Catch a Shooting Star jd edit 03 12 2012 html

by Brianna Lee McKenzie

  Why had Father promised such a thing to the Mexican stranger? Did he not care that his only daughter did not agree with such a union? Did he not care if her heart would never enjoy the love that all girls crave from a husband?

  Tears began to drift down her cheeks to the pillow below as her body quaked with sobs that came from the pit of her soul. Her trembling shoulders shook the bed as she cried her self-pity into her forearm.

  She had been betrayed. She had been sold to the highest bidder, just as she had feared. She had been promised to the one man who had, upon their first meeting, caused an unconsciously fearful reaction in her that she could not explain and had hoped to never experience again.

  But she did feel it again. And she would, for the rest of her life, feel that same dread every time he looked upon her, every time he touched her, every time he kissed her.

  “Oh, why, Father,” she cried aloud to the ceiling above her. “Why would you do this to me?”

  She cried for moments longer until her anger began to take control once again. With that as her catalyst, she sprang from the bed and flew to the wardrobe to retrieve her riding habit. Quickly donning it, she escaped from the house and all that it represented. Savannah slipped to the stables where she found the one thing that made her feel loved.

  Star Dancer greeted her with a light whinny when he saw her appear in the doorway of the stable and his large black head bobbed with delight when she came to him and reached up to rub his nose. He stamped his front hoof on the straw-strewn floor of his stall in anticipation of an evening run with the woman who adored him almost as much as he adored her.

  Savannah threw the blanket over the gelding’s glistening black back and followed it with the gentleman’s saddle that she felt so comfortable on. Then she lowered the bit so that the horse would take it into its mouth, as he had been so patiently trained to do. Checking the cinch once more, she dropped the rope that was clipped to his halter and opened the stall gate. Without waiting to lead him out of the stable, she mounted the prancing horse and nudged him into a quick walk.

  Outside the stable, she peered around for any onlookers who might disclose her covert retreat. Seeing no one except for the kitchen servants throwing out the mounds of leftover food to the pigs and chickens, she spurred Dancer into a gallop. The horse’s hooves took her away from the mansion and its guests, particularly one loathsome guest and the father who had given her to the man without her consent.

  The full moon glistened above her, using the last moments of its glowing reign in the black, starless sky to light the way for her as she slowed the gelding to a walk. She smiled at his appreciative snorts while watching the clouds knit themselves together, engulfing and then completely covering the retreating orb. She patted the sleek black neck of the gelding and then settled into the saddle for a long, calming ride into the shadows that enveloped her and her leisurely plodding mount. Dropping the reins in a gesture that told her beloved horse that she trusted him completely, she sighed and folded her arms in front of her, letting her mind drift upon the darkening clouds that gathered above her.

  Twirling and roiling, backlit by a sparkling array of lightning that illuminated their ominous dance, the clouds rumbled a threatening growl, but she was not at all alarmed by it. Instead, she welcomed the crisp breeze that churned through the trees around her and breathed fresh, invigorating excitement into her body. Taking in a deep, cleansing breath, she threw her arms wide at her sides to invite Mother Nature’s electrifying inundation into her parched soul. With all her heart, she welcomed that illusive emancipation from her world’s idiotic imperative that she should remain a woman enslaved and oppressed by the opposite sex while she searched the Heavens for that benevolent bequest of a devoted benefactor in the form of an adoring man who would quench her thirst for love once and for all.

  ***

  The blackness boasted its foreboding warning as a lone rider trotted his mount toward the city of Atlanta, his anger spurred by the menacing clouds that had suddenly appeared in a sky that had, only moments ago, been quiet and cheerful. The Palomino stallion beneath him threw its large head as a clap of thunder rumbled around them like a battlefield barrage. The rider pulled hard on the reins and dug his heels into the stirrups in order to settle the horse down. His sizeable palm stroked the pale neck of the Palomino as he softly whispered to the prancing mount.

  “Easy, Blazer, easy,” the man cooed, transferring his calm manner through his voice and his hand to the quivering animal beneath him.

  The horse dipped his head and then with renewed courage, it took a forward step and then another. Encouraged by his rider, Blazer began an onward trot once again, his ears pricked forward and his nose wide with excited apprehension.

  “That’s better, boy,” the rider said as he rewarded it with a sound pat on its neck before he spurred it into a gallop.

  Travis Corbett pulled his Stetson lower onto his forehead while he raised the collar of his slicker in preparedness for the coming storm. A huff of indignation at the sudden squall was his response to the tempest that threatened to trigger him to find shelter for himself and his horse. His anger at the weather did nothing to calm him against the seething revenge that roiled in his blackened heart as he tucked himself lower into the saddle and urged Blazer toward the lights that flickered around the bend in the dirt road that he had followed for the past three hours. While his rage rumbled with the thunder, his aching heart echoing the agonizing memory of the death of the most important person in his shattered world.

  She had been his love, his life, his future, his wife. She had been the only reason that he had found to remain an honorable man who’d lived only for her. She had given him a reason to believe that not all people in this Godforsaken world were liars and despicable hypocrites who would stab him in the back in order to satisfy their own agendas. And she had melted his heart with one look of her soft green eyes, with one twitch of a smile from her dainty lips and with one touch of her feather-soft fingers upon his skin. Yes, his Melody was truly a symphony of love to his otherwise hateful heart.

  But, now, she was gone, stricken down by a cowardly assassin whom she had taken in as a houseguest while Travis had been away with his occupation as a traveling salesman for his family’s company. And it was that man for whom Travis had dedicated his life to finding and punishing before he took the man’s life. There would be no rest for him in his quest to eradicate the world of the heartless likes of Diego Fernandez and all those associated with him. For, the man whom he sought was, according to recent reports, only a few miles away at a plantation called Robin’s Glen.

  With his thoughts filled with his livid dreams of avenging his wife’s murder, Travis failed to see the figure of the fleeing black horse that flew by him on the road in the opposite direction. His ears failed to hear the pleading cry of the tiny woman who flailed about on the back of the rampaging animal as it sped by him. But his instinct told him to take his mind away from is impassioned visions of a satisfying execution and to rein in his mount to see what had passed him in such a fiery fury.

  The retreating black horse carried the small figure down the path and, failing to make the turn in the road, it thrashed headlong into the forest. Its female rider ducked her body to avoid the onslaught of branches and screamed in terrified shrieks as the forest swallowed her up.

  Travis spurred Blazer toward the girl and her wayward horse, closing the distance between him and the black shadow that carried its rider into oblivion. His heart burst with worry for the girl whose squeals of panic and trepidation echoed above the thunder that shook the trees as he entered the forest to save her. The horse below him darted in and out of the approaching trunks that reached out to unseat him at every turn until finally, the black horse was within an arms’ reach.

  With one fluid movement, Travis swept his long arm out toward the girl and scooped her from the back of the black bolt of lightning and onto the saddle in front of him. His strength encompassed her as he slowed Blazer
to a halt in an orchard that swayed with peach trees. While she tightened her arms around his neck, his palm held her tiny wet head as he soothed her whimpers and patted her jerking shoulder.

  He felt her calm down and her sobs slowed, so he pushed her to arms’ length and cupped her face in his large hand, peering into her eyes as she looked up at him in affectionate appreciation. The lightning shone brilliantly in the dark violet orbs that welled up with tears of relief at her salvation. Her growing smile revealed bright, straight teeth that glowed in the darkened surroundings. Her damp cheeks swelled into apples of fervent glee at her happiness to be held by the man who had saved her life.

  Savannah narrowed her violet eyes at the stranger who stared down at her and the grateful smile that had lit up her face slowly faded as she realized that he held her much too closely for a lady to endure. Instinctively, she wiggled away from him and slipped from in front of him in the saddle to the ground in an effort to chase away the longing that had suddenly engulfed her freezing body with a warmth that she had never known before. She smoothed her soaked riding skirt around her hips and tucked her blouse more appropriately into her belt before she made an effort to curtail her unruly ringlets.

  With a haughty intake of air and a huff reminiscent of the gracious upbringing that had been drilled into her as a child, she raised her chin to the man who, still mounted, loomed above her like a dominant god. Her ostentatious manner quickly replaced by nervousness, she cleared her throat and began her speech.

  “I do appreciate your having saved me from my most assured demise, Mister, and I am positive that my father will be grateful enough to extend his appreciation with a handsome reward,” she declared in all the Southern aloofness that she could muster in her effort to thank the man for his rescuing her.

  “I’m sure he would, Ma’am,” Travis started, touching his fingertip to the brim of his hat before he shifted in the saddle above her. Still taken aback by her cold manner, he refused to dismount and address her as he was certain she thought she deserved.

  With a deep breath and a deeper sigh, he continued, “I’m surprised that a lady like you would be traipsing around in the dark alone, much less in a storm like this.”

  Savannah cocked her chin defensively and stated as if he were merely a servant and not the angel who had saved her life, “I have you know, I ‘traipse’ this road daily by myself and have never come to any harm. Everyone knows me around here AND who my father is and no one gives me any difficulty for my actions.”

  “I’m quite sure, Miss, that you can take care of yourself under normal circumstances, but this storm is a deathtrap for anyone, especially as gracious a young lady as yourself,” Travis drawled, mimicking the tone that any Southern gentleman would adopt in order to converse with such a spoiled child.

  “Normally,” she retorted, her violet eyes flashing brightly in the lightning above her. “I can take care of myself. Why, I’ve even ridden in a storm before, but Dancer was frightened by a deer that ran out in front of us and he bolted. I lost my hold on the reins and couldn’t stop him.”

  She neglected to tell him that she had been lost in thought and still letting Dancer have the reins when the deer had frightened the gelding. But, he need not know all the facts. She sniffed in superiority at the man who, unlike a gentleman, still remained mounted above her.

  Travis dipped his head, draining the puddle of rain from the brim of his hat before he nodded in earnest agreement, then pulled up on the reins when Blazer danced at the sudden cold flood of water on his withers. With a growl to the stallion below him, he dismounted and gently pushed the horse to a tree where he secured him and then returned to the young woman’s side.

  “That’s understandable, Miss, and I won’t argue with your ability to find your way around these parts, but you seem too shaken up to ride right now,” Travis began as he removed his slicker and placed it gingerly upon her slender shoulders. He continued with his speech, his voice now softer, “And besides, it seems your Dancer has danced away and now you’re afoot.”

  Savannah dipped her head in embarrassment, then shuffled her muddy feet as she replied, “I only live a few hundred yards away through these woods, I’m sure I could walk home. And, I’m sure Dancer is already waiting at the stables for me.”

  “Well,” Travis started as he towered over her, his belt buckle merely inches from her breast. “I suppose I could ride you home. I’m sure I could take a few minutes of my time to get you safely there.”

  “There’s no need,” Savannah stammered, her heart fluttering at his close proximity. “I’ll be fine.”

  “I wouldn’t hear of it, Ma’am,” Travis drawled, tipping his hat ever so politely at her, his face coming close to hers in order to hear her above the claps of thunder. “Why, I would never forgive myself if I left you out here and then found out that something terrible had happened to you. No, Miss, I think I’d feel better, just the same if I escorted you back home. That is, if you would allow me to.”

  Electricity sparked between them, a phenomenon that had nothing to do with the lightning that struck around them. Leaning closer still, his face only a breath away from hers, Travis whispered onto her upturned lips, “I wouldn’t want to offend you.”

  Savannah froze for moments too long, waiting for the warmth of his lips upon hers, but then she came to her senses when her Southern upbringing sounded an alarm in her confused mind. She took a step backward into a tree trunk and stumbled, her slick muddy boots sliding across an exposed root, causing her to topple toward the ground. In an instant, his strong arms caught her and held her there for a heartbeat before she was righted and steadied with those same brawny arms. Through the cold rain upon her skin, she could feel the heat of his hands while they lingered in the hollow between her ribs and her hips. Her disappointed eyes followed him as Travis stepped away from her after he saw that she could stand without falling again. Then she lowered her head and pulled the slicker tighter around her shivering frame. A demure smile and a mumbled ‘thank you’ was his only reward.

  But, she knew that she had no recourse but to agree with the man who had shaken her more than the passing storm had, so she nodded briefly and agreed with his request, “Very well, you can take me home.”

  She let him take her elbow and lead her to the pawing Palomino. She waited for him to mount before raising a hand to his and then she jumped so that he could lift her. Her effort was not necessary, for his strength was enough to lift her onto the horse and then some.

  She settled onto the rump of the stallion, her wet body as far away from the stranger as possible without slipping back over the horse’s tail, but the man’s strong hand whipped back and captured her arm and tucked it beneath his own. The other hand followed suit until she was securely fastened to him like a blanket swaddling a baby. She felt a pat on her hand as if he was satisfied that she would not let go and then a sudden hop as the horse lurched forward with the touch of the man’s spurs.

  The two rode in silence, the rain pelting them with an unyielding barrage until, finally, the trees broke and a large meadow appeared. In front of them, the looming manor house glowed with merry brightness, its inhabitants still enjoying the exuberance of the party.

  Savannah seethed at the inviting imitation of gaiety that seemed to illuminate into the bricked driveway that they had clip-clopped onto. Her anger at her father and Diego made her stiffen suddenly as the stranger stopped the horse in front of the great double front doors and leaned around to face her.

  “Something tells me you would have liked to stay out there in that storm,” he said as he reached a hand around to help her dismount.

  “I should say so,” she muttered under her breath as her feet touched the ground.

  “Will you be alright?” he asked, his eyes showing the concern that he felt for this tiny creature that had suddenly turned from a fighting feline into a frightened little rabbit.

  Nodding, Savannah bit her lip unconsciously before she took a step toward the hous
e. Her heart dropped to the bottom of her belly when she saw Diego’s dark figure appear in the opened door above her. She stopped in her tracks. Her feet would not move despite her urge to flee and defy the man who called gently and soothingly to her from the light of the home that he had invaded.

  Within an instant, the stranger was at her side, his strong arms keeping her from dropping to the ground and melting into the puddles that surrounded her. His warm voice encouraged her to move forward as he pulled her toward the house.

  “I’ll go in with you,” Travis assured her with a slight hug of his strong arm around her withering shoulder. “Just to make sure everything is alright.”

  “N-no,” she stammered. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your help. I really do appreciate it.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his reassuring smile letting her know that he would take care of her if she needed him to.

  She nodded, staring fearfully at the silhouette in the doorway, and then she took a step away from the man who had saved her life and who would most assuredly save her from the one who could ruin her life if he had a mind to.

  Travis nodded to her and tipped his hat before he bowed to take her hand in his, then he told her, “If you need anything, I’ll be in town. My name is Travis Corbett. I’m staying at the Grand Hotel.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Corbett,” Savannah said warmly, squeezing his hand gently. “I appreciate everything that you have done for me.”

  With a genteel cock of his head, he bowed again and let her hand drop. And, as he narrowed his eyes at the figure standing in the doorway, he told her again, “If you need anything…”

  “I know, the Grand Hotel,” she said with a smile and a gracious nod.