Silver, Gold And Deception: Catalina Wilde Western Adventure (Half Breed Haven Book 4)

by A. M. Van Dorn

  Ruth was a lovely woman with dark hair, a quite aristocratic face, and wild green eyes. Her red blouse and skirt were cut for a lady, as it should be, Catalina thought. She was a lady, proper and polite. Catalina liked that, considering that she did not think of herself as a lady. I’m a woman, a Wilde woman! Ruth Anne, like Catalina, was in her early twenties and her light skin was quite the contrast to Cattie’s bronze Latin skin and doe brown eyes which together made for quite an appealing combination.

  Sipping her lemonade and getting her thoughts about the differences between her and Ruth out of her head, Catalina finally smiled at her old friend. It had been a while since they had been involved with each other and she was pleased to see her again. Their time together as lovers may have been brief but it had been quality. Catalina had enjoyed the adoration Ruth Anne had showered on her. For Ruth Anne, that attraction had been easy with Catalina's hourglass figure that all four of the Wilde sisters were known for and along with the Latina’s cheerful good nature, she was—in a single word—irresistible.

  "I'm sure glad that we can still be friends after you know …" Ruth whispered as she noticed Catalina's smile, referring to their time together.

  Catalina laughed cheerfully. “Sure, was fun while it lasted,” she said. “Can’t lie to you, Ruth Anne, I miss those lush, beautiful lips of yours. I knew though, that what we had wasn’t going to last,” she also admitted to her friend.

  “How did you know?” Ruth asked.

  "We have been friends since our very first day at the schoolhouse. I watched you with a half of a dozen crushes on the fellas. I knew what happened between us was a walk on the wild side," Catalina laughed, amused at her accidental play on her own name. "Anyway, you got your explorin' out of your system with me, and then you took up with Jackson and the rest is history," Catalina said and took another sip of the excellent lemonade.

  “True enough, but I want you to know that what we had will always have a place in my heart,” Ruth said, laying a hand on Catalina’s arm and noticing the softness in her friend’s eyes which indicated that she was touched. “Sometimes, I do miss those things you did that would send me into some kind of heaven,” she finished.

  Catalina smiled mischievously afterward, asking, "I don't suppose Jackson has any idea about us?"

  “I actually told him. I didn’t want any secrets between us,” Ruth answered.

  “How did he take it?” Catalina asked, amazement showing in her dark eyes.

  “A most curious reaction, really. He was intrigued by it all. He asked me a lot of questions about what it was like. It got him in such a mood he plumb picked me up from my feet and carried me into the hayloft. We did it right then and there!” Ruth exclaimed with a gleam in her eye.

  Catalina resisted her jaw dropping to the floor before she laughed at the look in her friend’s eyes. She was happy the revelation had only made things better between Ruth Anne and Jackson.

  “It is not as uncommon as you might think,” she told her friend. “I have heard more than my share of cowpunchers on the ranch talkin’, when they didn’t think I was listenin’, about how tantalizin’ the image of two women sharin’ their love excites them. It sure is a reaction I like a lot better than those who want to lock some women up in an insane asylum just because we enjoy the company of both gentlemen and ladies.” Catalina smiled and finished her lemonade.

  "Now I gotta get this wheel on the wagon," she said then, getting up and heading towards the wagon. "Don't know where Blue River went to. He was supposed to be helping me. He either got called up to the lumber mill, but more likely I bet he went to see our sisters off. I said my goodbyes earlier because I knew I had to get busy fixing this, but it was wonderful that you showed up, and I couldn't resist stopping to talk with you."

  “Well, it means a lot to me that we can still talk. There is something I wanted to speak to you about before Jackson gets here,” Ruth told her, also standing and heading towards the wagon with Catalina.

  Catalina bent beside the wagon and returned to fixing the wheel. “So, Jackson will be along at the end of his run, eh, Ruth Anne? What’s troubling you?” she asked as she began to secure the wheel pins.

  “I feel like I can’t even meet him at the stage office anymore,” Ruth whispered, her voice dropping a notch. “Whenever I get there early and must wait for Jackson, his boss, Mr. Drummond, is there. He is always looking at me most strangely and, dare I say, in a manner unbecoming of gentleman He’s always paying me all these unsolicited compliments I do not want or desire. It makes me uncomfortable, Cattie. But he is Jackson’s boss, so I must be nice to him, but the less I see him, the better. In fact, that is why I asked him to meet out here today when he is done with his run. I wanted to ask you if you think I should tell Jackson about his boss.”

  Catalina had been listening intently the entire time, and after a moment or two of consideration opened her mouth when Blue River suddenly rounded the corner of the barn. His lips were curled into a smile and above them, his blue eyes were looking as dazzling as ever. The young man liked to alternate letting his long flowing back hair flow free or be tied up into two long braids. On this day he had chosen the braids.

  “Well, Blue River, I was wonderin’ where you went off to. They need you up at the mill?”

  “I was saying goodbye to Miss Cassandra, Miss Honor Elizabeth, and Miss Lijuan. I wanted to see them off on their weeklong trip to Carson City,” Blue River explained as he walked up to join them, his long braids that framed his handsome face swinging ever so slightly as he approached. “I got held up when Miss Honor was having a fit that Mrs. Chow didn’t make Miss Cassandra’s favorite sandwiches for the trip. Miss Cassie tried to reel her in, but Miss Honor insisted on making them herself. So they just left now,”

  Catalina laughed, surely having her head filled with possible images of the scenario. She loved her sisters. “That’s Honor Elizabeth for you. Always wantin’ everyone to be happy even if she had to make a ruckus to do so,” she said as a thought occurred to her. “Hey, now the road passes right by here, let’s watch them go, you two.” She beckoned and the two followed along after her. Unseen by Catalina was the pensive look on Ruth Anne’s face who still wished to have her friend’s answer for her conundrum.

  It was a short walk from the front of the barn back to the sloping hill. Catalina paused for a moment and her eyes swept over the entire view from left to right. Far to the left, she saw one of the two wooden bridge her family had erected when she was just a toddler. One was not far from the gate to the ranch where the river flowed beneath the rise her late mother and Whip had picked out at the sight of the grand ranch house. This on near the south pasture allowed the Wildes access to their vast holdings that lay on the opposite side of the Rock River.

  Bordering along the river was the dirt road. It was one of the back entrances to Cedar Ledge. On this day she knew that her sisters would be using it instead of the driveway that ran from the front of the grand two-story "L" shaped ranch house they called home, to the main road to Alamieda. Some ranch hands were currently completing some much-needed repairs on the main gates leading into the ranch that Lijuan had ordered to have finished before they returned so they would have to exit the ranch the back way.

  As if on cue the elegant coach that belonged to their father rolled into view. It was perhaps the one true indulgence he allowed himself from the prosperity the cattle and timber operations brought them. When Judge Wilde had first assumed his role as a circuit judge, he had ordered it built at Mexico's famed Yberra Coachworks to his custom specifications. As a young man in the Navy Whip had endured some fairly harsh conditions aboard ship. Now that he was older and could afford it he preferred to travel in style. Currently, he was away at a trial and would normally have taken it but when he had left it had been in Alamieda having one of the glass windows being replaced. While he was gone, work had been completed and it had been returned to Cedar Ledge, so his daughters were now taking advantage of it.

 
Catalina watched as it bounced along, feeling a bit wistful that she wasn't going along considering how much fun the four sisters had in each other's company. However, someone needed to be here to handle any unexpected business on the ranch, so she had agreed to be the one to stay behind. With a smile, she could only imagine what was going on inside the coach at this moment.

  ***

  Laughter echoed loudly in the carriage as it hurried down the bumpy road to get them into town and the train station. The three sisters enjoyed each other’s company. When traveling they often threw jibes at each other, gasped dramatically at some of their usual spicy comments, when one of them told either tales of their daring doings, or one of her past dalliances and had the rest reeling with laughter. Often, they jumped back and forth between the two subjects since they were usually entwined.

  "I don't know if that pickaxe really came from Sutter's Mill, but it sure came in handy planted in the chest of that murdering loser who tried to rob the assayer's shop that day!" Lijuan said finishing recounting one of her recent run-ins. They'd heard the story before, but they enjoyed hearing it again, taking pride in how their sister had handled the dicey situation. A strand of Lijuan's long black hair separated itself from the rest as the carriage bounced over a small pothole. She was quick to brush it back to join the rest. She always preferred to have her narrow and lovely face as open and flawless as possible.

  “Oh, this is why I always look forward to us having a trip together. It’s nice just to be able to tell stories and not worry about running the ranch,” she said with a sigh as her sisters looked on, both knowing that despite what she said, Lijuan loved nothing more than the power of running all of Half Breed Haven.

  “Oh, likewise. We surely always do have something to say … So many things to catch up on,” Honor hardly agreed with her on anything; so Lijuan smiled cheerfully at her as she spoke. Unlike Lijuan who had pale Asian skin and almond eyes and a very petite but solid physique, Honor was taller, with creamy mocha skin, complementing her hazel eyes. But of course, she had the same figure eight form all the sisters had that came with enthralling ball-shaped breasts, curvy hips and a tiny waist that begged for men's grasps.

  On the seat opposite the two, Cassandra hadn’t issued many words since their journey began a few minutes ago, but she acknowledged Lijuan’s words with an absent nod. She glanced out the window briefly, her blond hair looking radiant with sunlight glinting off it. When she turned back to face her sisters, Lijuan was launching into a story about an old lover she had from her days attending college in New York with Honor.

  She was describing how flummoxed the man was their first time in bed when she had taken complete control. Along with Honor, she laughed at the scene that Lijuan described. Turning to her sisters, she smoothened her skirt with a palm, silently admiring the smoothness of her hips beneath it, as well as the contours nature had blessed her with. Many men had told her how great she looked, donned in a great dress or not.

  “I do remember bursting in on you two in New York when I came to tell you about Daddy’s accident all those years ago,” Honor chirped.

  “You know, this Yanlin should have enough experience over the years since you left him alone. How about going back to him for a rematch next time you are in New York?” Cassandra asked, eyes twinkling with deviousness. She really loved to tease Lijuan.

  “A rematch, Cassie?” Honor whispered excitedly. “Should there really be one since Lijuan obviously won every time they met?”

  Apparently, Honor hadn’t realized that the question was asked to taunt Lijuan. Or perhaps, she did and only wanted to add to taunting her sibling. Lijuan knew what her sisters were up to. A glint of mischief growing in her eyes, she smiled and pointed to the Wilde family land that surrounded them.

  “Not that I have any interest in ever going back to New York again as Arizona is the place for me, but if I did and Yanlin’s skills have increased, so have mine … ten-fold. He’d still be no match for this little Wilde girl!”

  Confidence—Lijuan exuded it whether it be her skills as a lover, a fighter, or as the businesswoman who ran the lucrative ranching and timber operations that gave the family the wealth they enjoyed. It was, however, a trait shared by her other three sisters among the many qualities the Wilde daughters possessed, but Lijuan had simply gotten a lot more of it. She was far removed from the quiet, mousy girl she had been until she blossomed in her teenage years, Cassandra thought inwardly to herself while laughing with Honor and Lijuan. There certainly wouldn't be any rematch between this incompetent sounding Yanlin and her wildly accomplished sister.

  Her eyes wandered out of the carriage again to observe a cluster of horses galloping towards them from around a bend in the road. The new arrivals raised dust behind them in their mad haste. As they drew closer, Cassandra could see the first horse was being chased by a posse! They whipped passed their carriage, enveloping it within a cloud of dust. Dust be damned, Cassandra thought. Wanting to see where the riders were heading to, she stuck her head out one of the side windows to watch.

  “Would you look at that, girls? It’s Sheriff Knox with a posse, and it looks like the chase is taking them through our ranch,” their oldest sister called out to them.

  The cheerful expressions on her sisters’ faces dissolved immediately; Honor’s especially. Cassandra watched after pulling her head back inside as Honor Elizabeth leaned over and began to nervously run her index finger underneath her floral decorated choker. Cassandra almost smiled despite the new situation; Honor’s habit of fingering the choker which was always around her neck, forever a telltale sign indicating an attack of nerves at things going wrong.

  “No, no, no!” she exclaimed, still running her finger under the choker as if the poor object could calm her nerves.

  They were all wondering what the sheriff could be riding into Cedar Ledge for, and whether they really had to go back to check out what it was. Honor wouldn’t like that. Her sister had been going on and on about their trip to Carson City and all the fun they would have there, especially with the gentlemen in the city. This new situation was certainly not going to fall in her graces.

  “Cassandra!” Lijuan exclaimed. She was the one to voice out Honor’s concerns. “Don’t even think about us turning around and getting mixed up in whatever that is all about.”

  “We might be able to help!” Cassandra said, knowing the posse was getting further away with each passing second.

  “We might be, but we will surely miss the train to Nevada. Cassie, you said that was Sheriff Knox from Gillespie, one of the finest lawmen in all of Arizona. You know that. Whatever that is all about, he will bring it under control,” Honor said.

  Having no choice but to listen to them, Cassandra sighed and leaned back in her seat. They had made fair points too.

  “Of course, you’re right,” she tried again, “but still, it’s our ranch they were chasing that jasper on,” she returned.

  “Then Cattie and Blue River will deal with them. Now put that thought out of your head and remember we have business to attend to in Carson City,” Lijuan said.

  “And fun … lots of fun! Simply do not forget the fun!” Honor chimed in and giggled.

  Cassandra looked at her sisters and relaxed, smiling. They were right. Everything could be handled by Catalina and their half-Indian brother. They shouldn’t cut short the fun they had only begun since starting their journey a few minutes ago.

  “Like you would ever let us forget that, Honor Elizabeth.” Cassandra finally grinned at her sister. “Now do you think it is too soon to get into those sandwiches you made us? We wouldn’t want them to dry out,” she said eagerly, getting a laugh in return.

  It took only a few seconds before each of them put the strange scene unfolding on Cedar Ledge out of their mind. All were confident in the knowledge their siblings could handle whatever was going on and focused on the promising delight that awaited them in their travels.

  CHAPTER 5

  * * *

/>   The posse galloped after the wanted man, raising more dust and rocks in their wake. They passed the carriage going the opposite way, and none of the men spared it a single glance. As they were closing in on him, the pursued man sent his horse off the dirt road making a diagonal run heading down the slope towards the adjacent river. Each man followed suit hoping to be the one to get him and bring the chase to an end.

  "There he goes, Percival! The side road we turned off on a way back … this is Cedar Ledge property now! He's going to try and lose himself in the thick of Half Breed Haven!" one of the leading men giving chase shouted, his sparkling blue eyes charged with excitement.

  The man was none other than attorney Killian Kincaid, late of the town of Gillespie. Kincaid, despite his profession, was a strong, burly man with thirty years of age behind him. As he rode his long blond hair that he wore in the style of a man he much admired, General George Armstrong Custer, danced in the breeze where it jutted out from beneath his Stetson. The man’s bolo tie also flapped against the side of his neck as his horse that was leading the chase galloped along in strong in pursuit of the fugitive.

  Percival Drummond, the man he was calling to, was a tall man with dark hair and a thin mustache. Drummond's lips were drawn into a thin line as he grunted at his horse, trying as much as possible to meet up with the wanted man they desperately had to keep chasing. He was riding up close to Kincaid, and his blue coat flew in the wind. Just behind him trailed a sheriff and several deputies.

  "Yeah, it figures that a scoundrel like him would try and take refuge amidst that bunch of half-breeds! But that thieving skunk has got another guess coming if he thinks he can. This'll stop him for sure!" Drummond called to Kincaid.

  He drew his gun but the sheriff shouted for him to put it away. Drummond, however, ignored him and fired a shot, winging the fugitive's horse as the fleeing man reached the river. The animal whinnied, throwing his rider, the culprit, from the saddle into the shallows. The man rolled and disappeared into the reeds, while his now riderless horse ran along the bank before veering back up the slope towards the road. The posse swept by it transfixed on the sight of the man emerging from the reeds, his destination clear.