Disaster At Devil's Canyon: Blue River Wilde Western Adventure (Half Breed Haven Book 7) Read online

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  DISASTER AT DEVIL’S CANYON

  FOREWORD

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  EPILOGUE

  DISASTER AT

  DEVIL’S CANYON

  A BLUE RIVER WILDE ADULT WESTERN

  By

  A.M. VAN DORN

  Copyright © 2018

  Cedar Ledge Publishing

  All Rights Reserved

  BOOKS AVAILABLE IN THE WILDES OF THE WEST SERIES

  THE WILDES OF THE WEST #1: THE DAUGHTERS OF HALF BREED HAVEN

  HALF BREED HAVEN #1: WILDE-FIRE

  HALF BREED HAVEN #2: IN DANGER’S SHADOW

  HALF BREED HAVEN #3: DARK RIVALS

  HALF BREED HAVEN #4: SILVER, GOLD & DECEPTION

  HALF BREED HAVEN#5: THE FORBIDDEN RANCH

  HALF BREED HAVEN#6: SING THE DEATH SONG

  HALF BREED HAVEN#7: DISASTER AT DEVIL’S CANYON

  ALL CAN BE FOUND AT THIS LINK

  https://www.amazon.com/A.M.-Van-Dorn/e/B077GNX3GP/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

  COMING in 2018

  HALF BREED HAVEN: INTO THE LAIR OF LOS REY LOBO

  THE WILDES OF THE WEST #2: DANGER DOWN MEXICO WAY

  If you enjoy the Wilde family and their spicy adventures join the Cedar Reader’s Mailing list and be alerted to new releases as well as receiving a free gift of a Wilde Family Adventure for further reading.

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  Author’s Note

  Thank you for joining the Wilde family on one of their adventures. Just a quick note regarding what you are about to read

  Please be advised the Wilde siblings are all grownups and therefore they engage in very adult escapades and situations that include their romantic encounters as well as the sudden violence that can occur in their continued fight against assorted bad guys of the Old West.

  So, in short, these stories are recommended for mature readers of 18+ years of age.

  With that said it’s time to saddle up and dive into the world of Half Breed Haven!

  A.M. VAN DORN

  Contact Information can be found at: [email protected]

  or

  www.thewildesofthewest.com

  From the Journal of Blue River Wilde

  1873

  Looking back on it … the afternoon I spent with Miss Sadie Greystone was the sole respite to be had from the evil that had overtaken the appropriately named Devil’s Canyon and beyond.

  Innocent blood had been flowing freely from the moment our delivery from Cedar Ledge to the Grand Western Railroad had fallen to a massacre. Vowing protection of our next shipment, with my sister Cattie at my side, we would soon seek to discover who and what was at the heart of the sinister evil that had unleashed Apache renegades to take their desire to keep their lands free of the iron horse down a murderous and corrupted path.

  Now that the harrowing events are behind me, I prefer to think of my brief time with Sadie over the bloodshed and betrayals that abounded during that most trying adventure. Sadie is someone I will long remember.

  I remember thinking, as she lay there in my arms after the passion we shared, that only several hours had passed since I had found her trapped, condemned to face a certain and fiery death when the Apache forces had swooped down on her out from the hills. Her only crime, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Though now all promise with the lovely Sadie is now lost, and that door forever closed. My heart weighs heavy in knowing there will be no more possibilities with the scarlet-haired beauty. That loss … I note here, was the final casualty from the moment the Apache warriors made a grave mistake in going on the offensive against the interests of Cedar Ledge and massacring our men. Their actions unleashed my family into opposition of their reign of terror, and they would learn the Wildes are never to be trifled with; never!

  FOREWORD

  My name is Allie Mastluehr, and in the spring of 1913, I stumbled upon some of the most remarkable but forgotten tales of the American Old West. These accounts were narrated to me in the desolate ruins of Cedar Ledge—a once mighty Arizona ranch—and I promise that everything I was told was not the stuff of legend; it was one remarkable family’s real history, almost lost to the unforgiving winds of time.

  I experienced a countless series of shocks as the ranch's last inhabitant, aging Cattie Wilde, relayed to me the true story of the heroics of the most improbable of mixed race families, of which she had been a member. She quickly immersed me in all the action, adventure, romance, and family drama that came with being one-quarter of the formidable foursome known to friends and foes alike as THE DAUGHTERS OF HALF BREED HAVEN. In short, I learned of this stunning multiracial quartet whose bravery, thirst for justice and love for each other was matched only by their unbridled appetite for the most casual and sizzling encounters with the opposite (or in Catalina's case, the same) sex.

  The Mexican Catalina along with the fair-skinned, blonde Cassandra, mulatto Honor Elizabeth, and Asian Lijuan, all half-sisters, were the proud daughters of Judge William Henry “Whip” Wilde. The interracial sisters along with their sibling—cavalry officer Dutch and his Indian love Bright Feather, and their youngest brother, the Yavapai brave Blue River, the WILDES OF THE WEST upheld the law and aided those in need amidst the pristine beauty and natural wonders that was their corner of 1870s Arizona.

  About Catalina Wilde—my courteous host and now, for all practical purposes, becoming the mother, I never had. From what I can tell, she has not changed one bit from her youth. An impetuous, fun-loving woman who enthusiastically engaged in her romances that flew in the face of what society deems acceptable. Come what may, little ever stifled her good cheer, not even the dangers she faced against the countless robbers, rustlers, polecats, and jaspers the West kept throwing at them. Woe to anyone that stood in the way of Catalina and her sisters.

  As for her siblings, though I have only had the privilege of knowing Catalina, through her stories and the significant volume of diaries and journals mercifully saved by Cattie, the rest of the Wildes have become as alive to me as if they were standing before me as I write this.

  As these journals have proven, their brothers were cut from the same heroic cloth as the women.

  Blue River—half Yavapai Indian—was the last of Whip's children and the half-brother to the older Bright Feather. To outward appearances, he seemed to be a full Indian, but the Wilde blood that ran through him manifested itself in his piercing blue eyes. The youngest of the Wildes, Cattie has told me, perhaps had it the most difficult having to walk the line between the worlds of the white man and the red. However, having a foot in both of those worlds helped shape him as a young man who, when the need arose, could transition from the skilled manager of one of their family businesses to another title that he held that was richly deserved, that of an Indian brave.

  Catalina has graciously made available to me all her family’s writings so that I may pen the definitive tale of this unique and exceptional family and the adversity they faced. The more I read of them, the greater my amazement and respect for them grows as I follow their adventures in vanquishing villains and bedding whatever conquest happen to come their way.

  Together the Wilde sist
ers could be near unstoppable, but whenever alone or in pairs, they still proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Without a doubt, this also extended to her brothers.

  Just how much can be found in a journal from Blue River written all those years ago when he stepped up to avenge those fallen in service to Cedar Ledge and uncover the evil that lurked behind the … DISASTER AT DEVIL’S CANYON!

  PROLOGUE

  YAVAPAI ENCAMPMENT

  HALA TRIBE

  ARIZONA TERRITORY

  1873

  Emerging from the chief’s tent, Blue River Wilde and his sister Bright Feather looked at each other and separated with a silent nod. As she departed for her tent, the young Indian brave strode purposely towards his own near the edge of the encampment, his face a hard furrow of worry. He was lost in thoughts about the mission ahead of him knowing that he should be joyful that his request had been granted, but there was no joy at all to be found in his soul. He wished more than anything that the events that had unfolded to place him before the council in the first place had never occurred. Men would still be alive, his men and other innocents.

  Further blackening the young half breed’s mood was the fact that had his mother’s brother not been chief, he knew his request would not have been granted. As it was, most of the council had been against it, and most of the dissenters were the tribal elders. The same elders who as young men had known their tribe as it once was, wholly intact before the great split had come, a split all swirling around his very birth.

  It had been with the younger members of the council that he had found the most support, who had lived most of their lives with the tribe as it was now. Also, they had welcomed the chance for the young braves of the tribe to potentially get a taste of battle, as theirs was a peaceful tribe and opportunities to test their mettle in battle were few and far between. Blue River, of course, prayed to the Great Spirit that they would see no such combat during the journey that lay ahead.

  His eyes now caught sight of his tent. It seemed to him of late he was rarely ever with the tribe to make use of it. Ever since he had assumed running the family’s timber operations in the forested mountains looming above Cedar Ledge Ranch, his stints back with his tribe was rare. For the longest time, he had successfully managed to split his time between the two worlds that he inhabited, but not so anymore. He wasn’t oblivious to the tongue wagging of some of the braves that he had finally thrown in completely with the white side of his family. Blue River did his best to ignore such talk when he could, but it was not always possible.

  All such thoughts about his dual identity were swept away as he was surprised to see a faint glow emanating from within his lodging. Instinctively his hand

  was going to reach for his Colt .45 that all the Wilde siblings like to carry, but he let it dangle by his side. When he was with the tribe he rarely wore his holster because all that did was serve to remind the others of his connection to the white man’s world. As if his piercing, ice blue eyes weren’t enough, he often chuckled to himself, but tonight there was no amusement. Instead, though he had no six-gun, he did have a knife he wore on his other hip and moved to unsheathe it as he reached for the flap.

  Blue River parted the opening of the tepee, and as he entered, he relaxed and slipped the knife back on his belt. Before him, he saw Catori seated on the mat, her long black hair glinted in the naked fire of the small lamp. It was the glint that caught Blue River’s eye.

  He supposed he shouldn't be surprised to find her. Over the years the young woman had always been there as support for him, ever since they had been children. In his eyes, he had always looked on her as the dearest of friends, but he knew that to her, he was so much more.

  In his heart, he also knew a man would be a fool not to take Catori as his woman to bear him a family of strong and beautiful children. However, he was also a Wilde, and like his sisters, he enjoyed the thrill of dalliances with new and undiscovered lovers yet to come. It would not be fair to marry as sweet a woman as Catori and not be able to remain faithful to her.

  Though he knew he could never marry her, he had fought hard to resist her advances that she threw his way from time to time. In her eyes, he could see this was going to be another time. He was unable to ignore his weakness of spirit the recent tragedy had placed upon him. Tonight, he doubted he would be able to resist her … no, he knew he would not be able to resist whatever advances she threw his way.

  Catori rose and stepped towards him, a welcoming smile on her face. Blue River admitted to himself that he always loved her scent, but tonight he knew he should try to ignore it. He felt her soft hand come to rest on his shoulder and tensed.

  “The council? They said yes?”

  "Barely, and perhaps they might not have at all if Bright Feather wasn't there, as her being a full-blooded Indian curries favour with the council. But yes, though I had to promise something for their help that I do not know if my sisters on the Wilde side of my family will find displeasing what I have pledged."

  Her other hand reached up and both began to stroke his shoulders as her eyes locked with hers.

  “The Great Spirit guides all our decisions. They will have to accept that,” she said, and then she fell silent.

  He knew Catori was not given to many words and he was glad for that. He needed his thoughts in one place, and a chattering woman was certainly not what he needed tonight. He felt her hand tug at him gently, urging him to move further into the tepee, away from any prying eyes.

  They were at the mat now. Big enough for two. The hay beneath it made it soft to sit upon. She pulled Blue River to sit and mounted herself on his legs and felt the bulge of his cock against her and smiled quietly. This was usually when he would cast her off with a speech about complicating a deep friendship. He watched as her smile widened when he failed to say anything.

  Instead, his mouth went straight to her lips as his hands expertly began to wander over her body. A flame began to burn within him as his hands continued to roam with no reservation over her muscular calves and thighs that lay below her short buckskin dress. Soon they found their way to her large mounds of flesh that fought to burst themselves free of her dress. They were so soft to the touch and he gently began kneading them.

  If he could have read her mind, he would have discovered the thought of making wild, passionate love only feet away from passing braves and their women all completely oblivious to the touching and kissing of the lovers on the other side of the entrance to the tepee made Catori’s body tingle with hot desire.

  Blue River pulled the two of them up and he was certain his eyes told Catori everything she needed to hear and had craved to hear for so long. Catori dropped down on her knees in front of him and reached for his waist and began to untie his waist covering and pull it slowly down his legs until his growing hardness sprang free. Blue River threw his head back as she pushed him up against the mat and began to slowly, slowly, lick and kiss her way up his legs.

  At last, he felt a freedom, no matter how fleeting it would prove to be, from the dark cloud that had been his constant companion these last few weeks. For once the thought of that terrible, deadly day was nowhere to be found and he intended to enjoy his liberation from it for however long it might last.

  CHAPTER 1

  ROAD TO DEVIL’S CANYON

  OUTSIDE CASPER’S CROSSING

  ARIZONA TERRITORY

  THREE WEEKS EARLIER

  Carter Burnham was a man in love … and also a man with only a few minutes left to live. He had no way to know this, of course, as he jostled in his seat next to the driver of the heavy-duty freight wagon that was bucking its way through a stretch of rocky Arizona canyon country. Behind Burnham, who was in the lead wagon, three more just like it followed each laden with their burden of fifty newly cut railroad ties, and each also with the two-man teams.

  Burnham’s journey had been a smooth one save for the times that the freight wagon rattled violently as its wheels rammed against stubborn rocks in the earth. Overal
l, the convoy from Alamieda had enjoyed a hassle-free journey, Burnham often used the long hours to admire the vast dusty land and the beautiful light of the sun as it settled on the cheerful Arizonan horizons.

  It had been nearly a two-day journey from the time they had pulled out of the sawmill that was the centerpiece of the Wilde family’s timber operation. As Burnham took a pull from his canteen, he was thankful that their destination per the map the Wildes had provided for him should be less than an hour’s ride away. He was eager to return to the Cedar Ledge ranch and go through with what he had been planning during the entire ride towards the canyon where the Grand Western Railroad was hard at work on their trestle project.

  The Cedar Ledge lumberjack and sawyer was a burly six-foot two-inch bulk of a handsome man whose smile always knew how to melt the ladies in the knees. With rays of sunlight hitting them just right, Burnham’s hazel eyes were nearly golden, an almost perfect touch to the deep brown color of his hair and that of his smooth, sun-tanned skin. It was a look that had netted him more than his fair share those ladies in the past, but none of them had really mattered in the end. There was only one who had managed to capture his heart, and now, thoughts of her seemed to color every waking moment of his life.

  During the long journey, he had thought hard and repeatedly about what he would do once they arrived back at the place some called Half Breed Haven. So yes, he was going to do it. He would boldly walk up to the front door of the grand ranch house, inquire if he might see Miss Cassandra Wilde and he was going to ask her out. Not to some dive like Gabriella's Cantina. No sir! He was prepared to rent a fancy carriage and drive her all the way into Tucson to the Bishop House, known as the finest restaurant in the area.

  Burnham smiled as he thought what an evening it would be sitting across the table from those mesmerizing green eyes and that lovely face framed by the cascading sandy blonde hair. As he thought of her, his hand idly gripped the rifle he was holding. He was barely aware of it anymore. He had been carrying it for the entire journey in case any trouble had cropped up, but now less than an hour away from their destination, it seemed like a useless precaution. His mind once again returned to Cassandra and thought how a part of him still could not believe he was actually going to make his play for the magnificent cowgirl.