Her Rocky Trail_Seeing Ranch series

by Florence Linnington

  The group was silent. Had the person Kitty heard been coming after her and then given up and gone for Mr. Guthrie once she ran? Or had she wrongly guessed the direction the predator was headed in? Perhaps he had not even known she was there, and had been going to Mr. Guthrie after all, planning on killing the watchman before taking everyone else out?

  “What do we do now?” Kitty asked, her voice shaking.

  “We move,” Mr. Guthrie answered. “Grab your things. We’re heading up the hill.”

  The men all turned, save Cyrus, who waited for Kitty.

  “I am worried for Mr. Bowles,” she told him.

  “I know.” Unexpectedly, he tucked some hair behind her ear. The memory of his warm chest against her face came back to her. If she were not so worried for all their lives, she would have been embarrassed and worried the others had seen her fall asleep against Cyrus.

  “What is next?”

  Cyrus sighed and glanced over his shoulder. The dark woods seemed more threatening than anything else ever had. “We keep moving.” He paused. “Do you believe in God, Kitty?”

  “Yes,” she earnestly answered, wanting the lord to hear her.

  “Then not only keep moving but pray for us as well.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  14. Cyrus

  Chapter fourteen

  The early-morning mist snuck its way between the mountains’ curves, clutching at each available inch of land. Cyrus sat motionless, his back against a tree and his ears trained, listening for every little sound.

  Nearby, Kitty stirred on the ground, shrugging her shoulders slightly under his jacket. The others slept as well, though Cyrus didn’t see how they managed to, thanks to the excitement the night before.

  The sound of footsteps made him snap his head to the right. Domino was climbing up the side of the hill, grabbing onto rocks to keep his balance.

  “Bowles back?” he asked.

  Cyrus shook his head. The sun had only just risen, but the whole night passing without Nelson returning made him nervous. Had whoever attempted to kill Domino gotten to Nelson?

  On the other side of the trunk, Dan sat up.

  “Starkey,” Cyrus quietly said. “Keep watch. I’ll be back soon.”

  The tired man grunted in response, and Cyrus slowly got to his feet. Glancing at Kitty once more, he signaled for Domino to follow him and made his way down the hill.

  They stopped near an overlook, far enough from the others that they couldn’t be heard, but close enough that they could return quickly if there were any danger.

  “I went back down to the camp,” Domino said, looking out at the same fog Cyrus had watched roll in earlier. “There’s nothing there. No prints. Nothing dropped.”

  “Why one?” Cyrus asked, the question having been on his mind all night. “You saw how many robbers there were. They could come up on us while we slept, take us out in no time at all.”

  Domino’s jaw ticked. “Exactly. Why one? Where did all the others go?”

  Cyrus ran over everything that had happened since he saw the stopped train, trying once more to piece it all together. “They’re gone,” he slowly said. “They have to be. We’re on a cold trail… But if a man came to kill you...”

  “It means we’re close,” Domino quietly answered. The anger could be heard boiling beneath his words. “To something they don’t want us to find.”

  Cyrus exhaled in frustration. “But if we’re so dang close then they should be able to kill us right where we stand. And yet they’re not.”

  “Think, Ross. They ain’t here.”

  Cyrus ran his palm over his lips. “And yet what? They want us to think they are? What did they hope to accomplish by killing you?”

  “Could be they wanted to send a message. The one I just said. Turn back or else.”

  “They’re scared,” Cyrus slowly realized. “Maybe they split up, and there aren’t as many of them as there were before.”

  “Maybe. Could be we’re onto something bigger.”

  Cyrus stared at Domino. “Like trafficking? A slave ring?”

  “Yep. And most of them have gone ahead, off to wherever it is they were headed, wherever they’re selling the girl.”

  “And there are only a few of them left in this area,” Cyrus slowly finished.

  “Or just one, even.”

  Cyrus’ heart jumped with excitement. “Those boot prints that were all the same size… What about the other ones?”

  “It was hard to say.” Domino shook his head.

  “And there were hoof prints as well.”

  “All it takes is a horseshoe to make those. You don’t need an actual horse.”

  Cyrus’ head spun, the whole situation was becoming complicated. There were too many ‘what ifs.

  “We’re onto something,” Domino continued.

  But what?

  Muffled voices drifted down the hill. Everyone else had woken. The time had come to move on.

  “I’m sending her back,” Cyrus announced, making Domino halt in his tracks.

  Domino snorted. “She won’t go.”

  “I’m making her this time.”

  “She really your bride-to-be?”

  Cyrus folded his arms, defensiveness suddenly taking him over. He shouldn’t have to explain his situation with Kitty to anyone. “Yes.”

  “All right,” Domino simply answered, walking off.

  Cyrus followed at a clipped pace. As it turned out, Nelson had arrived. He stood surrounded by the other four, who all seemed to be talking at once.

  Seeing the man, Cyrus sighed in relief. He hadn’t even known he’d been that worried about Nelson. “How did you find us?” he asked, interrupting something Jim was saying.

  “I went to the camp and figured something had gone wrong, so I thought, what would I do? Go to higher ground, I suppose.” Nelson shrugged and pushed his hat back, and Cyrus got a better look at his face. His cheeks were covered in scratches, and he had some dirt on his neck. Apparently, the night had been a hard one for everyone.

  “Did you find anything?” Domino asked, getting straight to business.

  Nelson scratched the back of his neck and look apologetic. “Naw. I must have gone a good three or four miles… just… nothing. Didn’t see any smoke either.”

  Domino gave Cyrus a purposeful look. One person. Maybe a few. If that’s all there were, covering up their tracks would be easy.

  “What now?” Brady asked. “We just keep going along the river until we die?”

  Cyrus sharply looked at Kitty, noting the flash of pain across her face. His fingers curled into fists, and he wanted nothing more right then than to punch Brady Walsh in the face for his careless choice of words.

  “What else are we to do?” Domino challenged. “That’s where we’ve been finding the tracks. It’s either go on the way we have been or turn back.”

  Cyrus noticed he didn’t mention there was a good possibility the tracks had been made by one man. Wouldn’t that information encourage the others? He tried to catch Domino’s eye, but the man had already turned away and walked for the horses. Cyrus quickly looked between him and Kitty, trying to decide who to talk to first.

  As Kitty’s eyes caught his, the decision became clear.

  “Are you all right?” Cyrus asked, stepping close to her.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  He could see the weakness in her face. This journey was wearing them all down, but Kitty most of all. Not only was she not used to the kind of travel, but the emotional despair over her sister made everything that much worse.

  “I need to talk to you.” Cyrus looked up and noted everyone else was busy. Taking Kitty’s hand lightly in his, he looked deep into her eyes. “Go back. I’ll send someone to take you.”

  Instead of a look of anguish or resistance, like he had suspected, her face remained stony. She had either given up or was refusing to show her emotions. Cyrus suspected it was the latter.

  “Why are you bringing this up again?
You know I will not do that. I am in this until the end, Cyrus.”

  “You know why I’m talking about this again,” he hissed. “Domino and you were almost killed last night.”

  Kitty’s hand tightened in his. “I understand that, Cyrus, but we have come so far. If someone is after us, does that not mean turning back is equally dangerous?”

  Cyrus’ exhale burned his nose. This woman had an argument for everything.

  “Please,” she pleaded. “If you send me away, I will just turn right back around the second I can.”

  “What do you expect me to do if something happens to you? Huh? You think I should have to live with that?”

  “And what of you?” she hotly replied, eyes flashing. “What if something happens to you, and I have no sister or husband left?” Kitty’s voice snagged on the last word, and she pressed her lips together hard.

  It was the first time she had expressed fear over losing him, and Cyrus didn’t know what to say. It felt odd to be cared for. He wasn’t quite sure how best to respond.

  “Let us at least remain together,” Kitty whispered. “That way, no matter what happens, we will have each other.”

  He saw her point, much as he hated to admit it to himself. And knowing that she wanted to be near him made him want her even more.

  He’d hate himself forever if something happened to Kitty. But he also didn’t want to go against her heart’s desires. At this point, she knew what she was facing.

  Cyrus sighed, rubbing at his hairline. Even that was sore. He’d spent many a times riding for days, camping out under the stars. No trip had ever beat him down like this one, though. It had to be because of Kitty. With her constantly in danger, his nerves were stretched thin.

  Checking once more to make sure they were alone, Cyrus bent down and planted a firm kiss on her lips. Kitty jerked in surprise but quickly relaxed against him. Too soon, he made himself draw back. She might have been his fiancée, but he knew she would likely be ashamed to be caught kissing.

  With flushed cheeks, Kitty licked her lips. Could she taste him there? Cyrus hoped so.

  “Get yourself ready to ride out,” he told her. “And don’t leave camp by yourself.”

  “You are not sending me back?” she hopefully asked.

  Cyrus’ jaw tightened. “I figure you’ve made it pretty clear I won’t be able to do that. Just promise me you’ll do as I say from now on.”

  He gave her a stern look before dropping her hand and going off to catch Domino.

  The older man was by his horse, brushing the animal’s bare back down with his gloves.

  Cyrus sidled up close. “Are we going to tell the others what we talked about?” he quietly asked.

  A dark look passed over Domino’s face. “Let’s wait.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Domino’s voice was so low it took Cyrus a moment to make sense of his words. “Think of this like poker.”

  Cyrus’ stomached clenched. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Just...” He paused, frowning. “Let’s not show all our cards just yet.”

  Cyrus didn’t know what to say. Weren’t they all a team? Wouldn’t news of the robbers possibly being split up be good to share with the others?

  In the end, Cyrus just nodded. He’d ridden into the mountains with a plan, and now that seemed to have fallen apart. With each day that passed, the situation became more muddled. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was starting to lose confidence.

  Would they ever find Helen, or was this just a fruitless hunt that had been doomed from the beginning?

  Cyrus looked at Kitty, who was pulling herself into the thoroughbred’s saddle. He’d made her a promise: he wouldn’t leave the mountains till he found Helen. One thing Cyrus had always prided himself on was being a man of his word. Looking at Kitty then, though, he feared the time might soon come where he’d have to go back on the assurances he’d given her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  15. Kitty

  Chapter 15

  The horses moved unbearably slow. Kitty took in a long breath, resisting the urge to yell. All morning long, she’d been praying, but the moment had come where her heart and head both became empty. She’d offered up every variation of prayer she could think of. Whereas most of her life, praying had made her feel better, this morning she felt nothing but… desolate.

  The earnestness and pain in Cyrus’ eyes when he’d taken her hand that morning had shocked her. There had been something else there as well. Kitty did not like to think about it, but she could not help but wonder if she had been right.

  Was Cyrus losing his faith? Had he come to believe there would be no finding Helen?

  Kitty shook the thought away, not able to stand it. She had hoped that the new day would bring answers and had been heartbroken to wake and find that was not the case at all. The case of who had attacked Mr. Guthrie in the night still remained a mystery, and the tension hung thick in the air as the posse rode along the river. At any time, whoever had come after Mr. Guthrie might return.

  Kitty gnawed on her lip, reminding herself once more to keep her frustrations to herself. Ranting would do no good. They were riding slowly on purpose, as Jim had gone ahead some hours before to scout.

  Since the young man had left her sight, Kitty had added him to her fervent prayers. She had been worried about Mr. Bowles’ safety while scouting as well, but Jim’s eagerness to put himself in danger heightened Kitty’s anxiety. It seemed unlikely that Jim would be as cautious as Mr. Bowles.

  “Looks like rain,” Mr. Walsh commented from behind Kitty.

  She looked up, noting the dark gray clouds gathering above their heads. The morning had been chillier than the day before, and the fitted jacket she had previously shunned she now wore buttoned tight.

  “How much rain, do you think?” she quietly asked, not looking back at him. Instead, she gazed in Cyrus’ direction, as she had for most of the morning. Like always, he rode stoically and silently, second in the line, just behind Mr. Guthrie.

  “Looks like a lot. We might have to stop.”

  Kitty was surprised to find she had no reaction to that. Stop or continue, what did it matter? She just wanted this whole nightmare to be over.

  Please God, if you must take Helen, let it be swift. Please just end all of this.

  Perhaps it was wrong to pray for her sister’s life to end, but Kitty was tired of anguishing over the fate of the person she loved most. What kind of fear and pain was her sweet, kind Helen enduring?

  Yes, just for the nightmare to end—in whatever way the Lord saw fit. That was all Kitty wanted now.

  Beyond Cyrus and Mr. Guthrie, movement caught Kitty’s eye. It was Jim, coming along the river on his horse at a gallop. Her heart leaped into her throat. Did he bring news?

  Jim met the group just as the first raindrops began to fall. A thick one hit Kitty’s eyelash, and she hurriedly wiped it away.

  “Nothing,” Jim was saying. “I kept my eyes on the ground, too. Didn’t see any more pieces of dress.” Over Cyrus’ shoulder, he gave Kitty an apologetic look.

  Cyrus turned, his gaze connecting with Kitty’s. Quickly, she dropped her head. There was too much pain in her heart. It would not be fair for her to share it with everyone.

  “No tracks?” Mr. Guthrie asked.

  “No.”

  Kitty kept her eyes on the ground. A few more heavy drops hit the pebbles and dirt there. They had passed through several muddy spots that morning? Why had there been no tracks? Were they now going in the wrong direction? If the robbers had sent someone to kill Mr. Guthrie, did that mean they had also decided to leave the river?

  How could a small posse ever find a sneaky band in such a large terrain as the Rocky Mountains—a place surely full of caves, thick forests, and many other kinds of hiding places?

  Kitty knew the answer: they could not. The river had been their only hope. If the robbers were no longer along it…

  Pressing her lips hard together t
o stop them from trembling, she lifted her face. Cyrus still looked at her, his jaw hard and his eyes regretful. She knew what he had to say. The time had come for him to go back on his promise.

  The whole posse sat silent, waiting for their leader to speak. Around them, the cold rain came down. The water seeped through Kitty’s clothes and chilled her to the bone. But though she shivered, she did not care. In fact, she briefly wondered if she were even still alive.