Coming Home: (Contemporary Christian Romance Boxed Set): Three Stories of Love, Faith, Struggle & Hope

by Debra Ullrick

  She laughed. “I’ve done this a dozen times before. I assure you, I know this land as well as I know my own name. I’ll be fine. And don’t worry I have my walkie, and I have this.” She patted her rifle on the side of her saddle. “And, I definitely know how to use it. Besides, I have to check in every hour with Dad.”

  “I just bet you do. Why don’t I check with your father and see if I can lend you a hand?”

  “I’d love for you to come with me. But, it’s going to take all of you to get the calves branded and the cattle separated for the sale. Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing out there. I’ll be fine.”

  He picked up a loose strand of her hair and twisted it between his fingers. He inched in even closer. “Promise me you’ll be safe and come back to me,” he whispered close to her ear. When she turned to respond, he pulled her into his arms.

  “Sami, Aunt Edna packed you a lunch. She asked me to bring it out to you,” Miles announced as he entered the barn.

  Sami jumped and quickly moved away from Chase and began to fasten up one of the saddlebags on her horse. “Thanks, Miles.”

  Miles’ eyes wandered from Sami, to Chase, and then back to Sami. “Did I interrupt anything? I know you two were pretty chummy last night.”

  Chase turned his focus to Miles. “You sure it’s safe for her to be going out on her own with that cougar still on the prowl?”

  “She’ll be okay. Besides, I heard one of the hands over at Harrison’s ranch killed it a couple days ago. Well, I’d better go get the branding station set up. Be careful today, Sami. If you need anything, just let us know.”

  “I will.” She nodded at Miles as he walked out of the barn, and then she laid her hand on Chase’s chest. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “Just be careful out there today.” Chase squeezed her hand, kissed her forehead, and then turned to follow behind Miles.

  Sami smiled, grabbed the saddle horn, and mounted her horse.

  At twelve-thirty, Sami spread a blanket on the ground and ate the lunch Aunt Edna had packed for her. She enjoyed being out on the open range with only the grass and trees as company. The only sounds she heard were the wind whistling through the tall blades of grass, birds singing the songs of approaching fall, and from time to time she could hear a coyote’s distance howl.

  After a full day of checking fence, at three -o’clock, she loaded up her supplies and decided it was time to head back toward the ranch.

  Sami hummed a tune as Stardust galloped along. Suddenly right in the middle of their path, a rattlesnake slithered. The thundering sound of Stardust’s hoofs caused the snake to coil instantly. Sami’s blood turned cold in her veins as she tried to pull her horse away from the predator, but it was too late. The snake struck, and its fangs sank deep into Stardust’s leg. From the sheer terror of it all, the horse started bucking violently.

  Before Sami could regain control of her horse, Stardust threw her out of the saddle, and she landed hard on the ground, striking her head…a black cloud surrounded her and swallowed her up into the darkness.

  ♥♥♥♥

  “I can’t believe that’s the last of the calves.” Miles said, wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

  Bart slapped his gloves together and tucked them into one of his back pockets. “We made good time today, boys.”

  Chase twisted the cap off the bottle of water and took a long drink. He looked up and spotted Sami’s horse in the distance. “Oh, good. Sami’s coming in.”

  “It looks like she has good timing, too.” Miles laughed and slapped Chase on the back. “Branding is the only job on the ranch she refuses to do. It upsets her.”

  “Really?”

  “She thinks we don’t know how bad she hates it, so Dad always finds something else for her to do, like the fence-run for example.”

  At that moment, Chase felt even closer to her than he had before. She did have a tender heart, but she tried so hard to hide it.

  “She never ceases to amaze me.”

  “Oh, man.” Miles pushed his hat back and surveyed Chase for a long minute. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Yeap.”

  “She’s the first woman in my life that has made me dream about marriage, children, and the whole white picket fence life.”

  Miles shook his head in amazement. “Well, I wish you the best, man, not that Sami’s going to be an easy one to catch, mind you. And, just between you and me, I feel the same way about my Katie. Women, how do they do that?”

  “I don’t know. But, I like it.”

  Miles laughed and slapped Chase on the back. “Yeah, me too.”

  “Hey!” Bart hollered.

  Chase and Miles both spun around and saw the panic in Bart’s face. Chase and Miles both responded at the same time. “What is it?”

  “Sami’s not on her horse! That horse came back without a rider and with a leg that looks blown up like a balloon.”

  Chase took one look at the horse, saw the empty saddle and the swollen leg, and a feeling of pure horror washed over him like a raging river. Where was she?

  All the men gathered around her horse and were horrified when they saw her rifle was still in the sling on the saddle.

  “Something’s happened.” Miles yanked the walkie off his side, “Sami, can you hear me? Sami!”

  “I’ll go get William.” Bart raced off toward the house.

  “It’ll be dark in less than an hour, and she’ll be out there all alone without any protection.” Miles hand shook as he ran one of them through his hair.

  “We’ve got to find her.” Chase peered out across the land and whispered a prayer. “God, please be with her, and let us find her before it’s too late.”

  Daniel examined Stardust’s leg. “Looks like a rattler got him. He must’ve thrown her.”

  The second William and Miss Edna rushed up to the group of men, they quickly told them what was going on.

  “Edna, call the doc for Stardust.” Worried lines creased deep in William’s forehead as he spoke. “For the rest of you, we don’t know how far out Sami is, so we need to find her as soon as possible. Time is critical. The temperatures are already dropping, she’s not armed, and she could be hurt. We need to find her quick. Please, find my daughter.”

  The fear on Miss Edna’s face perfectly matched the fear in Chase’s heart.

  “Remember to radio in as soon as anyone sees anything. Let’s move out!” Miles yelled.

  The search parties were divided up in to three groups. William and Bart were in one group; Miles and Clint were in a group, and Chase and Daniel rode out together.

  Chase lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed once again, “Father, please watch over Sami and keep her safe. Hide her in the shelter of Your wings. Lord, I need Your help now more than ever. Please help me find her.”

  ♥♥♥♥

  The pain in her head was excruciating. Sami slowly opened her eyes and stared up into the star-filled sky. Night had fallen. She’d slipped in and out of consciousness several times before she was finally able to push through the fog in her head and realize what had happened. She heard the sound of coyotes howling far off in the distance. Then, darkness overtook her once again.

  When Sami slowly opened her eyes again, she whispered into the darkness. “Where am I?” She realized she was still lying on the cold, hard ground. She was cold, disoriented, and in pain. She tried to sit up, but the dizziness overwhelmed her, and she fell back onto the ground. The coyote’s howls were getting closer. Even in her state of confusion, she knew she was in danger.

  “Lord, please help me,” she whispered into the night. “Chase said You were always listening. If You’re listening to me now, please send someone to help me.”

  “Sami, are you there? Can you hear me?” At first, she was startled by the voice in the mist of the darkness. Then she remembered her walkie, she ran her hand along her side until her fingers
touched it.

  “Sami, can you hear me?” It was Chase’s voice calling to her in the darkness.

  She fought to stay awake, forcing her eyes to stay open. It took all the strength she had to pull the walkie up to her lips. She pushed the button. “Chase.”

  “Sami! Oh, thank You, Lord! Where are you? Are you hurt?”

  “I don’t… I don’t know. My head hurts. I’m so cold.”

  “We’re going to find you. Just hold on, baby. Do you see anything that can help give us a clue where you’re at?”

  She couldn’t move. Her entire body was numb. “I hear coyotes to the right of me. I don’t…” Then just before slipping away again, she heard the low, gut-gripping, spine-tingling growl of a cougar.

  ♥♥♥♥

  “Sami! Sami!” Chase shouted into his walkie.

  Suddenly, Chase heard coyotes howling. “Do you hear that, Daniel?”

  “It’s the coyotes.”

  “Come on, this way!”

  Chase and Daniel took off in the direction of the howls. The moon was high, so it lit up the night. Within seconds, he spotted her, lying on the ground, motionless.

  “Sami!” His heartbeat quickened in his chest. Then he saw it, its shadow hovered over her like a ghost in the night. The cougar.

  “Chase!” Daniel’s whisper was filled with fear.

  “I know. I see it.” Chase slowly pulled his rifle out of his saddle, took aim, and fired. The sound of the gunshot sliced through the night air.

  The cougar fell with one thud and lay motionless. Chase jumped off his horse, bolted to her, and dropped to the ground on his knees beside her.

  “Sami. Sami! Can you hear me?” He pulled her onto his lap and cradled her head in the crook of his arm.

  She slowly opened her eyes and whispered, “Chase?”

  “I’m here, Sami, I’m here. You’re safe now.” He pushed the hair out of her face, and he felt something sticky on his hand. Fear gripped his throat when he looked down at his hand and saw it was covered in blood. “Daniel, hand me my flashlight. She’s bleeding”

  Daniel rushed the flashlight over. “Is she okay?”

  “I don’t know.” Chase’s heart pounded in his ears. He flipped the flashlight on and inspected the injury to her head, the blood soaking her hair and his hand.

  “How bad is it?”

  Chase looked up at Daniel. “I can’t tell, but it looks deep. We need to get her out of here.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Let the others know we found her, and radio Miss Edna and tell her to get an ambulance to the house.”

  He jerked off his jacket, wrapped it around her and then he ripped the sleeve out of his shirt, and tied it around her head. Carefully cradling her in his arms, he stood to his feet. At the horse, he transferred her limp body into Daniel’s arms so he could mount and get settled.

  Once there, the two of them worked to get her hoisted up to him. The transfer was awkward, but when she was in his arms, it was anything but. On the way back to the ranch, Sami kept slipping in and out of consciousness.

  “I’m so cold,” she whispered as her body quivered against him.

  He pulled her closer to him and tried to warm her as much as he could. “Hold on, Sami. Just hold on, girl.”

  When Chase looked down into Sami’s face, she was unconscious again. He swallowed down the knot in his throat, kissed her forehead, and whispered against her hair. “I love you, my darling Sami.”

  Voices filled the air and within seconds, all the others had surrounded them.

  ♥♥♥♥

  Sami slowly opened her eyes and stared up at the white ceiling tiles. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer swallowed by the night. She looked around the dimly lit room and saw her father asleep in a chair. When she tried to sit up, her head throbbed, and she moaned.

  Her father opened his eyes and leaned forward, coming almost out of the chair. “Oh, Sami-girl, you scared us to death. How are you feeling?” He pushed himself out of the chair and walked over to the side of the bed. A smile found its way through a mask of worry as he looked down at her.

  Even blinking hurt. “Like my head is about to explode.”

  “Do you need anything? I can call the nurse.”

  “I don’t think so. How long have I been here?” She glanced at the window and was surprised it was dark outside. “What time is it?”

  He looked at his watch. “It’s 3:40 in the morning.”

  “Dad, you look so tired. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”

  When the door opened, Sami looked toward it, and her heart did a little flip-flop when she saw Chase standing in the doorway. A smile brightened up his face when he moved into the room.

  “Here’s your coffee, Sir.” Chase handed the paper cup to her dad as he joined him at Sami’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been thrown from a horse.” She tried to make light of the situation with a joke, but the darkness in Chase’s eyes made it apparent he was worried, too.

  “The others are in the waiting room. I need to let them know you’re awake. Are you up for some company from some rusty old cowboys?” her dad asked.

  “Sure, send them in.”

  Her father’s expression stilled and grew serious. “I’m glad you’re okay. I couldn’t imagine what my life would be like if anything ever happened to you.”

  “I’m okay, Dad, just a nasty bump on the head.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re as hard headed as your old man.” He winked at her and slipped out the door.

  “You found me, didn’t you?” She squeezed Chase’s hand though that took more energy than she had to give.

  “I had to.” He slowly bent down and ever so lightly, kissed her lips. His lips were so tender, his kiss warmed her all the way down to her heart.

  The door opened, and everyone flooded into the room.

  Miles squeezed her foot. “It’s good to see you’re awake.”

  Sami moaned.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No, but I think that’s the only place on my body that doesn’t hurt.”

  “What happened out there?” Edna asked.

  “A rattler spooked Stardust, and he threw me. Everything else after that is pretty fuzzy.” She held her hand up to her throbbing head. “I kept fading in and out. I kind of remember talking to Chase on my walkie, then the next thing I know, I woke up here.”

  Her eyelids felt heavy and began to droop. “I’m so sleepy. I think I’ll close my eyes for just a minute.”

  Aunt Edna rooted in past the others, leaned over, and lightly kissed Sami on the forehead. “You sleep now. We’ll be right here when you wake up.”

  ♥♥♥♥

  Minutes after Sami dozed off, the nurse came in and checked her vitals. Sami moaned again when she tried to move. The nurse turned to the others. “I hate to be the bad guy here, but she needs to get some rest, and she won’t do that if all of you are in here. One of you may stay with her if you’d like.”

  “I need to feed this bunch anyways, so while she’s sleeping we’re going to run and grab a bite to eat.” William handed the nurse a slip of paper. “We’ll be back in a little while, if she needs anything give me a call. Here’s my number.”

  “Chase, are you coming?” Edna asked, halting at the door.

  “No. I’m not hungry. I think I’ll stay here with Sami while you’re gone, if that’s okay?” He looked at the nurse, and she nodded.

  “Okay, we’ll be back soon.” Edna kissed his cheek as everyone left the room.

  Forty-five minutes later, William eased back into the room. “I wanted to let you know I made the others go home. They needed some sleep. So, if you want to catch a ride with them, you’d better hurry.”

  “I don’t think I could sleep if I tried.” Chase looked back at Sami and touched the side of her face with the back of his hand.

  “I understand. Last night was quite an ordeal for all of us.”
>
  Chase nodded and turned his attention back to Sami. “Every time I close my eyes, I can still see that cat crouched over her. I didn’t know if I could get to her in time, and when I took aim at the thing, if I’d have missed…”William laid his hand on Chase’s shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. “But, you didn’t miss, Chase. You saved her life, and I will, we all will, be forever grateful to you for what you did.”

  Chapter Eleven

  A week later, Bart smiled up at Sami when she walked into the dining room for breakfast. “You’re lookin’ fit as a fiddle.”

  “I feel like my old self again. This is the first morning I’ve actually gotten up without a headache.”

  Chase stood and pulled out her chair. When she sat down, he slid it underneath the table and squeezed her shoulder.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you, Chase.”

  “You’re very welcome,” he whispered close to her ear and took his seat.

  “I just have one question, Sami.” Sami’s dad held his fork full of food a couple of inches from his mouth and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

  “What’s that, Dad?” she asked as she reached for the pitcher of orange juice.

  “Why are you in your work clothes?”

  “Because I’ve been in that bed for almost a week, and I plan on going back to work today.”

  Everyone disagreed all at the same time.

  Sami held up her hand and shook her head. “Hold on, everybody. I won’t over do it, I promise. It’s been a week, and the doctor had said it’ll be fine for me to go back to work in a couple of days as long as I take it easy. Besides,” she said, touching the bump on the back of her head. “You know the cut wasn’t even deep enough to require stitches. I’m fine, everybody, really.”

  “But, there’s only one little problem with that.” Her dad tapped his fork on the table.

  “What’s that, Dad?”

  “You don’t know how to take it easy.”