Wanted: The Half Breed Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Wanted: The Half-

  Breed

  Bobbi Smith

  Copyright © 2008, 2017 by Bobbi Smith. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of The Evan Marshall Agency, 1 Pacio Court, Roseland, NJ 07068-1121, [email protected].

  Version 1.0

  Originally published by Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc., New York, and Montlake Publishing, Las Vegas

  Cover by The Killion Group

  bobbismithbooks.com

  To Quinn Everett, my fourth perfect grandson!

  ROMANTIC TIMES PRAISES BOBBI SMITH, A NEWYORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR!

  LAWLESS, TEXAS

  "Readers will be entertained and find themselves cheering for the good guys in the final shootout."

  HIRED GUN

  "Nobody does a Western better than Smith. Hired Gun is about a man used to being alone and depending on no one and nothing but his wits and his gun. Finally he meets a woman who demands more of him as a man."

  DEFIANT

  "The talented Smith is in her element out West. This novel is fast-paced and filled with adventure and tender feelings . . . a very beautiful story."

  HALFBREED WARRIOR

  "Smith is the consummate storyteller. The pacing is quick, with snappy dialogue moving the story forward at breakneck speed."

  BRAZEN

  "As sexy and gritty as [Smith] has ever written."

  HALF-MOON RANCH: HUNTER'S MOON

  "Bobbi Smith is a terrific storyteller whose wonderful characters, good dialogue and compelling plot will keep you up all night."

  LONE WARRIOR

  "Fast-paced, swift moving and filled with strong, well-crafted characters."

  EDEN

  "The very talented Bobbi Smith has written another winner. Eden is filled with adventure, danger, sentimentality and romance."

  THE HALF-BREED (SECRET FIRES)

  "Witty, tender, strong characters and plenty of action, as well as superb storytelling, make this a keeper."

  MORE ROMANTIC TIMES RAVES FOR STORYTELLER OF THE YEAR BOBBI SMITH!

  BRIDES OF DURANGO: JENNY

  "Bobbi Smith has another winner. This third installment is warm and tender as only Ms. Smith can do . . . . Ms. Smith's fans will not be disappointed."

  BRIDES OF DURANGO: TESSA

  "Another wonderful read by consummate storyteller Bobbi Smith . . . . Filled with adventure and romance, more than one couple winds up happily-ever-after in this gem."

  BRIDES OF DURANGO: ELISE

  "There's plenty of action, danger and heated romance as the pages fly by. This is exactly what fans expect from Bobbi Smith."

  HALF-BREED'S LADY

  "A fast-paced, frying-pan-into-the-fire adventure that runs the gamut of emotions, from laughter to tears. A must-read for Ms. Smith's fans, and a definite keeper."

  OUTLAW'S LADY

  "Bobbi Smith is an author of many talents; one of them being able to weave more than one story . . . . Ms. Smith creates characters that one will remember for some time to come."

  THE LADY & THE TEXAN

  "An action-packed read with roller-coaster adventures that keep you turning the pages. The Lady & the Texan is just plain enjoyable."

  RENEGADE'S LADY

  "A wonderfully delicious 'Perils of Pauline' style romance. With dashes of humor, passion, adventure and romance, Ms. Smith creates another winner that only she could write!"

  Busted!

  "There's something I've been wanting to do all evening . . ."

  "What?" she asked breathlessly, gazing up at him in the moonlight. He was so handsome—so tall and broad-shouldered. Her heartbeat quickened at the thought that he might kiss her.

  "This," Walker said as he bent to her and kissed her.

  It was a gentle exchange at first, but when she willingly surrendered, he deepened the kiss.

  Roni was thrilled. She knew she was being brazen to respond so passionately to Walker, but at that moment, it didn't matter.

  She just wanted to be close to him.

  She needed to be close to him.

  Walker took her in his embrace and crushed her against him. And it was in that moment that the sound of her father's voice shattered the silence of the night.

  "What do you think you're doing?" Victor bit out, outrage sounding in his voice.

  They broke nervously apart.

  "Oh! P-Papa—" Roni stammered as he confronted them.

  "Dr. Reynolds—" Walker didn't cower. He stood up to her father, stepping forward to confront him.

  Victor turned on Walker, fury blazing in his condemning gaze. "I think you'd better leave us right now."

  Other books by Bobbi Smith:

  LAWLESS, TEXAS

  HIRED GUN

  DEFIANT

  HALFBREED WARRIOR

  BRAZEN

  BAYOU BRIDE

  HUNTER'S MOON (HALF MOON RANCH)

  FOREVER AUTUMN

  LONE WARRIOR

  EDEN

  WANTON SPLENDOR

  SWEET SILKEN BONDAGE

  THE HALF-BREED (SECRET FIRES)

  WESTON'S LADY

  HALF-BREED'S LADY

  OUTLAW'S LADY

  FORBIDDEN FIRES

  RAPTURE'S RAGE

  THE LADY & THE TEXAN

  RENEGADE'S LADY

  THE LADY'S HAND

  LADY DECEPTION

  The Brides of Durango series:

  ELISE

  TESSA

  JENNY

  Writing as Julie Marshall:

  MIRACLES

  HAVEN

  Acknowledgments

  I'd like to thank the real Stacy Whiting and Jim Geitgey for their support of the Midland Education Foundation's auction last fall in Midland, Texas, and the real Alan Protzel for his support of the auction for Annie's Hope, KMOX radio in St. Louis host John Carney's charity. And we can't forget the wonderful gang from the Romantic Times Conference who helped to raise funds for Kathryn Falk's S.O.S. charity (Save Our Soldiers)—Kimberly Lowe, Sandra Welch, Brenda Wagner and Sandy Leeds. You're all wonderful!

  Thanks to Dee Stauffer and Dr. Carol Stauffer for their help with research, and to Denise Ulett, Carrie Mores and Debbie Mauer of the St. Charles County Library for their help, too!

  This title was previously published by Dorchester Publishing; this version has been reproduced from the Dorchester book archive files.

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

&
nbsp; Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Two Guns, Texas

  Young Wind Walker rode in silence beside his white father across the rugged Texas terrain. A sense of unease filled him as they neared his father's ranch, but he fought it down. Having lived his first ten years in the Comanche village with his mother, he knew true warriors never showed fear. He glanced over at his father, who was watching him.

  "We'll be at the ranch soon," Paul Stevenson told him.

  Wind Walker only nodded in response. Upon his mother's death some weeks before, he had gone on a vision quest in search of the strength and healing he needed to deal with his future. The message he'd received from the spirit had been powerful. A vision of blood had come to him, and the voice of the spirit had told him that he was to go and live with his blood father. It had warned him of the dangers he would face in the future, of betrayal and hardship, but it had also told him that there would be love and friendship in his life. As the vision had faded, a single eagle feather borne on the wind had drifted down to the ground beside him, and he knew it was a sign. He'd taken the feather and the small stone it had landed upon as his medicine, and he carried the charms with him now in the small spirit bag he wore for strength and safety on a leather thong around his neck.

  Paul understood his son's stoic reaction to the news. He knew what a hard time the boy was going through. When word of Star Cloud's death had reached him at the ranch, he'd immediately made plans to bring Wind Walker there to live with him and his family.

  As hard as he was trying to make things better for Wind Walker, Paul realized it wasn't going to be easy for any of them. His wife, Elizabeth, had known of the boy's existence when they'd married and had tolerated his occasional trips to the village to see his son, but she had not been happy with the prospect of having Wind Walker coming to stay with them. Only his young daughter Stacy had seemed open to the boy's coming to the ranch. In her innocence, she had loved the idea of having a big brother.

  The thought of Stacy brought a half-smile to Paul's face, and he urged his horse to a quicker pace. There was no way he could make things easier for his son, but he was going to do all he could to help him fit in. With his mother dead, the boy belonged with him.

  Wind Walker kept pace with his father, knowing that soon his life was going to change forever. His father had told him of the ranch during his visits, but up until now, he had never imagined a time when he would live there. He had always thought of himself as a Comanche, but now he was going to live in the white world.

  Paul reined in as he topped a low rise. He looked at his son as he stopped next to him.

  "We're here," Paul told him. "This is your new home. It's the Bar S-, but we call it the Dollar."

  Wind Walker stared down at the ranch in the valley below. The two-story house and multiple outbuildings were an impressive sight, yet the idea of living in such a place was completely foreign to him.

  Paul observed Wind Walker carefully. Though the boy's expression revealed nothing of what he was feeling, Paul could well imagine the turmoil within him. The inner strength he was displaying made Paul proud and even more determined to do everything he could to help his son through these difficult times. He was glad that he'd taken the time over the years to teach Walker some of the ways of the white man and how to speak English. It was certainly going to help him now.

  "From now on, you'll be known as Walker Stevenson," he told him. "Are you ready?"

  "I am ready, Father," Walker responded evenly, but in reality he wasn't. His father had warned him that not all white people would accept him, and he remembered the spirit's warning of what was to come. A part of him wanted to turn his horse around and race back to the life he'd always known, but he controlled the urge. Fiercely, he forced away the painful reality that that life was lost to him forever.

  Walker followed his father down to the ranch.

  Six-year-old Stacy Stevenson was currying her horse in the stable when she first heard one of the ranch hands call out that there were two riders coming in. She'd been anxiously awaiting her father's return and hurried to the doorway to see who it was. It didn't take her long to recognize him. Excited and more than a little nervous about what would happen next, she ran for the house to tell her mother.

  "Mama!"

  Elizabeth Whiting Stevenson had been hard at work in the kitchen when she heard her daughter's call. Wiping her hands on her apron, she went to the door to see what Stacy wanted.

  "What is—?" She'd barely spoken when she caught sight of her husband and the boy in the distance, and she went still.

  The moment she'd been dreading all these days had come . . . .

  Paul was back, and he'd brought his half-breed son with him.

  "Papa's here!" Stacy told her as she joined her there on the porch.

  "Yes, he is," she said.

  She had known about Wind Walker before she'd married Paul, but she had never imagined that she would meet the boy, let alone be forced to take him into her home.

  Wind Walker had just spent the first ten years of his life living as a Comanche.

  She shuddered inwardly at the thought, and wondered how he was ever going to fit in. Whatever happened, she knew it wasn't going to be easy for any of them to live together as a family.

  Stacy watched as they rode in. It had been confusing and surprising to her when she'd first learned she had a big brother who was part Indian. Her parents had never mentioned him in her presence until just a few weeks ago, when her father had told her Wind Walker would be coming to the ranch to live with them.

  Stacy studied her brother with open curiosity now as he drew near. His hair was long and black, he had on only a loincloth, leggings and moccasins, and he wore a small pouch on a leather thong around his neck. He looked every bit a Comanche, and though her father had told her there would be nothing to fear from the boy, she edged a little closer to her mother.

  Paul drew rein in front of the house and dismounted, as did Walker.

  "We're here, Elizabeth," Paul said, glad to finally be home. He could tell by his wife's serious expression that she was worried, and he planned to do all he could to make her comfortable with his decision to raise his son on the Dollar. He went up on the porch and kissed her gently.

  Walker stayed back by the horses. He was aware that his father's wife was watching him carefully, as was the young, blond-haired boy standing at her side. His father had told him that he had a daughter named Stacy, but Walker had no idea who this boy could be. He saw no hint of welcome in their gazes, so he remained standing where he was.

  "How's my girl?" Paul opened his arms to Stacy and she darted straight into his embrace.

  "Fine, Papa," she told him, hugging him fiercely.

  Walker was startled by the revelation that the child was not a boy, but his father's daughter. Dressed as she was in pants, a shirt and boots, Stacy looked like no girl he'd ever seen before.

  Paul knew the time had come. He turned to look at Walker. "Walker, this is your stepmother, Elizabeth—"

  "Hello." His greeting was awkward.

  "Welcome to the Dollar, Walker." She tried to sound sincere as she managed a small, not-quite-convincing smile. It wasn't easy.

  Walker made no move to join them.

  "And this is your sister, Stacy," Paul finished.

  Stacy looked up at her father and asked with childish earnestness, "Is he really my brother?"

  "Yes, he is."

  At that, she broke i
nto a very real smile and left the porch to go to him. Remembering all the stories Stacy had heard about the Comanche, she had to admit she was a little afraid of him, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She'd always wanted a big brother. She halted right in front of Walker and beamed up at him. "Come on. Let's go inside."

  Walker was unsure of what to do.

  "Come on, Walker," she insisted, not about to be put off. She took his hand and tugged him along with her. "You're home."

  Glancing down at Stacy and seeing the purity of her innocence and the openness of her welcome, he allowed himself to be drawn into the house.

  It was the beginning of his new life.

  One Month Later

  Walker was glad when Miss Lowe, the schoolmarm, finally dismissed class. Being in the small schoolhouse all day was testing his self-control, but Walker understood it was important that he learn how to read and write. He was slowly getting used to dressing like a white man and having his hair cut short, but he knew it would take much longer for him to adjust to being around the white children, especially since most of them made it a point to let him know he was not welcome. Walker left the building alone and headed over to where the horses were tied to wait for Stacy so they could ride out to the ranch. He still hadn't come to think of it as riding home yet.

  Eight-year-old Veronica Reynolds was delighted that school was out, and she was just starting her walk home when she heard a dog's tortured howl coming from somewhere behind the schoolhouse. As the daughter of the town's only doctor, she knew the sound of pain when she heard it, and she immediately ran around to the back of the building to see what was wrong.

  Roni was horrified by what she found. Lee Martin, one of the bullies from the class, had just hit Jim Geitgey, the son of the town's banker, and knocked him down. Jim's dog must have gone after the bigger boy, wanting to defend Jim, but Lee was kicking it savagely. The dog yelped and crawled away, struggling to hide in some low-growing bushes nearby.

  "Don't hurt Tiger!" Jim yelled, wiping blood from his mouth as he tried to get up. He was the smartest boy in school, but small in stature. He was no match for the stronger, meaner boy. Roni knew why Lee was after Jim today. He'd refused to let the bully copy his answers during the test that had been given that afternoon and she figured Lee had probably flunked.