The Cowboy's Princess

By Nicole A Wright

Amelia Wright has been haunted by nightmares ever since the night her mother was taken away. Now, ten years later, Amelia finds herself betrothed to a man twice her age and the demons of her nightmares are becoming reality. In an effort to outrun a damning fate, Amelia does the only thing she can to save herself… she runs.

Clayton Tucker is driven by a passion to uphold the law and a love for the western frontier. When offered a position as sheriff in the small town of Red Rock, Clayton packs up a wagon and bids farewell to his parents, leaving New York behind for a life in the land he loves. Surprised to find a stowaway in his wagon, Clayton finds himself torn between upholding the laws that have governed his life and protecting the woman who stirs his carnal urges.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 25, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483528380

Book preview

9781483528380

Prologue

Mother was seated to her right and Father was on her left. It was dinner as usual, with the exception of an empty fourth setting. Amelia couldn’t imagine whom the fourth setting was for. While it was not unusual for her parents to have dinner parties, to have a single guest over was unheard of. In all of Amelia’s eight years, she could not remember a time when her parents had entertained a single dinner guest. Amelia imagined it must be someone very important, as Father was very particular about dinner. Hattie, their housekeeper, had to have dinner on the table at precisely 5:45 every evening. Mother and Amelia were to be dressed as if they were attending church on Sunday. With the exception of a formal dinner party, only the three of them were ever present at the dinner table. Amelia was very curious to find out who would be sitting in the fourth dinner seat.

Father, is someone joining us for dinner tonight? Amelia asked hesitantly.

Father turned her way and took a deep breath before replying. Amelia, indeed, an important guest will be joining us, he has come all the way from Europe to meet with me. I expect you to be on your best behavior. Father turned his attention to Mother. Nora, I will expect you to make our guest at home. Horace Greenwick will be staying with us for the next week or two while he looks for a place to live. If all goes well, he will be investing in my buildings and loans. Hopefully, I will be able to expand the business.

Just as Father finished speaking, an older man, who looked to be in his fifties, came out of the hall leading to the washroom. Using a cane and walking with a limp, he hobbled his way into the dining room. Looking at his right hand, which curled around his cane handle, Amelia noticed his fingers were starting to gnarl from what was surely the early stage of rheumatism.

Mother sat with her back straight and her hands folded neatly in her lap. Instead of turning to great their guest, she waited for him to come around to his place at the table. As Horace rounded the table and greeted Mother, she took in a sharp breath, and her face turned ghostly white. With shock etched on her face, Mother looked up at Horace, momentarily speechless. This was not the polite, proper lady Mother normally behaved as. Amelia could not figure out what was wrong with her. This was the first time Amelia had ever seen Mother behave so poorly.

As Horace turned, holding out a gnarled hand to greet Mother, she yelled, You are not welcome in my home! Leave this instant!

Father turned a horrified look at Mother. "Nora, what is wrong with you? He seethed. I expect you to treat Horace as a part of the family and welcome him as so."

Throwing her chair back as she stood, Nora slammed her hands against the table as she declared, "I will not allow that monster to stay in this house. He is the demon who will tear our family apart. I have warned you of the man in my dreams. The man who will take our daughter away! How can you expect me welcome him into our home? He will do nothing but tear our family apart and I will not allow that!" Dishes rattled as Mother slammed her fist down on the table.

Amelia sat in her chair, utterly still, trying to figure out what was going on. Mother had told her many times to listen to her dreams, as they often times hold insight into the future and can guide you to make the correct decisions in life. What kind of nightmare could her mother have had that would make her respond to a perfect stranger like this? Oh, the repercussions this outburst would cost her later. More than once, Father’s hand had taught Amelia not to speak out of turn.

Nora turned to Horace and pointed to the front door, You get out of this house right now! I will not tolerate your presence for another second!

Octavius looked at his wife, speaking sternly, he said, Nora, you will not talk to Mr. Greenwick in such a manner. Calm down and take your seat. Amelia, go to your room. I will have Hattie bring your supper up later.

After Amelia dismissed herself from the table, she went to the stairs that led to her room. Stopping half way up the stairs, she lingered to hear what was going on. Father was talking to Mr. Greenwick. Horace, I sincerely apologize for my wife’s reprehensible manners. If you would please wait for me in the library, I will handle this manner and be along momentarily. Turning to Hattie, who stood in the corner, he simple ordered, Hattie, put dinner on the warmer, Horace and I will take dinner in the library in thirty minutes.

Grasping her dinner plate in her hand, Nora flung it, meaning to hit Horace. Instead, it slammed into the wall behind him. Octavius, I Do Not want him in this house! Get him out NOW!

To avoid being hit by any other flying objects, Horace decided to take his leave. Gripping his cane he shuffled out of the dining room making his way to the library. Pausing just outside the dining room, he looked back to find Octavius grabbing Nora’s arm, while saying something under his breath to her. Moving his gaze away from the dining room a shadow on the stairs caught his attention. Horace looked up to find Amelia huddled against the wall of the staircase. What a beautiful little child he thought, as his beady little eyes lit up.

Amelia looked into the hallway to find cold dark eyes on her and began to shake. It was Mr. Greenwick. The intensity of his stare made her skin was crawl. She tried to move up the stairs, only to find her feet unmoving. It was as if the mans eyes had reached out with an invisible force to anchor her in place. After what felt like an eternity, he gave her a sinister half smile, turned and hobbled into Father’s library. After he left, Amelia found she was once again able to move her feet. She ran the rest of the way to her room, closed the door, and slid down to the floor, using her body to make sure the door couldn’t open.

A few minutes later, Amelia heard Mother and Father walking down the hall to their bedroom.

Octavius, you don’t understand. He is the man I have seen. He will be the one to tear this family apart. You must not allow him to stay. You must not continue to do business with that man. He is filled with evil and will bring heartache to this family.

That is enough Nora! I am tired of hearing about your visions. The only one who will tear this family apart is you, with your continuous gibberish about dreams. Horace is very wealthy and he is the answer to further growing my business. What evil could possible come from bank investments? Now you will go lie down while I have Hattie send up some tea to calm your nerves.

"You must listen to me. I have seen it. She said with a raspy breath. He will take Amelia away from us and it will all be your fault for not listening to the warnings."

Lie down Nora. His voice filled with exacerbation. I have had enough of this for one night. Now I have to go down and smooth things over with Horace, before he changes his mind and takes his money to anther banker. Octavius closed the door and started down the hall.

You have doomed us all Octavius! You wait and see! That man will tear us apart! Nora went to sit on her bed and held her head in her hands trying to figure out how she could save her family. Perhaps she should take Amelia and run to her parent’s house in Boston. Surely they would believe her and protect both Amelia and herself.

A few hours later, after Hattie brought dinner to her room, Amelia heard several footsteps in the hall. Bending down in front of her door, she peaked through the keyhole. The first thing she saw was Father walking down the hall. Following Father were three men she had never seen before. They had stern faces and looked as if they were there on a very serious assignment. One of the men had a small black bag that he carried in his right hand. All of the men wore white coats.

Stopping in front of her parent’s door, Father turned to the man with the black bag and said softly, Dr. Thompson, I can not tell you how much I appreciate you coming at such an hour. Nora has had a history of paranoia. Normally, she just talks of dreams and visions that she believes will guide her way through life. I have humored her thus far, as she has never caused any trouble before. But tonight, she went into a state of hysteria at the dinner table for absolutely no reason. I had to have Hattie add Lithium to Nora’s tea in order to calm her down. She should be sleeping now, but I fear when she wakes she may do something to harm little Amelia or herself.

Dr. Thompson placed his hand on Father’s shoulder as he said, Do not fear Mr. Wright. I will have her committed tonight. Once we reach the clinic she will be under supervision twenty-four hours a day and will not be able to harm Amelia or herself. I will make sure of that. It is a terrible thing when children are not safe around their own mothers.

I would expect you to handle this delicately. I do not want the community to know that my wife had to be committed for hysteria. It would be much better if everyone thinks she merely left to go stay with her parents. Father put his hand on the door handle and started to open it.

Understandable. You can count on this being kept quit. Dr. Thompson as he and the other two men followed Father into her parent’s room.

Amelia could not believe what she was hearing. Were these men going to take her mother away? A few minutes later she got her answer as the two men, who came with Dr. Thompson, carried Mother out of her room and down the hall. Amelia noticed Father look at her door and head in her direction. She quickly ran to bed, got under the covers and feigned sleep. Just as her eyelids closed, she heard the creek of he door as light, from the hall lantern, came into her room. The floorboards creaked as Father walked to her bed. Laying completely still, she dared not open her eyes.

That was the first night evil visited her in her sleep.

CHAPTER 1

10 years later...

Amelia was running as fast as she could, but it was hard to run in a dress, especially when it kept wrapping around her ankles. She wasn’t sure what she was running from, she only knew she couldn’t let it catch her. Whatever it was, it was getting close. Its presence was closing in on her, surrounding her, choking her like a thick fog. The only thing Amelia knew was if it caught her she would never be free again. She had to keep running.

That damn dress kept tangling with her feet. The dress was a lovely shade of lavender with black eyelet lace trim and tiers of flounces. If she wasn’t running for her life, she would have loved the dress, but damn it was cumbersome. As she turned the corner, she saw a wagon with two spotted draft horses yoked to it, parked at the end of the block and across the street. They were massive horses with black tails, white bodies and beautiful black patches. The wagon looked new with a crisp white canvas bonnet. A red and blue blanket was hanging down over the opening in back, like a drape. Amelia knew if she could just get to that wagon she would be safe. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she felt it in her bones. Get to the wagon; get to the wagon, she chanted to herself. Just get to the wagon.

Jumping off the boardwalk, her foot caught in a dress ruffle, causing her to fall into the street. Dear God, she had to get up. The evil was gaining momentum as it closed in on her. If she didn’t get up, she wouldn’t be able to escape it. The evil was so close; she could feel it tickling the hair on the back of her neck with every breath it took. Get up, I have to get up, she stammered. I have to get to that wagon.

Getting up, she grabbed the bottom of her dress and sprinted to the wagon. After pausing, to make sure no one was watching, she ducked in behind the red and blue blanket. As the blanket fell into place, she tried to catch her breath. Looking around she noticed a canvas tarp in the back corner. Lifting its corner she saw that it was covering some food crates. Crouching down she climbed under the tarp. She had to stay hidden; she couldn’t let the evil find her. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on taking calm, deep breaths.

With a start, Amelia woke to find herself in her bed, heart racing. Only a dream, it was only a dream, she reassured herself. That same damn dream had been haunting her since the night Mother was taken away. If only she could figure out what it meant. Mother used to talk about visions that manifested themselves as dreams. If only she could find Mother. Mother would know what the dream meant. Amelia didn’t dare ask Father about the dream for fear the men would come and take her away too. When she asked Father where Mother was, he merely stated she had left and would not be back. Amelia didn’t dare tell him she knew he sent her away. She knew Mother would never leave her willingly. Thank God for Hattie. Since that night, she had been the only one Amelia could confide.

After Nora disappeared, Hattie had tried to fill the void Amelia felt by including Amelia in her daily chores. Hattie had taught Amelia how to cook, mend clothing and perform other simple daily chores, when Father wasn’t home. The problem was, Amelia feared Father would send Hattie away if he knew how close the two had become. Father didn’t think it was appropriate behavior for one to befriend the servants.

Crawling out from under her blankets, Amelia got up and went to her washbasin to clean up for the morning. Looking down at the small gold clock on her dressing table, Amelia noticed it was not yet seven. Father would be in his library drinking coffee, while he planned his day. Breakfast would be on the table at 7:45. He would leave his library at 7:40 to head to the table. What was it with his fixation on time? It was crazy. Pushing the thought aside, Amelia put her dress on and crept down the back stairs to the kitchen.

Hattie was standing at the counter, cutting dough for the morning biscuits. She was a robust woman with dark skin, black hair and deep brown eyes that could warm your heart. She always wore a white uniform apron over a grey uniform dress and never had a hair out of place. Hattie had been with Father prior to Amelia’s birth. As a result, Hattie knew the extremely precise way Father wanted everything and Hattie had the house organized to his exact specifications.

Good morning Hattie, Amelia whispered.

Child what are you doing in here when your father’s home? You know he doesn’t approve of you being in the kitchen, Hattie chided.

Oh, he won’t come out of his library for another 30 minutes and you know it. I’ll be quiet and he will never know I was in here. She continued to whisper.

If he catches you in here again, I will never hear the end of it. The last time...

With eyes as big as saucers, Amelia interrupted her, as she said; I had the dream again last night. I woke with a terrible fright. My heart was thundering so fast, I thought it would burst right out of my chest.

Oh child, come here. Hattie embraced Amelia in the warmth of her arms, as she rubbed her back. So I take it the dream was of the evil one and not your cowboy?

Two recurring dreams had visited Amelia since the night her mother was taken away. One was a nightmare, in which an evil force continually chased her. The other dream was of the most handsome man she had ever seen. Her Cowboy. In the dream, he sat atop a majestic white and black Draft horse. With the sun in his face, his hat was tipped down in an attempt to shield his eyes. The horse was standing in a meadow overlooking a valley. In the background, a beautiful red mountain formation could be seen. Standing under a copse of trees, she would move toward her cowboy, feeling a sense of peace that she hadn’t felt since Mother left. With her first step forward, her booted foot snapped a twig under her weight. As the twig snap reverberated through the canyon, her cowboy would turn and look at her. When their eyes met, his piercing green eyes would illuminate, twinkling like an emerald jewel. His squared, strong set jaw, covered in a days’ worth of stubble. While his nose might have been perfect at one time, it had an adorable bump on the bridge, just big enough to add to fortitude to his character. Amelia had wondered how he would have broken nose.

Amelia pulled herself out of her thoughts. Yes Hattie, the evil one. It felt so real this time. It felt too real. I hadn’t realized it was only my nightmare until I woke up. When I finally did wake up, I could have sworn the evil one was still with me in my room. What could it possibly mean? I mean after all these years, why has it suddenly become so realistic?

Looking out the window, deep in thought, Hattie took a few minutes before responding. I remember your mama say’n, when a vision was about take form, it would become more clear. It made it difficult for her to tell the dream world from the real world. Some days the dreams she had would leave her jittery all day. The anticipation of what would happen when her dreams became reality seemed to weigh on her. Although, her dreams were mostly good, she only had the one nightmare, but she left before it became a reality. Hattie responded.

Oh, God. I can’t even imagine what could cause the horrible presence that chases me in my dream. I don’t know how much more I can take of this nightmare. And if it comes to life, how will I cope if it catches me?

I didn’t mean to scare you child. But you need to keep yourself out of trouble. Perhaps you should stay at home until the dream weakens. Maybe it will pass if you stay in the house. Hattie suggested.

Perhaps you’re right Hattie. I will tell Father at breakfast that I am coming down with a headache and spend the day in my room. Maybe I am over reacting. It will probably be better tomorrow. But Amelia knew hiding in her room would not protect her. She wasn’t sure how she knew it, but she did, and whatever was coming was sure to be here soon.

A short time later, Amelia found herself sitting at the table, eating breakfast with Father. It was very quite, as Father did not like to interrupt his meal with idle chatter. Conversation was to be held until after the meal was eaten and coffee was being served. It was not tolerated if his food was allowed to get cold. So Amelia sat in her usual seat, with Father to her left, and Mother’s empty seat to her right, eating her biscuit with sausage gravy, waiting for Father to finish his breakfast. Prior to leaving for the bank, Father liked to give guidance, as he called it, on how she should spend her day. Today she would tell him she planned to spend the day in her room nursing a headache.

Finally, Father put his fork down and placed his linen napkin on the table. Amelia, I have wonderful news for you this day. I have found you a bridegroom. You will attend an engagement party on Saturday, at which time, I will publicly announce your engagement.

Amelia’s jaw dropped open, as she stared at her father in shocked disbelief.

He continued to explain her engagement. The engagement will last one month. Your wedding date is set for the end of March.

Amelia could only look at Father in shock. A young man had not even courted her yet, as Father would not allow it. Not to mention, she had yet to meet a young man she was fond enough of that she wanted to marry him.

Father, I do not understand. Is it not customary for a young man to court a lady prior to asking for her hand in marriage? She finally asked once her shock started to subside.

Father tilted his head and looked at Amelia with a hard stare and cold eyes. Eyes that she had only seen one other time, the night Mother vanished. You have met him. Horace Greenwick is to be your husband. He...

What! Horace is an old man, in his sixth decade of life. How could you expect me to marry him? Amelia asked in appalled astonishment.

Now Amelia, do not be unreasonable. Horace will be able to provide well for you and the decision has been made. The dressmaker, Esther, will be over tomorrow morning for the final fitting of the dress you are to wear to the engagement party. I had it ordered weeks ago and she only needs to make sure no last minute alterations need to be made. Father declared.

Amelia could not believe what Father was imposing on her. How could he expect his only daughter to marry a man more than twice her age, a man who quite possible was older than Father himself? She sat at the table, dumbfounded, as Father stood to make his departure from the room. Unable to speak, Amelia could only watch as he left the room and made his way to work. She was still sitting at the table, staring out the window, when Hattie walked in to clear the table. All the color had left her face leaving it ashen. The horror of the situation was apparent in her blank stare.

Hattie could not imagine what could have happened to etch such dread on Amelia’s face. Hattie walked over to the girl, placed her hand on her shoulder and quietly asked, Child, what has happened? Why do you look so grim?

Oh, Hattie, Amelia started with a catch in her breath, I fear Father has lost his mind. He has arranged for me to marry Horace Greenwick in one months’ time. How could he give his only daughter to such a crotchety old man? Just being in the same room with that man makes my skin crawl. Every time I am around him, he just stares at me. It is very unsettling.

Hattie couldn’t believe her ears. Octavious had done many questionable things throughout the years she had been in his service, but this was the worst yet. She didn’t know what to say. So she did the only thing she could. Bending down to Amelia’s seated position, she embraced her in a motherly hug.

CHAPTER 2

Amelia sat at her dressing table brushing her hair. Last night a barrage of bizarre dreams had berated her. As a result, she had had another restless night. The first dream to visit her was of Mother. It started with Amelia sitting at the same dressing table she was currently seated at. When she looked into the mirror, she was surprised to see Mother standing behind her. Mother just stood there, staring back at Amelia in the mirror. It seemed they held each other’s gaze for an eternity, neither one of them moving. Then, all of a sudden, Mother bent towards Amelia and whispered, Run. Mother then turned around, as if making sure no one heard her, before vanishing into thin air.

It was at that moment Amelia awoke, frantically looking around to see if she was alone in her room. Never had Mother spoken to her in a dream. This troubled her greatly.

Tucking herself further into her blankets, she had eventually been able to fall back to sleep. As sleep over took her, she found herself in a familiar meadow. Red Mountains providing a backdrop to a beautiful green meadow lined with pine trees. This dream she knew well. She looked around,