by H. L. Wegley
They hitched their horses to the post at the trailhead and Drew led the way down a dusty trail that followed the east side of a dry desert canyon bordered by rock walls. Soon the rocks towered a hundred feet or more above them.
The rush of water echoed off the canyon walls. The Deschutes, a blue ribbon which turned white where the water tumbled over rocks, was a stream of life running through an otherwise arid land.
Streams in the Desert. That was a devotional she’d read while in college. We wait on God. He waits on us and works out His purposes in our lives.
Was Drew part of God’s purposes in Beth’s life? Maybe Drew was a stream bringing life to the desolate existence Beth had suffered through for the past eight years. The bit of life she’d experienced with Drew was real and vibrant, despite the threat of death at the hands of that demon, Hector Suarez.
And in a few moments, Beth would see a real stream in the desert. Decisions about the reality of Drew West bringing life to the desert of her life would have to wait.
Insufficient data. One never should make a decision without enough data points to validate it.
Almost a half mile down the trail, the side slope became so steep that the trail angled sharply downhill. Each step required Beth’s ankle to hold the weight of her body while the ankle bent to the right.
She grimaced after a couple of steps as pain stabbed her ankle and the side of her foot.
Beth stopped on the trail, hoping the pain would subside, but Drew had already stepped off the trail and positioned his body below hers.
“I’m sorry, Beth. I’d forgotten how steep the slope is. Put your hand on top of my shoulder and lean on me. It’ll take the weight off your ankle.”
“Thanks.”
In five steps, which held much less pain, Beth passed the steep side slope.
They emerged from behind a rock outcropping and the falls roared through the canyon below them.
Beth stopped on the trail and soaked in the beauty of Steelhead Falls.
The river dropped a dozen feet or more, and the rock cliff forming the falls divided the river into five different white cascades. The largest two cascades sent spray into the brilliant sunlight, creating rainbows that shimmered as the water droplets drifted in the gentle breeze.
“Drew, this is absolutely spectacular.”
“Come on. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He took her hand and led Beth down to a large rock that jutted out into the river.
When they reached the outer edge of the rock and then turned to face the falls, it seemed that Beth stood in the middle of the river looking back at the falls.
The river roared and rushed straight at them. Rainbows came and went at the whims of the sun and the breeze. A fine mist reached them, partially cooling Drew and Beth from the sun which had turned scorching over the past hour.
Beth stretched out her arms and turned a full circle in the mist. “If only I could come here every day.”
“That can be arranged, Ms. Sanchez. But, first, you need to become Mrs. West.”
“No, Drew. First we need to resolve a minor problem we both have called Hector Suarez.”
“I handled Suarez once and I’ll do it again. He won’t hurt you, Beth. Nobody gets through me to hurt someone I love.”
Drew stopped talking after his use of a certain four-letter word. Evidently, he realized this was the first time either of them had used the word in reference to the other.
She chose not to mention his premature admission. “Drew, that’s what my father thought because he drove out Suarez. It looked like it was true, for a while. Then …”
“Like I said, I handled him once and—”
“He won’t underestimate you this time.”
“Do you think that’s why I took him down and took his gun?”
“No. You had the ability to do it. But if he had known that, he might have killed you before you had a chance. He’s evil, demonic.”
“Now you’re touching upon his real weakness.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said he’s demonic. What do we have going for us that Hector does not?”
“You mean God?”
“Exactly. I can guarantee you that Hector Suarez underestimates God one-hundred percent of the time.”
Beth couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You’re right. We stand here planning how we can survive Hector Suarez, and we know that, ultimately, Hector’s the one who won’t survive.”
Sometime during their exchange, Drew’s arm had curled around her waist. “Beth, when this is all over and behind us, I’ll need to know the answer to my question.”
“You didn’t phrase it as a question, Drew. Marry me. That’s a command.”
“Well I meant it as a question, and I’ll need an answer.”
“I know.” She clasped her hands behind Drew’s neck and pulled him closer until there was no other option but to kiss him.
“That’s the second time you’ve kissed me, Beth. Is the third time going to be the charm? Or can you give me an answer now?”
“I’m not ready to say yes. But, Drew … I want you to know that I’m not saying no.”
“Gee. After five whole days, is that all you can tell me?”
* * *
I want you to know that I’m not saying no.
To get that bit of an admission from Beth Sanchez—Drew considered it a major victory. It sent his spirit soaring. He couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he recalled Beth’s words.
Those words had almost made him forget the reason they had gone on this expedition. He wasn’t through yet finding a path of escape should the drug lord discover he and Beth were at Way West Ranch. And he had forgotten to show Beth the cave across the river from the falls. That could wait.
As they climbed the last hill that would take them back to the trailhead, Sundown whinnied.
Beth pointed at the horse and smiled.
“Yeah. She knows it’s you,” Drew said. “A horse never forgets a friend, especially if they bring carrots.”
“How does she know it’s me?”
“She can see you, and her eyesight is better than yours, even if she is fifty-five in horse years. Now that the valleys are heating, the wind has reversed. It’s blowing up the canyons, so she can smell you too.”
“How can I tell her I like her?”
“Talk softly to her. Be gentle. And, of course, give her treats.”
“But I don’t have anything to give her.”
Beth and Drew walked side-by-side through the gate at the trailhead. Drew stopped beside Dusty and shoved a hand into the saddle pack.
His hand came out palming a small paper package. Drew ripped it open.
Beth had stopped beside him, and she stuck out a hand when she saw the label, sugar cubes.
He dropped a cube into her palm. “You can’t make this a habit. It’s not good for them to have too much sugar.”
Beth circled in front of Dusty, then moved in front of Sundown and rubbed her head. She put the back of her hand near the horse’s mouth.
Sundown took in a breath, then she used her nose to nudge Beth’s hand upward.
“Guess I can’t fool you. You knew it was there.” She opened her hand, palm up, and the sugar cube disappeared.
The horse’s nose searched Beth’s hand.
“Sorry, girl, that’s all for now.” She turned toward Drew. “Where to now?”
“You asked where we’d go if they discovered us at Steelhead Falls. That’s where we’re headed.”
“Then why did we—”
“We’re taking an alternate route, so we can ride the horses to this place. I thought you might like that better than walking on a sore ankle.”
“Be careful, Drew. You might turn into a thoughtful alpha male. You might even forget how to storm castles.”
“I just thought that, since you and Sundown have bonded, you might like to ride to pine tree valley.”
“That’s what I was talking about.”
“You mean me being thoughtful? Giving you and Sundown some more bonding time?”
She nodded.
“Beth, when someone lowers the drawbridge for you, you don’t have to storm the castle. Besides, I’m already inside.” He slid into the saddle.
Beth’s cheeks turned pink as she mounted Sundown.
Why was it embarrassing for her to admit she had feelings for him? Maybe that was part of being one of those INTJ women.
He pointed to the south. “Let’s go upstream. There’s a shallow rapids where we can ford the river. We’ll cross into the next valley, and it’ll take us back to a point west of the falls. From there we go up into a valley filled with pine trees.”
Drew’s cell buzzed and music played.
Beth looked around them, then focused on Drew. “What’s that?”
“My cell.” He pulled it from his pocket.
“What was it playing?”
“Peter’s theme, you know, from Peter and the Wolf. Means it’s Hunter. I’d better see what he has for us.”
“This is Drew.”
“Hey, bro, how’re things going with you and Beth?”
“Fine. Now, why did you really call?”
“That FBI agent, Preston, called me.”
“Did he have a message for me?”
“Sort of. I think, mainly, he wanted you to know that he’s still monitoring intel on the Del Rio Cartel.”
“But did he have any info?”
“He just said there were indications Hector Suarez might be getting ready to take a trip. He’ll keep watching and let you know if Suarez makes a move.”
“That’s it? Suarez looks restless, like maybe he’s going on a trip?”
Beth’s gaze focused on Drew’s face and the twin frown lines on her forehead deepened.
“That’s it. Are you making any plans in case you need to move?”
“Yeah. We’re making plans.”
“Take care, bro. I’ll be in touch.” Hunter ended the call.
“Drew, what’s happening with Suarez?”
He slid his cell into his pocket. “My guess is that the intel was inconclusive, but Agent Preston’s gut tells him Suarez is getting ready to make a move. He just couldn’t say that officially. So he gave us a subtle warning.”
“Do we need to do anything differently?”
Drew nudged Dusty. The horse turned and headed up the road that followed the river.
Beth brought Sundown alongside. “Well, what do you think?”
“The only difference that call makes is that we need to make sure Mom finds a place for all the horses, pronto. Right now, you and I just need to check out this valley and plan how we would retreat further west if Suarez tracked us to the river.”
Twenty minutes later, they had forded the river, climbed the ridge on the west side of the Deschutes and crossed the ridgeline using a deep saddle.
Drew studied the long valley as they descended into it. “We had a wet winter and a fairly wet spring. But since then, nothing.”
“You’d never guess that on the other side of the ridge is a river lined with all kinds of green vegetation. This looks almost as dry as the desert where I came from in Mexico.”
He nudged Dusty. “Let’s pick up the pace a little. We need to check out this valley hiding place and then get back to the ranch.”
“Should you call your mom now, Drew?”
“I don’t want to tell her about Hunter’s call over the phone. I want to see her eyes when we talk about it. If she’s worried that we can’t place all the horses, it’ll show in her eyes, not her voice.”
“Are you always so calculating? You aren’t always processing information, are you?”
Drew turned in the saddle and met her gaze. “It’s more like receiving information. Shall I tell you what you’re thinking right now?”
“No.” She looked away and mumbled something obviously not intended for his ears, something he couldn’t understand.
In another ten minutes, they reached the mouth of the small valley filled with many thick stands of pine trees.
“If we’re chased this far, we’ll go up this valley to where it dead-ends against a rock cliff just below the top of the ridge at the west end.”
“A box canyon? Wouldn’t we be trapped?”
“No, I’m counting on this canyon buying us some time to get further away to the west. Once we’re out of this canyon, if we have to, we can keep going west all the way to the Cascade Mountains. The Cascades are high mountains. Snow covered. Capped with glaciers. It’s dangerous to go wandering if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“And you do?”
“Beth, I don’t think even a vindictive man like Suarez could follow us into those mountains. I almost wish he would try. It might get him killed. But, yeah, I can take care of us up there.”
Drew moved Dusty into the lead as their path grew narrow while they wound through the pine trees.
“See that cliff ahead?”
“Yes, but what do we do when we reach it? It looks more than a hundred feet high.”
“Prepare to be amazed.”
“You don’t have to keep trying to impress me, Mr. West.” She gave him her enigmatic smile.
“I’m not. I’m trying to depress Hector Suarez. I’ll show you how in a minute or two.”
After they reached the rock cliff that surrounded them on three sides, Drew dismounted. “Come on. Let me show you around.”
Beth climbed out of her saddle and stood beside Sundown.
“We can leave the horses here. They won’t go anywhere.” Drew hurried around the corner of a protruding boulder.
“Wait for me, Drew.”
Her footsteps sounded through the opening in the rocks. “Drew? Drew? Where are you?”
The scraping of shoes on rock came through the crack in the rock where Drew stood. “Ouch! That blasted rock!”
A loud thump sounded. “Ouch! This isn’t funny, Drew West. Where are you?”
“Right here.” He slipped out of the crack then stepped out from behind the rock hiding the entrance.
“You didn’t know where I went, and you couldn’t find me, right?”
“I scraped my arm trying to climb this boulder and now my toe hurts.”
“That’s because you got mad at a rock and kicked it.”
She folded her arms and didn’t reply.
“Let me show you where I was.”
“Is there a hidden cave somewhere around here?”
“There’s something better. Suarez could trap us in a cave. Follow me.”
Drew led her around the big boulder and then slipped behind the huge chunk of rock, shaped like a giant domino, that had fallen into the opening to the crack.
“From here it looks like you’re at a dead end. But watch.” He slid his body through the narrow gap behind the domino and disappeared.
“How did you—”
“Come on in, Beth.”
She followed him into the split in the rocky crown that topped the ridge.
“This split goes through to the other side of the ridge. If we’re followed into the box canyon, we just have to beat them to this opening and go through to the other side. Then we head west to the mountains.”
“If he knows we disappeared in this canyon, he would keep looking—”
“He would. It could be hours before he found the opening to the crack, if he ever did. By then we’d be climbing glaciers in the Cascades.”
Beth craned her neck and looked up to the narrow band of blue sky directly above them. “This is creepy. It’s only three or four feet wide. I’d hate to be in here during an earthquake.”
“Or an avalanche.”
“Avalanche? What do you mean, Drew?”
“From the other side you can walk up to the top. It’s littered with rocks two or three feet in diameter. We could bombard anyone coming through the split. We would have them at our mercy. Then we could really give them a headache.”
�
�No, Drew. That’s too risky. We should just go to the mountains.”
“You’re probably right. But it sure is tempting.”
They walked through the split and climbed to the pinnacle of the rocky ridge.
Drew pointed to the southeast. “That’s Paulina Peak nearly sixty miles away. It sits above two beautiful lakes. Directly south of us, that big peak, nearly ten-thousand feet high, is Mount Bachelor. To the west of us are the Three Sisters. Look up to the north. That perfectly shaped volcanic peak is Mount Jefferson.”
“I love this country already, Drew. It’s a little like the high desert where I grew up in Mexico, but even more beautiful with these mountains. Best of all, no drug cartels.”
“Uh … that’s not the case here in Central Oregon. Drug cartels use Highway 97, the main north-south route on this side of the mountains, to run their drugs through Oregon into Washington and up into Canada.”
“Which cartel does that?”
“Authorities think it’s the revived Tijuana Cartel, but no one seems to know for sure who runs it.” Drew pointed down the rocky slope they had climbed. “We should head back before Sundown gets our horses into mischief.”
“Sundown? I think you mean Dusty.”
“Sticking up for Sundown? Am I losing my woman to a horse?”
“I don’t know. Who’s your woman?” She raised her eyebrows and waited.
“My woman knows who she is. But a horse like Sundown is tough competition. However … when it comes to kissing, I’ve definitely got an edge over old slobber face.”
It looked like Beth tried to keep it in, but the laugh exploded from her mouth, leaving her mouth looking like old slobber face.
She wiped her mouth and regained her composure.
If only their time together was free from concern about Suarez. Drew’s time with Beth was fun and exciting, a salve to his scarred soul. No. It made the wounds from his past irrelevant. As if they’d never happened.
When the time was right, he would explain to her how she had healed him. If she cared for him as much as he had begun to care for her, his story might make a difference. And, as she had admitted on their trip from Texas, he had helped her too.
His future looked bright with Beth in it. Holding onto Beth and holding onto life had become synonymous. Without her, he wasn’t sure that Drew West wanted a future.
