Chapter Ten
THE WALK INTO PUEBLOthe following day wasn’t very far. And thanks to Miss Zane’s money—of which she apparently had given the outlaws only a fraction—they were able to purchase food, a night’s stay at a boarding house, and two train tickets to Crest Stone.
Little pangs of guilt carved out a bit of Matthew’s soul as he took the seat beside Miss Zane on the train. Not only had she saved them by finding a way to boil that river water, she’d also ensured they had food and had made certain they didn’t need to walk to Crest Stone. Matthew was resolved to pay her back once he reached home, despite her protestations.
By some fortunate circumstance, the sheriff’s office had held onto Miss Zane’s carpetbag. The sheriff wasn’t in to hear their account of what had happened, and the deputy waved them off when Matthew offered to tell him. Matthew’s own belongings were long gone, tied onto the saddle of the horse that now rode with that band of outlaws, and he had to admit he felt rumpled and out of place accompanying her on the train.
“It is nice to travel while sitting, isn’t it?” she asked him, a sweet smile on her scrubbed clean face.
“It is. I’d prefer never to have to traipse through the desert again,” he replied.
“Well, you did a fine job of leading us to safety.” Her brown eyes sparkled with some unnamed joy as the train jolted into motion.
Matthew resisted the urge to pull at his collar. “I did my best.” There was a long pause while Sophia looked out the window at the platform slowly passing by.
“You look very nice today,” he said. It was meant to be an off-hand sort of remark, one meant to fill the silence, but it felt awkward coming out of his mouth and Matthew wished he’d commented on the weather instead.
“Thank you.” Sophia smoothed her skirt, and he thought he saw a slight flush creep into her cheeks.
It almost made him think she hadn’t been complimented very often, although he couldn’t fathom why. Miss Zane ought to have had herds of suitors knocking on her door in Kansas City. But something told him that wasn’t the case.
How odd that they could have spent all that time walking together, and he still didn’t know that much about her.
“I’m afraid both of my dresses are nearly worn through from all those months on the wagon,” Miss Zane said, her fingers pulling some at the sprigged fabric. “I hope there is a good dressmaker in Crest Stone.”
“There is a small place that’s recently opened. I overheard my mother speaking of it.”
Miss Zane nodded. “Then I will most certainly pay the shop a visit. I hardly need a wardrobe full of clothing, but a couple of decent dresses that aren’t on the verge of springing holes would be nice.”
Where had she gotten all of that money? Matthew hadn’t realized she’d kept some back from the outlaws, but apparently she had enough that she not only appeared unconcerned about paying for lodging in Crest Stone, she also had plans to purchase new dresses. When he’d told her he would repay her once they reached Crest Stone, she’d said it was a much better use of her money than giving it to the man who had wished to marry her back in Kansas City.
That had certainly caught his attention. When he pressed, she had said no more. But a woman of her means could have set herself up nicely without the need for marriage. What had possessed her to jump onto a wagon train, of all things? And despite her wealth, she hardly seemedwealthy, as least as much as Matthew had known people of great means. Which seemed to indicate she wasn’t wealthy at all . . . but in that case, where had the money come from?
Something about the situation sat uneasy in his bones. But the worry flitted away the second Miss Zane lifted her eyes to meet his. How could a woman who’d deceived an entire wagon train—and him—to come out here look so very innocent and clear of conscience? And then there were her actions in town. She easily could have taken her leave of him, left him to fend for himself while she took a room and purchased only one train ticket.
But she didn’t. And that was only the latest in her long list of good deeds and positive attributes.Whowas Miss Zane?
