Bound by a Child
Pony Express rider Jacob Young is a man of action, which is why when he sees a little girl caught in the middle of a stampede, he races to her rescue. And he soon discovers the child is the half sister he hadn’t known he had. The more time Jacob spends with adorable Daisy and her beautiful guardian, ranch owner Lilly Johnson, the more he realizes they’re filling all the lonely corners of his heart.
Wary Lilly can’t deny the cherished feelings that overcome her when Jacob vows to protect her and Daisy from any harm. And she can’t help but hope that maybe they can put their past hurts aside and forge a future together as a full-fledged family.
“If you will trust me, I’ll help you protect Daisy.”
Jacob watched the emotions wash across Lilly’s soft features. She wanted to trust him but something held her back.
“Thank you.” The words sounded tight in her throat.
He offered her a smile. “I won’t let you down.”
If someone was going to hurt Daisy, they’d have to go through him. He’d vowed to watch over the little girl and he’d do just that.
Jacob realized then that his promise included Lilly. If anyone hurt Daisy, they’d also be hurting Lilly. His instincts told him that she was a kind person. Her sympathy for him when he’d told her about his upbringing had been sincere. Jacob knew he’d not let either Daisy or Lilly be hurt.
He just prayed he’d not lose his heart in his desire to protect them both. Jacob had no intentions of falling in love. Women couldn’t be trusted not to abandon those they claimed to love the most. His birth mother had proven that. No, he’d harden that part of his heart and still keep his promise.
Rhonda Gibson lives in New Mexico with her husband, James. She has two children and three beautiful grandchildren. Reading is something she has enjoyed her whole life, and writing stemmed from that love. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys gardening, beading and playing with her dog, Sheba. You can visit her at rhondagibson.net. Rhonda hopes her writing will entertain, encourage and bring others closer to God.
Books by Rhonda Gibson
Love Inspired Historical
Saddles and Spurs
Pony Express Courtship
Pony Express Hero
The Marshal’s Promise
Groom by Arrangement
Taming the Texas Rancher
His Chosen Bride
A Pony Express Christmas
The Texan’s Twin Blessings
A Convenient Christmas Bride
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RHONDA GIBSON
Pony Express Hero
And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.
—Psalms 9:10
To my brother, Marty McConnell, for all the good times we shared growing up and the support you have shown me as an adult. I’m proud to call you my little brother and best friend. As always, thank You to my Lord and Savior for allowing me to write books for Him.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from Bride by Arrangement by Karen Kirst
Chapter One
Mud Springs, California
Summer 1860
A scream tore through the early-morning air. Instantly alert, Jacob Young reined in his horse and pushed back his hat, scanning the area for trouble. His horse shifted beneath him, its movements telling him it, too, sensed something was wrong.
Then Jacob saw her. A child, no more than three or four years old, in bare feet and a white nightgown. He squinted, searching intently for her parents, but found no one. Why would a little girl be in a ravine by herself at this early hour of the morning? The sun had barely begun to top the horizon.
His gaze moved to the other end of the ravine. A cloud of dust rose like steam from a kettle. Icy fear twisted around his heart as he saw what had the little girl scrambling up the small hillside. Cows, hundreds of cows, thundered down the gorge toward her. The rumble of hooves pounded the ground along with the continual terrified screams from the little girl.
Stampede.
Jacob kicked his horse’s flanks and shouted, “Hiyah!” The horse’s sturdy legs tensed—then, like a shot, they raced down one side of the ravine toward the small figure that seemed so very far away. He leaned over the horse’s neck, urging him to go faster and faster. They were close but so were the cows. A flicker of apprehension coursed through him. Would he make it in time?
The child stumbled and fell, losing ground she’d already gained. Frantically she glanced behind her. Jacob was close enough now to see that fear, stark and vivid, glittered in her eyes. She spotted him racing toward her and stopped trying to climb the ravine; instead she turned and ran in his direction. Clear brown eyes looked up at him expectantly. A solid wall of cattle closed in on her.
Jacob leaned over and grabbed her around the waist. Thankfully she weighed no more than a half bale of hay or Jacob felt sure she would have unseated him. He pulled her up and plopped her in front of him in one swift move. Her fingers clutched his arms and she pressed back against him, turning her head sideways to hide her eyes from certain disaster. His arms wrapped protectively around her tiny waist as the horse swung away trying to outrun the thundering, bellowing cattle. If need be, he’d shield her with his body, should the horse fail in its attempt to get them to safety.
His heart beat so hard and fast in his chest it felt almost painful. The cows continued down the ravine and the dust rolled, causing him to cough. The horse managed to get up the canyon wall just before the cattle pounded past them.
The little girl shuddered. He tightened his hold, offering comfort the only way he knew how. She sneezed and rubbed at her eyes. Jacob slowed the horse to a walk.
“Honey, are you all right?” He loosened his grip on the child.
She wiggled around to face him. “Uh-huh.” Big brown eyes looked up at him. Her heart-shaped face was covered in dirt and muddy trails traveled down both cheeks where her tears had run into the collar of her now very soiled nightgown.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked as he wiped at the dirt on her face with a handkerchief from his pocket.
She shook her head and her blond braids slapped the sides of her little face. “I don’t know. I went to sleep and when I woke up I was here.”
The sound of hooves pounding the ground had Jacob twisting in the saddle
and looking over his shoulder. A young man and woman raced toward them. Fear and relief warred for a place on the woman’s face.
“Daisy! Are you all right?” the young woman called.
Jacob felt more than saw the little one nod, her hair rubbing against his chin. Her name fit her. Her golden hair resembled the color of a yellow daisy, her brown eyes the button in the center of the flower. Jacob was thankful he’d come along when he had, but anger twisted in him like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
When the woman and man got close enough, Daisy answered, “I’m all right. Lilly, he saved me.” Her big brown eyes drank in Jacob’s face.
The woman pulled her horse alongside Jacob and reached for the child but Jacob was having none of it.
“Where were you? Why was she here by herself? What kind of mother lets a child wander off alone at this time of the morning?” Jacob’s heart demanded he say more but the child in his arms tensed and placed her hand against his heart. He took a deep breath and reined in his temper.
“Now see here.” The man bristled at Jacob’s words but the woman held her hand up and silenced him. Tears glistened on her pale heart-shaped face.
“I’ve been looking for her since early this morning. I have no idea how she got here... I don’t know how she opened the door to get out of the house.” A hot tear rolled down her cheek. She swiped at it with a trembling hand. “I would never intentionally let her wander off, nor would I want her hurt in any way.”
With an odd twinge of conscience, Jacob handed Daisy across to the woman. It surprised him to see her wearing men’s trousers. Her pretty blue eyes ran over the little girl as her arms gathered her in a tight hug. Golden hair hung over one shoulder in a tight braid, reminding him a little of his adoptive mother, Rebecca.
The woman whose name he now knew to be Lilly looked to be about his age, twenty, maybe a year or two younger than himself. Jacob realized he was staring and said, “I’m not sure why she is out here by herself but the cattle almost did her in.”
Before Lilly could speak the man beside her interrupted. “And I’d like to know what you’re doing on Johnson soil, mister.”
Jacob leaned against his saddle horn, aware that his hands still shook. “My name is Jacob Young.” He pushed back his hat and met the other man’s eyes.
“Lilly, the cows came running toward me. I almost got runned over,” Daisy said, laying a small hand against Lilly’s cheek.
Lilly stopped running her hands over the child and looked over Daisy’s head. “Thank you for rescuing her.” She hugged the little girl close to her. “I’m Lilly Johnson and this is my sister, Daisy.”
“You still haven’t told us what you are doing here,” Lilly’s companion said. Ice-blue eyes scowled at Jacob.
Jacob didn’t care for the man’s tone but he assumed that he was Daisy’s father so thought it best to answer him. “I’m the new stock tender for the Pony Express. I was headed to the Johnson ranch to let the owner know I’d arrived.”
Lilly stopped fussing over the little girl and straightened in the saddle. “I’m the owner of the ranch, Mr. Young.”
“Then I’m assuming Mr. Roberts, the Pony Express superintendent, told you I was coming.”
“He did.” She nodded to the man beside her. “This is Sam Hawkins. He’s the foreman of the ranch but your job is totally separate from the ranch, so the two of you won’t really have much time to spend with each other.”
Lilly directed her gaze back to the little one in her arms. Her worried voice questioned her sister. “Daisy, what made you come this far from the ranch house? You know you aren’t supposed to leave the house or the yard without an adult.”
The little girl’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t, Lilly.”
“Then how did you get out here?” Lilly asked, her voice shaking as her hands smoothed the hair from Daisy’s forehead.
Daisy looked confused. “I don’t know. I was sleeping and woke up here.” She shrugged as if it were all a mystery to her.
Worry and fear entered Lilly’s face and eyes. She looked to Sam.
He shook his head as if to say, Not here.
Her head swiveled in Jacob’s direction. Clear blue eyes looked him over. “Follow us and I’ll show you the barn and tack room, where you will be staying.” She spun her horse around and headed for home.
Jacob couldn’t shake the feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. Little Daisy had said twice that she’d been sleeping in her room and then woke up out here in the ravine. How had she gotten here?
Sam didn’t seem too concerned as he rode with Lilly and Daisy. If anything the man had been angrier to find him with Daisy than relieved that the little girl was all right.
Jacob told himself that it was none of his business. His business was to work on the ranch while searching for his birth mother to find out why she abandoned him when he was ten years old. He might need to remind himself of that fact quite often if things were as off-kilter on the Johnson ranch as they seemed.
He thought about the little girl’s caramel-brown eyes. They looked nothing like Lilly’s pretty blue ones. Lilly had said they were sisters but other than hair color, they didn’t look much like they were related. He shook his head, reminding himself once more to mind his own business. He had his own family problems to deal with and didn’t need to add another family’s to his.
Still, Daisy reminded him of his adoptive sister, Joy, and he’d fight to the death to protect Joy. And deep down, Jacob knew he’d watch over Daisy in the future, too. How could he not?
* * *
Lilly’s insides quaked. Daisy had been so close to being killed. If the Pony Express man hadn’t shown up, she hated to think what would have happened.
Jacob Young had said he was the new stock tender. The last one had been an older man and had been nice enough but she really hadn’t paid him much mind. Come to think of it, she’d seen the Pony Express riders exchange horses by the barn and then continue on. She’d really not paid much attention to them, either—her first order of business had been to take care of Daisy and the household along with any ranch business or financial things that Sam brought to her attention.
If she was honest with herself, she’d stayed away from the men because she didn’t want their attention. The last thing she needed was to fall for a man who was only interested in her family ranch—a ranch that belonged to both her and Daisy.
Her father’s last wife and Daisy’s mother, Gertrude, had taught her that people weren’t always who they first presented themselves to be, especially if they thought you had land or money. Gertrude had treated her like a servant when her father was out of the house or away on business, but was sweet when he was present. Her stepmother had told Lilly many times that should her father die, Lilly would be on the first stagecoach to a boarding school. If Gertrude hadn’t died first giving birth to Daisy and leaving Lilly without a stepmother and her father without a wife, Lilly would be in a boarding school now or working someplace far from her beloved ranch.
Looking back she probably should have told her father about Gertrude’s true nature, but her love for him had stilled Lilly’s tongue. He’d often told her he’d married Gertrude so that she could be a mother to her. Lilly shivered, as her stepmother had been anything but a true mother.
After lunch, as Lilly made her way across the yard and to the barn, she wondered how Daisy had gotten out in the ravine. The little girl’s feet hadn’t been scuffed up like they should have been if she’d walked barefoot all the way out there. She didn’t want to think about it but Lilly felt sure someone had taken the girl from her bed and carried her off. But why leave her in the canyon?
“You are deep in thought.”
Lilly stopped several inches away from Jacob Young. What he’d said was true. She’d been so deep in thought that if he hadn’t spoken, she w
ould have run into him. “I was.”
He stepped out of the barn door. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you.” Jacob pulled one of the Pony Express horses out of the barn with him.
“No, I’m the one who is sorry. I snapped and it wasn’t because I’m irritated with you. If anything, I’m very grateful to you.” She offered him a smile that she hoped he’d recognize as a peace offering.
Jacob looked back at her and returned her smile. “No harm done.” He walked the horse several feet away from her.
The sound of a bugle blared through the air. A few seconds later, Lilly made out the Pony Express rider and his horse. In less than five minutes, the rider had exchanged horses and was back on the trail.
Jacob pulled the tired horse back into the barn. He passed Lilly and led the horse into one of the many stalls. He closed the door behind the animal while staying in the stall. “If you want to share your thoughts, I’m a pretty good listener.”
Lilly walked to her mare’s stall. “I was just thinking about Daisy and how she got into the canyon this morning.” She pulled a saddle blanket off the nail on the wall and spread it out over the horse’s back.
“I’ve been thinking about that, too.” Jacob took the saddle off the horse while he talked. “Has she ever walked in her sleep?”
“No, she’s a heavy sleeper but she’s never walked in her sleep,” Lilly answered as she tightened the cinch under her horse’s belly. She stood. “And even if she had walked that long way, her feet would have been cut up from the rocks and plants along the way.”
“And I take it they weren’t?” He leaned against the stall door.
Lilly shook her head. “No, they were dirty but not hurt in any way, which I’m grateful for. Normally Daisy sleeps until I wake her after my morning ride. Only this morning, something led me to go check on her before I left.” She sighed and leaned her forehead against her horse’s neck. “I’m so glad I did.” Lilly straightened and looked at him.
They stood staring at each other for several long minutes, both deep in thought. Who would want to hurt her little sister? Lilly didn’t want to suspect any of her men of trying to harm Daisy, but she felt a chill travel down her spine. Suddenly she reconsidered taking her daily ride.
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