Seated next to the window, Ann looked out to see if anyone suspicious was stationed about. Her gaze ceased its traveling when it came to rest on the same tall man she’d bumped into. He was again kissing the beautiful redhead but was obviously trying to pull away from her.
The whistle blew and the conductor shouted, “Last call! All aboard!”
The train jerked, then the wheels slowly moved forward. Ann became intrigued. Was it the dark-haired man or the red-haired woman who was supposed to be boarding?
As the train picked up momentum, Ann lost sight of- the couple who were obviously very much in love and hated to part. She would never know what happened, or why either had to leave.
“Howdy, sir.”
Ann looked up and found herself staring at the very same towering figure she had just been thinking about. His eyes were warm and friendly and so dark they looked black. Though she couldn’t call him handsome in the sense of being pretty like Edmund, he was undoubtedly the most magnificent rogue she had ever seen. She nodded her acknowledgment, but made no reply.
“Are you traveling far?” he asked Ann as he took the seat directly across the aisle from Hester.
“Ah. er.” Even his voice was deep and pleasing to the ear. “Just to Coloda.”
“You mean Colorado?”
Ann reminded herself that as long as she and Hester remained to themselves, fewer problems would arise. But just looking at the stranger had caused a pleasant fluttering in the pit of her stomach. “Yes. That’s the village.”
“Village?” He chuckled. “Are you sure you know where you’re going? Colorado is a territory, not a village.”
“We’re going to Arizona Territory,” Hester inserted.
Ann resented Hester’s intrusion.
The man removed his low-crowned hat and placed it on the empty seat beside him. “Looks like we’re going to be traveling for a spell together. Name’s Nathan Bishop. Folks call me Nate. I’m also headed for Denver.”
“Quite a spell?” Hester repeated. “You’ve been misinformed. Colorado is only a day or two away.”
Nate chuckled. “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but it’s a six-day trip to Colorado.”
“Six?” Hester gasped. “But we may not have that long.” She turned an accusing eye on her so-called husband. “You said two days! Where are we going to sleep?”
Ann was equally shocked at hearing the length of traveling time. “We sleep here,” she defended. “The porter said the seats become beds and beds fold down from above. Curtains are pulled for privacy. I shall take the top. We’ll be quite comfortable.”
Nate settled himself in the seat. “When did you leave England?” he asked Hester.
“If you don’t mind, my wife needs rest,” Ann said in a less than friendly tone.
“I feel fine now, Albert.” Hester smiled sweetly. “My husband worries about me,” she told Nate, teasingly acting as if it were a confidentiality.
Blood surged through Ann’s veins when the stranger gave her a knowing smile, then a sense of disappointment followed when he dismissed her and turned his attention back to Hester. This was ridiculous! She didn’t even know the man.
Hester smiled at the deliciously handsome man. “We left England nearly five months ago.”
“You didn’t tell me your name,” Nate said.
Her cheeks dimpled. “Hester Potter. This is my husband, Albert.”
Nate nodded.
Worried at Hester so easily handing out information, Ann tried to give the woman a pinch on the hip as a reminder of their plight. Unfortunately there was too much material clumped together for her to reach her target, and a verbal reminder would draw attention.
“You must be traveling home to be with your wife and children,” Hester said matter-of-factly. She intended to find out right off if the gentleman was married.
“I’m not married.”
“How interesting. Why would you want to leave New York and go west?”
“I have a small ranch near the Arizona Territory.”
As the stranger and Hester continued their conversation, Ann was wishing she could warn Hester of the stranger’s uncouth nature. He’d proven that when he’d stood in the middle of the depot kissing that woman goodbye! And such a kiss. Why, she’d never allow any man -to kiss her in such an unacceptable manner.
Ann looked out the window to see if there were any Indians yet, and discovered she could see Mr. Bishop’s reflection in the glass. His face was strong, with chiseled features, and his even, white teeth were a pleasing contrast to-his bronzed skin. The set of his shoulders indicated a man of confidence. He smiled easily and was friendly, but there was also an unmistakable air of danger about him. Ann suddenly realized that Mr. Bishop was also looking at the window. Had he sensed her watching him? She placed her head against the back of the seat, and the image disappeared. How could she be attracted to such a man? After putting up with Edmund’s abuse, she had thought she would never want to look at a man again. Yet just now, she had actually been staring at Mr. Bishop. No, she couldn’t call him that. She should call him Nate. Men generally used another man’s first name.
The following morning, Nate sat with his head back and his hat over his face, trying to catch up on his sleep-or lack of. He had already ascertained that the upper Pullman berths were definitely not constructed for a man his size. It was like trying to sleep on a narrow plank. With his back to the wall, the movement of the train had nearly caused him to fall forward on several occasions. Turned the other way, he was certain he would roll backward off the confounded thing.
Hearing the conductor announce that the train would be stopping shortly for breakfast, Nate shoved his hat to the back of his head and straightened up.
“Good morning,” a sweet female voice acknowledged.
“Mornin’,” he replied to the English lady.
After tying back the curtains, Hester and Ann took their seats. Though Hester had managed to sound cheerful, she wasn’t yet fully awake. Ann made a point of not even looking at Nate. She found him to be entirely too unnerving. Instead of worrying about his effect on her, she should be worrying about making it to Beau’s before Hester had her baby. Still, it would help if Nate would remain silent for the remainder of their trip.
“I thought you might want to know that when a train stops at stations for meals,” Nate said, “you’ll only have a short time to eat.”
Ann squeezed her eyes shut. She should have known her wish wouldn’t be granted.
“Why?” Hester asked.
“It’s a crooked deal, but there’s nothing the passengers can do about it. You see, the cost of a meal is always collected first. On some trains, the conductor will have the passengers board the train the minute the food is placed in front of them. The plates are then collected and handed out again when the next train stops. The conductor gets his share of the take.”
“You mean the meal is served over and over again?”
“Exactly. Of course that isn’t always true, but it is a guaranteed fact that none of the food along the way is eatable. Nevertheless, to ensure time to eat, I suggest you exit the car as quickly as possible.”
“We have managed quite nicely without your assistance,” Ann admonished. As she had explained to Hester last night, they had to keep their distance from others. Though they had possibly escaped Matthew’s watchdogs, they didn’t need word getting out that an English couple