Chasing After A Wild Heart (Preview)

Chapter One

There was no denying this was a beautiful wedding.

Sighing, Elodie Travers looked around at the wild flowers organized and displayed around their little church in Yreka. The California sun shone brightly through the open windows. A soft breeze swept by, reminding her of how glorious spring could feel on perfect days. 

Everything appeared perfect on this particular day, especially with how the flowers offered vibrance along with a sweet scent that lingered in the air while everyone watched the nuptials take place.

It had all come together so well. Every sign in the building seemed to be shouting to everyone just how perfect it was. A quick look around the benches showed how the entire town had come for the celebration, smiling because of just how perfect this wedding appeared to be.

Everyone thought so. 

Everyone except for Elodie.

She wrung her handkerchief in her hands until it was a crumpled mess. Then she wrung it some more for good measure, hoping the moisture would evaporate for good. Her tears had been involuntary, and she regretted every single one. Hopefully, no one had noticed.

Glancing around the room, she was certain no one had seen. They were too busy admiring the happy couple. And the happy couple was too happy looking at each other to notice anyone else in the room.

“Wonderful!” Their overly enthusiastic pastor, Liam O’Hardy, cried out. “You are now pronounced man and wife! Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Henfield!”

Even though her legs felt like lead, Elodie forced herself to rise with everyone else to clap for the newlyweds.

There was even a smile on her face. Her tears had faded, and her smile was fake, but she tried her hardest to look just as happy as everyone else. All she wanted to do was melt in a puddle––or perhaps run away for another cry––but Elodie stayed put.

“It’s what friends do,” she had told herself repeatedly that morning as she readied and made her way there to sit through the miserable event, her stubbornness keeping the weakness at bay. 

Still, she had made it. She had survived the wedding. And that meant if she could survive this, then she could surely survive the rest of her life living next to the happy couple. Telling herself that she was strong, Elodie felt her confidence slowly return.

“Elodie!” Thomas cried cheerfully when he spotted her and swept her into a hug. “We’re so glad you were here!” 

One hand remained around his wife, Lily, the entire time. That had never been the case until two months ago when he proposed to the small pretty blonde schoolteacher. They made for a fine couple, since he was of an average height––nearly shorter than Elodie, though they never talked about it––and had the most handsome looks she had ever seen. A long nose, fine lips, bold blue eyes, and thick corn-yellow hair he kept cropped short.

“Yes, we were,” Lily chirped. She always chirped and, in Elodie’s perspective, hardly ever said anything interesting. “Very glad!”

“Can you believe it?” Thomas asked before Elodie had a chance to speak. “I’m a married man!”

She blinked before fixing the smile on her face. “What a mad world we live in! I can hardly believe it, Thomas. But I––I’m very happy for you. For both of you,” she added with a half-glance toward Lily.

“Just wait. Soon you’ll be married, and we’ll have kids playing in our yards together. Just like we used to do ourselves,” Thomas added playfully. He offered a wink that made her heart jump before hurrying down the aisle where his father and uncle were waiting for him.

Turning away from the happy couple, Elodie put a hand over her heart. She wished it would stop. For too long it had beat just for Thomas. If it stopped for good, then maybe she wouldn’t have to think about him for another minute.

“A beautiful wedding,” she mumbled under her breath, trying to ignore the feeling of desolation dragging her down, “Just not mine.”

Walking into the church to see all the beautiful flowers and lovely displays that morning had confirmed her every mistake. Yet there was nothing she could do. All of this was her fault.

She shouldn’t have nodded when Thomas brought up the idea of courting Lily. When he told her about how much he adored the schoolteacher, Elodie should have set him straight. Then he had announced the engagement and she should have told him to wait a little longer. After that, it was her own fault for mentioning to Lily and Thomas about the wedding she had always dreamed of having because they had asked if they could do the same thing.

They were all childhood friends. It had never occurred to her that he might choose another girl from their little party. Hadn’t it always been her and Thomas that were close to one another?

This really was her fault. If she had told Thomas how she felt, if she had tried harder to make him see her––really see her––then perhaps she wouldn’t be standing in the church alone while her best friend in all the world walked out hand in hand with a bride that just wasn’t her.

She loved Thomas. She even liked Lily, though she tried her hardest not to. The schoolteacher was too nice for her own good, that was all. 

So, there was some truth to Elodie’s smiles since she desired their happiness. A little pinch. Yet the fact that it came at the cost of her own joy was not a fact she accepted readily.

Walking out of the church with everyone else, she allowed herself to be pulled over to the town square where everyone had set up a party to celebrate the union. Elodie managed to nod along and smile and even talk, but the devastation grew heavier on her shoulders with every passing minute.

All that hoping and dreaming she had done through the years for her and Thomas had come to naught. She had thought their growing up together as neighbors would have meant something. Up until this morning––or if she really admitted it to herself, up to the moment Thomas said “I do”––she had hoped for a miracle that he would see sense and marry her instead.

“You’re such a fool.”

The pastor’s wife, Leslie O’Hardy, turned. “Pardon me, dearie?”

Her heart dropped; she hadn’t thought she said that aloud. Looking around at the party they had put together in the town square, she quickly waved to the table before them.

Elodie plastered a smile on her face. “Nothing, Mrs. O’Hardy. I was just commenting that the lemonade is quite delicious.”

“Oh, of course. It’s too sweet for the likes of me, but you young children certainly do like your sugar.” The woman leaned over the table to pat her hand. “Just think, this could be you soon. When do you suspect you’ll marry a lad?”

A lump formed in her throat. “I don’t know. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Who would she marry? Who could she marry? It was all hopeless.

Thomas was the only man she’d ever had eyes for. A few boys had teased her and danced with her, but she had never taken them seriously. With time, they stopped giving her their attention. She was confident they had all since married or gone off to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

Now, she was twenty-four years old, living alone, without a single prospect. Elodie didn’t know how she had wound up in this muddle. She had always thought it would be her and Thomas. All she needed was for him to figure this out.

It seemed too late for that now.

Looking around at everyone dancing while Harriet and Parry Fields played their fiddles, she feared this was how things were meant to be, but that she had been blind all the way there.

She shifted in her seat and heard the crinkle of paper. Her hand slipped into the folds of her dress where she plucked out the letter she’d received two days ago from her sister, Maxine. Their parents had passed from the flu breakout four years back that had taken the lives of nearly a quarter of the townsfolk. Now, she only had her sister, who had become a mail-order bride to a rancher down south in Santa Clara.

Having read the letter twice through, Elodie knew just what was written there. Yet she read it again to consider her options.

Dearest Elodie,

I miss you desperately even though I know I am happy here. Robert knows I am happy too, at least happy enough. He still talks about things on the ranch I don’t understand, but I think he does it to try and distract me, which is kindly of him. Marrying a stranger is very strange, but we have made the best of it.

Still, I cannot get it out of my head that I have not seen you in two years. Two! Even though we expected this, it hurts. Hopefully, you are well.

Albeit there is that wedding. I cannot believe Thomas is marrying Lily. Do you remember when she tried braiding your hair? You two could not have been more than five. Such a shame it ended badly. She is a nice girl, I think. Thomas should be happy. 

But you should be happy, too. I can’t imagine the heartbreak you will endure if you attend that wedding, Elodie. You shouldn’t go if it hurts you. Rather, why don’t you come up here? It’s only two days by stagecoach. Since there is nothing left for you in Yreka, I think you should do this.

Do you remember my mention of the Sleepy Q Ranch? They host the harvest games. They’re just down the road and they lost a maid. She ran off and married someone, I believe––a trapper due in Canada for the summer. The ranch needs a new maid and would hire you if you would be willing to come up here in the next two weeks. 

That means you would have to make up your mind quickly. I know you don’t like doing it, but I think that would be best. They’ve already put out an ad. I’ve enclosed a copy of that. The faster you come, the faster you can be hired. Working there would mean you would live just down the street from me. 

We could be together again. Wouldn’t that be nice? I miss you. Write to me soon. And I do mean right now.

Yours, Maxine Walters.

Exhaling, Elodie closed her eyes. Mixed emotions settled uncomfortably in her stomach. All she wanted at that moment was a hug from someone she loved. For the last two years, she had been able to turn to Thomas since her sister left. But Thomas was married, and this meant she was all alone.

“Maybe she’s right,” she finally managed to admit.

The offer had been made first when Maxine received her proposal of marriage. Her husband, Robert Walters, was an older gentleman and successful rancher who had not only asked to marry Maxine without ever meeting in person but had additionally offered to let Elodie join them.

 Instead of following her sister, Elodie had stayed with the desperate hope that Thomas might finally open his eyes to a future together.

“There you are!” Thomas cried out. He had a flower stuck in his hair that set everything askew. “Elodie-Melody!”

She had to resist the urge to wince. It didn’t set right to her now that he was a married man using her childhood nickname. Opening her eyes, she turned to the groom with a forced smile.

“Here I am,” she echoed. “Where else would I be?”

“You should be on the dance floor. That’s where everyone else is. Come on, come dance with me,” he urged. He wrapped his hands around one of hers, his familiar touch making her stomach flop, tugging her toward the music before she could move.

“But what about Lily?” she protested.

When he tilted his head toward her left, she looked to find the young bride cheerfully dancing with one of her several nephews. The girl came from a large family that took up nearly half the town. It was more than likely, Elodie supposed, that nearly everyone in Yreka would wind up marrying into her family. Thomas had merely supported those odds.

“Elodie, are you alright?”

There was a serious note to his voice that made her look up. She worried her smile was beginning to crack and hurriedly widened it. “How could I not be? You’re a married man, Thomas. I … I couldn’t be happier.”

“Good.” He beamed so broadly that she could hardly stand to look at him. All she wanted to do was cry. “I’ve never been happier myself. Lily is the woman of my dreams. She’s wonderful. We’re going to start a life together here and fix up the house. Just think, she’s now your neighbor as well.”

“How nice,” she choked out.

His head tilted. “Are you sure you’re well?”

“I think so. But I suppose I might be coming down with a cold or something.” Struggling to remain composed, Elodie decided it was time to stop dancing. She hesitated just for a moment before letting go. There was something so final about a wedding, she thought. Her friendship with Thomas would never be the same. “Thomas, I … I think I’ll go home if you don’t mind.”

More than anything, Elodie wanted him to mind.

He just smiled. “I understand. Maybe Lily and I will come check on you in a day or two. Would that help?”

“No, you don’t need to do that. I’ll go home, I … Congratulations again,” she added. “I suppose I should tell Lily, too, before I go.” It would be, Elodie knew, the polite thing to do.

Yet Thomas patted her arm in that familiar way like nothing had ever changed. He had always made her feel so comfortable and content. Everything between them had always been so easy that it never seemed like they had to try in their friendship.

“It’s all right; I’ll let her know. But I’ll tell her later, so she doesn’t worry over you,” he added.

“Of course, that’s just fine,” she mumbled.

When her next breath came out shaky, Elodie knew she would collapse where she stood if she didn’t start moving. She desperately reached out for one last hug. Her arms wrapped around Thomas, inhaling his familiar scent of ink and woodchips, and then she hastily ran home.

Tears streamed down her cheeks before she reached her little cottage house. Choking on air, Elodie clumsily grabbed at the door and made her way inside before slumping onto the ground. She curled up into a ball, wishing she had done so many things differently.

“A fool,” she mumbled to herself. “You were just a fool.”

Sitting there alone, Elodie couldn’t help feeling as though she had lost who she used to be. 

Just the other day, she had managed to hold out hope for the future she had planned for herself and Thomas. That was over now. There was no chance for them. He was married and happily so.

Which meant she was on her own from this moment forward. The truth could no longer be denied; she could feel that in her heart. Her dreams had not come true. 

“What will I do now?” Elodie begged the silence in her home.

The sun was setting by the time she rose, stiff-jointed and exhausted. After drinking a glass of water, Elodie went to her bed and curled up there for the night. 

Hearing the crinkling of paper in her pockets, she knew she had her answer. It had lingered long enough in the back of her mind. She couldn’t stay in Yreka any longer. Rather, it was time that she left town for good.

It was time for her to start packing.

Chapter Two

“Find anything good?”

Hesitating, Noah Woodward glanced around before slipping something out of his sleeve. He didn’t like bragging, and he didn’t like stealing; he didn’t like any of this.

Except there he was showing a brand-new watch he had just taken off a man in the finest suit he had ever seen in all his life. After years of travels, Noah had certainly seen all the suits there could possibly be.

With a low whistle, Rupert Lillian snatched up the watch.

“Hey,” Noah hissed under his breath.

“That looks like crystal. Is that a crystal nob?” his friend asked in amazement. “How is it you always find the best things to steal?”

Noah snatched back the watch to slip into his pocket. “Luck.”

The two of them made their way through the busy market in Union Hill. The town was lively, but it was like most mining towns. Judging the crowd and how long these folks had been around, Noah doubted that this town would be around for more than two years. He already knew of men who had left for greener pastures down south or north.

Everyone thought they knew where the most gold was. After all, gold was meant to secure their futures. Solve their problems. Bring them wealth and glory.

“What about him?”

Noah allowed himself to get distracted. His friend was a couple of inches shorter at an average height. However, the man could not be missed in any crowd due to his shocking red hair that he had never figured out how to tame. He was just twenty-six, two years younger than Noah, but enjoyed any opportunity to act like he was merely six.

Even now, Rupert wore a ridiculous grin.

The smile was infectious, and Noah had to fight one off his face while following his friend’s line of sight.

A portly fellow. He wore a fine suit and the hat, recently made, sealed the deal. He swallowed but hesitated before giving a nod to the large man their age standing beside the wide man. “The man is slow, but his son is not.”

“Son?” Rupert openly stared. “You think so?”

“Same chin.”

“Well, well, I think you’re right. I didn’t see him there a minute ago.”

Noah gave him a look before squeezing them past a stall selling precious stones like fool’s gold. “I keep telling you. If you’re going to take a risk, then you need to know every detail possible. Otherwise, you might as well just walk into a trap. Into a coyote’s mouth.”

“That was once, and the coyote was dead.”

They exchanged looks before grinning, continuing their way through the market. If needed, they would double back. Today had to be payday, meaning they needed to bring back pay to the rest of the gang.

There wasn’t a chance of “if they didn’t bring back enough” because someone simply didn’t do that. The job was to bring back enough money or just not return. Yet not returning to the gang wasn’t going to keep anyone safe.

If it could, Noah would have left long ago.

Joining the Pracht gang when he was fourteen was the only thing that had kept him and Rupert from starvation. They had been close to it when Wiesel and his brothers had found them pinching coins from folks in the streets, the first people to catch him in years, and made an offer.

If only he had turned it down.

“What about them?” Rupert asked.

“Too close to the sheriff,” Noah pointed out. He smelled fresh bread but forced himself to focus and look around. “But maybe them.”

“The couple?”

Taking his turn to hesitate, Rupert shook his head. “No, I think the clothes are mended ten times over. They don’t have money to spare. We can’t do that to them.”

Neither of them wanted to do this to anyone. Still, they didn’t have much choice.

Noah swallowed. “We have to do this soon.”

The tension in Rupert’s voice was clear, even though neither of them mentioned it. 

They didn’t want to. They didn’t have to. Having been with the gang for so long, they knew the risks all too well of what happened if they failed.

Noah slowed down while he ignored the looks. This was something he had been doing all his life. A tall black man like himself couldn’t be anywhere in America without getting a few stares. He knew the west was better for folks like him, and it was what his parents had told him daily as a child. But the stares never seemed to fade away completely.

He pulled off his hat to run a hand over his closely cropped hair. Part of him was certain he had been sweating since before the sun came up. But the discomfort was forgotten; it was never as bad as the potential danger. 

“Anything?” Rupert asked.

Trying not to get too frustrated, Noah fixed the hat on his head and then finally spotted someone. “Let’s go.”

It wouldn’t be any different than usual. Noah made his way through the crowd, eventually leaving Rupert’s side. Taking the long route, he went around a stall and returned. When he did, Rupert was there.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect. After all, they had practiced this more times than they could count. Rupert bumped into the man they had found wearing a gold clock piece and made loud apologies.

“I’m sorry, laddie,” he cried out loudly in a false accent. “I fear I dinna ken where I was walking. You’re all right, eh? Do you have everything? I’m sure you have everything, laddie.”

“Of course I do,” the man huffed. He patted his pockets––the back right one first––and waved Rupert off. “Away with you.”

Just as Rupert finished one last expressive apology, Noah swept past. His hand found the man’s pocket and lifted the wallet with ease. He kept moving until he reached a shaded spot, turning to the left. It only took a moment for Rupert to reach him.

“Anything?” his friend asked desperately.

With their heads pressed together like they were twelve and fourteen all over again, they sorted through the wallet. Noah had been hoping for five dollars––ten if they were lucky.

Instead, there was fifteen.

Noah whistled. Relief poured through him. Rupert laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “We got it! Look at that! More than enough. Between this and the watch, we have enough. Right?”

While he spoke, Noah pulled out the watch he’d grabbed earlier, and considered his options. “We’ll sell this one. That’ll give us food for today, then we can take the money back to the gang. Maybe we’ll even have a few dollars left over. They don’t need to know a thing.”

The two of them soon returned to the market, where they found a couple of meat pies to enjoy. There were even yams and fresh coffee. 

After that, they started back to their gang.

Noah exhaled loudly when they reached the old mine. Everyone used the rivers to pan for gold instead of searching for silver here. It had been built for the first Union Town that died ten years before Union Hill came about. He couldn’t help tensing at the thought of returning to the gang; this happened every time. It never seemed to get easier being around them.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Rupert muttered.

They exchanged cautious glances when they climbed off their horses and started over to the ramshackle cabin set up at the edge of the mine. The horses were put there for safekeeping before they made their way into the mine, each taking a lantern.

Darkness welcomed them, and Noah couldn’t resist tensing. They used this mine on an irregular basis and hated it. Hopefully, they would relocate soon. He preferred the sunshine that had first made California so popular. But here, all they had was the darkness.

“Ah, there they are!” Wiesel clapped.

“Bummer,” his youngest brother, Jurgen, chortled. “I nearly bet they would disappear.”

“What?” Rupert asked in a panic. “We wouldn’t.”

Wiesel stood up. The tall, lanky man, nearing his forties, came over to grip them both by the shoulders. He had fair hair with deep brown eyes that always seemed to see too much. The whiskers on his chin were graying, and though very much of him looked like a harmless aging man, Noah knew all too well how false that was.

“Of course not,” he said. His German accent was strong as he jeered at them. “Why would you ever want to leave us? Hmm? I suppose you have brought us something back, eh?”

“Yes. Yes!” Rupert added with a wince.

The grip on their shoulders was tight, but Noah didn’t react. He wouldn’t dare. Weakness in front of Wiesel wasn’t allowed. “Right here, boss.”

“A wallet?” the man demanded. He played with the item Noah had handed over. “That’s it? You two were gone for hours.”

“There weren’t enough things to steal,” Noah answered after a long minute. “I’m not about to steal the shirt off someone’s back. Other folks are as hard-pressed as us, if not worse. If they’re hungry, it’s not worth stealing from them.”

Scoffing, Wiesel gave him a sharp elbow. It was meant to be a joke, Noah supposed. “And? You don’t worry about them. You worry about us.” 

“But they––”

The man sneered, pushing him backward. Noah stumbled against the door but didn’t back down. He stayed put and held the anger inside. “We look after each other, remember? The gang comes first, always. Not the strangers.”

Rupert hurried over with a pale expression. “A joke! He didn’t mean it. Noah didn’t mean that. You know him. Always joking. Just a bad joke.”

Snickering, Karl and Jurgen started off further into the mine where there would be a larger group. More darkness. There were seven men in the gang, and they were expected to spend as much time together as possible. One had to keep their enemies close, Noah supposed.

This left Noah facing Wiesel on his own. Although Rupert was there, flashing wild looks between them, this wasn’t his fight. He just wanted peace.

As for Noah, he didn’t know what he wanted. All he knew was that he didn’t want this. 

Years had passed since this realization had struck him. He had joined when he and Rupert needed protection, needed something to keep them alive. Sometimes they talked about leaving. They both wanted to. However, neither of them knew any way of doing that safely.

People got hurt. They were hurt if they stayed with the gang, if they refused the gang, or if they left the gang. Noah had managed to put up with it in the beginning when he convinced himself he could find a way out.

His hopes had since faded a little more every day. Now, he just aimed to survive. 

Suddenly, the man erupted into laughter. “Come on,” he told Noah and Rupert. “I have a plan, and we need to go over it.”

“Already?” Noah asked sharply.

Their last robbery had been violent, with three deaths and more blood than he wanted to remember. All of it needless. 

“Sure!” Wiesel’s abrupt mood swings had never been easy to manage. He cheerfully talked on their way through the mine to find the other men. “A wealthy stagecoach is coming down to Santa Clara. Carrying some important treasure for the governor’s family, it seems.”

Feeling his mouth grow dry, Noah stopped. “We can’t do that.”

But his gang leader pushed them along. “Sure, we can!”

“Someone will get hurt.”

“And? No need to worry about that. I’m sure you’ll be just fine. You always are, you know.”

Trying to think, Noah stammered through potential excuses. “I don’t think this would be wise. Stagecoaches are too risky. Especially taking anything owned by the governor. It will garner too much attention. Let’s try something else. A train, perhaps? Or we can go further south. Or north this time.”

It didn’t matter what argument he offered. The man would not relent. Once Wiesel had an idea in mind, he wouldn’t let go.

As they joined the other men near the small fire lit in the clearing near the closed-up shafts, Noah took a seat in the corner. He could sense Rupert looking his way, but he said nothing.

The plan was discussed, but Noah couldn’t bring himself to listen. He didn’t want to. Dread settled low in his stomach. The details didn’t matter. It would be like the last stagecoach robbery. They’d stopped the drivers, loosed the horses, and ordered everyone to hand over their valuables.

It should have stopped there.

Instead, Wiesel had found two young men traveling who couldn’t be more than fifteen. Brothers. When Wiesel ordered the boys to come with them, Noah had supposed that maybe he wanted more people in the gang.

Never had he been more wrong.

Finding himself caught up in a smuggling ring had been the worst moment of his life. He knew of the slave markets that had once ruled so many parts of America. His parents had known that for themselves. But he had never thought he would have to see such a thing himself.

A heavy weight settled in his chest. Closing his eyes, Noah wondered what he was supposed to do. The last man who had tried to leave the gang had lost several fingers. He was lucky to have made it with his life.

As for him?

No one would fight with him. Wiesel had them all in too strong a grip, and there was no beating the man. Noah closed his eyes and found himself praying for a miracle.

It was the only way he would ever make it out of this life.

---

“Chasing After A Wild Heart” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

When Elodie Travers’ best friend marries someone else, she realizes it’s time to give up her fairy tales and accept her lonely and dull future. However, her fateful decision to move closer to her sister changes everything, as she gets kidnapped by the Pracht gang. Even though she unexpectedly finds a familiar face in the midst of the chaos, she realizes that escaping from this living nightmare will not be easy…

Can Elodie trust her wits and her heart to make it out alive?

Noah Woodward’s life has been a desperate fight for survival, until he stumbles upon a gang where he finds not only safety but a sense of belonging, too. When they kidnap Elodie, a girl from his past, Noah takes it as a sign from the heavens, and he can’t help wondering if she might be the key to his freedom. Escaping, though is never easy yet Noah is determined to use all of his tricks to save Elodie, and himself…

Will her bright presence be enough to drag him out of the darkness?

Elodie and Noah find their lives intertwined and they will have to hold on to each other if they are to defy their treacherous fate. With danger lurking around every corner, how can they protect their bond when they’re just pawns in someone else’s game?

“Chasing After A Wild Heart” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Get your copy from Amazon!