The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances (40 page)

She replayed in her mind how gracefully he had moved and instinctively tackled and butchered the boar in seconds. He had to have strong hands to accomplish the deed so effortlessly; she wondered what it would feel like having those hands on her. She wasn
’t naïve by any standard of the word. Playing cards in a saloon will cure anyone from that! No, she wasn’t innocent per se but she was still pure. A choice she had made and stuck by even though sometimes it was very tempting not to.

Chase was making it very hard to stick to her morals. The
Staffords were an odd bunch. They were more wild than tame. Yet, they seemed to live life more by thought and feeling rather than following any rulebook.

She adored Mr. Stafford as well. She wished her father were able to enjoy life and smile again like Jonathan. Even with his ailment, he was jolly. She could see why Sabrina fell for Brock and had chosen to be a part of his family. Thomas had fallen as well. Would she be next?

Chase swung his head around, his black eyes meeting her blue ones. He winked as if he had been reading her mind. She looked away trying to hide her red face; she hadn’t realized she had been staring at him. It was hard not to! She was relieved when he turned back around. She tried her best to ignore him, but soon her eyes were again drawn to him as were her thoughts.

His bronzed skin shimmered in the sun. It looked like
silk stretched rigidly across his back and she wondered if it felt like silk as well. So lost in her thoughts, she had not realized Jaelyn was heading up a slope. She felt herself sliding backward and threw her arms around Jaelyn’s waist so tight it almost cut off her breath.

“
Sorry.”

“
I thought you would have noticed the hill. Apparently your mind is on someone else?”

“
Ahh no, just enjoying the scenery.”

“
And is my brother part of your view? He does seem to be keeping an eye on you as well.”

Amelia ignored the teasing and returned her grip to Jaelyn
’s waist. She did try to watch ahead of them so she would not be surprised again. She hated having to feel incompetent and rely on others to help her. In San Francisco, they lived in town so she walked almost everywhere. She could have a horse if she wanted one, but they were not needed since everything was so close. However, for this trip it would have been better if she had her own horse to ride, perhaps Chase could give her some lessons when they returned.

Chapter 17

Back at the ranch, Alma was teaching Sabrina and Anna how to knit. Sabrina was grateful for the distraction. She was becoming stir-crazy being cooped up, unable to ride, and watched like a hawk by everyone. Alma had suggested the lessons and Anna offered to learn as well. The three women sat on the porch in the spring light. It was a magnificent day. A soft breeze blew by whispering for the flowers to bloom. Spring was Sabrina’s favorite time of the year. Everything was new, fresh.

She sat on the rocking chair, her brow furrowed in concentration. She was determined to do this. Anna, who was used to sewing, took to knitting like a duck
to water. Sabrina was awful at sewing and had the scars to prove it. At least she couldn’t poke herself with the larger rods. She had just finished a row to find it unraveling before he eyes. One of the ginger barn cats had come up and grabbed onto the dangling yarn pulling it back with its claws. Alma shooed it away but the damage had already been done.

“
I am never gonna figure this out.”

“
Of course you will. You are just trying too hard. Don’t make a chore out of it. Knitting should be enjoyable.”

“
Should be,” Sabrina mimicked taking a deep breath and starting over as Alma leaned in closer making sure she was doing it right.

***

Jonathan had coerced Brock into letting him ride. He hadn’t been on a horse since he had lost his leg to infection. Brock didn’t feel confident but Dr. Reynold assured him his father would be fine. Not completely convinced, Brock had Samuel ride along as well.

The hardest part was mounting. Brock supported his weaker side while he lifted his good leg into the
stirrup. He set his mouth tight against the pain from putting all of his weight on his stump. Even with the prosthetic leg that Thomas had acquired for him, the leg still caused him discomfort from time to time.

He pulled himself onto the horse using his upper arm strength while Samuel held the horse still. Samuel adjusted the stirrup on the other side for him and stepped back after handing the reins to Jonathan.

Jonathan, sitting up straight in the saddle, laughed out loud with the pure pleasure of it. “Feel like a man again. What the hell are you all standing around for? Saddle up!” He was feeling whole for the first time since the accident. The other men quickly mounted their horses and followed Samuel down the trail toward the river.

They could hear the river before they saw it. The tumbling water twisted its way along the path nipping at branches and rocks along the way. It was very soothing and the men were quiet as they road.
Samuel stopped in one area, which looked much like all the others around them. Brock from his previous excursion with Sabrina recognized it as the spot where Sabrina had pulled Samuel from the river, offering him life and hope.

“
Beautiful country around here. Would be a great place to raise a child,” Jonathan hinted.

“
I have learned from long, hard experience not to make Sabrina’s decisions for her.”

“
Well said!”

“
A little persuasion wouldn’t hurt. Would it?” Samuel asked.

“
I haven’t made up my own mind. I would not know which way to sway her.”

“’Tis
difficult dealing with the feminine mind. None of us have any hope of unraveling its mysteries.” Dr. Reynold added.

“
Got that right, Doc.” Jonathan laughed as the men moved on following the river.

Mississippi was a very fertile state. Its temperate climate and vast web of streams and rivers lent to the rich soil. In one area the
moss-covered oaks stretched out before them.

“
I have never seen anything like it,” Dr. Reynold exclaimed in fascination.

“
It’s pretty enough, but don’t get too close to it or you’ll be ate up with gnats and chiggers. Nasty little things, damn bites can take weeks to stop itching.”

Brock eyed the hanging tendrils warily knowing Sabrina would skin him alive if he brought back chiggers. The sun was rising in the sky and Samuel
’s stomach rumbled as if on cue.

Worried about his father
overdoing it on his first jaunt, Brock suggested they head back.

He rode Justice to the barn and was happy to see Sabrina waiting for him. He swung down and pulled her into a kiss.

“What have you been up to?” he asked seeing her hand hiding something behind her back.

“
I have a surprise,” she said pulling forth her knitting to display proudly.

The small yellow square was about the size of his hand. He looked down at her eager face awaiting his approval.

“You made this?”

“
From yarn.”

“
It is really good. Umm, what is it exactly?”

“
It’s a blanket.”

“
Isn’t it kinda small for a blanket?”

“
It isn’t finished yet. Don’t you know you can’t knit a blanket in a day? Alma told me it sometimes takes months.”

“
I’m sorry, Sabrina, I don’t know much about knitting. I’m sure our baby will be very warm.”

Sabrina beamed at his praise as Samuel wandered over after helping Jonathan down from his horse.
“Is it supposed to be lopsided?”

“
Your head is gonna be lopsided if you open your stupid mouth again,” Sabrina spat out, angrily grabbing the cloth from Brock and heading toward the house, her eyes welling up with tears.

Brock glared at him as he went to soothe Sabrina
’s wounded pride. Samuel’s rich booming laughter that followed him did not help matters much. How long had Thomas said the bad moods would last?

***

Amelia was exhausted; several miles later she was ready for a warm bath and a hot meal. She wasn’t too particular to what came first. At Riley’s call of “Let’s make camp” she looked up in surprise and dismay. There was no inn in sight, just a small clearing.

“
Where is the hotel?” She heard Sally ask, mirroring her own thoughts.

“
We should hit Biloxi tomorrow. They have hotels there. Figured we would just camp out for the evening.”

“
Sleep outside?”

“
It’ll be okay, Sally. Nothing to fear.”

“
Except being gored to death by a pig, bit by a snake, or attacked by a coyote,” Amelia added sarcastically. She was shaken by the previous incident more than she had realized as she looked around at the dark forest surrounding them.

A movement nearby captured her attention and she looked down at Chase who grabbed her by the waist and lowered her to the ground with ease. Her legs were wobbly and she held onto his arm until she was confident she could stand on her own.

“You okay?”

“
Fine,” she lied.

“
I won’t let any harm befall you,” he whispered before he returned to tend to his horse. Amelia turned to find Jaelyn watching her with sparkling eyes. Why had she suggested this trip?

They quickly set up camp as the sun sank into the trees. Riley insisted on lighting the fire and Amelia watched impressed as Chase cooked dinner. She was a bit skeptical of Chase
’s cooking skills and eating the roasted boar, but after the first taste she quickly devoured the rest.

She had always done most of the cooking in her house. It was out of necessity. After her mother
passed, her father took over the cooking. Although she was very young she took over the chore a short time later for their own well-being.

Thinking of her mother brought sadness. The last trip she had made to Biloxi her mother had been alive. She remembered her laughing in pleasure as the spray from the ocean covered her in mist. Forcing herself back to the
present, she wiped her damp eyes, hoping no one would see as she took another bite.

“
Why are you sad?”

Amelia jumped not realizing that Chase had moved to sit next to her. She hesitated before answering,
“I was thinking about my mother. The last time I was in Biloxi, she was young and alive. So vibrant.”

“
She is still young and vibrant. I was taught when we pass on our spirit is set free. I’m sure your mother is dancing in the wind.”

Amelia forced a smile as she took a deep breath trying to get her emotions under control. She normally tried not to think of her mother. It hurt too much. She looked up at Chase who had grown
quiet again. He was staring up at the moon and she wondered what he was thinking. He was so unlike any man she had ever met before. So strong and quick, yet gentle, funny, and sensitive. It was a tragedy that these beautiful people had been practically stomped out by greed.

“
The sky is bright tonight.”

“
It is the Flower Moon. To let the flowers know it’s time to bloom.”

“
You think the moon talks to flowers?”

“
Who do you think tells the flowers to wake up out of the ground?”

“
Honestly, I never really thought about it before. What man thinks about flowers?”

“
It’s a part of nature; everything is intertwined. The wind, the flowers, the trees—these are all alive giving us air to breathe, fruit to eat, and wood for shelter. We have to respect them and thank them for their sacrifice. How bland the world would be without the color of flowers. You need to rest. We have more travel ahead.”

He moved to stand and Amelia put her hand on his arm to stop him.
“Thank you.”

“
For what?”

“
For being here.”

“
I look forward to seeing this big water.”

“
If you want to see water, you should come home with me to California.” The words slipped from her mouth and she was glad for the darkness to hide her blush. She would love to see the look on her father’s face if she returned with Chase. She wondered if Chase would like San Francisco.

“
Perhaps I will someday. Good night, Amelia.” His soft sultry voice sent shivers down her spine. He quietly stood up and was gone. Amelia felt cold as his body was no longer sheltering her from the wind. She too stood and spread out her pallet on the girl side of the fire. She watched the moon, imagining it whispering a mantra to the flowers until she fell asleep.

Amelia was awoken by Riley early the next morning. She sat up rubbing her tired eyes. She groaned. It was still dark. She could hear Sally complaining about traveling
“in pitch blackness” and was surprised to find herself agreeing with Sally’s sentiments again.

Her body was stiff from the long ride and hard ground. She groaned as she stretched. Jaelyn laughed next to her.
“You sound like an old woman! Hop up! I want to get there today! Thomas says the earth is white there.”

“
You can’t see what color it is in the dark,” she muttered, rolling up her blanket and standing up as she tried to ignore her body’s protests as she readied for the day.

Squinting into the
darkness, she spotted her brother and made her way over to him. “How’s the leg?”

“
Doing well.”

“
You need to let Thomas check it.”

“
I’ll be fine.”

“
Amelia is right. That’s how my father lost his leg. He was too stubborn to go see a doctor.”

“
He can check it when we stop. It’s too damn dark now anyway.”

“
Well if you didn’t wake us in the middle of the night we could see,” Amelia retorted.

“
It’ll be light soon enough. The horses can see.”

Amelia stretched again trying to relieve the stiffness from her neck and back. Large hands came down on her shoulders and gently started kneading them. Her nerve endings tingled as the blood flow awakened those areas as well as others. A soft moan escaped her throat as her
head lulled back. Chase bent over and kissed her mouth and then her cheek.

“Hey,
you two, it may be too dark to see but we can still
hear
!” Jaelyn shouted causing laughter from all.

“
You shouldn’t be talking about silence, sister, when you and Thomas snuck off into the woods last night.”

“
Jealous?”

“No,
not really. Thomas is a nice-looking man but I’m not interested.”

“
Let’s get going so we can get there!” Riley said still laughing as he handed out biscuits they had brought with them.

Ignoring the comments from her friends and
family, Amelia yet again rode with Chase. When the sun started to rise, it was the most brilliant one that she remembered.