The Iron Horseman by Kelli Ann Morgan Page A

hand,” she said, an edge of sarcasm lining
her voice.
    He
reached down into the room and pulled her from the bedlam.
    “What
happened?” she asked, her eyes searching his.
    “I
don’t know.” Levi dusted his hands on his pants. “But we need to get out of
here.” He stood up as best he could, but with the car on its side, he had to
hunch down. Until he knew the train car no longer posed a threat, he needed to
get them outside. They could be dangling off a ledge for all he knew as the
floor angled awkwardly. “Come on.” He took a hold of her hand and started
forward.
    Cadence
pulled back, letting her fingers slip through his hold on her. She looked down
at her attire, a thin nightshift, and threw a hand up to her chest. She dropped
down onto her belly and reached into the room.
    “We
don’t have time. We’ll come back for it later. I don’t know how long these
walls will hold our weight,” he held out his hand again. “They weren’t meant
for this kind of support.”
    “I
will not leave this train in my night clothes, Mr. Redbourne,” she said lying
flat on her belly. Cadence reached down into the hole and with only a moment’s
struggle, retrieved some clothing. From the coloring, Levi guessed it was her
outfit from the previous day.
    He
knew he should look away.
    Needed
to look away.
    It
took every ounce of strength to do so and he forced himself to think about what
had just happened. The train had derailed—that much was for certain. Most of
the windows had been blacked out, but light still shone in from the far end of
what had become a metal cage. If they could make it to the back of the car,
they’d be able to pull themselves from the wreckage and he would be better able
to assess the situation.
    “You’re
out of time.” Levi dropped to his haunches, grabbed ahold of Cadence, and slung
her over his shoulder, careful to avoid hitting her head on the overly low
ceiling. The effort was rewarded with a sharp stabbing pain to his side. He
ground his teeth together and headed toward the only light coming into the car.
    “Put
me down this instant. I am perfectly capable of getting out of this place on my
own.” She kicked him in the ribs and he nearly dropped her. Once he could take
another breath, he plopped her down onto her rear end with a thud. The unstable
floor groaned in protest.
    “Anybody
down there,” a voice called from outside.
    James.
    “We’re
here!” Levi called up to the conductor, whose head appeared through the
upturned door. He held out his hand to help Cadence up from the floor, but she
was already on her feet, yanking on her purple skirt from yesterday. “We’re
leaving. Now!” he barked the order.
    She
shoved past him, a pair of women’s laced boots tied together and strung over
her shoulder.
    Clever.
    Cadence
wedged a bare foot against the angled wall and with her arm braced against the
side of the door, pulled herself out.
    Levi
followed.
    When
he reached the surface, he scanned the wreckage and his gut lurched at the
destruction that greeted him. The sheer force of their velocity had plunged
their compartment deeply into the hillside. Couplings on several of the train
cars had been torn apart and coaches had been strewn across the countryside
like scattered feed for chickens.
    Levi
climbed over the awkward railing and upturned staircase and jumped the short
distance to the ground. Cadence followed his lead around the stairs, but her
skirt caught on a protruding piece of iron. He reached up, released the cloth,
then placed his hands at her sides to lift her down. His hand slipped off her
hip and she fell against him, her forehead butting against his chin.
    Blast
it all!
    At
least he was able to keep his boots planted on the earth and he didn’t drop the
woman.
    Cadence
reached up and brushed a dark lock from her face. “Ouch.”
    “Sorry
about that. Are you all right?”
    She
was so close to him, Levi could scarcely breathe—it didn’t help that his whole
body