His Heart’s Secret Refuge (Preview)

Chapter One

Oakley Valley, Texas 

July 1888

Robert Mayfield jerked out of a deep sleep, his eyes wide open as he tried to figure out what had woken him up. When all was quiet for a full minute, he allowed himself to relax, but only a few seconds later, he heard the strange sound again. It sounded like someone was in his yard. He carefully got out of bed and crept to the window. He carefully parted the curtains just a few inches and peered into the darkness, but he couldn’t see anything. He glanced at the empty space where his faithful dog, Dusty, used to lie. Dusty had died of old age in his sleep a few months ago, and Robert desperately wished he was still around. He didn’t realize how much he relied on the dog to alert him of things going on around the house and the farm. Dusty would have let him know that someone was coming before he had even heard the strange sounds. He would know if the person was someone Dusty knew or if it was a stranger by his unique barks. 

From where Robert was standing, everything looked calm and peaceful in the yard. He could barely see the barn in the darkness, but nothing looked out of place. He could see the sun just barely beginning to rise in the east. After studying the yard for a full minute, he shrugged his shoulders and glanced at his bed, wondering if he should try to get more sleep or get up for the day. Finally deciding to try to get another hour of shuteye, he walked back to his bed. Just as he began to lie down, he heard footsteps on his porch and fierce pounding on his front door.

“Robert! Are you in there?” 

Robert frowned, thinking that it might be his brother, Patrick. He hadn’t seen or heard from his brother in over a week. They’d had a hard conversation where Robert had pleaded with Patrick to do the right thing. Patrick had left after making no promises, leaving Robert to wonder what Patrick had decided to do about the mess he was in. Maybe his brother was returning to let him know what his decision was. Robert had promised to help in any way he could once Patrick decided what to do.

Eager to hear what his brother had to say, he opened the door, but his heart fell when he realized it was not Patrick but the sheriff of Oakley Valley. 

“What can I do for you, Sheriff Barnes?” he asked with surprise. “It’s a bit early for a visit, don’t you think?” He was not happy to see the sheriff on his porch. The lawman wasn’t his favorite person, and he usually did his best to avoid the man whenever he was in town and the surrounding area of Texas.

“I’m not here for a visit. I am here to arrest you for murder,” Sheriff Barnes stated with a frown. Robert noticed that the sheriff held his hand close to his gun that was holstered on his hip, as if he expected Robert to do something rash. 

Robert stared at the sheriff in complete shock, but he was also very confused. Surely this was impossible! Why would the sheriff want to arrest him for murder? Unless….

Robert wasn’t able to complete that thought when he heard a shout in the darkness.

“Sheriff! You better come to the barn. I found the gun that was used to kill the man.”

Robert was still trying to figure out what was going on when Sheriff Barnes cursed and then glared at him. “You better not be going anywhere,” he said as he turned on his heel and hurried toward his deputy, who was holding something in his hand, but Robert couldn’t see what it was in the early morning darkness. The sheriff took the item his deputy was holding, stared at it for a moment, and then turned to Robert.

“Well, well, well. Look what we found,” Sheriff Barnes sneered his words as he spoke and held up what he was holding. He actually looked pleased that he had a reason to cause grief for Robert.

Robert’s heart dropped when he finally could see what the sheriff held, and he also recognized it. It was a gun, and the last time he had seen it, it had been in someone else’s hands. 

“That’s not mine,” Robert stated flatly. He tried to figure out why this gun was on his property. “Where in the barn did you find it?”

“The haystack in the back,” the deputy, Jed, said as he smirked, also showing his dislike for Robert. “Looks like you’re busted.”

“For what?” Robert asked, still confused as to what was going on.

“For murder,” Sheriff Barnes said as he handed the gun to Jed. “Put that in my saddlebag.” 

Jed gave a nod and walked toward their horses. Robert watched as the sheriff pulled some rope from the back pocket of his pants. He stared at the sheriff’s face, part of him wondering if the lawman was actually serious that he intended to arrest Robert for a crime he didn’t commit, without proof. He noticed a jagged scar near the sheriff’s right ear, and he wondered where the man had gotten into. 

All of these thoughts went through his mind almost instantly as Robert stepped off his porch and moved away from the sheriff. He wasn’t about to allow the sheriff to use that rope until he knew exactly what was going on. Surely if he could get Sheriff Barnes to listen to him, he could figure out why the man was convinced he had killed someone. 

Sheriff Barnes frowned. “Now, Robert. We can either make this easy for both of us, or we can do it the hard way. Either way, you are under arrest for murder.”

Robert wished he could talk some sense into the sheriff, but he could tell by the calculating look in his eyes that talking wasn’t going to keep him from being arrested. As the sheriff kept advancing toward him, he knew he had to make a quick decision. Keeping an eye on Deputy Jed, who had his back toward them as he tucked the gun into Sheriff Barnes’ saddlebag, Robert took off running in the opposite direction and into the darkness. 

“Hey, get back here!” Sheriff Barnes yelled angrily.

Robert didn’t obey and continued to run as fast as he could, dogging around his house and heading to the far corner of his land. He heard gunfire, and he grimaced, knowing that Sheriff Barned had fired his gun at him. He was glad that it was still fairly dark, so he wasn’t hit, but he began to sweat at the idea that the sheriff was willing to shoot him instead of just making an arrest. 

“Get on your horse and go after him!” Sheriff Barnes yelled, obviously giving Jed the orders.

He ran toward an old shed and then ducked behind a large tree, trying to figure out the best place to hide. Suddenly he saw an old haystack that sat at the edge of his farm. He looked carefully around and then ran in that direction. Only a few seconds later, he dove into the haystack and then did his best to cover himself up. This particular haystack had been sitting in the weather for a few years. He had to breathe through his mouth at the stench the hay gave off, but he also knew it was a perfect hiding place until the Sheriff and Deputy Jed left, as long as neither man had seen him run in this direction.

He waited for a few long minutes, fully expecting Sheriff Barnes and Jed to ride all over his farm. Instead, he couldn’t hear anything. He wished that he could see what was going on and where they were at. He knew that the sheriff wouldn’t look for him on foot since the man looked like he enjoyed his wife’s good cooking a little too much, enough that running after a fit and limber man like Robert would have been a struggle. And Jed never did anything he wasn’t ordered to do.

For a while, Robert didn’t hear anything, and he wondered if they had left his property, thinking he had run in a different direction. But a few minutes later, he heard voices, and he tensed, barely breathing. The two men were standing very close to the haystack he was hiding in.

“I don’t see him anywhere,” Deputy Jed said, frustration in his voice.

“He’s a crazy man for running off. Just shows that he is guilty of murder, just like we were told,” Sheriff Barnes muttered. 

“What do you want to do?” Deputy Jed asked.

There was a long pause as if the sheriff was thinking. “I’ll head back into town. You stick around Robert’s property for a while. If he shows up, then arrest him and bring him in. I doubt he’ll stay hidden for long.”

“Will do,” Deputy Jed agreed with a snicker.

Robert waited until he heard both horses move away from him. Using his hands, he made a small opening in the hay and took a deep breath of fresh air. As the sun rose, he could see the deputy making himself comfortable on Robert’s porch. He heard Sheriff Barnes ride off toward town.

He stayed in the hay all day, doing his best to wait patiently for Deputy Jed to give up. At one point, the man had gone into his house for a few minutes and returned eating something. Obviously he had helped himself to Robert’s food. One thing Jed didn’t do was continue to look for him. Was the man really stupid enough to think Robert would just show up with the deputy sitting on his porch waiting for him?

While he hid, Robert tried to figure out why he was being accused of murder. He felt a bit like a coward, hiding when he would have rather talked things through with the sheriff. He didn’t like that someone had given the sheriff some story and pinned the blame on Robert. He knew that if the sheriff had only listened to him, he would have been able to prove he was innocent of killing whoever it was that was dead. But he also knew Sheriff Barnes well enough that he tended to act instead of talk, and he wouldn’t be interested in laying out all the facts before trying to arrest Robert. 

He found it ironic that he was hiding in a haystack, just like someone had hidden that gun the deputy had found in the smaller haystack in the barn. He knew who owned that gun, and that person had come to visit just the week before. Had that person accidentally left it behind? And if he had, why would it have been in his barn? It just didn’t make sense, and things weren’t adding up. 

He did know why Sheriff Barnes disliked him so much. He was jealous of Robert’s success with his job. He was a bounty hunter and spent most of his time traveling around Texas and some of the other Western states, looking for criminals and outlaws. He was very good at his job and usually successful at finding whatever he was after. He had an understanding with some Texas Rangers who would utilize his services. Most outlaws knew how to avoid them, but Robert was good at disguising himself as a regular civilian. 

He had a stack of wanted posters in his room, outlaws that most sheriffs and Texas Rangers wanted behind bars. He had just finished a job, finding an outlaw who had become skilled at attacking stagecoaches, robbing them, and even killing innocent victims if he felt the urge. He had been able to track the man to a cave no one knew about and had earned quite a bit of reward money. The problem was, Sheriff Barnes had also been looking for the man and was angry that Robert had, in his words, gone behind his back. Robert made more money as a bounty hunter than lawmen did, and Sheriff Barnes definitely resented that. 

Just as it began to grow dark again, Robert smiled with relief when Deputy Jed got on his horse and left, heading toward town, evidently given up on trying to find Robert for now. He waited another half-hour to make sure the man was really gone before he left the haystack. He headed to his house and knew what he had to do. Once inside, he changed into a clean shirt and pants, and then threw another change of clothes into a canvas bag. He wanted to take a quick bath in a nearby stream but knew he didn’t have time, although he was fully aware that he smelled from spending all day in an old haystack. 

In the kitchen, he added some canned beans, peaches, and the last loaf of bread he’d purchased from the general store a few days ago. In his room, he pulled up a loose floorboard and removed a wad of money that he had hidden there. He made sure he had enough bullets for his colt revolver as well as his newest gun, a Winchester, and then went to the barn to saddle his dark gray gelding, Remington.

In the darkness of an almost moonless night, he left, riding west and away from his property, wondering how long it would be before he could return. He was glad that he wasn’t leaving any animals behind that needed continued care because he didn’t know when he would be returning.

Chapter Two

Chestnut Ridge, Texas

Agatha Winton woke up early, as was her custom. She quickly put on a navy-blue dress and then added a large white apron that practically covered her entire dress. After pulling on stockings and her sturdy black shoes, she found her brush and began to count the strokes through her long, auburn hair. When she reached one hundred, as was her daily custom, she twisted her hair and secured it behind her head. 

Leaving her bedroom that was located in the attic of her aunt’s boarding house, she walked down two flights of stairs and made her way to the kitchen. The first thing she did was light a fire in the stove to get it ready to make breakfast for the boarders. She pumped some water from the pump at the sink into the coffee pot and put it on the stove to boil. She found a large clean bowl and began to add ingredients to make pancakes. She hummed as she worked, a tune that she made up, and smiled as she worked.

She worked as a maid in her Aunt May’s boarding house. Her aunt had been running this establishment for ten years now, and it was the most popular place for single men to live. Aunt May provided clean rooms and two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. 

The boarding house was large enough to house up to twelve men, as well as providing living quarters for most of the employees. 

“Are you up already?”

Agatha turned with a ready smile toward her Aunt May’s frowning face. “Of course.”

“You know you don’t need to get up so early. You worked late last night and the night before. I told you to sleep in this morning.”

“I know, but I woke up at my usual time and wasn’t tired, so I decided to come help,” Agatha explained. She didn’t want to admit that she had made some plans that day, and she wanted to get her work done early. 

Aunt May sighed as she began to add coffee grounds to the boiling water. Agatha knew that the older woman always needed a cup or two before she started her day. 

“I think that it is about time that you find something more to live for than just working as a maid in my boarding house,” Aunt May grumbled. “And singing while you do it.”

Agatha laughed. “I’m happy with what I’m doing, Aunt May. You know that.”

This was a common conversation that she had with her Aunt May, and Agatha knew the older woman wasn’t convinced that she was content. Still grumbling under her breath, she poured a cup of coffee and left the kitchen. Agatha knew she was heading to her office for a few minutes of quiet and to drink her coffee. 

“Good morning, May Fielding.”

Agatha’s ears pricked as she heard the handyman’s greeting to her aunt just outside the kitchen. She smiled at Aunt May’s usual grunt, and then she said something Agatha couldn’t hear.

Shamelessly, she eased toward the kitchen entrance, making sure to stay out of sight. She wanted to know what they were saying.

“I was wondering if I can take you out for a drink sometime,” Gregory Harding said, a thread of hope in his voice. 

Agatha smiled, glad to hear that the handyman had finally gotten up the nerve to ask her aunt out. She had known for a while now that Mr. Harding was fond of Aunt May. But she frowned in concern a moment later at Aunt May’s response.

“I’m truly sorry, Gregory, but I’ve told you before, I don’t think it is a good idea for the people under my roof to court one another. This rule goes for myself, too.”

“I understand, but it would just be a drink among friends,” Mr. Harding responded. Agatha could hear the hope as well as disappointment in his voice. “That would be all right, don’t you think?”

“What are you doing?” 

Agatha jumped at the loud whisper in her ears and turned around to glare at the man who stood in front of her, a wide smile on his face. “Eavesdropping again, are we?”

Agatha moved toward the stove and away from her older brother, Tucker. “Of course not. I wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Is Gregory attempting to ask Aunt May out again?”

Agatha nodded. “I am concerned for her, if I’m to be honest. I’m afraid that she has been alone for so long, she will never consider the possibility of another relationship.”

“Some women are happy living on their own,” Tucker said as he began to pull out multiple cast iron frying pans to start breakfast. “And besides, she really isn’t alone. She has us.”

Agatha didn’t bother responding to her brother’s comment, mainly because she had heard it before. She just couldn’t fathom a woman, even one as old as Aunt May, who did not want to marry if she had a chance. She was one of the nicest and sweetest women Agatha knew, once she had a few cups of coffee in her, and she hated how hard her aunt worked to keep this boarding house going. If she married, she wouldn’t need to work so hard. Maybe she could even take a few days off or even go on a trip back East. There had been a few times when Aunt May had mentioned the desire to see the Statue of Liberty in New York since it had been dedicated the year before, as well as visit some relatives who lived in Boston. But in the same breath, Aunt May would also comment how traveling so far on her own wouldn’t be feasible. 

Leaving Tucker to take over making breakfast, Agatha went outside to gather eggs and feed the chickens. She saw her other older brother, Ike, near the barn, leading a horse out into the morning sunlight. She waved, which he returned, and then she turned her attention to the chickens. Gathering up her apron, she carefully placed the eggs she found into it as she thought about her aunt’s dilemma. She really wanted Aunt May to accept Mr. Harding’s invitation and tried to figure out a way to encourage her to do so. Maybe she could offer to take over serving the evening meal or keep an eye on things after the dishes were done. That way, Mr. Harding could easily take her to the only restaurant in Chestnut Ridge. She found it ironic that Aunt May gave her a hard time for working long and hard around the boarding house, but her aunt worked twice as long and hard. 

Part of the reason why Agatha did what extra work she could, over her other responsibilities as a maid, was because she was very grateful that her aunt had taken her and her two brothers in when their parents were killed in a carriage accident when she was five years old. It couldn’t have been easy for a single woman to take in three children between the ages of five and twelve. Ike had been the oldest and had dealt with a lot of anger through the first few years after the horrible accident. He had even run away a few times. Tucker, only a few years younger, had become quiet and withdrawn, barely talking to anyone. The accident had affected Agatha less, most likely because of her young age and the instant love Aunt May had provided. She had few memories of her parents. 

Her aunt had sold the farm her parents had owned just outside of town and used the money to purchase some land where she had this large boarding house built one block south of the main street. Many people in town had thought Aunt May was making a huge mistake in taking in her sister’s children and not sending them to the nearest orphanage, but Aunt May was determined to keep the family together. The boarding house had been an instant success from the first day it opened. She had also purchased enough land to build not only the boarding house but also a large barn where her boarders could stable their horses. She paid Ike to take care of them when their owners couldn’t. Ike also raised and trained horses to be sold to the army. 

Tucker enjoyed cooking, so he now was essentially over that job, although Agatha helped whenever she was needed. When Agatha was old enough, she had also contributed to the business, keeping the first floor clean, as well as the flower gardens that grew around the house. Aunt May took care of the general running of the boarding house, as well as cleaning the men’s rooms. Agatha wasn’t allowed to spend any time on the second floor since she was a young single woman.

She sprinkled chicken feed on the ground for the birds to peck at and then left the coop with an apron full of a dozen eggs. She entered the kitchen and carefully placed each egg in a bowl to be cleaned later. 

She could hear Aunt May greeting the boarders as they entered the dining room for breakfast, one of the things she did every morning. 

“I’m going to help Aunt May,” she announced.

Tucker frowned at her. “You know I don’t like you around the men, Agatha. Why don’t you…fry up the bacon?”

Agatha laughed. “It is perfectly acceptable for me to greet the men with Aunt May.” 

She liked to see who was staying in the boarding house. There were some men who rented rooms for only a few nights before moving on to another town or city. There were other men who basically lived there, working at nearby businesses or in the nearby silver mine. She never understood Tucker’s concern about being around these men. Most of them were well-mannered and barely spoke to her. 

Every so often, there were a few who tried to interact with her, but when they found out that she had two big burly brothers working in the boarding house, as well as the fact that she was the niece of the owner, they left her alone. The ones that didn’t take the hints that her brothers dished out were soon encouraged to move on. She never had to worry about her safety with her brothers around.

Aunt May also provided meals to anyone in town who wished to have a good home-cooked meal, even though they didn’t live in the boarding house. Sometimes they fed over a dozen men in one shift, and Agatha often helped Tucker cook when there were more men than usual to feed. 

She went into the dining room and began to set out silverware, plates, and glasses on the table in front of each chair while she listened to Aunt May talk to each boarder as they entered the room. She recognized most of them, but at one point, two men walked in that looked rather unkempt. They gave their names as Pete and Joe, and Agatha knew that they were in the boarding house for a meal. Aunt May gave them a welcoming smile and pointed to two chairs for them to sit in.

“You shouldn’t be out here.” 

Agatha frowned at Ike, who had appeared beside her. “I’m doing my job, Ike.”

She loved her brothers deeply, but sometimes they also drove her crazy. They were extremely overprotective. 

“Those men could be criminals,” Ike half-whispered as he gave a nod in Pete and Joe’s direction. “Stay away from them, and don’t talk to them.”

Agatha knew that sometimes the men that came to stay at the boarding house were criminals, although it could never be proven. But most of the men were usually just regular people who were working at whatever job they could find and doing their best to survive. “I’ll be careful.”

Ike frowned and then sat down next to Pete, as if he was going to do his part in keeping his sister from these unfavorable men. Agatha just rolled her eyes and continued doing her job. She set the last glass in place when another man she didn’t recognize walked into the dining room.

For some reason, she was instantly struck by him. He was handsome, with brown hair and dark eyes. His hair was trimmed, and he had a short beard, also well cared for. He was quite tall and well-built. He wore a pressed blue shirt and clean pants, letting her know his appearance was important to him. Aunt May greeted him, and he answered with a deep, but well-mannered voice. 

“I’m looking for a room for a few days,” the man said.

“I have one that rents by the night. The previous tenant moved out a few days ago.” Aunt May named an amount, and the man didn’t bat an eye at the cost. “Of course, the room includes breakfast and dinner.”

“I’ll take it.” The man nodded.

Just then, five more men had appeared, and Aunt May called out, “Agatha, will you come and help me, please?”

Agatha walked to her aunt’s side. “What do you want me to do?”

“Write down this man’s information while I help these other men.” Her aunt pointed to the dark-haired man Agatha was secretly admiring.

Agatha nodded, glad to have a chance to talk to the stranger.

“What’s your name?” she asked pleasantly.

“Robert,” he answered. When he didn’t give a surname, Agatha mentally shrugged and wrote his name down in the ledger. “How many days will you be staying?”

“Two, maybe three. Could be here a week.” 

She nodded, although she was a bit confused. Usually, men knew exactly how many days they were staying, but she recorded that information. “Where are you traveling from?”

The man smiled, and his brown eyes seemed to spark with laughter. “Do you need to know my traveling plans to stay here?”

Agatha laughed with him. “No. I’m just curious. We get men from all over, and I like to keep track of how far some people travel.” When he didn’t volunteer the information, she shrugged. “I hope you will enjoy your time here in the Fielding Boarding House.”

“I’m sure I will,” Robert answered, giving her a grin that seemed to go straight to her toes. 

She frowned at the unfamiliar feelings she had around this man. “I think we can put you in room six,” Agatha said as she set the ledger aside to find the correct key in a box kept for that purpose. She felt a presence behind her and tried not to groan. She knew without looking that Tucker stood there, looking at the ledger over her shoulder. 

“You didn’t give a surname,” Tucker said with a frown and crossed his arms over his chest. “We will need one.”

Robert glanced at Agatha as if asking if he really needed to tell them his last name. She shrugged, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to say anything to make Tucker go away until the man did what he wanted.

“It’s….” Robert stopped and then cleared his throat. “Merriweather. Robert Merriweather.”

Agatha nodded and quickly wrote that name down. For some reason, she had the distinct impression that Merriweather was not Robert’s last name, that he was lying. But she didn’t voice her thoughts, recognizing that she could be wrong.

“Well, Robert Merriweather. Why don’t you find your room? Just follow those stairs over there. Room six is on the left of the hallway.” Tucker said the words like he was ordering the man to leave, and not asking. “Breakfast will be served momentarily.”

Robert nodded at them both and didn’t seem the least upset at Tucker’s direct order. He picked up a brown bag he had at his feet and went upstairs. 

“What did I say about staying away from the men?” Tucker asked after Robert was gone.

“Tucker, you and Ike need to stop being so protective of me,” Agatha retorted, her hands on her hips. “Aunt May asked me to help. I’m just doing my job.”

Tucker didn’t seem at all perturbed that his sister was angry at him. He stared at the retreating figure of Robert. “I don’t like that man. He gives me a bad feeling. Stay away from him.”

She held her chin up and had to bite her cheek to not laugh at Tucker’s comment about some feeling. What did that even mean? “I think he was a perfect gentleman.”

“A man who refuses to give his last name and then gives an obvious fake one clearly has something to hide.”

“I think Merriweather is a perfectly acceptable name,” Agatha said, conveniently forgetting that she’d had the same thoughts about Robert’s last name.

Aunt May joined them and took the ledger from Agatha. “I can take over now.” She looked at Tucker’s frowning face and Agatha’s annoyed one. “Is something wrong?”

“I talked to a man, and Tucker didn’t like it,” Agatha answered.

Aunt May shook her head at the two of them. Agatha knew she was very familiar with the overprotectiveness her brothers displayed. The few times Agatha brought the subject up, Aunt May always sided with her brothers.

“That is the job of older brothers, to watch over and take care of a younger sister. Be glad that they care so much,” she had told Agatha. 

Agatha went back into the dining room to see if any of the men needed anything. Ike saw her and waved.

“Hey, sis. There is an empty chair next to me. Come and get some breakfast.”

All the men looked at Agatha and then at Ike, and she knew he was letting all the men know she was off limits. She instantly decided she’d had enough of her brothers for a while. 

“No, thank you,” she said as politely as she could. 

She went into the kitchen and, without saying a word to Tucker, filled a plate with pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. She went outside to enjoy her breakfast on the back porch where no one was around, including annoying older brothers.

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“His Heart’s Secret Refuge” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Agatha leads a happy but rather dull life, working as a maid in her aunt’s boarding house, along with her protective brothers. Her peaceful routine is disturbed when a mysterious, rugged man, Robert, shows up asking for a room. Her innate compassion and curiosity bring her closer to him but as her fascination for him increases so does the number of strange incidents around town. Her heart might be enchanted but her mind suggests caution…

Will she lay aside her doubts for a chance at love?

Robert has always had dealings with the law, but he never expected to be wanted for murder. Barely able to escape, he finds himself in a boarding house in a small Texas town, trying to figure out a way to clear his name. In this complicated situation, his heart pounds for the first time out of affection and not fear. He is mesmerized by Agatha, the young woman who works there, but he knows that he needs to face the allegations before courting her properly.

Can he find a way to turn his life around and let love dwell in his heart?

When Robert’s pursuers will come after him he will need a trusting ally to help him prove his innocence. Will Agatha be able to help him against her brothers’ objections? Will the two of them be able to save themselves and their growing feelings? Or will they end up lost and heartbroken?

“His Heart’s Secret Refuge” is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Get your copy from Amazon!