“Let’s go.” She looked at her watch. “We’re making good time.”
“It’s the company,” Ty called over his shoulder as he guided his horse down the trail.
Rachel couldn’t disagree. The trail was wide but not wide enough for the horses to walk side by side. “It is,” she said, smiling. Just getting to talk with Ty made her feel hopeful. He’d come a long way. Her heart expanded with a quiet joy. Funny, she’d never felt like this about any other man. Not even Garrett, her fiancé. What was going on between them? Rachel didn’t know, and she couldn’t afford to dwell on it right now. Leaning over, she patted her horse. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to that first well. My butt is killing me!”
Rachel groaned as she stepped onto the grassy area of the well, ancient and made of rock. A few scraggly trees grew around it. She had handed the reins to Ty. There was a bucket and crank. After pushing the wooden pail over the opening, she quickly lowered it. There was a splash at about twenty feet. Once she quickly wrenched the pail up with the wooden handle, they had water. The horses nickered and crowded closer. For the next ten minutes, she filled pails of water for the thirsty animals.
Ty studied the area. They’d come off the last slope, and the well sat about a mile from the actual valley between the mountains. The green looked out of place compared to the yellow, rocky dirt that surrounded them. It was 1:00 p.m., the sky a light blue with puffy white clouds dotted against it. The temperature had risen, and he was actually hot in the wool clothing.
“We’re next,” Rachel called, hefting the bucket down on the ground near his feet. Hamid had given them a small wooden cup, and she pulled it out of the saddlebag her horse carried. Dipping it into the water, she straightened and handed it to Ty.
“Thanks,” he said before swallowing deeply.
While he was drinking water, Rachel retrieved the empty plastic bottles to refill them. The wind was inconstant, and she longed to pull the hot fabric away from her face. It was much warmer in the valley. She ached for a cool shower.
“Your turn,” Ty said, handing her a mug filled with water.
Smiling, she put the bottles down by the well and accepted the welcome gift. “Thanks.”
The birds were singing in the scrawny nearby trees. Far above, Ty thought he saw an eagle floating on the unseen air currents. There was nothing but natural sound. The horses were eagerly nibbling at any piece of green grass they could find. They had to be hungry. Looking back, he allowed himself the pleasure of watching Rachel drink. She was beautiful. An ache began in his lower body, but he quickly shoved the desire away. While it was true there was a white flag of surrender symbolically held between them, he didn’t think she’d be interested in him as a man. Not after what he’d done to her. Sadness swept through him, and he took the horses over to a thick patch of grass.
After she finished filling the water bottles, Rachel put half of them in the saddle bags of Ty’s horse and half in her own. Rubbing her wet hands on her trousers, she went over to where he was standing. The horses were famished. Hamid had advised them to let them eat for half an hour before moving on across the valley. She put a hand to her eyes, looking at the steep mountains on the other side.
“That’s a lot of hard climbing ahead for us and the horses,” she said.
“It is. Beautiful valley, though,” he said. “A few days ago, we flew right over this area and didn’t give it a second look.”
Rachel chuckled. “Things change.”
Didn’t they? Ty forced himself to stop looking at her. Her male clothing couldn’t hide those glistening gold eyes of hers. Again, he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Would she allow him to do that? Ty didn’t think so. But damn, he wanted to kiss her. Their talk last night had sprung open an old door that had been blocked deep down inside. She had released something primal within him. He tried to name it. Was it her nurturing personality? God knew, Ty wanted to be held in her arms. Somehow, she fed his thirsty, starving soul. Fed his heart that ached to be loved fully by someone. For so long, Ty had been without real love. Acknowledging that he was at fault in his past relationships, he knew he had to continue to make changes so that a woman would want him in her life.
“Ready?” Rachel asked. She saw him grow pensive. The energy around Ty shifted. He was completely immersed in his thoughts. When he lifted his head and met her gaze, he nodded.
“My butt is numb.”
“So is mine,” she laughed. Rachel took the reins of her horse from Ty. Mounting up, she appreciated Ty’s struggle to get back on the horse. His left arm was in a sling. Yet, he made it. There was determination in every bit of his face. “How’s the pain?” she wondered.
“Manageable,” Ty said, picking up the reins. “I just took another pain pill.”
“Good.” Rachel joined him as they walked their horses together down the widening path. It felt good to be on flat land. There were trees here and there, casting shade across the grass. Looking around, she said, “I’m surprised we don’t see any goat or sheep herds down here.”
“Me, too.” Frowning, Ty muttered, “I wonder if that means the Taliban is around. I know villages keep their herds protected when they’re in their area. The Taliban eat the animals.”
“Bastards,” Rachel gritted out. “Every sheep and goat is important to the people of these villages.”
“It’s their way of telling the villagers they’re in control.”
Snorting, Rachel agreed. Ty kicked his horse into a slow trot and so did she. It was ten miles across this narrow valley bracketed by steep, nine thousand foot high peaks. She noticed on the other side of the valley there were a lot of caves. This was a favorite hiding place for the Taliban. Yet, she saw no shapes or horses to suggest the enemy was nearby.
Suddenly, Rachel heard a noise behind them. To her shock, she saw at least ten horsemen coming at them at a fast gallop.
“Ty!”
Rachel’s cry made him turn. His eyes widened. There, about five miles away, was a group of horsemen coming at high speed. And there was no way to tell if they were friendly or Taliban. He’d seen several small canyons near the end of the valley. “Follow me!” he yelled and clapped his heels to his horse.
Instantly, Rachel followed at a fast gallop, so fast that her eyes watered. The pounding of the horse’s hooves dulled her hearing. Ty led her into the canyons at the end of the valley. Turning in her saddle, Rachel saw their weapons. And they were firing at them!
“Enemy!” she shouted.
Ty nodded. He whipped his horse and chose the center of three canyons. They were steep and filled with brush and trees. The horse grunted and leaped over some fallen logs as it scrambled high into the canyon. Jerking a look around, he saw Rachel was right behind him. For the moment, they had made a turn and were out of sight of the enemy. Urging his mount up into the tree line, Hamilton prayed the horse wouldn’t fall on the rocky ground. They had to be hidden! Breathing hard, he guided his brave horse higher and higher. Was this a box canyon? Or did it spill out onto the slopes above it? Ty didn’t know. If it was a box canyon, it could mean their death. Oh, God, let me have made the right decision.…
Winded and frightened, Rachel dismounted as Ty had. They were very high up in the canyon. They were at least a thousand feet off the valley floor. Gasping, she quickly brought her horse up beside his.
“Definitely Taliban.”
Wiping his mouth after he pulled the fabric away, Ty peered down the canyon. “They can’t see us up here.”
“There are three canyons,” Rachel breathlessly agreed. “I wonder if they’ll hunt for us?”
“I’m counting on it,” he growled. Looking around, he said, “I’ll be damned. Look.… A cave!”
Turning and following where he was pointing, Rachel saw a sliver of an opening to a cave. It was hidden by thick brush. “Let’s get in there.”
“Right,” Ty agreed. Leading his horse, he clambered up though the rubble another five hundred feet befo
re reaching the opening. Without waiting, Ty plunged into the slit in the wall of the rock.
Rachel followed. They halted inside and looked around. A gray light filtered down upon them. The cave was at least ten feet high and, as her eyes adjusted, it appeared to be much larger than Rachel first thought.
“It’s a dry cave,” Ty uttered. Clucking to his horse, he headed deeper down into the cave. “We’ve got to try and hide in here until they leave. The farther down we can go, the better off we’ll be.”
Frantic, Rachel turned around. “Wait!”
Ty halted. He saw her go back out to the mouth of the cave and break off a branch from a cedar tree. Their tracks! Of course. He nodded. “Good call.”
“You go ahead, I’ll sweep our tracks out of here,” she said.
Ty kept seeing spots of gray light here and there. He wondered if the top of the cave had holes in it. There had to be holes or he wouldn’t be seeing a thing. The cave narrowed at the back. And then it had three different passages he could choose from. Ty waited for Rachel to catch up. “Which one should we try first?” he asked.
His voice echoed hollowly in the cave. She came forward and peered into all three. “Let’s take the smallest one, because if they find us, they’ll think we took the largest one.”
“Good thinking,” he praised. Rachel had pulled the fabric off her face. Her skin had a sheen of perspiration. She looked as scared as he felt. “Okay, let’s go.…”
Chapter 14
At a certain point in the narrowing cave, Ty asked Rachel to tie her horse’s reins to the back of his horse’s saddle. Though frustrated over the uselessness of his left arm, he couldn’t negotiate both animals.
“It’s getting narrower as we go,” Rachel whispered. She choked down the panic, standing behind the last horse and looking out toward the entrance. Had the Taliban found them? There was no way to know. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she kept both hands on her pistol.
“I know,” Ty said, scowling. “We don’t have a choice. We’re going to have to push forward.”
“What if it’s a dead end or it gets too narrow?”
“Then we wait it out.” Ty knew the rejoinder: if the Taliban found them, they would become easy targets. They’d be dead in seconds.
Rachel wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Okay…keep going.”
Tugging on the reins, Ty moved forward. Occasionally, a spot of light would appear. He wondered just how many holes were above them. Grateful he could see, he pushed forward as fast as he could. Where did this tunnel end? It was moving upward. Would there be another opening at the end or was it a wall?
Suddenly, Rachel heard men’s voices echoing oddly down their corridor. Gasping, she realized they had been found. Damn!
“Hurry!” she whispered fiercely. “They’ve found us!”
Terror arced through him. The floor of the cave was sandy with some pebbles thrown across it. He jerked on the horse’s reins and started off at an awkward run. If the Taliban had been able to figure out they were here, despite Rachel trying to cover their tracks, they’d find them in this tunnel, too. The cave floor continued to move upward. The light filtering down became brighter.
Rachel hung back. She heard more yells and cries from the Taliban. They were at the cave tunnel entrances. Oh God, don’t let them find us! She turned on her heel and raced to catch up with Ty and their horses. Her breath came in sobs. Pressing her hand to her mouth, Rachel knew she couldn’t afford to make any more noise.
Ty trotted as fast as the horses would go. They were snorting and fearful. He knew those sounds would echo back through the tunnel, but there was nothing he could do. His boots thunked hard on the surface. More light was ahead. God, let it be an opening!
Rachel ran up to her horse. She saw more light ahead. The cave floor canted steeply upward. It was getting so narrow that the horse’s saddles were rubbing against the confining walls. Sweat dripped into her eyes, stinging them. It was hot in the cave. Fear mixed with hope as she trotted behind her horse. She could hear the Talibans’ voices. They were getting closer!
Suddenly, shots were fired.
The bullets careened and ricocheted off the walls. Rachel automatically ducked as one whined by her head. The horses bolted, the booming sound scaring them. They lurched forward, panicked.
Ty saw brush ahead. An entrance! The cave suddenly opened up, and both horses lunged past him in order to escape, their eyes rolling in panic. Gripping the reins, Ty hauled back hard on the lead horse. The animal didn’t respond, and they crashed through the thick vegetation, branches snapping and leaves exploding around them. The horse was so panicked by the shots that Ty was dragged. He clung on to the reins as he was pulled swiftly through the thickets. He didn’t dare let go!
Rachel leaped through the brush, saw Ty jerked off his feet by the charging and frightened lead horse. Making a leap, she managed to grab her own horse’s reins. The animal slowed and turned, snorting.
“Ty!” she called.
“I’m okay,” he said, clumsily getting to his feet. He cursed softly, yanked off the sling and threw it with disgust to the ground. It was making him off balance, and right now, he’d settle for pain in order to stay on his feet.
More shots shrieked and careened out of the cave.
“Mount up!” he ordered, releasing the knot of the reins from his saddle.
Rachel already had a hand on her scared horse’s neck. “Right!” She leaped into the saddle.
Ty did the same. His left arm hurt like hell, but he didn’t care. Seeing a small path that led up through the brush, he realized they were on top of a mountain. The path led down and then went upward. He tried to sense where they were.
After he jammed his heels into his frantic horse, Ty guided the frightened animal up through the thickets. They crashed through the underbrush.
Right behind him, Rachel was breathing hard. She held her .45 in her right hand, looking back to see if she saw the Taliban bursting out of the tunnel. Oh, God, let us get out of this alive! Her horse lunged, jumped and the brush exploded beneath its legs. They had to get away. Suddenly, they broke out of the thick wall of brush. There. She saw a thin trail, probably a goat trail, leading up and over the rise. Slapping the reins to the withers of his sweaty horse, Ty galloped upward, dirt and rock flying behind the scared animal.
Rachel guided her horse right on the rear of Ty’s mount. The shooting had stopped. Anxiously looking over her shoulder, she couldn’t see the opening anymore. The dense foliage wall hid it. Had the Taliban gotten through it? They must have, she reasoned, and that was why they’d stopped shooting through the tunnel. Fear curled her stomach into a tight, painful fist as she rode hard.
Ty topped the mountain. He jerked his horse to a halt. Rachel came up beside him, her animal dancing and frightened. “Look!” he cried, pointing.
Her jaw dropped. There was only one mountain between them and the village of Samarigam. Not only that, but she saw Emma and Kahlid’s Chinook helicopter on the ground. They had to be dropping supplies to the village. And they were too far away for the crew to hear the rifle fire.
“Hold on,” she gasped, hauling her horse to a stop. “Let me try this damn radio again!” She thrust her hand into the pocket of her flight suit. Fumbling around, her hand shaking from fear, she finally found it. She yanked it out and gave Ty a desperate look. “Pray this thing is dried out enough to work.”
He held his restive horse, his gaze on the radio she held. Rachel’s mouth was grim as she twisted the knob that would turn on the radio.
“It works!” she cried. The radio would have enough distance to reach Bravo Base Camp. She quickly placed the call and gave coordinates.
Ty heard a shout behind them. It was the Taliban! “Tell them we’re being pursued by Taliban. We’ve got to make a run for the village right now!”
Nodding, Rachel heard the cries and shouts of angry men nearby. The brush was snapping and popping. They rode their horses through it to
reach them. Quickly, she told Ops their position, that the Taliban was chasing them and they needed Apache intervention. Signing off, she jammed the radio back into her thigh pocket. “Let’s get the hell out of here!” She clapped her heels to the horse.
They raced over the top of the mountain. The goat trail was thin and narrow. Rachel signaled for Ty to go down the steep, winding path first. She’d stay to the rear. The animals flew down the trail. The danger was in them falling as the rocks were loose and slippery. Ty’s horse slid and almost fell. Rachel gulped back a scream as she saw him right the horse and keep heading downward. It was a good thing he came from a cowboy background. He knew how to ride a horse.
Just as they reached the bottom of the trail, Rachel saw the first of the Taliban appear at the top of the mountain. There were too many to count. And they all had their rifles aimed at them. They started firing down at them, the sounds echoing off the nearby mountains. Dirt spat up here and there around them. Turning, Rachel whipped her horse into a gallop. Ty was ahead of her. The mountain connected down a narrow path and then led out, once more, onto the floor of the lush, green valley. Gasping, Rachel felt her horse lose its footing.
In one moment, Rachel was on the horse. The next, the horse slipped and fell. It went head first in a flip. Rachel felt herself sailing through the air. Seconds later, she crashed, rolled into a ball and slammed into the yellow earth. Pain arced up her shoulder, but she kept rolling. She heard the grunt of her horse behind her. Would the horse land on top of her? Uncertain, when she stopped rolling, Rachel sprang to her feet. Eyes wide, she saw her horse only a few feet behind her. It had gotten back on its feet, shaking itself like a dog. She ran back, grabbed the reins and prayed that the horse wasn’t injured. Leaping into the saddle, she yelled at the horse and leaned forward.
Instantly, the horse lunged ahead, galloping wildly down the trail. Relieved the horse was unhurt, Rachel found her stirrups. More bullets sang around them. She saw Ty at least half a mile ahead of her. He hadn’t realized she had fallen. Rachel leaned down and pushed the horse as fast as he could go. The dust and rocks flew beneath his small, sharp hooves. The bullets kept kicking up geysers of dirt all around her. She was a target! Rachel knew that Ty was out of rifle range. The last thing she wanted to do was die.
His Duty to Protect Page 14
