A Fateful Encounter on the Train (Preview)

Chapter One

“My name is… Mer-Merrylegs. I am v-v-very hand…” 

“Hand-some,” Grace encouraged the struggling young girl before her. At only nine years old, Black Beauty was objectively beyond the reading level of sweet Liza, but Grace couldn’t help but encourage her anyway. She knew what it was like to be an orphan herself, and there was nothing quite like having a good book to disappear into.

“Handsome,” Liza repeated, continuing on with the chapter about the protagonist meeting his new stable-mate, Merrylegs. Grace had never read the book herself. She barely had any time to read at all, what with how busy her work at the orphanage kept her. 

It was hard work, but Grace loved it. Having grown up in that very orphanage, New York City’s finest home for the young and parentless, Grace cherished every opportunity she had to help those children see that there was light in the darkness. 

They reached the end of the chapter, and Grace heard the clock strike 8 o’clock. Bedtime for Liza. 

“Do we have to stop?” Liza whined. 

“You know we do. We’ll pick up just where we left off yesterday. You can dream of horses leaping over fences all night!”

Grace took the girl’s hand and led her out of the orphanage’s modest library. Together, they walked toward the dormitory, a great hall lined with dozens of cots. When Grace was nine years old, the place seemed like the biggest room in the whole world. As the years passed by, the dormitory somehow got smaller in scale, and the corners felt less dark and frightening to her. 

“Liza! Everyone’s already tucked in. You’re late. I’m about to shut the lamps off,” Mrs. Green warned, catching up with Grace and Liza. 

“Sorry, Mrs. Green! I’m going now!” Liza exclaimed, letting go of Grace’s hand and rushing off to the dormitory to see her friends briefly before Mrs. Green went around to turn down each and every gas lamp. 

“Are you reading with her again?” Mrs. Green asked Grace in a harsh whisper. The hefty book hanging from Liza’s hands as she ran gave her away immediately. There was no use denying it.

“Yes. I know I shouldn’t pick favorites with the children-”

“That’s right. You shouldn’t. They can read when they do their lessons in the mornings. They’re lucky to be getting an education at all, frankly. That’s not the crux of it, though. You know that if the others see you with Liza too much, they’re going to get jealous.” Mrs. Green shook her head knowingly, making her loose grey curls quiver slightly. She’d always reminded Liza of a teapot, warm and comforting, but capable of spitting out boiling hot water when necessary. She was the closest thing to a mother Grace had ever had.

“I know, I know. I just… she reminds me of myself when I was that age. I know how much reading helped me get through those difficult years. The Bible stories took me to another land and gave me hope.”

“Well, just be careful,” Mrs. Green replied, her large cheeks softening. “They all look up to you, and why shouldn’t they? You’re smart, and kind, and I’ve heard them talking about how pretty you are. If you braid your hair in one style, they’ll all have it done the same way the next day.”

Grace laughed a little, not knowing how to respond to the almost-compliment. She hated the way people in the city were often surprised to hear that she’d grown up at the orphanage as if they thought all parentless children had dirt on their faces and missing teeth. That was certainly true for some, but it was insulting to always be looked at like a recovered pickpocket.

She and Mrs. Green started making their way around the room, saying goodnight to all of the children, and turning off the lamps. Mrs. Green carried a candle, conveniently lighting the way back toward the hall when the nighttime routine was squared away. Once the large oak doors were closed behind them, Grace turned down the hall, ready to go to the small parlor where she and Mrs. Green often read from the Bible to each other. The small room was too hot in the summer and felt like the depths of the Arctic during winter, but it was theirs, and that made it feel like a small luxury. 

Before they could get very far, however, Mrs. Green tugged on Grace’s elbow, urging her to stop. Thinking that perhaps they’d forgotten something, Grace turned around, but she was surprised to see Mrs. Green’s face had grown quite serious.

“What is it?”

“You know, Grace, you’re nineteen now, and it won’t be too long before you turn twenty. We’ve discussed it before, but I thought it might be time for you to explore life outside of these orphanage walls. I’m sure a fine young lady such as yourself would like to get married someday! Doesn’t mean you couldn’t stay involved here, but it would be so helpful for the children to see that they too could have a fulfilling future once they’ve grown up.” 

Grace’s heart started racing. Was Mrs. Green telling her she needed to leave? Just the thought of it filled Grace with panic. She’d been left on the orphanage steps at only five months old, so she had no memories of spending even a single night anywhere else. 

Shabby and slightly dilapidated as it was, the orphanage was the only home she’d ever known. Yes, she’d seen all her friends come and go; finding husbands and wives, or jobs at factories and offices. A few of her peers had even gone to the western frontier to make their fortunes ranching or looking for gold, learning things that Grace had only read about in books. 

“I know that it’s odd for orphans my age to stay so long, but I love it here, Mrs. Green! Yes, maybe I sometimes think about how nice it would be to have a family of my own, but it fills me with joy to see the children smiling. Besides, I… I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t here,” Grace replied, trying not to sound as panicked as she felt.

“Oh, you sweet child, don’t worry! I’m not telling you to go. We love having you here, and so do the children as well. I just… I feel like the Lord has more in store for you. I’d hate to think that fear alone is keeping you here. I’m sure we could find you a position as a governess, perhaps, but maybe there’s a different answer. That Elliot Smith fellow certainly seems sweet on you.”

Mrs. Green’s eyes lit up in the candlelight, and Grace breathed easier. It wasn’t too often that romance found its way to the orphanage, and Mrs. Green was clearly just excited to be a witness to young love. 

“Yes, he likes me, and I like him. I don’t know if I’m ready for all that just now. Marriage, I mean. I think we need to court for longer. I hardly know anything about him! When we go for walks and such, we talk about silly things, like whether we’d rather live in a house made of ice, or for it to be winter all year long.”

“Well, your house would melt in the summer, so I’m not sure I really see the choice there,” Mrs. Green said, confused.

Grace stifled a giggle. “That’s exactly it! The question makes no sense. It’s just a silly way to pass the time. I don’t mean to say that Elliot’s shallow, just that I… I don’t really know him.”

“Well, all I see is the way he brings you flowers and trinkets. He cares for you, and that kind of devotion can take you far. Not that I want you to be far from here, I simply hope that you get to experience all that life has to offer,” Mrs. Green said with a gentle smile. 

Relieved, Grace returned the smile. Perhaps, in her own time, she would leave the orphanage and seek her fortunes elsewhere, but for now, she was very content to stay exactly where she was. There was a roof over her head, she had friends in the children and Mrs. Green, and there was always food in the pantry. That was more than she could say about the outside world.

They continued walking toward the parlor. The sight of a candle coming down the corridor toward them slowly revealed the housekeeper, Mrs. Cole, walking with her usual limp.

“Is there something you need, Mrs. Cole? Tell me and I can get it for you, and spare you the stairs,” Grace offered. 

“No, no. It’s you I’m looking for, Grace. That man’s here to see you again. I told him he had to wait outside,” she explained, slightly out of breath.

“That must be Elliot! You may invite him into the hallway this evening, Grace. You have my special permission,” Mrs. Green said with a knowing smile that made Grace wince ever so slightly. Part of her wished that Mrs. Green would view her as a child forever. 

“Thank you, both of you. I don’t want to keep Mr. Smith waiting.” With that, she took off down the dark hallway, knowing that she was close to the front doors, where the lamps would be left on all night. 

She rushed to the door, pulling open the heavy handle that revealed the cool night air, and the sun still flirting with the horizon. It was incredible how dark it could get inside while the late-summer golden rays still shone outside. There, by the door, stood Elliot, tall and handsome with boyish good looks, a dopey smile on his face, and a single pink chrysanthemum in his hand. His clothes were slightly dusty and in dire need of a few mending jobs, but the brightness of his cheek and clear blue eyes completely overshadowed anything shabby about him. 

He was the prettiest boy she’d ever laid eyes on, and he made her feel like a beauty prize winner. 

“There she is. You look like a hundred-dollar bill,” he said, smiling out the side of his mouth and handing her the flower. She took it, feeling her cheeks flush as she did. 

It had only been a few weeks since he’d started waving to her outside the orphanage gates when she played with the children in the yard. Soon enough, he was passing her flowers and pieces of cake through the fence, taking her for walks, and coming to visit her in the evenings. Normally, strange men weren’t allowed inside the orphanage walls, but Grace was eager to make an exception for him.

“Come on. Mrs. Green said we could talk in the foyer if we want,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him inside. 

“I knew she’d loosen up one of these days!” he whispered as if they needed to sneak around. He was only a few months older than her. Sometimes when they were together, Grace felt like they were both pretending to be younger than they were, playing like children and refusing to talk about anything remotely serious. 

Once they were inside, Elliot wobbled slightly on his feet, and Grace noticed a certain familiar scent on his breath. Whiskey. 

“Where were you before you came here?” Grace asked firmly, unable to stop herself from interrogating him the way she did the children sometimes.

“I was at the Hole-In-The-Wall, ma’am,” Elliot replied with a laugh, teasing her for sounding like the mistress of the establishment. 

Grace’s stomach sank. It was a worse answer than she’d been expecting. 

“You were at the Hole-In-The-Wall? The same saloon where someone was shot just last week?” 

Elliot laughed again and stroked her cheek. “Shot but not killed. No different from any dark corner in the lower east side. I’ve been doing some work for Jim Patsy, and he wanted to-”

“Slippery Jim?” Grace asked breathlessly. She’d heard the stories. Jim was known for ripping off just about anyone he came into contact with and doing horrible things to anyone who spoke out against him. 

“I guess some people call him that, yeah. He’s taking me under his wing and showing me a bit about his business,” Elliot explained defensively. “I want to be worthy of someone like you, Grace Bennet, and getting a proper job is part of that.” 

Grace shook her head and stepped away from him.

“Working for Slippery Jim is just a quick way to get yourself killed, Elliot! You might think it’s better than working at a factory, and I’m sure you’d make more money, but that man is a criminal, and you know it. Everyone knows it.”

“He’s got me all set up with my own apartment, Grace. Fit for a king! It’s the kind of place I’d be proud to take you to. Needs a woman’s touch. In fact, I wanted to say… I wanted to ask you…”

Grace could feel the nervousness radiating off him, and her heart melted. Yes, she was naive to the ways of the world, but it seemed like Elliot was even more so. That, or he didn’t want to see the truth. She could tell that he had a good heart, but hanging around gangsters like Slippery Jim was a dangerous path. Risky work, rival gangs, rivers of whiskey, and enough anger to fuel a whole army. It was enough to ruin a man.

“Ask me what, Elliot?” she said gently, letting him take her hand again.

“I want you to move in with me. I want you to come make my house a home. I know we haven’t known each other for long, but when I look into your eyes, I just know you’re the only woman for me. We were put in each other’s path for a reason. I’m drawn to you like… like the way some of those bugs just can’t stay away from a candle.” 

Grace’s heart swelled in her chest. He was looking at her so sweetly, and the slight pout of his lips made her temporarily forget about all her misgivings. They were both young and lost, so maybe it made sense for them to find a way through life together.

“You want to marry me?” she asked breathlessly.

Elliot’s pout disappeared. “Well, no, not that. I want something bigger than marriage with you. I want to start a life, and-”

“But how are we supposed to move in together without getting married?”

“It’s 1880, Grace! I know half a dozen lovers that live together without letting the government know what they’re doing. The rules have never applied to us, Grace. They’ve only ever hurt us, so why let them tell us what to do?” 

His tone grew angry, and even though Grace knew he wasn’t mad at her, something scared her nonetheless. Maybe it was just the whiskey, but there was something unbalanced and unpredictable about him that she’d never seen before.

“Elliot, I can’t live with you if we’re not married.”

“Why does it matter? I didn’t take you for such a traditional girl. I thought you hardly ever went to church.”

Now Grace could feel her own anger blooming under the surface. “I know my scripture and I know what’s right in my heart. If you really care about me, then you’d want to treat me with enough respect to marry me!”

Elliot bit his lip and his eyes darkened with emotion. “Honestly, I would if I could. I may not have grown up in an orphanage, but I didn’t have the kind of parents who… Listen, if I was hungry, I had to feed myself. And if there was no food, I had to steal it myself. When I was fifteen, I got caught. I managed to escape, but if I sign a marriage license, they’ll know where I am.”

Grace closed her eyes, filled with countless conflicting emotions. On the one hand, she was full of pity for the boy. She had seen many a young man get sucked in the wrong direction simply because he didn’t have the right people to look up to. 

On the other hand… Grace wanted more for herself. She couldn’t leave the stability she had to live in sin with a reckless man whose messes she would certainly get wrapped up in. Everything he was involved with terrified her. 

Her throat closed up with emotion, but she fought to clear it and say what she needed to say.

“Elliot, I care for you deeply, but I’m safe here at the orphanage, and I treasure that. Until you get yourself a proper job and work things out with the police, I can’t live with you, Elliot. I… I can’t even see you anymore, knowing what I know. Mrs. Green wouldn’t approve of it,” she added, hoping that blaming someone else would take some of the heat off of her.

“Who cares what Mrs. Green thinks? She can go to hell if she wants to be so judgmental. Besides, I do have a proper job! Working down at the docks with Jim.”

“Keep your voice down,” Grace warned him, feeling more and more like she was dealing with a petulant child. “You can’t pretend that what Slippery Jim and his so-called employees do down at the docks is anything legal. Are you helping merchant ships get to port, or are you stealing stock from the boats to resell?”

The redness creeping up Elliot’s face told her that she was right. Immediately, the sweet Elliot she knew disappeared. Instead, a hulking, scary, and unpredictable man stood before her. 

“Don’t talk about things you know nothing about. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll come live with me. This isn’t the end of this!” he cried out so loud that Grace was sure the housekeeper or Mrs. Green must have heard. 

She turned to see that there was no one nearby, and by the time she looked back, Elliot was opening the door to leave. She said and did nothing to stop him. Honestly, it was a relief that she hadn’t had to call for help. The door slammed closed behind him, and Grace rushed forward to lock it behind him. She turned around and leaned her back into the wood, her eyes landing on the chrysanthemum lying on the ground where she’d forgotten she’d dropped it. She was in too much shock to cry. Instead, she tried to stop her hands from shaking. 

Just then, Mrs. Green came around the corner. From the oblivious look on her face, it was clear that she had not been listening and had no idea about what had passed between herself and Elliot. Shame cloyed at Grace’s heart. Would Mrs. Green think less of her if she knew the truth about Elliot? 

“My dear! Are you alright? Did Elliot leave already?”

Grace cleared her throat and tried to steady herself. “Yes, he left. We… we got into an argument.”

“Ah, I see. Young love can be confusing. Do you want to tell me what it was about?”

“It’s just that he…” Grace tried to think of how to explain the horrifying truth about Elliot without shocking the older woman. 

“You can tell me. It’s alright. I’m not the type to judge,” Mrs. Green assured her with a warm smile. Grace nodded and her racing heart calmed somewhat when she remembered that Mrs. Green was no shrinking violet. As matron of the orphanage for some twenty years, Mrs. Green had seen a darker side of humanity than most.

“He’s started working for Slippery Jim. He thinks I don’t know what that means, but I know what those men get up to, and I know the life expectancy for such a… profession. Then, on top of it all, he wants me to move in with him! Without getting married!” 

Mrs. Green’s eyes went wide, and Grace was surprised to see a giggle pulling at the sides of her mouth. 

“Oh, he doesn’t know the first thing about you, does he, my dear? I’m sorry to laugh. I don’t mean to make light of it. I’m sorry if he scared you.”

Grace’s shock subsided into a small bout of laughter as well, despite how panicked she’d felt only a few moments before.

“I don’t know why I’m laughing either! He really did scare me. I realized I don’t know the first thing about him, and he knows nothing about me. He doesn’t know that I was dropped off on these steps when I was a baby with nothing but a necklace and a letter, and I don’t even know his middle name!” 

“We were all fooled by his charm. He has an easy smile and a kind face. Well, I think your innocence is charming, no matter how short-lived. I hope you broke it off once and for all?” 

 Grace nodded, a bit of sadness clutching at her chest. As much as Elliot had not proven to be the man she’d hoped he would be, he’d been a beacon of hope for her, and she would miss that more than anything. For a brief moment, she’d believed that maybe she could start her own life away from the orphanage and be just as happy as the families she sometimes walked past on her way to the market. 

She’d miss the attention he paid her and the flutter that took over her stomach whenever he looked at her with his deep-as-an-ocean eyes. 

“That’s good. It must have been hard, but it was the right thing to do. Who amongst us hasn’t been taken in by a pretty face? Now, we must think of the future. Why don’t you come to the Sunday service at St. Michael’s with me tomorrow?” Mrs. Green asked. 

“Oh, that sounds lovely, but I’m supposed to watch the children at the chapel tomorrow morning, so I won’t have time,” Grace explained. 

“That’s alright. I’ll have Miss Cherry supervise the children. It will be good for you to get out of this place for a while and listen to a sermon that isn’t meant for the ears of those under twelve years of age.” 

Grace laughed, but she happened to like listening to the bible stories Reverend Carrol told. There was safety in staying with the children. The few times she’d been to the big church, Grace had been overcome with jealousy to see so many happy families. It was a giant reminder of everything she didn’t have and that was a noise too loud for her faith to be heard over.

That night, however, the spark of change ignited in her chest. Elliot was a wake-up call. Yes, the outside world was a scary one, full of dark truths from her own past, but reality would find her one way or another. She couldn’t hide forever, so she might as well face the music on her own terms. 

“That would be lovely, Mrs. Green. Thank you so much.” 

“Good, I’m glad you’ll join me. The more room there is for faith in your heart, the more bravery God can put there. Good night, Grace. Lock up after me, won’t you?”

With that, Mrs. Green unbolted the door and left, bound for her apartment just down the street. Once she’d turned fifty, Mrs. Green had decided it was time she get her own home away from the orphanage. Grace had always wondered why anyone would want to live away from the comradery of the place, but she was beginning to understand. 

Even so, it took hours before her hands stopped shaking.

Chapter Two

“The whole trip will take fifteen days, and that’s if you have no delays,” Sheriff Bleaker said handing over a train ticket. 

Landen took it, running his fingers over the embossed lettering. New York City to New Orleans, leaving first thing Wednesday morning. Louisiana was not the final destination, however. Dallas was where Landen was headed, and preventing the largest bank heist in the country’s history was the goal. 

“Of course, you’ll have to travel at the same pace as the Blackwoods. If they stay in Havenport for two nights instead of one, then so do you.” 

“What should my story be? How do I get in with them?” Landed asked nervously, fighting the urge to run a hand through his sandy brown hair. This was to be his biggest assignment to date, so he had to be his most professional self. 

Sheriff Bleaker chuckled lightly and sat back in his chair. He was a tough but fair man to work for, and he held his deputies to the highest standards. He’d worked with generations of Landen’s family, and the young deputy didn’t want to be the first to let the sheriff down. 

“Deputy Walker, you’ve been working for me for five years now. You’ve stopped murders and even found Hardin Welsey hiding out in the Bowery after slaughtering practically a whole ship of men. I promise this mission will be one of your easier ones.” 

Landen wanted to believe the sheriff. “That doesn’t help me figure out a cover story. I’ve never had to… ingratiate myself with criminals like that.” 

Sheriff Bleaker shrugged. “You’ll come up with something, I’m sure. Maybe you were helping out with illegal cargo shipments. After we cracked down on the tariff avoidance last month, you were out of a job, so you decided to head to Texas and try your fortunes there. Sounds very plausible to me.” 

“Right, right,” Landed replied with a nod. He committed the story to memory and promised himself that he’d practice telling it later. It was true that he’d tackled the most terrifying of outlaws in his short time with the Sheriff’s Department, but that was different. He’d never had to pretend to be someone he wasn’t, which was the scary part. What if the crime family he was tracking and trying to befriend saw right through him?

“Now, once you get to New Orleans, you’ll need to switch to a steamboat. Hopefully, by that time, you’ll be close with the Blackwoods and have a better sense of their plan. Here’s the address of the local sheriff, who you can send word to when you know more. You’ll want to have backup once you arrive and proof of their plan. And we also need to know about the whereabouts of the other Raven Claw members. I have a suspicion that this gang is larger and even more widespread than we originally thought,” Sheriff Bleaker said, pulling out a list of names and handing it to Landen. 

He recognized most of the names, but seeing one, in particular, made his blood run cold. 

“Dominic Blackwood is the head of the family. He’s the one you need to win over. He’ll be traveling with his wife and son, but our intelligence shows us that Mrs. Blackwood knows nothing about the plan to rob the bank once they arrive in Dallas.”

“Why does his wife think they’re traveling to Texas?” Landen asked, swallowing hard and trying not to be distracted by the name Marcus “Shadow” Sullivan, written a little further down the page.

“She’s under the impression that they’re going to see their son married off to Evelyn Grant, a Dallas heiress set to inherit more money than you can possibly imagine. She’ll be on the trip as well, as they met here in New York City.”

Finally, they reached the next name on the list, and there was no avoiding it anymore.

“Then, they’ll be joined by Marcus Sullivan, Dominic’s best friend and the number two man in Raven Claw. I’m sure he needs no introduction. I hope you’re… personal history won’t interfere with your ability to remain calm, Deputy Walker. I don’t need to tell you how important it is that he not find out your real name,” Sheriff Bleaker warned, his voice dropping to a low growl. Despite how his age showed in the deep lines etched into his face, the sheriff could still command a room. 

Landen nodded, knowing he didn’t need to say anything more on the matter. 

“This is your chance to put him behind bars once and for all,” the sheriff said, getting up and putting a hand on Landen’s shoulder. 

Jaw clenched, Landed nodded again. The irony was not lost on him that Marcus Sullivan, the man he’d thought more about than anyone else since he’d murdered his brother in cold blood three years earlier, had no idea who Landen was. 

Sam Walker, Landen’s older brother, had also been a deputy in the sheriff’s office. He’d been ten times a better lawman than Landen, but after chasing the wrong man down a dark alley one night, Sam’s body had been found the next day, littered with stab wounds. 

The loss had been devastating for the Walker family. Landen had given up his own apartment to move back in with his parents soon after the murder, wanting to take care of them, and selfishly wanting the company. 

The ensuing investigation had pointed to Marcus Sullivan himself, who at that point had been caught up in some kind of robbery ring that Sam had been close to clinching. Unfortunately, a lack of concrete evidence had made it impossible to charge Marcus, and he’d been walking free ever since. 

Putting Marcus behind bars had become Landen’s obsession ever since. He had no idea the man would be a part of this Dallas bank robbery, but suddenly everything became very clear. Though he was inexperienced in the realm of undercover work, Sheriff Bleaker was giving him this assignment very much on purpose. This was as close as he could get to offering Marcus up on a silver platter. 

“I won’t let you down, sir,” Landen promised, gathering all the papers the sheriff had given him. 

“I have a feeling you won’t. There’s only one thing I worry about when it comes to sending you on this job.” 

“What’s that?” Landen asked, standing to face the sheriff.

“You’re a handsome young man, Deputy Walker. This is going to be a big adventure for you, and in my experience, adventure can sometimes lead to… to mix-ups with the ladies.”

“Oh, I promise, I won’t get mixed up with any—”

“I’m talking about love, Landen. You might meet a young lady somewhere on your journey; see things with her you’ve never seen before, and end up thinking that maybe you want to stay in Texas to be with her. I can’t lose you as a deputy, and I don’t need to tell you how much your parents need you. Stick to the plan and keep your head above water, you hear me?”

Landen felt his cheeks redden, but he nodded his head curtly, submitting to the embarrassing line of questioning. There was no way he was going to let something like love distract him from making sure Marcus Sullivan never saw another day of freedom again. 

“I have no intention of staying in Texas, I promise,” Landen replied, putting his hat back on and tucking his papers into his inside pocket. 

“Good. Very glad to hear it. Get as friendly with the Blackwoods as you can, and let’s put the Raven Claws behind bars. Let me know if you need anything before you push out on Wednesday.” 

Landen said he would before he took his leave of the sheriff and headed outside, wondering how exactly he was going to explain all this to his parents. They’d grown used to his presence since Sam’s death. By the time he got back from Texas, it would be a month without seeing them, and that was bound to be a shock. He was all they had left anymore. 

Discretion was paramount, so he couldn’t exactly tell them that he was primarily going to avenge his brother. 

Landen took a different route home that day, purposely passing by the Blackwood house. He wanted to catch a glimpse of the family he would be seeking favor with and pretending to like for the next two weeks. 

The house was magnificent, with ornate brass pillars adorning the outside that some poor person likely had to shine every day. It made the other rowhouses connected to it look positively modest without any lion statues gracing the stairs up. Landen stood across the street and stared, making sure to keep his hat low on his head to cover his face. 

It didn’t take long before Mr. Dominic Blackwood himself left the house. He was dressed all in black and the gold buttons on his jacket reflected the setting sun, pushed out by his not-insignificant stomach. Landen thought to himself that the man must have been sweltering to be so overdressed on such a warm day.

Behind him walked a tall and impossibly thin man, younger than Dominic by many years. Landen could only assume this was Alexander Blackwood, Dominic’s only son. He was almost handsome, but it was likely the fortune he was set to inherit that endeared him most to his equally rich fiancée. 

On paper, Dominic Blackwood had made his money in shipping, though what exactly he shipped was unclear. From what the sheriff’s department had been able to uncover, Dominic wanted to start a new faction of the Raven Claws in Texas, where the land was bigger, and the outlaws ruled. It was hard to govern such a large territory, so therefore much easier to get away with shady business, including but not exclusive to bank and train robberies. 

It was doubtful that Dominic himself would want to lead any missions in Texas, however. He was getting older and fonder of the comfort his money brought. The days of Dominic Blackwood running away from lawmen were long gone, especially when he had a whole company of men to do the dirty work for him. 

Landen turned around to face the cemetery behind him when Dominic and Alexander started walking down the stairs toward the carriage that was waiting for them. He wondered what the people who lived next door must think of such an ostentatious house when someone walking past bumped into him.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going!” a sweet voice apologized. When Landen twisted around to see who had bumped into him, he was surprised to come face to face with the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. Her brown hair shone even though it was pulled back tightly into a modest low bun that framed her face perfectly, showing off her high cheekbones and heart-shaped mouth. 

“My fault,” Landen replied gruffly, distracted by the complexity of her hazel eyes, the greens and browns swirling around each other like stardust. 

“Come on, keep up,” the woman’s companion scolded, taking her arm, and leading her away. 

Landen stared after the pair of them for a few seconds, stunned by the brief interaction. He didn’t notice the modesty of their attire, thinking only of those hazel eyes. 

The horses pulling the Blackwood carriage neighed across the street, pulling Landen out of his daze. He laughed to himself and got on his way, thinking about the sheriff’s warning. There was proof incarnate of what a distraction ladies could be. The sheriff was wrong about one thing, however. Landen didn’t need to go to Texas to find such distractions. They were right in his own backyard.

Before this trip to Texas had been put on his plate, he’d given some thought to the idea of finding a wife and starting a family but decided it wasn’t the right time. The Walkers were still recovering from the loss of Sam, and Landen was working longer and longer hours at the sheriff’s department. He was closer than ever to being named Chief Deputy Sheriff. By keeping himself so busy with work, Landen was able to keep his mind away from deeper thoughts about his life and whether or not he was satisfied with the direction he was going in. 

The walk home took longer than he’d expected it to, as the sidewalks were packed with people. It was hard for someone of his height to slip in and out of crowds easily. Eventually, he made it back to the modest apartments his parents lived in, just by Hudson Square. They lived on the third floor, and the building was shared with a nice German family who lived below them and managed the coffee house on the main floor. 

“There you are! Took you long enough, didn’t it?” his mother teased as soon as he walked into the apartment, tired after the day and three flights of stairs. 

“Sorry, I had to stay late at work,” Landen replied, trying to quickly decide how much to tell his parents about why he needed to leave in just a few days. 

“Well, you’re just in time for dinner, so as far as I’m concerned, you’re not late for anything.” Mrs. Walker practically skipped up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“We were waiting for you,” Mr. Walker said, limping into the small kitchen. He gave Landen a pat on the back before sitting down at the table, laden with food from the coffee house downstairs. Sausage and potatoes with apples—mainstays of their diet. 

Though the kitchen was equipped well enough to cook, often the summers were too hot to even think of it. Besides, the food that the Germans prepared was frequently cheaper than anything Mrs. Walker could prepare herself. That, and it saved her trips to the market, freeing her up to take better care of Mr. Walker.

Landen’s father sat down slowly, rubbing his sore knee. It was the result of a long-ago injury when someone making trouble outside a saloon had kicked him. Working as a deputy had been challenging after that, leaving Mr. Walker to handle mostly administrative tasks for the sheriff. 

“I thought I was right on time,” Landen said, pulling out the chair for his mother before taking his own seat. 

“You were, you were,” Mrs. Walker insisted, shooting her husband a look. She didn’t want her son to know that they were so dependent on him, both physically and financially. Guilt gripped Landen’s stomach, knowing he was going to have to leave them for so long. 

Her hand held his longer than usual when they said grace, squeezing extra hard when she talked about the gossip from the neighbors. It would seem that the daughter of the German family had taken up with an Italian boy who lived down the street. Her mother saw them holding hands in the nearby park and had some harsh words for the both of them.

“Is there a reason they shouldn’t court?” Landen asked. “I know he should have asked her father’s permission, but maybe they had good reason to wait.”

“Apparently, the boy’s gotten in with the wrong crowd. She knew her parents wouldn’t approve. It’s good that Mrs. Heinz caught them, otherwise, they might have gotten secretly married, and that would have been a disaster! Leisl is a sweet girl, Landen. Has she ever… caught your eye?” Mrs. Walker asked with a small smile.

Landen took a deep breath in, running through all the possible responses. The truth was he’d never thought twice about Leisl, but he’d often thought about whether it was ethical for him to get married at all. Was his line of work too dangerous to inflict upon someone else? Sam’s widow and his own mother had paid the price. 

“I’m leaving on Wednesday. I can’t tell you where I’m going, or exactly how long I’ll be gone for, but at least a month,” he blurted out, completely ignoring his mother’s question. There wasn’t room for anything else in his mind, and the thought of holding it in any longer was painful.

Both his mother and father looked up from their plates in surprise. 

“A month? What for?”

“He can’t tell us, Meryl. It’s for work, clearly. Where are you going?” Mr. Walker asked.

“Texas, but you can’t tell anyone else that.” 

“Texas! You’ve never even left New York. Are you going on your own?” Mrs. Walker’s eyes were watery with worry. If she knew the real reason for his journey, she would probably tell him it wasn’t worth it, but Mrs. Walker was used to the men in her life putting themselves in danger. 

Mr. Walker, on the other hand, would immediately understand why stopping the Raven Claws and getting justice for Sam was worth it, whatever the price may be. 

“Yes, I’m going on my own. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’ve worked on harder assignments, and this one is particularly… worthy,” he said.

“Well, I’ll just have to tell Mrs. Heinz that it will be at least a month before you can take Leisl out,” Landen’s mother replied with a sigh, dropping her fork. 

“I think Leisl’s in love with someone else anyway,” Landen pointed out, remembering Sheriff Bleaker’s words of warning. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by the fairer sex, bright eyes, or seductive smiles. Briefly, his mind wandered to the girl who’d bumped into him earlier that evening. The curve of her cheek haunted him in a way he couldn’t explain. 

How was it that he’d gone twenty-four years without his heart being struck so, and now that he didn’t have time for such a distraction, it was all he could think about? Even his mother was pushing him into such thoughts. 

“Well, this sounds like a grand adventure. The kind that makes a man. Just… be careful,” Mr. Walker urged. Landen could see the worry in his eyes. His father liked to put up a brave front, but the pain of the past had caught up with him. The thought of losing another son was more than he could take.

The subject of Landen’s trip dropped away as Mrs. Walker kept on about Leisl, and how convenient it would be if her son would start courting her. There was a second bedroom they could move into, and that way any children they might have would have both sets of grandparents nearby to help out! 

Landen didn’t want to put a stop to her dreaming, so he let her go on with her daydreaming. It was easier than reminding her of their reality, where he would eventually have to leave home, one way or another, whether they were ready to let him go or not. 

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“A Fateful Encounter on the Train” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Abandoned at a New York City orphanage, Grace never experienced luck’s embrace. Yet, she finds purpose within its walls, dedicating herself to the home that raised her. Tragedy strikes when the orphanage burns down, leading Grace to embark on a daring journey. A train to Texas holds the promise of a fresh start, fueled by her unwavering spirit and hopes for a love as vast as the frontier. Yet, it’s when a compassionate lawman seeks her aid that her path takes an unforeseen twist…

Should she trust him to lead her to a life free of pain and tragedy?

Landen Walke is on a mission to stop an infamous group of outlaws from expanding their operations to Texas, when he lays eyes on Grace attempting to hide in the luggage compartment of the train. Even though love seems to have no place in his meticulously organized world, he instantly realizes that the help of a beautiful young woman could be the piece of the puzzle he’s missing. When Grace agrees to pretend to be his wife and ingratiate herself with the wives of the outlaws, they embrace a charade that places their lives in jeopardy, and the line between pretense and compassion is blurred.

Will he be bound by duty, or succumb to her warm gaze and loving presence?

In the heart of danger, amidst shared secrets and stolen moments, Grace and Landen’s connection deepens. Through peril and uncertainty, their faith in each other and in a greater purpose grows unyielding. Could their love, forged in the crucible of the West’s challenges, prove strong enough to conquer every obstacle?

“A Fateful Encounter on the Train” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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