The Ruby Brooch (The Celtic Brooch Trilogy) by Katherine Logan Page A

causing her glass to shake and spilling wine onto the white tablecloth. The pieces of her father’s chess set were Civil War officers, and she’d studied history while playing the game. The carved features on one of the wooden pieces matched the face of man standing before her.
    General William Tecumseh ‘March to the Sea’ Sherman.
    “Mrs. MacKlenna, may I introduce Captain Sherman,” Cullen said.
    The captain bowed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
    Her mouth turned dry, and all she could do was return a faint smile. She’d grown up going to galas and fundraisers and sitting on Millionaires’ Row at the Kentucky Derby with movie stars and politicians. Famous people had never rendered her nervous or speechless—until now.
    Sherman straightened. “If you’ll excuse me, my dinner guests are waiting.” He nodded to Kit, and then turned to Cullen said, “I’ll see you in San Francisco in a few months.”
    “I’ll look forward to it. If you need legal advice before I arrive, I hope you’ll call on Mr. Phillips. He’ll introduce you to our partner, Braham McCabe.”
    “I’ll certainly do that.” The men shook hands, and the captain left.
    Cullen sat and pulled his chair to the table. “The captain resigned his commission and is moving to San Francisco to open a branch of a large St. Louis banking house. I hope to get his legal business.”
    Kit raised an eyebrow then spoke in a calm voice not wanting her surprise to appear overly dramatic. “You’re a lawyer?”
    “I earned a degree in law from Harvard.”
    “But you said you were leading the wagon train with Mr. Peters.”
    Cullen leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin. After a moment, he answered. “I met John Barrett several weeks ago. He told me he’d joined up with a large extended family from Indiana. Issues developed among the group and the organizing member quit, leaving them without a leader. They had guidebooks but no one had enough confidence to govern a wagon train. I brought Henry and John’s group together. Henry had one condition that nearly brought the negotiations to a standstill. He wanted me to sign on as guide. After a sidebar conversation that was actually more arm-twisting than discussion, I agreed.”
    She discerned nothing in his voice that indicated he regretted his decision, but still it seemed like interlocking pieces from two different puzzles. “Lawyer. Guide. I don’t get it.”
    A laugh came from deep in his throat. “I’ve made this trip before. That’s why I agreed.”
    Kit sank into a panic. A lawyer was going to lead her to South Pass. Not that being a lawyer and having a good sense of direction were mutually exclusive, but… “One trip? Don’t you need more experience than that?”
    “Road’s well marked.”
    I’m relieved.
    “Wagons will be ahead and behind us.”
    Help won’t be far away.
    “We won’t get lost, if that’s got you worried.”
    Damn right, I’m worried.
    The long, thin fingers she’d noticed earlier caressed his glass and swirled the wine in tiny circles. He stopped and studied the streaks rolling down the wine-coated sides. “Why are you going to Oregon?”
    She sat very still and stared into the fire. “I’m not…I mean, I didn’t plan this until—”
    Crash!
    Along with the sounds of shattering crystal and silverware clanging against metal, came the terrorizing memory of colliding cars. Shards of stemware scattered across the floor. A small piece flew up and scraped her check. She touched her face then rubbed the scar on the right side of her neck. Numbing sensations rushed to her arms and face. Afraid she’d faint, she whispered, “Please, get me out of here.”
     
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    FROM THE CORNER of Cullen’s eye, he spotted the waiter’s unbalanced tray and watched as the young man fumbled with the teetering stemware. There would be no rescue for him a second time. Glasses and plates crashed to the floor and shattered into dozens of