Thank you to all of my readers of Wounded Legacy!

Your comments of praise and your enjoyment of the story have been invaluable during this chapter. I hope I have brought a smile occasionally. Carole

Some days have been a struggle to continue with it, while I finished a novel and began another one. I don't know about you guys, but I have come to like Sam a lot. I think I want to see where life takes her after this particular chapter of her life. Will there be romance for her...I think so. Matt is certainly hoping for that, but Sam doesn't seem to be aware of it, although everyone else is. You know, life has a way of taking us to places we never imagined ourselves to be, like that ride in the night with only the moon to guide us. Sam might just find herself in a predicament, feels like a Sequel coming to me now...Hope to see you there!

I wonder how Sam will manage a romance with all the other things on her plate...hmm.

Wounded Legacy Chapter 22

　
Sam didn't have long to wait to hear what Jake had on his mind. Aggie wanted to have Christmas at their ranch, telling Robbie that it had been a long time since she had entertained. They were planning a real old fashioned day, with dinner in the evening. Robbie told Sam to try and get on board with the idea, after all, this would be their first year without Luke. Sam hadn't thought about that. She sat down, putting her head in her hands, wondering how she was going to get all this done, and then get through it without losing it. Sam had always depended on her mom for the holidays, all she had to do was enjoy them, not having to do any of the work or planning herself.
Lily was so excited, she was hyper. Robbie loved to make cookies for this time of year to share with her neighbors, Lily wanted to be a part of it all. Taking care of Jericho had taken a back seat to making goodies. Sam had to smile, watching her lick her fingers, covered in dough. It took her back to her own childhood days of making cookies with her mother, good memories. She went in the kitchen and sat beside Lil on a stool, "Can I help?" Lily smiled, "Of course! Here, you put them on the cookie sheet, after I cut them out." Sam laughed, "So, don't I get to cut any out?" Lily shook her head no, "Not unless you make the dough, this one is all mine. I'm making these just for Matt."

Sam put on her coat, heading out the door to check on the mares in the barn. Matt pulled up beside her, "Are you afraid of the four wheeler Sam? You should be using that in this weather, I put an emergency saddle bag on it too, just in case you make a wrong turn." Sam reached down and picked up a handful of snow to throw at him, "I'm just fine, thank you very much!" She kept walking, so Matt jumped out of the truck, catching up to her, "Have you noticed anybody getting close to dropping a foal?" Sam shook her head as she opened the barn door, waiting for a moment to adjust her eyes, before going all the way in. Matt took note of her reticence, leftover feelings from the cat. He had to admit he was a little leery himself, whenever he came in here now, it would take them awhile to forget. The new fallen snow was a good thing right now, you could see any tracks plainly in it. Taking a look at all the mares, Sam was satisfied that none of them were close tonight, thank goodness. She didn't seem to be able to get past that feeling of being tired, after Jericho's injury. She also realized how much work he did on the ranch, allowing her to be part time rancher, full time mom.

Matt walked beside her back to the house, leaving his truck parked in the middle of the driveway. Lily screamed when he walked in the door, "Nooo, you can't come in here! Don't look, Matt." Matt turned around to face the door, "What can't I see?" Sam smiled, "Come with me." She walked him backwards to the den, to chat with Jericho, relaxed in the recliner. Matt grinned at her, while he sat in the chair next Jericho, knowing full well that Lily was making him cookies. He felt a certain amount of pride, knowing she thought that much of him, she was choosy who she let into her heart.

Sam went to her room to finish wrapping gifts, kicking her boots off as she sat on the bed. She only had a few more to stuff into their shiny bags, making quick work of it. Taking them down to put under the tree, she heard voices in the kitchen. Ned had stopped by to bring Lily a gift, "Well, I didn't realize that you knew how to wrap gifts, Sam." She would have thrown one at him, if she had one that wouldn't break, " Instead, sticking her tongue out at him, while handing him one of the gifts in her hand. Taking the gift bag and pretending it was too heavy for him, bringing giggles from Lily, he read the card, from Lily. Ned winked at Sam, telling everyone goodbye and headed out the door. "Got a hot date?" Sam called after him. "Yep, as a matter of fact I do." he called back to her. "Here you go Lil, go put these by the tree, I have to go make one more check on the mares."
Sam headed out the door, still putting her coat on. She was met by a cold wind, coming from the north. Not good, she thought, this will bring more snow. Finding all the mares still in the same condition, she headed back to the house, when she heard horses hooves coming toward her, fast. She stood still, wishing she had been smart enough to bring a flashlight with her. Peering into the night, her eyes squinted trying to see, a horse stopped right in front of her, making her step back from it. "Hello Sam." a voice on the horse said. "Jake! You scared me to death. What are you doing?" she almost screamed at him.

"Sorry, I really didn't mean to scare you, I was just trying to catch you before you went in the house. I brought a present over." he told her, almost impishly. She was totally confused, "You couldn't have ridden that horse all the way from your ranch tonight!" she said emphatically. He slid down off the horse, as Sam realized there was no saddle. "This is for Lily, from Aggie and I. He's ready to train her, while she waits for the Bay to grow up." Jake told her. Now that her eyes were adjusted to the moonlight, Sam could see that Jake was smiling, "But..how did you know?" Jake took her hand, "Mom told me your plan, so I thought Lily might like to get started learning how to run barrels, on a horse that can teach her. I want to make friends with her Sam, I hope she can accept me now." She couldn't speak, this man was not in any way the brother that she had grown up with. Jake took the horse and put it in the barn, while Sam stood watching him. "Wait a minute Jake, how did you get the horse here?" she called out, following him into the barn. He laughed, "The trailer is at the end of the road." She should have know, but he had surprised the life out of her the way he rode up. Together they walked towards the house, "Aren't you coming in?" Sam asked. "No, I hung a card on the stall door, just send her out in the morning." he told her, heading down the drive to his truck and trailer, with Sam standing at the door watching this stranger walk away. As he disappeared into the night, she had so many emotions spinning around in her head, she had to sit on the porch for awhile.
 It was one thing for Jake to be nice, but this was far more than nice, it was thoughtful of Lily's needs. She would be needing a horse that already knew what to do, to teach her what to feel, moving through the paces. Sam still just couldn't get her head around why Jake wanted Lily to race, why he was so helpful, she just couldn't think of a reason.

Christmas morning came with a pristine blanket of new snow, covering the ruts and tracks, leaving an almost picture perfect landscape. Sam had put the saddle under the tree with a big bow tied to it, along with a card telling Lily that the Bay was hers. A little later, after breakfast, Sam asked Lily to walk to the barn with her. Once inside, Lily spied the card hanging on a stall door. Running to it, peering inside of it without taking it down, she saw her name. Excited now, she grabbed it from the nail it was hung on, reading the words that Jake had written. Sam stood a few feet away, watching her. Lily looked up at Sam, then at the stall door. She was too short to see over it, so she reached for the latch and opened it. Inside stood a gorgeous roan colored horse, calmly munching on hay. Glancing at Sam for permission to go in, she stepped inside, reaching up for the horses head and hugging it, with Sam right beside her. Even though the gift from Jake was an enormous admission of caring, Sam didn't know how the horse would react to Lil. She was carefully, watching the horses reaction, ready to intervene if necessary. The horse leaned it's head to Lil, waiting for her to rub her neck. Slowly, Sam breathed easier, watching the two of them get to know one another. When it was time to go in, the horse followed Lil to the door, as if he were a pet already, ready to go in the house with his new owner. Needless to say, Lily was thrilled with the gift.
"Sam, do you think this means that Jake likes me now?" she asked on the way to the house. Sam had asked herself the same question, "I think he does Lil, a lot it would seem. That's a pretty special horse, you know." Lil looked up at her, "Why?" Sam smiled, "Jake wanted you to have a horse that could train you, in racing." Lily didn't say anything else, but she was deep in thought, with her little brow furrowed in a line. Robbie and Jericho had been watching from the porch, "Well Lily, how do you like him?" Robbie was so proud of Jake's gift, she wanted Lily to love it and Jake. "I just love him! He is so gentle and soft, I can't wait to ride him." she answered, jumping onto the porch to hug Robbie. Sam smiled, "Later."  In the afternoon, they left for Jake and Aggie's, with Tim and his family along with them. Jericho had decided to stay home, but Jake had sent a special invitation for him, making sure that he came along, letting them all know, that he had excepted Jericho as part of the family. When they pulled into the lane, that was quite long, Jake was waiting with a sleigh, pulled by two horses. His grin was a mile wide, as they piled into it, along with their bags filled with gifts. Lily just couldn't believe it, she was so excited she almost cried, she had never ridden in a horse drawn sleigh. As Jake clicked his tongue for the horses to move, bells jingled from the sleigh, with Lily sitting beside Jake on the front seat. Sam was impressed, she had no idea that Jake could be so..thoughtful and creative. Aggie must be the best thing that had ever happened to him, all of them. Jake pulled the sleigh up in front of the ranch house, decorated in lights from top to bottom. Tommy came running out to help them out of the sleigh, holding onto Lily for a moment as he lifted her down. Sam noticed that he had grown taller, with a different look about him too, contented. Once inside, they were amazed at the beautifully decorated home. The ceiling was made of timbers, reaching a height of about 17'. A huge stone fireplace with a roaring fire, welcomed them into a spacious room with a giant tree by the staircase, almost reaching the timbers above.

Aggie greeted them warmly, taking their coats from them to another room. Sam noticed a dining room, set as though it came straight out of a magazine. Aggie made sure that everyone was comfortably seated, then went to stand beside Jake. "Jake and I want to welcome you to our home, for the first of hopefully many gatherings here." she said graciously. Then Jake cleared his throat, "Thank you all for joining us today. It's a special day for us, in many ways." He stopped to look at Aggie, unable to continue, so she took over, "Jake and I are so happy that you are all here, to join us for Christmas..and our wedding." Robbie put her hand to her mouth with a gasp, jumping up to hug them. Sam thought she saw Jake's eyes glisten with almost tears. The look on his face told her that this was a man reborn, able to love, with kindness and compassion. Everything about him had changed, even the way he held himself, relaxed and easy. She slowly got up, waiting for Jake to move away from Robbie, he held out his arms to her. Hugging Jake suddenly felt as though it was the most right thing in the world. With tears in her eyes, she glanced over at Aggie, "Thank you." Aggie knew exactly what she meant, nodding to her.
Lily stood beside Jericho, waiting, her eyes taking in the scene. When Jake moved toward her, smiling, she jumped into his arms, "Thank you for my present Jake. I just love him!" She put her lips up to his ear and whispered, "What about Tommy?" Jake laughed, "Aggie and I are adopting him, Lily. You can see him whenever you want, he'll always be here." Sam watched, as the sparkle in Jake's eyes told her, he was truly a changed man. The anger gone, replaced with a softer side now.
Jake looked down at Lily, still in his arms, "Lily, I think you are going to make as a good a racer as your Mom. She was something to see." Finally, Sam had her answer, she knew why it was important for him, that Lily race.

The End

　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

Lane James Reverie: Wounded Legacy Chapter 21

Lane James Reverie: Wounded Legacy Chapter 21: Sam stood on the porch, listening for any sounds. All she could hear was the pinging of the ice on the roof. Getting in the truck, she put ...

Wounded Legacy Chapter 21

Sam stood on the porch, listening for any sounds. All she could hear was the pinging of the ice on the roof. Getting in the truck, she put it in four wheel drive, even though it had chains on it. Sam drove slowly , turning the truck back and fourth to cover more ground with the lights. There was no light in the barn or anywhere else, and no sign of Jericho. Sam squinted her eyes to see through the ice, realizing she was holding the steering wheel so tight, her fingers hurt. Pulling the truck in front of the barn door, she got out, calling his name. Nothing. Flipping on the barn lights with one wave of her arm, she continued calling his name, while she walked through the barn, her gun ready. Turning toward the stall the cat had been in, she saw a boot lying on the floor. It was Jericho's. Sam was scared, so scared she was shaking right down to her toes, gritting her teeth. She slowly stepped closer to the boot, looking around her without making a noise.

Suddenly she heard a whisper, "Sam." Standing perfectly still, she tried to tell where it came from. "Sam, over here." Stepping toward the stall, she saw Jericho laying in a pool of blood, the cat in the corner, waiting. Watching both of them now, his yellow eyes glinting in the light. Jericho's gun was almost all the way across the stall, beside the cat. Sam took slow but steady aim..the cat fell dead. Sam stood ready to shoot again, with her gun cocked, but Jericho whispered, "Good shooting."

Sam knelt beside him, "What happened?" Tears were falling down her cheeks, while Jericho tried to lean on his elbow. "I made the mistake of thinking I had him, but he still had life in him, when I reached for his tail. He got my foot, before I knew it. When the boot came off, I reached for it and threw it at him. Dumb move. He jumped into the corner then, watching me, waiting for me to take my eyes off of him." Sam looked at his foot, "We have to get you to the hospital. You've lost a lot of blood, Jericho." She looked around for the wheel barrow, finding it down the other aisle. "Sam, you won't be able to push that through the ice, I'll have to walk." he told her. A noise behind them made them both jump, Sam reaching for her gun."Whoa! It's me, Matt. What in the world..." his voice trailed off, when he saw Jericho. Matt ran to the tack room and got a blanket and the first aid kit. Wrapping his foot in a clean plastic bag, then with the blanket. "Sit tight." he told them, running down the aisle. They heard the four wheeler start. He drove it to them, reaching for Jericho's hand and lifting him onto the four wheeler over his shoulder. Jericho didn't make a sound, but the look on his face made Sam hurt for him. Matt took off for the house, while Sam shut the barn up and ran, slipping and sliding behind them, desperate to find out how bad Jericho's foot really was.

Inside the house, Robbie started to work on his foot, carefully removing the bag, resting it on the folded blanket. "The roads are bad, but I'll take you to the hospital." Matt told him. "Let's get a good look at it first, I don't want him bleeding to death in my kitchen!" Robbie joked. She poured warm water over the wound, trying to be as gentle as she could. "Ok, I think the bleeding is stopping now."
"I think it will be fine, Rob. We can go in the morning if need be, not now." Jericho told her. Matt took over, "Actually, we are going now, the truck is already warm." Trying to joke with Jericho, but serious, Matt knew that he had lost a lot of blood and needed to be taken to the hospital. "Sam, get some pillows for his head, as well as his foot. A couple of blankets too." She flew up the stairs to get the supplies. When she got back, they had Jericho almost out the door. His head was falling forward, he was so weak and in shock. Sam grabbed her coat and took the other side of him, holding him up so Matt could hold his foot in the air.
Robbie took the blankets to the truck, placing them on the back seat.

"Robbie, call the hospital and let them know what we are coming in with. It'll take us awhile to get there though." Matt called out. Robbie nodded, holding Lily in her arms at the door. "Be careful!" she called to them. Matt turned the truck around and slid the rest of the way to the driveway. "Get ready Sam, we're going on a ride." he laughed. She did not think it was funny, "Matt." He looked sheepishly over at her, "Sorry, but it is true. You ok back there Jericho?" he asked. "Fine." was all he could say, the pain was beginning to reach his threshold now. Sam was worried that he could lose his foot. She sat silently, berating herself for not checking on him sooner. If only she hadn't waited so long, he wouldn't be in this shape. Matt looked over at her, seeing the pensive look on her face, "Sam, you did all that you could. You saved his life, after all. You have to stop now." He knew what she was thinking. She turned to look out the window, not willing to be soothed.

Thankfully, they reached the hospital without mishap. The staff was waiting with a gurney to take him, as soon as they pulled up to the Emergency Entrance. Matt took Sam to the cafeteria for coffee, while they waited. She didn't want to talk though, so they went back to the waiting room. Sam stood at the windows, watching the ice continue to fall. Matt sat across the room from her, glancing at her every few minutes, feeling totally inept, not having a clue how to help her though this. Finally, after what seemed hours, the doctor came out and told them, Jericho was being admitted. His foot would be ok, but they needed to pump him with antibiotics to avoid infection, since it was an animal bite. The scratches on his arms would be fine too. The doctor told them he was exhausted and would probably sleep through the night, so they should go home. Sam told him she would be staying, just in case he needed anything. Matt knew there was no way to change her mind, so he stayed too.

After calling Robbie, they made themselves a nest of sorts, with the chairs and pillows that a nurse brought them. Sam couldn't fall asleep, but Matt did. She smiled at him, watching him sleep so soundly, in the most uncomfortable chair she thought had ever been made. Hers was a recliner of sorts, but she kept sliding out of it. Finally, she did sleep for awhile, waking up when the breakfast trays started rolling down the hall. She woke Matt, "Come on, let's go get something to eat." He fumbled for his hat and followed her out the door, "Is he ok?" "He slept through the night, so I guess that means the pain meds worked." she told him. Almost to the cafeteria, the aroma of food began to reach them. "I can't believe how hungry I am." Sam said. "Yeah, me too. That noise you hear, is my stomach. Did we eat dinner last night, I forgot." he asked her. "I didn't, I don't suppose you did either, unless you ate before you came over." she laughed.
He shook his head and grabbed a tray, filling it with as much as he could get on it. Sam did the same, she was starving and greatly in need of fresh coffee. "I hope they feed Jericho, he'll be hungry even if he's in pain." Sam said with a mouthful. "Sorry, excuse my bad manners." Matt grinned at her, "Just enjoy."

They walked into Jericho's room, when they had finished eating, just as he was finishing his own breakfast. "Well, I'm glad you got something to eat too." Sam told him, kissing him on the cheek. "How do you feel?" "Not bad, not bad." he answered. Matt stood at the foot of the bed, "Glad you're ok. You gave us quite a scare last night." Jericho smiled at him, "Thank you both, for everything. The doc said I need to stay here a couple of days. I'm sorry Sam." Sam quickly took his hand, "Don't you worry about a thing. Just do everything they tell you, so we can bring you home." Jericho teared up, but couldn't say a thing. Sam turned to Matt, "I guess we better go home and check on things while Jericho gets some more rest. We'll be back later, and you call if you want us to bring you anything."
Pulling into the drive, Sam sighed. "Were you scared of my driving?" Matt teased. She grinned at him, "Yep." Inside, they filled Robbie and Lily in on Jericho's condition. "I'll get you some breakfast." Robbie told them. "No thanks, we ate at the hospital. We had to Mom, we were starving." Sam laughed. Lily climbed in her lap, "Is he really going to be alright?" she asked, with tears brimming on her lids. Sam hugged her, "He really is hon. He'll need to take it easy, I'm sure, so you will have to help him get better." Lily brightened up at the thought of playing nurse for Jericho. "I'll have everything ready for him!" she said, already planning out her nursing duties.

"Matt, I really can't thank you enough for everything. I don't know what I would have done without your help." Sam told him quietly. Matt almost made a joke, but thought better of it, "Anytime Sam." A look passed between them, that Robbie took note of, hoping that Sam would finally wake up and see what Matt had to offer her. "I better go home and check on my mom." Matt said, leaving. "I'll come back later to help feed, Sam. Get some rest until I get back." Sam got a cup of coffee, "I think I will take a shower before I do anything else. My back hurts from that darn chair. Why don't you call Jericho, to see what he needs." she told her mom. "Sam, you know Christmas is next week. We need to make some plans." Robbie said. Sam hadn't even thought about it being so close to Christmas. She looked at Robbie, "What do I need to do?" Robbie shook her head, "Honey, what does Christmas mean to little girls?"

Sam buried her head in her hands, "I think I've lost touch with life Mom." Robbie pulled Sam to her, "Things have been tough lately, but this is part of life. You still have to be the parent that Lily needs, even when you don't feel exactly in the spirit for it. Look, she made a list." Robbie handed her the list. Sam read it, a smile creeping around her eyes. "Riding lessons? She's a pretty smart cookie. How about if we give her the bay?" Robbie nodded, "That's the only thing she really wants. You know Sam, she's never really had much at Christmas. I suspect there wasn't enough money to go around." Sam was thoughtful, "I think we need to include Tommy, would that be ok with you?" Robbie was all for it, "I'll call Jake, or maybe Aggie tomorrow, to find out what they might have in the works for him."
Jake was glad to hear from Robbie the next day, inviting her over to the ranch. Sam raised her eyebrows, wondering what was up with that...

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Dear Readers,
Only one more Chapter left on this one. Let's see..what's Sam going to end up doing...in the end..