Chapter Two

At five o'clock the next morning, Sam awoke with a start. She had just been dreaming about the Phantom, but it wasn't like the usual dreams she had of him. Instead, it seemed like he was trying to tell her something. Sam lay back down, pulling the blanket up to her chin and tried to catch a little more sleep before she had to get up. But she couldn't.

Sam threw the covers off and got up. She quietly pulled on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt, since the mornings were always chilly. Carrying her boots so they would make any noise, Sam tiptoed down the stairs and out the front door, making sure the door did slam shut. She sat down on the porch steps to pull on her boots. As she was tying up the laces, a wet tongue came across her face. She looked up and there was Blaze, the ranch border collie.

She pushed the dog away and then froze. Her heart started beating fast. Someone must have heard something and let him out. But she didn't remember seeing him in the house when she had crept by. He must have been in the bunkhouse and just started whining to go out. Sam looked towards the bunkhouse. No one was there. She sighed in relief, usually whenever Blaze starts whining, everybody just lets him out without a second thought. But that also meant someone else was up and she needed to hurry up before she got caught.

Sam hurried to the ten-acre pasture and saw Ace waiting for her at the gate. When he saw, the gelding pricked his ears and let out a whinny. Sam froze again. She waited a few seconds and when no one came storming out of the house, Sam brought Ace from the pasture to the barn. She quickly groomed and tacked him up. She led Ace outside and mounted up. Instead of heading over the bridge like always did, Sam turned Ace toward the back of the ranch toward Aspen Creek. That was where the Phantom had been in her dream.

As soon as they had left the ranch, Sam let Ace gallop. Not sure of what she was going to find there, Sam led him run his heart out. After awhile, she started to hear another set of hoofbeats. Sam turned her head and there he was. Shimmering in the morning light, he was everything a mustang stallion should be. Strong, courageous, fierce, and most of all he was hers.

The Phantom moved up beside her and Ace and together they galloped across the range, short bay legs stretching to keep up with long silver ones. The stallion was so close that all Sam could do was reach out a hand and she'll touch him. But she didn't want to scare him and shatter the moment. Sam sighed, it had been a long time since she had sat astride that strong, silvery back and gallop towards his secret valley.

Suddenly, the Phantom dropped down to a trot and Ace did the same. Sam looked around and saw a small house in the distance. A very familiar house. A house she had visited last May. Caleb Sawyer's house. Sam looked toward the Phantom, who had come to a stop as did Ace. Why did you bring me here? As if he heard her, the stallion snorted and looked in the direction of the house. Sam looked too.

At first, Sam didn't see anything out of the usual and then, like magic, a figure appeared kneeling the ground working, maybe in a garden. Sam gulped, thinking it was Caleb, but looking closer Sam saw that it was a woman. She shook her head and looked again. It couldn't be a woman. If Caleb got married or even had a girlfriend, everybody in this small town would know and Sam certainly hadn't heard a thing. But he was this woman working in his garden.

Growing curious, Sam urged Ace forward. The gelding snorted, reluctant to leave his former leader behind. Sam looked back to the Phantom. The stallion was still standing there, not making an effort to move and Sam knew he couldn't go on with her.

"Zanzibar," Sam whispered.

The stallion snorted and tossed his head. He turned on his haunches and galloped off. As fast as he had come, he was gone. Back to his herd in their secret valley. Sam turned back to Ace, who was staring after the Phantom didn't make a move to follow for he knew he didn't belong in the wild anymore. His place was at River Bend. Sam patted his neck and urged him on again. This time Ace walked on.

They were almost there when the woman looked up at the sound of hoofbeats. Sam's heart thumped in her chest when the woman stood up. She could have sworn that the woman was her...

No, your mother's dead. It's somebody completely different. Sam scolded herself, but as she looked at the woman all sense she had was gone. And then the woman spoke.

"Who are you?" the woman said stepping closer to them. Then she stopped and then it seemed like tears came to her eyes as she said, "Sammy?"

Tears came to Sam's eyes also as she dismounted off of Ace and reached to take her hat off, but then realized she had left it back at the ranch. "Mom?" was all that she managed to get out. The two walked towards each other until they were only a few feet apart. They looked at each other for a second and then Sam threw her arms around her.

"Mom," Sam cried. The two held on to each other as if the other would disappear at any second. When they broke apart, they wiped their eyes free from tears.

"What are you doing here?" Louise asked her.

"What am I doing here? What you doing here?" Sam questioned. "We all thought you...died in the accident."

"It's a long story, but Caleb pulled me out before the water got too high," Louise explained.

That explained everything. Caleb had been in love with her mother ever since she came here. When her car crashed into the lake, Caleb had been there, pulled her out, but made it look like she had died. He had hid her mother from everybody who cared about her and told them that she was dead. The look on Sam's face told Louise that her daughter had figured it out. Louise nodded in confirmation.

"Honey, you're all grown up," Louise said, changing the subject, looking her daughter up and down. "Caleb, told me you had an accident a few years ago, are you okay?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah, dad sent me to San Francisco to be close to a hospital."

At the thought of her father, Sam debated if should tell her mother that her father had gotten remarried. But was he really married to Brynna with her mother alive? Sam didn't know. As if reading her mind, Louise asked,

"How is your father? How is this Breana treating him?"

"Brynna, and they're happy. They have a baby boy, Cody, he's one," Sam told her.

Louise nodded, a sad look had crossed her face.

Suddenly, the front door to the house banged opened and a voice bellowed out. "Get the hell off my property, Forster!" At the same time, thundering hooves came to a sliding stop behind Sam. Louise looked back at Caleb and Sam looked behind. He sat on the big black mare, his jaw clenched, staring at Caleb.

In three strides, Caleb was off the porch and standing behind her mother. Jake had gotten off of Witch and stood behind Sam. Sam was relieved that Jake was here, although she had no idea how he knew she was here.

"I thought I told last time to keep off my property," Caleb said menacingly.

"You didn't tell me you had my mother here," Sam replied. "But she won't be here much longer."

Caleb pointed the handgun he was carrying at her. "You tell anyone that have her, and there will be two dead bodies found," he threatened and then turned the gun to Jake, who had stepped in front of Sam, hands balled into fists. "Three, if you don't back your boyfriend off,"

Nobody moved.

"That's more like it," Caleb said.

With that, he grabbed Louise and started pulling her to the house. Sam couldn't take it anymore and started to run after them.

"No!" she called and that was when a gunshot went off. Jake took the chance to grab a hold of her.

"Next one, won't miss," Caleb threatened again and continued pulling Louise to the house. By now, tears were pouring down Sam's face as she struggled to break free from Jake's hold on her.

"Mom, no," Sam cried.

"Jake, take care of her," Louise called to him as she was pulled inside the house.

Sam broke down in sobs and slid to the ground. Jake went with her, letting her cry into his shirt. Normally, he couldn't stand it when she cried, but now he didn't know, something inside of him snapped when he saw how much Sam was hurting. Jake looked up at the house and vowed to make this all right.

But how?