Prince Charming

Taylor wanted to lean against her husband’s chest, wrap her arms around his neck, and demand his comfort. She suddenly longed to be dependent upon his strength but was so appalled by the notion, she immediately pushed herself off his lap and moved to the opposite seat. She adjusted the pleats in her skirts, all the while praying she would be able to find a few threads of her composure.

“I must be strong now. I can weep later.”

She hadn’t realized she’d whispered the plea out loud until Lucas agreed with her.

“We’ll get them back, Taylor.”

He sounded so certain that she took heart. She said a prayer that the little ones weren’t being mistreated. Keep them safe, she silently chanted to God. Please keep them safe.

She suddenly realized Lucas was talking to her and tried to concentrate on what he was saying. Wire his friend? Why? She leaned forward and implored him to start over.

“The little girls were being taken to Cincinnati,” he explained a second time. “There’s a buyer there.” Waiting, he silently added.

“How long ago?”

“Two days past.”

“Oh, God, they could be anywhere by now.”

He shook his head. “It takes forty hours by train to reach Cincinnati, Taylor. If we’re lucky, my friend will meet the train.”

“But if they didn’t go by train?”

“Then it’s going to take them longer to get there,” he reasoned.

“Yes.”

“As soon as we get back to our hotel, I’ll wire Hunter.”

“Is he in Cincinnati?”

“No, but he’s close enough.”

“Are you certain you can find him?”

He nodded. “If your nieces aren’t on the train, we’ll need Hunter more than ever. He’s the second-best tracker in the states and the territories combined.”

“Who is the first best?” she asked, thinking she wanted Lucas to hire that gentleman as well. The more experts they had looking, the better their chances were of finding the little ones before anything more happened to them.

“I am.”

She sighed with relief. “While you wire your friend, I’ll get the train schedule and have the concierge purchase the tickets for us. We should leave as soon as possible.”

He knew better than to try to talk her into waiting in Boston. Cincinnati could well have been only a stopping-off point and nothing more. There was the real possibility the little girls were already there. Westley said two days ago . . . forty-eight hours. Yes, they could have already reached Cincinnati and be on their way in any number of directions. If they were headed into the hills of Kentucky or the wilderness beyond the Ohio valley, Lucas would insist Taylor stay in Cincinnati and wait there. The city was safer and more civilized. If there was time, he would hire someone to look after her.

“You shouldn’t be left on your own.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind.”

“Lucas, I’m going with you. We’re going to find them together. I won’t slow you down.”

“I haven’t argued,” he countered. “You can go with me.”

“Thank you.”

She closed her eyes. She was suddenly racked with tremors. “Why is there such evil in the world?”

He stared at her a long while before answering. “Because there’s such goodness.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I don’t understand,” she admitted. “Are you saying that if there’s one, there must be the other?”

“Seems so,” he replied.

She shook her head. “I’m not seeing any goodness now.”

“I am,” he replied gruffly. “I’m looking at it.”

She didn’t understand what he meant. Lucas became uncomfortable with the compliment he’d given her the second the words were out of his mouth. They sat in silence for a long moment.

“What are you going to do about Victoria?” Lucas asked finally.

“I’ll go to her room tonight and explain everything to her.”

Neither spoke again for a long while. Lucas was busy plotting his course of action and listing the items he would need for the journey. Taylor was occupied praying for the babies.

“Lucas?”

“Yes?”

“I know this isn’t your battle. The babies are my responsibility, not yours. I want you to know how thankful I am to have your assistance.” Before he could respond, she continued. “I’m so sorry this was forced on you. You got more than you bargained for when you married me, didn’t you? You should be compensated at the very least, and just as soon as . . .”

He interrupted her. “If you offer to pay me for my services, I’ll throttle you.”

She was pleased by his anger. She needed a champion now, and Lucas was proving to be just that.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be insulting. I’m grateful,” she said again. She could tell from his expression he didn’t want to hear about her gratitude, and so she changed the topic. “Children aren’t simply property.”

“No, they aren’t.”

“Most adults believe they are. Most certainly don’t believe children have any rights, but they do have rights, don’t they?”

He nodded. “They should have the right to loving, protective parents.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Her mind jumped to another topic then. “Will the Westleys go to the authorities and bring charges against us?”

“What would they charge?”

“Injury,” she answered. “We both shot Henry Westley.”

He scoffed at the notion. “They’d have to do some fancy explaining if they talked to anyone,” he reasoned. “Do you want to call in the authorities?”

“No,” she answered. “It wouldn’t do us any good to involve them. Georgie and Allie have already been taken. There would be too much of a delay explaining and filling out forms and . . . unless you think we should, Lucas.”

His natural inclination was to distrust anyone with a badge. The symbol gave the man too much power, and power, he’d learned through experience, was like ocean water to a thirsty man. One drink made a man hungry for more and more and more until it became an insatiable craving. Power rarely elevated a man and most often corrupted him.

“It could get complicated and I don’t particularly want the law breathing down my neck while I’m looking for your nieces. Answer a question for me.”

“What is it?”

“Does Victoria know about your nieces?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you mention the girls to me?”

She didn’t answer him. “Do you trust me?” he asked her then.

She hesitated a full minute before speaking. “I believe I do,” she said. “Yes, I do,” she added in a more forceful tone of voice. “Madam said I should.”

“And if Madam hadn’t given you that instruction?”

“You’re a man, Lucas.”

“What does that mean?”

“Men usually can’t be trusted. Victoria and I both have learned that important lesson. Still, you aren’t like other men. You’re certainly nothing like your half brother. William, I now realize, is a weakling. You’re the complete opposite. You’ll find them, won’t you? Tell me again. I’ll believe you.”

The jump in topics didn’t jar him. He once again gave her his promise.

“Do you think they’ve been harmed?”

The bleakness in her voice tore at his heart. He was more abrupt than he wanted to be when he answered her. “Don’t allow yourself to think about such things. Concentrate only on getting them back. You’ll go out of your mind otherwise.”

She tried to take his advice. Each time a horrid thought popped into her head, she forced it aside. She made a mental list of all the things she would need to take with her on the trip.

When they finally reached the hotel, Taylor rushed through the lobby in search of the hotel’s concierge. She was given a train schedule, and when

she‘read that a train had only just left, she wanted to scream. The next one wouldn’t be leaving Boston until ten o’clock in the morning. A messenger was duly dispatched to the station with enough funds to purchase two tickets. The manager suggested he wire their sister hotel in Cincinnati for reservations, and when she agreed, he hurried to do just that. She asked him to be certain to secure a second room for her friend.

Making these plans helped Taylor stay calm. She hurried up to her room, packed her bags, then located the tickets for her trunks and took them with her down to Victoria’s room. It was almost two o’clock in the morning when she knocked on her door.

Victoria could barely keep her eyes open until Taylor told her what had happened. The news proved to be as effective as a glass of cold water tossed into her face. She was wide awake and teary eyed in sympathy over Taylor’s distress.

“The poor babies,” she whispered. “I’m going with you,” she added almost immediately. “I’ll help any way that I can.”

It never entered Taylor’s mind that Victoria might decline to help. She had complete faith in her friend. She handed her the tickets for the trunks and instructed her to follow Lucas and her to Cincinnati on the next available train. She explained she had already wired ahead for a room for Victoria, for she hoped her friend would take care of the luggage and then follow her.

“I’m praying they’re in Cincinnati,” Taylor told her. “I think my nieces are headed west. I want to believe they’ll be easy to find. If they’ve been taken to New York, where there are hordes of people, finding them would be more difficult.”

“What else can I do to help?”

“Go to the bank tomorrow and withdraw as much money as possible. Bring it with you. I’ll sign a voucher before I leave in the morning. Please don’t tell Sherman or Summers where you’re going.”

“No, I won’t tell,” Victoria promised. She embraced her friend, wished her Godspeed, and then remembered the list of items Taylor had wanted to purchase while in Boston.

“Give me your list,” she ordered. “Since I will stay in Boston another day to do the banking, I can also do your shopping.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll give you my list in the morning.” She started to leave, then turned back to her friend. “You should also have the staff move your things into our room.”

“Why?”

“It’s nicer,” Taylor explained. She opened the door and started down the hallway. “You deserve luxury, Victoria. I was going to change with you after Lucas left. It would please me to know you’re sleeping there tomorrow night.”

“And it will please me to know you’ve found the little ones by then.”

Taylor shook her head. “Lucas said it will take forty hours to get to Cincinnati. I can’t send a wire to you because you’ll be on a train by then. You’ll have to wait until you get there. Be careful, dear friend.”

“Try to get some sleep tonight,” Victoria called out.

The suggestion was given with a kind heart and Taylor pretended to agree to try. She couldn’t imagine being able to sleep, but she didn’t want Victoria worrying about her.

Lucas returned to their room a short while later. He locked the door, then leaned against the frame while he took her gun out of his pocket and unloaded it. He put the gun and the bullets on the table. Then he packed his things. That chore only took a few minutes.

“Come to bed, Taylor,” he ordered. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

He was stripping out of his clothes on his way to the washroom when he gave the command. She shook her head. “Not just yet,” she told him. She walked over to the window behind the seating area and stood there looking out into the black night.

He didn’t argue with her. He thought she probably needed a few minutes of solitude to calm her emotions. He kept his pants on for her sake and slept on top of the covers. He awakened an hour later, knew before he even opened his eyes she wasn’t in bed with him, and then spotted her across the room. She hadn’t moved from her position by the window. Her head was bowed and her arms were folded in front of her. She was doubled over, and although he couldn’t see her face or hear any noise, he knew she was weeping.

Her agony was heartwrenching. Lucas got out of bed and quietly crossed the room. He didn’t say a word to her. He simply lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the alcove. He stood her by the side of the bed and undressed her. She neither protested nor offered to help. She simply stood there while he stripped her down to her chemise. He tried not to notice how silky her skin was. His hand brushed across the swell of her breasts, and God help him, he wanted to linger over the task of touching her. He didn’t give into the base urge. It didn’t seem right or honorable of him to have lustful thoughts about her now. She was too vulnerable. He knew she would let him make love to her, might even welcome his touch, but with the morning light, she would surely have regrets. He wasn’t about to take advantage of her.

Hell, he guessed he really was a gentleman.

His gentle little bride had had one hell of a time these past months. The man she believed she loved and was about to marry had betrayed her, the woman who had raised her as a daughter and talked her into marrying a complete stranger died, and Taylor hadn’t been given a single hour in which to mourn, and now she surely believed she would never see her sister’s children again. Lucas knew she would spend the rest of her life looking for the little girls if that was what was required of her, so strong was her sense of responsibility and family obligation.

Her loyalty staggered him. She acted as though she was going to take on the duty of motherhood. He assumed she meant to help raise her nieces with the assistance of the twins’ other relatives.

She called them her babies. Lucas didn’t know what her plans for the future were. The present was all that concerned him now.

The babies. He would go into hell if he had to, to get the innocents back.

Evil isn’t going to win this time.

Lucas silently repeated the vow over and over again on the train ride to Cincinnati. He didn’t know if he was saying a prayer to God or giving Him a challenge. Only one thing was certain in his mind. He would get the children back.

Hunter was waiting for them at the station. Lucas counted his appearance as a sign that luck and maybe even God were on their side. His friend looked trail weary. His tan-colored shirt and pants were covered with a layer of dust. He wore a gunbelt similar to Lucas’s, a preference of both men that was considered a bit of an oddity in the West. Most gunfighters and mountain men stuck their guns in their pockets or the belt that held their pants up.

His friend was every bit as tall as Lucas. He was reed thin, with dark blue-black hair and brown eyes. His coloring came from his Crow grandmother. So did his disposition. He was soft-spoken, rarely riled, and had a code of morals most people couldn’t begin to live up to. Like Lucas, Hunter had been ostracized growing up. Lucas was treated with contempt because he was a bastard and an orphan; Hunter was despised because of what ignorant people referred to as his mixed blood. They’d become friends out of necessity and loneliness when they were boys. Their friendship had strengthened with the years and their harsh existence. Hunter had returned to the isolation of the mountains before Lucas, but after the war, Lucas had joined him. Each man was loyal to the other, and each had saved the other’s hide more than a couple of times. Hunter was the only man Lucas would let stand behind his back. And Lucas was one of the few men Hunter would even talk to, so reclusive had he become over the years.

Taylor took one look at the intimidating man and moved closer to Lucas. Mr. Hunter looked hard and mean. She really couldn’t have asked for more.

He tipped his hat to her when Lucas introduced her and said, “Ma’am,” and then turned his attention to her husband.

“Couple of possibilities.”

Lucas nodded. He latched onto Taylor’s elbow and tried to get her moving, but she wasn’t going anywhere until she gave his friend her gratitude.

r />   “Lucas told me you rarely leave your mountain home, Mr. Hunter. You’ll probably think me foolish indeed, but I believe God sent you on whatever errand it was that brought you so close to Cincinnati. We needed another strong, clever, resourceful man and so He sent us you. I would like to thank you now for whatever assistance you can give us.”

Hunter was taken aback by her words and was at a loss for a response. Her acceptance of him, given so quickly and without any apparent reservations, astonished him. He simply stared at her and waited to hear what she would next say. She didn’t keep him waiting long.

“Lucas told me you were the second-best tracker in America.”

After making that statement she allowed her husband to urge her forward. Hunter fell into step beside them.

“Second best? Who’s first?” he asked.

She smiled up at him when she answered. “Lucas is. He told me so.”

Hunter couldn’t tell if she were jesting with him or being sincere. He felt it his duty to set her straight. “Lucas has it backward, ma’am. He’s second best.” He nodded.

Lucas spoke up, addressing his comments to his friend. “We’ll drop Taylor at the hotel and then . . .”

She interrupted him. “I want to go with you.”

He shook his head. “You need to get some sleep,” he told her. “You can barely stand up. I slept on the train. You didn’t.”

“Lucas, I feel fine. Truly.”

“You look like hell. If you don’t get some rest, you’ll get sick.”

The argument would have continued on, but Hunter stepped in and put a stop to it with one indisputable fact.

“You’ll slow us down.”

“Then I’ll wait at the hotel,” she immediately replied.

It almost killed her to be left behind, but she understood their reasoning. They would be going into places where a lady wouldn’t be welcomed. That fact didn’t bother her, but she knew Lucas would spend most of his time watching out for her instead of concentrating on the task at hand: finding the little girls.