He knew in an instant that the horses were gone. Tracks in the snow led away from the barn, but they weren't all horse hoof prints. There were also boot tracks, and they weren't his. Colton glanced along the wall inside the barn and saw the saddles and blankets were still in their place. Someone had just taken the horses, but not to ride.
He ran back to the cabin where he found Ellie sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. She looked so distraught that he forgot the horses for a moment. "Hey," he said as he sat down next to her. "It's not that bad. I'll find the horses."
"But did someone follow us up here? The horses didn't get out on their own."
"True, but we'll figure it out. I'm going to track the horses and bring them back. You stay here and lock the door behind me, okay?"
She nodded. He took in the horror that shone from her eyes, mixed with fear, and decided they needed to have a talk when he got back. Her reaction was a little deeper than just someone letting the horses out.
He left her where she sat. "Why don't you make some coffee? I'll need it when I get back."
She grabbed his arm. "Be careful."
He went back to the barn and followed the horse tracks into the woods. Whoever had opened the barn had led them away and then apparently shooed them off because the horses went in one direction while the boot prints went in another. Colton made a wide berth to make sure the footprints didn't circle back to the cabin before he focused on following the horses. He and Ellie were going to have a really long walk if he didn't find them.
He thought about her reaction to the news. It almost seemed like there was somebody that she was afraid of. Colton couldn't help but wonder if it was an ex-husband, ex-fiance, or just plain old ex. But whoever it was, she needed to let him know so that he could be more prepared.
When he was far enough from the cabin, he shifted and took flight. It would be much easier to find the horses from overhead. His keener dragon vision was able to follow the tracks, and he finally found the horses about a mile away in a field. They were digging in the snow to expose the grass underneath to graze. Colton landed nearby and shifted back before he walked out to the horses. He realized too late that they didn't have a rope halter on, so he had no way to lead them back.
"Okay, guys. You're going to have to trust me and just follow me back to the barn. Thank you for not straggling any further away."
It took them a little while to get back, but Colton finally had them safely back in the barn. He started to padlock the door, but then he decided that if someone wanted to let the horses out, they'd find a way anyhow. He would just have to be more diligent about watching outside at night.
Ellie ran out to him and threw her arms around him when he got back. "You found them."
He hugged her back, liking the feeling of her body against his. "I did. Are you okay?"
"I am now. Come on." She pulled on his arm. "I made coffee."
She asked him about the horses, and he told her no problem finding them. He left out the boot prints, though. He didn't know what her fear was, and he certainly didn't want to freak her out.
"You up for a hike? I have a place that I think you'll really enjoy."
She looked at him. "Without the horses?"
"Yep." He shrugged. "They've had their adventure. Give them time to rest and enjoy their oats. Where I want to take you isn't that far."
"First things first." She stared at him. "How did the horses get out?"
He didn't want to lie to her, and he knew that she wasn't stupid. "Someone opened the door. I have no idea who or why, but it could have just been some hiker passing in the night that decided to be an ass."
"A hiker? On a mountain? At night?" Ellie rolled her eyes. "Right. You're going to have to do better than that."
"I don't have anything better. And it's not a huge thing."
"It is a huge thing. Cole, there's someone up here with us. Where would they stay? They can't just be living out under the stars in the middle of the winter. And if they were horse thieves, they would have just taken them instead of just letting them run off."
He had already thought about everything she had just said, but he didn't want to tell her that. She obviously had something to work through, and he needed to find a way to be patient until she shared.
"Calm down." Colton rubbed her shoulders. "It's okay, Ellie. We'll figure it out in due time. Now, for right now, do you want to hike or not?"
She didn't appreciate the deflection, but she nodded and grabbed her coat. "Let's go."
He grinned and buttoned his own jacket. "Grab your camera. You're going to want it."
Chapter Fourteen: Letting Go
Ellie Dampier
