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Chapter One
The smell of whiskey and rotten sweat filled Lavinia’s nostrils as she rearranged the weight of her brother’s arm around her shoulder, groaning in frustration as the toe of his boot caught on the last stair. They were only five feet away from the door to their room at the rowdy lodging house, but Lavinia was under no illusions that Benjamin would be able to make it the last few steps himself. He hadn’t even been able to stand up on his own after their meager dinner of stale bread and last week’s scraps: the chef’s special for anyone hitting hard times. They could have afforded the meatloaf, or maybe even the pork tenderloin and grilled corn, but Benjamin had wasted everything they’d made back in Hardman on booze. He’d argued that whiskey had been a grain at some point, so surely it was an integral part of a square meal. Lavinia had bantered back that pickling his insides was no way to live a life, but she knew it was no use. Benjamin held the purse strings, and Lavinia was just there to ensure her brother was sober enough to sell gold and silver pocket watches without getting into a gunfight.
“Come on, Benjamin. Rest on the doorframe for a moment,” Lavinia grunted, eager to share his weight with the wall while she got them into their room.
“What?” he slurred back, more to the door than to his sister.
Once she’d gotten him safely on his thin bed, albeit with one arm and a leg dangling off the side, Lavinia collapsed into the hard wooden chair by the window. Her feet ached, and a headache pounded between her temples. The sound of the raucous cowboys downstairs sounded as if it was just next door, and Lavinia knew she wouldn’t be getting a wink of sleep that night. Looking out the window, she could see the barkeep from the saloon throwing someone out the front door. The man struggled to get up on his own and looked around at the horses lined up as if he were unsure which one was his.
“That would be Benjamin if I weren’t here to pick up the sorry fool,” she whispered to herself. The gas lamp flickered beside his already snoring head when she looked over at him. Lavinia sighed, thinking about the misery the next day would bring. Benjamin would be grumpy and sick. She’d have to make sure their bill was paid, feed the horse, plot out their route to the next town and get them on the trail in time to make it in before dark. The Oregon roads were riddled with highwaymen and robbers, so being out after sundown with their golden wares jingling away was like riding around with a target on their back. Besides, Benjamin had a habit of becoming even more boorish than usual if they traveled for more than a few hours without seeing a whiskey bottle.
A lump started working its way up her throat. Lavinia tried to swallow it down, telling herself the tears that would shortly follow were due more to exhaustion and hunger than real emotion. Still, they pricked her eyes, and she let a small sob escape her lips before covering her mouth with a hand. Waking Benjamin could spell disaster if it inspired a second wind in him.
She caught sight of her reflection as she looked out the window again and quickly darted her gaze away. Lavinia was well aware of just how pale and tired she looked. She could feel the deep bags under her formerly bright blue eyes, second only to the hollowness of her cheeks. Her black hair fell limply in a long single braid over her left shoulder, riddled with frizz and frayed ends.
Benjamin let out a snore that sounded more like a grunt and rolled over, flinging one of his arms above his head. The motion swung one side of his coat open, splayed out on the bed, revealing rows and rows of gold watches that Benjamin always liked keeping close to his chest. Lavinia had tried to take his coat off to make sleeping easier for him, but he’d shoved her away even in his drunken stupor. Now, however, all their wares were gleaming in the thin moonlight streaming through the window.
Something in Lavinia’s stomach clenched, and she suddenly didn’t feel so tired anymore. The ache in her feet disappeared as her mind started reeling with the possibilities those unguarded watches presented. Pawning just one could fetch her enough money to catch a boat or a train and take her far away from the dreary life where she found herself. Of course, taking even one of the watches would put Benjamin more in debt than he was already in, but it wasn’t her fault that he continually found ways of ruining any chance they had at getting ahead. She knew the creditors were following them, but Benjamin had made his own bed. In all likelihood, he probably wouldn’t even notice one watch missing. He barely ever looked over the ledgers that she kept for them. It was unfair that she was trapped there with him due to circumstance alone. Lavinia felt more like a prisoner than Benjamin’s sister or equal. The world could be cruel to a single woman without family or a husband, but at that moment, Lavinia thought she’d rather take her chances out there than live even one more day as Benjamin’s captive.
Creeping as quietly as possible toward her sleeping brother, Lavinia rolled her sleeves up and approached the straw bed. The shouting and stomping from below had quietened with the end of the night, leaving nothing to cover the sound of the floorboards creaking under her feet, but Benjamin didn’t seem to notice.
Just as Lavinia let her fingers touch the scratchy wool of his coat and inch toward the closest pocket watch, intricately engraved with an image of Justice’s scales, Benjamin shifted again. Her eyes shot up to his face, but both of his were still closed. Lavinia was struck by a certain sudden sadness as she looked at her brother’s face, vulnerable in slumber. His normally furrowed brow was relaxed, unplagued by daily woes, leaving him looking almost like the handsome youth he should have been. Benjamin was the most popular boy in their small Virginia town when they were younger. All the girls fawned over his shiny dark hair and bright eyes, stunned by his quick wit and impressive height. There was a time when Lavinia had been sure he would charm his way into marrying the richest, prettiest girl he could find, but time and tragedy had taken their toll on him. Now, his face was lined with worry, and his dashing manners had morphed into mean-spirited ribbing at best, insulting aggression at worst.
Looking down at her hand just inches away from the pocket watch, Lavinia saw a bruise on her wrist. It was yellowed now. A few days had passed since Benjamin had accidentally stumbled backwards into her, sending Lavinia hard toward the floor. She’d braced herself as best she could, but her joints were still sore from the impact. Immediately, all the pity she’d had for Benjamin evaporated, and Lavinia moved quickly.
The watch was in her hand a half-second later. Two minutes later, she’d packed all her meager belongings into a satchel, tightened the laces on her boots, reworked her braid into a bun, and fastened her loose coat around her shoulders. With very little property of her own and being accustomed to picking up and leaving (more often than not to avoid whomever Benjamin had most recently insulted in the saloon), Lavinia was ready to leave in almost no time at all. She turned off the lamp valve, leaving the room in darkness, floated toward the door, and opened it, ready to make her escape. Lavinia paused for one small moment before closing the door behind her. Peering back into the room, all she could see in the blackness was the lump of Benjamin’s form, folded over in the moonlight. He let out one last snore, and Lavinia let the latch fall closed, slipping out into the night.
There was no one in the lodging house that she could see. Lavinia was grateful for the solitude. Frontier towns after dark could be dangerous for even the strongest of men, let alone a woman who hadn’t eaten properly in a fortnight. Still, her strength of spirit knew no bounds, and Lavinia knew better than most how to avoid being seen.
Dipping through the kitchen that smelled like old steelhead carcasses and vinegar, Lavinia followed what little light there was toward the back door closest to the stables. Somehow, she avoided slipping on the layer of grease that lined the floor and finally made it out into the night. Lavinia’s heart was beating so loud she was sure that the lodging house’s resident rats scurrying by her feet must’ve been able to hear it. She closed her eyes and rested against the outer wall of the building, taking her time and regaining her strength. The pastor of her hometown had taught her a trick when she was a child, often prone to fits of panic.
Breathe in as deeply as possible, filling every spare inch between the ribs. Then, hold for three seconds, counting “one baker’s dozen, two baker’s dozen, three baker’s dozen, done.” Breathe out slowly through pursed lips, then continue as needed until the thump of the heart slows and reason returns.
Lavinia opened her eyes again, meeting the darkness head-on.
“Come on, Lavinia. This is no time to hang fire. Get Thunder and let’s gitty up out of this place,” she whispered to herself. She didn’t need to tell herself twice.
Lavinia let her intuition guide her along the path toward the stables, sliding open the latch with determination and willing the wood not to creak as she moved inside. Of course, it was impossible to see anything, but Lavinia was determined not to be scared or dissuaded. She’d made it that far. Any horse would do if she couldn’t find hers, though there was no steed more stalwart than Thunder. Her instincts led her further into the dark, and she followed her nose more than anything else. She guessed there were probably about five horses in the stables, judging by the various snorts and shuffles wafting around her. The smell of oats and manure filled her nostrils, but upon a second sniff, Lavinia was sure she could make out Thunder’s trademark honey and tobacco scent just a few feet away. Confident, she took an assured step forward, moments away from her final escape.
Just as her hands wrapped around Thunder’s rope and his long nose turned toward her, a hand clawed out of the dark and wrapped around Lavinia’s ankle.
She screamed and jumped, clapping a hand up to silence herself as she still hoped to avoid detection from anyone else, regardless of the troll currently hooked around her foot.
“What’s a soft, pretty l-lady like you … mmm,” the gruff voice from below her croaked, obviously too drunk to finish his own sentence. Lavinia’s flight instincts kicked in just then, and she pulled away from him hard, yanking her leg away as his roving hands tried to move up her calf. He was stronger than he seemed, and Lavinia started to panic, wondering if she really did need to scream. Tears sprung to her eyes as she gave it her all, shuddering with the fear that perhaps she needed Benjamin after all. Maybe she was just a helpless woman. Maybe she did require protection, even if it felt more like forced captivity.
“Come on, it’s not so bad down here.” The man chuckled, his presumably dirty fingernails digging into her skin. Lavinia fought down a screech and reached out for the closest post, grasping at the raw wood and kicking toward her abductor. Beside her, Thunder whined and whinnied, straining against the rope around his neck.
The next few moments flew by in a blur. All Lavinia remembered was a loud thud, a scream of pain from the man, and the feeling of Thunder sniffing her neck with concern. Her legs finally free, Lavinia fell against the post she’d been clinging onto, and the collision shook her back into action. Without giving the horrible man a second to recover from Thunder’s hoof to his side, she pulled the rope until the horse was free, flinging herself up onto him without even the help of a saddle. In the years to come, Lavinia would try her best to remember how exactly she’d been able to mount him so easily, and she’d tell her avid listeners that there must have been a stool or ledge she’d used. In truth, she had no idea where the strength had come from, and a large part of her heart believed it was simply an act of God who knew she needed a helping hand.
Either way, she and Thunder galloped away, her fingers intertwined with his shining silvery mane, glinting under the moonlight. Trees and the crude facades of the buildings in town whipped by as Thunder whisked them away to safety. Lavinia had no idea what direction they were going in, but it didn’t matter so long as she was being taken far away from the man in the stables and from the sad lodging room where Benjamin was still sleeping soundly. Finally gaining confidence and strength, Lavinia sat up and tightened the hold of her legs around Thunder, looking back toward the town they were fleeing. Her black hair had come loose from the braided bun and was now blowing all around her pale face, floating almost as if she were underwater. One or two lone drunkards wandering about the street pointed toward her in wonder, but they likely would wake up in the morning believing they’d seen an angel instead of the very human and scared girl she was. To the west, the moon was bright. As she moved to look forwards once more, a star shot through the sky, zooming overhead until it landed in the sky in front of her. Lavinia loved to spy a shooting star, and she immediately knew it was a good sign.
Only, it was a bit different than all the other shooting stars she’d ever stared up at before on cool August nights. It didn’t disappear into the darkness after soaring toward its inevitable end. No, instead it landed without vanishing and bloomed with an even brighter light than before. Lavinia gazed up at it in wonder, asking herself if it was, in fact her own personal North Star, guiding her toward safety.
Chapter Two
“Lavinia! I don’t smell the coffee. What’s a man have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?” Benjamin wailed into his pillow. His own volume crushed against his temples into a headache, and he groaned.
Lavinia didn’t answer.
The previous night’s events muddled around in Benjamin’s head, all messy and out of order. They’d gotten into town, settled into the lodging house, sold some watches, and … that was about it. The rest was just a confusion of whiskey, singing, and Lavinia’s disapproving stare. As far as he was concerned, his sister had never figured out how to have proper fun.
“Seriously, Lavinia, I’m not going to be able to—”
Benjamin stopped talking when he raised his head and realized no one was listening but himself. His sister’s bed was untouched, and she was nowhere to be seen.
What a sweetheart. Gone to get me breakfast without needing to be asked, he thought to himself. Slowly, he rubbed his eyes and sat up, noticing with a chuckle that he was still wearing all his clothes from the day before, including his boots.
“Sign of a good night.”
Running a hand over the stubble covering his chin, Benjamin swung his legs over the side of the bed and peeked at what was underneath. There, behind lock and key, was his trusty money case, home to all the meager profits from their watch sales. It was a solid business that he and his sister ran well, but it was hard not to spend everything immediately. Benjamin wanted to save up eventually for a small house the two of them could settle down in, but the time hadn’t come yet. Just a few more years on the road would do it, he thought.
Picking up the case and feeling for the map and all the watches inside the coat he was still wearing, Benjamin slumped over to the door with more pep in his step than usual. They’d done much damage in whatever town they were in, and all signs pointed to success in the next one. He had it on good authority that the people of Tankton (just a half day’s ride away) were itching to spend their hard-earned coal money on something. Why not pocket watches?
“Morning, ma’am. You seen any sign of my sister? Tall, strange-looking thing. Thin as a willow switch and smart as a whip,” Benjamin asked the matron of the lodging house after he’d tripped down the stairs.
“Ah. You must be Mr. Jacques. I believe your sister ran off in the middle of the night after breaking into the stables. Gave my cousin Jerry here a good kickin’ before making her merry way,” the woman declared, nodding over at the bar toward where a mess of a man was already sipping a drink.
The first thing Benjamin thought upon looking at the sorry Jerry was that it was a bit early to be drinking, even for him. Then, the words sunk in.
“Wait, what do you mean she took off? Where? With who?”
“With herself, as far as I know.”
“That can’t be right.”
“Oh, you can say that again. There’s something very wrong with your sister,” Jerry chimed in, lifting the hem of his untucked shirt to show off a nasty bruise splayed across his ribcage.
Benjamin started backing away slowly, shaking his head.
“No … no, Lavinia wouldn’t hurt a fly. She doesn’t have that kind of strength anyway. Has anyone else gone missing in town recently? Someone’s taken her. I can feel it. I close my eyes for a few hours, and she gets kidnapped.” He kicked a wall out of frustration and immediately regretted it, effectively stubbing his toe.
“I don’t think you understand, sir. Your sister’s taken your horse and run away from you. It’s as clear as day. She left you the wagon, so there’s that at least. Oh, and you still owe us for the night. That’ll be fifteen cents, please.”
Benjamin felt the world start to crash in around him. Lavinia was the last bit of family he had left; he was all she had. He was the only person looking out for her. Without him, there was no saying what kind of trouble she could find herself in out there. He sank to his knees in disbelief, unwilling to take in what the lodging host was trying to tell him.
Promise me you’ll take care of her. The words of his dying father echoed around in his head.
I’ll never let her out of my sight, he’d vowed at the time. He’d all but smashed that vow into a thousand pieces. After everything he’d done to safeguard her from harm (even when he’d been too young to take proper care of himself), she’d been stolen right from under his nose.
Benjamin stood up quickly and tried to get a hold of himself. He ripped open his coat, pulled out one of the cheaper pocket watches, and slammed it onto the counter in front of the woman. It occurred to him for a moment that he might be missing a watch or two but convinced himself it was all in his head.
“Take this. Should cover our fee for the night, and I’ll take one of your horses. And breakfast, for that matter,” he added, still hungry despite the morning’s dramatic events.
The woman’s eyes widened, and Benjamin wasn’t sure for a moment if she would take the watch or slap him across the face. Without taking her eyes off him, she slowly slid her hand across the bar and pocketed the watch.
“Jerry, show this man to the stables. He can take Mable. When you come back, there will be some cornbread and sausage for you.”
“Good. Thank you. No need to take me to the horse now. I’ll be back … soon. Thank you for being oh so very helpful,” he added sarcastically before walking back toward the front door.
He was sure he could hear the pair of them snickering behind him as he left, but he didn’t care. Lavinia was his only concern. There were bad men everywhere, and there was no telling what might have become of her. It was just the kind of thing his father had warned him about all those years before.
Benjamin stomped through the small town, thinking it was just about the worst place he’d ever been. It was small, wretched, run-down, and dangerous. The sun was too hot, but the air was cold. Every part of him wanted to get far, far away from the place and never look back, but he couldn’t do that without Lavinia.
With the saloon in sight, Benjamin pushed down the crushing sadness and loneliness that threatened to overcome him. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and pushed open the swinging doors, ready to make his announcement.
“Good morning, fine citizens of … wherever we are. My sister’s gone missing, and I’m prepared to offer a reward to anyone who can find her. I’d take on looking for her myself, but I don’t know these parts as well as I assume you do. She’s a fine young woman of good breeding, and I … I miss her very much. She’s tall, got dark hair, and the biggest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. They match the color of the sky on a summer day, just like our mother’s. I got saddled with these here boring eyes, the color of trampled mud. I’m getting off track. The point is … is ten dollars to any man who can find her and bring her back to me safely. Alive.”
Four burly-looking men immediately jumped to their feet, and Benjamin wondered if he had made a terrible mistake. The saloon itself was a dark, almost abandoned-looking place with a barkeep who must’ve been about a hundred and fifty years old. There couldn’t have been more than six people in the place total, and all seemed to have scars that surely came with some harrowing tales.
Benjamin tightened his grip on the small money case and drew his coat closer to him, suddenly very aware of all the valuables he had in his possession, much of which didn’t actually belong to him exactly. It was complicated.
“You say your sister skipped out on you last night?” a particularly large man stepped forward to ask. Benjamin was no shrinking violet, nor was he a short man himself, but he had to admit he was more than a little intimidated. Whoever the man was in front of him had big enough hands to wrap around his whole head.
“Well, no, she didn’t just skip off. She was taken. Don’t ask me why, but I presume someone thought they could find a use for her and thought she’d go easy. Lord knows they have another think coming. Lavinia can be a right handful.” Benjamin chuckled, wondering whether he ought to be looking for the hilt of his pistol or if that would come across as some kind of intimidation tactic. He opted not to find out.
The man nodded and held out his hand, “Terrence Mickey.”
“Benjamin Jacques. Sister’s name is Lavinia.”
“You said as much,” the man replied. “This here’s Jack. Now, Curly and Pierce over there will try and tell you they’re the best manhunters in these parts, but I’m here to explain to you that’s not accurate. You hear about Sarah Shuck? Went missing about two months ago, round about the Kelson area? Well, Jack and I found her out by the falls. We were the ones who brought her back to her family. Dead, mind you, but that’s got nothing to do with us.”
Benjamin swallowed hard and tried not to look as scared as he felt. He was a drinker, a charmer, and a salesman, not a fighter.
“That must’ve been a comfort to her family,” he choked out.
“Point is, Curly and Pierce here are more likely to run your girl into the woods and take all her money before bringing her back to you. Jack and myself? We’re the gentlemen around town and the more practiced trackers. So, don’t you worry your pretty little head about anything. We’ll have your precious Larissa back to you in no time, and you can bid farewell to those ten dollars burning a hole in your pocket.”
Terrence let out an open-mouthed laugh, and Benjamin’s already delicate stomach turned over on itself at the sight of his rotten teeth and the smell of last month’s pickled eggs. Jack, Curly, Pierce, and indeed the rest of the saloon joined in the laughter. Benjamin had the impression that he was on the butt end of a dangerous joke.
“It’s Lavinia,” he corrected, though he knew it wouldn’t do any good.
“Right, Lavinia. Come ’ere. You’ve had a shock of a day. Have a whiskey, wish us luck on our mission, try to relax, and let us take care of the rest,” Terrence insisted, strong-arming him over to the bar. It took a lot to talk Benjamin out of a drink, especially one paid for by someone else, so he was in no position to refuse.
This is good, he told himself. If Terrence scares me, he’s sure to frighten the living daylights out of whoever thought they could run away with Lavinia. Then, I’ll be better. I’ll get off the drink, save up properly, and set us up in a pretty little town on the east coast. I’ll find myself a wife. Maybe a local schoolteacher or something. Someone who can handle my nonsense without giving too much of it back. Lavinia will fall in love with an upstart, and I’ll give her a hard time about it when she asks permission to marry the rascal. In the end, I’ll give my blessing, and we’ll all live happily ever after.
The whiskey burned as it traveled down his throat, but with it came the familiar sensation of reassurance and courage. He was a good brother, and he would find her.
Terrence laughed at nothing and signaled for the barkeep to pour another round.
“Stumbling Upon True Love” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!
Lavinia Jacques has lived on the road for almost as long as she can remember, selling pocket watches with her drunkard brother. She dreams of a different life, one where she can lay down roots and find love, and freedom from the sibling she’s all but cuffed to. One fateful night, Lavinia makes her escape, riding full speed towards the unknown until she falls in front of Victor Callahan’s speeding wagon.
Unbeknownst to both of them, their lives are about to change forever…
As a handsome second-generation rancher, Victor has had his life planned out practically since birth. It’s his destiny to one day take over the ranch and marry his childhood sweetheart. As he holds the injured yet angelic Lavinia in his arms, Victor feels bound to do whatever he can to save her. Everything else falls by the wayside while he helps Lavinia recuperate, tending to her every need, and even offering her work on his ranch.
Will he sacrifice his life’s aspirations for a chance at true love?
Drawn to each other like magnets, Victor and Lavinia do their best to overcome the love growing between them. However, Victor is engaged and too honorable to break it off… And the bounty Lavinia’s brother has put on her head hangs like a dark cloud above her future. Will they be able to discover the true meaning of destiny and trust in their path despite the hardships along the way?
“Stumbling Upon True Love” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, " Faith and Love on the Frontier", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello there, my dear readers! I hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek of my new story. Looking forward to reading your comments!
Interesting preview. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the rest of the story.
Thank you, I really hope you like it!!
looks good. Cant wait to read it.
Thank you!!