“Did she run away?” Creed asked.
“Sheriff says that the parents say she’d never run away.”
“Who’s on call?”
“Boone has a heli tour at ten. Hank and Ruger are on call.”
“Call all members. We’ll need them. We have a kid missing and we need as many hands on deck as we can get. I’m saddling up the horse and heading out in five. Let Sheriff Conley know.”
“I’ll do that right away.” Willow was already on the phone.
In all the years Mindy had known Creed she’d never seen him so assertive. Concerned.
She followed him down a narrow hall and through the third door onto the right. She stood in the doorway of the room that reminded her of a college dorm. He moved around the space filled with two sets of bunk beds and a row of lockers. He opened one and took out a large, green duffel bag and another smaller bag, and tossed them the few feet over onto the bottom bed. From inside he took out a stack of folded clothes then dragged off his button-down shirt.
He pulled on a long-sleeved black shirt fit him like a second skin. Several bright patches lined the sleeves and his name was embroidered on the front. An emblem that read Landing Search and Rescue covered the back. When he reached for the belt buckle, she quickly turned her back to him. His chuckle echoed off the empty walls.
“Not sure why that’s necessary when you’ve seen it before,” he teased.
“That was a long time ago.”
There was that taunting laugh again. She heard the rustling of material and the squeaking of bed springs.
“It’s safe. I’m dressed.”
Turning, she found him sitting on the bed pulling on work boots. He stood and pulled on a tan leather belt with tools in the pockets. Swiping the keys off the bed he tossed them to her. She caught them and looked down at them curiously.
“You can drive on home,” he said as he put his clothes back into the locker and slammed the door.
“What about you? How will you get home later?”
“I’ll be a while.”
“Creed…I—”
“What?” He took the length between them in three strides.
“Can I come?” she found herself asking.
His brows scrunched. “Come with me to find the missing girl?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“But why?”
“We’re wasting valuable time.” He grabbed a jacket off the hook on the wall.
“Then just say yes.”
“Why?”
“Do you always ask why?”
“Yes.”
“Why can’t I go?”
He looked her from top to bottom. “I’m not going for a ride. I’m going on a search and rescue mission. Rock Ridge can be dangerous.”
“We used to ride up there all the time. I promise if I get up there and things get too bad, I’ll turn around and come back.”
He rubbed his forehead then stomped over to another locker and grabbed several things. “Here. You’ll need these.” He handed her a pair of gloves. “And wear that hat you had on earlier.”
She reached in and took it out of the coat pocket.
Chapter Eleven
UP IN THE mountain seemed like another world.
If a person didn’t like peace and quiet, they could go crazy on some of the paths along the rocky ridge. Although he hadn’t wanted to bring Mindy along on the mission, he was glad to have her company. He would never have allowed her to come if there was ever any chance she’d be in danger. An extra pair of eyes and ears couldn’t hurt. If he had to take an unsafe area of the mountain, he would send her back or make her stay put until he came back to get her. She was right, they used to ride in the mountains all the time, probably when they were too young to be out on their own.
Although the temperature was around fifty, she wasn’t complaining, but then again, she still wore his heavy jacket that seemed to fit her three sizes too big. She had the hat on and the ends of her hair bounced along her shoulders. He’d saddled up Maggie for her because she was the most experienced horse they used. The horse would keep her safe.
Creed reminded himself that he needed to stay focused on finding the little girl, not admiring the spunk of the woman riding next to him. He couldn’t seem to keep his mind from replaying the kiss they’d shared earlier. He’d wanted more—craved more. Even now when he was in rescue mission mode, he still had an energy rushing through him. It certainly wasn’t the normal spiked adrenaline of helping someone in need.
A man knew when he was connected to a woman and he sure as hell knew he and Mindy had a connection. He wasn’t strong enough to cut it loose.
They had to be on their toes on the narrow path of the trail.
Loose rocks shifted.
Tree branches had fallen onto the path.
Every little sound echoed off the rock wall.
A silence fell between them—a comfortable silence.
They’d been riding for at least an hour when his radio buzzed. His brother’s voice came over the speaker. “Creed?”
He reached for the radio and pressed the button. “Yeah?”
“Any luck?” Boone asked.
“No. How about on your side?”
“No. Hank and Ruger are staying on the trail but I’m heading back for the tour.”
“Over and out.” He jammed the radio back into the leather pocket, cursing under his breath.
“You okay?” Mindy asked.
“The longer she’s out there, alone, the likelier it is that she won’t survive.” He didn’t care that he was showing weakness. Over the years he’d realized vulnerability didn’t lessen his manhood. Being a father had changed him. When Livvy was younger he’d let her use him as a model for manicures, pedicures and make up. Honestly, he didn’t like it one bit, but he couldn’t tell his daughter no. But she’d helped him grow, to allow himself some humiliation.
“What you do—what your team does—is a heroic thing,” Mindy said. “She’ll be found, Creed. I bet she’d hiding in one of the caves right now, waiting for someone to come find her. Remember that time we rode up here, hitched the horses to a tree at the base of a trail and walked about a mile? We lost track of time and couldn’t find our way back. We huddled down in that cave to wait out the rain. Eventually we managed to find the right trail. Actually, you found the right one. I was just a scared kid following you.”
“Yeah, I remember. I also thought your dad was going to wring my neck. When I got home Ma threatened to ground me for life.” He smiled at the memory. “I think we did a few crazier stunts after that but luckily Ma never found out.”
“Whose idea was it to sneak out all those times?”
He lifted his chin and smirked. “You can’t blame it all on me, Minnow. You were all for it.” He resituated his hat on his head, feeling guilt slice through him. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d come down hard on Livvy for the same things he’d done in the past. Maybe it was time he rethought some of the punishment.
“I know that look. What is it?”
“I’m thinking of Livvy. She reminds me a lot of myself.”
“Yeah, she does. She has spirit and that’s a good thing. Remember what our parents used to tell us. One day we’d have our own kids and they’d pay us back for all that we’d done. You were a feisty kid, Creed. What would you expect from your own child?”
“Damn,” he pushed out with an exhale. “Maybe I’ve gotten too used to looking at things from inside a box. No daddy wants his daughter to grow up, but I guess I’ve had my head stuck in the sand for a long time. She’s becoming a young lady at the flip of a switch. Got any pointers for me so I don’t screw this up and risk losing her to the circus?”
Her smile made his heart flip. “I can tell you a few of the mistakes my own daddy made when I was a kid. The tighter his rules became the more I rebelled. The more lack of trust he gave me the more I didn’t care if I broke his trust. I know it’s hard to watch our kids grow u
p, mature, become their own person, but the harder we make that for them the more likely we’ll regret it later. Give Livvy some space. Listen to what she’s telling you. She’s a good girl. This Alex fellow, I’d say he’s good for her, just like you were good for me. Imagine if our parents told us we couldn’t see each other. Would we have defied them? Probably so.”
“Alex,” he hissed. “That scares me. He also reminds me of myself at that age. Don’t forget, I know what teen boys think about and it ain’t all innocent.”
“Oh? You mean all those times we spent sleeping up in your treehouse or skinny dipping in the lake you had less than pure thoughts?” She gave a theatrical sigh.
“Yes. No reason to lie. You would’ve punched me if you knew what my thoughts were.”
“You kept your hands to yourself. You deserved a reward I guess.” She chuckled.
“I was afraid of Rusty. I knew better than to piss him off.”
“What changed your mind when we were eighteen?”
He looked across the short distance and caught her curious gaze. “Because I knew if he threatened to hurt me, I could tell him how much I loved you and planned to marry you.”
Chapter Twelve
“MARRY ME?” MINDY tightened her grip on the leather reins. The hair on the back of her nape lifted and her inner thighs trembled. “You planned on marrying me, Creedy?”
He kept his attention on the view from the path along the rocky ridge. “Don’t act so shocked. I told you how I felt.”
“No you didn’t.”
He jerked his gaze toward her, his lips were thin. “What if I had? Would that have changed things?”
Biting her bottom lip, she wrapped her thoughts around his question. “Believe it or not, I wanted to stay, but I needed to go. Looking back at my childhood I can’t think of any memory that didn’t include you, outside of figure skating of course. I pathetically followed you around. I depended upon you far too much.”
“You make that sound like a bad thing,” he huffed.
“No, it’s not a bad thing but sometimes distance helps a person put things into perspective.” The soft jostling of the horse as she moved along the narrow path relaxed Mindy. She hadn’t been riding in far too long. Sure, she went riding back in California, but nothing compared to riding in the mountains.
“Perspective, huh? Is nineteen years long enough to get things into perspective?”
She opened her mouth to tell him the truth but now wasn’t the time. He needed to stay focused on finding the teen girl.
They rode on and hope was dwindling until she saw something hanging off a tree. “What’s that, Creed?”
He led the horse closer and reached down to grab the piece of torn, red cloth. “She’s been here. Sheriff Conley said she was wearing a red shirt.” He held up the scrap piece of material.
Maggie pranced back and forth, whinnying. “Look, another piece there too. And more up ahead.”
“Bailey left us a trail.”
“She’s close, Creed. Maggie senses her.”
“Let’s go!” He took the lead on the path. Rocks crumbled under the hooves of the horses but they were steady. “Be careful back there.”
“I’m going slow.” Mindy feared for the young girl. What if she came through the narrow passage during the night, lost her footing and…?
Mindy couldn’t finish the thought.
The poor girl must have been so scared.
“Allow Maggie to go at her own pace. She’s been out here numerous times. She knows the way of the land.”
“Okay.” Mindy wouldn’t argue. She could see how it would take much longer on foot. They’d covered so much area.
“Bailey? Are you out here?” Creed yelled.
“Bailey!” Mindy joined him.
Finally Creed lifted a hand and pointed. “Is that a dog?”
Mindy searched ahead and saw brown fur. She craned her neck to get a better look and found the scruffy dog hiding in a bush. He stepped onto the path, shifting from front paw to paw, his ears perked. He backed up as if determining whether he could trust the intruders.
Creed climbed down from the saddle. “Stay.” He patted his horse. “Come here, boy.” Creed hunched down, holding out his hand as an offering for the dog to sniff.
The scruffy fellow lowered his ears some, swiping his gaze behind him and back to Creed until finally taking a leery step, then another, and whimpered.
“It’s okay, fellow. I’m not going to hurt you.”
Mindy climbed from her saddle and watched the scene before her in anticipation. “Did the little girl have a dog with her?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Not that I know of. Can you grab a piece of jerky out of the plastic bag in my duffel?”
“Yes.” She unzipped his bag and searched through the items. Blanket, flashlight, water bottles, and finally found the bag. Taking out a piece of jerky, she took it to Creed.
“You want this, fellow?” He used the jerky to lure the hungry dog in.
Finally, after some bribing and coaxing, the dog gently took the jerky and gulped it down in one bite. “Poor boy’s hungry,” Mindy said.
“It appears so.” Creed continued to offer the dog jerky until it was gone. He wasn’t as timid now.
The dog lifted his ears again and pranced from paw to paw. He wagged his tail and darted back down the path.
“Wait!” But the dog continued. “Let’s see if we can catch up to him. I have a feeling he’s trying to tell us something.”
They left the horses and hurried down the path.
“Bailey?”
A bark sounded.
They reached an opening into a cave and Creed grabbed his flashlight, switched it on and bent down to search inside the cold cavern. The dog guarded the opening. “It’s okay, boy. I’m here to help. Do you know where she is?”
Mindy swallowed against the constriction in her throat as Creed crawled deeper into the cave. Seconds turned into minutes until finally she heard…
“I found her.”
Creed came out carrying the girl in his arms. Her long curly hair was matted and leaves were entangled in the mass. Her eyes were closed. “Oh my God. Is she okay?”
He didn’t answer. He laid her on the worn path and did a quick physical examination. Her pale color and the cuts on her face made Mindy’s stomach twist. She watched in horror as Creed checked her pulse. “She has hypothermia. Her skin is freezing, but she’s alive.”
“I’ll grab the blanket.” Mindy ran back to the horses, rummaged inside his duffel bag and took out the thick blanket. She hurried back and laid the cover over the girl her, feeling her motherly instincts kicking into gear. “Does she still have a pulse?”
“It’s weak. We need to get her as warm as possible then get her back to the start of the trail. Paramedics can pick her up there. They’d never make it back here.”
The dog barked twice as if to ask how Bailey was doing.
Creed stood and walked a few feet to radio for assistance while Mindy rubbed the girl’s hand.
“Bailey, you’re going to be okay. You’re in the care of someone who’s going to get you help very soon,” Mindy whispered to the poor girl.
“Mindy?”
She brought her gaze up, looking at Creed through unshed tears. “Yes?”
“I’m taking her on the horse as fast as I can. Every second counts. I need to get her help. Can you make it back okay alone? Maggie will take care of you.”
“I’ll be fine. Go on ahead,” she assured him.
Holding her gaze for a silent exchange of words, he scooped the child into his arms and ran back down the path to his horse. He effortlessly climbed into the saddle, cradling Bailey close, and the horse took off down the trail. Mindy walked back to Maggie, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her heart broke for Bailey and her parents. How scared they all must have been.
Grabbing Maggie’s reins, Mindy heard a whimper behind her. She turned to find the dog staring at her. He’d followed her
expectantly. “Oh no. I’m sorry. I almost forgot about you.” Mindy bent down and held out her hand. He slowly made his way to her, probably wanting more jerky, but she didn’t have any to give him. Once he was close enough, she rewarded him with a scratch behind the ears. “You were a good dog. I can’t leave you here.” The poor boy had no meat on his bones and he needed a bath and brushing. She picked him up with little effort and climbed into the saddle.
Situating him between her legs in the saddle so he wouldn’t fall, she reached for the reins and clicked her tongue. “Let’s go, Maggie.”
Dog looked up at her with big brown eyes as if to ask where they were going.
“You stayed with her, didn’t you, boy?” Mindy patted the dog’s head.
He continued to stare, while his body shook in fear.
“Listen, I know you have a story but I’m saving you too. Don’t worry. You’ll be safe too.”
Maybe he understood her or maybe he sensed the concern in her voice, but his shaking stopped.
They road for a few hours, taking the trail slow and easy.
The temperature had risen but she still needed the coat—Creed’s coat.
She looked up through the branches of the trees into the blue sky and prayed that the little girl would be okay.
Ahead on the path a squirrel ran. Birds chirped. The mountain brought so much peace.
“I need to tell Creed, don’t I? I need to tell him about Jane,” she said to no one.
The dog perked up his ears from where he slept snuggled against her.
“It’s the right thing to do, no matter what happens.”
Finally the clearing came into view and they rode to the spot where Creed had left his truck and horse trailer. Creed climbed from the driver’s side of the truck, giving her a wave.
“How is Bailey? Did the paramedics come?” She didn’t see the girl so that was a good thing.
Cowboy Creed (Cooper's Hawke Landing Book 1) Page 13
