August, 1885
Wyoming Territory

Stephanie stared out at the bleak landscape beyond the train window, barren except for an occasional antelope and mile after mile of grass bending to the wind. No chance of escape there. She leaned her chin on her hand and closed her eyes. How had Orson managed to find her?

Suddenly her head jerked up. The train was slowing; her reprieve was about to come to an end, and she had yet to come up with a plan. There had to be some way to beat Orson at his own game, there had to be. Her desperation turned to puzzlement when she looked outside and saw there was no town. Why in the world was the train slowing down then? Then it hit her; an unscheduled stop! The perfect solution!

She grabbed her cloak, opened the compartment door and peered cautiously down the corridor. It was empty. Silently, she slipped from the private compartment and hurried to the end of the car. After fastening the heavy cloak around her shoulders and pinning her hat on more firmly, she stepped out onto the platform at the rear of the car.

A shrill whistle rent the air as the locomotive screeched to a halt next to the water tower at a tiny station. With a furtive look around, Stephanie climbed down and sprinted off toward the trees near the creek. Replenishing the engine’s huge boilers seemed to take forever as she watched nervously, expecting her escape to be discovered at any moment. Finally, the train chugged off on its journey once more.

Stephanie smiled as the train steamed down the track and around a bend out of sight. She almost wished she could be there to see Orson’s face when he discovered she had disappeared again.

She set off for the tiny station buffeted by the violent Wyoming wind, fighting to keep her feet clear of the cloak, which threatened to trip her. At last she reached the platform and mounted the steps with a grateful sigh. Blinking the dirt from her eyes, she tried the door. It was locked. She wiped the grimy glass of the window with her glove to peek inside and was shocked to see nothing but dust and cobwebs. It didn’t look as though anyone had been there for a long time.

In her hurry to escape, she hadn’t considered the possibility of the railroad using the stop only for water. With a horrible sinking sensation in her middle, she looked at the utter desolation around her. Huge black clouds billowed over distant, blue mountains to the west, and dust rose from the high, sparsely covered hills to the east. Between, tall grass undulated as far as the eye could see. The water tower, the tiny station, and a lonely road that skirted the buildings and then disappeared between the hills were the only signs of human habitation.

“Oh my heavens!” she said aloud. Her impetuous flight had landed her in the middle of nowhere, with a storm fast approaching and not another soul or any shelter visible for miles.

Forcing herself to stay calm, she considered her options. Walking along the tracks was out of the question: that was the way Orson would come when he discovered she was gone. The road had to lead somewhere though. All she needed to do was follow it. The question was, which way? And how far would she have to go before she found help?

Before she could decide, the wind snatched her hat off her head and blew it around the far side of the building. She ran after it, but as she rounded the corner of the station, her cloak tangled around her feet, and she fell to the ground.

A loud noise brought her head up and a terrified scream froze in her throat at the sight of hooves suspended in the air above her. There was a sharp pain on the side of her head, and then nothing.

Chapter 1

“Do you think we’ll get home before it rains, Pa?” Josh Cantrell eyed the huge black thunderclouds. “I forgot my slicker.”

Cole gave his son a sardonic look. “I thought you told Grandma Kate…”

His words were lost as the horse Josh was riding shied violently, and then reared into the air with a terrified whinny. Josh somehow managed to stay in the saddle, but instead of trying to bring the horse safely down onto all four feet again, he appeared to be trying to turn the animal while it was still rearing.

“Don’t pull his head to the side, Josh!” Cole Cantrell yelled. “You’re throwing him off balance.” Cole watched in parental agony as his nine-year-old son fought for control of the huge stallion. The way Josh was twisting the animal’s head could be disastrous. If Black should overbalance and fall…

A sudden scream rent the air as the horse finally came down and Josh’s shoulder twisted backwards at an impossible angle.

Cole was off his horse in a heartbeat. Seconds later he was supporting Josh and holding Black, trying to quiet the frightened animal.

“Hang on, son. You did just fine.”

Josh buried his face on his father’s chest. “Is…is she all right?”

“Who? Oh, hell!” For the first time, Cole saw the limp form lying in the dust on the road.

Josh lifted his head and gazed at the blood welling from a gash above her temple. “Is she dead, Pa?”

“I don’t know. I’ll find out as soon as I get you off this horse. Can you hold on for a minute?”

“I think so.” Josh struggled to stay upright.

Cole led the two horses to the hitching rack behind the station before looking at his son’s injured arm. “Looks like a dislocated shoulder.” As gently as he could, Cole pulled Josh from the saddle and laid him on the ground. “Rest now, I’m going to check on the woman.”

At first he thought she was dead. Her face, covered with blood from her wound, was pale and strangely calm. Cole sighed with relief when he felt the pulse fluttering in her throat. He pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed futilely at the blood still welling from the cut. She could bleed to death if he didn’t find some way to stop it.

He did a quick mental inventory of the meager supplies he and Josh had with them. There was nothing he could use for a bandage. “Sorry about this, ma’am,” he said, flipping up the edge of her skirt and tearing a flounce from her petticoat. He ripped the material into pieces, folded them into a thick pad, and tied it tightly to her head with a long strip of cloth. It wasn’t very pretty, but the pressure did seem to slow the bleeding.

A roll of thunder reminded Cole of the approaching storm. It wouldn’t be long before it hit. He returned to Josh’s side. “I’m sorry,” he said, as he gently smoothed back the hair from his son’s forehead. “This is going to hurt.”

Josh nodded, his face white but determined.

Cole carefully probed the arm and shoulder with gentle fingers. Praying that he was doing the right thing, he pulled Josh’s arm with a quick jerk.

Josh screamed in agony as the joint slipped back into place.

Gathering the boy in his arms, Cole patted his back. “As I remember, your Uncle Levi yelled twice as loud when Charlie put his arm back, and he was older than you are.” He ruffled the boy’s hair, then cast a worried glance at the sky. “Looks like we’re in for a bad one. Do you think you could ride Black if I put a lead rope on him?”

“I guess so,” Josh said. “Is he hurt?”

“No, he’s a little skittish, but he’ll do.” Using Josh’s shirtsleeve, Cole fashioned a makeshift sling. “I know it won’t be easy for you, but I’m going to have to take the girl on Midnight. He can’t carry all three of us.”

Josh twisted his head and peered over Cole’s shoulder “Is she…”

“She’s hurt pretty bad, but she’s still alive. We’ve got to get her inside, though. I don’t think she can stand too much more.”

By the time Cole had calmed the horses and looped his rope around Black’s neck, Josh’s color had returned. The boy struggled to sit up and declared himself ready to go.

“I knew I could count on you,” Cole said. He lifted Josh onto the horse and tied him securely to the saddle. “If a wounded soldier can put up with it, so can you. Besides, you may be glad for the extra help by the time we get home.”

Thankful for the blanket he always kept behind his saddle, Cole wrapped it around Josh and then turned his attention once more to the woman. He knelt down next to her and checked her pulse again. It was no stronger, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. What I do with her?

The smartest thing would be to take her to Doc Addley’s and let him take care of her. But lying there in the dust, she looked so incredibly vulnerable, that he felt a sudden wave of protectiveness sweep over him.

It was almost as if his wife, Maggie, was peering over his shoulder at the injured girl. Before her death, Maggie had brought home any number of strays, human and otherwise. Cole knew exactly what she would have done in this situation. “All right, Maggie. For you, I’ll take her home.”

The hour-long trip was like a nightmare. Within minutes after they started out, torrents of rain poured from the sky. The wind drove it against horse and rider with stinging force. Every time lightning crackled and thunder rolled, Black jerked back on the lead rope.

Cole was a strong man, used to battling the elements, but it took everything he had to keep them all moving. By the time they reached the ranch house, he was glad he hadn’t chanced the longer trip to town.

As they trudged into the yard, the door swung open and Kate’s comfortable bulk filled the doorway. “It’s about time…mercy sakes, Cole, what happened?”

At the sound of his stepmother’s horrified voice, Cole suddenly became aware of the ache in his arms and the cold rain sluicing down his back. His discomfort was minimal compared to what Josh must be feeling.

“I’ll explain later. The most important thing right now is to get these two inside.”

Kate threw a shawl over her head and called back over her shoulder, “Charlie, Cole needs help.” A tall, lean cowboy joined her almost immediately, and strode out into the rain without a moment’s hesitation.