Wild Grit

By Chloe Emile

Marshal Ben Stockton chases after three outlaws until he gets shot while riding his horse. Unconscious, he is taken by his mount to a farm where the Matthew family tends him back to health. He meets Becky, a sassy tomboy who's on the verge of becoming a woman. When the outlaws come back into town, Becky finds herself in the middle of danger, and only Ben can save her.

A Western short story (9,000 words) full of action, romance and adventure. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chloe Emile Romance
• Release date: May 25, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513086361

Book preview

Near sunset, Marshal Ben Stockton slowly rode his horse down the canyon, still on the trail of three cattle rustlers that had made off with fifty of Old Man Chaplin’s cows.

For some reason, something hadn’t seemed right for the last hour. He felt as though someone was watching him. Suddenly, three shots rang out from three different directions. In the box canyon, he was like a fish in a barrel, and someone else was shooting.

The first shot got Ben in the left shoulder, and he cried out in pain. The second got his right leg when he grabbed for his gun, but the last shot hit that right out of his hand.

Ben slumped forward in his saddle but stayed on, his arms falling limp on each side. Slowly, the horse moved along the trail.

The rustlers took off after firing the shots, but for two days Ben Stockton traveled, half conscious on his horse, hoping someone would find him.

On that third day, the horse stumbled onto a road leading to the Matthews farm.

Seth Matthews, his wife Martha, and their two children, Cain and Becky, lived on that one-hundred-sixty-acre farm. Seth and Martha had come out west to start a new life, like so many young couples. With the government giving free land for the taking, provided settlers lived and worked on it for a year, it seemed the ideal choice for the newlyweds.

The first year, Cain, named after Seth’s father, was born. Two years later, Becky followed, named after Martha’s mother.

The farm was far off the main road, and more than once, townsfolk would pass right by the entrance, missing the road leading to the farm house.

This was one of these chance times a stranger had stumbled onto the trail leading to the house.

In the late afternoon, Becky Matthews stepped out on the front porch to call her father and brother for supper. Pa, Cain, supper’s ready.

She turned and saw a rider coming up the road. Hey Pa, a rider’s coming.

Seth Matthews rushed out of the barn, followed by his son. She was right. Someone was riding up the road at a rather slow pace.

Go fetch me my gun, gal.

Pa.

Do as you’re told, gal. Now, go get it.

Becky ran into the house and came back out with her ma, who asked, Seth, what are you needing your gun for? The man doesn’t seem to be looking to harm us.

Woman, now you’re telling me what to do? I tell you, we can’t be too careful.

With that, the horse stopped, and Ben fell to the ground. Martha and Becky ran to help him.

Oh, dear God in heaven, Martha cried. Seth, you and Cain help me get him up to the house.

Is he gonna be all right, Mama?

Martha saw the man had lost a lot of blood, and she also knew she had to stop the bleeding.

I don’t know, Becky. He needs a real doctor. You think you can get into town and get Doc Baldwin out here before this young fella bleeds to death?

Will he be okay till I get the doc here?

Seth looked at his daughter. "Gal, if you don’t get going, he’s not gonna make it. Now