part0011

Mark watched the stage leave in a cloud of dust. He regretted his choice of letting Evangeline ride the coach alone. He’d promised her he’d be riding the ridge alongside the road and keeping her in his sight.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, but if her brother showed up again, would she side with Sam? He believed she would, and Mark had a sickening feeling they’d run into Sam Russell sooner than later. Mark thought he was the one in charge of the gang roaming and preying on the area.

Archie had said in his notes on the case that someone was giving information on the stage routes and when there was a shipment of money, gold, or a passenger with a pocketful of dollars or jewelry.

Mark mounted his horse and was about to follow the trail of dust when a boy ran toward him.

“Thanks.” Mark took the wire from him and opened it. Sabrina and Tom would be waiting at the stage depot.

He threw the waiting boy a coin and again turned his horse toward the distant dust of the stagecoach. Again, he was about to start off when a man ran out of the bank.

“The bank has been robbed.” The man, dressed in a suit, ran into the sheriff’s office.

Mark waited to see what was happening. He hadn’t heard any gunshots and wondered how it could have been robbed.

The sheriff ran out of his office with the banker close behind him. The sheriff pointed at Mark. “The stage leave?”

With a nod, the banker pointed down the road. “He was in this morning. Said he needed to clear up some discrepancies in the books. He left, and the money is gone.”

“A hunch. Wyatt Ferguson. He’s an officer of the bank and may have taken the money. That he left on the stage and the money is now missing is suspicious. I’ll send a wire to Rawlins to the sheriff there. He can check Ferguson out.”

“Good. Send me a telegram when you find out.” The sheriff nodded and followed the banker.

Mark turned his horse and galloped out of town. Was it a coincidence? He hadn’t liked Ferguson when he met him. The man had eyes for Evangeline, and now he was on the coach with her.

Racing after the stage, Mark turned the horse up the ridge so he could keep an eye on Evangeline. They had a good hour on him now. Even with a fast horse and up the hill on a shorter route, he was farther behind than he wanted to be.

Watching the dust that the stagecoach kicked up, he urged the horse faster along the ridge. He thought about riding down and stopping them but changed his mind. He didn’t want to give Ferguson any reason to cause trouble.

Mark drew closer to the stage and caught site of Evangeline sitting by the window. Smiles lit his face. How he loved—

Mark came to stretched out on the rough ground. Who had hit him? He looked up and saw Timber standing beside him.

With some of his senses returning, he grabbed for his gun, but it was gone. Had he been bushwhacked? He sat up and held his head. Then saw his pistol in the leaves to the side. He looked up and saw a low hanging branch that extended over the trail he’d been riding.

He gingerly touched the lump on his head and pulled a piece of bark from his hair. Evangeline. She’d done this to him. The last thing he remembered was looking at her in the stagecoach. She was so beautiful.

And she was in that wagon with Ferguson and those other men. He was to watch over her, and because he loved her, he’d not seen the branch. With a groan, he scrambled to his feet and stumbled to the horse.

“Thanks for sticking around, buddy.” Mark patted the horse’s neck and gave him another sugar cube. What a greenhorn, schoolboy thing to do. At least nobody had been around to watch except the horse, and he wasn’t talking.

Taking a minute to shake off the dizziness and dull ache, Mark waited and then mounted the horse. He gave up riding the ridge and rode down to the road and followed the tracks. With any luck, he’d catch up to them before too long.

He kept the horse to a steady lope, occasionally stopping to relieve the pounding in his head. And he was right, it didn’t take long when he came upon the stagecoach. He would have scratched his head if it didn’t hurt so bad, but the stage should have been farther along. He hoped they hadn’t run into trouble.

“What happened.” Mark dropped back and stared in the coach. He didn’t see Evangeline.

Ferguson opened the door and stepped out. “We were robbed.” He grabbed the bridle to Mark’s horse and shook his head. “They took her. Your wife.”

“The outlaws that robbed the coach. The leader grabbed her and took her on his horse. Said if we were to follow, he’d kill her.”

“Yeah, but that would fit half the men out here. I heard her whisper the name, Sam. That mean anything?”

Mark stared at the man. Something didn’t fit right with his questions. “Maybe. Your bank in Cheyenne is missing a sizable sum of money. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”

“That’s generally what I would call it when a bank is missing money. Sometimes it’s from outlaws riding in. Sometimes it’s from men who work for the bank and take a sample.”

Ferguson let go of the bridle and turned to step back into the wagon. “Let’s go. I need to get back to Cheyenne.”

“Back by the creek.” The driver shook his head. “Not sure they got much this time. Kind of odd. They usually know when there is something valuable on the coach. This time they got a few dollars and watches, a ring from the little lady, and Mr. Ferguson’s satchel. Then they took that pretty little gal.” The driver glared at Ferguson. “Never liked that man. It seems we’ve been robbed a couple of times when he’s been on board.

Mark rubbed his head and then put his hat back on. “Do me a favor and tell the sheriff that I’m looking for Evangeline. Tell them she was taken at the creek, and I’m following their trail.” He whispered to the driver. “Tell them Ferguson’s bank is missing money, and he had a satchel stolen. Don’t let Ferguson know they’re Pinkerton’s.”

Mark watched them drive away, interested at the way Ferguson watched him. There was one station before they reached Rawlins. Mark bet a month’s pay that Ferguson would get off and get a horse. He had to be the one in on the stagecoach robberies.

Evangeline kept a watchful eye on her surroundings. iI she could escape, she wanted to be sure to find Sam’s hideout. She also made sure to eat peanuts whenever they stopped. Mark had told her how he followed her trail of peanut shells the first time she’d left him.

She didn’t like the way the other men looked at her. They knew she was his sister, but their eyes held a lustful look that frightened her. Evangeline hoped her brother would defend her, but she didn’t really know him any longer.

Finally, they stopped for water at a small water hole. Sam dismounted and pulled her from the buckskin horse that she’d bought for him. Now, she was sorry for the horse. He’d run him hard, and the animal looked done in. The same way she felt.

After one look at the water, she pushed away. “It’s more mud than water.” She refused to drink from it.

Sam shoved a canteen in her hands. “This is better water. Drink your fill. What were you doing on that stage?”

She put the canteen down, “Riding, and it’s none of your business.” She was angry with him. Angrier than she ever had been.

Sam grabbed her arm. “I didn’t ask you along. I wanted to let you stay on the stage, but you had to go and say my name. Why didn’t you go back to Kansas?”

“To what? Do you think I’ve lived in a nice home? Have anything? Life has been hard for me, too. But I didn’t become an outlaw.” Evangeline turned from him and looked out on the prairie. Hoping she’d see Mark, and yet for his good, hoping he didn’t come looking for her.

Sam yanked her to face him. “In the jail, when you got me out, you told them you were a Pinkerton agent. Is that true?”

Evangeline sat on a rock. “Yes, it’s true. I had to think of something to try and save you.” She stared at him. “Now, I’m not so sure I did the right thing.”

His hardened face softened a bit. Sam stroked her hair like he used to when they were children and she needed comforting. “I didn’t kill that man. I might be a thief and hold up the stage, but I haven’t killed anyone. At least, anyone decent that wasn’t coming after me.”

The man with the handlebar mustache walked up to them. “We better go. They’ll send someone after her.” He sneered at her.

“Best if you don’t say anymore. You’re right, the less she knows, the better. I’ll take her to the road and drop her off. Someone will be along and can take her back to town.”

Silas bent down and picked up a peanut shell. “More than likely her man will be here. She’s been dropping shells all along the way.”

His eyes didn’t budge from their hardness this time. “You’re going to get me killed. I ought to just leave you out here on the prairie.”

“Why don’t you? It’s probably safer out here with the coyotes than those two varmints you run with.” She glared at Banjo and Silas, but their harsh looks forced her to look away.

Sam stared at her and then nodded at his men. “Go on, I’ll be there soon, and we can divide up the money.”

“Right, Boss.” Banjo slapped Silas on the shoulder, and the two of them went to their horses and rode away.

Evangeline made note of the direction they rode, although she figured it was a diversion because they’d been riding south, and the men rode west. Too bad they new about her peanuts. She just hoped Mark would be following.

Sam took her hand and guided her to a large boulder. “We have some time. Tell me how you’ve been?”

She looked into his eyes. He was almost the Sam she remembered. A slight smile to his lips, made him appear friendly. But was he? Or was he waiting for Mark? And then what? Shoot him.

Sam nodded. “I’m sorry I disrupted your life. I didn’t have anyone else to turn to.” He smiled. “We’re all each other has.”

Evangeline nodded. But couldn’t help but know her brother wasn’t thinking of her at all. “Why did you kidnap me from the stagecoach?”

“I told you. I didn’t want you to let on that I was your brother.” He stood and paced before her. “Let’s go.”

With a shake of his head, he grabbed her hand and led her to the horse. “Let’s go. I’ll have to take you to the camp. Don’t say a word to anyone.”

Evangeline looked north, hoping to see Mark. But all she saw were dark clouds and lightning.