Untamed Journey by Eden Carson

cry. You’ll be fine. You are one of the
toughest human beings I’ve ever had the privilege to meet, man or
woman. If you survived this experience, you can accomplish
anything. Don’t forget that.”
    He pulled a small piece of paper out of his
saddlebag and wrote down the name of a couple he knew and trusted
in Kansas City. He handed it to Ruth. “Take this and go directly
from the train station to this address. Don’t go alone – get
someone from the railroad to walk you there. Give John and Martha
this letter and they’ll help you, with whatever you decide. Good
luck to you, Ma’am.”
    Old Mike tipped his hat in farewell. “Find
your happiness, Miss. It’s out there, for anyone with the courage
to follow it, no matter how many twists and turns the path might
take.”
    With that, Jackson and Mike rode off at a
hard canter, leaving Ruth, once again, alone in the world.
    As Ruth watched their silhouettes get smaller
and nearly fade in the cloud of dust churned up by their horses,
she had an idea. She had the idea that these two rough gentlemen
gave excellent advice, and she was just desperate enough to follow
it.
    Her mind made up, Ruth raced toward the back
of the train. Luckily for her, all the passengers and remaining
Marshals were up at the engine, examining the damage done to the
tracks. She hurried to the back, until she found the car she was
looking for. She struggled to slide the huge door open wide enough
to fit through it.
    The car she entered smelled of hay and horses
and heat. She nearly gagged. She quickly located Jasper Smith’s
horse and hoped the gelding was nicer than its owner. There was no
time to calm a cantankerous mount. Her luck held as she led the
Paint toward the door. The horse hesitated for a moment at the
unfamiliar jump to the ground, but Ruth’s calming voice persuaded
him to follow her into the unknown.
    Ruth felt under her skirt for her newly
acquired pistol. She hesitated for just a moment, reminding herself
that horse theft was a hanging offense. Then she clamped a shaking
hand over her mouth, before a hysterical laugh could escape.
    I’ve already murdered a man in the eyes of
the law. And they can only hang me once.
    Finding her new pistol secure, she mounted in
a flurry of skirts. “There, there boy – It’s okay. I promise I’m
going to be a much nicer rider than your last. And since I don’t
know your name, I’ll call you Caboose. Hopefully, you’ll help me
follow Marshal Jackson without him knowing. I’m convinced you’ve
had experience sneaking up on people, considering your last owner.
We just need to know the right direction is all, so I don’t get
lost. So stick with me, all right boy? I’ve been having the most
rotten luck with males lately, so let’s hope you can turn that
around.”
    Ruth kicked Caboose into a gallop, hoping to
close some distance between herself and the hunters before
nightfall.
     
     

Chapter 15
    F rank Masterson
closed the distance between himself and the gossipy telegraph
operator before the unsuspecting man could even think to turn and
run. The young man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head in fright
as the barrel chested Masterson grabbed him by the scruff of the
neck and slammed his bony frame into the wall.
    “What train?” Masterson asked between
clenched teeth.
    “I b-b-beg your pardon?” Dangling as he was
two inches above the floorboards, Milo the clerk could barely catch
his breath to stutter out the question.
    “Which train, damn it. You just got finished
saying that the Union Pacific was robbed, and I need to know which
train.” Masterson shook the stuttering idiot roughly when the man
didn’t respond.
    “Okay, Okay, I’ll tell you what I know,” the
clerk gulped. “I just passed on a message for the local Sheriff
that the train heading toward Denver was robbed and some folks were
killed.”
    “Any women die?” Masterson demanded.
    “It didn’t say,” squeaked Milo.
    “Who sent the message?” Masterson