They sit for a while, watching through the window at the loading platform and the people moving around as the final loading of the train continues. After a time, they hear in the distance the sound of a steam whistle as it rings out. It's the first of three boarding whistles, and the train lurches into motion as it starts rolling in a great billow of steam and smoke.
Dalton looks at her and smiles. “What shall we do first? Would you like to visit the observation car, or I can make reservations for dinner?”
Cassie looks at him in wonder. “How did I get so lucky, Dalton. I mean to find you amongst the chaos and drama of my life, that I would be this lucky? It makes no sense.” She whispers with a tear gleaming in her eye.
He moves to her immediately and takes her in his arms. “I won't ask why Cassie. I will only offer my thanks to God for sending you to me, an angel determined to save me. If you let me, I will spend our lifetime showing you how grateful I am.” His mouth finds hers, and they move together, spending the next two hours showing each other the depth of their feelings. As the train moves to their future, they hold each other and sleep.
Chapter 21
Aiden waits in the dark, without a fire and in the distance, he watches the man eating his dinner and enjoying the warmth of his own campfire. His instinct is to kill the surveyor and never let him make it to San Francisco, but if he wants to find Cassandra, he needs to know where to look. San Francisco is a huge city, and thousands of people mill around. It's the perfect place to get lost if that is one's intention.
So, for now, he waits and follows. All bets are off once he leads him to her. He leans back against the tree and sleeps. The next morning the surveyor is up kicking his fire out and loads up on his mount and rides out.
Aiden stays back far enough that he loses track of him but soon finds his tracks. He rides following for a few hours before the surveyor stops for lunch, then gets back on the horse again.
The ride to San Francisco can be made in a day and a half if you push it and have fresh horses. The surveyor isn’t in a hurry. Eight hours later, he makes camp again for the night.
“Great! Another night of freezing while he eats and sleeps.” Aiden grumbles and settles in once more finding a spot under a tree. He slips his flask out and sips on his whiskey. Why not, the old man will probably sleep all night again he tells himself. Two hours later the whiskey warms his belly, and he passes out for the night.
Jefferson circles around the camp slinking through the woods and discovers that Aiden is drunk and passed out cold. After checking his pistol to see how many shots Jefferson pauses and thinks about just shooting him. After everything he's heard about this man and his father, he would be doing the world a favor.
“Lucky for you, I won't kill a man while he's sleeping.” He chuckles and heads to Aiden's horse to untie the animal and smacks it on the rump sending it riding off into the night. That will buy him some more time.
Time to ditch the dead weight. Jeff returns to his camp and dumps his coffee on the fire. Within twenty minutes, he is mounted and riding out to put some distance between them, before he changes his mind.
Aiden wakes to the sun and taste of day-old whiskey. He sits up and waits for his eyes to adjust. He stumbles around the tree to relieve himself and is finishing up when he notices the quiet. His horse is gone!
“Shit!” he whirls around and runs to look for signs of movement from the camp below and his scream sends birds flying into the sky. He gathers up his pack and rolls it up reaching for his gun.
“Son of a bitch!” His gun is gone. He walks carefully over to where his horse was tied and squats down looking at the footprints. Two sets, his and another. “The bastard took my horse and my gun!”
He follows the tracks of the horse and knows without it he will die. Two hours later he tracks down the animal and finds his lead tangled in some bushes. “Time to catch up to him!” He gives the horse a drink from his hat and spurs him on.
“You need to get me to San Francisco, now!” he snarls.
Eight hours later he enters the town and heads to Market Street. He's in need of a drink and a woman or two. Then he will find Cassie.
Chapter 22
Willow and Jackson hug Faith tightly and kiss baby Hope before they load the train. Faith wave’s goodbye as the train departs and tries not to cry. “They are going home, this a good thing, baby girl,” she whispers and kisses her daughter's head. “Now it’s our turn.”
Faith turns and wraps her cloak around her, and the baby then heads across the street to the Western Union office. They keep all the job listings posted for the different offices, and she's determined to have a new job by the end of the week. Fifteen minutes later she leaves disappointed. No jobs are available, but the manager had taken her information and told her to check back in a few days. Now, she needs a new plan. San Francisco is no place to raise a baby. They’ve been here for
