The Iron Horseman by Kelli Ann Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

of
clothes, but doubted that this dress would be dry before she had to be on the
train when it left in the morning.
    The
town seemed oddly quiet now as many onlookers watched in awe as the embers of
the bank still smoldered with light wisps of pale gray smoke—the flames still
licking at the scorched wood. Something was definitely going on in this town.
Fires didn’t just start on their own in brand new buildings. From what Cadence
could tell, there wasn’t a doctor, and from the looks of it, there wasn’t a
sheriff either. These people needed help. The train would be leaving in the
morning and that didn’t give her much time.
    “Howdy,
Sheriff,” the liveryman called from across the way.
    Cadence
turned to see a tall, burly man with a bright shiny badge pinned to his chest
making his way toward the rubble.
    So
much for detective work. He can take care of it.
    She
marched to the hotel, her hem and feet now covered in mud, and stopped at the
front door. She highly doubted that Ms. Emaline would appreciate her making
tracks through the restaurant, but her leg ached and her face throbbed. She
just needed a clean rag and the water basin from her room.
    A
twinge of guilt settled in Cadence’s gut as she thought of Levi. He had tried
to take care of her, but admittedly, she was as stubborn as her father. She sat
down on the wooden bench just outside the door and made quick work of removing
her boots. After squeezing the excess water from the bottom of her dress, she
gathered the base of her skirt up into her arms, careful to expose nothing above
the knee, and with one hand full with her boots and the other the folds of her
dress, she pushed her way into the restaurant. A few dozen eyes spun to greet
her.
    Of
course, it would be dinner time. She nodded her apologies, quickly made her way
to the staircase, and headed up to her room. This place needed a separate
entrance. Maybe she’d suggest that to Miss Emaline the next time she saw the
woman.
    Her
room was simple. Yellow roses adorned the curtains over the quaint little
window on the far side of the room and the bed covering had the same coloring.
It was nice, and right now, the warmth of the room felt like heaven. Careful
not to get mud on any of the furnishings, Cadence lifted her dress up over her
head and wadded it up—hem first. She considered making her way back down to the
creek where she’d killed the snake, but thought better of it. A clean rag sat
on the vanity and a fresh pitcher of water graced the table. She’d make do.
    Luckily,
the room had wooden floors. Cadence was careful to avoid the rug until she was
able to clean the mud from the sides of her boots. She placed them, upside
down, next to the vanity and proceeded to wipe down her legs. She winced when
she reached the spot on the side of her calf where a few small blisters dotted
the reddened skin just above the section that had been protected by the top of
her boot. The area seemed to grow hotter by the minute. She remembered how nice
the cold water of the trough had felt. She rung the dirty water from the rag
into the basin and proceeded to douse the cloth with fresh water from the
pitcher.
    The
cool rag felt nice against her skin.
    Knock.
Knock.
    “Hello,
dear, it’s Emaline. Is everything okay?” the proprietress asked through the
door. “I saw you sneak in and it looked as if you might need some help. “
    Cadence
stood up and walked over to answer the door before realizing she had not yet
donned another dress.
    “Just
a minute,” she called, pulling a lavender skirt from her trunk along with a
white collared blouse. It was her favorite combination and she wanted to look
nice for dinner tonight. As soon as she finished the last button on her shirt,
she swung the door wide.
    Miss
Emaline’s eyes grew wide and she stepped back away from the door, apparently
startled. “Is everything all right?” She reached a hand up toward Cadence’s
face, but pulled it away as if she’d crossed some line