Lawfully Chased, page 1
Lawfully Chased
Ginny Sterling
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Welcome to the Lawkeepers
Lawfully Mine
Lawfully Betrothed
Wanted: Hired Gun
Lawfully Avenged - coming soon by Jenna Brandt
Afterword
About the Author
When Emma Browning chooses to remain in the wilds of Oklahoma, she discovers a freedom that comes from being an independent woman. Unfortunately, the men in town have other ideas for her. How can a young lady remain unmarried with so many single men nearby? Why is she endangering herself by teaching the less fortunate? After repeated offers of marriage – the one man she finds herself interested in… couldn’t care less about her!
Marshal James Reed has always been shunned due to his heritage. Growing up half-Indian and half-Tejano – his exotic looks have caused him to stand out and he’s struggled to make a name for himself. Now, he is in the Indian Territory after an outlaw when he spots the most beautiful distraction ever: Emma.
When James reveals a secret he’s kept close to his heart, can Emma find a way to reach the man that seems so very untouchable? Suddenly the idea of having someone special in her life is quite tempting… but can the marshal capture his prey, and her heart, without endangering himself?
Introduction
There’s just something fascinating about a man wearing an emblem of authority. The way the light gleams off that shiny star on his badge makes us stare with respect. Couple that with a uniform hugging his body in just the right way, confidence, and mission to save and protect, it’s no wonder we want to know what lies underneath.
Yes, what echoes deep inside those beating hearts is inspiring. Certainly appealing. Definitely enticing. Although those ripped muscles and strong shoulders can make a woman’s heart skip a beat—or two—it takes a strong, confident person to choose to love someone who risks it all every day. Anyone willing to become part of a lawkeeper’s world might have a story of their own to tell.
The undeniable charisma lawmen possess make all of us pause and take note. It’s probably why there are so many movies and TV shows themed around the justice system. We’re enthralled by their ability to save babies, help strangers, and rescue damsels in distress. We’re captivated by their ability to protect and save, defend the innocent, risk their lives, and face danger without hesitation. Of course, we expect our heroes to stay solid when we’re in a mess. We count on them for safety, security, and peace of mind. From yesterday to today, that truth remains constant.
Their valor inspires us, their integrity comforts, and their courage melts our hearts—irresistibly. But there’s far more to them than their courageous efforts. How do they deal with the difficulties they face? Can they balance work and life? And how do they find time for love outside their life of service?
We want to invite you on a journey—come with us as we explore the complex lives of the men and women who serve and protect us every day. Join us in a fast-paced world of adventure. Walk into our tight-knit world of close friendships, extended family, and danger—as our super heroes navigate the most treacherous path of all—the road to love.
The Lawkeepers. Historical and modern-day super heroes; men and women of bravery and valor, taking love and law seriously. A multi-author series, sure to lock up your attention and take your heart into custody.
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The Lawkeepers is a multi-author series alternating between historical westerns and contemporary westerns featuring law enforcement heroes that span multiple agencies and generations. Join bestselling authors Jenna Brandt, Lorana Hoopes, Elle E. Kay, Ginny Sterling and many others as they weave captivating, sweet, and inspirational stories of romance and suspense between the lawkeepers — and the women who love them.
The Lawkeepers is a world like no other; a world where lawkeepers and heroes are honored with unforgettable stories, characters, and love.
** Note: Each book in The Lawkeepers series is a standalone book, and part of a mini-series of sorts, and you can read them in any order.
1
1
Oklahoma Territory
September 1888
Emma glanced around at the small town located in the Southeast corner of the Indian lands. Mostly Choctaw lived in the area. This place was nothing like Boston and it floored her that her family had picked up and left on the promise of getting ahead when they released the land. Rumor had spread back home that the government would eventually be moving the tribes out and letting people homestead the land in order to develop large herds of cattle to be sold. There was a lot of money being made driving them farther north.
It had been almost a year now that she lived here, and while she still felt like an outsider at times, this was her new home. It turned out that her mother and father also missed the conveniences of home but had a taste of what living in the west could bring. To her surprise, they picked up and moved on to California. Emma had always been strong and independent. Being here, among the wildness seemed to compound it. She’d turned down the chance to move because she felt comfortable tackling the new teaching settlement that was popping up nearby. People seemed to think that the land was public property, but she felt awful for the Indians that were being pushed off their land. Her father might have wanted to take advantage of it, but now that she was here and knew some of the town… she simply didn’t feel the same way.
She had freedom here, something she didn’t have back in Boston. There it was about status, dealing with rules, and hob-nobbing with others of your class. Here, she was independent for the first time in her life. Her family left her with some supplies and she existed in a sod dugout house on the outskirts of town. She kept a loaded gun for defense and an axe beside the door. She was afraid sometimes, but it was getting easier being alone. The thing she loved so much about this area was the night sky. She could look up at the stars at night and felt a keen awareness that everything was going to be alright- deep faith in trusting that this might be her new path in life.
Today was a perfect example.
She would be starting a new class today, teaching the children their letters and how to read. She had twelve students joining her – half were from the tribe just on the outskirts of town. By teaching the Choctaw children, she was running the risk of alienating herself from the community or a chance at gaining a husband. The only advantage she had right now that kept her from being ostracized by others was the fact that she was a young woman of a marriageable age.
She wasn’t arrogant about it nor did she flaunt it, but she knew that she had flattering features; but with that brought about some unwanted attention. She’d like to marry someday but she wanted it to be for love. Her mother was completely in love with her father and she was envious of how much they adored each other. She’d seen friends marry and that spark was lacking.
She wanted a spark of her own.
Looking around, she viewed the flat land ahead of her – watching the tall golden grasses sway in the wind. It had been a warm summer and it always amazed her at how different everything was. She remembered the first time she’d seen a longhorn steer and gaped indelicately at the massive size of the animal. Prairie dogs made her giggle with childish enthusiasm – they looked like the fluffy rabbits they had back home in the wild, yet with no ears. The rabbits here were lean and long jackrabbits with large ears. Same animal, different adaption to their environment. Just like her – she was the same, yet different now.
She would be meeting with children that she would shape and mold into adults someday, and in her mind, knowledge was the key to everything. She enjoyed teaching and mentoring more than she ever enjoyed picking out dress patterns or attending soirees.
She found herself befriending several of the Choctaw people simply because they seemed more real… more in touch with what they needed as a people to grow. Back home it seemed almost senseless to waste food or clothing, but these people used every bit of what they had access too. Hides, hooves, horns, gourds, beads, seeds. It was impressive- their knowledge and resources – causing Emma to realize that they could teach her a thing or two as well.
The children began to gather by the mesquite trees near her dugout. They had no school house that would allow the Choctaw children to attend, so she took it upon herself to teach them regardless. Today they would be drawing their letters on a tablet with chalk and once it was gone, they’d simply practice with sticks in the dirt. She meant to teach anyone that was willing to learn and would do so by any means necessary.
Gathering up her wide-brimmed hat to protect her fair skin, Emma quickly walked over and introduced herself. It was always inspiring to see happy faces ready to listen. As she learned their names, she smiled as they told her the meanings. Such beautiful names that lilted off the tongue when they said it. Frowning, she quickly found out that they’d also been assigned English names as well. John, Edward, Margaret, Robert, Sarah and Rebecca all sat beside her in their buckskins beside the other children.
She loved children because they weren’t born with the same prejudices and opinions as their parents- they had open minds and hearts until they grew tainted over time. She pr ayed that it wouldn’t happen and that she could teach them to keep their eyes open, to listen to each other and learn from one another.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” she began happily and smiled at each one. “Let’s take a seat and begin our day while the sun is still low in the sky.”
As Emma talked and prompted the children into discussion, she found that not only would she be teaching them to read and write – but they would be practicing their English as well. She quickly informed them that each time she taught them a word, she wanted to learn one of theirs. This surprised many of the children, causing them to look at each other in confusion. Obviously not many people asked to learn their language. The ice was broken and she’d gained a group of students that would also be friends in the future. To her this was a gift that was beyond priceless and something she’d never had before.
She felt like she belonged.
2
2
As the day wore on, Emma felt the sun beating down on her through the trees. It was nearing time to break for the day. Most of the children had chores that they had to perform in order to make sure they had the necessities taken care of for their families. It could be something as simple as picking up dried dung cakes in order to make sure the fires kept them warm at night.
She understood the need because she had things she had to do as well. First and foremost, she would need to start harvesting what was left of her meager garden. Temperatures would be dropping soon enough and she wanted to be prepared for the winter ahead.
Last year, several had come to their aid because they simply were ignorant of what winter would bring. In Boston, if you needed something you could fetch someone to the butcher or the bakery. Here, you were the butcher… you were the baker unless you wanted to buy luxuries in town.
Luxuries were something she couldn’t afford at the time. She was extremely thrifty with what she had left in her account. She had a decent, solid roof over her head and all of her clothing from home still looked almost brand new. The only wants she had currently included being able to maintain her food stores. This meant laborious hours picking, prepping, and canning – something she’d grown quite good at over time.
Grabbing her woven basket and looping it on her arm, she made her way to the back of the dugout. The vines were heavy with squash, tomatoes, green beans and other vegetables. It was almost the end of the season and she could see the curling beginning on the leaves. One or two hard frosts and she could lose quite a bit of this. Yes, it was beyond time to gather her vegetables.
Picking diligently, searching through every leaf and vine, picking even the smallest of vegetables – she gathered up as much as she could. She was hot and sweaty, kneeling on her dress in the grass as she worked. Hearing a horse, she groaned in frustration. She had a lot of work to do before the sun set on the horizon and didn’t have time to shrug off the men that constantly bothered her.
It was bad enough that it seemed to come in a rotation. One, two, three men would seem to hover around her diligently for about a week. It was as if they would step back to allow the next group forward to break down her defenses. She was fed up with being chased by all sorts of riff-raff. She had taken to wearing her plainest dresses that were serviceable as well as putting her hair back in a simple bun. It was like she was trying her best to turn away suitors simply because she hadn’t met the one for her. She felt it in the very core of her being and deep in her heart.
Glancing up again, Emma stifled a mortified groan as she saw Frank Dalton get down from his horse. He was tall, with a dignified air about him. He commanded attention – good, bad, and all that fell in-between. He was the oldest in his family and while many considered him an upstanding citizen – there was something about him that struck a nerve. She was uncomfortable around him and there was always something in his eyes, making her feel like a cat toying with a mouse. Predatory eyes, with an underlying threat that just simmered in their dark depths.
“Hello Miss Emma,” he said politely, standing there blocking the sun. She saw in his hands that he had a sparse gathering of some flowers held tight in his fist. He hadn’t even taken his hat off and that was something all courteous gentleman did when they met a lady. Her father said it was a telling sign of respect and she understood his words the moment she’d met Frank Dalton. He didn’t respect anyone unless they gave him a wide berth.
“Hello Mr. Dalton,” she said politely, sitting back on her haunches and looking up at him as he blocked out the sun. “Kindly step back, if you please? You’ve stepped right in my garden and I do believe there are potatoes underfoot – and it’s Miss Browning.”
Emma grabbed her trowel and looked away just in time to see his smile fall at her veiled reminder that she’d not given him permission to use her first name. She didn’t care to be on a first name basis with the man and preferred to keep things polite between them. She would nod, acknowledge his illustrious ego in town, and keep to herself like any other citizen.
“I stand corrected, Miss Browning and I thank you for that,” he began congenially and cleared his throat. Emma didn’t look up and did a double-take as he knelt down beside her and stuck the flowers into her line of vision. Slowly looking up, she saw he was increasingly close and immediately shot to her feet, dusting off her dress.
“Why thank you, Mr. Dalton – you shouldn’t have.”
“You know I would relish the thought of maybe taking a stroll about town this afternoon with you. Would you do me the honor?”
“Mr. Dalton, I do appreciate it; however I must get these crops in as I can. I don’t have the luxury of having such a reputation and career such as yourself. I must fend for myself.”
“Even more reason for us to take a turn about town – so we can get to know each other a bit better before we announce our engagement.”
She couldn’t help it – she laughed.
The man was simply preposterous and presumptuous. She’d seen him about town for a little over a month. He’d flirted and smiled at every woman within eyesight until he spotted her. She’d pushed him off, been quite callous towards him, on the verge of being rude- and declined every offer to be seen with him. She had no intention of leading the man on, yet he didn’t seem to be catching on.
Swallowing a giggle, she saw how dark his demeanor suddenly got and felt a chill run down her spine. Clearing her throat, she smiled politely and held out her hand to accept the flowers. Just as she was getting ready to escape inside her house and pray that Frank would disappear, Emma saw that things were about to get interesting… times two!
Jonathan Williams was walking over the crest of a small hill and had emerged from a grove of mesquite trees nearby. He was her neighbor on a nearby plot of land. A local farmer, he was avidly looking for a new wife for his children. His own wife had died last winter. Martha had been overly sweet with a smile for everyone. She couldn’t tell anyone no and obviously that included her husband. She’d died from childbed fever delivering his fifth child. She missed Martha’s easy company and it made her skin crawl at the idea that her husband was sniffing around her.
“Oh look! Hello Mr. Williams – Mr. Dalton, have you met Mr. Williams, my neighbor? His wife, Martha was a true blessing in these parts and she is sorely missed- isn’t she, Mr. Williams?” Emma said brightly, hoping to dissuade both men at the same time and make her escape.
“Martha was a truly godly woman and a good mother.”
“Yes. Yes, she was – and you will find another someday.” Emma gnashed her teeth as she saw his eyes light up. Tarnation! she inwardly cursed.
“Yes, your children deserve a mother that will take care of them like her own – just like Widow Smith. Have you met her? She’s a pretty thing with two boys of her own to raise. I should introduce you both at church on Sunday. You will be there, won’t you? Mr. Dalton, are you a church-going man too?”
