McKenna, (Sweet Western Historical Romance) (Nevada Brides Series Book 1) (6 page)

Early the next day, and after a minimal breakfast of eggs and hash, the stagecoach once again was rolling toward Nevada. She couldn’t help but hear the driver and the man who rode on back of the coach speak in hushed voices that they were worried about something, but unfortunately, she couldn’t hear the reason.

Ethel was silent that morning, and McKenna asked, “Why are you so quiet today?”

“I heard the driver say he believes that two riders are following the stagecoach.”

“My husband is following us in our wagon.”

“It’s not him, I assure you. Stagecoaches are robbed at times. I just hope this one won’t be one of them.”

McKenna gulped, massaging her dress over where her money was hidden. “I certainly hope not, either.” If she lost her money, what would they do?

* * *

With the sign of the next stagecoach station in his sights, two men on horseback came racing up to them, rifles in hand.

“What’s your business here?” one of them demanded.

“What?” Cole asked. “Is there some problem?”

“Two men have been following the stagecoach we think, quite desperate men. We’re hoping they’re not about to rob it.”

Cole gripped the reins in his hands until his knuckles were white. “That’s not good. My wife is on that stagecoach.”

“Leave your wagon at the station and you’ll probably want to come with us. We received a telegram not long ago that they hit another stagecoach east of here. We have a few horses you could use.”

Cole followed the men to the station and he unhooked the horses from the wagon, letting them into the corral. At least they’d get a rest.

Cole and Bret saddled up and joined the two other men, racing after the stagecoach at a neck-breaking speed. He hoped they’d make it there before the robbery happened. There was no telling what would happen and what danger McKenna was in at that moment.

* * *

McKenna had her fingers on the ledge of the window, searching the landscape, but she didn’t see any riders following them. When she looked back at the occupants in the coach, the women were quite pale with worry, but the men were rather smug-looking.

“I suppose the prospect of being robbed doesn’t bother you, Charles or Albert,” McKenna said.

“Not in the least, Miss. It routinely happens, and I have no cash or valuables. Of course, you ladies have more of value under your skirts,” Charles stated matter-of-factly.

McKenna narrowed her eyes. “You’re crude and a cad,” she vented at them. “It’s no wonder you’re traveling with your brother and not a wife. I can’t imagine any woman spending more than a minute with you, Charles.”

Charles leaned forward, his eyes wide with anger. “I’d watch myself if I were you, Miss. Your husband isn’t here to protect you.”

Ethel patted her bag. “No, but I certainly have something that can take care of you with one shot if you speak to the lady like that again.”

Charles sighed heavily, but at least shut up for the moment, which McKenna was very happy about since she had never been around a man the likes of Charles before. She was also not used to a man speaking the way he had to her.  She shouldn’t have spoken to him like she did, but how could she hold back when a man spoke that way in the company of women?

McKenna relaxed when they traveled for a time without incident —until shots were fired. The stagecoach continued to race forward, and the driver and the man riding up top returned fire. She bit down on a fist when she heard the man cry out and fall off the top of the coach, and then four men on horseback circled them. Only then did the driver stop the stagecoach and toss down his rifle. She shook her head at Ethel to indicate that she wasn’t to take her gun out. One pistol would hardly be of much use against four men with rifles, who could perhaps be killers even.

The door to the coach was opened and a masked gunman said, “Out, passengers. Once you surrender your valuables, we’ll be on our way.”

McKenna gulped as she was the first one helped out by a man with an S scar on his hand. She was soon followed by Ethel and Bella, who appeared calm while McKenna was shaking head to toe as she stared at the masked men. She looked down quickly so as not to draw attention to herself.

When Charles and Albert clambered out, they laughed. “If it isn’t the Bart Gang. This is a real honor.”

The men didn’t respond, just began to toss down bags and the strong box.

When they took McKenna’s bag, she implored the men. “Please don’t take my bag. I was just married, and I’m meeting my husband at our destination. I don’t have any valuables, I assure you.”

“What a joke,” Charles said. “She must be hiding something somewhere, probably under her skirts since she didn’t put anything in the strongbox. I bet Red would put up a real good fight if you tried to check.”

In response, the man with the scar hit Charles on the forehead with the butt of his rifle. He fell to the ground, bleeding from the brow.

“I might be a robber, but I have some decency.” He brought McKenna’s bag to her, setting it down. “Sorry about that, ma’am. You can keep you bag.”

“But what about the other man on the stagecoach? Didn’t you just kill him?”

“Not at all, just winged him. We’re not murderers unless pushed,” he said, looking in Charles’s direction.

The strongbox was taken and four men on horseback raced to the scene, rifles blazing.

It was Cole! “Please, don’t hurt my husband!” McKenna shouted, pointing in Cole’s direction.

The Bart gang, as Charles called them, took off with two of the men on horseback racing after them.

When Cole and Bret made it to the stagecoach, Cole dismounted in a hurry and took McKenna into his arms. She certainly allowed him to comfort her since she was still shaky after the encounter.

When he pulled away, he searched her face. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes, but I’m worried about the other man who rode on the stagecoach.”

Cole moved toward Charles. “Not him,” she said.

The man who had been riding on the stagecoach walked up, holding his arm with the other. “They just got me in the shoulder. If it hadn’t been the Bart gang, I’d have been a goner. They’ve never killed anyone that I know of and actually are kind to women. Whoever they are, their mamas certainly taught them right. Can’t say that for most other gangs.”

“Are you going to be okay for the rest of the trip?” McKenna asked, concerned about him.

“I’ll go back to the station where I’ll be looked after.”

“You could take my horse back with my brother Bret, and I’ll ride shotgun for the trip into Silver. All Bret will have to do is get the wagon and meet us here. We were following the stagecoach and fell behind after we had trouble with a wagon wheel,” Cole said.

“That sounds great,” the driver agreed. “We’ll wait here until you retrieve your wagon. I don’t image the Bart gang will be back.”

McKenna was happy about that. She’d feel so much safer with Cole traveling with the coach for the duration of the journey. They relaxed on boulders nearby as water was passed around. Albert attended to his brother so McKenna didn’t have to feel obligated. She had a feeling that he would have enjoyed watching that gang have their way with her. She actually didn’t feel being robbed was all that bad anymore. She sure didn’t like it that they robbed them, but at least nobody was seriously hurt. Was it wrong to feel a little happy that one of the gunmen put Charles in his place for his suggestion to search her? She didn’t want to see him hurt, but she was tired of his crude mouth.

When Bret showed up with the wagon, the passengers loaded back into the stagecoach and Cole took his place atop to be on lookout. McKenna, for one, hoped the rest of the trip would be uneventful. That was until she was put up in one of the cabins at the next station with her husband!

McKenna fidgeted nervously. This was the last thing she needed. The day’s events had been enough. She glanced over at the bed and realized she’d have to share it with Cole.

“Don’t worry,” Cole said. “All I need is one blanket and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“The floor? But won’t that be uncomfortable?”

“I’m used to it. I’ve been sleeping under the stars since we’ve been on this trip.”

“That’s much better than sleeping on the floor.”

“Unless you’d rather—”

“Certainly not!” McKenna interjected.

“I was going to say is
you’d
rather be the one sleeping on the floor.” He smiled.

She had to smile at that, too. “I’m sorry. I guess I put my foot in my mouth that time.”

McKenna sat on the bed. “There are so many things I don’t know about you. What is your family like?”

“I only have one brother, Bret. Our parents were killed in a fire during the Civil War in Atlanta. We possibly would have been, too, if we were there, but we were living with our Uncle Ben at the time in Ohio. We tried to get our parents to join us, but they insisted on staying to protect the plantation, and we were only children at the time. It’s not like we’d have any say in the matter.”

“Your parents were slave owners?”

“No, their workers were all free blacks. Father treated them well, even built them decent housing and a schoolhouse. That didn’t sit too well with his neighbors, though,” he explained.

“It might have been his neighbors who burned the house down. Tempers flared during the Civil War.”

“That’s what I suspect, but there’s no sense in dwelling on that now. Our parents made sure the workers made it north when the war began. He knew there’d be trouble for them if they didn’t leave.”

“That’s some family history. I can barely even hear your southern drawl,” McKenna remarked.

“Believe me, I had to teach myself not to talk like that. Southern people weren’t treated that well up north during the war. If anyone had known that our family owned a plantation, I’m not sure if they’d have believed that our parents had no slaves.”

“Probably not.”

McKenna felt so close to Cole right then, even though he was across the room.

“Besides that your parents died in a buggy accident, what else can you tell me about them?”

McKenna smiled. “Well, they were desperately in love to their last breath. If they hadn’t gone together, I can’t imagine what one of them would have done without the other.”

“It seems like you were good at running the store. How long have you done that?”

“I’ve worked in the store since I was ten, and ran it outright the last three years so my parents could have time to travel together.”

“And what of a beau?”

“I didn’t have time for that silliness. Running a business took most of my time.”

“I mean no disrespect to your parents, but a woman your age is normally already married. You’re spinster age.”

She sighed. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that said.”

“And how about your sisters?”

“Abigail has never had any interest in being courted. She’s been running the household for some years and will be in charge of my sisters while I’m gone. I mean, until I send for them.”

“I can see that about her, but certainly you have one sister who is interested in getting married.”

“Kayla, but she needs to pay attention to her studies. She’s the first female to go to college.”

“That is strange, but if she’d rather get married, why push her to get an education?”

“Because a woman can’t always depend on a man for everything. If I hadn’t lost the store, we’d have no worries, but now things are more complicated. Penelope is courted regularly, but so far none of them resulted in a marriage proposal. She falls in love so easily. Cadence has never shown any interest in men that I know of. I felt bad leaving, since it was so hard on Cadence when our parents died and she didn’t want me to go.”

“It sounds like you’re very close with your sisters,” Cole said as he shook out his blanket. “I think it’s about time you left the nest and embarked on a real adventure. You have to admit it’s been quite, er … adventurous already.”

“More than I cared for.” McKenna yawned. “I’m not sorry that Charles got the butt of a rifle to his head. He’s been quite crude to me.”

Cole’s face tensed. “Oh, has he? I’ll have to take care of that tomorrow.”

“Oh, please don’t. I think he’ll shape up with you around now.”

He sighed. “Very well. Get some sleep, McKenna. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice, but sleep didn’t come easy with Cole so close. She so wanted to tell him to sleep in the bed with her, but she worried what would have happened if she did. She just felt so bad that he was having to sleep on the floor after he saved her life, or at least accompanied the men from the stagecoach station. The robbery certainly wasn’t the highlight of her life, but the robbers at least only seemed interested in the money. She wondered if they ever recovered the strongbox or caught the Bart gang.

McKenna rolled over and hit her pillow a multitude of times before she felt satisfied. She sure missed her bed back home and feather pillow. She stared over to where Cole was sleeping and closed her eyes quickly when she looked directly into his eyes. She had a very uncomfortable sleep after that.