that way. Removing her embroidered lawn hanky from her purse, she started dusting off the seat.
When she came out, the gambler was nowhere in sight. But now that she could breathe again, she smelled the ominous odor of rancid grease burning, and it was coming from the house. In the yard that had been deserted five minutes ago, passengers milled, waiting to get inside. If her stomach hadn’t growled, she’d have been inclined to get back on the train and forgo supper entirely.
Before she could get in line, McCready came out with what looked like a rag wrapped around something. He was frowning.
“You don’t have any relations down here, do you?”
“No, of course not. Why?”
“I’ll tell you when we get back to our seats,” he said, taking her arm. “Come on, I’ve got supper.”
“In that rag?”
“Yeah.”
He was walking fast, making it difficult to keep up. “The train’s not leaving for twenty minutes,” she reminded him. “I’d rather eat out here where it’s cooler.”
“I wouldn’t.”
Instead of going to the front of their car, he climbed over the rail where they’d come out, then gave her a hand up. Inside, the car was deserted except for the conductor and porter, who were eating in separate seats at the other end, and several cowboys too drunk to get off.
McCready all but put her in her seat, then sat down to open the cloth. “Here,” he said, handing her a rolled tortilla. “As near as I could tell, they didn’t have much else.”
“You must have been first in line,” she decided.
“No.”
“Mr. McCready, are you hiding something?” she asked curiously.
“Funny, but I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“What?”
“There’s a couple of hard cases in there looking for you.”
“What? There can’t be—I don’t know anybody in this entire state,” she declared positively. “Nobody but Mr. Hamer even knows I’m coming.”
“Hamer?”
“The lawyer. He was appointed by the judge to handle my father’s estate, but I’d hardly call that an acquaintance. I’ve never met him.”
“They aren’t lawyers—I’ll go bail on that.”
“There must be a mistake.”
“I don’t know. But while you were taking your time in the privy, they were meeting everybody coming off the train, asking if anybody’d seen a Verena Howard—a Miss Verena Howard, that is. Seems like they’re some long-lost relatives of yours.”
“They can’t be—I don’t have any. At least none that I know of, anyway,” she amended. “After my father deserted us, I don’t know what he did.”
“They’re older than you are.”
“How odd.”
“Yeah, like I said, these are a couple of hardcases.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what that is.”
“Ugly customers.”
“That doesn’t help much either.”
“Real rough looking. I don’t know—maybe they’re Texas Rangers. All I know is that they were expecting to find you on this train. They were looking for a single woman traveling alone and bound for San Angelo.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re just saying this, aren’t you? This is some part of your scheme, isn’t it? For some reason, you’re wanting to accompany me, but for the life of me, I can’t see why.”
“Actually, I may be leaving this train before Eagle Pass.”
She digested that for a moment, then asked suddenly, You’re in some sort of trouble, aren’t you?”
“They weren’t asking about me,” he countered. “Not unless they expect me to be disguised as a young woman, slender and in her early twenties, going across Texas all by herself. No, it’s you they’re after.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Uh-oh. Speak of the devil, there’s one of ’em right now,” he said low.
“What?”
“Keep your head down—better yet cover your face with my shoulder.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Just do it.” Before she could refuse, he reached out and drew her left hand to his opposite arm, exposing the band on her finger.
When she came out, the gambler was nowhere in sight. But now that she could breathe again, she smelled the ominous odor of rancid grease burning, and it was coming from the house. In the yard that had been deserted five minutes ago, passengers milled, waiting to get inside. If her stomach hadn’t growled, she’d have been inclined to get back on the train and forgo supper entirely.
Before she could get in line, McCready came out with what looked like a rag wrapped around something. He was frowning.
“You don’t have any relations down here, do you?”
“No, of course not. Why?”
“I’ll tell you when we get back to our seats,” he said, taking her arm. “Come on, I’ve got supper.”
“In that rag?”
“Yeah.”
He was walking fast, making it difficult to keep up. “The train’s not leaving for twenty minutes,” she reminded him. “I’d rather eat out here where it’s cooler.”
“I wouldn’t.”
Instead of going to the front of their car, he climbed over the rail where they’d come out, then gave her a hand up. Inside, the car was deserted except for the conductor and porter, who were eating in separate seats at the other end, and several cowboys too drunk to get off.
McCready all but put her in her seat, then sat down to open the cloth. “Here,” he said, handing her a rolled tortilla. “As near as I could tell, they didn’t have much else.”
“You must have been first in line,” she decided.
“No.”
“Mr. McCready, are you hiding something?” she asked curiously.
“Funny, but I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“What?”
“There’s a couple of hard cases in there looking for you.”
“What? There can’t be—I don’t know anybody in this entire state,” she declared positively. “Nobody but Mr. Hamer even knows I’m coming.”
“Hamer?”
“The lawyer. He was appointed by the judge to handle my father’s estate, but I’d hardly call that an acquaintance. I’ve never met him.”
“They aren’t lawyers—I’ll go bail on that.”
“There must be a mistake.”
“I don’t know. But while you were taking your time in the privy, they were meeting everybody coming off the train, asking if anybody’d seen a Verena Howard—a Miss Verena Howard, that is. Seems like they’re some long-lost relatives of yours.”
“They can’t be—I don’t have any. At least none that I know of, anyway,” she amended. “After my father deserted us, I don’t know what he did.”
“They’re older than you are.”
“How odd.”
“Yeah, like I said, these are a couple of hardcases.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what that is.”
“Ugly customers.”
“That doesn’t help much either.”
“Real rough looking. I don’t know—maybe they’re Texas Rangers. All I know is that they were expecting to find you on this train. They were looking for a single woman traveling alone and bound for San Angelo.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re just saying this, aren’t you? This is some part of your scheme, isn’t it? For some reason, you’re wanting to accompany me, but for the life of me, I can’t see why.”
“Actually, I may be leaving this train before Eagle Pass.”
She digested that for a moment, then asked suddenly, You’re in some sort of trouble, aren’t you?”
“They weren’t asking about me,” he countered. “Not unless they expect me to be disguised as a young woman, slender and in her early twenties, going across Texas all by herself. No, it’s you they’re after.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Uh-oh. Speak of the devil, there’s one of ’em right now,” he said low.
“What?”
“Keep your head down—better yet cover your face with my shoulder.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Just do it.” Before she could refuse, he reached out and drew her left hand to his opposite arm, exposing the band on her finger.
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