Ol’ Henry would bring up the rear, as he usually did when they crossed a river. He might be the oldest in the group, but he’d experienced more mishaps on the trail than any of them and could usually spot a situation about to go awry before anyone was hurt.
Rosemary nudged her horse into the water behindDragoon’s gelding, and she motioned for her sisters to follow. “Lorelei, come in behind me. Then you, Faith.”
That would allow Juniper to bring up the rear of their group. He’d noticed the two older sisters always kept the younger ones between them, protected like the shelter of a mother hen’s feathers. Juniper would make a wonderful mother.
But he couldn’t dwell on that thought, couldn’t allow himself to imagine what their children might look like. If he looked too far down the road, he might only find heartache. Today brought enough to focus on. He could worry about the rest later.
“See any sign of the horse?”
Juniper turned her focus to the ground along the bank, now that everyone was out of the water. Dragoon had already begun scouting upriver, scrutinizing the land in front of his mount.
She glanced at Riley. “Should we divide our group and go both upriver and down until someone finds the tracks we’re looking for?”
He was studying the ground but nodded. “Yeah.” He lifted his focus to scan the people already spreading out. “Ol’ Henry, why don’t you take Miss Rosemary and Miss Faith southward, and the rest of us will follow the river north? If anyone finds tracks, send a rider to alert the other group. If none of us find them in three hours’ time, turn around and meet back here.”
He gave orders like the cavalryman he’d once been, and even Rosie turned her mare to obey without even a question.She did send Juniper a look with a significant glance toward Lorelei.
Juniper returned a nod. Of course she would watch over her sister. Did Riley include an older and younger sister in each group on purpose?
Once they caught up with Dragoon, they spoke little as they all focused on the ground and searching for any sign of hoofprints. There were plenty of tracks—deer and smaller markings that Riley said were beaver, otter, and muskrat. But none were the right size and shape they were looking for.
The tension emanating from Dragoon hovered in the air, tightening her muscles and making it hard to enjoy the beauty of the scenery around them. The land rose in a steep incline at one point, with a sheer cliff wall that descended to the river, as though the water had cut through the slope many years before. She couldn’t help but imagine how this land had changed with each century since God first created it all those millenniums ago.
Riley was right. Something about these grand mountains and wide-open plains made her feel closer to the Lord. So clearly seeing the beauty and craftsmanship of His creation here drew her to reach out to Him. To clear away the muddle of heartaches and disappointments that she’d allowed to block out His voice in her ear.
I’m sorry, Lord. I’m so sorry I’ve let these barriers come between us. Help me hear your voice. Show me what you want me to see.
They rode for what felt like an hour, and when the others weren’t looking, she raised her hand to measure how many fingers above the eastern horizon the sun had risen. Three. If the sun rose around six o’clock, did that meanit was now nine? It felt closer to ten, but she couldn’t be certain.
She turned her attention back to the ground, but she’d barely focused when Dragoon jerked his horse to a halt, bumping her mare’s chest into his gelding.
He was staring even more intently at the ground. “That’s them.” He motioned to the place where the bank dropped sharply down to the water. “Two horses came out here. And that’s my Bessie’s tracks, I’m sure of it. The size and shape are just right.”
He slipped from his gelding and crouched by the prints.
She studied them too, as did Riley and Lorelei. There did seem to be two sets of horse prints, one slightly smaller than the other. Could Dragoon really be certain one of the animals was his stolen mare?
He stood, following the tracks as they turned northward along the riverbank. He didn’t take his eyes off the ground when he spoke. “Someone ride back and tell the others. I’m going to press on.”
Riley turned his saddle horse, then looked at Juniper. “I’ll ride back. Can you keep my mule here?” He held out the tether line for his pack mule.
She took the rope, and he spoke louder for all of them. “Stay here until I get back. I’ll move quickly.”
Dragoon was settling back in his saddle and waved a hand toward Riley as though swatting away a mosquito. “The women can stay here. I’m going to follow the trail while it’s still warm. You all can catch up with me.”
“No.” Riley bit out the sharp remark. “Stay here.” Though his eyes blazed, Dragoon wasn’t looking his way to see them.
Riley must have realized it, for he turned to her and Lorelei. The hardness in his tone shifted to something more pleading. “Stay here. Please. I don’t know what’s ahead, and I don’t want the groups to be spread too far apart.”
Juniper gave a firm nod. “Go. We’ll be waiting.”
Twenty-Three
Juniper watched Riley and his mount lope away, then she leaned forward to dismount. “I suppose it’ll be a while before they come back. We should let the horses rest.”
Lorelei slipped from her horse too and lowered the coyote pup to the ground. Thankfully, his harness and lead were fastened securely around his shoulders, though the pup hadn’t tried to escape for several days.
Dragoon still sat on his horse’s back, studying the ground. After a moment, he looked up at them, then downriver the way Riley had disappeared. “I’m not going to sit around and lose my race winner while we wait for them. Every minute, that scoundrel’s getting farther away with her.”
