Love Blooms in Winter Page 20

  He knelt down beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Mae, are you all right?”

  “My ankle. I twisted it.”

  “Okay, just relax. Can you move it?”

  She wiggled it around. “Yes. I don’t think it’s broken.”

  “Can you stand on it?”

  “I think so.” She felt that with his help, she might be able to do anything. He assisted her to a standing position, and she gingerly tried to apply weight to the injury. “Ouch!”

  He picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the work site. “What in the name of good sense are you doing running out here like that, anyway?” He sat her on the back of a wagon.

  She handed him the scrunched-up piece of paper. “There’s a runaway train.” The color drained from his face as she watched him read the message.

  “Lord, have mercy on us.” He met her gaze. “I’ll have someone take you back to town while I try to figure out what we need to do next.”

  Two hours passed. Safe and warm in the store again, Mae hobbled back and forth, pacing the floor and sending worried glances at the lengthening shadows. Her ankle throbbed like the dickens. She knew she should sit down and put up her foot, but she was too restless. Time was growing short. Would Tom be able to stop the train? Had he decided to ride the distance on horseback to meet it? Had he left already? She wanted to speak with him one last time and watch the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. If something happened to him, she might never see him again.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wanted to pray, but she didn’t know what to ask God for at the moment. Anything was better than nothing. Dear God, please protect Dwadlo from harm, and please keep Tom safe as well. He has a special place in my heart and always will.

  Her eye caught Fisk riding past the store. Flinging open the front door, she called, “Fisk!” He trotted on and her heart sank. Placing two fingertips to her lips, she whistled. The shrill sound carried and he pulled back on the reins. Reining his horse around, he headed back to the store. “Miss Mae?”

  “I need a ride out to the work site. I need to see Tom.” His eyes traveled to her stocking feet and coatless attire. “Give me a second to put my coat and boots on.”

  “It’s mighty cold, ma’am, and there’s not a thing you can do. You’d best be packing up a few things and getting ready to move your valuables to safety.”

  “Where’s Tom?”

  “I’m not sure where he is at the moment. When I left he was making his plan.”

  Expectancy filled her heart. “Then he has one?”

  “He didn’t at the time. It’s mighty hard to stop an object that size when she has a will of her own.”

  “Please wait for me, Fisk.” He nodded and she limped back into the store, gingerly put on her boots, and wrapped her cloak tightly around her. She hurried as fast as she could down the steps to where he waited. “You’ll have to help me up.” The wind squalled like an unruly child.

  He extended a gloved hand and effortlessly lifted her. “Tom’s not gonna like this.”

  “I know, but there’s not much he can do to stop me.”

  “Yeah, well he’s getting used to things going wrong around here.”

  “You’re a good friend, Fisk.” She settled behind him. “I’m ready.” Ready? No one could possibly be ready for an event that might change everything forever. A second derailment was unthinkable. This time all could be lost.

  Mae was amazed when she spotted the workers feverishly laying track. Esau lumbered through the crowd carrying heavy rail with Lil on his back. Elation surged. The needed track appeared to be close to completion, but not close enough. She spotted Tom’s black-and-red checked coat and waved.

  Pitching some tools aside, he went to meet her. “What are you doing here?” He helped her off the back of the horse. “Why are you on that ankle?”

  “It’s better.” He had a questioning look on his face, and she longed to touch his cheek. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t sit still another moment longer.” Her gaze took in the heightened activity. “Are we going to make it?”

  Shaking his head, he stepped back. “No. Dwadlo folks would have made the Tuesday deadline. They are loyal, hardworking people, but no one planned on a runaway. I’m not sure how far out it is, but I need to get there fast. Let’s hope God has heard everyone’s prayers and I can get the valve working.” He turned and spotted Fisk. “You ready?”

  Fisk nodded. “I hope you don’t expect me to be jumpin’ on a runaway.” He shook his head, looking at the horse stomping in the snow beside them. “Tom, you’re gonna need something faster than that animal. I’ll be right back.” He rode off.

  Tom turned and focused on Mae, putting his arm around her shoulder. “If that throttle stays stuck, she’ll plough right through Dwadlo.”

  The situation was hard to digest. She feared Tom would give his life to save the town. The man was doomed either way he turned. Even with his arm around her, she trembled. So many thoughts raced through her mind. In a matter of minutes Dwadlo could be changed forever. Her life would change.

  He dropped his arm from her shoulder, reached out, and took both her gloved hands. “Don’t go soft on me now, Mae. I need you.”

  “But the people…do they fully realize…” His hands squeezed hers to reassure her, but his gesture did little good. She was still shaking and not from the cold.

  “They do. I broke the news and they understand the consequences.” Tom glanced up and down the unfinished track. “But most haven’t lost hope. I’ll do everything in my power to stop the train. In the meantime I need you to gather the folks and get them to a place of safety. Take this horse.” Tom handed Mae the reins.

  “Take them where?”

  “Move them to the river. Even if the train plows through the town, it won’t reach that distance. Have Jeremy take the animals from Pauline’s and move them to safety. When you’re through, there shouldn’t be a person or creature within a mile of Dwadlo.”

  Mae thought of the near frozen river and shivered. He reached up to tuck her coat collar closer. “I hate to ask this of you, but I know I can trust you to get this done.”

  Their gazes met and held for a moment, and then everything blurred as tears welled in Mae’s eyes. “I’m terrified, Tom.”

  “You have every right to be. I’m scared too.” He briefly squeezed her hands again. “Once you get the folks to shelter, have Dale hold a prayer meeting. God’s in charge, but I want to make sure He has His full eye on us right now.” He turned toward the workers. “Listen up! Mae knows what to do, so follow her. I’m going to go try to stop the train. Understood?”

  Mae watched everyone nod their agreement. Could she do this? It wasn’t a question. She had to.

  Fisk rode up with another horse. “Thanks.” Tom reached for the reins. “Ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Mae reached out, longing to catch Tom’s hand one final time, but he was off. He had the weight of the world on his shoulders right now, and his thoughts were on everyone’s safety. Her growing feelings for the man made her aware that the ring on her third finger pinched beneath her glove. Against the driving wind she huddled deeper into her cloak, and for what quite possibly could be the last time, she watched him ride off into the distance.

  Snow started to fall when Tom urged the mare to a gallop. They had gone one, two, then five miles before he spotted the target and mentally groaned. Fisk came up beside him. The train was running full steam, wooden boxcars swaying on the rail and snow flying in all directions as the runaway plowed its way toward town. A red handkerchief appeared from the engine cab as the driver flagged them. Turning their horses and reaching full gallop, they managed to get close enough to hear the engineer’s frantic shouts.

  “I can’t slow her down, Tom! She had a full firebox when the throttle stuck!”

  Keeping pace with the steaming monstrosity, Tom shouted, “Okay, Henry. We’re coming aboard!”

  Nodding, the engineer tur
ned and yelled to the fireman. “Help ’em up!”

  “I’ll go first,” Tom called to Fisk. “You stay back and board as soon as I’m clear.”

  Fisk indicated he got the message. Tom’s horse raced closer to the steaming machine, and he prepared to make the switch from animal to locomotive. He’d only done this once before, when he was young and dumb. Now he was fully aware he was wagering his life. One bad move and it would all be over.

  Waiting for the exact moment, he reached and latched onto the fireman’s hand. With his other hand he managed to grab a bar bolted on the outside of the engine. Now. He pushed out of the saddle and clung on the side of the train, struggling to gain his footing. Finally, he steadied himself and the fireman was able to pull him aboard. He slumped to the floor and silently thanked God for his life.

  Seconds later the man also had Fisk safely aboard, and Tom knelt before the faulty valve to examine the problem. He tried to work the stuck lever, but it refused to budge.

  Fisk shook hands with the engineer and introduced himself. “Thank you, sir, Fisk Jester. Dwadlo’s blacksmith.”

  The engineer nodded. “I shore hope you can do something. The town’s coming right up, isn’t it?”

  “In a few miles.”

  “Fisk!” Tom yelled.

  “Yes?”

  “You’ve always wanted to drive a locomotive, haven’t you?” If Tom had learned anything this past couple of weeks, it was the fact that it was Fisk Jester’s sole dream to drive one of these steaming rigs.

  “Yes, but—”

  “Henry, show Fisk the basics and then come help me.” Tom focused on the stubborn lever. “We have about three minutes to stop this thing.”

  Mae drew a deep breath. “Everybody move! Go home, get your loved ones, neighbors, and anyone else you see and head to the river!”

  Shovels, rakes, and hammers hit the ground as folks took off running. Nudging the horse over to her little brother, who sat with the tied dogs, she called, “Jeremy, you need to take all of Pauline’s animals to the river!”

  He shot off the rock and hemp flew. She watched the last of the workers gather their belongings. When she was confident the site was clear, she closed her eyes. Please, God. Help Tom. Help the town. She touched the gelding with her heels and galloped off, heading for Pauline’s. She had to get the older woman bundled tightly for the cold wait by the frozen water.

  As she rode past Jake’s office she saw a light in his window. He had to be warned. She stopped at the railing and eased out of the saddle, pain shooting through her left ankle when she applied her weight on it. The few stairs to his office seemed like fifty. Jake glanced up when he saw her standing in the doorway.

  “Hello, dear. I didn’t expect to see you today, especially after you snuck out on me last night.”

  He had a good reason to frown at her, but she couldn’t worry about that now. “I came to warn you that a runaway train is headed toward town. Tom said to move everyone, including animals, to the river for protection.”

  He chuckled. “Curtis is quite a dramatic fellow, isn’t he?”

  She swallowed a spurt of anger. “This has nothing to do with Tom Curtis. The train’s throttle valve is stuck. If Tom and Fisk can’t fix it, it will come right through town. It’s possible…” She couldn’t bear the thought of the destruction it might bring. “Jake, the entire town could be destroyed.”

  “Of course it will stop. It’s the end of the line.”

  “Yes, it is. Either way.”

  “You’re talking in circles, Mae.”

  “Do you not have ears?”

  He stiffened. “There’s no need for sarcasm. I understand that the throttle is stuck, but Tom’s the big railroad official. He’ll get the train stopped before it tears through town.”

  “Tom isn’t God.”

  “Oh, really.” He bent to flick a speck of dust off his desk. “That’s news. You’ve certainly been acting as though he were.”

  Precious seconds were flying by. If Jake wanted to risk his life on the hope that Tom could perform miracles, he could but she wasn’t going to. And she wasn’t going to marry this man. He wasn’t the childhood Jake she’d known and fallen in love with so many years ago. They’d both changed. Their values were different now, as were their hopes and dreams. Removing her gloves, she took the ring off and laid it on the desk.

  His eyes focused on it. “Mae…you can’t be serious. After all these years, years of nagging me for a ring…”

  “I’m leaving now. I wish you would come with me, but if you don’t I’ll understand. You’re a grown man capable of making decisions.”

  Shoving back from the desk, he muttered, “Oh, for heaven’s sake. I’ll go to the river. But I’m telling you that this will all turn out to be a farce. Let me guess. The whole town is in a panic, which your Mr. Curtis excels at accomplishing. I’ll be glad when he’s gone.”

  Mae ignored the man, who was wrong about Tom and about so many other things. The only thing Jake proved to her with this display of temper was that he couldn’t think of anything, or anyone, other than himself.

  Twenty-Eight

  Fisk’s rapturous grin rivaled the wide Missouri. He sat in the engineer’s seat, pulling the whistle cord as the engine barreled across barren hillsides. Snow was falling in earnest now, but neither the weather nor the crisis could cast a pall on the man’s delight. And that delight was stepping on Tom’s last nerve.

  “WHOOOO EEEE!” A whistle pierced the air. “Run, baby, run!”

  “Fisk! Knock it off up there! We have a disaster here and you’re acting like a kid.” Tom couldn’t take any more.

  “You’re right, Tom, I’m sorry.”

  Sweat trickled down Tom’s temples. The stupid throttle refused to budge. He reached for a wrench and pounded the stubborn lever. “How much time left, Henry?”

  The engineer consulted a pocket watch. “Maybe two minutes.”

  Tom whacked the medal. “Come on!”

  The engine raced through the winter countryside, steam bellowing high and snow flying off the track in giant waves. Boxcars were whipping behind the out-of-control engine.

  The fireman mopped his soot-covered face with a dirty rag. “Curtis, I wouldn’t buy anymore of that thar wood you fellers been gettin’. It jest burns too long and too hot.”

  Grimacing, Tom twisted the wrench, using brute force. “That’s…the whole…idea.”

  Turning, Fisk yelled over his shoulder. “Town’s coming up!”

  Time was running out. “Henry, go take your place. Fisk, get over here and help me.” The man’s added strength might be the key. “Sound the whistle first, Fisk, to let the folks know we’re close!” He prayed everyone was away from town by now. Veins stood out when Tom bore down with every ounce of strength he possessed.

  “Pauline!” Mae pounded on her neighbor’s front door. “Come quick! We have to move to safety!”

  Moments passed. “Pauline!” Trying the door handle, Mae discovered that it was unlocked. She stepped inside the small house. “Pauline?” She limped inside, her gaze sweeping the rooms. “Pauline?” The outhouse. She must be in the necessary.

  Outside she braced against the howling wind and walked to the small building. Rapping soundly, she called, “Pauline?”

  A startled voice answered. “What?”

  “Come quickly. Tom is trying to stop a runaway train, but he wants the town cleared.”

  “What? Why?”

  “There’s no time to explain! Come out! We have to join the others at the river.”

  “All right. Hold on.” Rustling sounds came from behind the door. Seconds passed.

  “Pauline?”

  An eyeball appeared in the crescent moon carved in the door. “What?”

  “Are you coming?”

  “You go on. It’ll take me a minute to get my britches on.”

  Surely she hadn’t stripped out of her clothing, cold as it was. “Just hurry!” Mae anxiously waited. A train horn shrilled in
the distance.

  Precious minutes ticked by as folks streamed from the small town and hurried to the river. “We have to move now, Pauline!” The moment the words left her mouth she heard the unmistakable sounds of a lightning-fast train approaching. She could even see the steam rising high in the sky and knew it was close to where the track was missing. No, it was closer than that. Suddenly an earsplitting upheaval overtook her and she saw the locomotive enter the town itself.

  Lumber and debris flew into the air as the train plowed a path through buildings. The entire town was being turned into kindling. The ground beneath Mae’s feet shook and shuddered as though the mighty hand of God picked up Dwadlo and gave it a good shaking. The deafening roar was overwhelming.

  The outhouse door flew open and a wild-eyed Pauline stood with her bloomers down around her spindly legs. “I can go like this.”

  Jerking up the woman’s undergarments, Mae took her hand and as fast as possible, with the old woman in tow and an injured ankle, she hobbled across Pauline’s property toward safety.

  The screeching and banging noises were so loud they hurt her ears. She didn’t look back.

  They managed to reach the river unharmed, relieved to see their friends and neighbors huddled together, just as scared as they were. No longer able to see what was happening, the sounds echoed and seemed to go on forever.

  Armageddon had surely come, fearful whispers declared.

  Frantic, Mae searched for Jeremy among the near hysterical mass of people. After handing Pauline off to a visibly shaken couple, Mae threaded her way through the crowd, shouting her brother’s name. An older man stopped her, pointing toward the river. “He went after one of the dogs, Mae.”

  Full-blown terror closed her throat as she made her way closer to the frozen water. “Jeremy!” The wind caught the name and carried it back to her. Snowflakes increased in size, and a biting wind whipped up drifts of snow on the frozen portions of water. Further down the path, she called again. And again. Finally, the wind carried back the young boy’s response.