Princess Sisters

Russell Bailey A.

Description

It is 1860, and Robert Knight is praying. Destined to take over a struggling West Texas ranch, Robert has his work cut out for him. Despite knowing that his new ranch is vulnerable to Mexican rustlers and that a neighbor already despises him and his Christian values, Robert still holds one goal above all others: to find a wifeand quick.As Robert settles into life on the ranch, he intently watches from horseback one day as the first train full of dignitaries pulls into Haggard, Texas. All seems normal until he suddenly sees three hoodlums approach the train and drag a woman out against her will. Robert initiates a fierce gun battle where he eventually emerges the victor. After he takes the woman to the safety of his ranch, Robert soon realizes that he has not rescued just any woman. He has saved Elizabeth Abdullah from the claws of a radical group who want her dead. Unbeknownst to Robert, Elizabeth is facing an enormous duty: to marry a prince and become the mother of the next male regent of the island of Donoscia-este.In this historical tale, a future princess and her two sisters somehow find their lives intertwined with a young, adventurous West Texas cattle rancher who must rely on his faithand Gods wisdomto help him lead everyone in the right direction.

Sujets

• Historical romance

Informations

• Publié par: Inspiring Voices
• Date de parution: 23 août 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781462401109
• Langue: English

Extrait

Copyright © 2012 A. Russell Bailey
 
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ISBN: 978-1-4624-0109-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4624-0110-9 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012936606
Contents
Prologue  
Chapter One  
Chapter Two  
Chapter Three  
Chapter Four  
Chapter Five  
Chapter Six  
Chapter Seven  
Chapter Eight  
Chapter Nine  
Chapter Ten  
Chapter Eleven  
Chapter Twelve  
Chapter Thirteen  
Chapter Fourteen  
Chapter Fifteen  
Chapter Sixteen  
Chapter Seventeen  
Chapter Eighteen  
Chapter Nineteen  
Chapter Twenty  
Chapter Twenty-One  
Chapter Twenty-Two  
Chapter Twenty-Three  
Chapter Twenty-Four  
Chapter Twenty-Five  
Chapter Twenty-Six  
Chapter Twenty-Seven  
Chapter Twenty-Eight  
Chapter Twenty-Nine  
Chapter Thirty  
Chapter Thirty-One  
Chapter Thirty-Two  
Chapter Thirty-Three  
Chapter Thirty-Four  
Chapter Thirty-Five  
Chapter Thirty-Six  
Chapter Thirty-Seven  
Chapter Thirty-Eight  
Chapter Thirty-Nine  
Chapter Forty  
 
 
Prologue  

S am Ketchum stared at the two men sitting across from him. They sat on a veranda on the north side of his Texas house, looking across the vast prairie surrounding it. It was May, 1880, and the heat expected in July, had already appeared. They sat with glasses of ice tea at each place on the table, the blessings of an ice house and a deep well that provided water through the winter. Water was pumped into a covered pan and allowed to freeze overnight so that each day, a small block of ice was taken to their ice house at the back of the residence
Sam was a large man and the house was large to accommodate him. Everything on his property had that sense of massiveness from the windmill and the barn to the symbolic Texas longhorn steer Sam had built on the rise approaching his house. It was built of wood, showing its profile, while looking at the house. It had real horns protruding from its wooden head.
Sam emptied his tea glass and held it up for his cook, Chin-se, to fill. “Dolly is being sent to Dallas, to a facility there where they’ll take care of her for the rest of her days,” Sam said to the others. “Since Brandon’s death, oh, Bobby, you remember, Brandon was Dolly’s beau who was killed in Mississippi the last week of the war, in fact after the armistice was signed. Anyway, Dolly can’t seem to get control of herself. She’s lost her will to live and, as such, I don’t know what to do for her. Also,” he threw a piece of paper with writing, several signatures and the imprint of a stamp on it, “this is my will. As far as the authorities are concerned, I am committing suicide. I will disappear and never be heard of again.”
John Cody, a man who had served with Sam during the war between the States and lived with Sam now for several years, started to object, but Sam held up his hand. “John, we’re brothers, my friend, deeper than any man I’ve ever known. You’ve been my right hand in these last days, you’ve taken charge of the ranch where I couldn’t seem to get things straight. We’ve been through wars, getting our ship sunk from under us, gone through Indian fighting, through getting this great state settled, and we have never argued or quibbled about anything. Don’t start now, please.”
He pushed his chair back from the table and picked up his tea glass again and drained it. “I’m beat. With Sophie gone, and Dolly going, I can‘t take any more. We fought Indians and came out alive, but this is bigger than any Indian battle. This has destroyed my soul.”
Robert Knight, the younger of the two talking to Sam, listened with his head bowed. “Bobby, you prayin’?”
Bobby nodded.
“I should thank you, but the die is cast and it’s come up snake-eyes—double one.” Sam reached out to his young friend. “Stay close to John. You’re a smart lad and that’s why I brought you into the family. I got the best library in Texas, use it. Learn from John, for you will be sole owner someday, and I’ll be watchin’ to see if you’re doin’ it right. You got a substantial amount of money stashed, John knows where it is. You may have to sell off some of the herd after a while. When you get a little older, marry a local girl, one who knows what it’s like to live in the desert. And, Bobby, have a houseful o’ kids.”
Bobby blushed a bit, but nodded. Then he asked, “Where will I find a girl? We never have any kind of party or activity where more than one family comes.”
“Speakin’ o’ that one family, avoid the Haggards if at all possible. Old Joe and I used to be friends, close friends, but lately, he seems to 've been influenced by Junior. They resented the fact the train is stopping on our ranch. I had an agreement with old Joe, but his kid fought it. He tried to finagle the railroad to give them my land south of the tracks, but that didn’t work. I got word from a lawyer friend in San Antonio what they were trying to do, and he stopped it.”
He reached across the table to the youngster. “Bobby, you’re a smart young man. You know numbers, you can read, and you understand what you read. John’s gonna let you take care of the books so you’ll have full responsibility of ordering and the finances.” Sam then turned to John, “Let him make some mistakes, while learnin’, but none too serious. I mean, don’t let ‘im give away the ranch. Check his work once in a while to see if he’s got it down.”
Sam paused as if trying to make sure he covered every topic. “Now as to the men. Silas is part Indian and as good a tracker as there is around, but he’s apt to go off on a tear if you don’t control him. Arlie is young, work with him. Let Jake help you with any problems. Gramps Horner is old and not much help, but if you need someone to shoot the eye out of a squirrel at a hundred yards, he’s the man. But don’t expect too much work out of ‘im. He’s put in ‘is time.”
Sam leaned back in his chair and sighed. “John, find God. Don’t go down the path I have. Let Bobby help you in that. Bobby, I wish I’d had a son like you years ago. But it’s too late now. I’m a broken man.”
John leaned forward, elbows on the table, “Sam, I’ve never know you to do a stupid, irrational thing before, but this is one. Take some time off. Go see a doctor in Dallas and get revived but come back to us. We need you.”
“No, boys, I guess my time is up. Take the paper to San Antonio and get it filed. You will then have the farm. Be careful of the Haggards. They’ll cheat you out of everything you own if you let them.” He paused again, “I’m gonna take one more look upstairs and then I’m gone.”
Sam rose from his chair and headed for the stairs. He stopped and turned, “Don’t grieve for me, boys, I gotta go. I ain’t no good for nothin’ no more.” With those words, he stuck out his hand and John clasped it with both his, then released it. Sam grabbed Bobby and drew him tight against his chest, tears pooling in eyes of each man. “You’re a good boy, Bobby, and smart. You’ll do all right.”
Sam turned without another word and walked up the stairs. The pair listened below as Sam’s footsteps halted at the top step. The echo of Sam’s boots started again as John nodded. “He’s going to Dolly’s room.”
The footsteps paused for several seconds as John and Bobby sat, wordlessly, in the room below. One step, followed by another pause, followed by quick steps leading to the stairway. In a minute, he was back down and, without a word, walked through the door to his horse waiting outside. Then, all they heard was the sound of a horse, galloping off into the distance.

John waited six long months, hoping Sam would suddenly, if not miraculously, show up, but it didn’t happen. He and Robert went to San Antonio and were told they had to go to Austin, to the capital. They filed the will and found it had to go through some probate, to verify any charges against the property, and then it was cleared. They verified their brand and changed the owners’ names on it.
A year from the day Sam rode away, they became owners of his ranch. It took two months to do a count of the herd, and to brand all the yearlings that had accumulated during the time Sam had been gone, and they counted out more cattle than Sam had anticipated. There would soon have to be a shipment to San Antonio.

Bobby sat on his front veranda looking south and east and thought of his lot in life. This land, as far as the eye could see, was soon to be his. The town of Haggard was off to the south-east, and even though it carried the Haggard name, it was still on Sam’s ranch land. Bobby pondered, where was he to find this wife that Sam insi