Page 56 of A Dangerous Heart
“I’ll get Ben settled,” Kaitlyn volunteered. “Go, take a moment to freshen up.”
Exhaustion pulled at Clare’s shoulders, her whole body weighted down with fatigue and stress. She drifted to the kitchen to pump water to wash with but paused outside the dining room, hidden from view. The brothers were hunched over the dining room table, sketches and notes, even legal papers, scattered across the tabletop. Clare’s eyes lingered on one of Isaac’s hand-drawn maps from his scouting work on the ridge. The river and the bridge were sketched from a bird’s-eye view, long, darkvertical lines representing the rails, with shorter horizontal lines for the railroad ties. Icy dread seized her.
Nick said, “I rode out there yesterday to take a closer look at how far the digging has progressed. Those dunderheads are digging so close to the bridge that one major rainstorm might wash the bridge supports out.”
Maybe that’s what they want,Clare thought. But why?
“One thing’s for sure, the bank will be ambushed with angry patrons if their shipment of cash gets delayed,” Ed said.
Bank. As if the word was the missing piece, everything clicked into place. Victor was here for a robbery. He could use Quade’s dispute with the ranchers to stage a train robbery, then walk away, no one the wiser.
She stepped into the dining room. Drew’s shoulders tensed. Ed and Nick exchanged quick glances with each other, caution written on their faces. Isaac moved toward her, his brows furrowed, his green eyes concerned.
“Clare?” he asked. Placing a comforting hand at her elbow, he drew her farther into the room. Kaitlyn entered behind her. Sensing the tense atmosphere, she slipped quietly into Drew’s side embrace.
Clare took a shaky breath. “Ever since we saw Lyle in town, I’ve been trying to figure out how Victor found me. I’m certain I didn’t leave a trail.” She sucked in a breath. “What if he didn’t come to find me? What if he’s here for another reason?”
“What do you mean?” Nick asked.
“The train…he likes to rob trains.” Her voice trembled. “And he has a fondness for dynamite.” Clare swallowed hard against the growing terror. “What if he’s using Quade’s dispute with the ranchers to stage a train robbery? Blow up the bridge. Help Quade divert the river. Rob the train. And ride away.” She could see it so clearly—the whole thing unfolding—and it made her skin prickle with dread. His brand was stamped all over this.
Isaac’s lips turned down in a grim frown. “We saw Quade’s men unloading crates at the train station the day I met Clare and the boys.”
“You really think that’s why he was in town?” Ed asked Clare.
“Yes, I do. Lyle, the man Marshal O’Grady is holding, was surprised to see me. He said he and the gang were coming for Eli and Ben, but he was lying. They’re coming for the gold and money.”
“Working with Quade,” Nick added absently as he leaned over the table to riffle through some old newspapers on the sideboard. It was the only thing that made sense.
He blew out a long whistle as he lifted a newspaper and began scanning below the fold. “You may be onto something. The Union Pacific coming from Cheyenne passes through here in three days. There’ll be passengers on that train along with the gold and bank notes in the safe.”
“Victor isn’t just a thief,” she began, her voice wavering despite her best effort. “He does more than hold up banks or coaches or trains. Sometimes, for the right price, he takes on other jobs. Breaking someone out of prison, stealing a safe from your enemy—if the job’s worth it, he’ll do it.”
Isaac’s brow furrowed. “That’s not common knowledge about the Barlow Gang.”
Clare nodded, her throat tight. “Victor has a network of outlaws across the West. If Quade wanted him, all he had to do was talk to the right people.”
Isaac’s hand tightened on her elbow. He muttered under his breath, “Everything lines up—the crates, the timing. Quade’s up to something more.”
Kaitlyn stared at her across the room. Her hand went to her belly in an unconscious protective gesture. “How do you know so much about this gang of outlaws?” she asked, her tone a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
A wave of nausea washed over her. Clare would have to tell the truth. She wanted to tell the truth. She blinked back tears.
“I’m not Clare Ferguson. I’m not a widow with two boys. I lied”—she looked around the room—“to everyone. I’m Clare Barlow. Sister to Victor Barlow.”
Drew was taken aback but recovered quickly. Tears streamed down Clare’s face as she watched Kaitlyn’s expression turn from shock to hurt. Ed and Nick dropped their gazes to the table. They already knew the truth about her identity.
“I promised their mother before she died that I would not let the boys follow in their father’s footsteps. Anne and I saw the mail-order bride advertisement, and I…”
“They all know about the letters,” Isaac said. He stepped closer to Clare, his hand on her elbow both a support and a protective gesture. “If you’ll excuse us, Clare and I have some things we need to talk about.”
The serious discussions were interrupted by a late supper followed by the evening chores. Isaac heard Tillie and Jo tramp upstairs, Jo declaring she wasn’t the least bit tired with every step. Drew had dispatched Eli and David to the bunkhouse. They had been bedding down there for several nights now. Isaac was glad for David’s influence over Eli.
After everyone had scattered for evening chores and to get the children in bed, Isaac stood at the corner of the dining table, looking down on a crudely drawn map that spread over several pages. A map of the corner where McGraw land met Quade land. The river and the bridge were sketched in.
When Nick had questioned Clare earlier, she’d revealed that sometimes the gang would meet at Anne’s farmhouse. Clare hadoverheard enough of their planning to make a guess about what Victor was up to and how he would carry out his plan. They had put Xs on the map where Clare thought it was most likely for Barlow to place the dynamite to blow both the bridge and move tons of dirt to change the riverbed.
Isaac was at war with himself. He wanted to save the ranch, same as Drew. He knew how much it meant to all his brothers. He ran a hand through his hair, frustration and fear clawing at him. He hated this. He hated that they were caught up in some outlaw’s scheme with Quade.
