Embraced in The Throes Of Danger (Preview)

Chapter One

Springtime, 1880

The leather in her hands felt wrong, making Arletta’s stomach churn. But she didn’t let go. Instead, she clung to it even more tightly with both hands. Her arms hung loose in front of her to anyone who looked her way, but it was all pretend. Arletta wasn’t sure that she could be any stiffer or more uncomfortable at the moment. She felt her heart pounding. It was loud enough to raise her fears that someone else could hear her in the street. The urge to look around or run was more than tempting. Her body itched in anticipation.

But she didn’t. She couldn’t. 

If she made any sudden moves or began running, surely someone would be there to catch her. The best thing she could do at the moment was simply nothing. She had turned down this street, walking slowly with her head down. Any change could attract attention. That couldn’t be allowed to happen.

Arletta gradually inhaled and then even more slowly exhaled.

She scolded herself as she walked. Central City was the biggest city in the Colorado territory, a place with people coming and going every day. It sat at the junction for at least three different wagon trails. Folks from all over the world passed through. Anyone who saw her would surely take a look and then move on. If anything, she supposed, they would remember her hair and nothing else. The voice of her brother came to mind. His confidence was unforgettable, seeping into every word that he had ever said.

“Folks will always look for something to recall in their memories. You give that thing to them and nothing else. Make them remember what you want and nothing more. It needs to be trivial enough that they don’t have enough identifiable markers to know you.”

The wavy black hair that hung down her back was a gift from her mother, or at least that’s what her father used to tell her. He used to sit her up on his lap to tell her stories about the woman who had died upon giving her life twenty-two years ago. Maria Condesa Cabello had come with her parents straight from Spain, a vibrant young woman eager to enjoy the free world. She had made it across the big cities into the territories, running wild before she settled down with the handsome scoundrel, Harrison Cabello.

“Your mother named you before she passed,” her father used to tell her. “You will look like her someday. I just know it. You are your mother’s daughter.”

But Harrison Cabello had died four years ago, the day before her eighteenth birthday, from an infected wound he had refused to get treated. A fool, certainly, but he had been her father. She loved him even when it pained her. And family was all that a person had. Even though it was a mess of a family that she had now, Arletta supposed that this was all she really had in this life. 

She took another deep breath before taking the turn at the end of the street. When she did, she couldn’t resist one look over her shoulder. It was a foolish move, but she wanted to be certain that no one was following her. Not a single person looked her way.

She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue before straightening up. It didn’t take her long to reach her horse at the end of the next street. Any excuse to ride was good enough for her. Coming to town took a half-mile, but she loved Coco. Her horse was the only friend that she had.

The animal was slight and hardly fifteen hands high. Coco had been a runt that no one wanted; everyone thought he would die when he was born. But Arletta had taught herself not to be a fool. She knew how something small could have a big heart and desire to live. She herself was petite, hardly five feet, with heeled boots. 

Coco shifted closer to let her know he had been anxious on his own, relieved to have her there. Most things made him nervous, so she was used to calming him down. It only took a minute for his shoulder muscles to relax. It was then that they started home.

Arletta tried to enjoy the ride; she loved the wind in her face and the feel of Coco stretching out his limbs in a comfortable gallop. Moments like these helped her to forget the unease that she, too, lived with every day. But she felt the wallet weighing her down in her pocket.

A bitter taste lingered in her mouth. It was growing worse, she noted. Every time she slipped something off a person, she felt a little sick. She glanced down at her small hands, so nimble and quick. She hated herself for them. If only she could have been a little more clumsy or useless.

She held back a grimace when she reached the house. The Cabello homestead was hidden on a plateau just out of town with tall trees that dissuaded strangers from coming too close. Her mother had fallen in love with the area, so the story went, and so her father had settled there. They had never agreed on work, but arguments ceased when her mother passed.

And so, the Cabello gang had been born.

Coco slowed down as they approached the house. Although Arletta would have preferred to go on to the barn where she could brush her horse down, she found that she wouldn’t have a choice.

Down from the porch came Wayne. Her oldest brother was of average height and looks, a little on the thin side like everyone else in the gang. She had cut his black hair just the other day, so it was clipped short out of his face. He was six years her senior at twenty-eight, but the lines on his face sometimes made him look older. It was only when he grinned that he looked his age.

And he was smiling. “Well?” he called out cheerfully.

Swallowing, she pulled the wallet from her pocket and tossed it over to him. “You could have done this yourself, you know.”

Wayne caught the wallet and chuckled. He paused to applaud her on his walk toward her, forcing her to bring Coco to a halt. The shirt he wore was rolled up to his elbows, showing just a little bit of the black ink that canvassed his upper arms. Those tattoos were part of what made him appear threatening. The tattoos and those eyes of his.

They all had their mother’s eyes. She recalled the green of her father’s, but all three of the Cabello children wound up with the dark brown of Maria’s.

For now, Wayne’s were crinkled around the edges in merriment. He lived for the exhilaration of the hunt, the opportunities available to steal and threaten and attack. She remembered how rough he used to play when they were children. He stood a head taller than her even now, bigger and stronger.

He was happy now. That was the way she preferred to keep it.

“Why would I when I have my Lettie?” Wayne asked teasingly. “We all earn our keep here, you included. Get down from there. You can’t pretend to parade around like you’re better than us. I don’t know why you try.”

“I’m not….” Arletta started to defend herself before deciding it was useless.

With a sigh, she pulled herself down from the saddle. She wore wide skirts that billowed around her legs. They allowed her to ride astride like a man instead of sidesaddle, which she firmly believed was more likely to get her killed than playing with a gun. And the skirts also kept anyone from noticing. She didn’t need or desire the stares.

“Well?” Arletta asked with a sigh.

Her eyes fell to the leather wallet that Wayne was now playing with in his large hands. She had stolen from the man that their other brother, Purdy, had pointed out when she first arrived in town that morning. 

“What was so special about him?” she asked.

Wayne ignored the question as he opened the wallet. Her heart drummed in her chest as she prayed she hadn’t taken much. Surely, she hoped, it was nothing at all.

Those prayers went unheard.

Howling, Wayne threw his head back in a cheer. “Yes! I knew it! Look, why don’t you? Look at this! That man has money. Money and gold and more!”

Her shoulders slouched in dismay, unable to hide her reaction. That uneasy feeling within her grew while she grudgingly listened to her brother start talking about his plans that had clearly been in the works for a while. Although she knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, Arletta dropped her gaze from her brother. She turned to stroke Coco’s nose. That always calmed the two of them down.

“It’s even more than I expected. Seventy dollars! A small fortune to be sure, and yet a pittance to what I know we’ll find at his house. It’s already mapped out. Three trips I’ve made, Arletta. This is perfect! What do you think we’ll find? Gold? Hundreds of dollars? The house must be full of money just waiting for us.”

She turned to him. “What? You’re thinking about going to his house?”

“Of course. I told you, I’ve got it all planned.”

Mouth dropping open, she tried to comprehend this news. Yes, they had robbed people. But a house? The house of a rich man? And he’d only investigated it for three nights? Her stomach grew even more muddled as she shook her head.

“That’s too risky. I passed his house, Wayne. It’s in the middle of the city!” Terror gripped her. She saw from the corner of her eye as the other men emerged from the house. They must have heard the conversation. “Wayne, you can’t!”

“Is the little lady telling us what to do again, mothering us?” snickered Ralph.

She glared at him in annoyance. Ralph was the newest member of the gang, a man who enjoyed creating particularly painful animal traps and cruel jokes. His green eyes had a yellow tinge to them, she would swear, and they looked at her in the worst way.

“Don’t be so fearful.” Purdy came over with a sheepish grin on his face.

“When did you return?” she asked in surprise, having expected him to still be in town.

He winked. “You are mothering us again, aren’t you? See, Ralph? Everyone needs some mothering now and again. That’s why we’ve got her.”

But Arletta shook her head. She could already imagine a hundred ways that Wayne’s plan could go wrong. It didn’t matter who he took or what precautions they had in mind. It was simply too dangerous.

“Please,” she said as she turned to him. “Please. You can’t do this.”

Ralph scoffed and crossed his arms. “You can’t tell us what to do.”

She huffed. “You scoundrel, I’ll––”

When Wayne raised a hand, she forced herself to swallow her words. It wasn’t often that she allowed herself to get worked up, she knew. Doing so never did anyone any good. All these boys didn’t like to listen to her as it was. Now, she bit her tongue. She bit it hard, hoping to draw blood. That would give her a distraction. Anything would be better than listening to Wayne share another devious plan that would put lives at stake.

“Men. Boys. Arletta. Calm down, and I’ll tell you everything,” he announced cheerfully.

All she wanted to do was move away, but her legs refused to budge. She listened grudgingly to his plan. Steps were included to keep them safe and hidden with precautions. He wasn’t a complete fool. Yet Arletta feared it wouldn’t be enough. She stepped back as the men drew close together when Wayne pulled out his hand-drawn map. Everyone was eager to listen and pitch in with their ideas. Not everyone could go, so they had to fight for their chance.

The more they talked, the more the fear within her grew. Arletta didn’t like any of this. Standing back, she watched them in confusion. 

She wondered how this could be the only life she had ever known and still feel like a stranger through it all, worried this would be all she ever had. These men all desired to live in this lawless manner. She and her brothers were born into it. Wayne and Purdy thrived on trouble.

But she was different.

Arletta thought back to her morning in the city. She’d had a mission of following that man until there was an opportune time to steal his wallet. Never one to rush the process, she had trailed him for hours. It had also given her the opportunity to study other people along the way. There were so many people living ordinary and safe lives. They worked for all that they had, not stealing from others. She thought of them with envy; none of them were living lives of fear where they didn’t know about their next meal or next coin. Not the way she did.

Even as the men talked through their plans, Arletta made a few more attempts to stop them. Even delay them for a while if she was lucky.

“Stop this childish nonsense, Arletta! Don’t you have anything better to do?” Wayne cut her off at last. Even Purdy looked at her in annoyance. “We’re going tonight. This wallet just confirmed what I already had in mind. Now go…cook or something.”

Arletta’s stomach dropped. She knew when she had lost a fight. Pushing him or any of the men would certainly bring her more trouble than anything else. Swallowing hard, she ducked her head and led Coco away. 

There would be no stopping the gang tonight. Now, the only thing she could do was pray that no one would be injured. The very thought made her shiver. Wiping a stray tear from her face, Arletta prayed that all would be well. 

Chapter Two

Goldston, Colorado, was a good town, Kasper liked to think. A good town that he typically managed to keep out of too much trouble. He had been the sheriff there for eight years. It was mostly peaceful with the occasional rumble, especially as more folks continued to travel out West.

While Goldston wasn’t the main marker on everyone’s maps when they started westward, it seemed that folks still found their way through his town. After passing through Central City, some people needed more supplies or an opportunity for revelry. Goldston offered both.

Kasper was on duty for the evening like he was most nights, wanting to let his two deputies have time at home with their families. That wasn’t the life for him, so he didn’t mind the extra or odd hours.

Riding slowly down the street, Kasper glanced around curiously to see what he might expect for an evening around town. Bright lights were already glowing at the end of the street for the two large saloons seated on opposite sides of the road. The owners were always involved in friendly competition and managed most situations if something started up. However, occasionally, they kicked people out who would then become his problem. He hadn’t seen any new folks coming through town, so he hoped for a quiet evening.

With any luck, Kasper hoped, they were in for a quiet evening.

But it was with that thought he heard pounding hooves headed his way.

He was instantly alert. Tightening the grip on his reins, Kasper turned with a slight frown to see who would be galloping down Main Street.

At first, the figure wasn’t recognizable. They wore dark clothes and a brown hat. Kasper moved his gaze down to the horse. More bland features with a brown hide and three white stockings. And yet, as the animal neared, he noted the clipped right ear; this was enough for him to know the animal. His stomach knotted.

“Deputy Lee.” Kasper nudged his horse closer. “What’s going on?”

He studied the man’s movements as he pulled up. Deputy Han Lee had come into servitude after leaving China as a child, escaping to the West where they had met as rangers. When Kasper thought that more help could be had since he was the only sheriff for the surrounding territories, he had reached out to Lee about becoming one of his deputies stationed in Central City, along with O’Donnell. 

“Wagner!” Lee reached him breathlessly. “We need you in Central City. The Cabello gang was just spotted.”

A sharp tingle stung him in his spine at those words. He bit his tongue, immediately acknowledging the severity of the situation. “Where?”

“Headed to the Robertson house. The wealthiest family west of St. Louis,” Lee added, although it was unnecessary. 

Kasper knew most of the rich families in the surrounding towns. He made it his business to keep an eye out for such trouble, especially since the Cabello gang had become more daring recently. However, only some knew the Robertson family for the wealth they’d garnered in helping to build up several towns in Colorado, though they kept to themselves and ensured the newspapers spoke of them. He remembered talking with Lee, O’Donnell, and Malcolm about potential trouble. The Robertsons had been mentioned.

“Do you think….”

There was no need to ask that question. Lee fell quiet, his chest heaving. As for Kasper, he took a moment for himself. There was no need to rush into danger without being prepared. They would have to ride hard and fast, right this moment. Even then, they might not arrive in time to protect against any trouble. Most likely, they would only be able to pick up the pieces. He listened to his heart thudding as he shifted in the saddle.

His horse moved a step as well. Kasper felt the animal tense up like he was ready for a gallop. That was enough for him; they had to move at once.

“Let’s go,” he said decidedly. “But we need O’Donnell and Malcolm. The gang never works one man at a time. If they’re really after the Robertsons, then we’ll need every man we can get to help.”

“O’Donnell is on his way to Malcolm, so I’ll get him as well,” Lee assured him before tearing off down the street.

A good thought. Harry O’Donnell was one of his deputies. The man had lived a rough life in Boston before escaping trouble by coming West. He’d married a local widow with three kids just a year ago. He was the go-to man for when Malcolm wasn’t readily available and handy in any type of scrap.

Turning in the other direction, Kasper urged his horse into action. The animal was ready, bunching up his muscles before charging forward to stretch them out. He leaned forward in his saddle. He could hear as his heartbeat began to sync with his horse’s gallop.

His eyes focused on the journey ahead.

In his mind, Kasper gauged all that he knew about the gang. They had been around longer than he had. No one knew particularly when they had come together or the exact number of members in the gang. By most accounts, the Cabello gang had started over ten years ago and included twenty men. Some, like Lee, suspected some women might even be with them.

The one thing everyone agreed on was that they were dangerous.

He had the most experience with them as well. That was the reason, Kasper knew, why Lee had come straight for him. Central City had been in the middle of its biggest growth when he began traveling back and forth. He’d encountered the gang five times thus far. This meant he’d wounded some of them, talked to some of them on the chases, and had begun to keep an eye out for them. 

At least nine men. Nine men in the Cabello gang with different features, voices, and guns. Kasper listed the details he recalled. There was a list in his notebook that he kept with him at all times in case he forgot something. 

There was the main road that led to Central City, a wide and well-used path that everyone knew and no one could get lost on. Kasper didn’t use it. Instead, he turned south to climb over the hills, through a grove, and finally onto the open street of Pheasant Street, where the richest folks in the city had built their houses. These streets were well cared for, with houses twice the size of anything else in town. They had big properties with large gardens, tall lanterns in the street and tended to be empty. Because of all this, they made plenty of shadows for a person to hide. 

“Finally,” he panted to himself even though he knew they had reached the property in record time. Most days, he traveled the road in about three hours. Off path cut that time in half, and even less since he had pushed his horse to the limits.

Already there was sweat on his forehead. He wiped it off while he looked around the street. The sun had set over the mountains, but there were still streaks of light in the sky. No one would typically expect trouble at this time. Swallowing, Kasper searched for movement to see if Lee’s suspicions were right.

The Robertson property was large. They owned three acres right there, having built their own pond behind the mansion. Trees crowded nearby as though it were an effort to hide their barn and shed. 

Movement caught his eye beneath the lower branches.

He kept an eye out even while nudging his horse to move back a few steps into the shadows. It was difficult to see in this light, but he waited patiently. Anyone passing down the street wasn’t likely to see anything out of the ordinary. But he was looking for something just like that, which helped him to spot three men sliding out of their saddles to make their way to the back of the house.

Judging from the way they crept low and carried guns, Kasper knew they couldn’t possibly belong there.

Should he wait or go after them? Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to decide. He was usually good at making decisions. It was important to be ready to move when it came to his line of work.

“Where are they?” he muttered under his breath as he glanced down the street in search of Lee and the others he had recruited for this dangerous mission.

Maybe he had only seen three men, but Kasper knew they had to have more. The smallest group he had ever found them in was four men, and that was for a minor robbery right outside of town. Something like this in a house that big required at least five.

He swore under his breath in frustration, realizing his best choice was to wait for his men.

It left him sitting there angrily on his horse. He inhaled deeply with his face in a perpetual frown. Folks needed law and justice out West to build their lives and improve society. But they couldn’t very well manage that with scoundrels like the Cabello gang attacking and taking as they desired.

For what seemed like a lifetime, Kasper waited. His eyes darted from the house to the street impatiently. He needed Lee and the others. Worry creased through him that the gang might be done robbing the house before his backup ever arrived.

Another look at the Robertson property confirmed his worries.

There was no time to think. 

Seeing the men creeping back out along the side of the house, Kasper swore while nudging his horse into action once more. They crossed the street and stepped over the bushes to get to the trees. He pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot.

“Drop everything,” he shouted. “Stop where you are!”

Chaos erupted at once. Shouts rang out as he spotted five horses stationed by the tree and two more coming toward them from the barn. Seven, Kasper noted to himself. The light was bad, but he noted a few faces from memory. With four men already in the saddle, he watched as they darted away, hooting loudly.

It was every man for himself, after all.

Kasper couldn’t focus on them. If they were gone, they were gone. He turned his attention to the other men on foot. He now was between them and their horses. But the moment he looked at them, they split in different directions.

More choices. Kasper was prepared for this one. He knew Wayne was the leader of the group. The man had cut his hair, but those dark eyes glittered, and he had a scar on his left cheek that singled him out as the well-known leader. 

When Wayne darted right toward the street, Kasper followed. He chased the man down. Once he was close, he jumped off his horse and tackled the man to the ground. They hit the ground hard and rolled in the street.

His head spun, but he forced himself onto his feet.

“I’ve got you,” Kasper told Wayne. “You’re under arrest, Wayne Cabello!”

“You’ve got nothing,” the man sneered before charging.

Kasper sidestepped and brought his fist down on the man’s back. But Wayne hardly staggered before trying again. This time, he landed a punch. The two of them fought each other in the street, both desperate and eager.

“You’re coming with me,” Kasper ordered him once he finally got the outlaw in a headlock. Both were panting. He tasted blood on his lips and noticed it on his knuckles. Gritting his teeth, he fixed his grip as he thought about how he was going to get Wayne to a prison cell.

A grunt escaped the man trapped on his knees. He grasped at Kasper’s arms and flailed like a madman. “Never. Purdy. Purdy!”

That caught Kasper by surprise. It took him a minute to register the name. Who was that? By then, it was too late. He looked up just in time to see a dark figure running at him. Metal glinted in the moonlight. He had no choice but to move back and let go of Wayne to defend himself.

“Ahh!” Purdy shouted, the one with long hair and always rode an appaloosa. The man reached Kasper and swung his arm down in a swift movement.

Hot agony spread through him like fire. He managed to shove Purdy, followed by a kick, and they both fell to the ground. But Purdy had Wayne to help him to his feet. For Kasper, there was no one. He scrambled for his gun with one arm while the others fled.

They were gone.

Panting, Kasper pulled out the gun from his boot and made it to his feet. The world began to spin. He dropped the weapon, staggering. His vision doubled as he remembered the arm hanging uselessly at his side.

He grimaced before stumbling back a few steps. There he found a tree that he leaned against. Panting, he looked at his injury to find it worse than he could have expected. It appeared there was a long gap in his arm now, bleeding profusely. His knife wound went into his bicep and curved around his arm toward his wrist. He blinked hard to try and focus. He didn’t think his injury could possibly be this bad. Already he could tell that his senses were growing overwhelmed. Nausea swirled in his stomach. The blood was already creating a puddle on the ground. He put a hand over the knife wound and pressed tight, gritting his teeth through the pain.

There would be no chasing after the gang now. Kasper hated to acknowledge the truth. 

If he didn’t stop the bleeding now, there would be no more doing anything at all.

---

“Embraced in The Throes Of Danger” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Desperate to escape a life of crime led by her brothers, Arletta Cabello knows the only way out is to become a mail-order bride. With a heavy heart, she leaves everything behind, hoping for a better future with Kasper, her husband-to-be. However, despite being immediately drawn to him, she remains distant as she struggles to hide her connection to a dangerous gang. When she realizes she can’t escape her past though, she will be forced to make a painful decision…

Can she find happiness by turning her back on her family?

Kasper Wagner has spent his life protecting others but after suffering a critical injury, he decides to build a family of his own. Looking for a mail-order bride was supposed to be a simple endeavor, but when Arletta arrives, Kasper is left wondering if he can accept such an unusual woman… How will Kasper react when he discovers her past?

Can he trust someone who keeps her true self hidden from him?

As trouble is approaching, Arletta and Kasper will be forced to finally admit how they are different but also, the same. When all the cards are on the table, will obstacles such as spiteful schemes, and secrets keep them from following their heart?

“Embraced in The Throes Of Danger” 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!