Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance (24 page)

Looking around again to be sure he was alone, he calmly carved his mark in a tree, so he’d know where to return.
 
Yes, the gold was the answer to all his dreams; all he had to do was get the land where it rested.
 
Not an easy task, for he knew he stood on the Evans’ property.
 
But the gold had always called to him and now that he knew where it was, he could answer.
 
It didn’t matter how; he would get this land and his gold.

CHAPTER 1

Flames licked through the canvas wagon cover.
 
Great billows of black smoke escaped through the top.
 
Horses whinnied.
 
Men shouted.
 
Cattle bawled.
 
The scene was utter chaos.

Catherine Evans shouted orders, turning as a big black stallion charged into the fray.
 
The large man on his back countermanded her orders and barked out his own.

Duncan McKenzie.

Nudging her own stallion, Wildfire, with her knees, she intercepted them.
 
“This is my ranch and my men.
 
I give the orders here.
 
Where the hell have you been?
 
You’re a week late.”

“I came when I could.”
 
Duncan turned to join the men.

“No, you stay.”
 
She whipped around to face the men beating at the fire on the wagon.
 
“Forget the wagon.
 
It’s lost.
 
Get those cows.
 
Now.”

After the men scattered she rounded on Duncan.
 
“When you could, isn’t a good enough answer.
 
This is a working ranch.
 
I have to be able to depend on every man here.
 
And if I can’t, then I don’t want them.
 
I don’t even know why Dad sent for you anyway.
 
We don’t need a gunslinger.”

“James has his reasons for asking me to come.
 
As for a gunslinger, the need has yet to be seen.”

She disregarded his response.
 
“You know about field dressings and I’ve got a man missing and probably hurt.
 
Zeke was driving one of these supply wagons.
 
I could use your help.”

She galloped to the other side of the camp, riding around debris thrown from the supply wagon.
 
Burlap sacks once full of coffee and beans littered the ground beside empty flour and sugar sacks.
 
Tinned food lay bent, smashed under cattle and horse hooves.
 
Ignoring the destruction, she went straight to an overturned supply wagon.
           

Duncan reined in beside her. “The whole place looks like a battlefield.”
 

“It is a battlefield and if you’re here to help, then do it.”

“I don't see anyone.”

She stopped rifling through loose pieces of debris and cocked her head toward the wagon.
 
“Did you hear that?”

There was a weak and distant groan.
 
Catherine saw a muddied, work worn black boot sticking out from underneath.

“It must have upended during the stampede.
 
Zeke was driving.
 
We have to get him out.”
 
She let out a shrill whistle and Wildfire came running to her side.
 
“Good boy.”

She freed her lasso from the saddlehorn, dallying up the front wagon wheel.
 
Duncan did the same to the rear wheel.

“Let's flip the wagon over.
 
When I holler, you have that horse of yours pull.”
 
She made sure both ropes were tight.

“Now!
 
Pull.
 
You too, Wildfire, come on boy.”
 
The wagon came slowly up and over onto its wheels, wood creaking as it bounced on its axles but it held together in one piece.

She ran around the wagon to the man on the ground, checked for bullet wounds and found none.
 
The wound on his head bled profusely, as they are want to do, but didn’t appear too deep.
 
Running her hands over him, she found his right leg broken.
 
“Zeke, are you all right?
 
Zeke, can you hear me?”

She looked up at Duncan.
 
“It’s broken.
 
It’ll need to be set before we can move him.
 
I can’t do this on my own.
 
I don’t have the strength to set the leg properly.
 
Will you help?”
      
 

“Sure.
 
I need two straight pieces of wood and something to bind them.”
 
He took his knife and cut Zeke's pant leg open to see how badly the leg was injured.
 
She could see the bone hadn’t broken the skin and there was no bleeding, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
 
He could stabilize it enough to get the man to a real doctor.

Catherine returned with a couple of loose boards she’d ripped from the wagon as Duncan started to cut off Zeke’s boot.
 
He hesitated when Zeke moaned, clearly in agony.

“Miss Catherine, is that you?
 
What happened?”
 
He was in obvious pain, but still lucid.

She smiled at him and gently brushed the hair back out of his eyes.
 
“I was about to ask you the same thing.
 
You've got a broken leg and I know it hurts, but before we set it tell me what you remember.
 
All I heard was the cattle rushin’.
 
By the time I got out of the timber, it was all over.”

Zeke closed his eyes.
 
“It happened so fast.
 
Roy Walker and his men rode in.
 
Next thing I hear gunshots.
 
I tried to control the team but the wagon got pounded by the cows and tipped...I'm sorry, I don't know what happened after that.”
 
He closed his eyes then opened them wide.
 
“The team!
 
Where's Abel and Bessie?”

She shook her head, “Don't worry, they're fine.”

Zeke nodded then looked at Duncan.
 
“Who's this?
 
A new ranch hand?
 
Replacing me already?”
 
He tried to smile, but winced in pain instead.

She patted his hand.
 
“Don't be silly Zeke, you know you’re irreplaceable.
 
Besides, I can’t let your Sarah and little Jacob go, so I guess you have to stay too.
 
This is Duncan McKenzie.”
 

“Mr. McKenzie, any friend of James Evans' is a friend o' mine.”
 
Zeke lifted his hand.
 
“But if you continue cuttin’ on my boot, I’m goin’ to kick you with my other leg.
 
They’re the only boots I got.”

“Pleased to meet you.
 
I’ve got to get this boot off so I can set your leg and if you kick me I’ll have to knock you out.”

“No way.”
 
Zeke ripped his hand from Duncan’s and tried to rise, but Duncan held him down.

Catherine grabbed Zeke’s hand and gently held it.
 
“Don’t worry.
 
I’m gonna buy you the best boots in Creede.
 
I’ll make Gordon send all the way to Chicago if I have to.
 
I’ll even make sure that Jacob has a pair to match his Daddy’s.”

Zeke stopped struggling and relaxed.
 
“The best, huh?”

“The best.
 
I promise,”

“Catherine’s promised and I’m a witness.
 
Let’s set your leg and get you home.”

“Can you hold him down while I set it?”

She took a deep breath and nodded.

Duncan turned to Zeke and said calmly, “This is going to hurt like hell, but I’ve got to do it.
 
I’ll be as quick as I can.
 
Yell, if you want.”

“Here, bite down on this, it’ll help.”
 
Catherine handed him the leather sheath from her knife.

“Just get it done.”
 
Zeke closed his eyes, put the leather between his teeth and locked his jaw.

“Wait a minute.
 
You’ll need something to bind it.”
 
She pulled her shirt from her pants and tore two strips from the bottom.
 
She laid the cloth next to the boards within Duncan’s reach.

“All right, hold him still.”
 
Duncan pulled hard with both hands to set the bones back into place, while Catherine put all her weight on Zeke's shoulders to hold him down.
 
Placing one board on either side of the leg, he tied them tight with the strips of cloth from her shirt.

Zeke had not uttered a sound.
 
He’d fainted.

SNEAK PEEK

TAME A WILD WIND

by

CYNTHIA WOOLF

Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Ann Drake O’Malley pulled her little black buggy through the gates of the Circle M ranch, past the bunkhouse and the ice house into the yard in front of the main house.
 
Catherine and Duncan McKenzie were expecting her and waited on the wide porch that wound around the entire house.
 
Their son, Ian, age ten waited by the hitching rail to tether her horse.

“Ian!” RJ hollered.
 
Cassie’s son, Raymond James, called RJ, jumped off before the small conveyance came to a stop, much to Cassie’s exasperation.

Ian, who had the blue eyes and dark hair of their father, grabbed the reins Cassie tossed his way and wrapped them around the hitching rail, then slapped his friend on the back, much as their fathers used to do.
 
“RJ, good to see you.
 
Come look at our new colt.”

The McKenzie girls Elizabeth “Lizzie”, aged seven and Mary, age three,
 
were not to be out done by their brother and ran down the porch steps, their red hair bouncing and shouted, “Sarah!” in unison.

“Sarah Jane O’Malley!
 
You will not jump off this buggy.”
 
Cassie admonished and grabbed the little girl, who was a miniature image of Cassie,
 
before she jumped and hurt herself.

Duncan rushed to help Cassie down but took Sarah Jane first.
 
“Here you go, baby.” he said as he set her on the ground and she took off running for her friends.

“Thank you Duncan.
 
She forgets she’s only two.
 
She thinks she can do everything RJ does.” said Cassie

Cassie put her hands on Duncan’s shoulders and let him lift her down.
 
Even though he was just a friend, it was nice to feel such strong muscles beneath her fingers and strong hands on her waist.
 
Even for a second.
 
Nice to remember she was still human.
 
Not so nice to remember how lonely she was.