Boundless

Chapter 15

Our train to Denver was waiting on the platform when we finally ran into the station. “All aboard!” The conductor called as Sam pulled me into one of the cars.

As soon as we sat down, my lack of sleep caught up with me. I hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep since before the ambush and the seven-hour stagecoach ride hadn’t helped matters.

I was asleep on Sam’s shoulder before our tickets were punched.

When I woke up, it was dark outside and we were in a city. “Where are we?” I rubbed my eyes.

“Denver,” Sam said.

“Then where?”

“Leadville.”

“Leadville?” I didn’t think I heard him right.

“We’re switching trains again in Vista.”

“Is that where we’ve been going the whole time?”

He nodded.

I remembered my ‘no arguing’ proposition and kept my mouth closed and turned to the window.

We were silent until the train rolled into the station. Our next train left in ten minutes so we ran from one platform to another.

Denver’s station was crowded. I had never been around so many people before. I wanted to stop and take it in but Sam’s hand was firmly clasping mine as he was pulling me through the sea of people.

When we made it onto the train, I was able to look out and watch everyone passing by. They were rushing or walking with large bags and small bags. There were people of many different races all together in one station. Lawrence could never compare.

The train jerked forward and the people moved by faster and faster.

Next we moved into the Rocky Mountains. I had never been so high before. Their peaks, outlined by the moon, seemed to touch the sky. The train wound around one mountain and through another. Some slopes had tall evergreen trees growing from them while others were completely bare.

I imagined the wild animals roaming through the wilderness in front of me. There had to be bears and mountain lions.

“Where did you move from?” I asked.

“Indiana.”

“Do you remember it?”

“I remember riding in a wagon, not much of Indiana, though.”

“You rode a wagon over the mountains?”

“We didn’t really have another option.”

I imagined a young Sam’s head poking out from the back of a covered wagon. “I’m sure it’s a little boy’s dream, spending all that time outside and being so rugged.”

“Christopher is the one who walked the entire way and went fishing and climbed trees. I stayed in the wagon.”

I laughed.

“I was afraid of snakes.”

This made me laugh even harder.

“You really do wonders for my self confidence, Rebecca.”

“I’m sorry,” I said through my tears, “I just can’t help myself.”

My shoulders shook from laughing so hard. I couldn’t imagine something as small as a snake scaring the impenetrable Sam Hull.

“I don’t see what’s so funny about it.”

“When I was six years old I picked up a live snake from the riverbank and brought it home.”