Wild Wild Witch Book 1: Wild Wild Witch
Author
Cherry Redwood
Reads
133K
Chapters
30
Chapter 1
ADDIE
Adela Baldovino was already nervous when the first sounds of trouble started up.
She had spent this leg of her train journey opposite a lady and older gentleman. They were headed, like herself, to Billings, in the Montana territory.
The very phrase âMontana territoryâ was enough to make Addie wonder if sheâd lost her senses when she accepted the ticket Papa handed her.
It brought to mind disturbing images of violence, and Mr. and Mrs. Brennan, seated across from her on their maroon velvet sleeper seats, did nothing to soothe her fears. Fort Fred Steele, they told her, had been closed down.
âAnd they were the ones responsible for protecting the trains from savages, donât you know,â Mrs. Brennan said. âAt least along this line.â
âThatâs nothing,â Mr. Brennan said, stuffing his pipe in a way that brought Papa to Addieâs mind. âDid you hear about the massacre in Rock Springs? A bunch of miners went mad.â
âOh my,â fussed Mrs. Brennan.
âI beg your pardon, my dear, but itâs Godâs honest truth. They slaughtered a number of those poor Chinamen that used to work the mine there,â Mr. Brennan said, holding up a folded newspaper with emphasis.
Well, between the crazed miners and the closing of the fort, Addie was on pins and needles as the train rattled on. But one couldnât remain on pins and needles indefinitely. It was exhausting.
Eventually the repetitive sceneryâno trees, just lots of yellow and brown grass, and her own bonneted, brunette, somewhat travel-worn reflectionâlulled her. The fear, oddly enough, made it easier to half-doze.
Images flitted without logic through her mind. Worries.
Billings, so far from New Yorkâwould she settle there? Would she find work as a teacher?
She tried to imagine her life as a schoolmistress in Billings and began to picture her fearsâscenes from dime novels sheâd stolen from her cousins.
Ruffians, hassling her. Fallen ladies calling from balconies.
If Billings was unfriendly to unmarried young women, as she feared it might well be, would she have to start a new life as a boy?
And what would she do if she put on the trousers and bowler that were packed deep in her trunk? What employment would she find? How would she manage after a while, when no beard began to grow?
The sound of banging woke her. She couldnât place the noise, but the wild eyes of the other travelers brought her to a full awakening.
âWhat in heavens?â Mrs. Brennan said faintly.
Mr. Brennan wore a deep frown. âSounds like gunshots, Iâm afraid.â
âOh, no,â Mrs. Brennan said.
There were murmurs across the train car. Addie sat on the edge of her seat and strained to look around, but there was nothing to see, yet.
Then the door to the car opened, and a man walked through.
He wore dark clothes and a black cowboy hat. He was tall and bronzed, and he had wavy hair of ebony. He wore a black scarf over his face.
Addieâs heart stopped in her chest.
Her hands clutched her narrow skirt, bunching the green and white striped fabric up in her fists. She thought of Granâs little book and the small, embroidered drawstring bag she had tucked carefully away in her baggage.
If she grabbed for her luggage, would the man notice? Would she have time to get the book and bag out?
If she dared use them, what would happen then?
It was too much to consider, after everything that had happened to lead her to this point. It was all too fresh.
The door opened again, and two more outlaws joined the firstâall three wore scarvesâone black, one blue, and one red. They began to make their way down the center aisle.
They held guns, Addie saw with horror.
The passengers fumbled with their belongings, dropping watches and jewelry in the sack one of the black-scarfed outlaws held. Then the door opened and two more joined them.
Addie thought she might die right then. What would they take from her? She had no golden watch, no fancy jewels.
As if in answer to her question, the red-scarfed outlaw, whoâd come in second, began hassling a young woman in a yellow dress a few seats away.
Meanwhile, the first man, the one all in black, approached. He moved like the panther at the Brooklyn Zoo.
Sheâd always liked that panther, and felt rather terrible for him, pacing back and forth in his cage. But now she found the similarity quite terrifying.
The bodice she wore restricted her breathing, which began to come in gasps. This man was a predator, and he was almost upon them.
He took a step in between her and the Brennans, looking down at each of them with dark, cold eyes with drooping eyelids. He had sooty eyelashes and thick eyebrows.
His weary eyes met hers, and she lost her mind.
Addie leapt up and hauled back her arm, striking him in the face and dislodging the scarf in the process.
She caught sight of the rest of his featuresâa long nose and a sharp jawline covered in a shadow of stubble.
The outlaw grabbed her wrist and yanked her arm up.
âThat, young lady, was a mistake,â he said, his vowels and sâs thickened with a Hispanic accent.
âSee here, sir,â said Mr. BrennanâAddie felt a rush of affection for the man. âUnhand her. Sheâs just overwrought.â
The outlaw shot Mr. Brennan a cold look of disdain. âShut your mouth,â he said.
He turned back to Addie, yanking on her arm a bit to look at her closer. âYouâre not with them. Traveling alone? Thatâs not safe for a young lady such as yourself.â
Addieâs thoughts were a nest of bees. She couldnât form words.
âLet me go!â she blurted at last, and to her shock, he did.
She stumbled back onto her seat. Only the padding of her dress saved her a bruised rear end.
âCome on,â the outlaw shouted to the others in his gang as he pulled the black scarf back up over his face.
Addie raised her hands over her mouth as the five of them made their way through her train car and exited to the next oneâthe dinner car. How many poor souls were eating their dinner, Addie wondered?
The nightmare wasnât over. Addie rubbed her hand over the skin of her wrist where the outlaw had gripped it.
Moments later, the sound of gunshots carried through to them again.
âLordâa mercy!â Mrs. Brennan cried.
Then the trainâs brakes screeched.
âWeâre stopping?â Mr. Brennan said. âWhy are we stopping?â
âThose robbersâtheyâll be wanting to leave the train, wonât they?â an Irishman on the berth on the other side of the aisle from them answered.
âWell, they arenât the only ones,â Addie muttered. Sheâd had enough.
She stood up, but the train rocked, and she landed back in her seat, her fall padded by her bustle again.
âWhat are you doing?â Mrs. Brennan demanded.
âIâm getting off. I canât stand this any longer,â Addie said.
She waited for the train to come to stillness, her hands fisted in her lap, knuckles white.
âYou canât be serious,â Mrs. Brennan said.
âNow see here, young miss,â Mr. Brennan said. âYouâre in a state of agitation. Youâve already endangered everyone with that attack on that robber. You sit right where you are, you hear? I wonât allow you to leave. Understand? I wonât allow it.â
Addieâs affection for Mr. Brennan disappeared. She didnât reply.
Best to let him think she was minding his words when all she was doing was waiting for the train to finish braking. Sheâd give the train robbers a head start, but she was leaving. No two ways about it.
Papa always said that she was stubborn. He said sheâd never make a fit wife for anyone, in fact, and he might be right.
But she couldnât worry about that now. She had to get off this train or she couldnât be held responsible for what she might do.
This whole trip had been a terrible mistake. Although what she might have done instead, she didnât know.
If not a train, it would have been a ship, and train fare was much less costly. Still, she might have been on her way to seek out relatives in Italy right now, and you never heard about Indians or outlaws attacking ships, now did you?
In the end, the Brennans could do nothing to talk her out of it, and soon Addie was standing on solid ground, knee-high yellowing grasses blown by an icy northern wind as far as the eye could see.
For a moment, she despaired, and then she saw the sheriff riding toward her, followed by two deputies. She knew he was a sheriff when she saw the star on his chest reflect the sun in a flash of light.
His bay trotted right up to her while the deputies rode on in the direction of the front of the train.
The sheriff removed his tan cowboy hat as his blue eyes met Addieâs hazel. He was a handsome man, with sandy hair and a clean-shaven face.
He wore a thick buckskin coat and a gun belt holster over it. The contrast of his attireâeverything the dime novels claimed about heroes of the Wild West appeared to be trueâwith his calm demeanor was a contradiction Addie could not figure out how to untangle.
âHowdy, miss,â he said. âI understand thereâs been an attack on this train. Are you hurt?â
Addie shook her head and held back a shiver as the wind picked up again. She felt a lock of hair escape her bonnet, but she made no attempt to catch it.
Her hands were gloved, and she held her traveling cloak around her tightly. She didnât want to let go just to fuss with her hair, as embarrassing as it might be to look such a fright.
âI couldnât bear to stay aboard,â she said to the sheriff.
âItâs safe now, miss,â the sheriff said. âThe robbers are long gone. Iâm afraid it may be some time before the train gets moving again, though. Theyâve⌠Well, youâll be waiting for an engineer and some other staff for a time.â
Addie shuddered. She didnât want to ask what had happened to the engineer and the rest, but she could still hear the gunshots, and she could guess.
âYouâd best go back to your seat, miss, or youâll catch your death of cold,â he said.
Addie gave him a quick smile, but she was fighting the need to let her teeth chatter.
âI simply canât,â she managed. âI canât bear it. I hope to never ride on a train again.â
âWhatâs your destination?â he asked.
âBillings,â she said.
He shook his head, leaning on his saddle with an ease that spoke of years of experience on a horse.
âYouâre not getting to Billings but for a train, miss.â
Addie grimaced, feeling tears sting her eyes. She blinked and turned away.
âWhatâs in Billings?â the sheriff asked.
Addie struggled to swallow the lump in her throatâafter a moment, she could reply, âNothing much. Opportunity, I suppose. I thought I might find a position, teaching. My Papa has a business associate. His family was going to let a room to me.â
The sheriff pondered this, his mouth working in a way that suggested he was sucking on his cheeks.
âWell,â he said at last. âWeâve a need for a schoolmistress in Copperwood, now that you mention it.â
âCopperwood?â she asked.
âThatâs my town,â the sheriff said. âClosest one to here, I reckon, though itâs a fair ride. If youâre interested, I could take you there once Iâm done with my business here. I gather the schoolhouse comes with living quarters above.â
âOh,â Addie said, the possibility washing over her. A teaching post and a living space, and no need for any more time on a horrible train? âWhy, yes, please, sheriffââ
âLeland,â he said. âIâm Sheriff Leland. Pleased to meet you, MissâŚ?â
âAdela Baldovino,â she said. She wondered if she ought to offer a hand. What kind of etiquette did people expect when oneâs train had been robbed and stranded?
Sheriff Leland didnât seem concerned. He sat up in his saddle and tugged on the reins, turning the bayâs head.
âAll right then, stay put. Iâll be back around for you by-and-by.â
And thatâs how Addie came to be Copperwoodâs schoolmarm.
But little did the small town know, she brought with her a big secret. And little did Addie know, that secret was going to become a big problem.
