Her Rocky Trail
Seeing Ranch series
Florence Linnington
Easy Publishing
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organisations, places, events and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Text copyright © 2018 Florence Linnington
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Easy Publishing
United States of America
EDITED BY:
Nicole d’Entremont
Book cover design by:
Melody Simmons :: https://bookcoverscre8tive.com
Contents
Also by Florence Linnington
About the Author
Newsletter for new book release
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
1. Kitty
Chapter one
Chapter 2
2. Cyrus
Chapter two
Chapter 3
3. Kitty
Chapter three
Chapter 4
4. Cyrus
Chapter four
Chapter 5
5. Kitty
Chapter five
Chapter 6
6. Cyrus
Chapter six
Chapter 7
7. Kitty
Chapter seven
Chapter 8
8. Cyrus
Chapter eight
Chapter 9
9. Kitty
Chapter nine
Chapter 10
10. Cyrus
Chapter ten
Chapter 11
11. Kitty
Chapter eleven
Chapter 12
12. Cyrus
Chapter twelve
Chapter 13
13. Kitty
Chapter thirteen
Chapter 14
14. Cyrus
Chapter fourteen
Chapter 15
15. Kitty
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
16. Cyrus
Chapter sixteen
Chapter 17
17. Kitty
Chapter seventeen
Chapter 18
18. Cyrus
Chapter eighteen
Chapter 19
19. Kitty
Chapter nineteen
Chapter 20
20. Cyrus
Chapter twenty
Chapter 21
21. Kitty
Chapter twenty-one
Chapter 22
22. Cyrus
Chapter twenty-two
Chapter 23
23. Kitty
Chapter twenty-three
Chapter 24
24. Cyrus
Chapter twenty-four
Chapter 25
25. Kitty
Chapter twenty-five
Chapter 26
26. Cyrus
Chapter twenty-six
Chapter 27
27. Kitty
Chapter twenty-seven
Chapter 28
28. Cyrus
Chapter twenty-eight
Chapter 29
29. Kitty
Chapter twenty-nine
Chapter 30
30. Cyrus
Chapter thirty
Chapter 31
31. Kitty
Chapter thirty-one
Chapter 32
32. Cyrus
Chapter thirty-two
Epilogue
Epilogue. Kitty
Epilogue
Preview of next book…
Preview: Chapter 1
Preview: Chapter 2
The story goes on…
Newsletter for new book release
Also by Florence Linnington
Seeing Ranch series: Mail Order Brides
FEEL FREE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER WESTERN HISTORICAL ROMANCE BOOK SERIES
Click the link below
Amazon Author Bio
Book 1 - Her Winding Path
Book 2 - Her Western Heart
Book 3 - Her Wild Journey
Book 4 - Her Rocky Trail
Book 5 - Her Unexpected Destiny
Book 6 - Her Silent Burden
Book 7 - Her Fearless Love
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to Michelle and Chayce
About the Author
Hello to all my Readers, I hope you will enjoy reading my books. I truly derive joy and peace from my creative writings, and I hope my books can make my Readers happy.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to Joy Christi and her team for all the valuable advice.
Chapter One
1. Kitty
Chapter one
The monolithic hills rolled by, each multicolored crest smoothly giving way to its corresponding dip. Every mountain seemed different, their greens, grays, browns, and even white-tipped peaks all unique in the slightest ways. The chug-a-chug of the train’s wheels on the tracks had long since become not so much a noise as a comforting lull. The monotony calmed Kitty, easing the demanding thoughts that had run through her head for days.
Turning from the window, she surveyed the car, only to find nothing had changed. The man across the way still slept, hat brim pulled low over his eyes and double chins resting on his chest. Two ladies wearing fine silk dresses still chatted politely in the corner, their soft murmuring barely audible.
And where was Helen?
At the thought of her younger sister, Kitty’s heart flipped. Helen had gone to get water some time ago and had yet to return. How long had it been? Five minutes? Ten?
Kitty had been so transfixed by the scenery through the window, she’d neglected to pay attention to how much time had passed. Pulse pounding, she stood and carefully made her way down the car. The train rocked with each step she took, forcing her to grab the seats to brace herself.
The door to the next car slid noisily open, allowing Kitty access to the next area. There, the water spigot set into the wall waited at the far end of the aisle. Still, there was no Helen.
Kitty’s breath caught in her throat, causing a strangling sound. Where could her sister have gotten to? She had promised to return promptly after retrieving the drink.
“Excuse me,” Kitty politely said to an older man and woman. “Have you seen a young girl about seventeen? She looks much like me.”
The woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh, goodness, I expect I have. I did not know we had a set of twins on the train.”
“We are not twins,” Kitty hurriedly explained, having no time to instruct the woman on familial ties. “Please, can you tell me when you saw her and where she went?”
“Now, I believe it was just a while ago, and she went yonder that way.” The woman nodded in the direction Kitty had been headed, toward the front of the train.
“Thank you very much,” Kitty gratefully smile
d before proceeding along the train.
As she opened the next car door, the train rounded a bend, making Kitty brace herself against the frame. Though the walkways between the cars were wide, allowing relatively safe access, they were still exposed to the elements. Air and dust could blow across them. Just feeling the openness made Kitty shudder. She knew that the spot between cars was a bad place to be in the event of an emergency. She had been warned not to cross such a divide, and she would have heeded that advice if only her sister were not so foolhardy.
Sometimes trains wrecked. Sometimes people died on them.
Kitty pushed the gruesome thought back. It was her first time on a train, and she would not mind it at all if it also proved to be her last.
In the next car, she finally found what, or in this case, whom she was looking for. Helen sat facing the front, right across from a man in a weathered, brown cowboy hat. Kitty did a quick survey of the fellow from the back, noting his heavy jacket and the spurs on his scuffed boots. She certainly was not one to turn her nose up over a person’s attire, but the use of a coat in May did make her wonder about the man’s intentions.
“Oh, yes,” Helen was saying, her brown eyes sparkling as she smiled wide and nodded in agreement. “I have heard wonderful stories about California. My sister and I, we are from Philadelphia.” As Kitty approached, their gazes caught. “Oh, here she is now!”
A wave of anger rushed through Kitty as she stopped in front of Helen. She had a good mind to grab her sister’s arm and drag her down the length of the train! Luckily for Helen, the presence of others prohibited her from causing such a scene.
“Mr. Guthrie,” Helen said, “This is my sister, Katherine Byrum.”
“Pleased to meet you,” the man rumbled, tipping his hat.
Kitty caught a look at his face for the first time. He was older than she had expected, with tan skin, chin-length, white-streaked hair, and a gray beard. There was a clarity in his eyes, though—a sharpness that made her pause.
“Kitty,” Helen went on, “Mr. Guthrie was just telling me about how his father mined for gold out in California in the fifties. Isn’t that exciting?”
“Yes, very,” Kitty murmured, not interested in the slightest. She had a bone to pick with her sister, and nothing else mattered. “It was wonderful to meet you, Mr. Guthrie. Thank you for entertaining my sister. If you’ll excuse us, I need to have a word with her.”
Before Helen could protest, Kitty grabbed her by the forearm and hauled her a bit unceremoniously to her feet. They stumbled down the car, fighting the rocking of the train until they stopped at the end of the aisle, where no one was seated.
Kitty held onto the last seat and glared at Helen. “Did you retrieve your water?”
“Yes, it was quite refreshing. I believe—”
“I was being rhetorical, Helen. I merely wanted you to admit your guilt for disappearing.”
Helen’s eyes shifted left, began to roll, but she stopped them just in time. “I became distracted.”
“You cannot do that,” Kitty rasped, the anger surging through her making her throat weak. Her head pounded, and her chest became tight as if someone were pushing down on it. They were familiar sensations, ones that happened whenever the unexpected hit or when she lost control of situations.
Helen gave Kitty what could only be interpreted as a look of pity. “We are on a train, dear sister. Tell me, just where do you think I will up and vanish to?”
“This train is full of strangers,” Kitty hissed, taking a step closer so no one would overhear. “You are a young woman walking around on your own...”
“And you are not?” Helen arched a dark, defiant brow. Her obstinate attitude had become worse over the last few months, ever since they began making plans to move to Wyoming. Despite Helen’s insistence that she was excited for the journey, Kitty could not help but wonder if something about it bothered her.
“I am four years older than you.”
“That is not very much,” Helen immediately responded.
“Helen, what is the matter? Are you worried about our new life?”
Helen sighed and threw her gloved hands up. They were the first pair of white gloves she’d had in years. Kitty had saved pennies for weeks to buy them each a set. “Again, no. I have told you that.”
“Then why do I sense this defiance?”
“For the last time, there is no defiance,” Helen glared. “I simply would like to enjoy a little freedom without my overbearing sister constantly breathing down my neck.”
The comment stung like a pinprick right to the heart. Kitty felt herself reel back as if she had been struck. Her eyes fell to the floor.
A long minute passed, the grinding noises of the train and the soft talk of passengers providing the only commentary for the moment.
“I did not mean it like that,” Helen quietly said. “I am sorry.”
Kitty looked up to find a regretful pair of eyes watching her. We really do look like twins, she thought. With the same brown eyes, raven-black hair, and diamond-shaped faces, it was understandable that they were mistaken for a set all the time.
The major difference between them, in Kitty’s opinion, was that Helen glowed. No, not just glowed. Sparkled. Ever since she was a young child, she had shone with an radiance, not of this earth. People were drawn to her, and Helen accommodated their attentions well. It was a characteristic that Kitty both admired and often found herself jealous of.
That outgoing, easy manner also came with its fair share of difficulties. Helen was not as cautious as Kitty, nor was she, for lack of a better word, cynical enough.
“It is all right.” Kitty took her sister’s hand. “I understand.”
Helen’s gaze floated down to their clasped fingers. “They truly are nice gloves.”
Kitty inspected the pristine white gloves she’d worked so hard to keep clean. “Yes. They are.”
“Your new husband will like them.”
At the mention of Cyrus Ross, Kitty’s lips pursed. In the search for her sister, she’d momentarily forgotten all about the man she’d traveled this far to wed. She knew very little about him, including what he looked like.
He could provide for both her and Helen, that’s all Kitty was aware of—and that was what mattered the most. He’d agreed to take them both into his new home, and that one act made Kitty eternally grateful.
Still, she did not hold her breath in hoping there was to be any affection, love, or attention of any sort coming from him. If Cyrus Ross left Kitty and Helen alone, even ignored them completely beyond the basic expectations of housework and Kitty’s duties as a wife, that would be acceptable.
Admittedly, the part regarding Kitty’s marriage expectations gave her some anxiety. Every husband expected his wife to warm their bed, did they not? When it came to that matter, Kitty knew very little. Every time her thoughts went to that area, she pushed them away.
“Come.” Kitty pressed Helen’s hand lightly between both of hers. The warmth entered her arm and traveled into her heart, pushing away all the painful memories and the fears of the future. “Let us go back to our seats.”
“Oh, but I would like to stay here. Mr. Guthrie is quite pleasant.”
Helen’s imploring look could not be said no to.
“All right,” Kitty conceded. “If we are not bothering him, that is.”
“I already asked. Do not worry. Come now.”
Lifting her skirts with one hand, Helen pulled Kitty along with the other, risking losing her footing as she traveled back to Mr. Guthrie a bit briskly.