Those who stood in the town square swore that they could see flames dancing across the land. It was a spectacular sight, made even more magical when old man Towers felt up to playing his fiddle. The townspeople told newcomers that they had actually seen flickering flames keeping time to the fiddler's tunes.

Grace was transfixed by the magnificent sunset and was watching the phenomenon from the train.

Though reluctant to pull her away from the window, Daniel had to be practical. "We only have an hour to eat and stretch our legs, " he reminded her.

The mention of food reminded her how hungry she was. She put on her gloves and her hat and followed him down the corridor.

"Do you wear your gloves everywhere you go? " he asked.

"A lady must always wear her gloves in public." He smiled as he shook his head. She was so very proper all the time, ridiculously so, and sweet . . . Lord, but she was sweet. He wondered how proper she'd be in bed. The second the thought popped into his head, he pushed it aside.

"Do you think you'll be able to eat a little something? " she asked.

"Has your stomach settled down? " "Quit fussing over me. I'm fine. "

Dinner was being served inside a two-story way station on the outskirts of town, about half a block from the depot. Daniel hadn't even stepped off the train when he was summoned.

"Marshal Ryan? " He turned and saw a heavyset, bowlegged man running toward him. "Yes? " he said as he put his arm across the opening so Grace would have to stay inside the train.

"I thought that was you, being so tall and all. The porter gave me a good description of you. My name's Owen Wheeler, and I'm the sheriff in this here town. Folks who know me good call me by my nickname, Bobcat.

You can too if you want, " he added as he shook Daniel's hand. "It's a right pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"What can I do for you, Sheriff? " Bobcat spotted Grace behind Daniel, tipped the brim of his hat, and said, "Howdy, ma'am."

"Hello, Mr. Bobcat."

"Just plain old Bobcat will do, " he explained. "Don't need a mister'

in front of it."

"How did you ever get such a nickname? " she asked, her curiosity piqued.

He grinned at her. "A while back, I ran into a bobcat and had to wrestle with him. I got the scars all over my belly to prove it. If you'd like to see . . . " "No, no, that's quite all right. I believe you, " Grace rushed out.

The sheriff couldn't seem to take his eyes off Grace, and the rudeness irritated Daniel. "Was there something I could help you with? " he asked impatiently.

Bobcat vigorously nodded. "We've got some trouble here. I was telling the porter about it, and he mentioned he'd seen you wearing a badge and thought maybe you could help."

"What exactly is the problem? " Daniel asked, wishing the sheriff would get to the point.

"Yesterday, Gladys Anderson's boy, Billy, pulled a man out of the lake.

Billy was doing some fishing instead of going to work at the stables like he was supposed to, but it was fortunate he's such a slacker. The man would have drowned if Billy hadn't been there, and that's the truth.

Billy saw it happen too."

"Saw what happen? " "Billy was sitting on his boat watching the train go over the trestle when all of a sudden he sees a man come flying out and plunging down into the water. The poor fella hit hard and went right under, but Billy fished him out, and that's when he noticed the man had been shot. I'm thinking he was thrown off that train." Grace was horrified. "How awful, " she said.

"Is the gentleman going to recover? " Bobcat mournfully shook his head. "Doc says he's in a real bad way, ma'am. Real bad. The bullet went through, so Doc didn't have to dig it out, but infection already set in. I figured you'd want to know, Marshal, being as the dying man is one of yours." Daniel was already reaching for Grace to pull her off the train.

"He was wearing a badge, " Bobcat explained. "And the porter told me his name is Cooper. Do you know him? " "Where is he? " Daniel asked, his voice sharp with fear and anger.

"Inside the way station. Doc wouldn't let us take him any further.

He's in one of the sleeping rooms upstairs. The marshal's fighting for his life, but Doc doesn't think he's gonna make it." Shaken by what he had just heard, Daniel grabbed Grace and quickened his pace toward the building. The sheriff ran by his side.

"Did you question everyone on the train? " Daniel demanded.

"I did, " the sheriff answered. "One woman saw him going over the trestle, but she didn't see anything else. No one heard the gunshot either, " he added in a pant. "A window was shattered by one bullet, and I figure two were fired. The second went through the marshal. "

Daniel reached the door to the way station, threw it open, and rushed inside. His gaze was on the crowd sitting at the long tables waiting for their food to be served. He kept Grace tucked into his side, spotted the stairs in the corner, and headed across the room.

As they raced up the narrow steps, he glanced back at the sheriff.

"What about the woman Marshal Cooper was traveling with? Where is she?

" "There weren't no woman."

"Yes, there was, " Daniel muttered.

"The porter told me the marshal had a woman with him, and other folks remember seeing her getting on the train. She might have been there when they started, but she weren't there when the train was stopped.

That's the God's truth."

"What about her things? " Grace asked.

"Did you find a valise or a bag? " "No, ma'am. We didn't find anything. That compartment was empty, and there weren't nothing left behind to prove a woman had ever been there." They reached the end of the hallway, where the physician was standing.

He nodded to Daniel and then opened the door and went back inside.

"Grace, wait with the sheriff out here, " Daniel said. "Sheriff, don't let anyone up those stairs. You understand me? " "What do you want me to do if someone wants to come up? " "Shoot him." The sheriff's eyes widened. Grace waited until Daniel had gone inside Cooper's room before bowing her head and saying a silent prayer that his friend would survive. "Was the missing woman Marshal Cooper's wife? " Bobcat asked.

"No, " she answered. "They weren't related. Marshal Cooper was escorting Rebecca to Texas."

"Well, where in tarnation is she? " Grace shook her head. "I don't know, " she whispered.

A shiver passed down her arms. Rebecca had vanished.

God help her.

Xaniel kept vigil by his friend's side all through the night. Cooper, locked in a fitful sleep, was having nightmares and mumbling words about monsters and traitors that didn't make any sense.

Grace took care of practical matters. She asked the porter to remove their bags from the train, ordered a tray of food be sent up for Daniel to eat later if and when his appetite returned, and kept Sheriff Bobcat company at the small round table in the corridor adjacent to Cooper's room.

The sheriff kept up a constant flow of chatter while he and Grace ate supper together. The food was bland but filling, and an hour later she couldn't remember what had been served. Her mind was filled with fear for Marshal Cooper and Rebecca.

The physician came out of Cooper's room around nine that evening. He shook his head sorrowfully and told the sheriff there was little improvement.

"I opened the wound near the rib cage to drain the infection. I don't know what good it will do now, though. The man's burning up with fever. I mixed up a batch of my herb brew, and if I could only get him to wake up long enough to swallow some, I know it would do him some good."

"You can't get Marshal Cooper to wake up? " Grace asked, her worry apparent in her trembling voice.