The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances (30 page)

Chapter 2

California

Amelia Lovett sat in the dimly lit room. Rays of light crept through the dirty windows exposing the dust in the air. Sitting at a table, carefully considering her options, she looked around at the gruff men surrounding her. Her gaze returned to the cards in her hand as she laid down two of them on the scarred wooden surface. She accepted two more from the dealer and carefully hid her smile. Two more
diamonds—a flush.

She added more money to the pot and could just make out a subtle twitch from the man across from her. She shifted her hip slightly so she could easily grasp the gun in her waistband if the need arose. They all matched her bet and called the hand.

“I’m seeing red boys,” she said as she showed her cards. Her smile widened at their curses. So involved she was in the game, she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. She inwardly cursed herself for not paying better attention to her whole environment.

“
Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She looked up still keeping a wary eye on the gentlemen at the table. The bartender was holding a piece of paper in his
dirty hand. It was a telegram. She grasped it excitedly hoping it was from her brother, Riley. Folding it quickly she tucked it into her bodice. She turned her full attention back to the men at the table.

“
Good day, gents!” she stated with a wink as she quickly raked up the bills and tucked the proceeds away. She nimbly made her way around the close-set tables and out of the saloon.

Keeping watch to make sure she was not followed she turned her attention to her surroundings. She sucked in a breath of clean salty air. It was another wonderful balmy day in San Francisco. Wanting some place peaceful to read the note in
private, she headed to the port.

Large ships were anchored just
offshore. They had their sails restrained from the billowing wind. How often Amelia had thought about hopping on one in hopes of a new adventure. Not that her life had been boring.

Her parents had met when Haden Lovett, her father, headed west to seek his fortune. His uncle had bequeathed him and his brother, Gavin, his mine at his death. Gavin had already settled with down the beautiful Abigail so he gave his share to his brother.

Haden not only discovered gold but also his most precious find, Amelia’s mother, Suzanne. Suzanne was his sun. Her golden hair outshined the stars in the sky. He was very lucky to have discovered her in the mine camp and spirited her away from her family. Amelia was not able to recall much of her mother since she died from fever when she was five. Her father kept her spirit alive with stories of Suzanne and how much she loved her and her brother Riley.

Sitting on the dock, she unfolded her letter written in the small neat print of the clerk. She hoped it was
Riley. She had not heard from him since last summer. Her eyes quickly flew to the bottom of the page. Yes! Excited, she quickly read the telegram.

Amelia tell father I am well stop

Sabrina is safe stop

Her Wedding at Montgomery stop

April 20 stop

Love Riley stop

A plethora of emotions swept through her. Relief: Her cousin, Sabrina, had been found and was safe. Not only safe but engaged. Excitement: She was to travel to Mississippi for the wedding! Anger: Riley could have given her some more information! Where had she been? How was she found? Whom was she marrying?

With a sigh, she refolded the note and tucked it into her skirt pocket. She had always loved visiting Mississippi as a child. Her favorite pastime was running around the forest with Sabrina and Lydia and catching lightning bugs. One summer,
they had taken mason jars to trap them with and punched holes in the top so that the tiny flickering insects could breathe. She also remembered them being switched for dumping out the canned vegetables to get an empty jar. It was bittersweet.

She remembered when they first received the news of her
uncle’s tragedy. Soon after, they learned of Sabrina’s disappearance as well. Riley had even gone to help with the search while she stayed behind to comfort their father; he had been very close to his brother. Now she and Riley were all he had left in the world. Her heart fell a bit more remembering the horrid manner in which Lydia had died. She had always wondered what had happened to Sabrina, why she had ran away, why she never sent word.

Of course, Sabrina had no idea they had moved. Against all odds, her father had discovered a large vein of gold. Not wanting his children to befall the same fate as his Suzanne, he moved them to San Francisco and used the proceeds from the mine to start a mercantile. Her mother would have loved it.

A cry of a seagull captured her attention and she raised her face to the sky as she watched it glide on the breeze. The cool air sweeping across her face as she swiped at the tears that had escaped. Climbing to her feet, she scurried down the boardwalk to her father’s shop.

“
Father!” she called out as she banged open the door excitedly. “I received a telegram from Riley. They found Sabrina!”

Her father came out from behind the counter and hugged her close with tears in his eyes. After first
losing his wife and then his brother, he had almost given up hope that Sabrina would be found safely.

“
Blessed be,” he murmured releasing Amelia. “Is she okay?”

“
She’s wonderful! She’s getting married at Montgomery. And we’re invited!”

“
Married?! But she is just a child.”

Amelia huffed at that.
“She’s a year older than I am. She grew up as well. Her childhood ended a long time ago,” she said sadly.

A burden settled heavily onto his shoulders and he sat down on a stool deep in thought. Life was hard. He didn
’t know if he had the will to go back to his brother’s ranch. There was too much sadness, too much loss there.

“
We need to make arrangements for the store; we need to check the train schedule, pack… What am I forgetting?”

“
I’m not going,” he said softly, as he stared at the ground, not having the courage to meet her shimmering eyes.

“
What do you mean you’re not going? You have to go!”

“
I just can’t. Too many memories. It took me a long time to get over the past and move on. I can’t go back.”

“
You’re talking nonsense,” Amelia spat out in irritation. She loved her father dearly but she hated that he had seemed to almost give up on life.

“
I’m staying.”

“
Well, I’m going. With or without your approval.” Amelia said with a hitch in her voice as she moved toward the door.

A strong hand grabbed her arm.
“Amelia! Of course, you will have my approval. In fact, I want you to take her a gift for me.”

He moved to the back room, Amelia noticing as if for the first time his stooped shoulders and slight hunch from working the mines for so many years. Her heart ached as she watched him lean down even more and open a safe. Amelia watched as he took out a small burlap pouch.

“Hold your hand open.”

She did as she was told and gasped as he opened the pouch and dumped out a gold nugget the size of a penny. Her hand dipped a bit, not expecting the weight of it.

Answering the questioning look in her eyes, he started to speak. “I always meant to give this to her father, but… Well, I would like Sabrina to have it. Cash it in and get her something nice.”

Amelia tucked the small pouch safely away. She hugged her father tightly. He had held onto that nugget for as long as she could remember. Maybe parting with it will help him finally overcome his grief.

Stepping outside onto the bustling street, she took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. She had so much to do. The wedding was only a month away. Her next stop was the train station to arrange for passage: for one.

Chapter 3

With the train rumbling along the tracks beneath them, Sabrina Lovett sat stiffly next to Brock. She shifted her back; it was aching from resting on the seat for such a long period of time. The worn-down padding in the seat cushion offered little comfort. The scenery flashing by the window was making her slightly woozy. Of course, these days it did not take too much to make her nauseous, she thought as she placed her right hand on her slightly rounded abdomen.

She blushed thinking back to when she had first informed Brock of the upcoming event. He had swept her off her feet and carried her to their bed where he ravished her for hours. Since then he had treated her like a porcelain doll. Upon learning of the excursion, Brock had offered to get them a sleeping compartment but she had instantly declined.

With memories of the past arising again, she gripped his hand for comfort as a small tether to reality. Not all of her memories were good ones. Her last train ride was not pleasant and she was having a hard time pushing it out of her mind. Through her own foolhardiness, the madman who had slaughtered her family years ago had kidnapped her. He had drugged her and rented out a sleeping car to keep her subdued during the train trip.

Awaking early, she decided to play along with his delusion until she had a chance to escape. In the end, she took his life and
jumped from the moving train to gain her freedom. Walking west, she eventually ran into Brock and her other rescuers.

The motion of the train was hypnotic and in her drowsy state, she glanced over at Brock. Her memories wandered back to when they first met and her heart beat a little faster. It was a bit awkward to say the least! She had first met Sheriff Stafford while she was portraying a stable boy in Oklahoma. Her spirit fell in love with him instantly; her aching heart took a bit
longer.

She had been hiding from her brother
’s vast resources and put her love of horses to good use. Falling for Brock had not been in her plans but fate kept bringing them together. He had saved her life in more ways than one, and her heart was a willing sacrifice. Although he was half-Indian, he chose to live in the white world and uphold justice. Even though they considered themselves married by Comanche tradition, her brother Warren insisted on them having a ceremony. After much argument between Warren and herself, Sabrina reluctantly agreed, for Brock’s sake, to get married at her childhood home in Mississippi in the spring. Thus, the train ride.

Sabrina shifted again. She looked at Brock and frowned. She was annoyed that
he
was so comfortable and she was not, so she poked him. He instantly awoke, drawing his gun as he did so. Looking at Sabrina’s amused smile he replaced it just as fast.

“”Sorry,”
he mumbled.

“
I don’t blame you for being high strung, being on this train is giving me the heebie jeebies. I still think we should have just ridden the horses.”

Brock frowned.
“Thomas said…”

Sabrina groaned, she was so sick of hearing about him.
Brock had been annoyed by Thomas at first, especially when he found out about his relationship with his sister. Of course, that was before he found out Sabrina was with child. In concern for her safety, he now consulted with Thomas by post on a regular basis, and they were driving her crazy.

Sabrina settled down in her seat and leaned against Brock
’s firm chest as he put his arm around her. She pulled the blanket over them both and tried to rest. She was very tired but she could not get her mind to stop so that she could sleep. She was going home. Well, her brother Warren’s home at least. She had not called Montgomery home for almost four years.

After the
“train incident,” Sabrina and Brock had tried to make their life in Oklahoma where they met. It was difficult though; there were too many bad memories to add to Sabrina’s already long list.

Walking down the main street
of Tulsey Town, she had to pass by the still burned-out barn where Brock had saved her life. Although she had lived, she had lost Star, the horse she loved. It seemed so long ago that she had been sleeping in the hay and pretending to be a boy. She thought of the time that Brock had realized she was a girl and a giggle escaped.

“
What’s so funny?” He asked, kissing the top of her head.

“
I was just remembering the look on your face when you found out I was a girl.”

Brock groaned.
“You tortured me so.”

Sabrina smirked
, moving her hand to his chest under the cover. “I could make it up to you,” she said sliding her hand down further and cupping his crotch. Perhaps a sleeping car would have been better after all. They could have created new memories.

“Behave,”
Brock whispered, but he did not move her hand.

“Supper,” a
perky voiced called, and Sabrina frowned at the woman hovering over them her hands laden with food. Reluctantly pulling away and sitting up, the woman placed a steaming plate of chicken and greens in front of her. Sabrina took one whiff and scrambled over Brock, almost toppling the plates as she hurried to the lavatory.

She had barely shut the door before being sick into the commode. Catching her breath, she thanked Brock silently for his good sense in choosing seats that were closest to the back. Resting her head on her hand, she sat trying to settle her stomach. Her gaze landed on the lavatory. There was no
basin, and you could see the tracks below as she watched the earth fly by underneath them. The blur of the ground plus the swaying from the train was too much and she heaved again.

Brock was there this time holding her hair from her face and gently rubbing her back. Exhausted, she sat on the floor of the small room with her back against the wall. Brock knelt next to her in concern.

“You okay?”

She nodded.
“I’m sorry. It’s all the motion and then the food.”

“
Shh. It’s okay. Do you want to sit here awhile?”

Sabrina shook her head no before climbing to her knees. She took the cup that Brock offered her and rinsed out her
mouth. He handed her his handkerchief with which she gratefully wiped her lips and face before handing it back to him.

He helped her up and led her back to their seats. He took the window seat allowing her to sit on the aisle. She frowned seeing that the food had been removed.

“You had them take the food?”

“
I didn’t think you would feel like eating right now.”

“
You still need to eat.”

“
I’ll live.”

Sabrina sighed not having the strength left to argue. Snuggling up against him again, she soon fell into an exhausted sleep.

Switching trains, the iron horse carried her closer and closer to her past. She had loved her homestead growing up, her family had years of happy memories there. However, every time she thought of Montgomery, all she could remember was her father, mother, and sister dead in the yard. They had died horribly and Sabrina had witnessed the last part of it. She would have been dead too if it had not been for her best friend, Samuel.

Samuel was now the foreman at Montgomery and handled everything since her brother Warren traveled much of the time. It was unusual for a man of color to be in such a powerful position. However, Samuel was not help; he was part of their family. Sabrina had saved his life when he was
younger, and they had been inseparable ever since. Well, at least until her family’s death.

With her brother away and her home destroyed, she stayed with Samuel and his
mother, Alma. When Warren finally returned from Boston, he put her on a train heading north against her will. Sabrina hopped off and decided her own fate; she headed out West where destiny led her to Brock.

He gently nudged her awake from her nap seeing that their food was coming. He hated to disturb her sleep but figured she needed to eat as well. Sabrina reluctantly sat up and wearily watched the cook set a tray down in front of her. She smiled at the woman as she eyed the large pile of mashed potatoes and butter on her plate. She sat down an identical one for Brock and winked knowingly as she moved to the next travelers.

“You could have gotten a steak,” Sabrina said, taking a small nibble to test out her queasy stomach.

“
I know,” Brock said, taking a big bite of potatoes.

Sabrina took a larger bite and then another as her body craved the food. They ate silently and Sabrina pushed away her empty plate, which was whisked away quickly.

“Feeling better?”

“
Much. I hope your family can come. Do you think Thomas will be able to keep the secret?”

“
I don’t know. I know I wouldn’t be able to.”

“
Darn right,” Sabrina said smiling at him. The train started slowing and she looked past Brock out the window in surprise. She had not realized that they were that close to their stop. She must have slept longer than she thought. Her nerves set in and she again grasped onto Brock’s hand for support. As the train came to a complete halt, he helped her to her feet and gathered up their baggage. Not knowing how long they would be gone, they had brought most of their belongings, which was not much.

Sabrina had never thought of the homestead outside of Tulsey Town to be home. The only things she insisted on bringing were the horses. She felt bad for having them cooped up in the cattle cars but did not want to trust their care to anyone in town. Most everyone she was close to in Tulsey was gone now.

Mac, her old gruff friend at the saloon, had passed on. He had died trying to save her, and she could not force herself to set foot in the place ever again. Sabrina’s heart was heavy; she had felt responsible for Mac’s death. Brock, of course, told her that he knew the risks, but it did not help. She still missed him.

Her previous employer and friend, Mr. Jack Swanson, had decided to move on and sold the saloon and everything else he owned in town. The only thing he took with him was his wife
’s piano.

“
Watch your step!” The conductor called out forcing her to focus. She took his hand while he helped her down the steep wrought iron staircase. Her feet landed on the ground and she was back in Mississippi. She felt Brock’s hand on the small of her back and she moved forward automatically as they stepped away from the metal beast. Her legs felt wobbly as she walked along the dusty street. It felt as if the ground was swaying. She held onto Brock’s arm tightly, afraid she would lose her balance.

She heard someone holler her name and looked up to find her brother Warren waving his gray hat in the air. The sunlight glanced off his glorious red hair that he kept trimmed short to hide. Her heart filled with happiness at seeing her brother. She hadn
’t realized she had missed him so. Dragging Brock with her, her determined steps quickened until she was in his arms. Pulling free she turned to greet the large hulk of a man standing next to the wagon.

Before she could speak, Samuel swept her up in a bone-crushing hug. Sabrina was relieved when she was finally released with all of her ribs intact. The men then stepped forward to shake Brock
’s hand hardily. Warren’s observant eyes darted down to Sabrina’s rounded stomach. Brock chose that time to leave to claim the horses.

“
Looks like the wedding was planned none too soon,” he stated casually.

“
I was gonna ask if you had a good winter but apparently you did,” Samuel said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek and hug her again.

Sabrina knew her face was scarlet and for once in her life, she was at a loss for words. She silently cursed Brock for leaving her alone and gave him a dirty look when he came back with the horses and the rest of their belongings. She became even bitterer as
he
was clapped on the back, congratulated, and hugged by both men.

Brock,
sensing her anger, hugged her gently from behind and kissed her jaw as he whispered his apologies in her ear. She would have felt more appeased if he was able to hold in the chuckles. Elbowing him in the chest, she turned her attention to her horse, Justice. She ran her hands down his neck and flank as she soothed the horse after the long journey. She was pleased to see no scuffs on his smooth coat.

She had purchased Justice all by herself with the reward money she had earned from helping to capture train robbers. It was during that escapade that Brock discovered she was a girl. With the memory lightening her
mood, she thoroughly checked him from head to hoof. She was glad to see that he endured the trip quite well. She next moved over to check Troy, Brock’s horse. She knew, of course, that Brock had already examined the horses but she wanted to ignore the men for a while longer, so she took her time to Troy’s delight.

The men had loaded up their trunk and baggage and they were soon ready to head out. It would still be a long ride to Montgomery and Sabrina was not looking forward to more travel. Warren and Samuel had driven a buckboard for her to ride in on the way back. She frowned as she looked at the wagon.

“Who’s riding in the wagon?” she asked, a bit aggravated.