliberately stoic, he tipped his hat and left the passenger car.

He had to get off the train, but he'd be watching from the edge of the platform. He wouldn't budge until it vanished from sight. Then he'd go home and sleep…maybe.

 

“He's gone,” Pearl said to her father.

“You'll see him again.”

“I suppose.” If Dan proposed to Carrie, Pearl would come back for the wedding. Aching inside, she snuggled Toby against her chest. “Today feels so final.”

Disheartened, she looked out the window. Hoping for a glimpse of Matt, she scanned the crowd. Instead of the man she loved, she saw a little girl with hair that matched her own.

“Papa!” she cried. “It's Sarah!”

He leaned across her lap and peered out the window. “That poor child! She's crying.”

How had Sarah gotten to the train station? Had Mrs. Holcombe brought her? Maybe Carrie? Except Carrie had a class to teach. Pearl didn't see her cousin anywhere. Neither could she see Matt. Pearl jumped to her feet. “I have to help her.” She handed Toby to her father, then squeezed past his knees. “I'll be right back.”

“Hurry!” he called after her. “The train's about to leave.”

She had three minutes, maybe less. Hoisting her skirt, she raced down the aisle of the train car and down to the platform. Waving frantically, she called Sarah's name. The child spotted her and ran sobbing into her arms.

“What are you doing here?” Pearl crooned.

“I runned away from school.”

The poor grammar showed the child's distress. Pearl's belly knotted. “We have to find your daddy.”

“I don't want my daddy!”

“But Sarah—”

“I want
you!
”

Pearl felt torn in two. Sarah needed her, but the boilers were chuffing and building up steam. The excess spilled into the air, filling it with the smell of water and grit. She pulled Sarah into a hug and lifted her into her arms. Had Matt waited for the train to leave? It seemed likely, so she scanned the platform. She spotted him at the far edge, staring at the window where she'd been seated with a worried frown.

“Matt!” she cried.

At the sight of her with Sarah, his eyes filled with the worry she'd seen the day they'd met, the day Sarah had nearly been run over. Pearl hurried in his direction, but a man with a bushy beard blocked her way.

“Excuse me,” she murmured.

When he didn't move, she looked up and saw the man who'd been driving the freight wagon that had nearly run over Sarah.

“Excuse me, missy.” He tipped his hat—a black derby.

Pearl's blood turned to ice. She tried to step around him, but he blocked her path. As she turned, a man in a mask ripped Sarah from her arms. A blanket seemed to fall from the sky, suffocating her and blacking out the sun. When she tried to scream, a hand clapped against her mouth.

“Don't do that, Pearl. We have the little girl.”

Jasper!

Shouts filled the air and a woman screamed. A man shouted, “Don't shoot! They've got a child!”

Pearl could only imagine the depth of Matt's fear. With Sarah in harm's way, he couldn't fight back. But Pearl could…. She didn't have a chance against her kidnappers, but she kicked and screamed as they manhandled her into a carriage.

Someone, possibly Jasper, tied her hands and feet with a laundry cord. Bound and still covered by the blanket, she felt a man's hand snake through her hair. Forcing her neck to bend, he tugged a black mask over her face, pulled a drawstring and tied a vicious knot. Without a word, he shoved her against the far door of the carriage, maybe the one that had dropped off her father. To both her relief and horror, their kidnappers shoved Sarah on to the seat next to her.

As the carriage lurched forward, the child pressed her face against Pearl's arm. Judging by the lack of a hug, Sarah's arms were bound and her muffled cries meant they'd masked her face. With her own arms tied behind her back, Pearl couldn't embrace the girl like she wanted. She tried to calm Sarah the only way she knew. “Do you know how to pray, sweetie?”