The Bride’s Secret_A Western Romance Story

by Elliee Atkinson

  Daryl shook his head. “I don’t know what I would do without the love of my woman.”

  “You ain’t exactly young, my friend, I hate to tell ya. You’ve only been with her a year now.” Sam turned smiling eyes to his sister. “And I’m real glad you came along.”

  Daryl shared his smile. “I am, too. And I’m tellin’ ya, I don’t know how I did it. I feel like I would be lost at sea without her now.”

  “You boys talking about me as if I’m not even here.” She smiled at both of them. “Continue. I like what’s being said.”

  The men laughed. Daryl looked at Sam. “She’s a right one, isn’t she?”

  “I reckon she is. I’m sure you would know better than anyone else whether she’s always right or not.”

  “Oh, I’m not always right,” Rachel said. “I just like to think I am.”

  They laughed again.

  “I’m gettin’ hungry, love,” Daryl said. “I know you have to be. You’re eating for two now.”

  Rachel placed one hand instinctively on her stomach. “I am, aren’t I? Well, let’s get inside. Grab that basket and bring it in.”

  “Yes, dear.” Daryl pushed himself off the railing and went back to the steps where he’d left the basket. He picked it up and went to the front door. Sam and Rachel were right behind him as he went in.

  Sam looked around at the decorations his sister had put up around the small house. He searched for anything that might indicate Daryl lived there. At first he saw nothing that had changed. After a few moments of scanning, he found a few items he knew couldn’t be his sisters. A small statue on a table in the corner. Several books on the mantle and a small photograph of an older man and woman he assumed were Daryl’s parents. He was drawn to the frame. It looked like it was silver and had small leaves engraved in it in gold.

  He went to the mantle and picked up the photograph. “Are these your parents, Daryl?”

  Daryl set the basket down in front of the kitchen, looking at Sam as he did so. He walked toward him while Rachel picked up the basket and took it in the kitchen. He leaned forward to look at the photograph.

  “Yeah, that’s them. Anne and David. They were good to me.”

  “You’ve lost them?”

  “Yeah. It was a long time ago. Still miss them, though.”

  “Of course you do. That’s not surprising, at all.”

  “Rachel’s told me about your parents. I know you miss them, too.”

  Sam nodded, setting the photograph back on the mantle. “That’s a beautiful frame. Where did you get it?”

  The men walked to the kitchen door, went through and sat at the table.

  “Believe it or not,” Daryl answered. “I got it from a traveling salesman. It was the only one he had.”

  “That’s amazing. What a find.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  FIRST DAY OF THE RODEO

  FIRST DAY OF THE RODEO

  Ryan and Emily pulled their trailer up behind the one owned by Max. Emily sighed heavily, making Ryan look down at her.

  “What’s wrong, Em?” he asked.

  “I… I don’t know. Yes, I do.” She shook her head. “I do know what’s wrong. And you know what’s wrong, too.”

  Ryan frowned. “Yeah, I know.”

  “We can’t keep living like this, Ryan. It’s too much pressure.”

  “There’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll lose everything.”

  Emily sighed again, this time blowing the air through her nose sharply.

  “I’m sorry, Em.” Ryan sounded sad. It made Emily feel bad. She put an arm around her brother and squeezed him.

  “I’m all right. I just don’t want to keep this up. I’ve been wanting to leave the rodeo for so long now. I can do it, you know. I can find a home and have a family. Momma wants me to. I know she does.”

  Their mother, asleep in the cabin, didn’t hear a word. If she had, she would have told her son she’d never said that. Emily wasn’t typically a liar. She was assuming her mother would say that because she knew her mother loved her and wanted her to be happy.

  “I don’t know about that,” Ryan said. “Leaving the rodeo would put everything in jeopardy. I don’t know why you’d want to anyway. You are a superb performer. I know you like it. We wouldn’t have gotten into this business if you didn’t.”

  She nodded, sliding to the side as the trailer came to a halt. She unfolded the steps so she could go down to the ground. “I know. I do like what we do. But the clock is ticking and I need to have a family soon. I have to. I just have to.”

  “I know, Em.” Ryan was also getting down from the trailer. He went around to the sides and locked in the brakes behind the wheels so the trailer wouldn’t roll. They met around the back. Ryan reached up and pulled down the stairs that were hitched to the back. Emily got the lock on one side of the wooden stairs while her brother got the other. They lowered them together and settled them into the soft earth under them. He went up the stairs first and pulled open the door. She followed him inside.

  He turned as soon as he was inside and motioned that they should leave the trailer. Now behind her, Ryan leaned forward and whispered, “Mother is asleep. Let’s see if there’s anything we can do to help set things up.”

  Emily didn’t say anything. She walked on silent feet until she hit the steps outside, which she took quickly. Ryan came out and closed the door. He came down the steps in a bouncy way, smiling at Emily.

  “Let’s not talk about that stuff right now. Let’s talk about this place we’re in. What’s it called? Wickenburg?”

  “Yeah, that sounds right.”

  They walked toward the crowd of horses, people and trailers, stepping through the soft grass hurriedly. They could see the storage trailer had already been opened and people were taking out the various items they needed to set up the tents.

  “Does anyone need help?” Ryan asked as they got closer in a loud voice. “Anybody?”

  “Come on over here, Ryan!” Jarod Keaton lifted his hand and gestured to the both of them. As they walked toward him, Ryan leaned over and said as quietly as he could so that she would hear him. “It would be Jarod. He takes care of the animals. I don’t want to take care of the animals.”

  She grinned up at him. “Are you scared, Ryan Whittaker?”

  He looked surprised. “Scared? Who said anything about scared? They’re messy. I don’t work with animals if I don’t have to.”

  “I don’t particularly enjoy it, but someone called out real loud if anyone needed help, and now here we are in this messy predicament.” He joined her when she laughed.

  “At least you still have a sense of humor.”

  “And exactly why would I have lost my sense of humor?”

  “I know you aren’t happy here anymore,” Ryan said, simply. “And I’m sorry about that, I really am.”

  “I know, brother dear. Don’t worry about me. I’ll always come through for you, no matter what.”

  He looked at her with a grin. “And what will you do if you meet some handsome cowboy along the way that takes your heart and you can’t bear to leave him?”

  Emily looked straight ahead, thinking what a blessing that would be. “I don’t know, Ryan. It hasn’t happened, so I don’t know.”

  Ryan looked toward the group of horses he was going toward. Jarod always built a huge fence to hold the bulls in, while the horses only needed a hitching post. He wasn’t going to deal with those bulls, he thought, so he was headed toward the horses instead. He didn’t want Emily getting gored by one of those horns. He’d seen it happen before and wasn’t about to allow it to happen to his little sister.

  “I only want to protect you, Em. You know I don’t say these things for myself. I don’t want you to be unhappy but…” He let the sentence trail off. She knew what he was thinking. He didn’t have to say it out loud.

  “I know, Ryan. I understand.” She looked up at him. “But I need to tell you that I a
m ready to leave the rodeo. And if there is anything that can be done about the situation we’re in, I need to know. We need to do it. We need to look for a way to escape.”

  Ryan licked his lips. They were almost to the horses, where other people would hear their conversation. They would have to stop speaking about it in only a few minutes. He didn’t really want to discuss it anyway. He wanted to leave it all behind.

  If he’d had it his way, he would be leaving with Emily. Their mother would be excited to stop traveling all over. However, he didn’t feel safe doing so. If they left, their very lives would be in danger. At the very least, they would have no home, no property, and no money to start over. He didn’t know about Emily, but Ryan hadn’t saved a dime from his pay, what there was of it. Sometimes Max didn’t pay them at all for weeks on end. They had food and supplies provided, as the rodeo employed two cooks and a doctor of medicine.

  “We’ll have to stop talking about this soon, Em. So let me just say this. We will find a way out. We will. But you have to have patience. We have to have a plan.”

  Emily was frustrated. “Then let’s come up with one!” she exclaimed.

  “I don’t know what to do!” Ryan replied in a tight voice. “Do you?”

  She looked up at him, this time with upset eyes and a wrinkled forehead. “That’s not much of a plan. Asking me. What’s wrong with you? I don’t know what to do. This whole thing is too frustrating for me. I just can’t talk to you about it right now. We’re almost there anyway. Let’s just talk about it later.”

  “I think that would probably be for the best,” Ryan said. They were quiet the rest of the way to the horses.

  The next day was opening day for the rodeo. There were so many people in the streets, it seemed like the little town’s population had exploded. However, that was the way it always was when Wickenburg residents threw a party. They threw the biggest and best party for whatever the reason happened to be at that time.

  Streamers filled the streets as little children ran screaming delightedly down the middle of Main Street. Their mothers or older sisters chased after them, scooping them up and running back in the other direction so the child could hold the streamer up in the air and watch it fly.

  Sam stepped out of the saloon, turning back to close the large doors around the swinging ones. He clamped a large lock on the door and turned back to the street. Rachel and Daryl were waiting for him at the wagon.

  “Come on, Sam, I want to go,” Rachel called out excitedly. “This is going to be something. We haven’t had this rodeo here before, have we, Sam?”

  Daryl looked at her. “Have you had other rodeos here before?”

  She laughed and slapped him lightly on the arm. “Oh, Daryl!”

  “No, I’m pretty sure this is the first time any of us are going to experience this.” Sam was happy and excited to see the show. It was promising to be a festive and food-filled day in Wickenburg. He was happiest when there was some kind of celebration going on. Everyone was smiling, laughing and talking. He enjoyed the atmosphere.

  “Maybe we should walk to the site?” he said, looking out at the other people of Wickenburg who’d chosen to walk in the sunshine, taking their time and enjoying themselves along the way. There were so many people out, friends who hadn’t seen each other for a long time were spying one another and calling out to them. Sam watched it happen twice in less than a minute. He smiled again. “Come on, let’s take a walk. If we don’t feel like walking back, I’m sure we can find a ride with someone. The backs of those wagons are large enough for an entire hay bale and a bunch of kids too. I think it’s not gonna hurt anyone to sit in the back of one of their wagons.”

  Rachel nodded. “I think you’re right, Sam. Come on, let’s go.” She put two fingers in the armhole of her husband’s vest and pulled gently. He grinned.

  “Whatever you say, dear. You’re the one who is pregnant, not me.”

  Sam turned to her. “Oh, I forgot. We should take the wagon.”

  Rachel gasped, smiling at him. “You forgot I was pregnant? I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered. I thought I had gained some weight but maybe it’s not enough for anyone to have noticed.”

  Sam looked at Daryl in an effort to quash the look he knew he had on his face. Sure enough, she caught it. She frowned.

  “You noticed, didn’t you, Sam?” she said in dismay.

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. You’re my sister. And your husband knows why you are gaining weight. It’s nothing to worry about, all right?” He moved to give her another one of his hugs, which almost swallowed her completely. She smiled as he hugged her to his chest. When he released her, she felt a cool breeze blow over her arms and it gave her chills. She moved back to her husband and reached out for his hand. He gave it to her and she pulled on him.

  “This way, dear. Let’s walk.”

  The three joined the crowd of people walking to the edge of Wickenburg where the rodeo site was. That area was also often used for weddings when the couple wanted it to be outdoors.

  As they passed the hotel, Allan, Sue, Tom and Elizabeth came through the front door. They were followed by a new couple, who looked more excited than anyone.

  “Good morning!” Sam said in a loud voice. He looked at the group and included them all in his one greeting. They all grinned at him, returning the pleasantry.

  Elizabeth fell into step with Rachel, who was only ten years her senior and had given her some good advice over the last year. “Isn’t this exciting, Rachel?” Elizabeth said, her voice more high-pitched than usual. Rachel grinned.

  “It’s an exciting event. I don’t think there’s ever been a rodeo here. Everyone is excited to see it.”

  “I wonder if they will sell food there.”

  “Of course, they will,” Daryl spoke up. “That’s how they make their money.”

  Rachel looked at her husband. “Have you ever seen one?”

  He shook his head. “I told you I hadn’t. It’s just an assumption.”

  “We do have to pay for the tickets to get in,” Rachel said.

  He nodded. “Yes, but any business I’ve ever seen will do whatever they deem feasible to make as much money as possible. That’s a lot of mouths to feed in that rodeo. The owner’s got to pay all the performers, feed the animals, maintain the trailers, and get food for the performers and for the customers, too. The list goes on and on.”

  Rachel nodded, looking at Elizabeth. “That sounds reasonable. I’m glad they are going to sell food. I need some. I’m hungry.”

  “Haven’t you eaten breakfast, Rachel?” Elizabeth asked in a concerned voice. Rachel glanced at her husband before replying.

  “Yes but… well, I’m not just eating for myself anymore.” She put her hand over her stomach. In her opinion, she could feel the bump. Although none of her clothes were revealing it yet.

  Elizabeth’s face lit up. “Oh, Rachel! Oh, Daryl! You’re going to have a baby?”

  As soon as the rest of the group heard that, they surrounded Rachel and Daryl, offering their congratulations. She allowed the women to put their hands on her tummy and see if they could feel anything yet.

  “You don’t look heavier yet,” Elizabeth said, causing Rachel to give Sam a sharp look. He looked up at the sky, searching for something that wasn’t there. She giggled and he gave her a big grin. “But I do think it feels different.”

  “Different from when?” Allan asked. “Do you go around feeling women’s stomachs all the time?”

  Everyone laughed, including Elizabeth. “No, dear brother, but a woman knows how a stomach is supposed to feel. Hers is a bit bigger.” She looked at Rachel. “Not by much, but definitely different.”

  By now, Rachel was blushing.

  “All right, everyone, enough attention on me. Let’s get to the rodeo.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE LITTLE SHARP SHOOTER

  THE LITTLE SHARP SHOOTER

  The group found a place to sit in the stands of their
“arena” area on the celebration site. There was no roof, but the stands were long and created a vast square so that performers could do their routines in front of everyone. They sat in one of the rows, adjusting themselves, the women pushing their skirts underneath them and shifting until they were comfortable. Elizabeth looked at Rachel, who was sitting next to her. “I should have brought a pillow or a cushion. Next time I come, I’m going to. I’ve been here so many times and I always forget to bring one. I’m going to remember this time.”

  Rachel nodded. “That’s a really good idea. I am going to try to remember, too.”

  Elizabeth grinned. “If you don’t remember, you know I will be tempted to give you mine, since you are going to have a baby.”

  Rachel laughed. “Oh, I can see it now. I’m going to get special treatment from everyone in this town.”

  Elizabeth joined her in laughter, patting her knee. “Of course, you are! You deserve nothing less than the best. You know that.”

  “Aww, you are the second person who has told me that in the last week.”

  “Only the second?” Elizabeth feigned surprise. Her smile widened. “I think the people of this town need to step up a bit. But you know we’ll all do what we can for you.”

  “I know you will, dear.”

  Elizabeth looked past her friend and her face lit up. She stood up and waved to her brother. “Chris! Come sit with us!”

  Her brother and his girlfriend, Riley, made their way to the group and sat at the far end of the bench. Before he sat, Chris greeted everyone. They returned his greeting and gave one to Riley, as well. She just smiled at them all.

  Chris leaned forward and spoke to his brother and sister, moving his eyes between them, stopping a few times to look at their friends. “So, Riley here says her Uncle Kyle is moving to Wickenburg soon.”

  “Oh?” Sam leaned forward so he could see Chris when he was talking to him. “I met Kyle years ago. He’s a good man. I’ll be pleased to see him back in town. Do you know when he’s coming in, Riley?”