Page 29 of Inventions of the Heart

“We know several other languages, too,” Jilly added.

“That man made a serious mistake in taking you two on.”

“Taking on us and Tolstoy.”

Zane turned up a lantern seated on a wall sconce in the sitting room of the housekeeper’s apartment. It had two bedrooms and a sitting room, left from the days when Zane’s ma had been alive. The housekeeper had been a married woman with a couple of youngsters. Her husband had worked on the ranch. When she and her husband, their children grown, had moved on, Zane hadn’t replaced her until Sally Jo needed to escape her parents in Purgatory.

Zane turned to Michelle and Jilly. “Do you really think he was sent here by Edgar?”

Michelle looked at Jilly. “It’s possible, and if he was, then our secret is out, and we must leave. We’ve brought danger to your doorstep.”

“I-I wondered if it could be the man who sh-shot Todd.” Annie’s arms were nearly wrapped around herself. “Could he want to make sure I didn’t go to the sheriff? I might well have taken the housekeeper’s rooms because of the two bedrooms and Caroline.”

“Or is it about gold?” Zane asked with grim anger.

“Well, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Beth Ellen said. “He didn’t come for me.”

NICK SPRINTED INTO THE DINING ROOM,where Laura and her family were eating breakfast. “Beaumont sent men after Michelle and Jilly.”

Laura shoved her chair back. Caleb leapt to his feet. Mama cried out and clenched her fists.

“We have to go.” Laura turned to Caleb. “Right now. We have to warn my sisters.”

Laura was around the table, heading for the door when she shouted, “Wait!”

Everyone skidded to a stop. Caleb was just behind Nick, going out the door. They whirled to see what was wrong.

Laura turned to see Mama standing up at the table, watching them go. “We can’t just leave you alone.”

Caleb came to her side.

Laura was silent, analyzing the situation.

“Come with us,” Caleb said. “You’re a good rider, aren’t you?”

Mama, wringing her hands, suddenly straightened, and her eyes flashed with determination. “I am anexcellentrider.”

She grabbed a napkin off the table and shoved every piece of bread from a serving plate they hadn’t gotten to yet into the napkin and rolled it up.

“Food for the journey. It’ll save us time not to stop and eat. Let’s go.”

“I’ve got Old Tom filling my saddlebags and a couple of canteens. I rode like a madman to get here from the Purgatory settlement, and it took three days. I expect it will take us longer but not much.” Nick turned away and went back to running. Laura, following Caleb, ran hard after him.

They rushed out of the house to find Old Tom with six horses saddled. One for each of them and two for himself and another lumberjack named Carl.

Laura, not mindful of her skirts at all, swung up on the horse. Mama was only a second behind, and that only because she took time to shove the bread in her saddlebags.

Laura saw the horses were all carrying plenty of supplies. Old Tom had been thinking fast.

They galloped hard until the trail, a stupid, slow trail, grew steep and narrow. They picked their way along, single file. The trail was wide enough for a wagon to come up, but still steep enough that it was best for a rider to keep to the center and have some elbow room.

Many years ago, they’d packed wagonloads of supplies up this mountain to build the house. And wagons still came and went. But the flume had been built specifically because of this wretched trail. Someday it would be wide enough, straight enough, and solid enough to carry train tracks.

Now that the horses were slowed to a walk, Caleb said, “Talk, Nick. What did you hear?”

“I had a few of the men follow Beaumont when he left. Men good enough on a trail not to be noticed. In fact, while Beaumont was packing, I sent Carl ahead.”

Laura glanced behind her at the man bringing up the rear behind Old Tom.

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