“Don’t look up,” he murmured, almost under his breath. “Here he comes.”
“This is ridiculous,” she whispered. “I feel like a complete fool.”
“Just let me do the talking.”
With considerable skepticism, she turned her body, buried her head in his coat, and clasped his shoulder. “If I find out this is some sort of ruse—”
“Use your ears instead of your mouth,” he whispered against her hair. “It’s all right, Bess, honey,” he said aloud, his Southern accent suddenly heavy. “I guess those tortillas were too much for that queasy stomach. You just hold on until we get to Austin, and things’ll get a whole lot bettah, I promise yuh.”
“What—?”
Feeling her stiffen, he held her more tightly and went on, “It’s the baby, that’s all—and yuh got a delicate constitution. I should have left yuh back in Little Rock with Mama. Now yuh just stay real still, honey, and it’ll pass.”
“She sick, mister?”
“First baby,” she heard McCready answer proudly. Under her ear, his voice resounded as if it came from the inside of a barrel. “Been real sick with it—real sick. Right now, it don’t look like that tortilla she ate is gonna stay down.” Reaching around her with his right arm, he held out his hand. “Name’s McCready—Tom McCready, but folks call me Mac. And this here’s m’wife, Elizabeth McCready.”
“Mac. Ma’am.” He didn’t return the introduction. “Can’t say as I can see much of her.”
“Ever’ time she sits up, she pukes,” McCready explained. “I just got the last mess cleaned up.”
The stranger’s eyes narrowed. “You a Reb?”
“Yep—and mighty proud of it. Hell Brigade, Third Arkansas. And you?”
“I was a Yankee.” There was a pause. Then, “I was on the winning side.”
“Yeah, I know,” McCready murmured dryly.
“Don’t suppose you chanced to see a girl on this train?” the fellow asked casually. “She’d be traveling alone.”
“Not too many women on this run. There was one that got on this side of Galveston, but she had some kids with her.”
“No, this one’s young—looks about twenty, maybe a little older.”
The gambler furrowed his brow, then shook his head. “Not that I remember, anyway, but with taking care of Bess here, I might not’ve noticed. I’m right sorry.”
The stranger expelled a deep breath. “Yeah, so am I.”
“Friend of your’n?”
“My sister. She’s coming from back East alone.”
“And she’s lost?”
“Yeah. We missed meeting her in Galveston, and now it looks like she’s plumb disappeared. I figured maybe she’d be on this train.”
“Maybe she’s in one of the other cars,” McCready offered helpfully.
“Ain’t nobody seen her. We already asked damned near everybody.”
“Tell yuh what—yuh give me your name and direction, and if Bess or I happen to see her when we change lines at Harrisburg, I’ll wire yuh.”
The stranger didn’t take the bait. Instead, he said, “Her name’s Howard—Verena Howard. It’s real unusual, the kind if you heard it, you’d remember—the Verena, I mean.”
“Well, we’ll sure be on the lookout for her,” McCready promised. “I’d hate to have my sister out here fending for herself. No tellin’ what kind of riffraff she’d be running into—there’s Yankees damned near everywhere now.”
The man’s jaw tensed and his hand dropped to the six-shooter strapped to his thigh. Then he caught himself. Forcing a smile, he said tightly, “Guess we’ll ride on to San Antone and look for her there. Guess she coulda gone by stage or something.”
“That’s what I’d do—look for her in San Antonio, I mean.”
“Where’d you say you were going?”
“Austin. At Columbus, we’ll be headed for Austin. We got people there.” McCready shifted Verena slightly, murmuring, “Feeling any better, Bess, honey?”
“I can’t breathe,” she choked out.
“It’s all that throwing up yuh been doing,” he assured
“This is ridiculous,” she whispered. “I feel like a complete fool.”
“Just let me do the talking.”
With considerable skepticism, she turned her body, buried her head in his coat, and clasped his shoulder. “If I find out this is some sort of ruse—”
“Use your ears instead of your mouth,” he whispered against her hair. “It’s all right, Bess, honey,” he said aloud, his Southern accent suddenly heavy. “I guess those tortillas were too much for that queasy stomach. You just hold on until we get to Austin, and things’ll get a whole lot bettah, I promise yuh.”
“What—?”
Feeling her stiffen, he held her more tightly and went on, “It’s the baby, that’s all—and yuh got a delicate constitution. I should have left yuh back in Little Rock with Mama. Now yuh just stay real still, honey, and it’ll pass.”
“She sick, mister?”
“First baby,” she heard McCready answer proudly. Under her ear, his voice resounded as if it came from the inside of a barrel. “Been real sick with it—real sick. Right now, it don’t look like that tortilla she ate is gonna stay down.” Reaching around her with his right arm, he held out his hand. “Name’s McCready—Tom McCready, but folks call me Mac. And this here’s m’wife, Elizabeth McCready.”
“Mac. Ma’am.” He didn’t return the introduction. “Can’t say as I can see much of her.”
“Ever’ time she sits up, she pukes,” McCready explained. “I just got the last mess cleaned up.”
The stranger’s eyes narrowed. “You a Reb?”
“Yep—and mighty proud of it. Hell Brigade, Third Arkansas. And you?”
“I was a Yankee.” There was a pause. Then, “I was on the winning side.”
“Yeah, I know,” McCready murmured dryly.
“Don’t suppose you chanced to see a girl on this train?” the fellow asked casually. “She’d be traveling alone.”
“Not too many women on this run. There was one that got on this side of Galveston, but she had some kids with her.”
“No, this one’s young—looks about twenty, maybe a little older.”
The gambler furrowed his brow, then shook his head. “Not that I remember, anyway, but with taking care of Bess here, I might not’ve noticed. I’m right sorry.”
The stranger expelled a deep breath. “Yeah, so am I.”
“Friend of your’n?”
“My sister. She’s coming from back East alone.”
“And she’s lost?”
“Yeah. We missed meeting her in Galveston, and now it looks like she’s plumb disappeared. I figured maybe she’d be on this train.”
“Maybe she’s in one of the other cars,” McCready offered helpfully.
“Ain’t nobody seen her. We already asked damned near everybody.”
“Tell yuh what—yuh give me your name and direction, and if Bess or I happen to see her when we change lines at Harrisburg, I’ll wire yuh.”
The stranger didn’t take the bait. Instead, he said, “Her name’s Howard—Verena Howard. It’s real unusual, the kind if you heard it, you’d remember—the Verena, I mean.”
“Well, we’ll sure be on the lookout for her,” McCready promised. “I’d hate to have my sister out here fending for herself. No tellin’ what kind of riffraff she’d be running into—there’s Yankees damned near everywhere now.”
The man’s jaw tensed and his hand dropped to the six-shooter strapped to his thigh. Then he caught himself. Forcing a smile, he said tightly, “Guess we’ll ride on to San Antone and look for her there. Guess she coulda gone by stage or something.”
“That’s what I’d do—look for her in San Antonio, I mean.”
“Where’d you say you were going?”
“Austin. At Columbus, we’ll be headed for Austin. We got people there.” McCready shifted Verena slightly, murmuring, “Feeling any better, Bess, honey?”
“I can’t breathe,” she choked out.
“It’s all that throwing up yuh been doing,” he assured
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