Blood at Haught Springs

By Marsha Ward

Wes Haught wants his brother to grow up and tend to his share of the chores at the family's general store. Lonnie Haught dreams of the day he can leave home and use his gun. Both brothers resent the added work their father's recent accident has laid on them.

When a new family arrives in Haught Springs, Wes falls for the fair-haired daughter, while Lonnie seizes upon the father's offer of a job as his chance for escape.

But lies unravel and lives hang in the balance as brother fights against brother.

Fiery emotions and vengeful acts erupt in a smoldering new Western adventure novella from the author of the acclaimed Owen Family Saga.

Two bonus short stories are included in this book: Cottonwood Cowboys and No More Strangers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marsha Ward
• Release date: May 25, 2016
• ISBN: 9780988381094

Marsha Ward

Marsha Ward was born in the sleepy little town of Phoenix, Arizona, and grew up with chickens, citrus trees, and lots of room to roam. She began telling stories at a very early age, regaling neighborhood chums with her tales over homemade sugar cookies and milk. Her love of 19th Century Western history was reinforced by visits to her cousins on their ranch and listening to her father's stories of homesteading in Old Mexico and in the Tucson area.Over the years, Marsha became an award-winning poet, writer and editor, with over 900 pieces of published work. She is the founder of American Night Writers Association and a member of Western Writers of America, Indie Author Hub, and Arizona Professional Writers. She makes her home in a tiny forest hamlet in Arizona. When she is not writing, she loves to give talks, meet readers, and sign books.

Book preview

Wes Haught wants his brother to grow up and take on his share of the chores at the family's general store. Lonnie Haught dreams of the day he can leave home and use his gun. Both brothers resent the added work their father's recent accident has laid on them.

When a new family arrives in Haught Springs, Wes falls for the fair-haired daughter, while Lonnie seizes upon the father's offer of a job as his chance for escape.

But lies unravel and lives hang in the balance as brother fights against brother.

Fiery emotions and vengeful acts erupt in a smoldering Western adventure novella from the author of the acclaimed Owen Family Saga.

Blood at Haught Springs

Men of Haught Springs #1

Marsha Ward

Published by WestWard Books at Smashwords

Copyright 2016 Marsha Ward

Cover Design by Linda Boulanger

http://www.telltalebookcovers.weebly.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief passages embodied in reviews and articles. This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are represented fictitiously.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights and hard work is appreciated.

This book contains bonus material at the end of the novella: two previously published Western short stories, Cottonwood Cowboys and No More Strangers.

Table of Contents

Part I: New Blood

Part II: Bad Blood

Part III: Pure Blood

Cottonwood Cowboys

No More Strangers

Thank you for reading!

About the Author

Part I: New Blood

Wesley Haught opened a barrel of beans, set the wooden top aside, and prepared to sack up ten pounds for his waiting customer, Mrs. Slonaker. The bell over the door of the store jangled, and he looked up. A tall, bearded man came through the door. Wes was sure he hadn't visited Haught's General Store and Commercial Emporium before. Perhaps he was just passing through town. Wes appraised the dark suit the man wore, made of expensive fabric and nicely cut. He must have money. Maybe he’ll spend some of it today. He smiled at the thought.

Morning, Wes said. I'll be with you shortly.

Take your time, the stranger replied, but with a terseness to his voice that indicated he was not in the habit of waiting his turn. He stroked a nicely trimmed yellow beard that had two streaks of gray. His hair— that is, what Wes could see below the man’s bowler hat— was a lighter color of yellow, as though it had faded over the years.

Wes bagged and weighed the beans, then tied the sack closed with a bit of twine. He'd just turned to add the beans to Mrs. Slonaker's order piled on the counter, when the door's bell jangled again as it opened. A rustle of skirts told him he had another female customer.

Lonnie, he called over his shoulder into the back room. Lazy lay-about, he thought, his mood turning sour. At nineteen, Lonnie was three years younger than Wes, and he was the worst brother in town. In his mind's eye, he saw Lonnie sitting at the work table, feet propped on the top. Playing with a pistol. As usual. The fact that Dad didn’t seem to see Lonnie’s shiftlessness was like a knife in Wes’s guts.

Lonnie! Get out here. Folks are lining up. He hated using a brusque tone of voice in front of customers, but Lonnie wouldn't move unless he thought Wes meant it.

In a minute, Lonnie hollered.

From the sounds coming out of the back room— the clicks of rotation and soft swishes of metal seating into metal— Wes knew his brother was fitting cartridges into the cylinder of his pistol. Huh, he snorted, then turned back in time to see the new arrival close the door, sashay toward the man in the suit, and take his arm. He inhaled sharply and blinked at the sight of her.

Father, the young lady said. Annie and the driver are at the hotel. She spared a look at Wes, then turned slightly toward the man and continued in a lower voice. I’ve arranged for rooms and someone to tend to Annie for a while.

Wes realized his mouth hung open, and shut it hastily, his mood much improved. The glorious girl wore her golden hair piled atop her head in a complex arrangement. It could have been a crown. He judged that she had only barely reached the age for grown-up hair fashions, seventeen, maybe eighteen years old, but for one so young, she carried herself as though she were clothed in confidence.

Good, the man said, and patted her arm. This business should not take long. He turned to survey the room. You might have a look at the dress goods, he suggested, as I haven't been attended to yet. He glanced toward Wes, his face a mask of annoyance.

Beside the man, the girl's gaze flicked toward Wes. Her smile lit the room.

Wes swallowed hard. The girl’s soft gray traveling outfit covered her trim figure like a glove. Not tight, just snug enough to show that she had a woman's attributes. Perhaps she was older than he had first thought.

Wes swallowed again, fervently hoping the family wasn't merely passing through Haught Springs. There hadn't been new blood here for several years. This comely girl was welcome to stay forever.

As the girl moved off toward the dry goods aisle, Wes reluctantly returned to his task, painfully aware of Mrs. Slonaker's fingers tapping the counter. Evidently, she had nearly reached the limits of her patience. Wes regretted peeving the woman. Their interaction was usually more cordial, more familial. He had looked on her as a surrogate mother ever since his own had been taken so suddenly ten years before. She had reciprocated with maternal warmth. Perhaps her morning had been less than satisfactory. He realized he was adding to her distress with his distracted manner, and turned to focus on her.

Mrs. Slonaker sighed, peered at the list on her paper and read out, Five pounds of sugar. Her voice held a strong note of disapproval.

What else is on your list, ma'am? Filling the order item by item would take several more minutes. The girl's father was clearly restless, and Lonnie’s promised minute had stretched beyond reason.

A sack of potatoes and six cans of peaches.

Very well, he said, and called over his shoulder toward the back room. Lonnie! Stir your bones and bring out a bag of spuds. Move yourself. He weighed out the sugar, sacked it up, and then grabbed the cans from a shelf and lined them up on the counter. Will there be anything else, ma'am? Without waiting for her answer, he glanced over the assembled groceries, and began writing the prices in a row down a scrap of brown wrapping paper so he could add up the bill. When he was finished, he looked up expectantly.

That's all, Mrs. Slonaker said. The boys will pick up the order this afternoon.

Wes nodded and began to add the figures. When he had finished, he gave the woman the total cost.

Lonnie appeared from the back of the store, a bag of potatoes over his shoulder. As