“Jonathan, Shauna and I are back. Don’t shoot!”
“GO AWAY! YOU’RE NOT REAL! ERIC IS DEAD!”
Jonathan heard the man laugh now. Then he heard Shauna’s voice: “Jonathan, Eric’s not dead! He’s right here with me. I found him on the way to the ranch. We made it back!”
Jonathan was still shaken up, but it sounded like Shauna’s voice. And now he could hear the horses outside too. Was she for real? Was Eric really okay? Jonathan tentatively cracked the door just enough to see out and sure enough, there was Eric, sitting on a horse next to Shauna on hers. And just behind them was someone else. At first, Jonathan thought it had to be Bob. But now he could see that it wasn’t the old man at all. It was a girl, a quite pretty girl about his age, in fact, her long brown hair pulled back behind her head in a ponytail. MEGAN! They found Megan!
“No, this is Vicky,” Shauna said when Jonathan stepped out, elated that Shauna’s trip was such a resounding success. “Megan wasn’t there anymore. Vicky was her roommate though.”
Jonathan was still staring at her even after he heard what Shauna said, but then something else on one of the other horses pulled his attention away. Feet were hanging off one side of the saddle; feet wearing the thick, elk-skin moccasins that Bob Barham had stitched by hand from a bull he’d killed himself. The rest of his body was wrapped in a blanket. Jonathan was devastated. The old man had been so kind to him, and more than that, he was so cool and so knowledgeable. Jonathan had been looking forward to all he could learn from him on their planned wilderness horse packing trip. Now, he was dead, but Eric was alive and with them again. The stories they related to him once they’d all gone inside the cabin were overwhelming. Vicky’s ordeal at the ranch. Eric’s mission for the lieutenant and his escape and evasion and eventual journey to Colorado. And the incident with Jeremy and Brett that claimed the life of a good man.
“I would have killed both of those sons of bitches,” Jonathan said.
“A part of me wanted to,” Eric assured him, “but they didn’t make me do it. They had already put down their weapons when I found them, and then they told me everything I wanted to know when I interrogated them. Don’t you worry though. They’re not out of the woods yet; quite literally.”
“But you gave them supplies!”
“Just enough food from Bob’s packhorse for them to walk back to a main road if they want to. They can turn themselves in to one of the official shelters if they make it, but if they choose not to, they’ll probably die. Either way, they’re in for a world of misery, so it’s not like they’re getting off easy. The main thing is that Gareth got what was coming to him. He was the dangerous one. Those two were just along for the ride.”
Jonathan looked at Vicky again. He knew she wasn’t proud of what she’d done, but he was damned sure proud of her. What a kick-ass chick! She did what she had to do, and she took down a killer the first time she ever fired a weapon at a living target! It would have been nothing for Eric to waste that dude, but Vicky did it by herself, before he even got a chance. Jonathan was really looking forward to getting to know her, but he was embarrassed to meet her like this. His leg had been wrapped up for days and he hadn’t had a bath. He knew he had to stink, even if he didn’t notice it himself, but then again, most people did these days without access to hot showers and soap. She probably wouldn’t talk to him much anyway, since she was a college girl and all. But he could dream! Especially since she wasn’t Megan. It would be pretty scary, taking an interest in the daughter of a dude like Eric Branson! Jonathan figured it was just as well for Gareth that he died before he met the man, especially since he went after her anyway when Megan wanted him to leave her alone.
Even though he was mostly useless with a leg he couldn’t put any weight on, Jonathan wanted to help when Eric and the others began digging Bob’s grave shortly after daylight the next morning. Shauna and Jonathan both thought he’d like to be buried in the small meadow just down the hill from the cabin, as it had been part of his view looking out over the valley every morning that he woke up there.
“It’s beautiful here,” Vicky said. “I wish my grandpa could have seen it. It’s too bad he and Bob never met.”
“It is a heck of a nice retreat,” Eric said. “Too bad it’ll just be abandoned now, at least until someone stumbles upon it and moves in.”
“Kind of like your dad’s place on the Caloosahatchee, huh?” Jonathan said. “I’ll bet there’s somebody living in there.”
“Maybe, but more likely it was just ransacked and looted. Maybe even burned. At least this place is hard enough to get to that anyone lucky enough to find it probably won’t destroy it. They’d be stupid if they did, especially with winter coming.”
“Yeah, I guess so. If Vicky really had been Megan, like I thought, then we could stay up here for the winter. There’s enough food, at least if we could keep the bears out.”
“You know, Jonathan, like I told you before, you’re not obligated to help me any more than you already have. Finding Megan is mine and Shauna’s responsibility. It’s going to be rough traveling where we’re going, even without a broken leg. I’ll bet Bob would be happy to know you were staying here, making use of his place and all the supplies and gear he stashed here. You can hunt and fish to your heart’s content up here too; have it all to yourself.”
“No way, dude! I told you I wanted to help you find Megan, and I wasn’t just running my mouth. I already came this far.”
“I know you did, and I appreciate it, but I want you to understand that staying here may be the smarter option. That goes for Vicky too,” Eric said, glancing at her and then Jonathan. “She’s been through a lot already, and this trip is going to put her at risk again, that’s a given. She may want to stay here with you and wait this one out. What about it, Vicky?” Eric turned to her again. “You’re a local, and you know these mountains. You’ll feel right at home here.”
Jonathan’s interest suddenly changed as he studied her face, waiting for her reaction. He did promise Eric that he would help him find Megan, whatever it took and wherever the quest led… but if this girl wanted to stay up here in Bob’s mountain cabin… Jonathan might have to do the chivalrous thing and volunteer to look after her and keep her company. He would even find a way to overcome his fear of bears!
But his daydreams were crushed when Vicky said no. She said she felt responsible in part for Megan’s plight, as it had been her idea to come out here in the first place. And she wanted to be around people—as many people as possible right now—at least as long as they were good people. “It’s not that I would mind your company, Jonathan, but I think we would both get serious cabin fever stuck up here all winter when the snows come. We’d be better off sticking with Eric and Shauna and heading south. Aaron said his family land wasn’t nearly as high in elevation as these parts, so winter there isn’t as severe. If we can avoid the high passes and ridges, we should be able to make it through if we get going soon.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan to me. I mean, I’m flexible though. I’m not really into snow or bears, but I’d hang here if you wanted to. But if we’re all going, then I’m good to go too. I’m not worried about my leg at all. Bob said I’d be able to ride while it heals, and I will.” Jonathan turned to Eric. “I won’t slow you down dude, but if I do, just feel free to go on ahead, and I’ll catch up when I can.”
“I can’t run the risk of getting separated on the trail, Jonathan. If you couldn’t keep up, I’d just have to shoot you like a crippled horse.”
“That’s not funny, Eric!” Shauna said. “It was awful that you had to put that poor animal down yesterday.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.”
Jonathan had heard about the wounded horse, and he knew Eric was just trying to lighten the mood, and they all needed it. Burying Bob Barham so soon after they met him really sucked, but they got it done. Now he would rest here forever in peace, back home in the place he chose to spend his retirement apart from the rest o
f the world.
“He would be happy to know that his horses will be taken care of,” Shauna said. “He sure loved his horses!”
“Just like my grandpa,” Vicky said, a tear rolling down her cheek as she no doubt thought of those other two graves that she herself had dug so recently.
“So, what do we do now?” Jonathan asked. “Are we leaving today?”
“No,” Eric said. “It’ll be too late before we’re ready. The first thing I want to do is take a thorough inventory of everything in that cabin. I want to know how much food there is and then figure out the best items to take; the stuff that packs the lightest but contains the most calories per pound.”
“As I said before, there are lots of freeze-dried meals,” Shauna said. “They weigh next to nothing.”
“And taste like nothing too,” Eric said.
“Well, there’s things like nuts: almonds, walnuts, and cashews, as well as peanut butter. And there’s lots of jerky too, both store-bought beef jerky and venison jerky Bob made himself. Then there’s cornbread and pancake mix; rice, dried beans and pasta. Canned goods too, but of course, they’re heavy. He’s also got plenty of tea and coffee stashed, and a half a dozen cases of whiskey.”
“And cigars,” Jonathan said. “He told me to help myself, as long as I didn’t smoke more than one a day, so I did. There’s a bunch more we can split up between us if you’re into it, dude. Shauna wouldn’t smoke one and I don’t know about Vicky.”
“No thanks,” Vicky said.
After going through the food and determining that there was at least as much, and probably more than Bob estimated, Eric wanted to look through his other gear, including his weapons and ammo.
“He was into all this cool mountain man stuff,” Jonathan said. “Check out these flintlock rifles! He showed me how they work, and he even let me shoot one of them. He said this one would kill anything that walked up here, even a grizzly bear, if they were still around.”
“It probably would,” Eric said, looking down the 50 caliber bore of the antique muzzleloader. “But if you didn’t make that one shot count, this long barrel sure would hurt when that grizzly got through shoving it up your ass! I would suggest this one instead; it’s the same caliber as that stainless steel one that Dad has on the boat.” Eric was looking at Bob’s Marlin .45-70. At least you’ve got five shots with this one, and it’s a big, heavy bullet.”
“Should we take it with us then? We’re gonna be camping out in bear country every night on the way, aren’t we?”
“Yeah, but we won’t need it. We’ll take the .308 that Gareth stole from Vicky’s grandpa instead. It’ll be more versatile for hunting or sniping duty, if we happen to have a need for either. Otherwise, we’ll rely on our fighting rifles and pistols.”
“I’m still sleeping with this though, no matter what.” Jonathan showed him the Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolver that Bob kept by his bed. “It won’t take up much space, but you never know man, it might come in handy. Especially since I don’t have that .357 anymore.”
Eric didn’t argue with him and Jonathan happily put the big revolver back in his growing pile of gear. Of course, Bob had way more stuff than they could possibly carry, and it was a shame to have to leave so much of it, but it couldn’t be helped. Eric wanted to carry the minimum that would see them through, and no more.
“We might as well load down all the horses and take them,” Shauna said. “We can’t just abandon them here because we don’t need them all.”
“They’ll be a liability,” Eric said. “The more we take, the more we have to look out for, and keep fed and watered. And it’s going to be hard enough to keep a low profile already, with four of us riding, even aside from extra packhorses.”
“But you know as well as I do that these horses are as good as gold now,” Eric. “You said yourself you’d been willing to trade the last gold coins you had for just a couple of them before you ran into me and Bob on that trail.”
“You’re right. They are valuable, and I don’t want to abandon them either, but we’ve got to keep our options open. If it comes down to us or them, we’ll do what we have to do. But we still don’t need to be overburdened with stuff. I want to travel fast and light. It’s the only way to do it, and I should be going alone, to tell you the truth. It would make a whole lot more sense. I can get there faster, and I can get past any dangers that may be out there better if I don’t have to look out for the three of you.”
“You know I can hold my own if trouble comes,” Shauna said.
“You can. And Vicky did well too when she was put to the test.”
“I can too, dude. You know I can man.”
“When you’re not crippled,” Eric said. “As well-stocked as this place is, and secluded too, I wouldn’t be worried at all about leaving the three of you here. It’s just something to consider.”
“But you know there’s no way in hell I will consider it, don’t you Eric Branson?”
“Yeah, Shauna. I know.”
Jonathan could kind of see Eric’s point, but Shauna wasn’t having it, and if she and Vicky went, he sure wasn’t going to stay here alone and wait. They might slow Eric down a little, but at least they would all get there together. Jonathan had already had all the alone time in the Colorado wilderness that he would ever need.
Ten
ERIC FELT LIKE CRAP for leaving the way he did, but he knew he was doing what he had to do. He had made up his mind that it was in the best interest of everyone involved, whether they understood that or not. He didn’t like the way he had to do it, and he knew that Shauna damned sure wasn’t going to like it. Jonathan and Vicky would probably think he was an asshole too, but Eric couldn’t help it. All of his professional life had been spent making strategic decisions, many of them difficult and painful to others, but he wasn’t in the habit of second-guessing himself once those decisions had been made.
Eric came to his decision the afternoon after they’d buried Bob Barham near his cabin, but he’d been mulling over the idea since he’d first laid eyes on the place. Unlike the ranch belonging to Vicky’s grandparents, Bob’s place was truly off the grid and about as inaccessible as anywhere Eric could imagine in the Lower 48. Bob had done some hardcore planning and prepping to establish such an excellent hideaway and retreat, and especially to stock and equip it the way he had. Shauna, Jonathan and Vicky could spend a few weeks or even a few months there, if need be. If Eric hadn’t thought it was safe, he wouldn’t have considered leaving them there, but the truth was they would be better off there than with him and Eric would be safer too without them. Alone, he could travel hard, covering more distance and evading contact with others as much as possible. Jonathan especially, would be a liability to him with that broken leg, because if anything happened to the horses, the kid would be screwed. Shauna’s hand was still far from a hundred percent too, even though she wasn’t complaining, and after what Jonathan told him about the encounter on the bike trail, Eric knew he could count on her to persevere, pain or not. Still, it was better if she weren’t put to the test like that again right now. Eric knew it was possible someone desperate would happen upon the cabin anyway, but if they did, he felt Shauna could handle it, especially with Jonathan and Vicky to back her up. Vicky had done surprisingly well in her face off with Gareth, not to mention the way she took those horses back from Brett. They were all survivors, but what he had to do now might call for a lot more than just that, and Eric would need all of his experience that could only be acquired in combat. There was simply no need to put them through that now that he had an alternative.
It wasn’t just the well-stocked cabin that made his decision that afternoon either. Eric had also pored over Bob’s topographical maps, looking at every possible option for getting to northern New Mexico from there. Along with the maps, Bob also had a collection of magazine and newspaper articles about the Continental Divide Trail, and from these Eric learned there was more to it than just the hiking trail. Using the existing networ
k of forest service, BLM and other remote gravel roads, alternate routes and been mapped out for mountain bikers as well as off-road motorcyclists and four-wheel-drive enthusiasts. It seemed that the idea of traversing the country from Canada to Mexico along the spine of the continent was an appealing idea to many. Some parts of these routes were one and the same of course, but there were also places where they diverged more than a little, and these would give Eric some options. The main thing he gleaned from his study was that it would be possible to avoid well-traveled roads and most all pavement and still get where he needed to go. But to do this in any reasonable time frame was going to mean traveling hard and stopping little. Eric knew the kind of pushing he was capable of when there was no one to slow him down. The horses might suffer, but there was no reason for Shauna, Jonathan and Vicky to have to suffer too, other than the great disappointment that he knew they must be feeling about right now.
Disappointing Shauna was nothing new to Eric Branson though. He’d done it often enough throughout their marriage that it had ultimately resulted in divorce. Most of that he regretted, knowing he was to blame. This was different though, whether she would see it that way or not. Their ultimate objective in all of this, whether working together or separately, was to find Megan and get her to safety. Of course, Shauna wanted to be a part of it, and she had already, but she was going to have to sit this leg out, and he’d done his best to explain why in the letter he’d left for her before he slipped out into the night. He also warned her not to try and follow, no matter how much she might want to or how angry his leaving made her feel. He told her that she would never catch up and that the best thing she could do for Megan now was to be here for her when he brought her back, which he promised he would do, and soon. Eric didn’t know if she’d torn the letter to shreds in a rage after reading it or not, but if he knew Shauna, he knew she would want to. She and Jonathan and Vicky were no doubt even now in a heated discussion about what to do, but he hoped that reason would prevail over emotion and they would come together to see his side of it.
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