Drew. He was riding beside Ethan now. Her eyes scanned the darkness for one more man. "Where's the other?" she asked. "The man who was giving the orders."
"You must mean Houston. He and Jake took the engine down the tracks a piece. That'll keep the passengers from followin'. The Union Pacific won't know about the holdup until the train's late comin' to Barnesville. Even then they're like to think it's snowbound."
"There won't be anyone following us, will there?" Though Michael tried to keep her voice neutral, a note of despair touched her question.
"Not tonight," Happy said frankly. "Probably not tomorrow either. By the time the locals mount a posse, snow will have covered our tracks."
"What about the railroad? Won't the Union Pacific send men out after you?"
Happy leaned back in his saddle so that he could get a better view of Michael's face. "It don't seem to me, Miz Stone, that you're real pleased about this reunion with Ethan. That pretty much the way of it?"
Michael felt Happy's eyes on her and she avoided looking at him. "That's pretty much the way of it," she repeated softly. "You must know I don't want to be here."
"Can't say that I favor it either, ma'am."
For a moment Michael was hopeful. "You don't? Then you would help me get—"
Happy cut her off. "Don't ask it, Miz Stone. You mistook my meanin'. I sure enough don't want you here, but 'cept fer bein' dead and buried, there really ain't no other place for you."
Michael felt cold in her soul. The shiver that swept through her had little to do with the bitter icy wind swirling around her. "Please," she said lowly, teeth chattering violently, "I want to go back to Ethan."
"Just a bit longer," Happy said. "If you're cold you can put your arms around me the way you did Ethan."
"I'll manage," she said tightly, repulsed by the offer. She crossed her arms in front of her, slipped her hands under her armpits, and tucked her head deeper into the raised collar of her coat and away from the, stinging wind. "You're the one who uncoupled the Chronicle's cars, aren't you?" She fully expected him not to answer or deny the charge. "You killed them."
Happy shrugged off the accusation. "Obie helped, but it was my idea."
Michael was stunned that he would admit it to her so easily. "Why would you tell me that? Or anything else you've said? You must know that—"
Again he interrupted her, this time placing a hand inside her coat and laying it on her thigh. "I figure it this way, Miz Stone: the more you know, the more you know you ain't goin' nowhere. Ethan, bein' your husband and all, probably has it in his mind to protect you. I don't feel honor bound to do the same. You're either with us or agin us. There's no fence-ridin'. With us, you live. Agin us, you die. That plain speakin' enough for you?"
She nodded.
"Good. Now, seein's how you're not exactly warmin' up to me, I'll set you back with Ethan. I can't think there's much point tellin' him about our conversation, can you?"
"No."
Happy smiled. Flakes of tobacco clung to his front teeth. He spit. "Good for you, ma'am. Mebbe you'll stay with us after all."
In a few minutes they caught up with the others. Ethan was deep in a conversation with Obie and Ben until Michael and Happy came within earshot. Michael's transfer to Ethan's mount was done in a brisk, impersonal fashion.
"Think I'll ride on ahead," Happy said. "Kinda look out fer Jake and Houston. Shouldn't be too much longer afore they meet up with us." He kicked his horse and called back over his shoulder. "She's a good handful, Ethan. She fits real nice agin me. Don't know what you were thinkin', leavin' her alone all those years."
Michael felt Ethan stiffen slightly at Happy's words but he made no reply.
"Don't mind Happy," Ben said. "He don't mean nothin' by it. Cold's most likely addled his senses a little. I'll just go on up yonder and have a talk with him. Obie, why don't you take up the rear for a while?"
Obie reined in almost immediately and let the
"You must mean Houston. He and Jake took the engine down the tracks a piece. That'll keep the passengers from followin'. The Union Pacific won't know about the holdup until the train's late comin' to Barnesville. Even then they're like to think it's snowbound."
"There won't be anyone following us, will there?" Though Michael tried to keep her voice neutral, a note of despair touched her question.
"Not tonight," Happy said frankly. "Probably not tomorrow either. By the time the locals mount a posse, snow will have covered our tracks."
"What about the railroad? Won't the Union Pacific send men out after you?"
Happy leaned back in his saddle so that he could get a better view of Michael's face. "It don't seem to me, Miz Stone, that you're real pleased about this reunion with Ethan. That pretty much the way of it?"
Michael felt Happy's eyes on her and she avoided looking at him. "That's pretty much the way of it," she repeated softly. "You must know I don't want to be here."
"Can't say that I favor it either, ma'am."
For a moment Michael was hopeful. "You don't? Then you would help me get—"
Happy cut her off. "Don't ask it, Miz Stone. You mistook my meanin'. I sure enough don't want you here, but 'cept fer bein' dead and buried, there really ain't no other place for you."
Michael felt cold in her soul. The shiver that swept through her had little to do with the bitter icy wind swirling around her. "Please," she said lowly, teeth chattering violently, "I want to go back to Ethan."
"Just a bit longer," Happy said. "If you're cold you can put your arms around me the way you did Ethan."
"I'll manage," she said tightly, repulsed by the offer. She crossed her arms in front of her, slipped her hands under her armpits, and tucked her head deeper into the raised collar of her coat and away from the, stinging wind. "You're the one who uncoupled the Chronicle's cars, aren't you?" She fully expected him not to answer or deny the charge. "You killed them."
Happy shrugged off the accusation. "Obie helped, but it was my idea."
Michael was stunned that he would admit it to her so easily. "Why would you tell me that? Or anything else you've said? You must know that—"
Again he interrupted her, this time placing a hand inside her coat and laying it on her thigh. "I figure it this way, Miz Stone: the more you know, the more you know you ain't goin' nowhere. Ethan, bein' your husband and all, probably has it in his mind to protect you. I don't feel honor bound to do the same. You're either with us or agin us. There's no fence-ridin'. With us, you live. Agin us, you die. That plain speakin' enough for you?"
She nodded.
"Good. Now, seein's how you're not exactly warmin' up to me, I'll set you back with Ethan. I can't think there's much point tellin' him about our conversation, can you?"
"No."
Happy smiled. Flakes of tobacco clung to his front teeth. He spit. "Good for you, ma'am. Mebbe you'll stay with us after all."
In a few minutes they caught up with the others. Ethan was deep in a conversation with Obie and Ben until Michael and Happy came within earshot. Michael's transfer to Ethan's mount was done in a brisk, impersonal fashion.
"Think I'll ride on ahead," Happy said. "Kinda look out fer Jake and Houston. Shouldn't be too much longer afore they meet up with us." He kicked his horse and called back over his shoulder. "She's a good handful, Ethan. She fits real nice agin me. Don't know what you were thinkin', leavin' her alone all those years."
Michael felt Ethan stiffen slightly at Happy's words but he made no reply.
"Don't mind Happy," Ben said. "He don't mean nothin' by it. Cold's most likely addled his senses a little. I'll just go on up yonder and have a talk with him. Obie, why don't you take up the rear for a while?"
Obie reined in almost immediately and let the
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