Page 60 of The Heart’s Charge

Alice hesitated. Guilt clouded her gaze as she darted a glance at him before focusing again on Kate. “Are you and Mr. Wallace all right? I saw you . . . and the train . . . I thought . . .”

A sudden sob burst from her throat, and the child ran into Kate’s waiting arms.

“Shh, sweetheart. It’s all right. We’re both safe. Everything’s fine.” She rocked Alice back and forth, stroking her hair.

“It’s my fault,” Alice wailed. “If I hadn’t run off—”

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart. I was the one who should have listened to Mr. Wallace when he called to me to get off the bridge, but I didn’t.” She glanced his way, an apology in her eyes.

But an apology for what? Rushing across the bridge or refusing his proposal? Again.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. She hadn’t actually refused. That but could have led to a hundred different statements. Many of them innocuous. Besides, he wasn’t the wet-behind-the-ears kid he’d been a decade ago. He’d battled raiding Indians, survived being shot by rustlers, and outsmarted deadly outlaws as part of an elite military squad. He could lay siege to a woman’s heart and wear down her resistance. After all, there was already a significant weakness in her fortifications.

She loved him. With all her heart, she’d said. That was the important bit. Not some dangling conjunction that could lead a hundred directions.

Besides, there was only one direction they needed to focus on right now. Home.

Mark pushed to his feet with an exaggerated moan, sure to draw attention. Although, in truth, the moan wasn’t all that feigned. He ached everywhere.

“Let’s get you two ladies back to Harmony House, shall we?”

Alice scrubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand, then scowled up at him. “I gotta keep lookin’ for the man in black.” She twisted and pointed back toward the mounts on the other side of the bridge. “One of them horses could be his. I was looking through the saddlebags for papers with names on ’em.”

Mark hunkered down, shocked at how sore his legs felt while carrying out the simple task of folding. “Those look like farm horses, built for pulling plows and wagons, not for speed,” he said gently. “I doubt the man in black rides a plow horse.”

Al crossed her arms. “He might. You don’t know.”

“No, I don’t. Not for sure. But it’s more likely those horses belong to someone else.”

Al shrugged. “It wouldn’t hurt to hide out and wait for the owners to come back. I was gonna lie down in the grass and keep watch. One of ’em might be the fella that snatched Wart.”

Mark gave her a steady look. “What if he’s not wearing black today? Will you still recognize him?”

She jutted out a quivering chin. “Maybe. If he said something. I’d remember his voice.”

Huh. Mark hadn’t thought about her being able to identify the man’s voice.

“What if I promise to take you out with me tomorrow? To places where men congregate. Places where you can listen to their voices without anyone suspecting what you’re about.”

Kate laid a hand on his arm. Her concern weighted the air like impending rain, but she didn’t give it voice. She gave him trust instead.

Man, but he loved this woman.

As much as he wanted to look at Kate and reassure her with silent promises, Mark kept his gaze locked on Alice. “What do you say?” he challenged. “Do we have a deal?”

She peered at him long and hard, then thrust out her hand. After he took it and gave it a firm shake, she declared her answer. “Deal.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

Eliza cast a final glance over her shoulder as she drove the wagon out of the yard and onto the road. Was she making the right choice? Leaving the children alone with Jonah?

The man in question lifted his hat from his head and waved it at her as if he could see her furrowed brow. With his sharp eyes, he probably could.

Eliza returned her attention to the road in front of her. Jonah was one of Hanger’s Horsemen, for heaven’s sake. He could corral a half-dozen kids for an hour or two. Besides, he wasn’t truly on his own. Abner and Ruby would help him. They knew all the routines.

“I’m sorry for putting you out like this.”