The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances (29 page)

Tired and thirsty, Sabrina looked up at the sun. She had been walking for hours. She wondered if they had found the body yet. She wondered where the heck Brock was. The cold air numbed her face and anything else exposed. She was glad for the coat but the dried blood on her shirt had stiffened up and was starting to chafe her tender skin. Her arm ached and her feet hurt.

She thought of the plight of the Cherokees. Brock had told her about it while visiting his parents. The trail of tears. Surely this could not compare to their suffering, as they marched through the winter to their deaths not so many years ago.

She felt their spirits surrounding her, giving her strength. Whispering to her. Don’t give up. Just a little more. Tears stung her eyes yet again as she nodded, not sure if the voices in her head were delusional or not. She did hear something. In the distance. She  froze, not sure the direction from which the horses came. She hid behind a tree, pulled the gun from her pocket and took aim.

She soon realized the noise was coming from the west. She watched as a group of men appeared over a hill and rode
in her direction. Recognizing Troy and Chase’s painted horse, she stepped out from the tree line, unable to speak.

Brock spotted the movement and instantly recognized Sabrina. His heart soared. She was alive! Throwing caution to the wind, he jumped off Troy in mid-gallop and
climbed down the embankment as he raced to her. Sabrina wept as he pulled her tightly against him. She sobbed into his chest with relief as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, never wanting to let go.

The others rode up, a grin on every face. But Sabrina’s eyes were only on Brock.

“Are you real?” She asked, still unsure as she reached up to gently touch his face, as if he may disappear in a puff of smoke.

“Yes, you’re safe.” The words died in his throat as he took in her bloodstained apparel.

“You’re hurt?” he asked, not knowing if he could live if her wound was fatal.

Seeing his horror at the amount of blood on her shirt, she looked down at her feet. “It’s not mine.”

“Roberts?” he asked, frowning.

Unable to speak, she just nodded. “I killed him. And I ain’t sorry for it.”

Brock smiled at her bravery. “Shh, you did what had to be done. Did--did he hurt you? Did he…” 

“No, he didn’t. But I hurt my arm and other body parts when I jumped off the train.”

“You jumped from a moving train?” Brock asked, horrified as he realized how close he came to losing her again.

“Of course, how the heck do you think I ended up in the woods?”

Brock cringed as he heard deep laughter from behind him. Sabrina knew that laugh. She looked up speechless as she noticed Samuel for the first time, Then she glimpsed her cousin Riley, and Warren. Irrationally, she grabbed Brock’s hand with her good one, as if they would run up and try to drag him away from her. 

“It’s okay, Sabrina,” Brock said.  Samuel came up first and hugged her, encasing her in his strong arms. She hugged him back, fiercely. “Well, I was gonna say how much you have grown but it don’t look like you’ve grown any. In fact, looks like you’re shrinking.”

“I’m sorry for running off and not sending word,” Sabrina said, as tears fell.

“Shh. The past is behind us; we have to look towards the dawn,” Samuel said, patting her head as if she were a puppy.

“Enough!” Riley said stepping up to gently hug Sabrina who hugged him back with her good arm. He kissed her cheek as he moved away.

Sabrina stopped as she looked at Warren. She had no idea how he felt. “Don’t hate me,” she whispered, as he took the last couple of steps and swept her into his arms. They held each other
tightly as they both wept. Warren kissed her forehead as he stepped back.

“
I am so glad you’re safe. I thought I had lost you all over again. Montgomery is yours if you want it. I had it rebuilt just like it was before.”

Sabrina glanced over at Brock who was standing back a bit, next to Chase and Benjamin. She held her hand out to him and he came forward to take it. Warren had offered her Montgomery. She could go home. It
seemed funny…what she had wanted for so long had come about. However, it did not seem quite so important after all. She smiled at Warren.

“Thank you, Warren, but my home is wherever Brock is.” She turned to Brock and kissed him with complete abandon.

The End

Chase the Moon

Chapter 1

Chase
Stafford rode into town, it was the first jaunt since winter set it. He loved his mountain home but was looking forward to spring as the winter relinquished its grasp of the earth. The air was still crisp and he was glad he chose to wear his heavy coat.

Shopping was not his favorite; however, he relished the long journey into town. With a house full of people he was glad for some alone time.
He quickly gathered the items from his list and stopped at the post office last. He was surprised at the bundle of mail that had accumulated. Normally they only received one or two pieces. He noticed Sabrina’s familiar script, and his brother Brock’s brisk scrawl on several of the letters. Sabrina was his brother’s intended and a wildcat to boot. He was not sure whether to congratulate his brother or feel sorry for him. A dark eyebrow rose at the stack of large cream envelopes for everyone.

He found one addressed to himself, in a fancy print, and ripped it open. It was an invitation to their wedding. He was surprised at that; according to Comanche tradition, they were already wed. Of course, Sabrina was not a Comanche, and seeing they were getting married at her family home in Mississippi, he was sure her brother had something to do with it.

Things have certainly changed at his domicile recently. After Brock and Sabrina left, he grudgingly gave up his cabin to Thomas and his sister, Jaelyn.

Thomas was a friend of Brock’s who happened to be a doctor. He stayed on after their father’s accident to care for him. He fell for Jaelyn at first sight. Now Chase
was the only one in his family who was not coupled and he felt like a fifth wheel much of the time. Once his father was fully healed, he decided he would strike out on his own like his older brother, Brock.

Arriving
home, he felt like a celebrity as they all gathered around him for news. Laughing, he passed out the mail. Everyone received several pieces.

Jaelyn grabbed hers and headed to the cabin to read in peace.
Once settled, she picked up the envelope eagerly. There were several similar envelopes that had arrived but this one was addressed to her as Miss Jaelyn Stafford. She hesitated in opening it as she pondered on the wording.

“
Aren’t you going to open it?” Thomas asked her, smiling. His blues eyes danced as his brilliant blond hair shined in the sunlight from the window.

“
Why is it addressed to Miss? They know we are together.” Jaelyn frowned as her dark eyes clouded with worry.

Thomas explained patiently,
“It’s a formal invitation. I’m sure that Warren had them sent out. No harm was meant.”

Jaelyn did not understand the waste of sending out four invitations to the same place. Still frowning she ripped it open and marveled at the fancy writing on the inside. Her father had taught her and her brothers to read and write but she was having trouble deciphering the swirling letters.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, slightly upset since she could not make out the words, tears filled her eyes. She did not want to express her ignorance to Thomas. She knew he came from an affluent family and she always wondered why he had chosen her to be his love. Summing up the situation Thomas took Jaelyn in his arms and hugged her tightly as he read the wedding invitation out loud.

“
How would it read if we were married?” She asked him shyly.

Thomas lifted her face up to look into his. He kissed her after every word.
“Mr.… and… Mrs.… Thomas… Reynold.” Capturing her lips in his, he lifted her and carried her to their bed. He felt guilty for causing her sadness but Sabrina would kill him if he revealed that she and Brock were planning a double wedding.

Jaelyn was not sure if she was more excited about the wedding, Brock
’s baby, or traveling. She had never been farther from her home than Tulsey Town. Once, Thomas had taken her with him to meet his family.

Looking at her beloved as they lay on the pile of skins, she thought about the circumstances that had brought them together. Injured in a bear trap left by some unskilled tenderfoot, Jonathan, her
father, required medical assistance. Stubbornly, he had refused to listen to reason. He rebuffed his family when they insisted he see a doctor. Anna, her mother, sent Chase after Brock to hopefully talk some sense into him. Not only did Chase bring back Brock, but Sabrina and Thomas as well. Thomas was forced to remove the leg and slowly but surely Jonathan regained his strength.

Jaelyn loved traveling and visiting with
Thomas’s family. He made her feel so special—as if she was a delicate flower. Growing up in Indian country with two big brothers, she was anything but delicate, but it was nice to be treated as such. Thomas’s father was wonderful; however, his sister was another story. Sally treated her like the help, especially after she found out she was half Comanche. She was much nicer to her and Thomas after Jaelyn cornered her in the library and threatened to scalp her if she ever did anything to cause Thomas pain. Jaelyn soon figured out she was just miffed that Jaelyn’s brother Brock was taken. Apparently, she did not care that
he
was half Comanche.

Jaelyn was delighted that Brock had finally settled down. She loved Sabrina; she never had a sister before. She was excited about seeing her again and going to the wedding. Thomas had told her about some of the parties and weddings he had been to when he was up north at school. Jaelyn could not imagine the finery that he described.

She packed up her clothes wishing she had something worthy to wear to such an event. Thomas kept telling her not to worry about it but she wanted to look as good as Thomas always did.

Their group was traveling by train as well. Thomas insisted that they travel first class. He rented a wagon to
transport all of them to town while Chase made arrangements for their horses and animals while they were gone on the long journey.

Chase was weary of the extended trip. He did not like leaving his horses and home. Looking around at the green pines and the tiny buds on the oak trees fighting for
sunlight, he could not imagine living anywhere else. It was easier he guessed for Brock to fit in since he had inherited their father’s brown wavy hair while he and his twin sister Jaelyn had straight black hair like their mother.

Unconsciously he ran his hand through his
shoulder-length locks. He normally wore it longer but his mother insisted they arrive looking civilized. He was a bit envious of the fact that Brock and Jaelyn had found their soul mates. He had always felt his life was full and complete surrounded by his devoted family. Now, he wasn’t sure.