1 Chapter 1

1

Darkness filtered through the small window next to Leon Stroud’s head, for once caused by midnight rather than the soot and smoke from the train’s engine. He needed to sleep. That’s what anyone with half a brain would do. Most of the passengers taking the long trip from Salt Lake City to California were doing just that, including two of his three traveling companions. Nine-year-old Woody had his head in his mother’s lap, while she in turn leaned against her husband’s shoulder.

Inwardly, Leon snorted. Husband. He hadn’t seen that one coming. When he and his partner had taken refuge from a blizzard two months earlier, they’d only been seeking a hideout and some help for Leon’s busted ankle. Within two weeks, Kenneth was in love, asking to take Amy along, and now Mr. and Mrs. Lawson couldn’t take their hands off each other. Amy was a pretty enough lady—nice enough, too, he supposed—but he and Kenneth had been partners for five years, ever since Leon had found the then sixteen-year-old trying to make it on his own. It was tough thinking it was over now. Because no matter how much Kenneth might say otherwise, things would never be the same again.

He met those familiar gray eyes now. “You should be sleeping, too,” he quietly admonished

“And why aren’t you asleep?”

Leon smirked. “‘Cause I don’t have a soft bedwarmer to relax me.”

“It’d be better if we were in an actual bed. I can’t sleep sitting up like this.”

That was the truth. They’d chosen the most direct route from Salt Lake they could, which meant three days before their first stop in California. The fewer people who saw them, the better. Being wanted for stagecoach robbing and murder—even when you hadn’t killed a soul—had a way of making you stand out in a crowd.

“Won’t be too much longer now.” Leon stretched his leg, grimacing at the pain radiating through his ankle. “And if I never sit so long on my ass again, it’ll be too soon.”

Kenneth smiled sympathetically. “It’s better than being stuck on the back of a horse or in a wagon. Warmer, too. Your foot okay? Amy said she could wrap it again. The pressure might help.”

Mention of Amy drew his gaze back to the soft curve of her cheek. Dark hair spilled over her skin, her mouth full and pouty in sleep. She was older than Kenneth by fifteen years or so, another reason Leon had warned Kenneth about getting involved, but she didn’t look it. With her spirit, Kenneth was going to have a hard time keeping up with her.

“Nah,” Leon said softly. “Not worth waking her up to make the fuss.”

“She wouldn’t say it’s a fuss.” Kenneth touched her cheek tenderly, his callused fingers looking rough against her much smoother skin. “Still, I want her to get some sleep. I think this is the first time she’s shut her eyes since we boarded.”

The unspoken reasons hung between them. Amy had risked a lot, forgiving Kenneth when she’d found out they were wanted men. She’d hidden them away from the law for the two months Leon needed for his ankle, agreeing to wait on marriage until they reached Salt Lake City. If they got caught, she would be in as much trouble as they were. Even worse, she had a son to protect. It was no wonder she worried.

“Maybe I’ll stretch my legs for a bit.” Leon stood and tested the weight on his ankle. It hurt, but the dull ache was more tolerable if he was moving. “You don’t need me talking your ear off and keeping you from sleeping.”

“I don’t mind you keeping me from sleeping,” Kenneth murmured, but he did nothing to stop Leon from turning away.

Amy and Woody weren’t the only ones sleeping. Most of the passengers in the rocking car were twisted in some semblance of rest, heads leaning against windows like Leon had tried, mouths open as soft snores drifted down the center aisle. Each step he took was painful, but he welcomed it. He was walking. That was the important thing. Better to be walking than not.

He paused at the door at the end of the car, gaining his equilibrium before sliding it open. A blast of cool spring air cut into his lungs, and Leon bowed his head as he quickly crossed the gap to the next car. Winter wasn’t completely gone, but the weather would be milder in California. He thought Kenneth’s plan to try and settle in Salinas was still more than a little optimistic, but he was willing to give it a try. For Kenneth’s sake.

His thoughts wandered. He lost track of how far he went, how many train cars he walked, until one stuck door made him pause. He bent his head, gritting his teeth as he struggled to loosen it from its track, but nothing he did made a difference. With a frustrated sigh, he stepped back, glancing over his shoulder as he contemplated the trek back to his seat.