“You are awfully confident.”
He shrugged. “Do you need help getting up?”
Phoebe looked down at her belly. “Please.” She put a hand in his and he brought her smoothly to her feet. It was a more graceful ascent than she could have managed on her own. “Thank you.” She smoothed her overblouse, closed her cape, and waited to hear what they would do next. She saw his eyes slip sideways in the direction of the door. “Are we leaving now?”
“Seems best, don’t you think? Especially since we don’t know when they’ll be back.”
“Oh,Ithink it’s best, but it occurred to me that you were entertaining thoughts of waiting for them and then shooting your way out.”
He smirked. “I bet you read those Western dime novels.”
“I might have read one or two.” She paused. “Or seven.”
“Ah. That goes a long way to explaining why you thought you could stop Mr. Shoulders with your little pea shooter.”
“I’ll have you know it was a.51 caliber percussion model with a five-and-one-half-inch barrel, and the man who sold it to me assured me I could stop a mule with one shot.”
“Huh. He probably reads the same dime novels you do. Up close it could have been deadly had your aim been better, but the way it was explained to me, the distance betweenyou and Shoulders made killing him unlikely. Where’s the pistol now? Did he take it from you?”
“Yes.”
“Mrs. Tyler said you winged him, but you rode alongside him for miles. Could you tell how badly was he hurt?”
It was with deep regret that she reported the truth. “The sleeve of his long coat was damaged more than he was. I thought he meant for me to attend to his injury, but he never asked for help. I had an etui in my reticule. If he had returned it, I could have at least sewn the rent in his sleeve.”
“I doubt it occurred to him that you would be so accommodating. You did try to kill him.”
“Yes, well, I think I might have been eternally sorry if I had succeeded, but at the time it seemed a most necessary evil. He wanted Mrs. Tyler’s stunning ring and his men were frightening the little girl. People were injured, you were unconscious, and I was just so damn riled.” Phoebe watched his head tilt a few degrees off perpendicular as he studied her. She stared back, not defiantly, but more matter-of-fact. There was no help for the flush that warmed her cheeks.
“Good to know,” he said finally. He gestured toward the door, inviting her to precede him. “Shall we?”
Phoebe hesitated. “I think it’s prudent to ask where we are going.”
“Probably.”
When he added nothing to his answer, she said, “Where are we going?”
“The nearest town is Frost Falls.”
“Oh, but that could not be better. My ticket is for Frost Falls.” She took a step forward and then stopped. “Wait. What about the passengers on the train? Shouldn’t we go back?”
“They were repairing the tracks when I left. I wouldn’t be surprised if the train isn’t nearing the station about now. It won’t be long before people will be looking for Shoulders and his men. You as well.”
“All right. If you’re sure about the train.”
“I am.” He took down the lantern and carried it outside.“Your horse is over there,” he said, raising the lantern in the direction of the mare. “You think you can ride?”
She sighed. “I suppose it was too much to hope that the town was within walking distance.” She drew a fortifying breath. “I can sit in the saddle, which I understand is not the same as riding.”
“No, it’s not.” He walked with her to the mare, gave her a leg up, and then handed her the lantern while he took the reins and led her to his mount. “This is Bullet. He proved his worth tonight. I traded a thoroughbred for him, and I believe now that I got the better of the deal.” He released the reins, put one foot in a stirrup, and threw the other leg over the back of the gelding. “Do you want me to hold on to your mare’s strings, or do you think you can manage?”
Phoebe was glad for having the choice, but she knew what the answer had to be. “You’d better hold them.”
“That’s fine. Give me the lantern.” When she passed it to him, he extinguished the light and then tossed it on the ground. “We’d be spotted carrying it from miles away. Ready?”
Was she? She thought she was right up until the moment he put her on the horse.
“Whatever’s bothering you, you better say it now,” he told her, addressing her silence.
