The Cripple’s Bride_Family of Love Series_A Western Romance Story Read online

  “You can leave.”

  She cackled. “Leave? To where? My parents aren’t alive, his parents hate me and have disowned the children and I have no other relatives. None. I don’t have anywhere to run to.”

  Daryl was quiet for a moment, thinking and giving her time to calm down a little. Then he spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster. “My offer still stands, Esther. If you want to wait just a little longer and let me get established in Wickenburg, I’ll find a home for you and your children. I’ll even come back to Louisville to help you move. I’ll move everything you have in my wagon and if we need more, I know Heath will help, if not one of my other friends. Wickenburg isn’t in another country, so it will only take a few days’ travel there and back for Heath.”

  “What if I can’t wait a couple weeks?” Esther said. Her voice was so soft that he had to strain to hear it. “What if something happens before that?”

  “I’m going to see Johnny later,” Daryl replied, lowering his voice as if an unseen presence might hear him. “And I’m going to give him one of my good pistols and a box of bullets. I have been training Johnny and he is a good shot. A confident boy despite his circumstances. Smart. I like him and I think he has a bright future, despite this childhood. I trained him well. He will protect you.”

  “Daryl, what if James gets his hands on the pistol or the bullets? He will kill us all. And he would if he found something like that in Johnny’s possessions.”

  Daryl shook his head. “I trained Johnny, you forget. I know that he needs to hide this from his father. I taught him how to do that, too. James is a mean drunk and he’s not very smart when he’s drunk, either. Johnny understands and is a smart boy, as I said. He will protect you.”

  Daryl’s voice resounded with confidence in Johnny. The sound of it made Esther perk up a bit. She blinked and her tears dried up. He whipped the handkerchief from the front pocket of his vest and she dabbed at her cheeks. “He is a smart boy, isn’t he, Daryl?”

  “He certainly is. You should be proud of him.”

  For the first time in a while, Daryl saw Esther’s smile. Despite the missing tooth, it was quite nice. He smiled back at her.

  “Thank you, Daryl. You are always so kind to me.”

  “It is my pleasure, Esther. And I will always keep in touch with you. When the time is right, perhaps you will be ready to escape and we’ll get you out to Wickenburg, where you will be safe and sound.”

  “I hope so, Daryl. I really do.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  TWO PATHS TO CHOOSE

  TWO PATHS TO CHOOSE

  Esther and her children were waving goodbye as Daryl rode down the path. He waved back and called out, “Take care of each other!” Johnny was running after the wagon, yelling goodbye and waving frantically. It pulled at Daryl’s heartstrings and he swallowed hard. He would miss that family. And he was going to be worried about them, every minute until he could find a safe place for them to go. Even if he did that, would Esther really leave James? Would she have the courage?

  Her sad form became smaller and smaller as he got further away. Finally, he turned to look forward and settled in for his journey. It would take him some time to get to Wickenburg. He expected to camp out during the night and reach Wickenburg by the morning light. He’d sent a telegram to his sister there and was anxious to see her again. It had been over a year since she’d moved there and they had only corresponded through letters since then. He missed her warm smile and welcoming arms.

  He let memories of his childhood run through his mind. He’d been a happy child and didn’t mind having a little sister at all. They’d played games and ran through the woods all the time. She was a tough little girl and would swing in the branches of trees she’d climbed and drop down to her feet with the best of the boys. He’d had a lot of fun with her.

  He didn’t realize how chilly it was until he left Louisville behind. It seemed like the action in the big town made the temperature a little warmer. He left the reins hanging over the front of the bench seat and reached into the back for an overcoat and a scarf to put over his head. If the wind picked up, he didn’t want to lose his hat. He had others, but he wasn’t in the mood to buy another one or go digging through his things for one either.

  He’d put the warm coat and scarf close to the front of the wagon so that if he needed them, they would be there.

  The horses slowly moved along the path as it made an upward turn to go over and around the mountain between Louisville and Wickenburg. It was actually one of three mountains he would cross to get there, but it was close enough and his sister was there, so he felt it was worth it. Anything to get away from the town that left him with so many memories of false happiness.

  He was glad to be leaving. He didn’t look back as the town moved out of view. He put on the coat and wrapped the scarf over his hat and under his chin. He tied it there securely and put his hands into the gloves he’d found under the coat. That must have been Heath’s idea. He didn’t remember putting gloves there.

  Warmer now, Daryl settled onto the bench, leaning forward, the reins held loosely in his hands. He wished he had someone to talk to. Last week, he had thought it would be Laura. He thought she was going to be the one for him.

  She had always smiled so big for him. They never bickered about anything. He’d fallen in love with her a year ago and had been pursuing her ever since, taking her on picnics and rides and to the fair and festivals. So many people had seen them. How did she keep her affair secret? It broke his heart to think he had been such a fool. She had used him for entertainment when she had what she wanted on the side.

  He grunted, running through his memories, searching for something that might have given him a clue about what she was up to. Heath said he didn’t know about it and Daryl believed him. In his heart, he wanted to believe she’d kept it from everyone, but he knew better. There were those in town that knew what she was doing and said nothing to him, letting him be the ever-loyal fool. Of all people, her sister, Lily, the woman his best friend would soon marry. She had let him go on without saying a word.

  He wondered if he would have told himself. If the situation was different and he knew of someone who was making a fool of himself in such a way, would he be brave enough to confront the cheater or tell the one who was being cheated?

  He didn’t know. Maybe he would and maybe he wouldn’t. It depended on his relationship with them both.

  He thought deeply about it and came to the conclusion that he couldn’t blame those people, not really. It wasn’t their business. When the time came for him to be told, the best person in town took on the responsibility. Daryl was grateful, even if the news had cut him to the bone. It would be a long time before he would give his heart to another woman. It hurt too much when it was broken.

  After a while of nothing but woods, plains and rolling hills, he saw a wagon approaching in the distance. Travelers coming from the other direction, he assumed, seeing a woman on the bench seat with the man. She was holding a baby in her arms. The first thing he noticed was the pretty blue bonnet the woman was wearing.

  As they got closer, he could see both of them were smiling.

  “Howdy!” the man called out when they were in hearing distance.

  “Howdy!” Daryl responded. They pulled up alongside one another and stopped.

  “You travelin’ to Wickenburg?” the man asked.

  Daryl nodded. “Sure am. You goin’ to Louisville?”

  “Yep,” the man responded with one nod of his head. He turned to gesture to the woman. “I’m Ned, this here’s my wife, Louise, and our baby boy, Matthew. It’s good to meet you.”

  Daryl gave them each a nod. “Ned. Louise. I’m Daryl Parker. Heading to Wickenburg to stay with my sister for a while. You come from there?”

  Ned shook his head. “We don’t come from there, but we did go through the town on the way here. Stopped for a time. They were having some kind of festival and if there’s one thing me and my wife like t
o do, it’s eat free food. Especially good cooked food like they had there.” Ned rubbed his stomach, his grin wide. “Isn’t that right, Louise?”

  Louise gave her husband a responding grin. Daryl thought they looked like a sweet couple in love. It would have been a nice thing to see if he wasn’t currently heartbroken. He felt a little sick to his stomach.

  “That’s right, Papa,” Louise answered.

  Ned’s grin widened, if that was possible. He gave Daryl a wink. “She likes to remind me that we got a young ‘un, but she don’t have to. I know that baby is there every night at least twice a night.”

  Daryl laughed. Louise made a shocked sound and jostled her husband, who burst into a loud laughter.

  “Hush now, you’re going to frighten Matthew.” Louise scolded her husband.

  “So you got a long trip ahead of you, mister,” Ned said in a friendly voice. “I gotta warn ya, they are sayin’ a snowstorm is gonna hit Wickenburg and this area. You might want to hurry on to where you’re going or at least take shelter if you feel it gettin’ too cold. You don’t want to be caught in a snowstorm, do ya?”

  “I have supplies. I could probably hide out somewhere.”

  “Well, it’s good that you have supplies, but those storms are dangerous. You gotta be careful.”

  Daryl nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ned, thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Mind tellin’ me though, how someone was predicting a snowstorm is about to hit? It’s been pretty warm lately. Rain tapered off, sun is out. It’s a mite chilly, but you know, it gets like that some days for no reason.”

  Ned leaned over, one leg over the side of the bench and the other sitting firmly on the brake lever. “Let me tell you something, that’s a close community out there in Wickenburg. Not big like Louisville so everybody knows each other. It’s amazing. They all know each other personally. When a stranger comes through, they all know it.”

  Daryl nodded. “I know. I’ve visited in my youth.”

  “Well, there’s this family there, the Collins family. They practically run the town, but they have a great reputation with everyone. Never caused nobody any harm. And the husband, name’s Adam, and his friend put together a bunch of papers and came up with it. I don’t know how they did it. I don’t understand stuff like that. Can barely read myself.”

  “I’ve been teaching him so he’ll be able to read to Matthew,” Louise leaned forward to speak to Daryl.

  “That’s nice,” Daryl smiled at her. He looked back at Ned. “So they just decided a snowstorm was heading this way because of some documents they read? Like sea scrolls or something?”

  Ned laughed. “No I don’t think so, but that is good, sir, that is good. I really can’t say how they figured it out, but everyone believes them and they’re all preparing for the worst. Well, most of them.”

  “Why most of them? Didn’t you say the family has a great reputation?”

  “They do,” Ned confirmed. “But this is the first time they’ve ever warned the town about any danger or bad weather. They had to put it through tests when no one knew and apparently they were right 90 percent of the time. I’d say that’s pretty good odds that they know what they’re talking about.”

  “That’s pretty interesting. Adam Collins, huh. I’ll ask around about him when I get there.”

  “You won’t have to ask too many people. Probably not more than one. Smart man, he is. Got a lot up here.” Ned tapped the side of his temple.

  “Well, I guess I should get going if I want to avoid the bad weather.”

  “You’ll like Wickenburg,” Ned said, as if he hadn’t heard Daryl’s polite excuse to leave. “For such a little town, it’s got a lot going on. The thing about Wickenburg is that it spreads out far, you know. The Collins house, I was told, is really far from the middle of town and then if you go in the other direction, you go by Dr. Campbell’s house and clinic. You might need to know where that is, Daryl. Everyone needs a good doctor.”

  “Don’t they have another doctor there?”

  “Yeah but the story is that Doc Brown decided he wanted to be a traveling doctor, so he only comes through Wickenburg sometimes, when he wants to check on his old patients.”

  “The Samuels house. That’s my sister. That’s where I’m going.”

  Ned lifted his already arched eyebrows and they disappeared under the brim of his hat. “Oh? That’s on the other side of Wickenburg. Gonna make your trip longer.”

  “Do you think I have time to get to the hotel before the storm hits?”

  Ned shrugged. “No idea, friend. I hope so. I don’t think you’ll make it to the Samuels place. But then, I’m not Adam Collins.” Ned threw his head back and laughed like he’d said the funniest thing he had ever heard.

  Louise jostled him again. “Hush, Ned. You are laughing too loud and you’ll frighten Matthew.”

  “You keep telling me that.”

  She looked up at him. “You keep doing it.”

  Ned turned back to Daryl. “She’s right, you know. I do get loud. I’m workin’ on it. Not easy sometimes. Not used to having a little one to worry about.”

  Louise sat forward again to look at Daryl. “He never grew up and a lot of things amuse him. But that’s why I married him, so I can’t be too hard on him.”

  Daryl felt his heart burning up into a pile of ashes. “That’s very loving of you.”

  Ned and Louise gave each other warm smiles.

  “I’m gonna try to make it to a hotel. Good luck to both of you and to your little baby boy. Take care now.”

  Without waiting for a response, he snapped the reins and the horses moved forward. He heard Ned calling out a goodbye as he went, but he knew if he spent another moment there, Ned would trap him into conversation for another hour and he really would be caught in the snowstorm. He had supplies. He knew how to make a fire. Nevertheless, he wished he hadn’t picked just then to move away. He couldn’t have picked a worse time, in fact.

  He kept the horses moving up and around the trails until he saw Wickenburg in the distance. It gave him some relief to see movement, dust rising in the distance as horses ran across the land.

  He came upon a small pathway that would wind down the mountain, taking him in the direction of Wickenburg. However, there was a fork in the road. The other path may have led to Wickenburg too. He looked from one to the other. Which path should he take?

  He took the one he’d seen first.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  FALLING DOWN THE RAVINE

  FALLING DOWN THE RAVINE

  It had to be the right one, as it was almost a straight shot from where he’d been. A long ride but straight, nevertheless. As he went down the mountain, he felt a stirring inside and knew he needed to relieve himself. Too much cold coffee along the way.

  He stopped the horses, pulling them over to the side as much as he thought was safe, setting the brake and getting down from the wagon.

  He moved over to the other side of the path and hastened to undo the buttons of his trousers. He took a step forward and his foot settled on a soft patch of wet grass. He lost his footing and the next thing he knew, the back of his head slammed against the hard ground. He groaned and could do nothing but grab at sticks and large rocks as he plummeted down the side of the ravine.

  He caught a glimpse of the water below, rippling and reflecting the sun.

  “Oh dear Lord,” he prayed. “Oh dear Lord, help me.”

  His hands missed the rocks and branches and he tumbled all the way down, head over heels. He had his hands wrapped around the head and he was trying to take each bump as relaxed as he could so that he wouldn’t break any bones.

  Finally, there was a splash and he knew he’d gone into the water.

  Fortunately, he didn’t go far in and only half of him was soaked. Unfortunately, he was severely injured.

  He was unable to move one of his legs and a large gash on his right arm was seeping blood. He touched his head with his han
d. A large lump on his forehead had already formed. He tried to push himself up from the water, but pain from his leg streaked through him and he cried out in agony. He relaxed that side of his body and rolled over to be out of the water, yelling in pain the whole time. He lay there, staring through the leaves of the trees overhead to the blue sky beyond. There were no clouds, but it was colder than Daryl wished it was. Especially now that he was wet.

  He didn’t want to try sitting up. He didn’t think he had the strength or energy to do so, anyway.

  “God, what is going on?” he murmured. “Did I upset You? I am sorry if I did. I don’t know why all these things are happening to me, but I need a miracle right now. If you could send an angel to get me and take me back up to my wagon, I’d be so happy. I would appreciate it. I really would. I would tell everyone, I don’t care if they call me a lunatic. They can put me in an asylum if they choose, Lord, but please send me an angel. Amen.”

  He stopped praying and looked around without turning his head. No one was there. He waited. No one came.

  What do I do now? he thought. No one will know to look for me down here. Why would they? The horses will eventually tire of being there and will probably turn around and return home. If they do that, people will wonder and Heath, at least Heath, he will come looking for me. But he won’t have any idea where to find me. No, I’m going to have to figure this one out on my own. I’ve got no choice.

  He struggled to sit up. A jolt of pain flashed through him and he cried out, dropping back to the ground. He looked up at the bright sky again and noticed that it was darkening rapidly.

  He lost consciousness.

  When Daryl woke up, it was nearly dark. He chided himself for not staying awake. He struggled to sit up again, determined to take the pain. He looked down and saw that his pants were now white with freshly fallen flakes of snow. Dread passed through him. He was injured, still nowhere near getting to the hotel, and there was no telling how long it would take for him to get up to the top of the ravine and back to his horses. And what if they weren’t there anymore?