The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances

by Hubbard, Lynn

  The conductor spotting the well-dressed young woman hurried back to her.

  Amelia covered her nose as he approached.

  “May I help you, madam?”

  “Um I need to use the loo.”

  “Are you ill?”

  “No, why?”

  “I’m a bit embarrassed, but some of the chicken that was served was spoiled and there is much sickness. I would not suggest using this privy for a woman of your stature.”

  “Is there another?” she asked hopefully.

  He leaned close and spoke into her ear so she could hear him above the noise of the train. “The last car is a private one. I’m sure they would be willing to share theirs with a lady of your quality.”

  Amelia smirked at that, she was half insulted and flattered. Another gust of foul odor filled the car as the door opened and released a rather white-faced man and a green-faced one took his place.

  Amelia nodded her thanks and made her way back to her own car. She passed her seat and again went outside to cross over to the last car. She wondered what kind of people could afford their own private car. Well she would soon find out, she rationed.

  By the time she arrived her hair was completely loose and billowing around her in the wind, and she really, really had to use the bathroom. The outer door was locked so she had to hold onto the railing as the wind threatened to rip her hair from the roots and knock with her other hand. When knocking didn’t work she resorted to pounding.

  Chapter 7

  Chase was somewhere between consciousness and sleep. His eyes drifted shut as he finally relaxed to the swaying sensation of the train. After all the travel and bustling about, it was nice to finally unwind.

  His peace was interrupted by a droning sound. The resonance could be heard over and over again above the clank of the wheels. Ever-alert, he slowly lifted an eyelid. He gazed around the car to see if anyone else had heard the odd noises coming from the doorway. They had not. Aggravated that not a soul seemed to notice the eerie sounds, he climbed sleepily to his feet and opened up the inner door. Grabbing the swaying wall for support he stepped up to the outer door.

  He was startled to find a white, ghastly face peering in through the small square window. An unnatural howl arose from its mouth and a chill stole through him. The whipping hair reminded him of a childhood legend his mother used to tell him about: it was a banshee. Had he angered the gods somehow?

  An amazingly humanlike hand smacked the glass in front of him and he quickly wiped the sleep from his eyes. Taking a brave step forward, he unlatched the door and the beast was upon him. He instinctively grabbed it and wrestled it to the ground as his family scrabbled over to see the disturbance.

  “Are you insane?” it screeched in an unearthly voice. Chase felt a sudden pain in his ear as his mother quickly summed up the situation and twisted. With a yowl, he was forced off the creature so that his ear would remain intact. He watched in slow motion as Thomas and Jaelyn hurried over to help it up to its feet.

  “I am so sorry, Miss. My brother is a dimwit. Are you okay?” Jaelyn asked the sputtering girl who was still trying to claw her way to Chase’s face.

  Taking a deep breath to try and force down her anger, Amelia closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. She tried to smooth out her petticoats and windblown hair.

  Chase watched the scene from behind his mother. Before his eyes she seemed to transform from a windswept creature into a beautiful young woman. Chase sat and stared in bewilderment.

  “Just fine, thank you. I am very sorry to intrude upon your family. The conductor suggested I might be able to use your privy? The one nearest to my car is unserviceable.” She blushed trying to explain her situation.

  “Oh, of course!” Jaelyn said elbowing the still dazed Chase out of the aisle so she could show their guest to the back.

  “What is wrong with you?” Anna badgered her son as he slumped into a corner like a beat-down dog.

  “I don’t know. I was trying to sleep. I thought she was a banshee,” he mumbled, the words sounding ridiculous even to his own ears.

  “A banshee?” Anna asked with a scowl.

  “You know, like the legends.”

  “Of course I know the legends; apparently you’ve been running around in the woods for way too long. That poor woman.”

  “Poor woman? She almost ripped my eyes out!”

  “Was that before or after you manhandled her to the ground?” his father, Jonathan, asked with an amused chuckle.

  Chase huffed as he lay back down. He tilted his hat down low to cover his reddening face. See if he tried to save their lives again. He pretended not to hear the woman’s skirts rustling as she whisked past him a little while later as she made her way haphazardly back to her seat.

  ***

  The rest of the trip passed uneventful for Amelia. She spent most of it detangling her hair. She was able to locate a bobby pin or two and somewhat clip it back up on top of her head. Inwardly she was still fuming over the rude treatment she had received earlier. Who cared if he was tall, muscular, and handsome. You cannot go around attacking people.

  A banshee. How daft did he think she was? She muttered to herself for the umpteenth time. She noticed the travelers nearby giving her odd looks and scooting further away as if she was crazy. Maybe she was going nuts; after all, why had she just spent the last day thinking of how her skin tingled in the places he touched her with his large warm hands.

  The train slowed to a bumpy halt and she sighed with relief. At least she would be rid of him once she switched trains. Quickly, she gathered up her belongings and hurried off to beat the crowd departing.

  It took Chase’s party longer to unload. Thomas and Chase helped Jonathan down the steep steps to his annoyance. He was getting along very well with his crutches and frowned upon relying on others for help. However, the steep staircase was a hazard to even the able-bodied. They were taking no chances with his well-being.

  The transfer to the new car went smoothly for the group and Chase was glad that he did not see the woman from yesterday among the other passengers loading the new train. Not that he was looking for her.

  They had another car rented out, this one even nicer than the first, to Jaelyn’s chagrin. Even though he was more comfortable, if possible, Chase was anxious to arrive in Mississippi. He not only wanted to see Brock and Sabrina again but also wanted to get the hell off these trains. He was not used to being cooped up for such a long length of time. He missed his home and the freedom to hop on his horse to ride wherever and whenever he wanted.

  “Don’t worry, Chase,” Jaelyn said, sitting down next to him and patting his shoulder. “I asked the conductor and he assures me there are no banshees on this train.” He ignored the others’ laughter as he turned to the window with a sigh; forget Montgomery, he wished he was home.

  ***

  As the train progressed further down the track, Amelia’s thoughts turned to Sabrina. She wondered where she had been all these years. She also thought of Lydia and wondered what she would be like if she had lived. Would she have married? Had children? It was such a loss.

  Growing up in the West, Amelia had seen much grief. Life was not fair. Fate was a trickster; it seemed to steal happiness from people. She hoped that Sabrina would be able to finally find some joy. She deserved it. Laying her head against the cool glass of the window, she fell asleep.

  The train whistle startled her as it ripped her from her slumber. She was having a wonderful dream about a dark handsome man. She was straining to see his face since it was shadowed by his hat when she was so rudely awakened. Peeking outside, she read the town name listed on the water tower: Poplarville. She had arrived.

  Clamoring sleepily to her feet she smoothed her clothing as best as she could and grabbed her carpet bag joining the line swaying down the narrow aisle.

  She grabbed the hand of the attendant as he guided her down the steps and made her way to the back of the train to retrieve her bags. She frowned as s
he noticed the throng of people in front of her waiting for their bags. She hated waiting.

  ***

  As the train screamed to a halt, Thomas and Chase moved to assist Jonathan off the train to his chagrin. Jaelyn and Anna gathered up what little belongings they had in the train car. Finally, they were all on the ground. Jaelyn was still unsure about traveling by train; even though her feet were firmly planted on the ground, it still seemed as if she was moving. Holding onto Thomas’s arm for support, she looked around in wonder at the strange land. She also noticed some people staring at the odd group in question.

  Thomas seemed not to notice as he kissed her cheek before he hurried off to fetch a wagon to carry them the rest of the way to the Lovetts’ home. Chase headed in the opposite direction to gather up the luggage they had stored during their trip.

  ***

  Amelia stood at the end of the platform waiting impatiently for her luggage to be unloaded. A cool breeze swept by and she inhaled the fresh air. It felt marvelous to be free from the stifling compartment. Spotting one of her bags, she grabbed it, slung it over her shoulder with the strap, and waited for her suitcases. Amelia frowned as she saw them tossed haphazardly and land hard on the ground. Annoyed, she marched up grabbing them by the handle. Her arms burned as she awkwardly lifted the heavy bags. Gritting her teeth, she waddled away with her load.

  Her father had loaded the bags earlier so she was not aware of the sheer weight of them. In hindsight, she wondered if she really needed all of the things she had packed. She heard a soft click and suddenly felt her burden lighten. Looking down she saw a pile of her things strewn out on the dirt as one of the locks had given way.

  With muttered curses, she flung down her load and started to collect her belongings. Seeing her plight, a passerby hurried over to assist her. He grabbed a handful of lace and she looked up at him appalled. Recognizing his features as the man who accosted her on the train, she hissed.

  “Would you please give me my bloomers? I do not need your help.”

  Chase looked down at the limp ruffles in his hand and was glad that his hat and dark skin hid most of his reddening face. He tossed it into the suitcase and stammered out his apologies.

  “Sorry, ma’am. About what happened on the train; I wasn’t quite awake.”

  She looked up at him from her kneeling position and he looked down upon her beautiful porcelain face framed with luminous hair and set off by her deep blue eyes. How the hell did he ever mistake her for a banshee?

  “Let’s start over.” He held out his hand to her. “Chase Stafford.”

  Instead of grasping his hand, she frowned at him as she climbed to her feet dusting the street off her skirt. Still eyeing him warily, she grudgingly held out her own hand as the qualities her father tried to instill upon his children took hold. She felt her own face flushing as his large warm hand engulfed hers and she pulled away a bit reluctantly.

  “I’m Amelia, Amelia Lovett.”

  “Lovett? Are you any relation to Sabrina?”

  “Yes, she’s my cousin. I’m headed to her wedding.”

  Chase laughed out loud. A rumble that made Amelia’s body tingle. “So am I. She’s marrying my brother, Brock.”

  “May God help her,” Amelia murmured to herself as she again knelt to finish stuffing her once neat belongings back into her bag. Why was fate so cruel to her? Well she guessed it was Sabrina’s problem that she was marrying into an insane family. To tell the truth, the others all seemed very kind. Just Chase had issues. Maybe too much sun, she thought, noticing his darker skin.

  She allowed him to help repack her suitcase and he grumbled when he had to hold it down while she redid the clasp.

  “Do you really need all of this stuff?”

  “Yes.”

  “How the heck did you get this locked before?”

  “I sat on it.”

  Chase snorted as he carefully removed the pressure; he was relieved when it remained shut. However, he continued to eye it warily as if it would spring open at any moment.

  The train whistled again and he cursed as he hurried over to retrieve his families’ baggage before it left the station. He was relieved to see they had already been unloaded and stacked on the platform. There was only a small trunk and a saddle bag with his belongings. Grabbing them both, he made his way back over to Amelia who was watching him.

  She blushed as he looked down to meet her eyes. He perfectly balanced the trunk on his shoulder and held it securely with one hand as he walked over to her and lifted her largest bag with his free hand. Wow, he’s strong, she thought.

  Coming out of her trance, she sputtered, “I’m fine. I don’t need your help.” She hurried after him as she struggled with her other baggage. She wondered how the heck he moved so quick and lithely, loaded down as he was. She soon spotted the rest of his family waiting by a buckboard.

  They eyed her curiously as she came up to where Chase had already set his load down. She was slightly out of breath and noticed with a frown that Chase was not.

  “You found a friend?” Jaelyn asked with a smirk.

  “Um, this is Amelia. She’s coming to the wedding.”

  “Sabrina is my cousin,” Amelia explained stepping forward, encouraged by their warm smiles.

  “I’m Jaelyn, Chase and Brock’s sister. This is Thomas, my…” She frowned trying to remember the odd word Thomas told her that explained their relationship.

  “Fiancé.” Thomas said stepping forward and gently shaking Amelia’s hand.

  “And these are my parents, Anna and Jonathan Stafford.”

  “They are my parents too,” Chase teased her.

  “Unfortunately,” she muttered.

  “Behave. We have company. You are welcome to travel with us,” Anna said as she turned to Amelia.

  “I don’t want to be a burden.”

  “Nonsense. We have plenty of room,” Jonathan said jovially. Amelia smiled at him.

  Chase stared; it was the first time he had seen her smile. He only wished she was smiling at him. As if reading his mind, she glanced his way and he quickly turned to load their baggage.

  Amelia alone had almost as many bags as his family had brought. Having to get creative, he tied it all down securely stashing as much as he could under the seat and helped Thomas lift Jonathan on board.

  Thomas and Jaelyn would sit up front and drive. Anna, Jonathan, and Amelia would ride in the rear and Chase was pleasantly surprised that Thomas had gotten him a horse to ride for the journey. The small party soon headed out.

  The sway of the wagon seemed to mesmerize Amelia. She looked around at the lush greenery and fields of cotton and vegetables. So very different from her home. Every once in a while a grand oak or field of pecan trees would peek out over the horizon.

  Amelia smiled sadly remembering she had picked basketfuls of pecans with Sabrina and Lydia. They would take home all that they hadn’t eaten and Abigail, Sabrina’s mother, would use them to bake the best pecan pies she had ever tasted. She remembered the syrupy taste as if it were yesterday.

  Mississippi was so different than San Francisco. The few people they passed waved and seemed in no hurry, whether coming or going from their daily errands. The lilt of laughter brought her from her reprieve and she turned her head, seeing that Jaelyn was laughing at something Thomas had said. She smiled at the couple wondering if she would ever be so happy.

  “Have you been to Montgomery before?” Anna asked.

  Amelia looked over to the thin, wiry woman. She was such a contrast to her husband’s heftier frame.

  “We visited several times when I was younger. I haven’t been back since… since the fire.”

  “Is that how her family passed on? In the fire?” Anna asked softly wanting to find out about her future daughter-in-law’s family. Sabrina didn’t speak of them much during her visit and she was curious.

  “I wish they had,” Amelia said softly as everyone quieted to listen. “They were attacked by a gang of outlaws; they s
et the fire. Lydia and her mother were used and murdered. My uncle was hung and shot just for sport. We didn’t get notice until months later, after Sabrina disappeared.”

  “We?” Chase asked.

  “My father and my brother, Riley. Riley went to help Warren look for her but she was gone. ’Til now.”

  “You’re Riley’s sister?” Chase added in surprise.

  Amelia twisted to look up at him. “Yes, I suppose if he’s my brother that would make me his sister,” she said sarcastically. Realizing she was a bit snide, she glanced over to look at Anna and received a nod as Jonathan laughed.

  “He’s a good tracker. I met him after Sabrina was kidnapped last fall,” Chase replied, ignoring her comment.

  “Last fall?” Why the heck did Riley wait until now to send notice? She had some questions of her own to ask when she met up with her brother.

  “Yes, she thought up a plan to lure the killers to her. It worked,” he added grimly, thinking about those frantic hours.

  “Well I see you rescued her.”

  Chase laughed. “Actually, she rescued herself. She’s very resourceful.”

  “Yes, she always was. Well, I am so glad that Sabrina has found someone to love. She deserves to be happy.”

  Chapter 8

  Chase was riding ahead of the wagon. Making sure the road was clear and the way was safe. He had his hunting knife strapped to his waist as well as a gun. Given a choice, he preferred the knife but was deadly with either.

  There was a steep hill ahead and he nudged his horse faster to check it out before the wagon approached. Deeming it safe, he dropped back to inform Thomas.

  Chase liked Thomas a lot. He had given him much amusement since he came to live with his family. He took great joy in embarrassing Thomas in front of Jaelyn and vice versa. He was very happy with his siblings’ choices but could not help feeling empty inside sometimes. As if something or someone was missing.

  He slowed his mount even more to check on his father and mother. They were sitting very close enjoying the scenery and the balmy day. His gaze finally settled on the girl. She had fallen asleep and was curled up in a ball with her head on her traveling bag. She looked so innocent in sleep but he had been a victim of her piercing stare and sharp tongue enough to know that looks could deceive.