Oregon Disaster Read online

  Oregon Disaster

  Trail of Hearts book 5

  Rachel Wesson

  Copyright © 2018 by Rachel Wesson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Epilogue

  Character List

  Also by Rachel Wesson

  Prologue

  Portland, Oregon

  Sarah tossed and turned before deciding to give up on sleep. She still couldn’t believe her pa and ma had said no. Edwin had been right. They should have just eloped and not bothered to ask permission. Well, tonight she would leave and never come back. She wasn’t going to wait a year to marry. She loved Edwin and he loved her. She closed her eyes, imagining the feel of his lips on hers. He generated feelings in her body she didn’t fully understand. But she knew enough not to do everything he wanted. He would have to wait until they were married. She wondered if his home was as nice as he said it was. Not that she thought he was lying but men’s ideas of comfortable weren’t quite the same as women’s. Still, she would be in charge of her own home. She could make Edwin wonderful meals and have them ready when he came in from a hard day’s work. Then when he struck it rich, he would buy her the biggest house anyone had seen. They would have servants and she would live a life of leisure. She wrapped her arms around herself. In a few hours, she would leave Portland with Edwin. She wouldn’t look back.

  First though she had to tell her parents. They weren’t really her parents. Uncle Rick had taken her and her sister Carrie in when their ma died on the Oregon trail. Then he married Jo and they had all lived together since.

  She picked up the pen, dipped it in the ink and scribbled a quick note. It wasn’t right so she tore it up and started again. An owl hooted outside the window reminding her she didn’t have much time. Edwin had said he would be waiting in the orchard for her at two in the morning. Everyone would be asleep by then. She was going to leave without saying anything but she couldn’t do that.

  Dear Pa, Ma and Carrie,

  I love Edwin and want to marry him now and not in a year’s time. We are eloping. By the time you get this, we will have married. Please don’t come after us. I know you think we are too young and Edwin is not the man I believe him to be, but you are wrong on both counts. I am 18 – older than Jo was when she met you, Uncle Rick.

  We will be back one day when Edwin has struck it rich. In the meantime, take care

  Love, Sarah. x

  She read it again. Would Rick and Jo even notice she had gone? Would they care? They were too busy worrying about Almanzo. Not to mention the two missing girls who were complete strangers. She came very low on their list of priorities. They knew how much she loved Edwin. She had tried to do the right thing, by persuading Edwin to come and speak to Pa. But Rick had been too stubborn. As if she was going to wait a year before she could get married.

  She tore the letter to shreds. Edwin was right. Her uncle Rick and Jo may claim to be her ma and pa but they didn’t love her or Carrie. Uncle Rick was going to abandon them at an orphanage until Jo stopped him. Sarah bit her lip. That was years ago though. They had children of their own now. Edwin said the six year old twins would always come first in Rick and Johanna’s eyes. She hadn’t noticed them treating her and Carrie differently but then maybe she was blind. Edwin said she was innocent about many things.

  She looked to Carrie's bedroom across the hall. She imagined Carrie was snoring softly. She would miss her sister and wished they hadn’t argued that afternoon. Worried about Almanzo, Carrie had wondered aloud how the two missing girls would be. Sarah’s face still stung from where Carrie had hit her. She hadn’t meant to be nasty but Edwin was right. Who would want to marry two white girls who had been living with Indians for almost a week? If they weren’t already dead, Sarah guessed they wished they were. Carrie had slapped her across the face. Her sister, reminded her the Indians could be nice ones like Paco, Walking Tall and his tribe. Not that Edwin believed there was such a thing as a nice Indian. Carrie had taken the Indian’s side over hers. She’d even said she hated Edwin. Her little sister was going to be sorry. She wouldn’t say anything to her about leaving. Picking up pen, she dipped it into the ink before writing,

  To Rick and Jo, I love Edwin. We will be married by the time you read this. Please do not follow us. Goodbye. Sarah.

  With one last look around her room, Sarah picked up her carpet bag and opened the door. Sarah held her breath until she was outside the house. Nobody had woken. Part of her wished they had. Then they may see she was serious and let her stay and marry Edwin. They could all live in Portland happily ever after. Only her family hated the Morgans and Edwin in particular. Edwin had a job in a mining company. He wasn’t going to wait a year for her. In fact if she didn’t get a move on, he may leave without her tonight. No, nothing would come between her and her true love. Sarah walked purposefully toward the Orchard into her dream life with Edwin.

  Chapter 1

  Mining Village – Tyrell’s pit, near Baker City, March 1861

  Bear walked back to his camp, his heart heavy. Tyrell’s Pit, while not a big town, was crawling with miners who would take great pleasure in killing one of his kind. Walking Tall had asked him to look for Miss Sassy as a favor. Walking Tall was worried about his friend Almanzo and the rest of his family following Rick’s death. Miss Sassy had run away some time before her uncle had died. Did she even know he was dead? Did she care?

  He had watched her for some time. It appeared she lived alone. She didn’t seem to have any friends. There was no sign of the man she had run with. Bear wasn’t surprised. He had followed that man, Morgan, for a few days. He was trouble. A drinker and a man who liked to play around with women. He had seen Morgan with the saloon girls in the next town. He drank too much and had a vicious temper.

  One night, Morgan had stumbled out of the saloon. He fell into some trash disturbing a dog searching for food. The poor animal was skin and bones but Morgan hadn’t cared. He had kicked him repeatedly. The dog wasn’t capable of defending himself effectively. Given the look of him, he was too weak from lack of food to match the strength of a man like Morgan.

  Bear’s hand squeezed around his knife as he remembered how Morgan had kicked that poor mongrel almost to death, only stopping when someone Morgan had known cal
led him back to the saloon for more drink. Why did some men have to be so cruel?

  Incensed anyone could be so heartless, Bear had been tempted to wait until Morgan came out again and beat him senseless. Instead, he had taken the animal back to his camp and, using all the medicines he knew, had helped the part-wolf, part-dog return to full health. How Tala, as he called him, had survived his injuries was beyond Bear but then miracles did happen. For some.

  He shook his head at the route his thoughts were taking. He had a duty to do. He owed Walking Tall a big debt and this was his way to make repayment. He would do his best to encourage Miss Sassy to go home. Now, before it was too late.

  Bear lit a small fire to roast his dinner. Tala whined at him until he stroked the dog’s fur. He was careful to keep the fire small so there wasn’t much smoke. Although he had checked many times, he didn’t want to risk anyone seeing him there. Tala made a good watchdog; he would warn him if anyone got too close. Still, he wasn’t going to invite trouble.

  As he waited, he wondered why the family wanted the woman back. She was old enough to know her own mind. She had brought shame on her family. In his culture, maidens didn’t run away like that. He knew in the white man’s world, things were different. But from what he could work out, Miss Sassy had no reason to run away. She was well fed, lived in a nice home and had a caring family. From what he had been told, Morgan hadn’t kidnapped her. Miss Sassy had gone with the man of her own free will. She had chosen him as her mate. He was a horrible man and, yes, her family was right to be worried, but she was a grown woman.

  It was completely different to the lifestyle he and his sister endured. He couldn’t think of Snow Maiden now. The memory of his sister’s death was still too painful. Walking Tall had been too late to save her and her child but the magnificent warrior had ensured the evil man who had hurt his sister, among many others, lived no longer. He should have been the one to avenge his sister’s honor but he’d been too sick, his wounds having become infected due to lack of care. Walking Tall had taken him into his family and his women had cared for Bear so well, there were barely any scars left from his torture. The visible scars, that was. The internal scars were deep and festering.

  He split the roasted meat between himself and Tala. Once their feast was over, he checked their camp area once more before bedding down beside the fire with Tala beside him. He kept licking Bear’s face, as if the dog could tell his master wasn’t in a happy mood. Once more Bear wondered how any man could injure such a wonderful creature. The image of Edwin Morgan’s face was the last he saw before falling into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Tyrell’s pit, Mining village, near Baker City, Oregon

  Sarah Hughes looked up from the dirty water, wiping the sweat away from her forehead. Her hands were red and raw. There had to be a better way to make a living than washing strange men's underclothes. She looked toward the house at the far end of the town. The girls living there had lovely hands and nice clothes. She knew their work wasn't pleasant all the time but surely it couldn't be worse than what she was doing. She wasn't an innocent anymore so what could she lose by working there?

  Your self-respect, or what's left of it. The little voice in her head seemed to scream at her. She closed her eyes, desperate to stop any tears from falling.

  "Why have you stopped? That pile ain't going to get any smaller by sitting there."

  "I know that," Sarah snapped back.

  Mrs. Brown gave her a dirty look but didn't say anything else. She went back to the cafe she owned. Sarah knew the older woman thought she wasn't fit for the job. She'd told her often enough she'd only taken pity on her as Sarah reminded her of one of her own young'uns. The girl had looked a bit like Sarah although younger. She'd been 17 when she succumbed to a fever outbreak that had decimated the entire town Mrs. Brown had once lived in.

  Sarah plunged another shirt into the fresh water. Why did they have to wear the shirts until the collars were black before they handed them in to be laundered? She'd have to soak most of them or they would never come clean.

  She turned to stir the whites she had boiling on the fire. The heat made her sweat even more. She could feel the damp spots under her arms and at the back of her neck. Her hair, although done up in a bun, was scraggly, hanging limply by the sides of her face. She must look horrific. But it didn't matter how she looked. Edwin had been gone for ages. He said he was never coming back. Did he mean it? Did she care? She touched her stomach. She wasn't totally alone was she? He or she was part of the reason she was working so hard. When her condition became more evident, she wouldn't be able to stay. Mrs. Brown already thought she was a slacker. She would not employ an unwed mother.

  “Slaving away I see, Mrs. Morgan?”

  The skin on the back of Sarah's neck prickled as the man used the name she had taken to using when she’d found out she was pregnant. That was shortly after Edwin left over a month ago. He was staring at her, undressing her with his eyes like he always did. She didn't have to look around to know. He'd done it even when Edwin lived in town.

  "What can I do for you, Mr. Faulkner?" She was loath to address him, but she didn’t have a choice. He was the most important man in town.

  "Now there is an offer I didn't think I would receive," Faulkner said, his slitty mean eyes trailing over her body in a blatant fashion. Sarah had the mad urge to pull the tub of hot water closer to her chest.

  She decided to pretend she hadn't understood. "If you are here to collect your laundry, you must see Mrs. Brown. She prefers to handle the cash side of the business,” Sarah said, trying to be polite. No fear of Mrs. Brown getting her hands wet.

  "It's you I've come to see, as you well know. Have you given consideration to my offer? It's against the law of nature to allow a beautiful creature like yourself to work herself into the ground. Especially when the chores she is doing are best done by the Chinese women. It's all they are good for."

  Sarah ignored his bigoted opinion. He sounded just like Edwin. How could she have ever believed she and Edwin had a future? His vile opinions had gotten worse as the days passed. His claim had dried up and somehow it was her fault. He had left her high and dry in the mountains, snuck out in the middle of the night leaving a pile of debt. His biggest debtor was the man ogling her. Faulkner had made it clear exactly how she could pay off the bills Edwin owed.

  "I didn't give your offer any more consideration than it was worth. My answer is the same as it was the first day you honored me with your proposal." Sarah adopted her coldest tone as she delivered her sarcastic answer. Jo would have been proud of her. Well, maybe not Jo. Her adoptive mother probably hated her and with good reason. She had behaved very badly sneaking off to elope with Edwin. Why hadn't she listened?

  If not to Rick and Jo, to Bridget. Their housekeeper had warned Sarah by speaking of her own experiences in bad marriage. Well, at least Bridget's man had married her. Sarah was Mrs. Morgan in her own eyes only, not those of the law. Despite his promises, Edwin hadn't married her.

  Faulkner’s eye's narrowed. "Don't toy with me, girl. There have been others, more mature in the ways of the world, who tried that. It didn't end well for them either."

  "If you have had enough of threatening me can you please leave? I have work to do and Mrs. Brown won't be happy if that pile doesn't get done.” Sarah dismissed him as if he were nothing more than something unpleasant stuck to her shoe. His swift intake of breath gave her a quick jolt of pleasure before the stench of his breath on her cheek almost made her retch.

  "I like spirit in my women. Not too much mind you, but enough to make the getting to know one another rather interesting. You will give in to my demands Missy. Better make it sooner than later if you know what's good for you." He took a step back for which Sarah was grateful. Then, bowing deeply, he said mockingly, "Enjoy the rest of your day my dear, don't work too hard."

  She slouched against the wall at her back. What had she done that for? Faulkner was dangerous enough without her
baiting him like that. She was too pigheaded and stubborn for her own good. And selfish. Mustn’t forget that. If she hadn't behaved like a selfish, immature brat, she wouldn't be in her present predicament.

  Sarah scrubbed the clothes, taking her anger at Edwin, Faulkner and the rest of the world out on her work. Mrs. Brown came to check on her later but retreated at the look on Sarah's face. She had nothing to complain about—the pile of clean laundry being much higher than it had been.

  Sarah had to do something, but what? She couldn't go home. Her parents may accept her after she groveled, but they would never take her back as an unmarried mother. She would have to have the baby and then have it adopted or something. Only then would she be free to return to Portland, Oregon, a single woman with no commitments or ties.

  Chapter 3

  Bear hid in the shadows watching the white woman. His knuckles turned white holding the knife in his hand as the man tormented her. He didn’t know what the history was between them, but this man meant to do her harm. Bear knew him. He had seen him before. Many times. He was a powerful man among his people.