Nolan studied the new arrival. So this was Eleanor, Tilly’s sister. Eleanor’s hair was darker, and her complexion, unlike Tilly’s, was untouched by the sun. But there was no mistaking those distinctive blue eyes, a trait both sisters shared.
Though he’d known her arrival was a possibility, Nolan was taken aback by her sudden appearance. The last thing he needed was another civilian in their midst. He already had enough complications and lies spinning around in his head. His gaze skittered toward the livery and back to the woman.
There might be a solution that benefited them all. He only hoped that fortune favored the foolish.
As long as the outlaws remained out of sight, Eleanor might escape this mess none the wiser.
“English Bob,” Nolan called. “Can you see to the horses?”
The driver stood and dusted his pants. “Sure thing.”
As Nolan handed over the reins, English Bob leaned closer.
“Anything to avoid dealing with that woman. Thankfully them other two men boarded when they did. She’s a talker. Kept leaning out the window and complaining. I was sorely tempted to clip that feathered hat on a tree.”
Eleanor paced before the stagecoach. “Is this the supper stop?”
“Yes,” Nolan replied. “But there’s been a problem. You’ll have to wait here, ma’am.”
In order for the plan to work, the sisters must remain separated until the right moment. As far as Eleanor was concerned, Tilly had traveled well ahead of her. Eleanor definitely wasn’t expecting Tilly and her daughters in Pyrite. Which meant his plan had a slight hitch.
“I will do no such thing.” She removed one of her gloves and slapped the leather against her palm. “I’m famished. We’ve been twice postponed this morning. I cannot afford any more delays. My children are waiting for me.”
There was a catch in her voice at the mention of her children, and indecision temporarily rooted Nolan’s feet to the ground. His heart went out to her. She was clearly tired and out of sorts. He shook off the hesitation. There was no time to explain. If he wanted to help both sisters, he had to speak with Dakota Red before he made any decisions.
“I need to check on something.” Nolan touched the brim of his hat. “This will only take a moment, ma’am.”
He ducked inside the livery and secured the door behind him.
Dakota Red pressed his gun against Nolan’s side. “What’s gotten in to you, stagecoach man?”
“The passenger that’s just arrived. She’s the girls’ mother.”
“What girls?”
“The, um, my nieces. Those girls. The girls that have been here the entire time. Who do you think?”
Dakota Red leaned around him and peered through the crack in the double doors. “So?”
“She’s come to take the children home.”
“I don’t follow.”
“My nieces.” Nolan gritted his teeth. “She doesn’t know what’s happening. Let her take the children and leave. She won’t know the difference, and you’ll have three less people to watch.”
“She’s your sister-in-law?”
“Yes,” he hissed.
He could barely keep up with the lies himself. He hoped the confusion of discovering her children in Pyrite overrode her other concerns, or they were all in trouble.
The outlaw studied Eleanor. “She’s got a voice on her that could peel the paint off the walls.” Dakota Red squinted. “She’s prettier than her sister. I’ll give her that much.”
Nolan was surrounded by idiots. Blind idiots. “Let the children leave with their mother.”
“I don’t know. Something don’t seem right. Why didn’t you tell me she was coming? What are you hiding, stagecoach man?”
“She’s early.”
Nolan pressed his fingertips against his eyelids until he saw stars. He’d picked the most remote location he could find. Instead of finding solitude, he was playing host to an ever-increasing multitude of guests. The only thing that was missing was a regiment of Captain Ronald’s men.
Dakota Red’s gaze narrowed. “I don’t trust you. Them girls will say something about us.”
“They don’t know anything, remember? They don’t know why you’re here. They don’t know who you are.”
The outlaw scratched his chin. “Where’s she from? Their mother?”
“Virginia City.”
“This place is getting awful crowded. I don’t mind losing a few folks. But I’m taking a risk here, stagecoach man. I’ve got my face on Wanted posters wallpapering Virginia City.”
“She hasn’t seen you.” Through the cracks in the door Nolan, watched the pacing shadow. “Please. On my honor as a Confederate soldier, I won’t betray you. My concern is for the safety of the children.”
The outlaw’s mouth screwed up. “All right. You fetch them girls and send them on their way with their mother. You’ve got fifteen minutes. Don’t try anything or I’ll kill you myself.”
Nolan whipped around as the door slid open.
“What is the meaning of this?” Eleanor demanded. “What is the delay?”
She caught sight of Dakota Red. “Who is this man?”
“A stable hand,” Nolan replied easily.
“But he’s so familiar.” She stepped closer. “I’m certain I know you. I’ve seen your face.”
“I don’t think you have.” The outlaw presented her with his profile. “I don’t get out much.”
“You are very familiar. Have you been to Virginia City? My late husband employed several men at his gold mine. Are you familiar with the Lehmann Mining Company?”
“Never heard of it. Never been to Virginia City.”
“Oh.” She opened and closed her mouth. “Oh, dear. You’re a—”
Immediately following her shocked declaration, Eleanor crumpled in a faint.
Nolan lunged and caught her beneath the arms, then lowered her to the hay-strewn ground.
“Told you my face was all over Virginia City.” Dakota Red nudged her with his foot. “Deal’s off. She recognized me.”
Nolan nearly shouted his frustration. He’d been so close to getting the girls safely out of town. If only Eleanor had waited.
The outlaw cocked his pistol. “I don’t like killing women, but she knows too much.”
Eleanor moaned and stirred, and Nolan splayed his hands. “She stays. I’ll get rid of the stagecoach. Your plan will still work.”
“This place is getting awfully crowded. I don’t like being outnumbered.”
“What have you got to fear? Your hostages are two women, three children and a lame cavalry officer.”
“And you.”
“And me.”
“Don’t sound so bad when you say it like that.”
“We’re hardly a threat,” Nolan said. “There’s still a way for your plan to work. We all want this mess over and done with. I’ll steal the gold from the stagecoach. You can take all the horses, that will guarantee your head start. When they figure out the gold is missing, they’ll think I stole it. You’ll have a full day’s ride ahead of the cavalry before they know you’re missing. If you murder her now, and you don’t get the gold, you’ll hang for certain. I’d save the killing until after you’ve got the money.”
“That was always the plan.”
Nolan’s blood chilled. Perhaps the outlaws would settle for killing him and the captain and letting the girls go free. “Your plan will still work.”
Eleanor groaned and Nolan hoisted her into his arms with a muttered apology. Even if he lived to tell the tale, no one was going to believe him. He had no sooner solved one problem than another one sprang up in its place.
Not to mention he currently had another difficulty. He needed the stagecoach and the two passengers gone before Eleanor came around, or she’d wake up screaming and guarantee them into an early grave.
Much to his relief, English Bob and Gerard had finished changing out the team of horses by the time he returned outside with Eleanor in his arms.
The outrider gaped. “What happened?”
“The lady has taken ill. She can’t travel. She insists on staying here until she’s well.”
“All right.” English Bob agreed with shocking speed. “You got enough rooms for all the sick people staying here?”
“Just.”
The two male passengers circled around the corral, and Nolan adjusted Eleanor in his arms.
The first passenger did a double take. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s sick. She’s staying.”
The second man breathed a sigh of relief, then caught himself. “Sorry to hear that. We’ll miss her, um, conversation. She enjoyed talking. A lot.”
The driver and the outrider clambered atop the stagecoach. “C’mon, boys,” English Bob called. “I’m leaving. With or without you.”
With a last glance at Eleanor, the passengers swiftly returned to the stagecoach. No one wanted to risk Eleanor waking.
Nolan adjusted his burden. He’d taken this job for the peace and quiet. He was going to demand a raise the next time the owner of the Pioneer Stagecoach passed through town. They certainly didn’t pay him enough for all his troubles.
The driver tipped his hat, and Nolan lifted his eyes heavenward, offering up a brief prayer of thanks.
This situation was growing more ridiculous by the moment. At this point, he wouldn’t blink an eye if a traveling circus set up tents in town. He sincerely doubted anything would surprise him at this point. If they all survived unscathed, he’d have a good belly laugh remembering the look on English Bob’s face.
He’d certainly never forget the look on Eleanor’s face when she’d recognized Dakota Red from his Wanted poster.
Eleanor stirred in his arms. “What happened?”
“You fainted, ma’am.”
“Set me down this instant.”
“Certainly.”
Nolan masked his grimace and set her on her feet.
The stagecoach driver shouted and the horses surged ahead in a rattle of harnesses. Nolan nearly collapsed. He’d dodged a disaster. For the first time in a week, something had gone has planned.
“Why is the stagecoach leaving?” Eleanor shrieked, her arms flailing. “I’m supposed to be on that stagecoach.”
Her face flushed, and he noted the exact moment she recalled the reason for her earlier faint.
“Help!” she screamed. “I’ve been kidnapped!”
* * *
Tilly heard the commotion all the way from the relay station. Captain Ronald hobbled into the room.
“You have to be careful,” she said, jerking her head over her shoulder. “You’re supposed to be dying.”
“Snyder is gone,” the captain replied defensively. “He left as soon as the stagecoach took off.”
Another scream sounded.
“What’s wrong?” the captain demanded. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know.” Tilly wiped her hands on a towel. The captain was far too accustomed to giving orders. “Stay in here, and I’ll see what’s wrong.”
“You’re just a woman. You should stay here. Where it’s safe.”
“You’ve been shot.”
“No matter.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re risking our plan of escape. If the outlaws know how well you’re getting around, they’ll watch you.”
“That woman is clearly in distress.”
“I’ll make you a bargain. If you can beat me to the door, you can see what’s happening first.”
The comment wasn’t very charitable, but she didn’t appreciate being referred to as “just” a woman.
As the captain limped behind her, Tilly stepped out the door. Nolan strode toward her, a woman marching beside him.
Tilly’s stomach dropped. “Eleanor!”
“I demand an explanation! I have been kidnapped.” Eleanor cupped her hands over her mouth. “Help me! I’ve been kidnapped. Someone help me!”
Tilly picked up her step and snatched her sister’s arm. “Be quiet, Eleanor. I can explain everything.”
“This man accosted me.” Eleanor’s expression shifted, and she tucked her hands against her chest. “There’s an outlaw on these premises! I saw him.”
“I know,” Tilly soothed. “Come inside and I’ll fetch the girls. I’ll fix you a cup of tea.”
“The girls? What are the girls doing in the middle of nowhere? What are you doing here, Tilly?” Eleanor pressed the back of her hand against her forehead. “Oh, dear, I fear I’m swooning again.”
Tilly ushered her inside, where the captain waited. Eleanor glanced at the handsome captain and her cheeks flushed. She collapsed strategically, or so Tilly thought, and Captain Ronald caught her. He staggered against the strain on his injury.
“You’d best carry her, Nolan.” Tilly heaved a sigh. “I’m so sorry. Eleanor has always had a flare for the dramatic. I’ll fetch the girls.”
“I’ll see to her.” Nolan gathered the prone woman. “I’ll put her in the girls’ room.”
The captain reluctantly released his hold on Eleanor and Nolan rested her sister on the counterpane and backed away. As she went to fetch the girls, she noticed the captain smooth his hair and straighten his lapels.
Tilly returned with the girls, who’d been playing near the blackberry bushes. Since the incident with the jail cell, they’d limited the girls’ play area during the time the stagecoaches passed through town.
Once inside, Victoria caught sight of her mother and dashed over. “She’s fainted again, hasn’t she? She’s always fainting.”
The three girls crowded around their mother.
“Your mother has had a shock.” Tilly approached the doorway and stood beside Nolan “She wasn’t expecting us to be here.”
“Why are we still here?” Caroline asked. “Why didn’t we get on the stagecoach with Mama?”
“I’ll explain everything later,” Tilly replied, unbearably weary.
Eleanor’s arrival complicated an already impossible situation. The chance of the seven of them escaping was slim. While Tilly was grateful the girls had been reunited with their mother, she feared for their safety.
“How come later never comes when you’re an adult?” Carolina’s quizzical expression matched her sisters. “Adults are always saying things like that, but then you never answer.”
“I know what it means.” Victoria harrumphed. “It means they don’t want to answer. At all.”
“Oh.” Caroline gaped. “That explains a lot.”
Nolan drew Tilly aside. “I’m sorry. I almost convinced Dakota Red to let Eleanor leave with the girls.”
The frustration in his voice was obvious.
Tilly longed to comfort him as he’d comforted her, but she was painfully aware of their audience. “What happened?”
“She interrupted my plea. She recognized Dakota Red from a Wanted poster she’d seen in Virginia City. He couldn’t let her leave after that.”
Captain Ronald peered over Tilly’s shoulder. “How is the young lady? Was she traveling with her husband?”
“My sister is widowed.”
The captain slid his thumb down the muttonchops on his chin. “Widowed, you say.”
Tilly stifled a sigh. At least she no longer had to contend with the captain’s halfhearted flirtation. He’d be fully occupied with Eleanor from now on.
The captain gazed at Eleanor’s beautiful face in repose, and his expression turned wistful. “Can I be of assistance?”
Tilly prodded him back toward the table. “She’s fine. She’s had a shock. Rest your leg. Eleanor will need you at your best if we find a way to escape.”
“Yes. Of course.” He stared past her into Eleanor’s room. “I’ll be at the ready. You may depend on that.”
Tilly might as well have been part of the background for all the captain was paying attention to her. Even in a faint her sister attracted admirers. Though she sensed her sister’s faint was more for effect than an actual affliction, she’d best check on her.
Eleanor’s eyes fluttered open. “What is it? What’s happened?”
Tilly groaned. Therein lay the difficulty. With the girls, they were dancing a line around the truth.
Tilly smoothed a hand over Victoria’s hair. “Girls, I need a moment alone with your mother.”
“But she’s only just got here,” Caroline said, pouting. “We haven’t seen her in days and days.”
“Seven days,” Victoria chimed in.
“Mama.” Elizabeth’s lower lip protruded in a pout. “Want Mama.”
“I promise I’ll be quick.” Tilly urged them from the room. “Run along.”
Shoulders slumped, the girls dutifully exited the room. Tilly ignored her twinge of guilt. Though the girls were anxious to see their mother, they’d have to wait. Their lives were at stake, after all.
Tilly fluffed the pillows behind Eleanor’s head and spoke in low voice. “You’re being held hostage by three outlaws at a relay station in the abandoned town of Pyrite, Nebraska, along with me, your daughters, the stagecoach manager and a wounded cavalry officer.”
“I never did understand your sense of humor, Matilda,” Eleanor huffed. “I hold you to blame for this. I’m sure it’s something you’ve done.”
“Do not call me Matilda.” Tilly clenched her jaw. “We haven’t told the girls that the men are outlaws. We didn’t want to worry them. Don’t say anything.”
Recovering quickly, Eleanor pushed herself upright. “My girls are being held by outlaws? How could you have done this?”
“I’ve done nothing,” Tilly insisted.
“These sorts of things never happen to me.”
“Really? Because this sort of thing just happened to you. If you had listened to Nolan instead of butting in on his conversation, you’d be on your way to Omaha with the girls.”
“Whatever are you babbling about? Who is this Nolan person?”
“Nolan, um, Mr. West, is in charge of this stagecoach stop. He was attempting to negotiate the release of the girls when you barged in and recognized the outlaw. Dakota Red couldn’t let you leave after that.”
“How was I supposed to know this horrible town had been overrun by outlaws? Blaming me is entirely unfair.”
“Never mind,” Tilly said wearily. There was no use arguing with Eleanor. She always had the last word. “Your girls have missed you. They want to see you.”
She turned on her heel and stalked from the room. The girls rushed past her, calling greetings to their mother without giving Tilly a second glance. Tilly suppressed a sigh. Understanding the girls’ enthusiasm only made the sting worse.
The two men exchanged a glance.
Tilly slammed a plate on the table. “Are you hungry?”
“Not particularly,” Nolan said.
“Good. Let’s eat.”
Captain Ronald braced his hands on the table and lowered himself onto a chair. “Would someone mind explaining what’s happened?”
Tilly clutched her head. “It’s a long story.”
“We appear to have an abundance of time.”
Once she’d completed her explanations, the captain leaned back in his seat. “Your poor sister. She’s had a tough time lately.”
“Yes. Poor Eleanor.” Tilly braced her chin on her hand. “This has been awful for her.”
Eleanor appeared in the doorway.
She held a handkerchief before her mouth. “What is this I hear about guns?”
Tilly stood and took her sister’s hand, leading her to the table. “Not in front of the girls.” She plucked a basket from the counter. “Why don’t you three gather some blackberries for your mother?”
“Mama!” Elizabeth clapped. “Boo-berries.”
“Do we have to?” Victoria grumbled. “I want to stay.”
“Run along.” Tilly nudged her on the shoulder. “We’ll make muffins tonight.”
“You’re not my mother,” Victoria declared. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“I’m your mother and I’m telling you to gather some blackberries.” Eleanor straightened her spine. “Tilly, give them a smaller bowl. They’ll never fill that.”
“It’s raining,” Victoria whispered to her sister. “Mama hasn’t even noticed that she’s letting us play in the rain.”
“Hush,” Caroline ordered. “Or she’ll change her mind.”
Her cheeks burning, Tilly dutifully retrieved a smaller bowl. As though sensing her humiliation, Caroline gave her an encouraging smile. Tilly’s stomach dipped. Eleanor had only just arrived and she’d already been demoted. Eleanor was treating her as though she was a child, and Caroline’s commiseration only made it worse.
“I demand an explanation.” Eleanor gracefully perched on the edge of a chair. “I have children. What sort of danger have you gotten us into, Tilly? What’s this Caroline tells me about being locked in a jail cell? I entrusted you with a very simple task. You were to safely accompany the children home to Walter’s parents in Omaha. I knew I never should have trusted you.”
“Nothing was Tilly’s fault,” Nolan said. “She’s the reason we’re all still alive and planning an escape.”
Eleanor flicked a glance in his direction, and Tilly sensed she’d eliminated the stagecoach man as an ally. Her sister turned her attention toward Captain Ronald, whose admiration was obvious.
“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.” Eleanor held out a limp hand in the captain’s direction. “I’m Mrs. Lehmann.”
Tilly was fairly certain her sister’s eyelashes fluttered.
“I’m Captain Ronald, ma’am.” The captain awkwardly stood and bent at the waist. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep your family safe, ma’am.”
“The girls haven’t eaten properly in days. Victoria says you’ve been feeding them nothing but berries and muffins.” Eleanor stood. “Their clothing is a mess. Elizabeth is covered in stains.”
“I haven’t exactly had time for washing up.”
“Even in the best of circumstances, you’ve never been responsible. They need routine. They need a schedule. You wouldn’t understand, dear, not having children of your own.”
“Captain Ronald.” Nolan stood and shuffled his feet. “We should see to Eleanor’s bags. They’ve been left in the rain. I’ll bring them around back so you can assist me and still stay out of sight.”
“Of course. Right away.” The captain stood and limped after Nolan. He paused before Eleanor. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lehmann.”
Tilly groaned. Though she was grateful for their polite exit, the humiliation stung. Her annoyance blossomed into full-blown anger.
She wasn’t one of Eleanor’s children, she was her sister. Her equal. And it was high time Eleanor started treating her as one.