Chapter Thirty

"Seamus tells me there's a problem with the map," Calvin said as he took a seat beside Cassandra on the blanket draped crate . She had been awake for hours, though it was the middle of the night, trying desperately to make sense of this map. Both Seamus and Finnegan were sound asleep and she had thought that Calvin was as well so she told him so.

"Couldn't sleep," he replied. "Every time I move it jars my shoulder."

"I'm sorry," Cassandra whispered sympathetically. "The doctor did send you with laudanum."

Calvin shivered. "I hate the way it makes me feel. I turn into a mindless, brainless, bumbling idiot every time I take it."

"So it turns you into Finn?" Cassandra asked with a smile and Calvin laughed quietly.

"Seamus told me that neither you nor Finnegan knows how to read the map," Calvin said, glancing at the parchment in Cassandra's hands. "He also says you haven't let him see it."

"Finnegan didn't want him to before because he thought I already knew how to read it. The brothers have a few issues between them if you hadn't noticed."

Calvin rolled his eyes, "I noticed. You'd think they'd get over it. It seems like they aren't happy unless they're pissing the other one off."

Cassandra nodded and threw her head back with a groan. "Annoying isn't it," she gasped. "They've always been like that; even when we were kids."

"Would you let me take a look at it and see if I can figure it out?" Calvin asked, holding his hands out for the map.

Cassandra shrugged. 'Sure." She handed it to him. "Maybe you'll see something I don't because as far as I can tell it's just a bunch of scribbled nonsense."

"I've been to Montana once so maybe I'll recognize something," Calvin agreed.

Cassandra sat back and leaned against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself and moving the kerosene lantern closer to Calvin to give him added light. He stared at the map a long time without saying something and Cassandra felt her hopes fall. She knew that she and Finn needed this money. True her father had enough money to pay Finnegan's debts so that they could begin a new life but she knew that would never happen. Her father hated Finnegan too much to help and even if he was willing Finnegan would never accept a hand out from the man.

"Cassandra?" the sound of Calvin's voice startled Cassandra out of her thoughts.

"What?" she asked.

"Look at this...."

Calvin held the map out and Cassandra moved closer to him. He pointed to some squiggly lines that Cassandra had noticed before but not been able to identify. "What about them?"

"I know where that is.... Or at least I think I do. It's the first checkpoint on the map so maybe if we go there we'll be able to figure out what that circle by that rock is..."

Cassandra felt her heart begin to race. "What is it, Calvin?"

"It's some old stone fences; basically just rocks stacked on top of rocks. They are crooked and uneven and there are four rows of them just like on the map."

Cassandra frowned, 'Fences?" She looked at the squiggles, tilting her head in various directions, she even tried crossing her eyes, but nothing about them resembled fences to her. "Are you sure?"

"I'm eighty percent sure," Calvin nodded with excitement.

"Well that's eighty percent more to go on than we've had so far." Cassandra took the map and folded it gently. She wrapped it back in its leather binding and threw her arms around Calvin's neck. "You are a genius!" she exclaimed before kissing his cheek.

A deep blush colored Calvin's face. "I wouldn't have known what they were if I hadn't seen them before."

Cassandra jumped to her feet and ran to Finnegan. She dropped to her knees and shook him roughly. "I'll not be needin' none of your services tonight, I'm a married man..." he mumbled sleepily.

"Good to know, Finn," Cassandra replied with a roll of her eyes. "Now wake up, you big idiot, this is important!"

Finnegan's brown eyes flew open and he looked at her nervously. "Uh.. My dream.." he batted his lashes. "What did I say?"

"You told me to hurry and put my clothes back on before your wife returned," Cassandra lied.

Finnegan's face paled. "It was completely innocent I promise ya..."

Cassandra let out a breath of annoyance and shook her head. "I'm lying. You told me you didn't need my services because you were married. Had you said the other I would have smacked you in the head."

"Of course that's what I said." Finnegan smiled and used his elbows to push himself up. "Now what is so important you interrupted my dream about... nothing interesting whatsoever?"

Cassandra held up the leather bound map. "Calvin can read it."

"He can?"

"You can?" Seamus' voice spoke up.

"Yes he can!" Cassandra exclaimed. Did they honestly think she would make that up?

"What was he doing looking at the map?" Finnegan questioned.

"I was looking at it and trying desperately to see something I hadn't noticed before. Calvin woke up and asked if he could take a look and I'm very glad that he did. He says that he is eighty percent sure that he knows where our first checkpoint is." Cassandra couldn't erase the happy smile that seemed permanently etched upon her face.

"Young Calvin!" Finnegan leapt from his makeshift bed and ran to Calvin, hugging the man as tightly as he could without hurting him. "Ya have made me a happy man!" Finnegan plopped a kiss to his cheek which had Calvin stuttering and blushing deeply .

"Quit assaulting the man," Seamus grumbled, standing up more slowly and stretching his arms above his head.

"He doesn't seem to mind, Dear Seamus," Finnegan countered, keeping one arm around Calvin's shoulders. "Could it be he's realizin' he chose the wrong brother?"

"Finnegan..." Seamus warned.

"Sorry, Finnegan. I like the brother I picked just fine," Calvin said with a chuckle.

Cassandra crossed her arms over her chest, cocked her hip to the side and rolled her eyes. "I wish I could say the same."

Finnegan laid his hand over his heart and feigned despair. "I'm hurt...truly."

Cassandra went to him and pulled him to his feet. "You'll be okay," she assured him.

"So where is the first checkpoint at?" Seamus questioned, taking a seat beside Calvin.

Calvin leaned closer to Seamus and Seamus' arm snaked around his shoulders. "It's in the south of Montana, near St. Peirre. They look like nothing but squiggles on that map but I'm pretty sure they're those stone fences."

"Fences?" Finnegan frowned.

"Yeah. Basically hand-stacked rocks is all they are but a lot of people come to look at them. They're really really old."

"Well so is our dear granny but folks don't come from far and wide to gaze upon her," Finnegan countered.

"Finnegan, our granny is dead," Seamus reminded him.

Finnegan shrugged. "All the more reason not to gaze upon her."

"I think we should all try to get some rest," Cassandra urged. "We have a long time aboard this train and we'll need to be well rested to stand the confinement."

No one voiced any arguments. Seamus and Calvin laid together in their makeshift bed with Calvin resting on Seamus' chest to save his shoulder from the hard floor of the jerking train.

Cassandra curled up to Finnegan as he twirled her golden curls between his fingers. "I'm so happy Calvin could read that part of the map, Finn. We might just get our treasure, and our new life together, after all."

"Your gettin' a new life either way, Little Cass. Even if I have to get a..." Finnegan gulped. "...A job to pay the debts I owe, they will be paid."

Cassandra smiled up at him. "Just how much money do you owe people?"

"All people?" he questioned sheepishly. "Or people who will come after me for their money?"

Cassandra sighed as she shook her head and rested it back against his heart. "People who will come after you I suppose."

"Well ya already know about the debt I owe Seamus and that Timpleton character that sent his thugs after me. I owe Seamus two thousand dollars which I didn't borrow all at once by the way. He's addin' up a lifetime of loans when he reaches that number."

"And Timpleton?" Cassandra urged him to continue.

"About five hundred."

Cassandra swallowed hard. 'Are there others?"

"Aye. Two others. Marion Westbridge, a slick ol' lad who loaned me two-hundred dollars for some buggy race bets and another hundred he lost on a bet that I might have purposely altered the outcome of."

"Finn..." Cassandra sighed and felt him wince.

"I know I let ya down when ya hear these things, Cass. I can promise ya now that I'm a changed man and won't be placin' any more bets I can't back myself."

Cassandra would rather he didn't place any at all but she knew it was going to be a one step at a time process. "And who's the other man."

Finnegan grumbled, a very strange sound to hear come from the man, and his hold on her tensed. "Morgan. A man I loathe more than Seamus loathes me."

"Seamus doesn't loathe you."

"Yes I do," came Seamus' muffled response.

Cassandra ignored him. "How much money do you owe Morgan?"

"Only three hundred dollars which is not even enough to buy the man's silver studded boots, I can promise ya that. No, I don't think payin' Morgan his money would make the man leave me be. It's deeper than that with him--more personal."

"Why?"

"His uh...' Finnegan shifted uncomfortably.

"No secrets, Finn," Cassandra reminded him.

"His wife found herself rather fond of me and in a night of wild drunken abandon I may have crossed several boundaries with her that Morgan did not find acceptable."

"You bedded his wife?"

"Yes, that would be correct."

"Oh, Finn...."

"Don't say my name with such hurt in your voice, Little Cass. That happened years ago. Long before we came back into each other's lives and long before I knew a man like myself could ever get a woman as good as you."

"Always the charmer," Cassandra noted.

Finnegan squeezed her tighter and kissed her hair. "I'll never charm another woman again, Cassandra. You are all I want in this world. Surely ya know that?"

"I know, Finn," Cassandra assured him, pressing a kiss to his jaw. "So this Morgan, will he try to hurt you?"

"He's tried before," Finnegan said without any hint of worry in his voice. "But I'm sure he's gettin' tired of chasin' me. I wasn't the only man his wife took a likin' to. She was a wild cat that one. Full of fire....."

"Finnegan?"

"Aye?"

"If you speak of her again I'll rip out your tongue."

Cassandra felt Finnegan smile against her head and his hand caressed her waist. "Speak of who, love? Speak of who?"