Sisters By Choice

by Lillian Duncan

  He nodded. “I promise you, and I promise God. I won’t shoot unless there’s a snake or a bad guy.”

  Satisfied, she stood. Her ankle still throbbed. In fact, it felt worse, but she refused to look at it now. It would only give Andrew one more thing to worry about. “OK, let’s see if you can climb a tree, my little cowboy. One that can hide you.”

  They walked around and decided on the tallest with the most leaves. Compared to Ohio’s grand maple and oak trees, it was barely a bush. But the scrubby little thing would have to do.

  Andrew could get up and down the tree at will. And it hid his little body completely He’d be able to get water as needed.

  Before the last climb, she hugged him. “OK, Andrew, you stay up there unless you need water. Then look around everywhere, come down drink the water, and then get back up in that tree. Got it?”

  “Got it, Jamie.”

  “If you see those men you hide from them.” She sighed, not sure what other advice to give him.

  “OK, Jamie.” His voice trembled. He hugged her one more time, and then scrambled up the tree. “I’m up here.”

  “And you have the gun, right?’

  “Right.”

  “OK, Slow Poke and I are leaving after we get a few more sips of water.”

  “Slow Poke?” he giggled.

  “Because he is a slow poke, so that’s his name.” She dipped her head in the stream. Then she took off her shirt and soaked it in water. It would stay wet for a while. “I’ll see you later, Andrew.”

  “OK, Jamie. I love you. I’m praying for you, just like you did for me.”

  Her eyes filled with tears at his declaration. God, please protect this brave little boy…keep him safe for his mother…please…she had no more words and knew God read the longing in her heart. “That’s the best thing we both can do,” she choked out. Jamie took the horse by the reins and led it back the way they came, brushing away their tracks as she did.

  When she decided she was far enough away from Andrew and his hideaway, she climbed back on the horse and turned in a different direction. She breathed a sigh of relief at being off her ankle.

  52

  Enrique looked at the brown horse with a healthy dose of skepticism. He wasn’t good with horses, though he’d been on them a few times.

  Charlie laughed. “There’s not much reason to do this, Rodriquez. Chances are you can’t find them even if they are up in those mountains. And I doubt if they are.”

  “Call it a gut feeling, but I think that’s where they are.”

  “Well, you’ve got your phones. If you find anything that indicates that, let me know and we’ll get choppers in the air. That’s a lot of area to cover on horseback, or by foot.”

  “Come on. I’ll show you how to get up.” Zink told him. “I think you should let me go alone. You are not going to be much help.”

  “I’ve been on a horse before.”

  “Pony rides at the fair don’t count.”

  Charlie snorted, but turned his head away when Enrique gave him a look.

  After a quick lesson riding double, the two of them headed up the hill and into the trees.

  “It looks as if this area has seen some activity.” Zink nodded at the ground. “See all the broken down grass? I’d say some people on foot, but I see some horse prints, as well.”

  “That’s good, let’s keep moving.”

  An hour later the trail had mostly disappeared, but he was getting a better feel for the horse.

  “I’m not sure if we should keep going.” Zink announced. “The footprints seemed to have disappeared. I still see horse prints, but that doesn’t mean they belong to Jamie.”

  “But they could.”

  “They could, but the tracks seem as if the horse was moving slowly and deliberately. Meaning whoever was on the horse didn’t feel threatened. Chances are they were out for a leisurely horse ride.”

  “I’m not giving up yet. But you can go back if you want.”

  “I’m just keeping it real. I don’t want to give you any false hope.”

  “Any hope sounds good to me.” He snapped the reins to urge the horse to move faster finding it ironic that Zink was the one keeping it real. No wonder Jamie wanted to help her, they were kindred souls, strong, brave, and facing the bad things in life with courage.

  Eventually, the horse crested the mountain. The sun glared down on them. The trees had kept them in the shade, and he hadn’t felt the heat of the day until now. It was scorching hot.

  Enrique stared at the vastness of the area, now understanding why Charlie didn’t have a lot of hope. Two inexperienced people, one a child, up here in this heat. No water, no food, and no supplies.

  As if reading his mind, Zink whispered, “God will keep them safe.” She slipped off the horse and began to walk around in circles.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Interesting. It looks as if someone took the time to hide their tracks.”

  He slid off the horse. His thighs were shaking like a bowl full of jelly. He leaned down and stared at where she was pointing. “I see what you mean. Now what?”

  “Let’s follow the brush marks and see what happens.”

  They stayed off the horse and near to the ground.

  Zink straightened up. “Look over there. The trail picks back up.”

  Back on the horse, they trotted faster. The trees were less thick up here and they could keep watch for the tracks. They were moving down the mountain side when they heard the shot.

  “That sounded like a gunshot to me.” Zink stiffened behind him.

  “To me, too.”

  She pointed towards a copse of trees. “Sounded like it came from over there.”

  “But the tracks lead this way.” He indicated the opposite way. “Your son, your call.”

  “I’m going this way.” With that, she grabbed the reins from him and spurred the horse towards the trees.

  His thighs protested, but he ignored the pain.

  Zink slowed the horse as she approached.

  “Maybe we should get off the horse,” Enrique whispered. “He could be a liability with both of us on him. He may not be used to carrying double, and we might wear him out. We need him to be as fresh as possible if we have to get out fast.”

  “Good idea.”

  They both slid to the ground.

  There were no more shots.

  They listened to the slight wind, straining to hear any signs of life. Even as they approached the trees, Enrique heard nothing. His gaze fell on the hidden stream. This would be a good place to wait for help. The shelter of the trees to hide in and water to keep someone alive.

  “Good place to hide from the bad guys.”

  She nodded. Her voice was filled with emotion. “Andrew, are you here?”

  No response, but he could swear someone was listening. It was too quiet, even the birds were waiting for something to happen. They waited for a few moments, and then Enrique called out, trying a new tack. “Jamie, we’re here. Where are you?”

  Zink’s gaze locked with his as they waited.

  Still no response.

  And suddenly, he knew. He knew exactly what Jamie had done. He put a hand up and raised his voice. “Suzanne, I guess we were wrong. Andrew must be waiting for you and his daddy somewhere else.”

  A moment passed and then a little voice asked, “You called her Suzanne…that’s my Mommy’s name.” A head poked out of the tree just to the right of them. “Are you my Mommy?”

  Zink gasped. “I’m your Mommy.”

  “Mommy?” The little boy skittered down the tree. He stood a distance from them, a pellet gun dangling from his fingertips. “I think…I think I know you…you look like the mommy in the picture Daddy shows me all the time.”

  “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…” Zink sang as she fell to her knees. She choked, and the song sputtered to a stop. “Oh, thank you, God.” Her prayer was hoarse, straight from the heart.

  “Daddy sings th
at song and tells me mommy sang it to me when I was a baby.” Andrew approached them, stared at Zink as if memorizing her features…or perhaps, his child’s brain was overlaying what he remembered of his mother with this woman before him. Wide-eyed, he stared, and then he flung himself into her arms.

  “Oh, my sweet boy. My sweet boy.” She clasped him as little arms went around her neck. The two of them rocked back and forth.

  Enrique waited as long as he could. “Where’s Jamie, Andrew?”

  “She went to find help for us.”

  That had to have been a hard decision, but one thing he knew about the love of his life, she could make hard decisions.

  “Why did you shoot the gun?”

  “I saw a snake.” He pointed at a dead snake several feet away. “I promised Jamie I would only shoot the gun if I needed to. I was getting a drink when I saw it.”

  Good heavens. A four-year-old who could actually hit a target. But in this age of technology, video games improved eye-hand coordination. Or perhaps Michael Zinkleman had taught his son to shoot a pellet gun quite well.

  Enrique looked down at the snake. Poisonous rattler. He shook his head at the miracle, because only God could have saved this child from that snake striking. “Good move, Andrew.”

  The mother-son reunion was moving right along without him. Andrew clung to Zink and she clung right back, neither speaking.

  “I’ll call Charlie now.” The cell phone worked fine in spite of being in the desert. There must be a tower nearby. He gave directions and disconnected. Then he walked out of the trees and set up flares from the emergency kit they stuck in the saddlebag.

  Andrew curled up on Zink’s lap talking a mile a minute.

  Zink’s smile said all Enrique needed to know. Now he understood why Jamie was willing to die to reunite the two of them. “The helicopter should be here soon. I’m getting back on the horse and will keep searching for Jamie.”

  “If you wait until it gets here, I’ll come with you.”

  “No way, Jamie would kill me if I let you leave Andrew now. And I mean, literally. You belong right here with him.”

  She ran her fingers through her son’s hair. “I suppose you’re right about that.”

  “Oh, yes I am. Besides once they get you to the hospital, they’ll be back to help with the search. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.” Please, God, help me find her quick…

  Zink’s gaze locked with his, and he understood the unspoken message. Then she spoke out loud. “Andrew and I will keep praying for Jamie.”

  Enrique nodded and swung up on the horse, his thighs protesting the move. It didn’t matter, though. Only Jamie mattered.

  53

  Jamie stared at the rock formation, sure that it wasn’t the first time she’d seen it. The sun beat down. After wiping away the sweat, she picked up her once wet shirt, now barely damp. She found the wettest spot and popped it in her mouth, savoring the moisture even though it was no longer cool.

  She looked back at the rock and sighed.

  Going around in circles wasn’t getting help. She surveyed the area.

  She’d lost track of Andrew’s hiding spot long ago, but she was pretty sure she knew the direction she’d come from. The only sane thing to do was to go back. The alternative wasn’t pleasant.

  Surely, the criminals had given up searching for them by now. If they knew the desert, they’d know a tenderfoot wouldn’t survive long. Perhaps they thought the desert would claim her and Andrew and they’d not have to deal with any bodies at all.

  That was still a very real possibility.

  I am with you always…

  “Yes, Lord.” Jamie spoke out loud.

  She turned Slow Poke southward—sure that was the direction she’d come from. Had she seen something move? Not sure, she continued to stare.

  Some trees, cacti, rocks and more rocks. Pretty much what she’d seen most of the day after leaving Andrew. Sighing, she wondered if she’d made the right decision for him.

  There it was again.

  She was sure she’d seen movement that time. Moving faster than a person on foot. Was it someone on a horse? The thought made her stomach turn to stone.

  Other horses had been in the barn. Obviously, someone had followed her, probably had been following her all day. She only hoped she’d drawn them away from Andrew and towards her. She couldn’t go back to Andrew now. She turned her horse in the opposite direction and urged him to go faster.

  The horse was so slow that she would never escape the person coming from behind. If she could make her pursuer think she’d fallen prey to the heat and was no longer a threat she might be able to walk out when darkness came.

  Until then she could hide.

  She slid her shirt back on. The dampness felt wonderful, but she had no time to enjoy it. She slipped off the horse. After turning it back towards the other rider, she slapped it on the rump. The horse looked back at her and then sauntered off in the right direction.

  With slow deliberate movements, she faded into the trees. She found a branch and began brushing away her prints.

  Then she took off running on the painful ankle as long as she could. She couldn’t see the man following her. Her best hope was up in the trees. She found a tree that would give her a view of the pursuer.

  Climbing the tree wasn’t as easy as Andrew made it look, but finally, she was tucked into the sparse leaves. She leaned against a branch and tracked the rider.

  Her stomach twisted. There was another rider trailing after the first one. Could she escape two of them? Just as easy as escaping one. The number didn’t matter. God was more than able to handle them both.

  They drew close. But it was almost as if they weren’t traveling together. The rider in front never looked behind, as if he was completely unaware of the other person and horse.

  Slow Poke met up with the first rider.

  He stared at the horse and then kept moving towards her.

  Her ruse hadn’t worked. She hadn’t fooled the pursuer at all.

  “It’s all up to you God,” she whispered.

  Horse and man came closer. Definitely the man from the plane, but he was empty handed. At least he hadn’t found Andrew.

  Her stomach twisted.

  Unless he’d killed him and left him there?

  He slid off his horse as he came under the shadows of the trees.

  She slowed her breathing praying he wouldn’t look up.

  He didn’t. He turned around and was clearly startled to see the other horse rider coming towards them. He pulled a gun from his saddle.

  A gun?

  What would he need a gun for? Don’t be stupid, Jamie. Her time was up unless he didn’t notice her.

  The man was completely focused on the second rider. He wasn’t even searching for her. He’d pretended he wasn’t aware of the man behind him, but that had obviously been an act. And a good one. He’d fooled Jamie.

  Jamie stared at the second horseman.

  The cowboy’s face was hidden by the shadow of his hat, but there was something familiar about him. It was obvious the man was uncomfortable on a horse. He wasn’t sitting in the right position to control the horse correctly. It was the way an inexperienced rider would sit.

  Her heart thumped.

  The way a city boy might sit. Could the man on the horse be Enrique? Was it possible?

  She looked at the man behind the rock. He was steadying his gun and aiming it.

  She wouldn’t let him shoot Enrique. In one swift move, she yelled and jumped down from the tree. Her ankle buckled, and pain hazed her vision, but she wouldn’t let Enrique die. She took a deep breath and fought the pain.

  The man turned towards her, the gun still in his hand.

  She crumpled to the ground as the man fired. The bullet whizzed by, too close for comfort.

  He moved towards her, his face filled with rage. “You are done causing problems for me.” He aimed the gun. He wouldn’t miss a second time. He put his finger on the trigg
er.

  Jamie closed her eyes.

  The gun exploded.

  Nothing happened.

  If she was hit, she certainly didn’t feel it. Shock? She cracked open one eye.

  The man stared at her for what seemed an eternity. Then he swayed and fell forward. A red spot spread on his back. Behind him was the other man.

  “Enrique.” Her voice was so soft even she had trouble hearing it. Her hand reached towards him.

  He jumped off his horse and rushed to her side. “Oh, Jamie. I can’t believe I found you.”

  She was enveloped in a hug. Kisses rained all over her hair, her eyes, her cheeks. He was murmuring but she couldn’t make out the words, although she was certain she heard “I love you” at least half a dozen times. Finally, he pulled away, although he kept hold of her. He stared into her eyes. “Are you OK?”

  “I might have broken my ankle or my leg or both. I don’t think I can stand up.”

  “No reason to. Help will be here soon.” One arm stayed around her, but the other slipped out his cell phone. He gave a concise update and location to whomever he was speaking with and then clicked off. He turned back to Jamie and caressed her cheek. “I’m sorry I left you. I promise that will never happen again.”

  “Andrew’s out there somewhere.”

  “No he’s not. Zink and I found him. He’s safe and sound in his mama’s arms.”

  Tears leaked out her eyes. “Oh, I’m so glad. She must be thrilled.”

  “Beyond thrilled. I wish you could have seen the two of them. It was a beautiful sight. I’m sorry you missed it.”

  “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is they’re together.”

  “And guess what? Michael was telling the truth. He was innocent of the embezzlement. It’s pretty certain the embezzler was his assistant.”

  “The one who gave him the package. How did Zink take the news?”

  “Surprisingly well. I think there’s still hope for them.”

  The horse whinnied.

  Jamie grinned. “I thought you told me you wouldn’t be the cowboy who came charging in on a white horse to rescue me.”

  “The horse is brown, but I’d follow you anywhere in the world for any reason. Don’t you know I love you?” He brushed her hair from her eyes.