Romance Rides the River

by Reece, Colleen L.

  Laughter echoed throughout the car. The man who had challenged Dori subsided, and peace was restored.

  Once the train was free to go on its way, there were no more delays. After what felt like an eternity, the clackety-clack of the great wheels slowed and stopped at the Madera station.

  The prodigal sister had come home.

  Nine

  “Ride ’em, cowboy.” Curly’s stentorian yell, accompanied by raucous laughter from Bud and Slim, who were perched next to him on the top rail of the Diamond S corral, made Seth Anderson grin. He leaned forward in the saddle, tightened his legs against the pinto mare’s sides, and waited for the next buck. The mare obliged, but after a few half-hearted pitches she stopped short, turned her head, and surveyed her rider as if to say she’d had enough.

  “Easiest horse I ever broke,” Seth mumbled. “Open the gate,” he called to the heckling trio. “I’ll give her a good run and see what kind of ginger she has.”

  Curly whooped and sprang to obey. Seth and the mare raced out of the corral and down the road toward Madera as if pursued by a grizzly bear. Wind whistled in his ears and he bent over the horse’s neck. “Go, Splotches. I’ll eat my Stetson if Dori Sterling isn’t crazy about you. Matt couldn’t have found a better Christmas present for her.”

  He laughed. “You’re a far cry from the nags Dori’s probably been forced to straddle in Boston. Riding sidesaddle, bound up tight in a fancy riding habit, and plodding along at some fool ladylike trot? She may as well have been riding a rocking chair.” The freedom of the range surged through Seth and aroused his pity for Dori. It must have been frustrating for a girl used to the wide-open spaces to be so constrained. “Say, Splotches, if she isn’t thrilled with you, I’ll keep you myself. You’re the prettiest little pinto in the country, and you move right along.”

  The mare’s ears pricked up. She stretched into a ground-covering gallop. Seth let her run, feeling wild and free, the way he had ever since coming to the ranch. At last he reined Splotches in beneath a huge oak tree. “Time to take a breather.” He slid from the saddle and patted the mare’s neck. She rewarded him by rubbing her nose against Seth’s shoulder. Would Dori appreciate the pinto? He hoped so for Matt’s sake.

  He stroked Splotches’ mane. “No matter. She’ll be heading back to Boston after the wedding, and I’ll ride you.” He chuckled. “Just so Copper doesn’t get jealous.” Seth’s happiness faded. His faithful sorrel gelding, companion and friend for many years, had stepped in a gopher hole a few weeks earlier and pulled a ligament.

  “My fault,” Seth grumbled. “I should have been paying attention instead of thinking about Dori coming home.” The swelling on Copper’s leg had been reduced with hot packs, and Matt said the horse would be fine, but Seth’s guilt remained. Now he raised his head, removed his wide hat, and gazed into the blue December sky. He watched a hawk circle in the clear air before confessing, “Lord, I have an even bigger problem. I’ve been judging Matt’s sister by the trouble she’s caused him.” Seth heaved a great sigh. “Even if Dori turns out to be as wayward and heedless as Matt says she is, I need to respect her because she’s Your child.” Seth scratched his head. “I reckon the best way to do that is to just keep out of her way.” He paused and allowed the silence to fill him. “Thanks for listening, God.”

  Seth got to his feet and stretched. Talking with his Trailmate always made him feel better. Besides, it should be easy enough to avoid Dori for the short time she would be home without his avoidance becoming obvious.

  What about when she comes home permanently? a little voice taunted. Seth shrugged. Summer was a long way off. Anything could happen before then. He swung into the saddle and turned Splotches toward home, but the sound of hoofbeats stopped him. Seth looked back and stared at the rider. When freckle-faced Johnny Foster raced a horse like that it usually meant bad news.

  “Trouble, Johnny?” Seth called.

  “Yeah.” The boy pulled his horse to a stop. “Evan Moore said to get this telegram to Matt right away. Evan told me what it says. Miss Dori is on her way home, but that ain’t all.” He gasped for breath. “Evan got word the train is stuck in the mountains somewhere this side of Denver. Avalanches are blocking the tracks. The message said the railroad don’t know how long it will be till they can get a work train and crew there and dig the passenger train out.”

  Seth’s heart turned to ice. “Give me the telegram. My horse is fresher than yours.”

  “Okay, Seth.” Johnny handed it over. “I sure hope those folks, ’specially Miss Dori, get rescued real quick. It’d be awful if she has to miss Matt and Sarah’s wedding.” He turned his horse and headed back to Madera.

  Missing the wedding is nothing compared with what could happen, Seth thought grimly. Being trapped in a snowbound train for who knows how long could claim lives. He flinched. He’d seen snow storms cripple St. Louis. What would it be like in the Colorado mountains?

  Seth goaded Splotches into a run and spoke from a heart filled with fear. “God, there’s nothing any of us here can do for those stranded passengers and the crew. Please deliver them.” A scripture learned in childhood crept into Seth’s mind. Moses, reminding his people of God’s goodness to Jacob, said: “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness. . .he kept him as the apple of his eye.”

  “Lord, be with everyone on that train and those sent to rescue them,” Seth prayed. “Keep them as You kept Jacob. They are also in a howling wilderness and desperately need You.” He paused and whispered, “In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  The time between leaving Johnny and reaching the Diamond S felt like an eternity. When Seth and Splotches thundered up to the corral, Seth leaped to the ground, threw the mare’s reins to one of the vaqueros and ordered, “Take care of her, will you?” Then he sprinted toward the ranch house. He didn’t stop to knock, but burst into the hall and raced to the sitting room where Matt, Sarah, and Solita were gathered. “Telegram. Evan sent Johnny with it.”

  Apprehension sprang up in Matt’s eyes, and he bounded to his feet. “Now what?” He snatched the telegram, ripped it open, and read aloud,

  Dolores on way home Stop Letter follows Stop Genevieve Brookings.

  Matt’s shoulders sagged in obvious relief. “So what? Dori evidently decided to surprise us by coming earlier than planned. It’s just like her.”

  Hatred for what he must do filled Seth. “There’s bad news, Matt. The train Dori is on is snowbound west of Denver. It can’t move until help gets there to dig it out.”

  Matt stared at him. “Dear God, no!”

  Sarah echoed his prayer, but Solita put both hands over her head and wailed, “Dios be merciful to our señorita and the others.”

  Matt staggered to a chair and dropped into it. His shoulders shook as if he had palsy. “I don’t know how Dori will stand it. Confinement in small spaces terrifies her. It always has.” He groaned. “How can she stand being shut up inside a cramped railroad car with no way to escape?”

  Sympathy for both Matt and his sister emboldened Seth. “God will be with her.” His voice rang loud in the great room. “He has promised never to leave or forsake us.”

  “Yes,” Sarah agreed. “He is our rock and our strong salvation.” She knelt beside Matt and held her hands out to Seth and Solita. “We need to pray.”

  If Seth lived to be a hundred, he would never forget what followed. One by one, they stormed heaven on behalf of Dori and the others held in a prison of snow hundreds of miles away. The fear Seth had seen in the others’ faces and felt in the air itself gradually lessened. Peace and the assurance all would be well tiptoed into Seth’s heart. He raised his head. “I can’t help but believe they’ll be all right.”

  Solita and Sarah smiled. Matt gripped Seth’s hand until it hurt and brokenly said, “I hope so. Now all we can do is to wait—and continue to pray.”

  Hours passed. Night fell. The four huddled close to the fireplace and each other. No one suggested going to bed. Seth had pass
ed the word about Dori’s predicament on to Brett Owen, and the foreman had promised to tell the hands. No good-natured banter or voices raised in cowboy songs sounded from the bunkhouse. Seth shuddered. The usually rollicking Diamond S felt like it was already in mourning. Still, he clung to the comfort that had come to him during the prayers—and continued to pray.

  The dark hours passed. Dawn came. As soon as it was light enough to ride, Matt and Seth headed for Madera. They hung around Moore’s General Store and Post Office until they received word that the work train had reached the passenger train and the railroad expected to have the tracks cleared in a few hours.

  The bald storekeeper-postmaster’s eyes twinkled. A wide grin spread across his round face. “Looks like that sister of yours will be here for the wedding, after all.”

  “Thank God!” Matt exclaimed, but Seth saw in Matt’s eyes that the heartfelt cry of gratitude was for a lot more than Dori not missing the wedding.

  ❧

  The time between receiving the gladsome news and the train’s arrival gave Seth the opportunity to reflect. Like it or not, his life was bound up with Dori’s. Any dislike on his part was a breach of loyalty to Matt. Despite all that had happened, Seth still had misgivings about Dori and didn’t want to be present when she came. But when Matt made it clear that his heart was set on Seth going to the station with him, Seth agreed.

  The train pulled in. Passengers streamed off. Where was Dori? Seth’s mind spun. Had Miss Brookings’s telegram been wrong? Had Dori missed the train she was supposedly on? Had all of his, Matt’s, Sarah’s, and Solita’s distress been for nothing? Seth caught sight of Matt’s set jaw and clenched his hands. If that dratted girl had once again caused her brother to suffer, Seth would—

  “Dori!” Matt deserted Seth and hurtled toward the train, leaving Seth to gape at the young woman daintily holding her long skirts up enough to step down from the train. The black-and-white picture on the mantel at the Diamond S had often caused Seth to wonder how such an innocent-looking girl could be so troublesome. Now that picture came alive in glorious color—and Seth wondered again. Curly dark hair peeped from beneath a stylish bonnet and framed a lovely face. Dori’s sapphire velvet cloak was no bluer than her tear-filled eyes. She was one of the prettiest fillies Seth had ever seen. As pretty as his sister, Sarah, with her red-gold hair, or dark-haired, dark-eyed Abby Sheridan, who worked at the Yosemite Hotel.

  Seth shook his head to clear his thoughts. Could this glorious creature whose head reached her tall brother’s shoulder be the bothersome girl who had caused Matt so much worry? The girl Seth considered childish and inconsiderate? Seth’s ability to size up those he met with a single lightning glance now served him well. With all her shortcomings, Dori was devoted to Matt. It showed in her eyes, in the way she flung herself into his arms, and her joyous cry, “Oh, Matt, I’ve missed you so much!”

  Yet in spite of her obviously sincere greeting, Seth’s keen gaze caught a shadow in Dori’s eyes that betrayed her. All was not well. Something was disturbing the long-awaited visitor. Was Matt in for even more trouble?

  Ten

  Dori slid from Matt’s bear hug and caught at her bonnet. The strings had come untied, and the hat threatened to slip off her head. “Don’t squeeze me to death!” She threw her arms around Matt again. The bonnet slipped farther down her back. Dori didn’t care. She’d missed Matt terribly. Seeing him after all this time intensified her love. He was so big and brown and strong that Dori never wanted to let him go.

  Two years’ worth of tears that she’d only permitted to escape in the worst circumstances threatened to gush. She shook her head to keep them from falling. The movement dislodged her bonnet; it fell to the muddy street.

  Before Dori could free herself and retrieve it, a deep, rich voice spoke from behind her. “I believe this is yours.”

  “Dori, this is Seth Anderson,” Matt said. “Seth, my sister, Dolores.” The pride in his voice was so undeserved it made Dori squirm. She loosened herself from Matt’s arms and turned toward the tall cowboy holding her hat in one hand and trying to remove a thick coating of dust with the other.

  Dori gulped. This was Seth Anderson? The tenderfoot she’d convinced herself might be harboring a devious plan to hoodwink her brother? If those lake blue eyes were to be believed, he was not the villain she’d pictured.

  Seth bowed, doffed his Stetson, and held out her bonnet. “Sorry I couldn’t do a better job, Miss Sterling.” A ray of sunshine rested on his bare head and changed his hair to molten gold, shot through with gleams of red.

  The memory of Stancel gaping like a fish intruded on Dori’s mind and left her speechless. Horrors! That must be how she looked now. Don’t stand here like a ninny, she ordered herself. It must be the sun that makes him look like the statue of a Greek god in my history book.

  Dori knew better. The light in Seth’s face silently shouted it came from within. Unless looks were mighty deceiving, he was everything Matt had said and more.

  An unfamiliar feeling stirred within Dori, as if her spirit rushed out to Seth’s. The thought left her shaken. She tried to toss off a bright greeting but no words came.

  “Cat got your tongue?” Matt teased. “Or is Sleeping Beauty waiting for a prince to come and awaken her with a kiss?” He chuckled. “What do you think, Seth?”

  If the gibe bothered Seth, he didn’t show it by the flicker of an eyelash. “I think Sarah will never forgive us if we don’t get Miss Sterling home. She can’t wait to meet her almost-new sister.” Before Matt could reply, the cowboy strode toward the pile of luggage clearly marked with Dori’s name. He stopped short and shoved his Stetson back on his head. “Looks like Evan will have to send most of this stuff out in a wagon. It won’t fit in the carriage.”

  As soon as Seth was out of earshot, Dori rounded on Matt. “How could you embarrass me like that?”

  Matt donned a look of innocent surprise—the same look he always wore after besting her. He raised his palms. “What did I say?” He looked at Seth, then back at Dori. “Hey, what did you do, bring everything you owned?”

  Dismay replaced Dori’s exasperation. Would she have to confess then and there that she’d been expelled? “Never you mind,” she evaded. “After all, it is Christmas, with a wedding to boot. Let’s go home. We mustn’t keep Sarah—and Solita—waiting.” She took the bull by the horns and boldly marched over to Seth. “I apologize for my brother,” she said with what little dignity she could muster. “His sense of humor is—”

  “Don’t fret yourself, Miss Sterling. Brothers are like that. Just ask Sarah.” An unreadable expression lurked in Seth’s eyes.

  Dori felt a river of hot blood stream into her face, and she silently climbed into the waiting carriage. Seth obviously hadn’t given a second thought to the comment that had caused her so much mortification. His response had been perfectly courteous, but Dori felt like a child who had been patted on the head and told to go play.

  Torn between chagrin and resentment, Dori remained silent most of the way to the Diamond S, despite Matt’s attempts to include her in the conversation. What difference does it make what Seth thinks? she asked herself. He’s just another cowhand on my brother’s ranch. Yet her innate honesty forced her to admit it did make a difference—a huge difference, and one she couldn’t explain.

  It seemed to Dori’s disturbed mind as if they would never reach the ranch. By the time they pulled in, the western sky was a study in reds and purples. Dori caught her breath. No Boston sunset could compare with this. She climbed from the carriage and gazed at the sprawling, hacienda-style ranch house, its white stucco walls rosy from the kiss of the setting sun. Light streamed from every window and from the open front door, welcoming Dori home. Two women waited on the wide front porch. One hurried to the top of the steps and met Dori’s headlong rush with open arms.

  “Querida. Dios be praised. You are home.” Solita folded Dori into a tight embrace.

  The familiar endearment changed Dori into
a small girl, safe and secure in Solita’s arms. Worn and weary from life in Boston followed by the fearsome experience of being trapped in the blizzard, she laid her head on the diminutive housekeeper’s shoulder and let her tears fall.

  Solita patted her shoulder and crooned, “Don’t cry, little one. You are home and safe. Now you must meet Señorita Sarah, who has waited for your coming.”

  “Welcome home, sister,” a musical voice said.

  Dori freed herself from Solita’s embrace and turned. A smiling replica of Seth stood with both hands outstretched. The shy appeal in the young woman’s wistful blue eyes showed the same anxiety Dori had felt about meeting Sarah. All Dori’s preconceived notions vanished. Unless badly mistaken, she’d been as wrong about Sarah as about Seth.

  Dori managed a shaky laugh and clasped Sarah’s hands. “I’m so glad to meet you.” It was true. The identical feeling she’d experienced when meeting Seth flowed through her. What is it about the Andersons that calls to something deep inside me? Dori wondered. The goodness that Matt raved about? She sighed. She was just too tired to figure it out.

  The evening passed in a blur. Dori’s mental turnaround concerning Seth and Sarah had left her feeling bewildered. Yet certainty that her brother was in no danger from either of them filled Dori with relief. She sank into her soft bed and murmured, “Thank You, God, for bringing me safely home.” She burrowed farther down under the covers. “Please don’t let anyone find out until after the honeymoon that I won’t be going back to Boston.” A few moments later, she fell into the soundest sleep she’d known since she left the Diamond S. Except for the Andersons’ presence, it seemed like nothing had changed, after all.

  The few days before Christmas fled like shadows before the rising sun. On Christmas morning Dori awoke to the shrill whinny of a horse. She ran to her window and looked outside. Curly, Bud, and Slim were standing by the prettiest pinto mare Dori had ever seen. Seth was in the saddle, patting the horse’s neck. Curly’s voice floated up to Dori.