Page 41 of Luna

“Wheat harvest? What happens then?” Luna asked, her brow furrowing in question.

“During harvest, the air is full of dust and wheat chaff. Sometimes, the sky looks more golden-hued than blue. It doesn’t last long, but in the midst of the harvest, it can get bad.”

“Do you help with wheat harvest?” Luna asked as the train started up the grade out of La Grande.

Hunter nodded. “There’s wheat on the B Bar D that we harvest. Also, Nik’s family has one of the largest wheat ranches in the area. I usually go over and help there for a few days. Then, I lend a hand to some of the neighbors. Everyone pitches in and does their part. I’ve always admired the way the community in Pendleton pulls together.” He grinned at Luna. “And the harvest meals are incredible. So much good food. It almost makes me hungry just thinking about it.”

Luna shook her head. “I’m starting to think you’re always hungry, Hunter Douglas.”

“Isn’t there a saying about growing boys?”

She laughed. “I would not classify you as a growing boy. If you have another growth spurt, you’ll be as big as Kade or Lars.”

“Now, that would be something.” Hunter pointed outside the window to an elk standing in a grove of trees. “Did you hear about the flower show? Flynn Elliott is the main judge. He was telling me …”

He kept up an easy conversation as they made their way to Kamela for a quick stop. A handful of people disembarked the train, and a few boarded.

An uneasy feeling settled over Hunter as three men entered their car, but he couldn’t say why. He did his best to hide it from Luna, taking the boxes of Cracker Jack from his pockets and handing one to her.

“I haven’t had these in such a long time, Hunter. Thank you.” She removed her gloves, opened the box, and tipped out a handful of the molasses-covered popcorn and peanuts. “My little brothers love digging into the box for the prize. What do you think your prize will be?”

He shook his box near his ear while keeping an eye on the three men who’d boarded the train and taken seats at the back of the car. Something about them seemed … off. But he kept that thought to himself and opened the box of popcorn. “I think mine has one of the newly printed baseball cards.”

“Really? I haven’t seen any of those yet. It seems America has quite a love for baseball.”

“That we do.” Hunter grinned and dumped a handful of popcorn out of the box and into his hand. If he’d been alone, he would have tipped the box directly into his mouth to avoid getting sticky residue on his hands, but polite company demanded better manners.

They’d finished the popcorn and wiped their hands on their handkerchiefs before the train began to slow at the summit of the Blue Mountains near the town of Meacham.

Hunter knew from previous trips the train always checked the brakes before they started down the steep grade. However, when the train came to a complete, jerking stop, as though an emergency brake had been applied, he was certain something was amiss.

A noise behind them caused Hunter to turn his head and watch as three men, with black caps on their heads and cloth masks over their faces, stood with guns drawn, motioning for the porter who’d been shining the shoes of a napping salesman to move forward. The porter rose, looking sickly, holding up the shoe he’d been polishing. With a gun to his back and one to the rear brakeman who’d been standing on the vestibule outside the car but had been pulled inside, the outlaws marched the two men through the car and into the next one.

Hunter had hoped Luna wouldn’t notice, but she stiffened beside him, eyes wide with fear.

“It will be okay, Luna. I’ll keep you safe.” Hunter wasn’t just saying the words to appease her. He meant them. If keeping that promise required stepping in front of her to take a bullet, then he’d do it.

Everything in Hunter wanted to do something to help, but he knew remaining calm was the best thing he could do at the moment. That and pray that if this was a holdup, the men would get what they wanted and leave quickly. Hunter knew a little about trains from one of his friends who was crazy about them. The airbrakes weren’t meant to hold for long. With them locked as they were, poised with all thirteen cars beyond the crest of the summit with a miles-long downgrade before them, once the brakes began to leak air, there wouldn’t be anything anyone could do to stop the train.

Truthfully, Hunter was far more worried about the brakes giving out than what the outlaws might do.

He summoned what he hoped was a reassuring smile and looked at Luna again. “We’ll be fine.”

She gave him a dubious glance, as though she could read every ounce of his uncertainty. When her face turned pale, and she leaned back in her seat, Hunter worried she might be about to faint. Considering the circumstances, it might be best if she did.

Chapter Thirteen

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to make promises you can’t keep? You can’t possibly know the outcome of whatever is about to take place, nor can you guarantee my safety.” Luna strained to see the outlaws in the car ahead of theirs. They motioned for the porter there to join the one from their car and continued marching the railroad men forward. The train was stopped on a curve and she couldn’t see the engine, but she wondered if the men with the masks hiding their faces intended to rob the train.

“I can keep the promise that I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, Luna. Trust in that and in me.” Hunter gave her a long look that made her want to squirm in her seat. She tugged her gaze from his and stared outside, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening in the cars ahead of them.

Up until that moment, she’d been having such an enjoyable, memorable day. Granted, the restaurant food hadn’t been nearly as good as Caterina’s, but being with Hunter had added a special, wonderful flavor to not only the food but also the whole experience. He’d made everything more fun and exciting just by being there with her.

Luna had felt guilty about Caterina asking him to accompany her but not guilty enough to refuse to go. Hunter had more work to do than he could possibly finish in a given day, yet he’d set aside everything to spend the day with her on an adventure, and now that adventure was about to end with a … well, Luna wasn’t exactly sure what was happening in the cars ahead of them, but she had a good idea.

“They are robbing the train, aren’t they?” Luna asked quietly.

Hunter nodded. “I believe that is their intent. It’s like something from the dime novels Jeff likes to read. I never thought I’d actually be on a train that got held up by a gang of outlaws.”

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