How could she ever tear the child away from all this? From the chance to grow up with a devoted father and a large, loving family? It was everything Grace had always yearned for, everything she wanted to give her daughter.
Tears pricked at her eyes. Leaving the Coulters—leaving Sampson—would break her heart, perhaps beyond repair. But staying would put them all in danger, Sampson most of all. Her father would come for her, and his vengeance would be swift and merciless.
She couldn't let that happen. She had to protect Sampson and his family, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. Her own heart.
CHAPTER15
After he awoke, Sampson lay still with his eyes closed the next morning, taking inventory of his body. The vestiges of sleep still clung to him, but the ache in his left arm, up near the shoulder, wouldn’t let him fall back to sleep.
The rest of his body didn’t ache nearly as much as it had last night. Maybe he could finally get out of bed without his head splitting. Dinah had said his only broken bones were the arm and a couple ribs.
He opened his eyes, and for the first time since this whole debacle happened, he could actually see a slit of light through the lashes of both. Thank the Lord. The swelling must be lessening. Finally.
For a long minute, he gave his body time to come alive, letting his mind wander back to when he awoke that first morning, shivering under the furs and shelter Two Stones had made for him.
He could remember so much clearer now than in those first minutes. Driving the wagon out of Missoula with Jedidiah riding ahead on his horse. Sampson had hated being gone from Grace all day. And he’d wondered why they were headed east instead of west, to where Jedidiah had him park the blasting powder.
After hours and when darkness had nearly fallen, the man led them off the main road.
The feeling that something wasn’t right pressed hard in Sampson’s chest. He’d worried about…having a place to turn the wagon around. The path they traveled wasn’t a regularly traveled trail, much less a road.
This was more than he’d been able to remember before, but he did his best not to think about that. Not to let his pulse pick up or strain for more. He just let himself rest there, driving through the shadowy woods. Jedidiah’s horse ahead of the team.
There had been lights. One glowing that became two. Or…more?
Men.
He remembered the men approaching Jedidiah. Their boss getting off his horse. Standing by the fire. He couldn’t hear what they said.
After that, he’d been talking to Jedidiah himself by a fire. Near the stewpot. Something about blasting powder. The mine. Darkness. Maybe because it had been dark at the time?
He could feel the fear in his chest. The realization that what was going to happen would be awful. He had to stop it.
Even now, his heartbeat pounded, and his breath came in shallow gasps. A fear this real… Jedidiah must have been planning to come for their ranch. Right? All those men. They must have been part of it. Joe. And Albert. He could see their faces. See the man with the coonskin cap talking to Jedidiah.
He had to warn his brothers. If Jedidiah was coming for the ranch, he could arrive any time. They had to be ready.
He pushed up to sitting, forcing away the searing in his ribs. The scent of coffee and bacon drifted from the main room, so maybe the men were still here.
After placing his stockinged feet on the floor, he wrapped his good hand around his ribs and stood. Every muscle protested, some even screaming at him. He held onto the post at the foot of the bed and let himself breathe through the dizziness and pain that threatened to send him right back down.
At last, the room steadied enough for him to let go and shift toward the door. He reached for the handle, and when he took hold, he let himself stop and gather his wits once more.
Then he pulled it open and stepped from the chamber.
His family sat around the table, and all turned to look at him. His focus blurred at a distance, and he couldn’t make out individual features.
Dinah’s voice sounded first. "Sampson, you shouldn't get out of bed." That must be her moving toward him, a blur coming from the kitchen.
He gripped the doorframe, steadying himself. "I remember." His voice came out in a rasp, but he knew from experience clearing his throat would feel like a gunshot in his skull. "I remember what happened."
Dinah reached his side, her hand grasping his elbow. "You need to rest."
Others had risen from the table and were coming toward him.
He shook his head, regretting the action as pain lanced through his head. "It’s Jedidiah.” He sucked in a breath, hating his weakness. “He's planning something. An attack on the ranch."
Jericho stopped in front of him and looked like he wanted to reach out. Before he could do, though, another figure, smaller, slipped around him.
