Her Rocky Trail_Seeing Ranch series

by Florence Linnington

  At the cabin, the stream still gurgled and the horse swished at flies with its tail. The setting was so picturesque, thinking of leaving it hurt. But, John Thunder and his home had saved Kitty. They had given her the strength and information she needed to go on. For that, she would remember this place for the rest of her life.

  “I will pack you some supplies,” John said, disappearing through the doorway.

  When he returned, he held a loaded rucksack.

  “Food and water,” he explained. “Biscuits. Dried meat. It should last you several days.”

  Kitty’s heart nearly melted. “Oh, Mr. Thunder, I cannot accept that. It is too much.”

  “Yes, you can and you will.” He pushed the bag at her, and she finally took it. “I have more than enough.”

  “Thank you,” Kitty murmured, slinging the bag over her shoulder. The time had come to leave, and yet, it still seemed there was more she needed to say. “When I find my sister… is there some way I can repay you?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  Kitty drew her lower lip between her teeth. “May God bless you then. I will never forget your kindness.”

  He blinked a few times, seeming to think about something. “Wait. There is one more thing.”

  John left her again to go into the cabin. Kitty waited, perplexed. The horse sniffed at the bag on her shoulder, and she nuzzled her own face against his mane. The two of them had been through much together already. That the horse belonged to Cyrus seemed fitting. With the animal at her side, Kitty felt as if a bit of the man was there as well.

  “Here.” John was back, a pistol in his hand.

  Kitty’s eyes went wide when he extended the weapon to her, handle first.

  “Do you know how to shoot?” he asked.

  “I—I have seen others do it.”

  “Good.” He gestured for her to take it.

  “Mr. Thunder, I cannot take your weapon.”

  “It’s not my only one.” He gestured at the pistol on his hip. “Take it.” From his pocket, he pulled a dozen bullets.

  Kitty slowly took both the pistol and bullets. Having the weight of the gun in her hand made her feel better, despite not having any experience with one. She knew she would not be a very good shot. But, if a man were close enough, and not expecting her to be armed…

  With no holster, Kitty tucked the pistol in her boot. She put the bullets into the rucksack. They would not be easy to find, but she had no pockets.

  “Good luck, Kitty.” John had his hands on his hips, and he smiled mournfully.

  “Thank you.” It was all she could manage. The tears were already filling Kitty’s eyes, and she had to move on. So much time had already been lost.

  Taking the horse’s reins, she led him down the hill, following the gentle stream away from the little cabin. Birds sang, and green leaves danced under the sun. It was a perfect spring day. For Kitty, it felt like the new beginning she had been waiting for when she first set out for Wyoming with her sister.

  Where the stream met the river, she stopped and pulled the pistol out, practicing aiming it at marks on the trees while the horse ate some grass. She would not shoot it, as she did not want to waste bullets.

  “It should do,” she told the horse.

  He walked a few steps, looking for a new clump of grass. Kitty looked up and down the river. She could not be far from where John had found her. Had Cyrus passed by this way yet? Had he found the fabric she’d tied to a branch?

  There was only one way to know. Aches aside, it was time to start walking again.

  “Come on, Thunder.” She took the horse’s reins. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty

  20. Cyrus

  Chapter twenty

  “It splits,” Jim said in surprise—as if the others needed verification.

  Cyrus’ face grew hot as he stared at the spot where two rivers flowed into one. They’d come down the right side, and it made sense to keep following the flow of water. Except…

  “What if Miss Katherine walked up the other river?” Brady asked. “She could be looking for us and not know where to go.”

  Cyrus clenched his teeth. They were left with a conundrum. Which woman did they prioritize? The way it looked now, it seemed searching for Helen was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He hated to admit that, but it was the truth. Especially, if someone was deceiving them. The youngest Byrum sister might not even be in the Rockies anymore.

  But Kitty was.

  “We need to find Kitty first,” he announced.

  Everyone silently looked his way.

  “We know she’s close,” Cyrus explained. “She has to be. After we find her, we can set our sights back on Helen.”

  It seemed to be the answer they wanted to hear—though, whether because they were afraid of facing outlaws, or because they had come to care for Kitty, Cyrus didn’t know. He just understood that he had a duty to both women, and he needed to think practically. His own feelings aside, Kitty would likely still be the easiest woman to find.

  “What’s your plan?” Domino asked.

  “Someone stays here, while two of us go in one direction, and the other two in the other. We’ll find Kitty sooner or later.”

  “You forgot the part about praying to the Lord that the outlaws don’t find us,” Brady joked. No one laughed, and Brady himself barely cracked a smile.

  “Right.” Domino turned his horse toward the new river. “Jim, come on with me.”

  Leaving Dan at the crossroads, Brady and Cyrus continued to follow the flow of the river. They rode in silence; there was nothing to say and plenty of anxieties to be had. Though, Cyrus had been the one to proclaim they needed to find Kitty first, he questioned the decision more with each step they traveled.

  Suppose they did not find her that day? Or the next? And the same for Helen. How long could they traverse the mountains before admitting that they had lost them — that Cyrus had lost them?

  There was no life for him to go back to. His life was supposed to include Kitty. And though he hadn’t even known her when he had made that plan, now all he wanted was her home with him. No one else would do. Cyrus knew this without a doubt.

  As his thoughts continued to race, the trees gradually grew closer to the river. Soon there was not enough space for the horses to continue. The thick underbrush combined with barely inches of ground between the tree trunks and the water left no room for them. They could go back into the woods, traveling parallel to the river, but then Cyrus would not be able to keep an eye on the water. He needed to be right on the river so that he wouldn’t miss any signs of Kitty.

  “Let’s walk.” Jumping to the ground, he tied his horse in the shade of a tree. Grady followed suit.

  The two men moved slowly through the brush, over twisting roots, and around clumps of bushes. The sun’s heat grew, though Cyrus knew noon had to have passed. The day had been the longest of his life, and yet sunset was still hours away.

  Where would he be when that came? Would Kitty rest at his side?

  The thought kept him going, spurring him on. Only when a gasp of pain and a heavy thud followed by a loud curse sounded behind him, did he stop.

  Brady lay on the ground, his hand on his ankle. “Good god,” he gasped. “I tripped right over the tree root. Didn’t even see it.”

  Cyrus bent to inspect his ankle. “Can you move it?”

  Brady winced in pain as he wiggled it slightly. “Hurts like you wouldn’t believe, but yes.”

  “You must have sprained it.” Cyrus exhaled heavily and ran his palm over his face. Was this entire mission cursed? “I’ll take you back to the horses.”

  “You have to keep going on. I’ll stay here.”

  “And do what, if someone stumbles across you? At least with the horses, you’ll have a chance of getting away.”

  Brady didn’t argue with that, and Cyrus helped him to his feet. With the man’s arm slung over Cyrus’ shoulders, they slowly walked back to the horses. T
he mishap meant they had lost precious time, but Cyrus couldn’t just leave the Irishman injured where he lay.

  “Here.” Handing Brady a canteen, from his horse’s saddle.

  “How long do I wait for you?”

  Cyrus thought about that. “Don’t.”

  Brady scowled. “What do you mean don’t? I have to—”

  “Go back,” Cyrus interrupted. “Find the others. If they have Kitty, you all can come for me. We shouldn’t split up any more than we already have.”

  As he said the words, a shiver slithered up Cyrus’ back. With the way they’d separated themselves, they were too easy to pick off. Cyrus had to keep searching — Kitty and Helen were his responsibility — but the others didn’t have to. It didn’t matter what the men said. In the last couple days, he’d come to appreciate them in an unexpected way.

  Cyrus had seen men die. Ones he’d known quite well. He’d almost thought himself numb to death, but now he knew that wasn’t the case. He couldn’t stand seeing another good man meet his end.

  “Go back,” Cyrus repeated. “Take my horse with you. That way there won’t be any sign of me being in the area.”

  He knew he was exchanging a quick getaway for secrecy, but it seemed like the right choice. He was only one man. If he could keep quiet as possible, he had a chance of evading any outlaws while searching for Kitty.

  This time, Brady simply nodded.

  They separated, Cyrus going off along the river again. At his new, brisk pace, he reached the spot Brady had twisted his ankle in no time at all. On the second go-round, though, something was different.

  Someone was there.

  The man was coming out of the woods, canteen in hand, likely going down the river to get some water. As if sensing Cyrus, he looked right at him.

  “Nelson,” Cyrus gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  In the blink of an eye, Nelson dropped the canteen and reached for his pistol. Before Cyrus could even think to go for his own, Nelson’s barrel faced his way. Cyrus stilled his hands, which were halfway to his guns.

  His lips set tight, Nelson advanced a few steps. “Don’t make a move.”

  “What are you doing here?” Cyrus looked the man in the eye.

  “None of your business.”

  Understanding hit Cyrus harder than a bolt of lightning. “You weren’t leaving at all, were you?”

  “Be quiet, Mr. Ross.” Nelson stopped a few feet away, just far enough so Cyrus couldn’t knock the gun out of his hands.

  Anger swelled in Cyrus, he suppressed the urge to tell Nelson off in every way he knew how to. As tempting as it was, he wasn’t the one pointing the gun.

  “Was it you?” Cyrus looked him straight in the eye. If he could distract Nelson, he could buy some time to come up with a plan. “You’re a traitor, aren’t you? You made those tracks? The bandits aren’t anywhere near here, are they?”

  Nelson’s upper lip quivered. He was sweating bullets, and Cyrus got the sense it wasn’t just from the heat. The man was nervous.

  “You were misleading us,” Cyrus went on. It finally all made sense. “Were you even on that train?”

  “No, I wasn’t. You finally figured it out. Good for you. Now let’s go.”

  Nelson jerked his head to the side, signaling that Cyrus should go first. He had no choice. It was one foot in front of the other.

  Leaving the river, Nelson directed him through the woods, along what looked like a deer trail, but was probably more.

  “Where’s your horse?” Cyrus asked. If he could distract Nelson by talking, maybe he could get close enough to knock the gun from his hands.

  “You’ll see. Keep your hands up.”

  Cyrus raised his hands just a little bit. “So you’ve been working for them. Why, Nelson? If these bandits are so fearsome, why are they worried about a little band like us finding them?”

  “You’ll figure that out once I take you to them,” Nelson snarled.

  Cyrus swallowed hard. If Nelson didn’t have his horse with him, which meant the outlaws couldn’t be that far away.

  It seemed he was to find Helen first after all. Just not in the fashion he’d hoped to.

  And Kitty. What about her? Was this it for them—a cruel ending before they’d even gotten the chance to really begin?

  With his hands in the air, a gun at his back, and his options steadily running out, Cyrus decided to choose the one route he had left.

  If there’s someone listening, he silently prayed, please help me now. I know I’m a dang son of a gun, but what about Kitty? And Helen? And the men who are risking their lives to help them? Maybe I’m not worth much, but what about them? Help us, please.

  It wasn’t much, he knew — but it was a prayer offered up with all the heart he had.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  21. Kitty

  Chapter twenty-one

  Kitty recognized the voice right away. It came from up ahead on the river bank. Cyrus.

  Her heart leaped with joy, and she opened her mouth to call for him, but a second voice interrupted her, and the tone made her pause.

  She couldn’t make out every word being spoken, but something wasn’t right. Her skin crawled as if there were little bugs all over her body, and a gnawing feeling grew in her gut.

  She heard “traitor” and “figure that out.” It was all she needed to hear to understand she had to keep her mouth shut. If Cyrus were in some kind of trouble, she wouldn’t help him any by announcing her presence. She needed to be sneakier than that.

  The voices started to grow distant. They were walking away from her.

  Slowly, she led Thunder down the riverbank. Cyrus and whoever he was with were gone. But, she knew right away in which direction they had headed. As they hadn’t continued down the river in either direction, that meant they must have gone into the woods.

  They were headed for the path John had pointed out. The strip that, according to him, the outlaws had been regularly taking. There could be no other answer.

  Nausea rising, Kitty climbed into Thunder’s saddle. She would make a broad circle in order to avoid the men. If she moved fast, she would get to the spot on the cliff that she and John stood at in no time.

  What she would do once she arrived there, Kitty did not know. She only prayed the answer would present itself once the time was right.

  Terror seeping through her veins, she guided Thunder around the trees. With the cut on his side, she wondered if he was capable of running. How would he fare once she had Cyrus and Helen and they made a run for it?

  Kitty ducked under a branch. She knew she was crazy to imagine she would be able to save both her sister and her fiancée all by herself, but her only other option was to lose all hope. And that really wasn’t an option at all. One thing at a time… that’s all that was required of her… She only had to reach the cliff, and then she would decide on her next action.

  Close to the overlook, she tied Thunder to a tree and approached the cliff’s edge at a crouch. Her mouth was dry with fear, and she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking.

  Please don’t let them have passed yet, Kitty prayed.

  Belly flat against the earth, she looked over the edge—and saw them. Cyrus was almost right under her, walking with his hands in the air. Behind him, a man pointed a gun. But, he was not just any man.

  Kitty gasped as she realized Mr. Bowles had betrayed them all. The man who had been so kind to her… who had put his safety at risk to save a woman he’d never met… What was he doing threatening Cyrus’ life?

  Kitty’s mind raced, but there was only one answer presenting itself. Mr. Bowles was one of the outlaws. Either that or the criminals had somehow persuaded him to work for them this one time. Whatever his association was with the men who had taken Kitty’s sister, she did not care. Mr. Bowles threatened Cyrus’ life, and something needed to be done.

  Kitty reached into her boot, her fingers curling around the pistol John Thunder had given her. She desperately wished she ha
d time to run back and ask for his help, but in another few minutes, Cyrus and Mr. Bowles would be gone. Plus, she knew that Mr. Thunder did not want to become involved in the situation at hand. He had helped her as best he could, and she would not dishonor his need to preserve his life of solitude.

  Barely breathing, Kitty drew the pistol from her boot. She knew she would never hit Mr. Bowles. Just aiming for him would be tricky, as she could end up hitting Cyrus instead. Perhaps she could create enough of a distraction for Cyrus to get away.