“I Thought Nobody Would Come,” She Said. The Cowboy Had Ridden All Night to Find Her
Chapter 1
The candle had burned so low that Clara Whitmore could see the flame trembling inside the puddle of melted wax.
She had stopped expecting footsteps nearly an hour ago.
Outside the little farmhouse, the wind pushed against the shutters with a hollow moan. Rain whispered over the roof. Beyond the window, the road had disappeared beneath darkness.
Clara stood beside the table in her faded blue dress, one hand resting on the sealed letter she had written that afternoon.
It had been sent to only one man.
Samuel Boone.
A cattle hand from the neighboring valley.
A man she had not seen in nearly three months.
A man who had once promised that if she ever needed him, she had only to send word.
She had finally sent it.
And now she regretted it.
Not because she did not want him to come.
Because she was certain he would not.
Clara looked at the clock.
Midnight.
She blew out the candle.
Then came the sound.
A horse.
Far away.
At first she thought she imagined it.
Then another sound reached her.
Hoofbeats.
Fast.
Uneven.
Coming down the road.
Clara froze.
The horse came closer.
Closer.
Then stopped outside.
A man’s voice broke through the rain.
“Clara!”
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She opened the door.
A horse stood in the yard, steaming in the cold rain.
Its rider was soaked through.
His coat was dark with water. His hat hung low over his face. Mud covered his boots and the horse’s legs.
He swung down from the saddle.
For several seconds, Clara could only stare.
“Samuel?”
The man removed his hat.
“I came as soon as I got your letter.”
She looked at the horse.
Its sides heaved.
“How long have you been riding?”
Samuel glanced toward the eastern horizon.
“Since sunset.”
“You rode all night?”
“I had to.”
Clara swallowed.
“I thought nobody would come.”
Samuel looked at her.
His voice softened.
“I was coming before I finished reading the letter.”
And Clara knew immediately that something had gone terribly wrong.
