Ryan Read online

  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2015 Vanessa Devereaux

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-375-6

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: JS Cook

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  For Rachel and Grace

  RYAN

  Big Sky County, 6

  Vanessa Devereaux

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  “You have to promise me you’ll take good care of this. My dad doesn’t even know I removed it out of the attic. In fact, I don’t think he’s aware I even know about it. I stumbled upon it when I was fourteen and up there looking for something to do on a snowy day. I thought I’d read it and let’s just say it fired up the imagination of a teenager whose hormones were going crazy,” said Cash.

  Katy took the padded envelope from him. Inside was a slice of Grantsville history. A story as equally scandalous as her own family’s famous threesome of Sarah, Jon and Shaun. Or so Cash had told her.

  “I will keep it under lock and key when I’m not reading it.”

  “I hope you’re not too shocked by what you find out about my ancestors.”

  “If you haven’t forgotten I own a sex shop.”

  Cash smiled. They’d been on their auction date, another date and she’d taken him along as her guest to her brother Connor’s wedding to Jennifer Nealon, but they hadn’t had sex yet. Hadn’t even kissed yet, not even so much as a peck on the cheek.

  She liked him, liked him a lot but she whenever she was with him, Katy got the feeling he was hiding something. Maybe that was part of his appeal for her. A man of mystery. She wasn’t going to give up on him. She would find some way to get him to one, give her a kiss, two, give her a mind blowing orgasm.

  Cash looked at his watch. “I have to run but happy reading.”

  She walked him to the door, cradling the padded envelope in her arms.

  Still no kiss but he simply walked down the path away from her townhouse and got in his car. All she could do was watch and hope that her gut instinct and that little flutter she felt in her heart was accurate and that she wasn’t pursuing another loser. She’d had enough of them. Despite what her parents thought she really was the settling down sort of guy. Problem was up till now she hadn’t found a guy that she’d felt worth was settling for.

  Katy closed the door and walked back into her townhouse. She poured herself a glass of wine, switched on the gas fire, already feeling its warmth on her body, kicked off her shoes, and snuggled down in the chair.

  She pulled out the diary from the padded envelope, seeing tiny flecks of the journal’s binding fall onto her skirt. She set it on her lap and opened it up. Katy was quite looking forward to reading about a slice of Grantsville history. She took a sip of the wine and began to read.

  Somewhere between Bozeman and Missoula Montana 1872

  Gracie took the bandana from her pocket and wiped the perspiration from her cheeks. She glanced out through the carriage window and looked up to the sky hoping she’d see at least one cloud hovering somewhere nearby. All she asked for was the thinnest fleck of cloud so the sun would have something to hide behind and they’d get a few minutes respite from the searing heat.

  However, there was nothing up there, not even so much as a small strand. She glanced at her father who was now mopping the back of his neck with his handkerchief. The lady next to her sat fanning her face with both her hands. They would all be fried alive before they reached their destination. How the folks traveling up on top of the carriage were faring she had no idea. They must be toasted by now.

  The journey from Wisconsin had already seemed like it had taken years. The roads were dusty, rough, and the temperature inside the coach suffocating. The driver had told them the next stop wouldn’t be until Missoula.

  The name sounded so exciting and it would be close to the place that was to be their new home. Gracie could wait to get there. The man sitting opposite her began to cough so his wife patted his back.

  “There, there Charlie, we’ll be stopping for a rest very soon.”

  He looked out the window and then wiped his brow. “I think this carriage is hotter than I imagine hell to be.”

  “If only there was a breeze it would give us some relief,” said the lady, fanning her face with her hands again.

  “It might be more comfortable riding on top,” said the man before he coughed again.

  “No, we’re better off in here. The sun would beat down on your head and it’s way too dusty,” said her father. He squeezed Gracie’s hand and looked at her. All she could think was that his cheeks looked like they were on fire and she suspected hers did too. Right now she wished she could bathe in a cold lake or stream.

  The carriage hit a patch of bumps and potholes causing Gracie to slide toward her father. He held her to stop her from bouncing around on the seat. Her butt hurt and she wished she’d taken out one of the cushions out from their trunk. Maybe she’d do that on their next stop.

  “I hope we get there in one piece,” said the lady looking out the window. “I think we might be in for some reprieve from the heat because storm clouds are forming over that mountain range ahead.”

  Gracie closed her eyes. Clouds and rain. Maybe the driver would stop and let them stand and let the water refresh and cool them down.

  “Why don’t you try and get some sleep, honey,” he father suggested. “Rest against my shoulder and dream about our new home.”

  She was tired, dead on her feet really. She tried to stay awake so she could see the scenery. See what Montana was like but she’d have plenty of time for that when they arrived.

  Gracie closed her eyes and set the left side of her body against her father’s arm. She listened to the rhythmic clicking of the coach wheels and thought back to the songs she used to sing with her mother when she was a little girl.

  “Your mother has the voice of an angel,” her father had always said when he’d leaned against the door jamb of her room and listened to her sing lullabies from the old country.

  Her father wiped a tear from her cheek. Gracie hadn’t realized she’d been crying as she lay on his arm reminiscing instead of sleeping like he’d told her to do.

  “You’re thinking of your mother again, aren’t you my sweet?” he whispered in her ear.

  “I miss her,” said Gracie.

  “I do too but she’ll always be with us. Always watching over you and taking care of you. Always remember that.”

  Gracie nodded, trying her best to go to sleep where she could dream about the days before her mother had died. Those were her favorite kind of dreams because it was if she was still with them and hadn’t gotten sick.

  She hadn’t realized she had managed to doze off until a loud thud suddenly woke her. It was if something in the carriage had broken in two. As she sat up there was a jolt to the left. Her father wrapped his arms around her holding her tight.

  “Hang on everyone,” shouted the driver. “Just hold on tight.”

  “We’ve lost a wheel,” said the man sitting close to the window.

  The carriage went to the left and then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. They must have been close to the edge of a ravine or hill because the back end of the carriage began to shift and slide. The horses cried out almost
like they were screaming and Gracie watched as some luggage and a man flew off the top of the carriage and went down into the ravine.

  “Dear Lord, what’s happening?” asked the lady who’d been fanning herself for most of the day.

  “Brace yourselves, hold on tight,” shouted her father, grabbing her like she was going to slip through his fingers.

  Apart from the time she’d gotten lost in the cornfield on a school outing, Gracie had never been so scared in all her life. She clung to her father, digging her fingers into his hands, hoping she wasn’t hurting him.

  The carriage began to roll over the edge, the horses giving more frantic neighs as trunks and bags went flying through the air.

  They’d be joining her mother soon. Gracie knew that as the carriage slid and its side ripped open, pulling the man and two women outside.

  Gracie screamed as her father slid from her hands. She could only watch as he tumbled ahead of her. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see any more. Not wanting to see him die or watch what rock she’d land against, that would without doubt break her neck.

  She held onto the carriage seat feeling herself falling and falling until she hit a tree and then, bang, she blacked out.

  Chapter Two

  Unaware of her surroundings, Gracie tried to open one eye and then the other. The metallic taste in her mouth told her she was injured. She remembered the coach tumbling down into the ravine. Her father. Where was her father? She tried to get her feet but her body hurt so bad. She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious.

  Dark clouds where gathering overhead and she could hear thunder rumbling out to the west. Or at least she thought it was west. She had idea where she was or what direction they’d been heading now she could no longer see the road.

  She used the trunk of a tree to steady herself and slowly got to her feet. She put her hand on her head, feeling something sticky. She looked at her fingers as she pulled it away. Blood. Yeah, her head hurt and she felt sort of dizzy.

  Despite the pain and wooziness she had to find her father. Gracie made her way back up the side of the hill. She made such little progress and what she had gained was lost again when she slipped back to where she’d started.

  Damn. She knew her father wouldn’t like her using that word but that’s all she could think of. If there was ever a need for a cuss word now, that was it. He’d understand.

  She yanked up her dress and petticoat and held them with her hands and gave getting up the hill one more try. She spotted one of the steamer trunks by a fallen log. It didn’t belong to her and her father. She scanned the area and then heard a woman’s voice.

  “Help me, please someone.”

  Gracie knew the voice had come from her left.

  “Hello, where are you?” called Gracie.

  No answer but then she saw a boot and leg poking out underneath a piece of the carriage.

  Gracie walked closer and saw the lady who’d been fanning her face. Her head had blood streaming from it and her clothes were ripped. As Gracie sat down to be with her, she could tell by the vacant stare to her eyes that she’d just passed. Gracie had seen her own mother’s eyes and face look just the same when she’d died ten months ago.

  She reached over and closed the lady’s eyelids. She stood and looked around. She spotted another piece of the carriage to the left. She walked over to it, seeing her father wedged underneath.

  “Pa,” she said falling to her knees. He looked straight at her but she could tell like the lady, he had passed too. She burst into tears and laid her head down on his body.

  First her mother and now Pa. How ironic that he’d decided they should go west to start a new life. If they’d stayed in Wisconsin he’d still be alive. She kissed his forehead while hearing a clap of thunder, and then some rain fell onto her cheek. She reached inside the carriage and saw one of the lady’s shawls wedged under the seat. She pulled it out and laid it over her father’s chest. She refused to cover his face. She was realistic enough to know that he had passed and he wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon, but she couldn’t bring herself to treat him like a dead man.

  Another clap of thunder. She stood and looked around, seeing more of their luggage scattered and one of the horses at the bottom of the ravine with the driver lying close by. His leg and neck were at such a strange angle that she guessed the driver had died instantly.

  She knew she couldn’t stay here. Nightfall would soon set in. The rain would get heavier, causing mud to form and she had to get back to the road where someone might see her and she’d alert them to what had happened. She’d get her father’s body taken out of the wreckage and see to it he got a decent burial.

  Money, she’d need money to do that but their bag was nowhere to be seen.

  She pulled her shawl up over her head, suddenly feeling her headache getting worse. She was hungry and thirsty. Maybe she could find some food in the part of the carriage that had broken away. A lady’s tapestry bag sat by a rock. She lifted it and opened it, finding some candy but little else. She put it into her pocket. It would be better than nothing.

  She bent down one more time, kissed her father on the cheek.

  “Goodbye for now Pa. I love you. I’ll bring back someone who will lift you out of here and you’ll be buried someplace nice. Somewhere you dreamed about us living.”

  She promised herself she wouldn’t but she broke down and cried. Her mother always told her it was better to get sorrow out rather than to hold it in.

  Feeling the rain falling more heavily, Gracie stood. If she headed to the right it looked less of an incline and maybe she’d make it to the top a lot quicker. She took one last glance at her father and then made her way to the shrubs and started her climb. She dug the heels of her boots into the rocks and dirt while feeling her back get pelted with rain.

  She fingered her mother’s necklace. She’d told Grace it would always bring her luck if she wore it. Right now she needed all the luck in the world.

  Why this had happened she didn’t know. Another thing her mother had always said, there was a reason for everything. It might not be evident straight away but you’d find out one day why something was supposed to happen to you. Remembering that would give Gracie the strength to find help.

  She climbed to the top of the ravine, feeling the rain pelt even harder against her body. She’d been so hot all day and now she felt chilled to the bone. Maybe it was shock. In a few hours it would be completely dark. The thought of being out here alone scared her, but she had to be brave. She’d walk as far as she could and then when she could do longer see she’d find somewhere to sleep until it got light again.

  ****

  Wolves had howled all through the night. Gracie huddled under the rock crevice she’d found and pulled her shawl around her shoulders. Now that the sun was coming up over the horizon she’d start her day’s journey while it was still cool. She dug out the candy and ate it. Hopefully she’d find a stream or lake where she could take a drink and quench her thirst. Maybe luck would be on her side and another carriage would pass by.

  She stood and made her way to the dirt road from the same way she’d entered the rock formation the night before. She’d memorized two rocks sitting on top of one another so she could find her way back out. She set off, never feeling as alone as she was right now. She only wished someone else had survived too. Someone to talk to while they walked together to find the nearest town or house.

  Sing, that’s what she’d do. She’d sing as she walked. She remembered every single one of the songs her mother sang to her each night before Gracie went to sleep.

  A tear ran down her cheek, burning where the cuts and abrasions were still open. Gracie wiped the hair from her face. Yesterday it had been tied up in a bun to keep her cool, today it was all over her face and a tangled mess.

  Her feet began to hurt just a few hours into her journey. She hadn’t seen any water source and another coach hadn’t made an appearance. She stopped and looked around. No towns for
miles, just another ravine, a canyon, and beyond that a mountain range.

  She wanted to stop but had to keep going. The more she walked, the closer she was to getting to somewhere she might get some food and water.

  After another two hours Gracie had to take a rest. Not only was it getting hot but her mouth was dry. She didn’t even have any saliva to wet her lips. She pulled her shawl over her head hoping that would shield her from the sun but instead it made her feel like she was being boiled alive.

  One more hour and Gracie knew she had to give up walking. At least for the day. She wanted to cry. She was crying wasn’t she? Obviously she was now so dehydrated that she didn’t have enough liquid in her body to produce tears.

  Gracie sat down under a tree. Her tongue was so swollen she couldn’t even move it to lick her lips. The skin on her face was taut and she was sure if she had any food in her stomach, she’d vomit it all up. She gave three dry heaves and then slid down on the ground.

  Tired, she was tired. She just needed to sleep and she’d be able to continue her journey tomorrow. Tomorrow she’d find help. She folded up her shawl and set it under her head. When she closed her eyes, her mind started to drift. She was dreaming that she was back home, her parents were alive, and everything was how it used to be.

  Chapter Three

  Ryan sunk his heels into the side of his horse encouraging it to go faster. He hoped to have a good ride before it got dark forcing him to turn back to Grantsville. He’d always loved riding and now it was an escape from the responsibility of being the sheriff. Him, Daniel Patrick Doyle, being elected sheriff! Second generation Irish immigrant who had fled the Great Famine.

  It sure was turning into a beautiful early evening. The sun was setting, cooling things down by the second. If he wasn’t mistaken he sensed another storm was brewing over the mountain range.