The Feisty Bride's Unexpected Match: A Western Historical Romance Book

by Lydia Olson

  “I will,” Sarah said. “And you take care of yourself.”

  Curtis, patting the rear of the charcoal-colored horse that David was set to ride, looked at the steed fondly, and said, “He’s a good horse, David. Take good care of him.”

  David offered up a handshake. “I will, indeed,” he said. “Thank you, Curtis. For everything.”

  Taking up David’s hand with a firm grip, Curtis shook it and nodded. “Best of luck, son. And be careful out there.”

  David looked out on the horizon toward the narrow dirt path that wove through the desert. “I think we’re a couple of days from Clarendon, if memory serves. And I think we’ve hopefully seen the last vestiges of trouble on this journey.”

  Curtis held up a finger. “You’re right on your estimated time to reach Clarendon,” he said. “But I think you need to keep an eye peeled on your surroundings, in regard to avoiding trouble around here.”

  With a shrug, David said, “What do you mean?”

  Curtis looked over both shoulders, as if an unwelcome party were listening in on their conversation. “This bandit,” he said, “the one that robbed you, I believe his name is Tucker Willis.”

  Tucker Willis, David thought. “Well,” he said, “It seems that I have a name to put to the face now.”

  Curtis shook his head. “It’s not that simple, my friend. You see, I have a friend in Clarendon. He reshoes my horses for me. That last time I was in town he spoke of this Tucker Willis fellow. He said that he may have taken up with the law in Clarendon, which is the reason he seems to avoid falling into any trouble.”

  David was taken aback for a moment, his mind starting to wander. Tucker Willis has taken up with the law? Could it be … could it be this man that Sarah is set to wed?

  “I’ll keep an eye out,” David said, new problems turning over in his mind.

  “Please do,” Curtis replied. “If the rumors I was told are, in fact, true, then it can complicate things quite significantly.”

  “Undoubtedly.” David mounted his horse, adjusting his weight on the saddle. “Take care, Curtis,” he said. “I hope to cross paths with you again.”

  Curtis tilted the brim of his hat. “Same here, son. Same here.”

  David turned to Sarah. “Ready?” he asked.

  “Ready,” Sarah said with a nod.

  The two then turned their rides toward the dirt road, the horses starting off at a light trot as they embarked on the next leg of their journey, with Delores and Curtis Farley watching them as they left and offering up cheerful waves as they set about into the unknown.

  ***

  Several miles had been covered as David and Sarah emerged into an open valley. Not a shred of life seemed to be in sight, save for the passing of a lizard scurrying its way through the desert, and an eagle flying low overhead that quickly caught Sarah’s attention.

  “Oh, my!” Sarah said as she turned her head toward the sky. “David, will you look at that!”

  David craned his neck and squinted as the sun hit his eyes. The majestic eagle above him soared freely through the sky, the wind fluttering his feathers as it kept a watchful eye for prey through the surrounding valley.

  “An American bald eagle,” David said. “I’ve only ever seen one before.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I’ve never seen one,” she said. “I saw a drawing of it in a book once, but that was it.”

  They remained silent for a moment as they tracked the eagle. It turned left sharply and ascended upward, the sunlight glinting off the tip of its wing as it swooped and disappeared from sight.

  “I take it as a good sign,” David said.

  “How do you figure?” Sarah replied.

  David shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m looking for good luck wherever we can find it.” His thoughts then shifted from the majestic animal to Curtis and what he had told him about the corrupt lawmen assisting Tucker Willis. “This deputy,” he said to Sarah, “the one you’re to be wed to …”

  Sarah sighed. “Yes. What about him?”

  “What did you say his name was?”

  “Michael Crane,” Sarah said. “Why do you ask?”

  Should I tell her? David thought. Should I let her know what Curtis said?

  No, not yet. It’s not even a certainty that the man Curtis spoke of is the same man.

  Just wait, David. Just wait.

  “No reason,” David said. “I’m simply trying to pass the time.”

  A moment of silence passed.

  “David,” Sarah said, “can I be honest with you about something?”

  David looked at her. “Of course. Always.”

  Sarah bit her lip. “I do not wish to talk about my, well, arrangement. I’d rather we get through our journey first. I already have so much on my mind as it is.”

  David held up a hand in submission. “Yes, absolutely,” he said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to press you on the manner.”

  “No, please,” Sarah said. “Don’t apologize. I don’t want you to think you’ve done anything wrong. I guess I’m already so nervous about the situation with Michael Crane and our journey that I wish to keep my thoughts as limited as possible.”

  “I understand, believe me,” David said. “I’m still worried I won’t make it in time to take possession of my uncle’s ranch. I still have time, but I’m worried, nonetheless.”

  “I am hopeful for you, David, I am. I think if we just keep on the track we are on, we’ll get there in due time.”

  David looked at her and nodded.

  Sarah nodded in reply.

  For the next few miles, they rode alongside each other in shared silence—though David’s mind still dwelled on Deputy Michael Crane and his possible corruption.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sarah assisted David as they set up camp in the early hours of the evening. She tethered the horses to a nearby tree as David gathered wood for the fire. Though she did not say it out loud, she was curious as to why he had asked about Michael Crane in such an out of the blue fashion.

  Sarah rubbed her arms for warmth as the night sky began to chill her skin, wondering if she should ask David about his inquiry. Why would he ask? she thought. He sounded so … concerned. She kept the thoughts to herself and debated bringing them up as David brought the fire to life.

  “How much of that food do we have left from the Farleys?” David inquired.

  Sarah grabbed the sack that Delores Farley had given her and opened it. She sifted through the contents and relayed to David that they had several pieces of jerky, some cheese, and a small steak that had been wrapped in parchment paper.

  “What a wonderful surprise!” David said. “I’ll put it on the fire.”

  As he set about cooking the meat, Sarah lingered near her horse. She stroked his mane, unable to help herself from wondering why David inquired about Michael Crane. Finally, after feeling like she were holding in a breath, she turned and said to him, “David … why did you ask me about Michael Crane?”

  David took a moment to answer as the meat sizzled on the fire. “I was only curious,” he shrugged. “Nothing more than that.”

  Sarah appraised him, sensing that he was holding back. “No,” she said. “I know that we’ve only been acquainted for a few days’ time, but I’d like to think I’ve known you long enough to know when you are holding something back from me.”

  With a sigh, David hung his head. He then looked at Sarah with a pleading look in his eyes. “I don’t wish to frighten you,” he said.

  Sarah shrugged as she lingered closer to the fire. “I would simply prefer that you be honest with me. I could sense that there was something off in your tone, David.”

  Still, he remained silent, his mouth shut and he was hesitant to say whatever he was thinking.

  Taking a step forward, Sarah said, “Please, David. You’ve led us this far. I trust you. I only want you to speak the truth to me. That’s all that I ask.”

  David sighed. He then rubbed the stubble on h
is chin for a moment. After a few moments of silence, he held out his hands. “Something was said to me.”

  “By whom?” Sarah asked.

  “Curtis Farley,” David said. “Before he left, he told me about the cutthroat that attacked us.”

  Sarah nodded. “Delores told me the same. She said his name is Tucker Willis.”

  David returned the nod. “Indeed,” he said. “And Curtis also mentioned that Tucker Willis seems to evade being captured or put away because he has, well, a connection to the law in Clarendon.”

  Edging closer to the fire, Sarah could hear the name Michael Crane reverberate through her skull. She got down next to David, trying her best to push the thoughts aside.

  “Continue,” Sarah said.

  “There’s not much more to it than that,” David replied. “Curtis simply said that a rumor has run through Clarendon that the law is covering for Tucker Willis, and the reason I was so hesitant to say anything was because you are pledged to wed the deputy, Michael Crane.”

  Sarah felt her pulse increase as David said the name. Though she was warming herself by the fire, her hands were beginning to tremble.

  “Sarah,” David said softly as he nodded to her hands. “You’re shaking.”

  Having been snapped out of her daze, Sarah shook her hands and quickly stood up. She paced near the fire, biting her thumbnail from the tension building inside of her.

  “What’s wrong?” David asked.

  Sarah shook her head and closed her eyes. “I can’t stop thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “About Michael Crane. About what Curtis Farley said. About Tucker Willis and the corrupt law in Clarendon.” She brought her hand to her chest as she felt a flutter gathering inside her. “What if …” she began, so desperately not wanting to say it out loud. “What if Michael Crane is the corrupt lawman that Curtis was speaking of? What if he is the one in cahoots with Tucker Willis? What if he is the reason that we have been stranded here? What if it was Michael Crane that sent Tucker Willis to raid our stagecoach?” Sarah was speaking rapidly in a frantic tone as she continued to pace, perspiration gathering on her brow.

  David pushed off the ground and approached Sarah. “Easy now,” he urged softly. “It’s okay, Sarah. I’m sure that we’ll discover why and how this is all happening. Again, there are several deputies in Clarendon. I’m sure that there is more than one reason to explain this.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened as David stood in front of her. She desperately wanted to know the truth. She was so worried that she was now tethered to a possibly corrupt lawman and feared that the world she knew was now crumbling around her.

  “But what if it’s true, David?” she pleaded. “What will happen if we get to Clarendon and it is all true? What if we run into Tucker Willis again?” Tears formed in her eyes as she felt overwhelmed by her worries. “Oh, David,” she said, holding her head in her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Silence held sway as the two stood just a few feet apart. After a moment, Sarah felt David gently resting his hands on her arms. In all of an instant—she felt her anxieties soothe as his nearness calmed her.

  “It will be okay, Sarah,” David assured her. “I’ll be with you until we sort all of this out. I promise you. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Sarah looked up at David and saw nothing but sincerity in his expression and in his tone of voice. She didn’t know what to say. She simply felt grateful that he was there at her side. And then, after feeling herself relax, she took a little step forward and rested her face against his chest, and after a few more moments, she coiled her arms around his waist and allowed herself the comfort of the embrace.

  “Do you think we’ll be all right?” she asked, seeking reassurance.

  “Without question,” David said softly as he cupped his hand against the back of her head. “You have my word.”

  Nothing more was said as they stood in the comfort of the fire’s bright warmth that was consuming all the wood that David had gathered.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The following day, after David had kept a watchful eye on a very timid Sarah most of the night, they arrived outside a small town with over a dozen buildings made of wood arranged in a kind of horseshoe pattern. The town had what appeared to be a railroad cutting through it. The railroad tracks were at the tail end of construction. They were only a hundred or so paces from the town that was nestled inside the valley, and watching from a distance, David took his time as he surveyed the town.

  “What do you see?” Sarah asked as they concealed themselves behind a grouping of trees, their horses resting just a few feet behind them.

  David squinted as he scanned the terrain. “It’s an up-and-coming town,” he said. “I imagine a few oil miners are here.”

  “Do you think they’re friendly?”

  I can’t say for sure, David thought. But we need food and supplies. We still have a two-day ride to Clarendon. He judged what the chances were that the townsfolk were friendly. Based on the generally good upkeep of the buildings, and the fact that two women strolling into what appeared to be a tavern were laughing, he felt optimistic that it was as fine a place as any to stop.

  “I think we’ll be fine,” David said with a reassuring smile. “We’ll stop, have a meal, and see what we can trade with them. Don’t worry.” He patted the rifle slung on his shoulder. “I’ll make sure that I keep a lookout.”

  Sarah nodded as David returned to his horse and mounted it. She followed suit as David led them into town. They arrived quickly, passing a wooden sign nailed to a fence that read “Little Rock,” with a population number burned into it.

  David looked from left to right as they strolled through. A man with a bowler hat smiled and waved as they approached the tavern area. Beside it was a general store. On the other side was a barber, and alongside that was a postal service office.

  So far, David thought, so good.

  They arrived at the tavern. David dismounted his horse and tethered it to the post, Sarah following suit as David took one last look around.

  “Stay close to me,” David said. “If you see anything suspicious, let me know right away.”

  Sarah nodded as David slung the rifle over his shoulder. He drew a deep breath to calm his nerves as they walked into the tavern, the sounds of a piano played audibly as they entered.

  The tavern was a small but well-kempt space with several round wooden tables spaced apart. The bar was off to the left where a large man with a curled mustache poured two fingers of whiskey for a patron. They were laughing, as were the other dozen patrons corralled together inside the space. David took a moment to look at each of the people present. He had experienced his fair share of trouble in places like this to know who the instigator types were, but it appeared that there were none. Spotting an open table in the corner near the window to his left, he gestured for Sarah to sit. They slipped down into chairs, and a moment later, a woman wearing a peach-colored pinstripe blouse with a black skirt and an apron approached the table.

  “Hey there, folks,” she said. “Welcome to MacCready’s Tavern. Can I fetch y’all something?”

  David looked at Sarah. He was inclined to have a drink, but he didn’t want to pressure Sarah into having one.

  “Yes,” Sarah said with a pleasant beam to the woman. “I’ll have a beer, if you have any.”

  David’s eyes widened. A woman after my own heart, he thought.

  “Well,” the woman said, “we surely have enough beer on hand.” She looked at David. “How about you, good-lookin’? What can I get ya?”

  “I’ll have the same,” David said. “Dealer’s choice.”

  “I’ll be back in a moment,” the woman said before moving to the bar area.

  Sarah, exhaling and resting back comfortably in her chair, looked at the man with the bowler hat sitting behind the piano. “I know that song,” she said. “I’m just trying to place it.”

  David listened in as the piano man’s fing
ers danced along the keys. A male bar patron with suspenders holding up his trousers sang lyrics along with the piano man. “I can’t tell,” he said, “but it does sound familiar.” Glancing at the other patrons in the tavern, David sensed that the collective, elated demeanor of everyone in attendance appeared to be reflective of some kind of celebration, though he couldn’t quite tell what it was. A moment later, the woman serving them returned with two cold beers in chilled glasses, and David already felt himself relaxing the second he placed his focus on the glass.

  “That’ll be a dollar total,” the woman said.