The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances

by Hubbard, Lynn

  Sabrina tried to hide her smile as Brock sauntered up stretching himself to his full intimidating height. He had been avoiding her like the plague. She did not think he completely bought the spider story but, not having any excuse for his own actions that day, he went along with it.

  Remembering how his eyes deepened in color as he held her sent a shiver down her spine. She knew she was playing with fire, but she did not dare stop. She wanted him. He made her feel again. It had been so long since she had felt anything. After her family had died, she cut off her emotions so she would not feel. She did not want to hurt that way ever again. If she didn’t love anyone, it wouldn’t hurt if she lost them, right?

  She forced a smile for him. “Evening; Troy’s been waiting for you.”

  He nodded his thanks. Unsure of what else to say, he quickly saddled the horse himself. Without speaking to Will, Brock mounted Troy and left. Miffed at his silence, Sabrina turned and headed down the town’s boardwalk deliberately not watching him leave.

  As she passed the jail, she noticed the door was ajar. She had not been inside for a while. Glancing around cautiously she entered. Seeing her picture still nailed to the wall, she quickly ripped it down and folded it up, placing it in her pocket. Feeling better, she decided to stop by the saloon, pick up some supper and walk down to the river to eat.

  The Swan was slow. Inside there were just a few regulars who scraped together enough cash to play some cards and get a drink. She barely noticed them as she headed to her usual stool.

  “Hey Mac, could you pack me up some food? I need some fresh air.”

  Mac nodded as he moved closer, taking in her demeanor. “Why so glum?”

  “I dunno, do you ever wonder why we’re here? What’s our purpose?”

  Mac stared at her. “Sounds like you got the whole world on your shoulders. The world’s too heavy for a boy of your age.” He went to the back to get her food and Sabrina followed him to help. Looking at her, he spoke again. “But, yes, I think we all have a purpose–mine is to keep the drunks from busting up the place. And yours, well, you’re good with animals but I don’t think God planned on you being in a barn your whole life. I’m sure you know that too; otherwise you wouldn’t be in here pestering me and worrying. God has plans for us all; we just have to listen when he calls.”

  It was Sabrina’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “I dunno Mac, maybe you missed your callin’ too.” She bade him farewell, took her poke sack and walked down to the river.

  She sat in her favorite spot under the big saw tooth oak. The huge limbs offered shade as she sat eating her chicken. She watched the activity on the river. The whole town seemed to grow, as if overnight. She knew that Brock had been busy and had heard a couple of gunshots here and there at night but nothing major. Usually it was just some drunk with a chip on his shoulder. That was a bad combination. Mac had banned her from coming into the saloon after dark. Even though Mac’s saloon was tamer than some of the other ones in town, she heeded his warning. She didn’t need any more trouble.

  She heard the train whistle a while before she saw it. The big black steel engine coughed its black smoke into the air as it chugged closer and closer. The whistle screamed as the locomotive came into town and stopped with a mighty wheeze. Sabrina wondered briefly about the people boarding and arriving. Her own train experience had been unpleasant. The fact was that all Warren had to do was follow the darn track down to Tulsey Town and he would find her. She wondered if he was even still looking.

  The Reward poster was a couple of years old. She wondered where the heck Brock had gotten it from? She’d sent her Aunt a letter at one of the train stops just to let her know that she was safe. She used the rest of her money to buy a ticket that would take her as far away as possible. She ended up in Tulsey because that was all she could afford. The end of the line. Maybe she was meant to be here. Feeling sleepy she lay her head down for a quick nap.

  Brock rode into town set on getting his last load and hitting the bed. It had been a quiet week so he felt confident he could leave early with no big disaster. He noticed Jack Swanson at the Stables feeding his horse and he frowned. Where was the boy? As if Troy was reading his mind, the horse sauntered over to the stables automatically and, sighing, Brock dismounted and greeted Jack.

  “Where’s Will?” he found himself asking.

  “Oh, I don’t know, haven’t seen him since this afternoon. He’s a real good helper but he wanders off from time to time. You know how young’uns are.”

  Brock looked up at the sky, the sun had already set and the brilliant pinks, oranges, and blues were fading into a deeper purple as the light diminished.

  “It’s almost dark; you aren’t worried about him?”

  “I’m sure he’s fine. He probably saw Mac at supper if you’re worried. I gotta get home before my wife skins me alive. If you wanna worry about someone, worry about me.” Mr. Swanson chuckled at his little joke as he headed down the street to his home.

  Gritting his teeth, Brock rode Troy over to the saloon, tying him up outside. Taking a deep breath, he headed inside. The saloon was loud but not rowdy. He nodded to a couple of cowboys playing cards and spotted Mac headed towards him.

  “Drink?” Mac asked.

  “I’m looking for Will; he hasn’t come back and Jack was worried about him.” Brock was trying to act casual but Mac eyed him warily.

  “Boy takes off from time to time. He’ll be back by morning.”

  “Did you see him earlier? Did he say where he was going?” Brock asked, the questions pouring out faster than he wanted them to.

  “He came by earlier today. I didn’t interrogate him, though. He was troubled about something, said he was gonna walk down to river. I bet ya two bits he fell asleep,” Mac said matter of factly.

  Nodding his thanks, he left the saloon. A curious Mac watched him go.

  He searched the boardwalk and alleyways as he rode towards the river. The fading light stretched out in long shadows making it difficult to see. He heard the water and nudged Troy toward the riverbank. Ground tying him, he eyed the earth, trampled down by dozens of feet. There were too many footprints to discern Will’s small boot print. Looking across the landscape, he saw the large oak tree and headed toward it. Spying the curled up bundle beneath the boughs, he stopped, not sure how to approach him.

  He felt nervous; he took a deep breath before ducking under the branches and nudging the boy’s boot. He almost jumped as Will shot up into a sitting position, looking alarmed.

  Sabrina felt a jolt of terror when she glimpsed the hulking figure towering over her. It was dark, the sun had almost completely disappeared, and she had not meant to sleep for so long. As her eyes adjusted, she recognized the tall, thin shape and frowned.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Jack was worried so he sent me to find you,” Brock lied again.

  Will snorted. “Well, looks like ya found me.”

  “You shouldn’t be out by yourself after dark; it’s not safe.”

  “Ya know, I really wish people would stop treating me like I’m a child. I’m fine.”

  “Are you?” Brock asked, concerned. “Mac said you were worried about something.”

  “You wouldn’t understand,” Sabrina said, walking out of the trees and heading toward the stables.

  Brock hung back and followed the boy slowly, just in case a sloppy drunk tried to molest him. But it was as if no one noticed him at all. How sad.

  Brock stopped by the jail to pick up the rest of his belongings. Hopping on Troy, he headed home to unpack, rest and think; not necessarily in that order.

  Time seemed to drag by for Sabrina. She moved through her routine in a daze. Her thoughts kept wandering back to Brock. He had been busy as of late: As the cattlemen moved into town, greed seemed to follow. There seemed to be more fights and general unrest as fall settled in. Sabrina marked time by watching the old oak tree turn from green to yellow and she sat for hours watching the squirrels frolic in its bou
ghs and stuffing their cheeks with acorns.

  She tried thinking of ways to drop by his office just to see him. However, she could not come up with a plausible excuse. Therefore, she saw him rarely. She did catch him staring at her a time or two. On the other hand, maybe she was just hoping he was looking at her. Fine. Forget Brock. She would go visit Troy.

  Smiling for the first time in weeks she climbed to her feet, dusted off her bottom, and headed to her quarry. Seeing Brock through the window hunched over a stack of papers, she headed to the horse tied up outside.

  Sensing her nearby, Troy neighed in anticipation as she walked up to him. She stroked his neck and chatted softly to the horse. “Your big dumb master doesn’t bring you by to see me, does he?” she whispered. Troy shook his head as if in answer. She scratched behind his ears and watched a quiver run down his spine from pleasure.

  A shadow crossed over her and she spoke to the man behind her. “How’s the new home?” Sabrina asked. She meant for the comment to come out off handedly, but instead it sounded wistful. Angry at herself for letting her emotions get the best of her, she patted Troy and walked away before he could answer. She felt his eyes following her as she headed back to her sanctuary. She couldn’t fight the feeling that she had left a bit of herself behind.

  Chapter 6

  The following day Sabrina did not see Brock or Troy at all. Thomas stopped by to drop off some liniment for Mrs. Swanson’s rheumatism. Sabrina did not know why he couldn’t have taken it to their house instead of dropping it off with her. To make matters worse, he did not leave; he just hung around chatting while she cleaned Star’s saddle. The Reynolds had a new barn built and no longer kept their horses in town so there was no excuse for him to stick around.

  “Looks like a storm’s coming in,” he commented as a brisk breeze rose. Sabrina looked up, taken off guard as she looked at the darkening clouds off in the distance. She did not know why she hadn’t noticed the change in the weather herself. Even the air had changed; it was thicker somehow, as if it was gathering energy.

  She put away the saddle and polish and went to check on the horses; they were snorting and moving restlessly. She went to the last stall in the back and patted the gentle Star on her nose. “It’ll be okay, girl. I promise,” she whispered as the horse neighed back at her. She barely took note as Thomas left to head home. Closing the main bay doors against the wind, she made a check on the horses one by one. When she’d settled them all, she lit a lantern, providing light in the now-dim barn.

  Oklahoma had many bad storms. She had heard lots of stories of strong winds coming out of the sky and picking up anything in their way. She thought people had been joking at first but, after hearing so many different stories from different people, she realized they couldn’t all be false. She wished she was not alone. She wished someone was with her–even someone like Thomas. Ever since she’d been on her own, she’d hated storms worse than ever. Settling into her loft she lay awake, cringing a little every time a gust of wind shook the rafters.

  She lost track of time. The wind blew and blew. She wondered where all that wind came from and what riled it up in the first place.

  The horses were getting restless. Sabrina climbed down and, edgy as she was, tried to quiet them. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself as well. The horses could sense fear, and she did not want to upset them any more than they already were. The storm raged on outside even fiercer than before. She could hear thunder in the distance and cringed at every rumble as it drew closer.

  As a child, during storms Sabrina’s mother would always try to soothe her by telling her God made storms so that there would be rainbows. She recalled her mother’s sweet voice as she sang at her bedside until it passed. Sometimes the whole family would gather in the main room and sing. She vividly remembered the rich deep voices of her father and brother. Tears burned her eyes yet again. Sniffling, she moved from horse to horse, petting and singing softly to them trying to sooth herself as well as them.

  That evening there were four horses in the large stable. Their thoughtful owners boarded them at the livery while they were in town visiting for the night. Along with Star and another older mare, there were two choice stallions both strong and high strung at that. She didn’t know how the two bankers handled such horses. Blaze, the dark red horse, kicked at the gate, wanting to escape. Solomon, the other visitor, was a dark brown color. His temperament reminded her of Troy.

  She missed Troy, since he now stayed with Brock most of the time. He was a fine horse. She’d thought about raising horses in the future and knew he would breed good stock. ‘His owner would breed well, too,’ a soft voice whispered in her mind. She barely saw Brock anymore either and, yes, she missed him too. She smiled recalling the day at the McAllister’s place when he held her close. His expression was hilarious as he realized that his body was responding to Will. Sabrina would have laughed if she wasn’t so tense. Forcing herself to concentrate on her task, she shook her head to clear it.

  She would get no sleep this night. Blaze reared up on his hind legs as lightning struck nearby. Climbing on the gate, she stretched up to reach his harness. She pulled him down and tried to get him under control before he hurt himself or one of the other horses.

  Crack! Another flash struck even closer. Sabrina could actually feel the electricity in the air. This time all of the horses were flailing in their pens and Sabrina’s less sensitive nose eventually picked up what they smelled. Smoke. The lightning had struck the roof and the barn was on fire.

  Her first instinct was to open the stall doors and release the frightened horses, but without the barn doors open the frenzied horses would still be trapped inside and she would more than likely be trampled. Thinking quickly she ran to the main doors and threw them open. She released the closest horse, making sure she was behind the gate as the horse turned and ran in terror out of the livery and into the night.

  The barn was starting to fill with smoke. Apparently, the fire was spreading fast even with the torrential rain. The roar of flames sounded closer so Sabrina quickened her pace, releasing the next horse.

  Covering her face with her shirt, she next released Mr. Swanson’s old mare, Copper. Three down, one to go she counted automatically. She coughed as her lungs filled with smoke and begged for oxygen. It was very warm now despite the cold drizzle dripping from the ruined ceiling. Tendrils of flame and fiery ash rained down on her and Star, licking at the straw on the floor. She stomped out the ones she could as she concentrated on the latch at Star’s stall. In panic Star had struck the gate with her hooves, jamming the pin in the latch.

  Time seemed to stand still as Sabrina fought with the lock. She could hear nothing except for the crackling of the fire, the raging wind and Star’s screams of terror. Sabrina felt her energy waning as she coughed again, trying to suck air into her burning lungs. She was starting to feel dizzy when someone grabbed her from behind. She was lifted up, and pulled away from the neighing horse. She had a flashback of a time not so long ago when her befuddled mind screamed out the first word she thought of: “Samuel!” He was again preventing her from saving the one she loved. In her mind, Star’s screams mingled with Lydia’s as Sabrina was pulled out of the barn and into the fresh air.

  She coughed, sucking air into her starved lungs. As her mind cleared a little, she fought the arms still holding her. Turning on her captor, she looked up beseechingly into Brock’s face. “Let go! Star’s still in there!”

  “It’s too late!” Brock yelled through the wind and commotion. Townspeople were running around forming bucket brigades to stop the fire from spreading. Panicking, Sabrina kicked Brock hard in the shin, jolted loose, and dashed for the burning barn. She was fast but Brock was faster and he tackled her near the entrance. She screamed in horror as the barn collapsed in front of her. Brock grabbed her by her belt and pulled her back to a safe distance.

  Spent physically and mentally, she sank into the mud and sobbed in anguish. She could hear people yelling and
shouting around her but she did not care. She felt numb to emotion but she still felt the rain and the cold mud she was laying in. She lost track of everything as her mind reeled. Star was gone as was her job and all the money and belongings she had. For the second time in her life, Sabrina watched as her home burn to the ground.

  She was barely aware when strong arms reached down for her and picked her up. She wept as she was carried off into the cold darkness.

  Chapter 7

  Brock again sat watching Will sleep; it had become a pastime of his. He remembered the terror he felt when he arrived in town and saw the barn aflame. His heart almost stopped as he heard Jack yelling that Will was still inside. He saw horses escaping and when Will did not emerge, he ran in. He followed Star’s fearful whinnies, as he knew that Will would be close by. Seeing him fumbling with the broken latch as the ash fell around him Brock ran forward grabbed him and pulled him out. Outside in the fresh air he was taken off guard by his immense sense of relief that Will was not burned. Will’s screams had torn at his very soul and he wasn’t certain why.

  He carried the boy to the jail and laid him on an empty cot. His breathing was shallow but steady; he was exhausted and Brock left him to sleep as he went back out to secure the town.

  Brock wiped his eyes wearily; they still burned from the smoke and ash in the air. Of course, the fact that he was up all night did not help matters either. Luckily, the barn was the only building that was totally destroyed. A couple of others were damaged by the wind and rain but were repairable. There were some injuries, but so far the only loss was the horse. He sighed–what was the boy thinking, risking his life for a horse that wasn’t even his?

  A soft knock on the doorframe roused Brock from his thoughts. Mr. Swanson came in to see how Will was feeling. Brock stood to greet him.

  “I see you achieved a great deal in the last couple of months,” Mr. Swanson said, looking around.