“Please, Chase, stop. You’re going to kill him!” She pulled on his arm. Her pleas penetrated his crazed mind. Chase dropped him and stepped away. “Gutless cur, no more than he deserves.”
Clay staggered to his feet and wiped the blood away with his shirt sleeve. “You broke my nose, you son of a—” Another punch sent him spinning and he fell on his face. He got up on his knees, spitting blood in the road. Clay glanced around. Several of the town’s folks had gathered around. “You’ll pay for this. I’ll see you behind bars!”
“I wish we had law here,” Chase snarled, “cause you’d be strung up for what you did to Molly and Timmy.”
“I can do anything I want. She belongs to me. I paid for her and I aim to get her back!”
The need to badly hurt this man was strong, but Chase had to take another tact if he wanted to keep Molly and Timmy safe. He smiled lazily, dropped his arm around Molly’s shoulder and hooked the thumb of his other hand in his front pocket. “You’re too late.” He kissed the top of Molly’s head. “Molly and I were hitched the last time we came to town.” He had to tighten his arm when he felt her body jerk.
Clay’s eyes opened wide in surprise. He looked from Molly to Chase. “You’re a cussed liar. There ain’t nobody here to do any hitching.”
“Reverend Parson comes through every few weeks for church services, something I’m sure you know nothing about.” Chase smiled down at Molly. “We caught him while he was here and he married us.” Chase’s eyes glittered dangerously as his demeanor changed from loving to cold-blooded. He leaned closer so his meaning was crystal clear. “And I will kill anybody who tries to take what’s mine.”
Chase took Timmy and threw him up and onto his shoulders and then took Molly’s hand in his. “Let’s get us some of that hard candy.”
Chapter 9
They were halfway home when Timmy finally fell asleep in the back of the wagon. “Chase,” Molly whispered, “what was all the marrying talk about?”
“I wanted him to know you were no longer alone or by yourself. Maybe he’ll back off and get the hell out of town.”
Molly bit her bottom lip and folded her hands tightly in her lap. Chase placed his hand under her chin and brought her face around to his. The kiss was little more than a whisper when he brushed his lips against hers. Chase searched her face and saw an innocence that melted his heart. His thumb gently rubbed her bottom lip. “That…” he took a deep breath, “man will never touch you or Timmy again, if I have anything to say about it.”
Molly’s smile quivered slightly. An awkward silence followed. “Chase,” Molly asked hesitantly, “do you have any family?”
“I do,” he muttered, then smirked. “I have two older sisters. Ione, but I call her Nee Nee, and Josie. Nee Nee got herself hitched to Morgan Shipley and they live in Texas. Josie married Bill Murphy and live over in Colorado. In some ways they are like two peas in a pod and in other ways, different as night and day. Nee Nee is blonde and Josie has reddish brown hair, but they both have green eyes.” He put his head back and laughed slapping his knee. “I must have been about seven years old and this kid, Archie was his name, always picked on me and the rest of us smaller kids. He was a few years older and bigger. Nobody liked him. No matter how we all tried to fight back, he’d just push us away and snicker. One day he pushed me down and my cheek hit a big rock. Blood was everywhere.”
Molly gasped with indignation. “What a horrible bully!”
Chase chuckled. “I tried my best not to tear up, I swear I did, but it hurt like blazes.” Chase pointed to a scar on his right cheek. “Right here’s a bit of proof. Well anyway, he was laughing and didn’t see Nee Nee storming up behind him.” Chase was laughing harder which got Molly giggling. “Molly, darned if she didn’t march right up to him, ball up that little fist, and lay old Archie out flat on his back!”
“Well, while he was down, all the rest of us piled on and got in a few licks. Old Archie never bothered us again, all because of my sis.” Chase smiled and shook his head. “After that, I never backed down from a fight again. Thing is, Nee Nee was no bigger than a minute and she hated any kind of fighting!”
When Molly stopped giggling she asked about his parents. His smile disappeared and his demeanor changed. “My mother and father live in Des Moines, Iowa. He’s a doctor.”
“Oh.” The lighthearted mood was gone.
“Before I was born, my parents had a son, Georgie. He got croup and died when he was two. My father never got over it and,” Chase paused, looking for the right words, “everybody suffered for it. For me it was like growing up fatherless. My father and I had one hell of a fight when I left.”
“I’m sorry, Chase.”
He shrugged. “I receive letters now and then from Mother and my sisters so I know what’s happening in their lives.” He patted her hand. “That’s what’s important.”
They weren’t far from home when Timmy woke. He climbed up and sat between them and the peaceful ride was over.
Horses could be seen from the road they were traveling. “Look, Mama,” Timmy said pointing at the horses. “They look like tiny toy horses.”
“I didn’t realize you also raised horses, Chase,” Molly said.
“We deal mainly with cattle, but our ranch is bordered on one side by the Hualapai Mountains and the Cottonwood Cliffs on the other. We can use these mountains as a natural fence, and with the creeks and high desert grasslands, it’s a good location for horses, so we do run a small herd.”
Two men were riding toward them, clouds of dust billowing behind. Ed and Jasper reined in. “What are you doing out this way?” Chase asked.
Ed looked from Timmy to Chase. “Checking the herd’s all,” Ed said, a casual warning in his voice.
“I gotta pee, Chase.” Timmy stood up, shifting from one foot to the other.
Chase jumped down and lifted the boy to the ground. He took the opportunity to walk over to Ed.
“What’s up?”
“We lost a colt. Looks like another cougar attack.”
Chase swore under his breath. “What’s that make? A calf, yearling, and a colt?”
“Yep.”
The horse pulling the wagon neighed and danced sideways. Molly grabbed the reins. Chase ran to the front and grabbed the halter. “What’s the matter with you, Betsy?”
Ed and Jasper’s horses snorted and threw their heads around. Timmy climbed back up on the wagon. “Oh, Mama, look at that pretty horse.”
Every eye turned to where the boy was pointing. Forgotten was any talk about a cougar or the damage it had done. In front of them, standing on a small hill, was a snow-white stallion with inky black nostrils. His mane and tail fluttered gently in the breeze.
“It’s the Ghost,” Chase whispered. “Jasper, get off your horse and make sure Molly gets back to the ranch.”
“But, Boss…”
“Now!” Had Jasper not moved immediately, Chase would have dragged him off. In one fluid motion, Chase was on the horse and galloping toward the stallion with Ed close behind.
The stallion reared up on his hind quarters, pawing the air, before turning and disappearing over the hill.
Jasper kicked the wheel of the wagon before getting up on the seat. “Dang it! I wanted to go.”
“I’m sorry you needed to stay behind, Jasper.” Molly tried to soothe the man, the same way she would handle Timmy when he was pouting.
“Tell us about the ghost horse,” Timmy said excitedly.
“That’s the first time I’ve seen it!” Jasper’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Story is, half the horses around here were done sired by the Ghost. And to hear tell about it, he’s been around for years and ain’t nobody hardly ever even gets a glimpse.”
“What’s sired mean?” Timmy asked, captivated by the story.
“Well, um, that means, he’s their pa.”
“Well if nobody has ever seen him, how do they know the Ghost is their papa?”
Molly burst out laughing w
hen she saw the expression of disbelief on Jasper’s face. “Because they say so, a course!”
“Who are they?” Timmy asked.
“Them that knows!” Jasper tsked, as if bothered by such ridiculous questions.
“Oh.” Timmy nodded, taking Jasper’s word as gospel.
At supper that night, the only ones at the table were Timmy, Molly, Emma, and Rosie. Molly pushed her food around her plate and kept getting up for one thing or another and looking out the door. “What do you keep flittering around for?” Emma asked.
“It’s been hours! They should have been back long ago.” Emma was holding Rosie. Her head snapped up and she looked at Molly in surprise. She sat back, smiling as though she’d discovered a wonderful secret.
“What is that look for?” Molly demanded, her cheeks burning. “I’m just worried something might have happened!”
“Yeah,” Timmy chimed in. “I want to see the ghost horse!”
“What look?” Emma said, still grinning. “I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about.” Emma stood and went to put the sleeping Rosie on Molly’s bed. She came back out of the bedroom and started clearing the table. “But you should know there’s the off chance they might not even come home tonight.”
“Oh,” both Molly and Timmy said at the same time, disappointment loud in that single word.
A ruckus from outside grabbed everyone’s attention. The ranch hands were yelling with excitement. “They’re home!” Timmy jumped from the table and ran out the door with Molly close behind. Emma had to jump out of the way to keep from being shoved to the floor. Chuckling, she peeked in on her precious daughter and then joined the others to see what all the fuss was about.
Men jumped on the corral fence to watch. Jasper had the gate wide open as Chase and Ed, both with a rope around the stallion’s neck, brought the struggling horse inside. Timmy ran to where Clancy was and climbed up to watch. The old man lifted him up and draped his arm around him so he wouldn’t fall. Molly found a spot where she could watch the battle between man and horse.
The men were whooping and hollering, while Chase and Ed tried desperately to get their ropes free. Timmy’s eyes filled his entire face and his mouth was wide open and he watched with fascination.
Molly’s eyes were trained on Chase. He was covered in dust and his shirt was moist with sweat, even though the night air was chilled. Dried blood caked his cheek.
She wasn’t sure if she took a single breath as the stallion’s front hooves slashed the air and his back legs kicked at anything in reach. Snot flew from the ghost’s nostrils as it screamed in protest. Chase and Ed were off their horses, working to control the animal on foot while two ranch hands ran in and took their horses out of the corral to safety.
As fast as it started, it was over. The horse, free of the ropes, was on the other side, it’s chest heaving. Ed and Chase walked out of the corral. The horse made a dash at the men, making them hurry to shut the gate, as if saying, “You’ve won this battle, but the war is far from over.”
The men crowded together, laughing and slapping the two conquerors on the back, asking all kinds of questions. Molly took the time to survey the animal in the corral. A long mane hung to its chest. He was completely snow white, except for his nostrils, the inside of his ears, and the very tip of his long, white tail that almost brushed the ground. Those were coal black! The ghost pawed the ground and flung its head. He was magnificent!
“Clancy, would you throw him some oats, while I go in a get something to eat? I’ll be out when I’m done.” Clancy set Timmy down and he ran to Chase, taking his hand, chattering as they walked toward the house.
“You have a daughter now. You can’t be doing foolish things like trying to catch some dang ghost horse for hours and into the night, while I’m here wondering if my baby’s father is alive or has broken his fool neck somewhere! You’re too old to be doing things like that.”
Ed pushed his hat back and put his arms on his wife’s shoulders cupping his hands behind her head. “Old, am I! I guess I’ll have to just show you how spry I am later tonight.”
Molly watched as Emma raised up on tip toes to kiss his lips. In the pit of her stomach she felt a yearning that almost hurt. Molly envied what they had. More than anything, she wanted that kind of love.
Chapter 10
During the days that followed, Chase and his men were busy rounding up the cattle and branding the new calves. If Chase wasn’t out on the range, he was working with the ghost horse. The only time he took for himself was to eat and sleep.
Chase dragged himself into the kitchen. “Morning,” He said to Molly. “I’m just gonna grab some coffee.” His voice was raspy. “I need …”
“No, you won’t!” Molly stood in front of him with hands on her hips. “You will sit down and eat this hot breakfast and that’s the end of it!” Thunderstruck, Chase stopped and stared at her. His mouth turned up in a crooked smile. “Do not laugh at me, Chase Forrester.” She pushed him backwards until he fell onto a chair. Molly turned and picked up a plate full of eggs, a thick slab of ham, and hot biscuits. She laid them, none to gently, on the table and told him to eat every bit of it!
“Sit down and keep me company then.”
Molly pulled the sash of her robe a little tighter as she sat down with two cups of coffee. She ran a hand through her mane of red hair, sweeping it off her face. Chase entertained her with funny stories of mishaps during branding seasons over the years, keeping the conversation light.
Molly tried to smother her laughter so as not to wake Timmy “I’ve never seen cows get branded. Would it be permissible for Timmy and I to ride out and watch? I promise we wouldn’t get in the way.”
Chase buttered one of his biscuits then took a long sip of coffee before answering. “Molly, I’d prefer you and Timmy stay close to the ranch unless one of the men, or myself, is with you.”
“Chase, I’m sure Clay is probably—”
“It’s not just Clay. We’ve lost some calves and a colt and from the looks of it, it’s a cougar doing all the damage. I’ve never seen this type of problem before so, maybe it’s more than one cat.”
Molly paled. “Is Timmy safe outside?”
“He’s safe enough around here.” A quick tap on the back door told Chase that Ed was ready to go. “The boss calls,” Chase said grabbing his hat.
Molly blocked his way. “Chase, I heard you coughing this morning and last night and your voice is scratchy. Maybe you could rest for just one day?”
“This is a ranch and we all do what we have to do. I’ll be fine.” He took her face in his hands and kissed the top of her head. “Don’t worry, Mother.”
“So stubborn!” He laughed and walked outside.
Later that day Timmy came running in with his pup right behind him. “Socks wants a bone, Mama. Do you have one?” Socks was her name because of the white patches on her paws. The pup followed Timmy everywhere.
“As it happens I have a ham bone, but you will not let Socks have it in this house.”
“I know.” Socks jumped up and down as Timmy tried to open the back door.
“You also stay close to the house, you hear?”
A loud crack of thunder had Socks whining and running for cover under the table. Outside, dark, angry clouds hung low. Lightning slashed and explosions of thunder followed.
“Stay inside, Timmy. I’m going to check on Emma,” Molly said.
It wouldn’t be long before the rain came. When Molly got to Emma’s place, Emma opened the door, looking a bit frazzled. “Are you okay?” Molly asked, concerned for her friend.
“Yes, but Rosie didn’t sleep well last night. She finally drifted off and I know this storm is going to wake her up.”
A gust of cold wind would have knocked Molly over if she hadn’t been holding onto the door. “You take care of that baby. Come and get me if you need anything.”
On her way back home, a noise caught Molly’s attention The barn door banged open and closed.
She heard Elsie, the milk cow, bawling inside.
The thunder and lightning blended together as the sky opened up. Molly was drenched by the time she ran the short distance to the barn. She soothed the frightened cow with a little more grain. Another noise caught her attention. This time it was outside. Molly ran to see what was going on. Timmy was in the pouring rain standing at the corral screaming. Socks had run under the fence and was yipping at the Ghost. Since Chase had worked with him, some of the wildness seemed to have disappeared. Molly and Timmy would sometimes throw carrots to him and he even once came close enough to take one out of her hand. He was tethered to a post in the middle of the corral. The rope gave the stallion plenty of room to walk around.
The storm, along with the barking puppy, had the horse rearing and kicking. The slack rope wrapped around Ghost’s neck and tangled around its front legs. Every time he reared up, the rope tighten and finally brought him down hard on his side.
“Socks!” Molly hollered. “Come here!” The pup ran out when another thunderclap exploded above. She grabbed her up and marched Timmy back to the house. “Get out of those clothes and stay in this house!” Her voice brooked no argument.
Molly ran back out, the rain beating down on her. The horse still lay on the muddy ground, sides heaving. Normally, there was a least one ranch hand around, but not today so she crawled between the fence posts and slowly approached, terrified the horse was going to escape and stomp her into the ground. As she neared, Ghost struggled again to regain his feet.
“Shhh,” Molly said, softly, the storm drowning out her words. She carefully got on her knees behind the horse’s head and put her hand out to touch him. The rope was tight across his neck and the only way she was going to get him loose was to cut him free.
“I’ll be back.” Molly backed away slowly and ran to the house. Her shoes and dark blue skirt were covered in mud. Timmy and Socks were playing in the front room by the fire. She found a knife, ran back out and once again, crawled slowly to the horse speaking softly.
Chase's Story (Grandma's Wedding Quilts Book 10) Page 5