An Outlaw in Wonderland Read Online Free

Ethan would have preferred to finish what he’d begun with the boy, the soldier
     was in good hands—now that she’d washed them—and he had other duties.
    “Return the private to the infirmary,” he ordered. “If there’s any sign of fever,
     send someone to fetch me.”
    “And where will you be, sir?”
    “My quarters.” The muscle beneath Ethan’s eye fluttered, and he rubbed it absently.
     “Resting.” Ethan headed for the door at the same nimble pace with which Mrs. Dimmity
     had arrived.
    “You had a request, Doctor?”
    He was so intent on getting where he needed to be and then back to his quarters before
     anyone knew he hadn’t gone there, for an instant Ethan couldn’t remember what it was.
     However, when he turned and saw the patient, he recalled those clever, healing hands.
    “See that Miss Phelan is relieved of her duties as matron.”
    “Sir?” Her wrinkled face wrinkled even more. “She’s one of my best.”
    “Aye,” he agreed. “I’ll have her as my nurse.”
    Mrs. Dimmity gasped. “That is not done!”
    “’Tis now,” he said, and left.
    •   •   •
    Despite his size, Mikey blended into the area around Richmond with ease—lots of trees,
     plenty of streams, hills that rolled on forever. He’d spent a lifetime tracking animals.
     If
they
hadn’t seen him, people certainly wouldn’t.
    John Law’s instructions were simple. Mikey stayed in an abandoned cabin not far from
     the Confederate capital. If anyone but the agent or Ethan arrived, he would pretend
     to be mute. Mikey had attempted both an Irish and a Southern accent. Neither had been
     convincing.
    So far Mikey had always known folks were coming long before they arrived. He slipped
     into the trees, listened, looked, waited for them to leave, then returned.
    He always knew Ethan was coming, too. Not that his brother was overly loud or careless.
     Mikey just heard things no one else did—from farther away than he should.
    Ethan dismounted, led the horse to the water trough, then joined Mikey on the porch.
     “Ye all right?”
    Mikey nodded.
    “Anyone been by?” Mikey shrugged, and Ethan sighed. “Ye can speak to
me
, ye know?”
    Mikey had done so little talking of late, he’d gotten out of the habit. He cleared
     his throat; his first few words came out quite hoarse. “And you don’t have to use
     Da’s voice while you’re here.”
    “I know.” Ethan dropped the accent. “You get used to it.”
    Mikey was glad he didn’t have to pretend to be someone he wasn’t all the time. From
     Ethan’s exhausted appearance, it wore on a man.
    “John Law says he’s gonna start giving me more to do.”
    Ethan frowned. “Law says a lot.”
    “He teaches me things.”
    “Like what?”
    “Spy things. I can teach ’em to you.”
    For an instant Ethan seemed interested; then his frown returned. “What does he want
     you to do now?”
    “He recruited a sniper. Fellow needs a spotter to keep an eye out while he has his
     to the gun.”
    “No,” Ethan said.
    “I can’t just sit here all the time. I’d be good at watchin’ his back. You know I
     would.”
    “What if I bring information and you aren’t here?” Ethan asked.
    “You leave a note, in that code of Law’s. Like we talked about.”
    Ethan let out a long breath, and Mikey knew he’d won. Not that he’d planned to let
     Ethan tell him he couldn’t work with that sniper. Or leastways, if Ethan told him
     no, he hadn’t planned on listening. Mikey was almost eighteen—a man grown. Had been
     for a while now, and he’d do what he thought was best.
    “I have to get back,” Ethan said. “Before someone realizes that I’ve gone.”
    “What’ll you say if they do?”
    “I was out riding. I couldn’t sleep. I needed air.”
    The lies tripped off Ethan’s tongue like Gospel. Mikey wished he could lie like that.
    “Tell Law that Mosby’s called the Rangers to Rectortown.”
    Mikey nodded and stood. Law ranted a lot about