Meet Colonel Bill Dexter the owner of the Colonel Bill’s Wild West Extravaganza and Winnie Applegate’s grandfather. From a teenage runaway to a decorated officer…

Colonel Bill Dexter stood at the bow of the ship in the early morning fog hoping to get a glimpse of his beloved homeland before his family came up on deck. He’d not been home in over forty years. He’d left England as little more than a lad. As the first rays of the rising sun pinkened the sky, he could just make out the faint outline of the port of Bridgwater Bay. They would have to take a smaller boat up the canal to the town of Bridgwater and another five miles to Sommerset.

His thoughts were flooded with memories as he paced the starboard side of the ship. Returning to the bow, he strained his old eyes for any recognizable landmark. The buildings were all just shadowy figures in the distance, only in his memories were they clearly visible. He did not think his home could have changed so much in forty years that he would not know it. He wondered if he would know Sarah when he saw her. He did not think he could forget her. She lived in his dreams more and more the closer they got to England. Her last words to him, ripped his heart out all over again as if he were still that fifteen-year-old boy begging her to run off with him. But Sarah had been afraid. Afraid of his father the old Duke of Applegate, afraid of what would happen to her brother, Daniel, afraid of what the future held for them, two children with no money or home. He really couldn’t blame her for her fears. He’d been a big, strong boy alone and it had still been hard. Having Sarah and Daniel to look after would have made it even more difficult, but he would have done it. He’d have taken care of them. He’d proved himself quite capable, if she’d only trusted him.

He’d worked his way from the shipyard west searching for gold. He’d been as wild as the land and still wet behind the ears. He’d learned some hard lessons, nearly got himself killed, made a few enemies and even fewer friends. He’d found Mary, or she’d found him. He sighed and blinked away the mist of tears clouding his vision. Thoughts of what could have been still had the power to destroy him. He’d never loved anyone the way he’d loved Sarah, he doubted he ever would. Did she remember him the way he remembered her. Was he her first love? He’d been her first lover as she had been his. He could still smell her lemon verbena scent and taste the salty sweetness of her skin. Loss of her was only a dull ache now after all these years, but he’d never stopped wanting her or missing her. He’d loved his wife, Mary. She’d been his friend, but he’d been disloyal to her, keeping part of his heart locked away with memories of Sarah.

He’d tried to be a good husband but being a white man living with the Indians brought its own kind of trouble. Sometimes he wondered if his father wasn’t right. If loving him wasn’t a death sentence. It seemed he’d destroyed everyone he’d ever loved. Leaving his son had seemed like the best thing to do for the boy at the time, but even that had proved to be the wrong choice. His life was full of wrong choices. He’d joined the Army to provide for his family and instead he’d been sent to kill them. His father had told him he’d be better off dead, some days he wondered. But his father was dead. He’d celebrate but he wished the old bastard was still around so he could kill him himself. The old duke had done everything imaginable to break him, but he’d proven hard to put down. His strident voice still echoed in his head telling him he was stupid and not worth the food it cost to feed him. Angry tears burned his eyes. He’d never understood why the old bastard hated him so much. For years he’d tried to please him, when that failed, he done what he could to dodge his abuse. The old man had refused to send him to school, calling him an idiot. He had trouble keeping still and even more trouble concentrating. It was Sarah who’d taught him to read, write and do arithmetic. She’d had the patience of Job. Sarah taught him how to be a decent human being, to curb his temper and behave like a gentleman. She’d also taught him to love and make love. His loins stirred and he wanted to laugh at his own foolishness. Still feeling lusty for a girl he’d not laid eyes on in forty years. A girl who’d refused him and married his brother. Okay, she’d refused to run off into the unknown with him and instead given in to his father’s machinations and wed his brother, the heir.

The sun burst from behind the clouds and the sight of the bay came into view. He didn’t have time to ponder the image and what it made him feel as he heard the officers preparing to go ashore to alert the constables to their prisoner. Millie? He shook his head. Why were you and Allen trying to stop us from reaching England? Was it because Geoffrey was dead, and he would be in line to be duke. He doubted his father would have allowed that. For years his father had threatened to disinherit him. He nor John should be candidates for the dukedom. But what other reason could there be?

As much as he longed to be reunited with Sarah and once again walk the paths of his youth, he feared putting his son and grandson in danger.

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How to Sabotage a Wild West Show https://books2read.com/u/3y92zV

How to Murder a Duke https://books2read.com/u/bWyBlx