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

  “Here you go,” she tossed it to the boy. “You two go find somewhere warm to sit, maybe build a fire, you hear me? You go get warm now.”

  “Thank you, miss!” They both lifted their hands to wave at her. She waved back and went on her way down the mountain to Wickenburg.

  At the bottom of the curving road that went up to her house, Rachel stopped her horse and gazed around her. Trees were down to her left and to her right. She was not blocked off completely, but it was going to be difficult getting down to Wickenburg. Doc Brown’s clinic was to the left. Dr. Campbell’s was further away, but she could get there using the right pathway.

  Prince kicked his feet restlessly.

  She hushed him, leaning forward to pat him on the neck. “Hush now, Prince. I gotta do the safe thing, don’t I? I suppose I need to find someone soon. And I do want to see Sam. I could go see him first. Then go to the Doc. Or no, I should probably go to the Doc first, in case I start talking to Sam. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  Prince nodded his massive head up and down as if he was agreeing with her.

  “Are you telling me to go to the doctor’s or to Sam’s first? Oh, you’re no help. You’re just confusing me.” She continued to pat him on the neck so he would know she meant nothing by her sarcasm. “All right. Let’s go to Doc Brown’s. He’s closer.”

  She hadn’t been to the doc’s house for some time and hoped she could remember exactly where it was. There were few differences made to this part of Wickenburg over the past decade, so she was fairly sure she would remember it. She didn’t want to get lost in the woods.

  It took her twenty minutes to get through the snowdrifts. By the time she could see the clinic, which was also the doctor’s home, she knew Prince’s hooves had to be freezing. She should have gone into town, where there would be open roads where someone had already shoveled or plowed the snow away.

  It was too late to turn back, so she urged Prince to go faster. She brought him to a halt in front of the clinic and looked up at it forlornly. It looked like no one was there. The snow was removed from the front of the clinic, so Prince’s hooves weren’t buried in it. He stood in place, kicking and shaking his feet.

  “I’m sorry, Prince. It looks like I made the wrong decision.” She spoke in a low voice as she slid from the saddle. “Stay here. Don’t wander off. I’m not going far.”

  She went up the steps to knock on the clinic door. She tried the handle, but it was locked. She knocked a little harder and called out, “Is anyone here?”

  There was no answer.

  Sighing, she moved to one of the windows and peered through. They were blocked off by sheer white fabric curtains. She could see there was no one inside.

  “Oh dear,” she sighed deeply this time. Turning away, she wondered why she didn’t just go into town like she planned. It would have saved time and Prince wouldn’t have to freeze his feet.

  She pulled herself back up into the saddle and positioned herself comfortably. “All right, boy. I know this is hard but we can do it, right? We’ll just go into town and stop at the Horse N Saddle. You can rest there. Then we’ll go on to Doc Campbell’s. You can rest in town, okay, boy? We can do this.” She said the words knowing she was doing very little when it came to running through the snow. It was all Prince. She loved her horse. She was glad she hadn’t ever needed to do anything like this before.

  She let Prince walk slowly to the edge of the clearing of snow. “Look, there’s a path from the doc’s buggy,” she said, turning Prince in that direction. “Let’s go through there. We can follow him to where he went and get his help then.”

  The horse seemed more than happy to take a path that was already cleared of snow. Rachel sensed a renewed vigor in his step. Wickenburg wasn’t far away. Maybe the doc knew of a short cut.

  She hoped so.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  RACHEL TALKS TO SAM

  RACHEL TALKS TO SAM

  As it happened, the trail took Rachel all the way into Wickenburg. It was a path she didn’t know about before this day. Most of the people who called Wickenburg home but really lived on the outskirts and in the country had their own shortcuts into town. Otherwise, it took much too long.

  She rode Prince directly to the Horse N Saddle. Doc Brown’s wagon was not out front. There were only two horses tied up in front of the Horse N Saddle. She didn’t know who they belonged to though. She slid down and tied Prince to the post. “I’ll be right back, boy.”

  She went through the doors and walked directly to the long bar on the other side of the room. Sam was bent down, moving something around under the counters. She knocked on the bar, leaning over it to see him. He looked up and then stood up straight, a look of surprise on his wide face.

  “Rachel! What… what are you doing here?”

  She grinned. “That’s a fine way to greet your sister after not seeing her for several weeks.”

  He laughed. “You know it is always good to see you. But I am curious. Nothing brings you here unless it’s an emergency.”

  “It is an emergency, Sam, and I need to talk to you about it.”

  Sam inclined his head, never taking his eyes from her. “You are in luck, my dear. Just a week ago, I hired an assistant.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “An assistant? An assistant barkeep? You are moving up in this world, my brother.”

  He chuckled. “Thank you. I’ll get him to come out here and we’ll talk.”

  “Thanks. It’s real important.”

  He hurried through a door to the back of the saloon and returned in seconds with a tall young man with long, brown hair.

  “Rachel, I want you to meet my assistant, Allan. Allan, this is my sister, Rachel.”

  Allan leaned forward to shake her hand. “Howdy, miss.”

  She smiled at him. “Aren’t you Allan Samuels?”

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  What a coincidence, she thought.

  “Allan, I’m gonna go talk with her for a bit and I need you to mind the place. Can ya do that for me?”

  “Of course. I’ll be glad to.”

  “Nothing ever happens here, so you don’t need to worry. There’s only a few men in here anyway.”

  Allan shook his head. “I’m not worried, Mr. O’Connell. Don’t you be.”

  “Okay, son. Thanks.” He slapped Allan lightly on the shoulder and went around the bar to meet Rachel on the other side. “Let’s go over here where it’s private.” He led her to a table in a far corner and sat so that he could see the entirety of the bar from where he was. Just in case.

  She sat in the chair opposite from him. “Sam, there’s a man at my house.”

  Sam’s eyes moved to her face. “Say again?”

  “I said there’s a man at my house. When the snowstorm hit, a man came wandering to my house. He’d gotten lost in the storm. My house was the first one he made it to. He had a terrible accident and broke his leg. He was barely alive when he came to my house. He’s been there ever since. I’ve been taking care of him.”

  “Who is this man?” Sam said in a gruff voice.

  Rachel turned her head to look over her shoulder. “His uncle,” she said. Sam looked over at Allan.

  “Who’s? Allan’s?”

  Rachel nodded. “Yeah. His mother’s brother. His name is Daryl Parker. He told me he was on his way to the Samuels’ place and got lost in the storm after his accident.”

  “Do you believe him? What is he like? Are you in danger? I don’t know what you were thinking, taking someone in that way. A man. Rachel, you could have gotten hurt.” They both looked at each other for a moment before both started laughing. “I’m sorry, Rache. I just can’t. So tell me about this Daryl Parker.”

  “He’s a handsome man, Sam. And we laugh and get along real well. I… I like him.”

  “Oh? What kind of like are we talking about here? The kind that will have you with a new last name?”

  She smiled. “Maybe. Could be. We’ll see.”
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  “You realize I’m going to have to meet him.”

  “Will you come with me to get the doctor? I didn’t see Doc Brown at his clinic, so I thought I’d go out to get Dr. Campbell.”

  “I saw Doc Brown earlier. He was headed out toward the Campbells’. He stopped at the grocery first. That’s where I saw him leave from.”

  “There are more people out than I expected.”

  Sam nodded. “The only reason Doc Brown would be headed in that direction is if Mrs. Patterson went into labor.”

  Rachel raised her eyebrows. “Again?”

  Sam chuckled. “Yep. Seventh one.”

  Rachel shook her head. “I don’t know how Agatha does it. It shouldn’t take long, considering she’s done this so many times before.”

  “Yeah, they know what to expect, don’t they?”

  They both laughed. “She’s a sweet lady, though,” Sam said. “And she sure does love those wee ones.”

  “Yeah, she does. I’m glad for her.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Well, that means he’s already helping someone. We’ll have to go to Dr. Campbell’s after all.”

  “We gonna stop by the Samuels’ to let them know Mr. Parker is here?”

  “I asked Daryl and he said not to tell them quite yet.”

  “What? Why? Did they know he was coming?” Sam’s voice turned suspicious.

  “Don’t worry. I think he has other reasons for not wanting them to know yet. Have you heard anything from them? Is anyone talking about it?”

  “I haven’t heard anything,” Sam replied, shaking his head. “But no one has been out for days. Everyone stays inside when there’s a blizzard. It’s the only smart thing to do. Your friend doesn’t sound very smart.”

  “Don’t be hateful, Sam. He didn’t know the blizzard was coming.”

  “Adam told everyone…”

  “He was coming from Louisville. He didn’t hear about it.”

  Sam nodded. “Okay, I’ll give him that. But why doesn’t he want his family to know he’s here and safe?”

  “I think he’s afraid they will want him to come and stay at their place.”

  Sam stared at her for a moment. “He doesn’t want to leave your home.”

  She grinned. “No, I don’t think he does. He wants to know if they are inquiring about him. But he doesn’t want to go stay there. And I’m… I’m enjoying his company.”

  “He hasn’t been too forward with you, has he?” Sam asked.

  She shook her head. “Not at all, Sam. I feel safe with him.”

  “There must be something wrong with him, then. A beautiful woman like you? What’s wrong with him, Rachel?” Sam grinned.

  “Oh, Sam. You’re a kidder. He’s been a perfect gentleman, but yes, I… I think there’s something there, something that might grow between us.”

  Sam licked his large lips and looked over her shoulder at the rest of the bar. “Well, I am going to meet him. First, let’s go to Dr. Campbell’s place. Do you want to take my wagon?”

  “If you think it’s safer.”

  “It would probably be better for Prince, too,” Sam said.

  Rachel raised her eyebrows. “How did you know?”

  Sam shrugged. “I assumed if you went to Doc Brown’s you had to go through some deep snow. He needs time to rest his legs and his feet.”

  “Good thinking. Let’s take your wagon.”

  She got up from the chair and pushed it back toward the table. He did the same and went directly to the bar, where he spoke to Allan across the counter. Rachel went to the door and waited for her brother there. When she saw him coming toward her, she turned and went through the doors.

  “My wagon is around the side over here, in the alley.”

  She followed him through the light snow on the ground, watching her feet so she didn’t slip. There were two steps down to the ground that led to the alley between the two buildings. There was a shelter there, a simple roof Sam had erected to shield his horses and wagon from the weather. There was very little snow under the shelter. It had turned to mud. Rachel watched as her boots squished into the wet ground. It was going to be messy for a while.

  Sam helped her up into the wagon and went around to untie the horses and climb up into the seat. Before he snapped the reins, he looked over at her. “So this Daryl, he’s a good man, you think?”

  She nodded, looking up at him. “I do think so, Sam. I really do.”

  “I don’t think I’ve heard you say that about anyone before. I have to trust that you know what you’re talking about. I look forward to meeting him. It looks like he’s captured your heart already.”

  “Don’t say that. I barely know the man.”

  Sam grinned. “That look on your face tells me you know him better than you think you do.”

  He snapped the reins and set the horses in motion.

  When the wagon pulled out of the shelter, Rachel reached up and put one hand on the edge of her bonnet, pulling it so that her face was shielded from the light breeze that met her face. “I can’t wait until it’s warm again.”

  “And when it’s warm, everyone will miss the cold,” Sam remarked.

  “I won’t,” Rachel responded in a firm voice.

  He laughed. “No, I don’t suppose you would. You don’t like cold weather. Never have. Momma used to…”

  “Swaddle me in three blankets, I know, Sam. You remind me of that every time it gets cold. Next time I see you when it’s cold, I’m going to wrap myself in three blankets. I’ll just bet you’d still say it.”

  “I probably would.”

  They both laughed.

  It wasn’t long before Sam was pulling the wagon into the path that led to the Campbell’s place. “So we aren’t telling them it’s Mrs. Samuels’ brother that needs help?”

  Rachel sighed. “I suppose we shouldn’t. It’s Daryl’s business to tell.”

  Sam nodded. “All right. I still think it’s a bit strange, though. Him not wanting you to tell his own sister that he’s right here in Wickenburg?”

  “They may not have been expecting him.”

  “Did it seem to you like he was running from something?”

  She shook her head. “No. It didn’t seem that way to me at all.”

  Sam was quiet for a minute. “I reckon we’ll find out,” he murmured.

  Rachel heard him and didn’t say anything. She wanted to be confident and trust that Daryl was an honest man.

  But sometimes even honest men were not what they seemed.

  She waited for Sam to get down and tie up the horses. He came around the wagon and helped her down. They both went up the steps together and Sam used the large knocker on the door to signify their presence. They waited only a moment before the door was thrown open by a little boy.

  Sam smiled down at the child. “Hello there, Joey. Is your papa home?”

  Joey turned and called into the house. “Papa! Papa!”

  Sam and Rachel stepped into the house and closed the door behind them as Joey dashed off down a nearby hallway. Mrs. Campbell, the doctor’s wife, came around the corner and smiled at them. “I am sorry. I don’t know how many times I’ve told that boy not to open the door without one of us nearby. How are you both? We haven’t seen you in some time. Is everything all right?”

  “Rachel here has gotten herself in a bind of sorts, Mrs. Campbell,” Sam jabbed his thumb in her direction. “She’s rescued a stray from the storm and the fella is in need of a doctor.”

  Abby raised her eyebrows. “Oh?” She looked at Rachel. “What kind of stray? Was someone wandering through the blizzard?”

  “A traveler, yes,” Rachel nodded. “He had some type of accident and came to my house with a broken leg and some very severe wounds. I patched him up the best I could with what I had. But he needs a doctor’s attention. I am not a doctor.”

  Mrs. Campbell nodded. “I understand. George is in the back study. I’ll fetch him immediately.”

  “I think Joey i
s already doing that,” Sam said with a smile. Just as he said the words, the little boy came running back down the hallway, his father behind him.

  “Hello, Sam. Rachel.” Dr. Campbell reached out to shake their hands. “What can I do for you today? It must be important for you to come all the way out here in this weather.”

  “It is important, George,” Mrs. Campbell said before Rachel could speak. “Rachel rescued a man who was traveling and got stuck in the blizzard. You said he had an accident, Rachel? With his wagon?”

  “I am assuming. I was not there and didn’t see it. All I know is that he managed to get himself and his wagon to my house. I had a light shining in the window and it was all he could see in the storm and fog.”

  “What is the extent of his injuries?” The doctor was already gathering items together to take to Rachel’s house, filling a large black bag, which snapped together at the top, with bottles from a drawer in a nearby desk.

  “His leg is surely broken. The bone did not protrude from the skin, but it is oddly shaped and I could feel it pressing against his skin from the inside. He had a large gash on one arm that went in pretty deep. It was filled with mud and leaves and small rocks.”

  “He fell down a ravine or a hillside,” the doctor said.

  Rachel nodded. “That’s what I thought.”

  “Anything else of note?”

  “Not that I could see.”

  “All right, let’s get to the house and see what we can do for him.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  QUITE A WOMAN

  QUITE A WOMAN

  While Daryl was in the kitchen slicing into an onion with a large knife, a knock at the door drew his attention. He carefully set the knife to the side. With his leg being stuck in such an awkward position, he found his entire body balance was off. One small slip and he might cut off his fingers.

  He looked toward the door, wondering if he should answer or not. He couldn’t imagine who would be out in this weather and why they would come to Rachel’s.