“None of those.”
“Hmm. Then I guess it’s just the one thing.”
He chuckled deep in his throat. “Disappointed?”
“Oh, no. Did I sound as if I were? I’m not. It’s merely that everyone made such a fuss. I think the precautions they advised may have had unintended consequences. Certainly the derringer did.”
“And the pregnancy.”
Her head snapped around. “What?”
He pointed to her belly. “That child you’re carrying. What is it? A pillow? A blanket roll? Maybe you fixed a bustle backwards. That would do the trick.”
Phoebe placed a forearm protectively across the bulge of her belly. “It’s no trick.”
Eyebrow raised, Remington regarded her skeptically. “Does it really serve a purpose any longer?”
Phoebe stared back, but in the end, she was first to look away. Her arm fell. “I’ve gotten used to it. How did you know?”
“Mrs. Tyler suspected. She said when you fell on her, you felt... I think she described it as lumpy.”
“Mrs. Jacob C. Tyler is a busybody.”
Remington gave a short laugh, and when he replied, it was to echo Phoebe’s words from earlier. “Probably. But she wasn’t wrong, was she?”
Phoebe shook her head. “I think it was Mavis Wexler who suggested it. Everyone was talking at once so I can’t be sure. I might have objected except there was another idea on the table, namely, that I should disguise myself as a man, and the false pregnancy suddenly seemed the better choice. I thought I would end the pretense at a stop along the way. Pittsburgh perhaps. Or Chicago. But there was always someone who came aboard or stayed on board who wished me well and would have noticed the absence of my condition.”
“I take it your friends are also avid readers of Western dime novels. Fans of Nat Church, I’d wager. That’d be the most reasonable explanation for their concern.”
“Yes. That, and the fact they like to exploit opportunities for drama.” She sighed quietly. “They meant well. They would be devastated to know...” Her voice trailed away, and she shook her head again.
Curious, Remington asked, “Know what?”
She shrugged.
“You can’t shrug it off now,” he said. “You started it. What is it they would be devastated to know?”
“That the pregnancy attracted precisely the kind of trouble they wanted me to avoid. Mr. Shoulders told me it was the reason he singled me out. Something about thinking that I would be worth more because of my condition.”
Remington frowned deeply. “Worth more? You’re talking about ransom.”
“He was talking about ransom. I’m just explaining what he said. It was all a bit confusing. I had the impression at the time that he was telling me that I was the reason he and his men stopped the train, and robbing the passengers was almost an afterthought. Something about a sure reward for their trouble. I suppose, in spite of what he said, that he was not confident that he could raise a ransom using me. I told him as much, but he remained set on his ridiculous idea.”
“Huh.”
“You understand that it’s ridiculous, don’t you?”
“I’m working that out.” He tugged lightly on the reins of her mare, drawing Phoebe closer. “Is there someone out there, maybe in Frost Falls, who would be willing to pay to see you safe?”
“What are you saying? Nowyouwant to hold me for ransom?”
“Still working it out.”
“If this animal weren’t tethered to you, I’d tell you to go to hell.”
“Probably better that you don’t, then.” When he looked over at her, she was gritting her teeth. “Stop it. You’re riding stiff as a corpse again. I have no interest in ransoming you or, for that matter, collecting a reward.” When she pulled on the reins, he let her have some of the length but did not give them up. “Feel better now?”
She looked straight ahead and didn’t answer.
