by Barb Han
Holden studied the screen. “The way this article reads, the journalist suggested you were dead and the sheriff didn’t correct him or her. I’m sure he has reasons for allowing the public to buy into that nonsense.”
“May must be worried sick. She reads the paper every day,” Ella said. “I can’t even imagine what the others in my family must be thinking, my friends.”
“We’ll get word to May. Let’s hope the others aren’t watching the news,” he said.
“They probably aren’t. They’ve been avoiding the media and I’m sure they won’t want to read all the stories that will come out about our father.” Ella’s gaze narrowed. “I’ll never believe another thing I read online again. I had no idea there were so many lies and untruths.”
“Agreed. And I don’t like seeing this any more than you do, but this is good news for us,” Holden said. “The person responsible for the attempts on your life will most likely let his guard down now.”
“What if he’s smarter than that?” she asked. “What if he realizes that I’m alive and is waiting for me, biding his time?”
“This guy makes a lot of assumptions and mistakes,” he stated.
“True.” She seemed to catch on to what he was really saying, that if this guy was any smarter, she’d already be dead. “Think we can go back to Cattle Barge if I put on something to cover up my face?”
He remembered why fishing with Pop had stuck in his mind a few minutes ago. Rose had mentioned his father bringing up fishing. It might mean nothing but Holden wanted to explore it anyway. There was a place the two of them always returned to. Maybe something was there?
“There’s something I need to do in Colorado first,” he said. “We need to go there before we do anything else. I need to look through my father’s personal items. My father gave Rose the message 1-9-6-4 for a reason, and we might find answers in his belongings. Are you good with that?”
“I’m all in, Holden.”
Chapter Fourteen
“I think my arms are actually going to fall off.” Ella gladly climbed off the back of the yellow-and-chrome motorcycle. She shook her hands and wiggled her arms, trying to get blood flowing again. They’d stopped off every few hours on the ride to Colorado for coffee and snacks but hadn’t slept.
Holden took off his helmet and cracked a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You didn’t enjoy the open road?”
“I’ve been on the back of that bike more than I ever want to be on the back of anything ever again. I don’t even think I could get on another ATV now.” Ella bit back the urge to complain about the fact that they were in a remote area. Granted, it was beautiful. The landscape was filled with dogwood, birch and towering oak trees. She recognized the scent of Douglas firs and it made her think of Christmases back home with her dad. Her heart ached at the thought she would never get to spend another holiday with him. Sadness overwhelmed her and she had to move. Walking helped her refocus on what needed to be done instead of on the hole in her chest when she thought about her father.
The last road sign she’d read said they were in a town called Newburg. Holden had parked near a shed that looked like it could house a minivan. It was old and looked abandoned from outside appearances. She figured this was the perfect location for hiding valuables. The sun would dip below the mountains soon and darkness was imminent. The small shed didn’t look to have any power running to it and there was no sign of a light bulb.
“How long do we have before we run out of daylight?” she asked.
“Not long. I’m hoping that the flashlight app on the throwaway I bought will suffice.” He’d bought one of those pay-as-you-go cell phones at a gas station convenience store that couldn’t be traced back to him.
“I’m guessing there are boxes or containers in there,” she said.
“This is where we used to keep camping supplies.” The hollow note to his voice reminded her that he hadn’t allowed himself a chance to grieve. Work and staying busy were good for sorrow, but bottling up emotions was dangerous.
Ella couldn’t imagine that going through his father’s personal items was going to be easy for Holden. She couldn’t even begin to fathom going through her father’s. She and her siblings would have to face that task at some point and she dreaded it with everything inside her. “What are we looking for?”
“Good question.” Holden pulled out a small satchel from underneath the seat of his motorcycle and retrieved a key from it. He unlocked the storage shed and opened the doors. The entire building could house a minivan and that was about it.
Boxes were stacked floor to ceiling with a little room for walking to the left. The two of them wouldn’t fit inside, not with Holden’s sizable build. The idea of climbing in there with spiders and possibly field mice made Ella shiver, so she would let Holden do the honors.
“You don’t have to go in there.” Holden stood there, looking like he wasn’t quite ready to cross that threshold either.
“I’ll be fine. In case you hadn’t noticed, I grew up on a ranch.” She wanted to spare him but knew there wasn’t much she could do.
“Right. I did know that,” he said. All humor was gone from his eyes and he looked like he was staring at a ghost.
“We don’t have to do this today,” she offered. “We could grab a room. I saw a town an hour ago. We could eat and you could have a cold drink.”
“We’re already here.” There was a somber quality to his tone. “We might as well get started.”
“Is it safe to be here?” she asked.
“If anyone knew about this place, the boxes would already be gone,” he informed.
“I can get a box. Step aside,” she cautioned as she moved past him. She was pretty sure something moved in the grass next to her and she almost chickened out until she took another look at his face; his eyes were so intent. Her legs felt like she was walking on rubber bands and her stomach clenched, but she forged ahead like nothing was wrong.
He hesitated for a second and then pulled out the first box. “It’s light.” He opened the top. “Clothes.” He picked up a couple other boxes. “Same in here. I doubt we’ll find what we’re looking for in any of these.”
“We can keep going until we find something. I’m sure 1-9-6-4 will make sense when we see it,” she said, not sure what it was.
“Pop always talked about buying land and building a house in Colorado. He wanted to be closer to Rose so the two of them could keep each other company as they grew old.” Holden opened another box. “Maybe he moved some of his valuables here to prepare. He never really talked about retiring but he’d never really talked much about his moving business.”
“I’m guessing no one knows about this property,” she said.
“Rose would’ve said something before if she had any idea.” He lined up a few boxes on the ground.
Ella began with the one on the end and he moved to the other side.
Carefully, she examined the box for any creepy-crawly bugs that might be lurking inside and especially for anything that might be venomous now that her radar was up.
“We have no idea what we’re looking for.” Frustration edged his tone.
“We’ll know it when we see it,” she reassured.
Light had faded and it was hard to see inside the boxes. Ella didn’t feel great about sticking her hand inside them in the dark.
“Hold this.” Holden held out the throwaway phone.
Ella took it.
“Position it this way,” he said, moving her hand.
He moved back to the box he’d been working on. He pulled out two heavy-duty bags by their handles. He set them down in between two tall fir trees.
“What are those?” Ella followed him, positioning the light so he could see what he was doing.
“You’ll see.” He didn’t look up as he unzipped the first and pulled out a bundle.
“Better. I have a pair of sleeping hammocks.” He seemed pretty pleased with himself but they were losing light and her sense of humor was fading along with her energy.
Ella bit back a yawn. Exhaustion made her wish she had toothpicks to prop her eyes open with.
“How tired are you?” he asked.
“There’s no end.” Her arms had felt like dead weight hours ago on the bike and it would take days to recover.
“You can get some sleep as soon as I get these up.” There was no sign of him making a joke.
“You’re kidding, right?” She hoped.
“Why? They’re still in good shape,” he said.
“Because I’ll be mosquito food,” she stated. “Are there no motels in Colorado? I could’ve sworn we passed a couple on the highway before our exit.”
“Don’t worry. These have nets and we’ll be safer if we stay away from major roads. No one knows about this place and I have power bars and water in my backpack to keep us from going hungry. They’ll get us through the night and morning, when we can finish going through the boxes. We’re about to lose light and we should probably save phone battery.” He hooked a rope around one of the firs and then secured it with some Boy Scout maneuver she’d seen one of her brothers do when they were kids.
She couldn’t argue with his logic. It would most likely be safe for them out here in what felt like the wilderness even if the place did give her the creeps. Living on a ranch was a different beast. Ella was used to wide-open skies after growing up at Hereford. Colorado was beautiful, but it also felt a little claustrophobic with the thick layers of tall trees.
“It’ll be good. You’ll see,” he reassured when she didn’t respond.
“I’m sure it will,” she said without much conviction. “Want some help?”
He nodded.
Her vision was blurring and sleep, even out here, sounded better than a steak dinner about now.
“Hold here,” he said and his fingers brushed hers. He moved next to her and she could feel his masculine presence.
Being out here with no one and nothing besides each other made her miss the ranch. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d wanted to leave Hereford, but it had to have been college. She’d gone to state school to be close to home. Home. Ella wished she and Holden were there now.
But what was home to him?
She couldn’t even imagine this being his life for the past two years. She thought about how alone he must’ve been feeling, must still feel, being away from everything and everyone he cared about for so long. Two years could seem like an eternity. So much could change.
Holden moved away from her and she immediately felt his absence.
“Thanks for everything you’ve done for me,” she said. “I realize you have a lot going on with your father’s case, and yet you’re still helping me.”
He waved her off like it was nothing. But it wasn’t. And when this was all over she would figure out a way to show her appreciation.
After tying off the ropes and ensuring their hammocks were secure, Holden went to work building a fire. His movements were swift and there was a certain athletic grace to them, his muscles tensed and stretched against the cotton fabric of his sweatshirt.
Ella redirected her thoughts. No use going down that road again, the one that had her attracted to a man whose past would always haunt him.
Although the landscape looked completely different, being outdoors reminded her of home. She sat down in front of the campfire. Everything about Hereford reminded her of her father and, once again, she couldn’t believe he was gone. Holding on to her knees, she rocked back and forth.
* * *
“EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?” Holden dropped down beside Ella and handed her a power bar and bottle of water.
“I miss him,” she said, and he could see tears streaming down her cheeks in the glow of the campfire. She hugged her legs even tighter. “Everything’s been happening so fast that my brain hasn’t had time to process the fact that when I go home he won’t be there. He’s never coming back.”
“I’m sorry.” Those were the only two words he could think to say and they fell short of what he wanted to communicate.
“He was larger than life. He was just this huge presence. You know? And now there’ll be a gaping hole in his place at the ranch,” she managed while fighting off sobs threatening to suck her under. “I can’t imagine life on Hereford without him, and that’s exactly what I’m going back to. A life where he doesn’t exist. Going through your father’s belongings made me realize that I’ll be doing the same thing very soon.”
“He sounds like he was a good man underneath it all. I have a lot of respect for him,” Holden said. He knew firsthand what it was like to lose a father, and that meant he also knew there was nothing that he could say to take away the pain. Instead of issuing empty words, he put his arm around her and drew her close. She responded by leaning into him.
“He was,” she said quietly.
To say the day had been difficult was a lot like saying bears had fur. Being around his father’s things brought back all kinds of memories, most of them good. Hell, Pop’s clothes still smelled like him.
Being here made Holden feel close to Pop, in a way. Holden remembered the first time his father had taken him fishing. He’d caught a large-mouth bass twice the size of his fist and they’d gone most every weekend until Holden reached the age hanging out with his old man on the weekends wasn’t cool. Then they’d gone on holidays like Father’s Day and Fourth of July. Forget barbecuing hamburgers—they’d clean the fish they caught and toss them around in batter. They’d fill up on fried catfish until neither could walk. There’d been hard times, too.
Growing up without a constant feminine presence, save for occasionally spending time with Rose, had brought its own set of challenges. Holden couldn’t help but notice the similarities between his father and Ella’s in that regard. The men were completely different but each did his best to bring up his family.
Despite any hardships, Ella had turned out all right. It couldn’t have been easy for a girl to grow up without a mother. Nurses and caretakers only went so far. But she’d grown into a caring, intelligent, giving woman. Beautiful woman, a little voice felt the need to remind him. He wouldn’t argue. She deserved better than this.
For tonight he was pleased that she had a soft hammock, warm covers and food in her stomach.
* * *
THE SOUND OF twigs breaking underneath shoes woke Holden with a start. He glanced around quickly, gaining his bearings. He didn’t mention to Ella that black bears can be up to nine feet tall and weigh in at close to seven hundred pounds.
He closed his eyes and listened.
The twig snaps grew louder, indicating that the snapper was heading toward their campsite.
Holden moved into action, swiftly and quietly. He was at Ella’s side in a heartbeat, gently shaking her.
Her eyes opened and he said, “Someone’s coming. It’s okay.”
He deliberately said someone and not something. Startle her and she might panic, drawing unwanted attention toward them. “We need to move away from camp as fast as possible.”
She nodded and bolted into action, throwing off the blanket he’d placed on her last night. He handed her her shoes and she put them on and laced them up in a snap.
The sounds were getting closer and this time he heard voices. It was a relief on some note because that meant they weren’t about to encounter a bear. However, people often turned out to be far more dangerous than wildlife. Wildlife made sense. They simply followed the natural order and acted according to laws of nature and their DNA’s programming. Humans were unpredictable.
“What is it?” Ella whisper
ed, and the sound of her voice first thing in the morning stirred dormant places inside him that he couldn’t afford to let wake. Not when everything in his life was uncertain.
“Hikers,” he said. “I need to get a closer look to evaluate the threat. I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“Okay.” She yawned. “Let’s go.”
“Stay low and close,” he said.
He led her into the woods, far beyond the hikers. He wanted to come up on them from a different angle, from behind. And especially so that he could draw them away from camp.
There were two males and a female. They were chatting easily and looked to be in their early twenties. They were dressed like L.L. Bean models and the female had a black bandana tied around her head. Their hiking boots were clean, which meant they’d just been bought or didn’t get taken out much.
Holden looked at Ella and whispered, “Follow my lead.”
She smiled her response.
He took her hand, stood up straight and said, “It’s chillier this morning than I expected even at this altitude.”
“I know, right?” She beamed at him as he made an effort to stomp through the underbrush toward a path. “Brrr.”
“Oh, hey. Morning,” Holden said to the trio as he and Ella approached.
“Morning,” the female said as the guys nodded and smiled. She had dark hair in twin braids running halfway down her torso. Up close, the guys looked to be nineteen or twenty at the most. His estimate of the group being college coeds seemed to be spot-on.
“Been up here long?” he asked.
“Aiden had the bright idea to wake up at four this morning,” one of the guys said. “I’m Patrick, by the way. And this is Keisha.”
Holden shook hands with each of the guys and then Keisha offered her hand. The group exchanged perfunctory greetings before Holden laced his fingers with Ella’s.
“We ran into a park ranger a mile or so back. He said to watch out for black bears. A big one was spotted heading south,” Holden lied. He pointed almost directly toward camp.
Ella’s hand tensed. She must not have considered the possibility of bears last night, and that was probably for the best. Holden had learned that being stressed about danger didn’t make it go away. Stress was an unnecessary distraction on a mission. All a man needed was enough fear to keep him sharp and give him a clear mind and the confidence that he could handle whatever he faced.
