Wrath on the Cattle Trail (Preview)


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Prologue

Annabelle Cartwright narrowed her eyes as she chewed on half a grape she’d just put in her mouth. She held her hand in front of her face, clutching the rest of the grape until she was ready to eat it.

“What are they doing?” she murmured to her best friend, Penelope, who looked as pretty as a picture that bright, sunny day. Penny turned her blue eyes to the lake, where her husband, John, and Annabelle’s fiance, Wesley, were splashing each other. She could think of a million things she’d rather do than get herself wet.

She and Penny were both sitting to the side, the skirt of their dresses spread out in a fan over their legs. They each had a bunch of grapes and were slowly eating them, waiting for the men to stop acting like children.

“It looks like they’re having fun,” Penny replied in a soft voice. She had dark chocolate brown hair and dark blue eyes that stood out from an almost flawless face. Annabelle only spent time with Penny because she was quiet and always let Annabelle do and say whatever she wanted. She also did whatever she was told.

Annabelle slid her eyes from the men to Penny. “That dress… what color is that?”

Penny looked down at herself. She picked at the fabric with her fingers. “You like it? My mother made it.” Penny smiled at her.

Annabelle smiled back. “I bet she did. It’s so wonderful to have a mother to sew dresses for you since you can’t afford to buy them already made. I don’t know what I’d do. I don’t have a mother to make my clothes for me.”

She watched Penny’s smile waver as the girl swallowed hard. She moved her eyes away from Annabelle, who was extremely proud of her polite jab. Teasing Penny about not having a lot of money was one of her favorite things to do.

Her voice was very small when she said, “Yes, I like it very much.” There was a pause and Annabelle waited. Penny knew what she was supposed to do. Finally, as if reluctant to speak, Penny sighed and said, “I like your dress, too.”

Annabelle grinned wide, feeling a rush inside. She squared her shoulders and tilted her head to the side. “Yes, everyone does. I bought it when Wesley and I went shopping the other day. He buys me whatever I want. He’s so wealthy, he doesn’t even think twice about it. Why, sometimes he lets me get even more than I wanted. He’s just that generous!”

She made sure to give Penny a look at her beaming smile. John wasn’t wealthy and couldn’t afford to buy anything frivolous for his wife. They supported Penelope’s parents and several cousins who had lost their parents, too, so the only time Penny had anything nice was when it was made for her.

Wesley and John were heading toward them, dripping from their swim in the lake. Annabelle felt her irritation level rise the closer Wesley got. If she wasn’t relying on him to supply the money she wanted and that her family needed, she wouldn’t be anywhere around him. He was obnoxiously funny, even though she wasn’t impressed with his sense of humor.

He was decent-looking with light brown eyes and dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders. He often kept it back in a black hair tie. She gazed at the glistening water on his nearly hairless muscular chest. He was strong and intimidating at over six feet.

Both men were toweling off, chatting and laughing as they walked to the blanket the women were sitting on.

Penny got to her feet and went to meet them. Annabelle watched her closely. Penny smiled at her husband and he took her in his arms, pecking a kiss on her forehead. He was much taller than Penny and clearly in love with her. Annabelle had pondered flirting with him a few times, maybe steal him away from Penny but she didn’t want to risk Wesley finding out. Then her coffers would empty quickly.

So she left Penny and John’s relationship alone and never tried to interfere with it. Those days were over until something happened to Wesley. Or to their relationship. They were three weeks away from getting married. She had taken residence at the Hunt ranch, in order to prepare the place for her when she was ready to move in as the mistress. She’d already started to make some changes.

Annabelle had told Wesley’s parents, who had a wing of the large ranch house on the property, that she needed to be there for the month preceding the wedding. She’d wanted to sleep with Wesley in his bed but they told her no with great forcefulness. She was still seething from that, but she wouldn’t let them know.

The three got to the blanket. Annabelle gave Wesley a big smile and pressed her cheek against his lips when he bent to kiss her.

“Did you have a good swim, my love?” she asked, lifting her bunch of grapes to him.

“I sure did. Thank you, I’ll take a few.” He lowered to one knee and said with a smile, “Bet you want me to feed these to you, don’t you?”

Annabelle giggled like a girl, knowing Wesley liked it when she did that. “Of course, honey.”

She leaned forward a little, opening her mouth and closing her eyes. He popped a whole grape in her mouth and she proceeded to eat it.

This was how life would be for the rest of her existence. Sitting somewhere comfortably, living in luxury with servants to wait on her and a doting husband who would do anything she wanted. She even had a gullible best friend who would do anything she was told.

Life couldn’t possibly get much better than that.

Chapter One

Wesley Hunt was sleeping soundly when he felt hands on his shoulders. That was the first thing he understood when he became alert. It irritated him, even though in his wakened mind, he knew his father would never do that unless there was an emergency.

“Pa! Pa! What are you doing?” He swatted at the man’s hands before shaking his head and realizing there was a reason for this. “I’m… I’m sorry. What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

He focused on what his father was saying. Nathan Hunt, a successful rancher and businessman was who Wesley strived all his life to emulate. He was renowned in their hometown of Dry Creek, Arizona, which was only twenty-five miles from the Grand Canyon, and everyone in Arizona who knew him, loved him.

“Come on, Wes,” his father was saying. “We have to go out and get the cattle. I was watching for this storm but it snuck up on me anyway. We gotta get them inside, and out of it. Might hail, too.”

Wes was confused for a moment. Why would it hail? It never hailed in Arizona. Then again, the weather had been strange for months. Last year, 1887, was a much better year for their crops than 1888 had been.

“All right, Pa, all right.” He pushed out of his bed and reached over to his dresser. He dressed quickly, pulling his boots on as he hopped down the hallway toward the front of the house. As he plucked his hat off the rack by the door, he heard Annabelle behind him on the steps. She was a light sleeper and had insisted on having a room on the second floor. He had a feeling she might keep that room after they were married. What would it be like to have a wife who didn’t want to sleep in the same room with him?

He was a little uncomfortable with it, but there wasn’t really much he could do. He loved her and had made a vow to protect her and care for her, no matter what. Wes kept his promises. Being respected and trustworthy meant a lot to him.

“Wesley, what’s going on?”

He gazed up the stairs at her. She was dressed in a long flowing nightgown that went down to her ankles. He couldn’t see the color in the glow from the lantern in her hand, but he knew it was baby blue. He’d always thought it looked nice on her. Her long blond hair was loose and curling down to her breasts. She looked elegant in the dim light, like an angel sent from Heaven.

His heart pounded and Wes took a few steps away from the door, wanting to go to her and give her a hug. She didn’t like to be touched often, so when he got a chance he always took advantage of it. He looked forward to more intimate times after they were married. So far, she’d only allowed him to kiss her on the cheek and occasionally hold her hand.

He wanted to respect her, so Wes had never pressed her for anything more.

“It’s a bad storm, Annabelle,” he said. “You might want to get dressed and come out to help us. We have to secure everything. It might be safer if we’re all together, and it would definitely take less time.”

She didn’t look like she wanted to do that, but Wes would have to insist even if she gave him some good resistance. They would need her help getting it all done, and she should be prepared in case a tornado came and sent trees crashing through the house.

Wes shivered at that thought.

“Okay, Wes. I’ll go get dressed.”

A little shocked that she gave him no resistance at all, Wes stared as she turned and went up the steps to the landing. Was she hurrying? He didn’t think he’d ever seen that before either.

Feeling proud of his future wife, Wes turned and went out the door, letting the storm door slam behind him. He instantly had to put his hand on his hat to keep it on his head. He put his other hand over his mouth because the air was filled with dust, and he didn’t want to breathe in too much of it. Turning his back on the wind, he pulled a bandana out of his vest pocket and tied it around his head so it covered his nose and mouth. He could see his father out in the distance, already in the pasture, rounding up the cows. The sound of the dogs barking like mad echoed toward him, along with his father’s voice as he yelled out orders to the animals.

The cows were mooing in distress and fear.

Wes had to fight against the strong wind to go out to the pasture to join his father. As he passed the chicken coop, he saw his mother rounding them up, making sure they were inside the big house they lived in and boarding it up. These winds were probably strong enough to rip that chicken coop out of the ground. But it could rip their house into pieces if it got really strong, so the chicken coop really didn’t stand a chance.

“Pa! Pa!”

He jerked on the latch to the gate to the fence around the pasture, went through and locked it behind him. The last thing they needed was a frightened cow running for it and getting out.

“To the east!” his father yelled, throwing his arm in that direction and pointing. He did it several times so Wes would know which direction the storm was coming from. At twenty-three, Wes knew a lot about weather and how it affected the ranch. But his father was always quicker than him and likely always would be.

Wes didn’t mind. He was proud of both his parents. He’d been raised in a loving home with few problems, and more love than an only child ever needed.

He ran in the direction that would put him parallel to his father so they could be on opposing sides of the herd. It was easier to push the cows into the barn if there was a line behind them blocking their path. With him, his father, the two dogs and his mother soon to join in, that would be sufficient. There were a lot of cows and the barn had been expanded as they added more so there was room for them all. But they would be packed in, nose to tail, practically. Wes was glad he didn’t have to be in there with them. It was going to be hell to clean up the mess they left behind.

His mother joined in, and they continued pushing the cows until they were all in the biggest structure on the land beside their house. Wes looked for Annabelle as he walked, but he never saw her come out of the house.

Chapter Two

Annabelle grumbled to herself as she went back to her room. It was much too early in the morning for this. She’d been fast asleep, too. Her room was warm and she had a bed heater under her mattress. She’d insisted Wesley get one for her. She planned to use it every night and if he didn’t like it, he didn’t have to sleep with her.

She turned to go in her room from the hallway, and almost jumped out of her skin when a flash of lightning lit up her room. The accompanying thunder made it sound like the storm was literally going to come in the house. She looked up at the ceiling. If there was a tornado, the roof could very well be ripped off. She heard the scraping of the tree limbs against the glass of the windows, not just in her room but in the others. The sound was so loud! She covered her ears and decided it wasn’t safe to stay inside, anyway. She certainly wouldn’t be able to get any sleep.

Another crash propelled her to the wardrobe. She threw open the doors and grabbed at the clothes inside. All her pretty dresses she pulled out and threw behind her on the floor. She had to get the right one, the one that was long in the back but had trousers underneath. She could tie the skirt up so it wouldn’t get in her way.

After getting her clothes on, she wrapped a bandana over her hair, tying it behind her neck. She pulled on her boots and headed out the door.

Annabelle’s heart slammed in her chest and fear filled her when a tremendous rumbling sound came from outside. She’d been in a tornado once before when she and her family lived in Oklahoma. She never would have expected one in Arizona. They just didn’t happen in these western deserts.

She couldn’t tell herself it wasn’t happening, though, when it so clearly was. This was the worst storm she’d ever seen. She wasn’t quite sure what to do.

Annabelle stopped halfway down the stairs and looked up. There were windows all around her. She was heading toward the front of the house, where very large windows flanked the entrance. Her breathing became rapid as her heartbeat sped up even more. Her fear coursed through her.

She held onto the stairs and made a quick decision. Instead of going to the front of the house where all those windows were, she made a turn to the right and headed down the hallway. The back door would be much safer. There was only one window in the hallway at the back of the house.

She ran down the hall. The moment she put her hand on the doorknob, a resounding crash filled the air. Glass shards burst down the hallway as the window shattered. She ducked, covering her face. Feeling the glass slicing into her hand, she screamed once and shook her hand, trying to loosen any glass that embedded itself there.

Annabelle grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open. Instead of tying her skirt up around her waist, she held it up to her mouth, bit the seam of one of the plates with her teeth and ripped it. She pulled a length of the fabric off and wrapped it around her bleeding hand. She could still feel tiny bits of glass in her hand but she’d have to deal with that later. Right now, she needed to get out of the house.

She stepped outside, immediately hit with a strong gust of wind. She had to push back against it, holding herself on her two feet, grabbing onto the railing as she went down the four steps to the ground. The wind was blowing the trees so hard they were swaying. Rain drops hit the ground hard. When she came off the porch, they slapped her in the face and on the head as she ran toward the barn. She could see the others there, closing the doors, the cows inside and safe.

“Wes! Wesley!” She cupped her hand around her mouth and yelled but it was clear Wes didn’t hear her. She continued to run, wishing she had an umbrella and at the same time knowing it would do her no good in a storm like this.

Since they’d gotten the cows in the building, the horses came to Annabelle’s mind. They would need to be secured, as well. The sounds around her kept Annabelle terrified. She ducked several times as thick branches blew right past her head. She wouldn’t be surprised if neighboring cows that hadn’t been put in their proper place came flying past her head.

She could hear the terrified horses inside. If they were in their stalls, they were secure, but maybe she needed to let them out. The Hunt family could buy more horses or find the ones they owned. They’d had them so long, they would probably come back on their own.

Annabelle made the decision to set the horses free. They would have better luck getting away from the storm on their own. If a tornado actually hit this land and the horses were in their stalls, they would all likely be killed.

For a brief moment, Annabelle wished Wesley knew she was there and was coming for her. She should have gone to him first. Then she wouldn’t be alone right now, trying to play a hero. She wasn’t a hero. No one could ever accuse her of having a heroic streak. She should take one of these horses and get away. Let the family take care of the rest of them.

Should she do it? Should she get on one of these horses and ride away from the storm? Should she save herself and let the Hunts deal with their land and property on their own? How much could she really do anyway? She was just a young woman. A slight young woman. Not big and strong.

Annabelle pulled the door open to the barn, running to the big floor-to-ceiling double wooden doors and unlatched them. Upon seeing her come in, the horses ramped up their noise making. Several were slamming their front legs into the stall doors. One of them had already come down but the horse was tied inside the stall and couldn’t free itself.

She looked down the aisle in between the rows of stalls with apprehension. She wouldn’t be able to calm those horses down, not by herself. And she was afraid of the bigger ones, the horses that stood so tall above her. They were already upset. Would they attack her if she tried to free them? Would they know she was trying to help them?

She ran down the aisle to the stall with the downed door. The horse inside was frantic, up on its hind legs, kicking ferociously. His large head swayed and pulled as he attempted to get away from the rope.

“I’m here. I’m here. Let me get this.”

Annabelle looked up at the horse, dodging him, trying to get around his large body to where the rope was bound on an iron hook.

Chapter Three

Wes saw Annabelle running toward the stalls. He ran his eyes over her. She was holding the bandana on her head with a hand wrapped in cloth. The other hand was holding up the skirt that flowed around her legs so it wouldn’t make her trip.

He looked over at his father, who was tying a length of cord around the double doors now that the cows were all inside.

“I’m going to get Annabelle! She’s in the stables.”

“Your mother is probably with those damn chickens!” his father responded, yelling just as loudly as he was. He gestured in the howling wind toward the house. “I’m going to her. We’ll secure the rest of the house. Looks like the back window is gone. No telling how long the others will last.”

“Okay, Pa!”

Wes ran toward the stalls. The double doors were open and the wind was blowing through like a tunnel. There were two glassless windows on the other side of the stalls that created the constant flow of harsh wind from one side to the other. It made swirling motions in the building, little tornados that lifted piles of hay and then dropped them flat on the ground. Most of the horses were gone. Annabelle had probably freed them. He didn’t see her anywhere, but saw some commotion in one of the corners.

“Annabelle! Annabelle! Are you in here?” He was screaming as loud as he could. To his relief, he saw her head pop up over one of the walls.

“Wesley!” Her voice was distraught. “I can’t get it! I’m just… I don’t know. Please help me!”

There were four horses left in the stalls, all of them frantic and panicking. They whinnied and neighed in distress. Wes figured she must have left them so he, his mother, his father, and her would be able to escape this storm.

“Did you let the other ones run?” he asked, moving quickly into the stall and taking hold of the rope she was struggling with. She gave him a regretful look. He thought about how pretty she was, and then dismissed the thought. There would be time later for that.

“Yes, I had to. I thought it would be best. I’ve been through a tornado before and I didn’t like it then. I don’t like thinking it could happen here. Is it going to happen here? Do we have to worry about that? I don’t want to go through another one of those. I was so scared.”

She’d said the words at a rapid pace, trailing off at the end as she watched Wes untie the rope. He found it to be very tedious. It didn’t want to come undone at all.

Frustrated and at the end of his patience, Wes pulled the knife from its sheath around his waist and sliced through the thick rope, having to saw it a little bit to get it to release.

Once the rope was free, Wes knew instantly what the horse was going to do. Instinctively, he grabbed Annabelle and pinned her against the stall wall with his own body, shielding her in case the bucking horse’s hooves came near either one of them.

The horse bolted out of the stall, leaving them behind. The remaining animals still whinnied and neighed, likely demanding their freedom.

“Go on back to the house and wait for me. I’ll bring the horses around and get Pa.” He stopped and held up one finger, pushing himself off her. He took in the fear on her face. All he wanted to do was hold her tight, keep her from danger. “Actually, you take these horses and tie them up right in front of the house and wait for me. I’m gonna take these two to Ma and Pa. I’ll send them into town, or in the direction away from the storm and come get you. You just stay right on the porch. It’s probably the safest place for you.”

“Should I go inside?” she asked as Wes handed the reins of two horses to her.

“No,” he directed her. “Don’t go in. Too much danger. The windows could all blow out and then you’ll have debris flying everywhere.”

The sounds outside seemed to increase to the point Wes felt his own fear rising. He was normally calm in situations like this. He had never been easily startled. But that sound… it was the same thing he’d heard when he was at the train station as the locomotive pulled in. So loud. Deafening. Frightening.

“Go!” he exclaimed, putting one hand over hers and cupping it with the other one underneath. “Get to the porch. Stay there. You might go under for some extra protection. Get as close to the ground as you can and try to hold onto something that goes down deep into the ground. If you anchor yourself to something like that, you won’t be swept away in the wind.”

Annabelle looked utterly terrified. He didn’t blame her.

“Come on, come on…” He urged her to leave the barn, shooing her toward the front. He went to the remaining two stalls and got the other two horses. He couldn’t immediately take them out. He was blocked by a terrified woman and two horses. They looked like they were as scared as she was to leave the building.

“You’ve got to go, Annabelle. They won’t go out in that on their own.”

“The other ones ran right out!” she protested, looking up to her right and left at the animals. The horses swayed their heads back and forth as if they were toddlers throwing a fit. Both of them pawed their hooves on the ground. They were scared but wanted to leave at the same time. Annabelle holding onto their reins and frozen in place wasn’t encouraging them to move either.

Wes wrapped the reins of the horses he was holding on an iron hook near him. He moved around the two big animals to stand right in front of Annabelle. She had tears in her blue eyes.

“It’s gonna be all right, honey,” he said. He wanted his words to sound gentle but he was afraid if he was too low, he wouldn’t be heard. It was hard to be gentle and yell at the top of his lungs. “You’ve got to trust me. I’m sorry, we just don’t have time to be afraid. We have to be strong and brave. You can do that for me, can’t you? I need you to because if you don’t, we could both die. Please, Annabelle. Be strong. Take the horses to the porch and wait for me. Tuck yourself into the corner underneath the porch if you want to. Just make sure the horses are secure.”

“Wes…” Her voice was quiet but he could hear her. “I’m so scared.”

He nodded at her. “I know you are, Annabelle.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back. “We’re gonna get out of this. We’re gonna be fine. Take the horses out and wait for me. I have to get Ma and Pa.”

She nodded, sucking in a deep breath. “Okay, Wes. Be careful.”

Chapter Four

Annabelle stood at the front of the stables, breathing hard, preparing herself to go out in the storm. Lightning lit up the black sky, the accompanying thunder crashing through the atmosphere. It brought a tingling sensation to her skin. She didn’t like that feeling. That was the feeling of fear.

Gathering all her courage, Annabelle pushed herself out, forcing herself to head for the front of the house. She kept her eyes on the porch. That was her goal. She didn’t need to look behind her to see what Wes was doing. It would probably scare her even more. She had to keep her eyes squinted because the rain was slanted and it was hitting her in the face hard.

She was relieved when she got to the porch. The horses didn’t want to be tied up there but she did it anyway, as quickly as she could. They were restless and afraid but not so much that they would hurt themselves trying to get untied. She didn’t suspect they would rip the railing off either.

She dashed up onto the porch and breathed a sigh of relief when she wasn’t being pelted by the rain anymore. On a whim, she decided to run back inside and get some dry clothes. It wouldn’t take that long to at least switch out her jacket for one that was dry. She didn’t want to go all the way upstairs to her room. That was probably the first time she regretted getting a room on the second floor. She’d only done that so Wes would be less apt to come visit her in the night. She didn’t want to compromise herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be intimate before marriage, as she told him. Her plan was to only fulfill those duties when she absolutely had to. She would be rich enough after marrying him to take on other men on the side if she felt like it.

Annabelle had never been interested in Wes that way. But she had grown fond of him since staying here in his home. She didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Wasn’t that how she was supposed to feel about a spouse? Wasn’t that good enough? She cared about him and he had a lot of money. Those were the only two things she cared about.

It was a great relief to take off the drenched coat she’d been wearing. She dropped it on the floor in the mudroom, and it splattered there as if it was a balloon filled with water.

She pulled another big jacket off a hook. It was Wes’s and bigger than she needed but it was warm and dry when she put it on.

Annabelle braced herself before going back out on the porch.

She halted as soon as she stepped out, her eyes on the huge tunnel of swirling air making its way toward the ranch. Her body covered in chills of fear, she ran to the end of the porch and leaned out into the wind and rain, screaming for Wes.


OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!

Grab my new series, "Blood and Honor in the Wild West", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!




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