Love’s Lost and Found (Preview)

Chapter One

Erika Hamilton sat on the porch steps with a cool drink in her hand and felt her aching back. It was hot and dusty, and she had been moving hay bales around to make space in the barn. Her sister Celine came and sat beside her.

“You are worrying about the work again,” Celine observed. “That makes me feel sad. I can do some of the things around the house you know.”

“I just don’t want to risk you feeling poorly again. You have to take things gently.” 

“Well, at least let me do some of the cooking. I feel I’m such a burden to you when I do nothing and you slave day and night,” Celine pleaded her case. “I can sit down if I feel tired and then, I can prepare vegetables sitting down.”

“Oh, Celine,” Erika said with a sigh. We both love this ranch. I know that you want to take your share of the work. How about you make the midday meal for me. Then you can rest in the afternoon if you feel tired.”

“Thank you,” Celine said and smiled at her sister. “Erika, we will get through in the end. Pa left the ranch running well. And you understand the way it works to carry on. You just need more manpower to help you with the heavy work.” 

“It would cost a lot to hire someone alongside Josiah. He has been here since the ranch started. We hire men to do the drive when we need them.” 

“Maybe we could hire somebody just for a few days a week,” Celine suggested, a gentle plea in her voice.

“Oh, Celine, I need a man here all of the time. But it would have to be the right man. Josiah is not getting any younger.” Erika gnawed on her lower lip. Celine could tell she’d clearly thought about it.

“What do you mean” Celine queried.

“I was thinking, well, that perhaps I should advertise myself as a mail-order bride and see what replies I receive.” Erika held her breath, waiting for Celine to react.

“Good heavens,” her sister was astonished. “That could be dangerous, and you never know who will reply. As soon as they know you are a landowner, they’ll want to marry you to get the ranch.” She paused. “Oh, but Erika, you know Thomas Barnes would marry you in an instant!”

Erika sighed. “Yes, I know. He has actually suggested it. It would mean merging the two ranches and making a very big business. I know it is a sensible deal in that respect, but you know it’s just a deal. Marrying for the sake of the money is just not something that I want to do.”

“I see. So although he is a decent man, you’d rather have a romance.”

“Is that wrong of me? Erika asked her sister, genuinely wondering. “If I wrote to someone for a while, I might find out what they were like. I don’t have to tell them about the ranch at first.”

“Oh yes, that’s not a bad idea. You could say that you have a small property and need help as well as company,” Celine became more enthusiastic as she started to see the possibility.

“Anyway,” Erika said as she stood up. “You make a stew for today’s meal for the three of us and I’ll ask Josiah what he thinks as well.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that. And I’ll be extra careful,” Celine said, happy to be helping. “You know how guilty I feel about how much money you spend for me to see the doctor. We are two women left with a ranch in the Wild West and I’m not really a help to you.”

“Maybe the new doctor who is supposed to be setting up a practice will charge less, because he will be close by. It is a bit awkward having a doctor just ride in once in a couple of weeks from the bigger town.”

“He might tell me I am not all that poorly” Celine suggested with a little spark of hope. Erika gave her a hug.

“If he is younger, he might be more up-to-date with treatments. Now, I need to separate the cows that I want to look at with Josiah. Calving season is upon us, and soon we will be really busy. You might have more cooking than you expected.”

“Fine by me,” Celine said and headed for the kitchen as Erika walked across to the barn to find her foreman.

“Ready to sort those cows and have a look at them?” Josiah asked when he saw her approach.

Erika nodded. “Might as well make a start. Celine has offered to cook the midday meal. I have made space in the barn in case we need to bring any of them inside.”

Josiah was a man in his late forties and had been with her dad since the first day he started the ranch. He knew the place and the stock well. He had slightly curly hair that was getting grayer by the day, and having him around was like having an extra dad that she could trust completely. They both knew what was needed and separated the cows without needing to talk to each other.

By the time Celine banged on a metal pan at the doorway, signaling mealtime, they had separated all of the cows and could look at them in the afternoon.

They washed hands and arms and went indoors to find Celine happily serving what she had made and both declared it delicious.

“I like cooking,” Celine told them. “I even made a cake for dessert as well.” Her face beamed with joy. 

The cake was washed down with a cool drink and they relaxed and took a break.

Erika cleared her throat and looked at Josiah. He raised an eyebrow.

“I am thinking about advertising myself as a mail order bride who needs a man around.” She saw Josiah take in this information.

“Well now.” Josiah cleared his throat. “As long as you don’t go committing to anything until you know him well, and are sure he’s genuine, it might well work.” The two sisters were amazed that the man who was just like a father to them had taken the suggestion in stride.

“You really think it might work?” Celine asked. Josiah nodded.

“Think about the people you know who started out as an arrangement. Carrie and John at the livery, the James ranch, and the farm down the road with the Nelsons. They all started out as mail order or something similar and as time went by it suited them really well.”

“In that case, I’ll sit and write to the newspaper tonight and mail it tomorrow. If I don’t like any of them, I won’t reply.” She stood up and headed toward the door, Josiah following suit, and the two went to start inspecting the cows as Celine cleared the dishes.

That evening, Erika sat and chewed the end of the pen as she thought about how to describe herself. Beginning with her long, red hair that annoyed her intensely because it seemed to have a will of its own. No matter how she tied it back, it escaped. She had green eyes to go along with the red hair and she stood about five feet five inches tall. She put all this down on paper and smiled as she read it through. Then she decided to cut the piece for the paper down and save the lighthearted touches for more personal letters. But first she showed it to Celine.

“It made me smile when I read it back to myself,” she said, handing the paper to Celine, who also laughed as she read about the hair and the freckles that Erika disliked as much as she disliked her red hair. Celine added some more suggestions to add to the letter should it come about that she replies to anyone. The description for the paper was much more formal but was duly written. The two girls giggled over it and Erika sealed it ready to mail off to the newspaper.

The letter was pushed to the back of Erika’s mind as the first cow gave birth. She and Josiah were on the go all day and all night as they checked that each new arrival was strong enough to totter around behind its mother.

“No problems so far,” Erika said as she and Josiah leaned over the fence. “The next batch are not due for another couple of weeks. Go and have a sleep,” she said to Josiah. “If you get some sleep today, you’ll be fresh if there is a crisis.”

“They look like a good crop of calves,” he answered. “That little bull calf is a beauty. Might be worth keeping an eye on him as a possible future male to keep.”

“Go and put your feet up,” she told the older man. “The calf will still be there when you have caught up your rest. Celine is cooking all of the time now, so I’ve got some more ranching time.”

Josiah, replying that he would be glad of a rest, went to his own small wooden cabin. Erika looked around, casting a good look at the youngster that Josiah had pointed out, before heading towards the house. Heading into the main room, she sank onto the sofa. Celine poured her a coffee and came to sit beside her. 

“I was thinking Erika, can I take the buggy into town and see if the new doctor has arrived?”

“Of course. And I’ll come with you. It’ll be a break from calving,” Erika said. The two sisters had something to eat and Erika rested for a while Celine kept an eye on the stock pens.

After resting for some time, Erika went to let Josiah know that she and her sister were just going into town to pick up mail and see the doctor.

“Is Celine feeling poorly?” he asked. Erika shook her head.

“No, but there is a new doctor arriving and we wanted to see what he will be charging. We won’t be long.”

The sisters changed and took the small buggy to make the mile-long trip into town.

At the post office, Erika looked at the envelope that was waiting for her and had a sudden feeling of terror. The ranch had taken her mind away from what she had done and the appearance of at least one reply was a bit of a shock. She tucked it away to read later and caught up to her sister who was talking Mary Adams over at the general store.

As they bought what they needed, Mary pointed out that the new doctor had arrived and had set up his surgery in his house. Somewhat excited, the pair went off to find out what he was like. They knocked at the door and were surprised when it was opened by a young man with blond curly hair—and did not look the least bit like a doctor.

“Is the doctor available?” Erika asked and he grinned, causing her to raise her brows.

“At your service, ladies. Please, come inside.”

Chapter Two

Samuel Dust was the outside man for the gang. 

“Catch this,” Old Joe shouted to Sam. Sam neatly caught and placed the box into the wagon and waited for the next one. He was thinking what a sad way to make a living but went through the motions that he had done many times before.

The store they were robbing had broken windows and the storekeeper was held at gunpoint as the men inside took all of the money they could find as well as lots of things that could be sold. The place had quite a bit of jewelry which was hastily stuffed into pockets. The other items were passed out through the doorway and Samuel took them and stacked them in the wagon they had waiting at the door. It was a routine robbery that the gang had done many times and in many places. It was planned by the boss and carried out to a standard procedure. The men came out and threw in the rest of what they had found. They fired a last round of shots to keep the storekeeper where he was, and the driver clicked the horses and the loaded wagon drove away with a tarpaulin thrown over the wagon to hide the stolen goods. They rode out of town to a small place that was in an isolated spot. The wagon was put in the barn, and they went to hand over the smaller items to the boss. It was a good haul and Henry ‘The Mountain’ Hamilton was pleased. He counted the money and looked at the jewelry. They told him what was in the wagon, and he paid them their share and said there was another one planned for two days’ time. There was no question of anyone of the gang trying to slide something into their own pockets. Henry wasn’t a man to be crossed.

“Sam, I want to talk to you.”

Samuel Dust’s heart sank to his boots.

“Okay Boss,” he said and came back from the door.

“Shut that door and listen to me.” The boss had a newspaper in front of him and some other papers.

Sam knew that the boss wasn’t happy with him. He wanted out of this life of crime, and he knew that the boss knew that as well.

“I am not a fool, Sam. I know your heart is not in this robbery life now. I have another job and it might suit you better.” Sam waited.

“See this advertisement? She is looking for a husband to help run a small ranch. You are a good-lookin’ fella and if you can marry her and then sell me the ranch, you can take your share and be out of the gang.”

“Not done anything like before, have we?”

“Well, fact is, son, I know this piece of land and it’s more valuable than the advert makes out.” He paused and gave a smile. Despite his rather scruffy, bearded, and short appearance, Henry ‘The Mountain’ could be remarkably charming and persuade people to go along with his plan. Sam had seen it before, and it really had no effect, but he did want out.

“What do I have to do?” he asked.

“Take some time to write her letters, Take a fake name and get her confidence.”

“Sam Dust is a fake name,” Samuel pointed out and made Henry laugh. “I don’t suppose you remember my real name. I was an orphan, and nobody told me.”

“And this gang took you in and protected you, Sam. Don’t forget that. This is family.” He screwed up his eyes and then said “Davis. Sam Davis but you were covered in dust, and we called you Sam Dust after that. Take the real name back. It has no connection to the gang.”

“Do you want me to do this other robbery in two days as well?”

“Yes. Might as well earn your money. The jewelry is to move on as well. You’re good at that. Write to her. It would not be a hard job.” He handed over a picture of a beautiful young woman that had been cut from a newspaper.

“What do we know about her? Can I take the newspaper?” Henry handed it over and Sam scanned the story. The photo had been taken at her father’s funeral. The sight of this woman intrigued him and there was something about her that caught his imagination. Henry chuckled.

“Enjoy the benefits son,” he said and stood up. That was always the signal that the talk was at an end and Sam went to the door.

“I’ll write her tonight,” he said, as he opened the door and turned to leave.

Chapter Three

Erika and Celine had visited with the doctor. Patrick Atkins had been easy to talk to and had managed to determine, by skillful questioning, what was wrong with Celine.

“What have you been taking for this?” he asked, and upon hearing the response, he shook his head.

“I don’t like to question another doctor’s opinion, but you are being treated for a chest complaint when the problem is the speed of your heart.”

Celine gasped.

“Will I die then?” He smiled at Celine and took her hand, asking to feel her pulse. Then he put her other hand onto the pulse so that she could feel the speed of it herself. 

“We need to slow that down and you will feel so much better. There is a new medicine I’ve learned of that will do just that. I’ll send an order for some and when we try it, you’ll see what I mean.”

“Will it be terribly expensive?” Celine asked, her tone nervous. 

He told them it could be as much as a few dollars. “I know it’s rather expensive but it will change your life.”

“Then we will find the money,” Erika said. “Thank you, Doctor Atkins, and welcome to Willow Creek.”

The two girls drove home and eventually, Erika sat in her room and looked at the envelope. It was almost too frightening to open but she took a breath and slit along the top. The writing was neat and tidy, and the man introduced himself as Samuel Davis. He told her his age and shared a few stories that made him seem to have a sense of humor. Erika was entranced straightaway by his style and the hopes and dreams that he wanted to achieve. She sat back and tried to picture the man in her head. He told her that he had dark hair that he tied back, and he had dark brown eyes. He yearned to live out in the country again where he had spent his very early years. The town where he was living was very busy and he wanted to breathe clean air again.

Erika went to show her sister the letter while in her head she was already planning what she would write in reply. Although common sense told her that one letter would not tell her everything, she let her romantic dream of a tall handsome man at her side to make the ranch run properly, take over.

“He sounds sensible and friendly,” Celine said. Josiah read it as well and said that it was a good first step. Erika decided to write back to him and after the evening meal she sat and answered his letter. They exchanged several letters over the next few weeks and she decided then to invite him to the ranch so they could meet and get to know each other. 

One month after the first letter, the day came for Samuel Davis to arrive at the ranch and Erika was hard put to contain herself as she busied herself preparing food for their planned welcome meal.

“Surely the stagecoach has arrived by now,” she said to Celine as she looked out the front window again, as she’d been doing all day. 

“They often are held up by bad roads and things,” Celine pointed out, hoping to settle her sister’s nerves.

“But it’s very late now,” Erika worried. A few minutes later, she could bear it no longer and took the buggy and drove into town. She pulled up at the stagecoach office and went inside to see if there was a delay.

“Oh Erika,” the man said as he shuffled papers around on the desk. “The stage had a nasty crash outside of town and the people were hurt. Who were you expecting?”

“A man named Samuel Davis,” she said. The man picked up a bag with a label on it. “Samuel Davis. Yes, he has been taken to the new doctor’s clinic.”

“Oh dear Lord. I’ll go there straightaway. I’ll take the bag with me.” She drove the buggy straight to Doctor Atkins and knocked on the door with some urgency.

“Erika, what is wrong? Is Celine okay?” Doctor Atkins asked immediately upon seeing Erika.

“Oh, yes, thanks. But you see, I was expecting a man to arrive on the coach today. And there was the accident. And the label on this bag said that it was him on the coach. They said he was brought here.”

“Come in and see him,” Doctor Atkins said. “There was only one young man on the stage, so it has to be him. There were two women and a little girl as well. They will be alright but had a nasty fright. Samuel had a bump on the head.” He led her into a small room at the end of the hospital and she saw a man asleep with long dark hair tied back and saw the scar above his left eye. He had told her about that, and she pointed to it.

“Oh, dear, yes, that is Samuel. The scar above his eye identifies him. Is he going to recover?”

“We spoke to him when he came in here and he could not remember his name or anything else. I think when his head hit the ground, it has caused a memory loss. It will come back but might take some time.” 

“Oh no,” Erika replied, quite distressed. “I’ll stay in case he wakes up but I’ll have to send a message to Celine.” 

“At least we know he is Samuel Davis now,” the doctor said. “And since I am finished here, I’ll go and tell Celine and check her pulse rate at the same time.”

“Oh thank you. You know she feels much better since she had the new medicine.” 

Erika waited until the doctor had gathered his things and headed off to see Celine, then sat by the bed. She took his hand and talked to him even though the doctor said that he had given him something to make him sleep.

“Samuel,” she said, “this is Erika. I’ll stay until you wake up and see how you feel. Then I can get you to the ranch and look after you.” There was no response but she went on talking to him anyway. She took occasional breaks, to get herself a drink and then something to eat from the store. Mary Adams was sympathetic and made her some plates of food to take back to the clinic. Erika bought some flowers as well, and a small vase to sit beside the bed. Then hurried back to see if he was awake. He hadn’t yet awoken, and so she sat down once more by his bed, and ate the food she’d been given.

She held his hand again and talked some more but eventually fell asleep herself and woke up with her head resting on his chest. Startled and a bit embarrassed, she struggled sit upright and looked at the patient in the bed. His eyes fluttered and opened, and he tried to focus on what was in front of him.

“Oh Samuel, thank goodness, you’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Headache,” he answered in a rusty sort of voice. “My throat is dry.” She found the water and lifted him up to take a few sips.

“That is better,” he said. “Where am I? What happened?”

“Can you remember your name today?” she asked anxiously. The man looked at her and he bit his lip.

“No. I can’t remember anything at all. I can remember the doctor helping me and the people that brought me to the hospital. I can remember what happened here and who helped me but anything before that is just black and empty.” He bit his lip and Erika could tell he was sad and worried.

“The stagecoach hit an enormous rock and tipped sideways. You banged your head.”

“Who am I?” he asked and looked quite terrified. “I’m sorry, but seeing just a black space in my head is horrifying.” His gaze became curious. “And who are you?”

“Oh dear. I wonder how long it will take for your memory to come back. The doctor says that it will.” She paused. “Well, you’re Samuel Davis. And I am Erika Hamilton. You were on your way to meet me. We had planned to marry if we really liked each other. We had written several letters to each other and decided to meet in person.” She wondered how that must have sounded, as it all came rushing out of her.

“I sure wish I could remember that,” he said. “Where did I come from?””

“Well you came on the stage from Santa Fe, the letters were all exchanged through the post office.”

“Well that’s something,” Sam replied with a sigh.

“In my letters, I told you about my red hair that always looks a mess and the freckles that I don’t like. And I told you that my sister is not well, and I need somebody that I can talk to and share things with.” That brought the first smile she had seen on his face.

“I do like your red hair, if that is something I can say.” That compliment gave Erika the first little buzz of excitement that she had felt since meeting him.

“You told me that you had long dark hair and you tied it back and you said that you had a scar over your left eye from when you were a child. That told me that it was you.”

“So, I am Sam. I’ll just have to hope I remember everything else. My head does still hurt though.” Erika went to find the doctor, who returned with her and gave Sam something for his headache.

If you feel you can stand and walk, I’ll let Erika take you home. You’ll recover better away from here. You didn’t break any bones and seem well, apart from the memory loss.” Doctor Atkins looked at Erika, just make sure this was what she wanted to do. She nodded and said that she would bring her horse and buggy from the corral behind the clinic. 

When she came back, Samuel was up and dressed and had found that he had money in his jacket pocket.

He paid for his care, and Dr. Atkins said he would check on him when he went to see Celine.

“Celine?” Samuel asked.

“My sister who is not always well,” Erika told him and picked up his bag to take to the buggy, only to have Samuel take it from her.

“I’m quite strong you know, it’s just my head is empty,” he said, with a friendly smile. He put the bag in the buggy and she took his hand to help her onto the driving seat and then he climbed up beside her.

“It’s not far to the ranch,” she said and started the horse off towards home.

“I like the scenery,” he said as they went along the trail. 

“You said that you wanted to be able to breathe fresh air,” she told him. “Plenty of that here.”

“Did I say why I was writing to you?” he asked, and she smiled and explained that she had advertised in the newspaper.

“We decided to get to know each other and see if it would work.”

“And now you have a man to look after who can’t even remember who he is.” Sam’s voice was laced with humor.

“I’m sure your memory will come back and meanwhile we can still get to know each other,” Erika said firmly. “And here we are. This is the ranch and there is my sister waiting.”

She drove into the compound and prepared to climb down from the buggy.

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My new novel “Love’s Lost and Found” is coming soon! Stay tuned for the announcement!

Do you want more Western Romance? Check out my latest Amazon Best-Selling novel, “The Blacksmith’s Promise”!

In the rugged frontier town of Silver Creek, Oregon, young schoolteacher Lily grapples with a life suddenly shaded by despair and unforeseen peril. The world she once dreamt of crumbled into dust after the ruthless killing of her husband by a notorious gang. Her life takes a bleak turn, but amidst the growing whispers of impending danger, an unexpected offer presents a sliver of hope…

As Lily tries to piece together her shattered world, the soft whisper of hope manages to find its way to her heart…

Bound by loyalty to his fallen brother, Ethan, the town’s steadfast blacksmith, steps up to shield Lily as the dangerous frontier threatens her safety. Once solely focused on his work, Ethan finds himself becoming increasingly attached to the resilient spirit of the grieving widow. A proposal borne out of duty and protection ignites a suprising bond between them, one that begins to heal the deep wounds etched by loss.

Could this sudden arrangement end up kindling a romance neither had anticipated?

As the menacing gang of outlaws draws nearer to Silver Creek, the budding connection between Lily and Ethan is put to the test. Bound by unexpected secrets, intertwined destinies, and a love that grows stronger with each challenge, they must navigate a path riddled with danger and uncertainty. In the midst of all this, could their marriage, born out of duty, turn into true love?

“The Blacksmith’s Promise” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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