The Outrider (Redbourne Series #5 - Will's Story) (28 page)

“She’s a real beauty,” he said dreamily. “I’ll
have her one day.”

“Her?”

“The ship.”

“What is it about this…
ship
that draws you
to…
her
?”

Will laughed. “I want the freedom it provides, I
guess.”

“Freedom? That is the last thing I expected to
hear from a Redbourne.”

Will sat up and turned to face her. “Don’t get me
wrong. I love working the ranch and being with my family, but something about
exploring new lands and learning about different cultures and civilizations
calls to me.”

“So, you want to be a sailor.”

“Me? No.” He sucked in a deep breath, shaking his
head, and grinned. “I will be the captain and commander of my own vessel.” He
sounded like a school boy with dreams of adventure. “And someday, not only will
I have explored all corners of the earth, but I will be a renowned shipping
tycoon.” He laughed again.

She nodded slowly.

“You think me foolish?” That was exactly why he’d
waited so long to tell his family about England.

“On the contrary, I find your choice brave and
awe-inspiring.”

Will didn’t know exactly what he’d expected her
to say, but that was not it. He wasn’t sure how to respond.

“What about you? Surely, you have a dream.”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“What? It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s not bad, it’s just…Well, my dreams used to
be similar to yours.”

“Used to be?”

“Things changed when I left England. I’d read so many
books as a child that were full of adventure and romance,” she looked at him,
the familiar red stain returning to her cheeks, “and people
doing
something with their lives. As I grew older, I realized it was no longer enough
to read about those things. I wanted to experience some of them for myself.”

“What changed?”

“Everything changed. Look at me,” she said,
pushing herself into a standing position and holding the blanket open for him
to see her dress. “I am hardly the woman I once was. I have exactly two dresses
to wear. No home to speak of as it burned to the ground—almost with me inside.
I’m down to my last few dollars, and I’m in desperate need of a bath. Not
exactly the future I had envisioned.” She leaned up against the wall, next to
the window, and pulled back the curtain to stare outside.

“Why Silver Falls?”

She shrugged. “Adam MacKenzie.”

“Who?” he asked, joining her at the window.

“The preacher. He’s my future now.”

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “How
do you know?”

She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders
and flicked her head enough that her hair spilled back behind her shoulder.
“I…” She stopped, not finishing her sentence.

“From the way things are going, it seems like
your father doesn’t agree with your choice to get married to the man.”

She whipped around and faced him, fire alight in
her eyes. “My father does not control me anymore. He does not decide who I will
marry or where I will live.” She cleared her throat, took a step backward, and
breathed deeply. “Besides, I only made the decision last week. There is no way
he could have known of my plan to marry the preacher.”

“Why
are
you marrying him? This preacher
whom you’ve never met before?” Will regretted the question the moment it left
his lips. He had no right to ask. Unless…

NO!

He was not even going to entertain the idea.

Marriage was not something to be taken lightly.
He’d heard that his inheritance was a lofty sum, none of his brothers would
confess the amount, but even a palace of gold was not enough to justify
marrying for anything other than love. He didn’t want the answer.

He still had plenty of time before his
twenty-sixth birthday—years even. So what if he lay awake at night thinking of
her? So what if he had feelings for the woman that he’d never had for any other?
Besides, Elizabeth had promised herself to another man. A man who was expecting
someone else.

Will shook his head of the nonsense running
through it. He looked down at her, placed a crooked finger beneath her chin,
and lifted it so he could see her eyes. How a criminal like Sterling Archer had
raised such an amazing daughter was a mystery. Elizabeth was smart and sassy,
courageous, and thoughtful.

His gaze fell to her mouth and slowly, he lowered
his head toward hers, wanting nothing more than to claim her lips with his own.

Two long blows of the train’s whistle, followed
by a short and another long, signaled their arrival in Denver. Will closed his
eyes and clenched his jaw.

What are you doing, Redbourne?

“We need to go,” he said quietly. He stepped away
from her, picked up their bags, and draped them across his body, then held out
his hand for her. “Now.”

Denver reminded Elizabeth of home. The train
station bustled with people. She’d seen plenty of tall buildings and crowds in
New York and Boston, but never imagined that such a large city existed this far
beyond the Mississippi.

Will held a hand out to help her down from the
train car. She didn’t have any luggage boxes or travelling cases to worry
about, just the lone satchel that contained everything she owned, so she placed
her hand in his, a gesture becoming all too familiar, and climbed down the
metal steps.

“If we get moving and purchase a good pair of
horses, we may just make it into Silver Falls before nightfall.” Will did not
let go of her hand, but ushered her through the bustling crowd toward the
doors.

Once out in front, there was a large sign with
the word, stagecoach, written across the top with an engraved image of the
passenger wagon.

“Will, I already have a voucher for the stage.”
She slipped her hand from his and reached into her satchel to retrieve the
ticket. “We don’t need to spend more money getting horses or a wagon.”

“It’s too dangerous. Besides,” he pointed at the
sign with the next appointed departure, “it looks like the stage north only
comes through here once a week. And that was yesterday. So, we can either find
another way of getting to Silver Falls or we can wait until next Tuesday and
give Henchley and his men time to catch up and find us. Is that what you want?”

“Of course, not.” Her hands were tied. She had
run out of options. How did she explain to him that she didn’t want to take any
more of his money? “But, who are you to decide what is too dangerous for me? I
have to learn how to make my own way and if you are always there with an
upgraded fancy sleeping car or hot meals that I didn’t have to cook myself, it
will just be that much harder when I have to face the reality of living without
those conveniences.”

His jaw pulsed. He removed his hat and ran his
fingers through his hair before returning the Stetson to his head.

Elizabeth had taken every precaution to make sure
that everything had been planned out down to the last detail for her trip, but
the unexpected delay in Plain City had changed everything. She barely had
enough funds remaining to buy herself a decent meal, let alone pay for a week’s
worth of room and board in Denver. She stepped toward him and placed a hand on
his arm.

“Will, I appreciate everything you have already
done for me more than you know. But your job was finished in Kansas City. I
can’t let you sacrifice any more than you already have for me.”

“Just like you, I can decide for myself if
something is too big a sacrifice.” He paused a moment, then his voice quieted.
“If it’s the money you’re worried about—”

“It’s not just the money, Will. It’s…you.”

He stared at her, his eyes unreadable, searching.

“I’ve grown quite fond of you over these last
couple of days. Grown to depend on you, but what happens when you’re not there
anymore? I think it’s best that we part ways now, before…”

“Before what?” He closed the short distance
between them and took her hands into his. “What if I don’t leave?”

“What are you saying? That you are going to give
up your dreams to what? Escort me into the arms of another man?”

“Not
another
man.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Will,” she shook her head, “I care about you too
much to let you do that. I can’t be the one who stands in the way of what you
want out of life.”

“What if what I want has changed?”

“Has it?”

His eyes moved back and forth between hers, his
brows scrunched together as if he were searching for the right answer,
conflicted. When he didn’t respond immediately, she pulled her hands from his
with a squeeze and smiled.

“It’s all right, Will. I can make my own way.”

“I don’t doubt that for one minute.” He raised a
hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “But, I’m still
accompanying you to Silver Falls.” He turned and strode down the street.

“Where are you going?” she asked, following after
him. “Maybe you should leave my satchel here with me.”

He didn’t stop.

She nearly had to run to catch up to him. “You
are a stubborn man, Mr. Redbourne.”

“Then, I’m in good company.” He looked down at
her and winked.

Elizabeth shook her head, but laughed.

When they reached the livery, two men stood out
front in casual conversation. The man in black leather cuffs and a filthy,
once-white apron leaned with one elbow on a fence post, while the other man in
a ridge-top hat had his foot propped up on the edge of a trough.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” Will said, walking
toward them and extending his hand. “I’m looking to get a couple of good riding
horses and gear.”

“Where ya headed?” The man with the hat stood up
straight and met Will’s hand with a shake.

“South. Figure we have about a day’s ride ahead
of us.”

South?

They were headed north toward Boulder. What was
he up to?

Elizabeth’s eye caught on the shop across the
street. She’d never seen dresses like those displayed in the window and wanted
a closer look. She didn’t hear the rest of their conversation as her focus was
now diverted elsewhere.

The clothing was of fine quality, but she was
intrigued by the brown one with buttons in two rows down the front. The skirt
was split in the center like men’s trousers, but it looked like an appropriate
dress for a woman, similar to the one Mrs. Weaver had given her.

She stepped inside the shop.

“Hello,” the woman greeted her. “Are you new in
town or just passing through?” she asked, her chin lifted slightly into the
air.

“I’m afraid we are just passing through, but I
saw the dresses in your window and was intrigued. I’ve never seen anything
quite like them.”

“Ah, yes, the split skirts. Many of the women
folk from the surrounding towns asked for something that would allow them to
ride a horse and maintain their sense of propriety. Francine, my assistant,
came up with the design and well,” she clapped her hands together, “might we
say they have been a very popular item.” She led Elizabeth to a section of the
store where there were several of these skirts already made up in a few
different sizes.

“The dressmaker in Stone Creek, Kansas gave me
something similar before I left,” Elizabeth said, wishing she’d worn that skirt
today instead of the rosy blouse and skirt Grace had given her. “I would love
to have a few more. The work on these is exquisite,” she said with awe as she
ran her fingers over the stitching in the fabric.

“Thank you,” the woman replied, her hands crossed
in front of her belly.

Elizabeth looked up and caught a glimpse of Will
through the window, looking frantically from one side of the street to the
other.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said as she gathered
her skirt into her hands and headed for the door. “We are leaving shortly and I
do not want to keep him waiting. You understand?” She opened the door to the
shop. “You do beautiful work,” she called over her shoulder as she skittered
down off the boardwalk and headed back across the street.