A Treasure Brought by Fate
A WESTERN ROMANCE NOVEL
LORELEI BROGAN
Copyright © 2019 by Lorelei Brogan
All Rights Reserved.
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Table of Contents
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A Treasure Brought by Fate
Introduction
Lyla has built a stable future for herself, away from the rest of her family. But when her sister dies tragically in a dreadful accident, she has to go west and pick up her nephew, the only survivor. And even though her plan for inexplicable reasons is to avoid being in close contact with him, she will find herself moved by the sheriff asking her to reconsider and let the boy stay with him instead. Soon enough Lyla will become confused by her conflicting emotions, but will she find the courage to face secrets from the past and eventually follow her heart?
James, the local sheriff of Wheatberry, has forgotten what happiness means since his wife died in an unexpected manner. But when he suddenly witnesses a horrifying accident, he is quick to run to an orphaned little boy’s aid. All the more, what he would never expect is that he would end up loving and becoming attached to him. When the boy’s aunt - a beautiful troubled woman - arrives in town, he will do his best to convince her to let him raise the child. Will he succeed in changing her mind and finally creating the loving family he never had the chance to make?
Just when Lyla and James come closer and start trusting and loving each other more and more, ghosts from their past will arrive to haunt them... Will this dreadful situation tear the couple apart? How much are the heroes willing to sacrifice so as not to give up on each other?
Chapter 1
James paused on the porch steps that led up to the sheriff’s office. He had been sheriff of Wheatberry, Kansas, for five years now. He still enjoyed the work, but in a different way than he had at first.
A lot had happened since he had received that badge, a lot of painful things that left a man changed forever.
Shaking away his memories, James pushed through the door, walked over to his desk, and sat down with a sigh of pleasure.
“You’re late, as always, boss,” Merrick pointed out as he sat up from the bench he’d been sleeping on.
“It’s something I can do, being boss and all.” James picked up the newspaper on the desk in front of him and began to look for something he hadn’t read yet.
“That’s called taking advantage of authority,” Daniel said, walking into the main office from a little side room where they kept their gear.
“You know, I always wonder how it is that the two of you always manage to be here before me. You both live further away, and I know for a fact that your horses aren’t as fast as mine.” James set the newspaper down and looked at his two deputies.
Many people said you couldn’t work with friends, but that hadn’t applied to Daniel and Merrick. The three of them had slowly become closer over the past five years of working together.
“We just get up when we’re supposed to.” Merrick chuckled.
“Or you don’t have anything to do.” James gave them a glare.
“Tell yourself whatever you want, boss.” Daniel sat down on the bench and flipped through a bundle of wanted posters that had just come in. “Do you think we’ll catch any of these guys?”
James shrugged. “It’s always possible, but this sheriff’s office hasn’t caught a wanted man in more than three years. Not that we have a lot of crime here, and I’m grateful for that.”
Daniel looked at James over the posters. “It must be nice, though, bringing in bad guys and getting paid for it.”
James used to think that way, too, but in the end, he’d decided that he wanted to be more of a family man—at least, he had when Alice had been alive. “I don’t think it’s all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Have you ever tried it?” Merrick had begun to sweep the floors, but he stopped to ponder his question.
“I did.” James didn’t want to say anything else about it. That part of his life was behind him.
The day he had met Alice while he was chasing down a wanted man jumped into his mind. He had been trying to avoid the memories, but there were times when they forced their way into his head and didn’t give him any choice.
James glanced at his pocket watch. It was still early in the morning and he didn’t expect they would have anything that required his attention for the day.
Today, he had something special to keep him busy. “I’m actually going out for a while. I trust the two of you can handle things here?”
James didn’t miss the worried look Daniel and Merrick shared.
“I’ve just got to go and run an errand.” James pushed his chair back and walked with an easy gait to the door.
As he left the sheriff’s office, James smirked. He hated the way his deputies looked at him with pity.
He didn’t need people’s pity. He was sure there were people out there who had a lot worse life than he did. There were certainly people who had lost a whole lot more than he had.
James untied his horse from the hitching post in front of the sheriff’s office and ran his hand down the horse’s neck.
“Come on, boy, let’s go pay her a visit,” he said softly.
He pulled himself up into the saddle and rode off towards the place that called to him—but also the place that made him feel the worst pain of his life.
The ride felt short, even though James knew that it took almost an hour to get there. He sat on his horse for a few moments before dismounting.
Maybe he shouldn’t be doing this. It had been three years now. Maybe it was time to move on.
Even thinking the words sent a pang of pain to James’ heart. How could he think of abandoning her like that?
James tied his horse to a low tree branch and patted his nose. “I’ll be back soon, buddy.”
Walking through the trees, he pushed branches out of the way and attempted to make as little noise as possible. There was no one else out here, but it still felt right to maintain the silence.
He came to the little clearing at last, his chest heaving up and down with labored breathing from the brisk walk he had taken through the brush to get there.
It was a small area, probably not large enough to build a single cabin in, but it was large enough for its purpose. There was only one stone in the clearing: Alice’s.
“Hi, Alice.” James spoke softly. He knew that she couldn’t hear him; she hadn’t been able to hear him for three years now.
James walked over to the large smooth grey stone that marked the top of Alice’s grave. He sat down and leaned up against it, then pulled a small bottle of whiskey from his jacket pocket.
“I know that it’s been a while. The boys were worried about me today.” James took a drink of the whiskey and hissed through his teeth as
it burned a path down his throat.
“They think something’s wrong.” James coughed. “Something’s not wrong. Everything’s wrong.”
James tipped his head back and laughed at nothing. Things were so dismal, so dark.
He didn’t come here often, only on the special days. He couldn’t handle more than that. A stray tear ran down his cheek, and he closed his eyes to let the memories come rushing in.
“We were just talking about you!” the mayor said loudly, reaching his arm out towards James in a welcoming manner.
They were at the town fair and James was immediately suspicious of why the mayor was being so friendly.
As he approached, he caught sight of the person to whom the mayor was talking.
James drew in a quick breath and his heart skipped a beat. A young woman stood there, her light blonde hair tumbling about her shoulders in delicate curls.
Her blue eyes sparkled, and she gave him a wide smile. “Hello, my name’s Alice.”
James couldn’t find the words to answer, so instead he just reached out his hand and took hers.
She giggled nervously and then glanced between James and the mayor.
“James, this is my daughter, and Alice, this is James, the sheriff.”
James’ confusion must have shown on his face.
“She just moved here with her mother, from the city,” the mayor explained. He laughed, giving James a friendly pat on the shoulder. “I’ll leave the two of you, then.”
“I’m sorry about that. Pa is just excited I’m here,” Alice said good-naturedly. She watched her father retreat and then turned back to James as if she was were waiting for him to say something.
“Oh, um, I mean, that’s understandable…that he would be excited.” James adjusted his hat and looked around, searching for anyone he knew who might help him in this situation, but he found no one.
“So, would you like to take a walk?” James felt silly as soon as the words left his mouth. A beautiful girl like Alice must have a dozen guys asking her to walk.
To his surprise and delight, she nodded in agreement. “That sounds nice.”
“So, how long do you plan on staying in Wheatberry?
James smiled at the memory. That day had been the first of many that he had walked Alice around town. He had fallen in love with her like he had with no other.
A light rain began to fall, and James stood up. It was time to go. He looked down at his wife’s grave and ran a hand over the smooth headstone. It didn’t matter how many years passed, he would never forget her or be ready to leave her behind, no matter what other people said.
James took his time walking back to his horse, letting the little sprinkling drops fall over him, washing away a little of the pain that plagued him.
He had chosen to bury Alice here because it had been her favorite spot. He figured she should lay to rest in a place she had enjoyed while she lived.
By the time James reached his horse, he had a sad smile on his face and his tears mingled with the rain on his cheeks.
He climbed back into the saddle and turned toward town. He was going to have to get a change of clothes from his house first, or his deputies would never let him hear the end of it.
“Whoa! Whoa!” A frantic voice made James turn his horse around. For a moment, he couldn’t find the source.
After a few seconds, a wagon came barreling down the hill above him. James touched his spurs to his horse to get him out of the way. Just as he moved off the road, the wagon rushed by.
As it passed, James saw the faces of its riders as if they were in slow motion.
There was a woman beside the man who was pulling back on the reins with all his might. Behind him, a little boy was holding on to the side of the wagon for dear life.
James didn’t need a moment to think before he sprang into action. There was a turn up ahead on this road and if he didn’t stop those horses, the entire family would go over the side of the cliff.
It wasn’t a very high cliff, but it was high enough that someone going at that speed would be seriously injured—or worse.
“Giddy up!” he yelled to his horse, pressing his spurs to the animal’s sides, urging him to go faster.
The faster he went, the closer he came to that curve, along with the family in the wagon. He could sense that he was gaining but wasn’t certain that he would get to the horses in time.
His horse was now almost neck-and-neck with the wagon’s horses. James leaned out and tried to take ahold of their reins, but his hand just didn’t reach.
He put his arm out as far as he possibly could, and his fingers touched the harness, just barely. Then, the curve was right there in front of them.
The look of sheer terror and horror on the man’s face as he reached out and grasped the woman’s hand said it all.
He knew what was about to happen. Everyone did, but there was nothing James could do to stop it.
He turned his horse at the last moment, pulling the animal to a stop. And James watched as the family, the wagon, and their two horses flew over the cliff and down to the ground below.
Their cries filled the air, echoing through the valley, and then everything was silent, except the sound of gravel and rocks as they trickled down the edge of the cliff.
A horse squealed as it thrashed below in its harness. James scrambled down from his horse and raced toward the cliffside. He had to get down there.
When he did, would he find anyone alive?
Chapter 2
James tried to keep his balance while he climbed down the steep embankment. He grabbed at the branches of the bushes that jutted out from between the rocks to keep upright as he slid the last few feet to the bottom.
The horses were in a horrific tangle of odd angles and twisted legs. One horse still moved, but it was obvious that he was grievously injured. The wagon had lost two of its wheels on the way down and it, too, had suffered irreparable damage. The canopy on the back was tangled in the belongings of the family, which were strewn along the sides of the embankment.
The man and the woman had ended up close to each other. James could immediately see that the man was dead. He wasn’t moving a muscle, and his skin looked much too pale.
His hand was still clutching the woman’s, as if she could have kept him in this life should she have held on hard enough.
The woman’s eyes were closed, but James had hope for her. Even from a slight distance, he could see her chest rising and falling.
James rushed to her side and felt her neck. There was a steady beat there. It was hard to find, but it was steady.
James breathed a sigh of relief. He had no idea what had happened to the little boy and he knew that the man was dead, but he felt as if he had somehow cheated death, with the woman alive.
Her eyes suddenly flew open and her free hand reached out and grabbed James by the arm.
James jumped a little, startled by the sudden movement. He tried to lift the wagon that was partially over the woman’s waist, but it was no use. It was too heavy for one man to lift.
“Help! Somebody, help me!” James yelled at the top of his lungs. His heart felt heavy, as he knew no one would come. There wouldn’t be anyone out in the rain on this back road.
He pushed his shoulder against the wagon and heaved with all of his strength, using every fiber of his body.
A Treasure Brought by Fate: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 1