Part of the fear coursing through him eased. They’d not been hurt.Thank you, Lord.“Rattlesnakes are fairly common in this area during the summer. They like to sun themselves on rocks, so you have to be careful.”
They’d likely been terrified. He’d experienced that throat-clawing panic at coming face-to-face with a rattler prepared to strike, and it wasn’t something he wished on anyone, especially not Juniper and Lorelei.
He looked over them from head to toe. “You’re not hurt?”
Juniper shook her head. “I backed away before it could strike.”
Soshe’dbeen the one in danger. His pulse picked up speed again, making it harder to breathe. “Where’s Dragoon?”
Juniper’s mouth pinched. “He went on ahead to follow the tracks. He said for us to catch up with him if we can, or he’ll wait for us once he gets Bessie back. He was afraid to let the thief get any farther ahead.”
Epithets he’d never let himself speak rose up in his mind. He should have expected this. But for some reason, he’dtrusted that Dragoon wouldn’t leave when Riley had asked him to stay. He well knew how suddenly danger could attack in this land, and two women alone...
“We’d best get moving.” Ol’ Henry’s steady voice dragged him back from his anger. At the moment, Dragoon didn’t seem worthy of them pushing hard to catch up with him.
But Dragoon’s worth or actions weren’t the reason for Riley to follow through on his word. He’d committed long ago that when someone depended on him, he would fulfill his obligation, no matter what it took.
He wouldn’t be his parents. He would be better.
He nodded, then reached out to Juniper. “I can take the mule back.”
She gave the long-eared fellow a stroke down his forehead. “He’s fine with me.”
He nodded and pushed his gelding forward. “Let’s go, then.” He couldn’t let even Juniper’s kindness and her sweet smile distract him from his commitment. And right now, he had a wayward companion to help and a stolen horse to find, then they’d have to return to the much greater challenge of locating a Peigan woman who may be determined to remain hidden.
By the time darkness settled over the rocky ground, they still hadn’t caught up with Dragoon. Riley eyed an area of mostly flat ground that would work for their camp. The horse droppings they’d last found looked only a couple hours old, but though a half-moon shone bright, there was too much chance they would miss important details in the dark.
Hopefully Dragoon had also stopped for the night, and if they rose early and pushed hard, they would reach him tomorrow.
He reined in at the camping spot and dismounted. “Let’s spend the night here.” He didn’t dare look at the others. He was pushing them, yet no one had uttered a single word of complaint.
Should he give them the option of separating into two groups tomorrow? A slower party and a few who rode fast to catch up with Dragoon? He’d had too much time today to imagine what might be happening with the man. The thief could be part of a larger gang, either whites or natives. If the man reached his cohorts before Dragoon caught him, his friend could be up against far more than he was able to overcome.
Dragoon had already proved that his desperation to get Bessie back could trample his good sense. He might try to sneak her out and wind up in the midst of a den of rattlesnakes—either figuratively or literally, as Juniper had experienced that day.
Thank you, Lord, for saving her.Loving someone made you far too vulnerable to the pain of loss, whether they left you by choice or through injury or sickness. He’d not let himself acknowledge that this richness growing inside him was love, but he could no longer lie to himself. No more than he could keep from giving his heart to her. He’d known Juniper less than two weeks, but it felt like she’d always been a part of his life.
But that didn’t mean he had to act on the feeling.
She would be leaving, heading back East, and he would have to let her go. This was the home he’d chosen, the landhe loved. He had dreams here that were beginning to feel like he might actually accomplish them. It was better to let Juniper go now before anything more happened between them than to lose her later, after she’d rooted herself permanently in his heart.
“Since it’s so late, might be best not to worry over a fire.” Ol’ Henry’s tone showed his weariness. “We can pitch the tent for you ladies, then fill our bellies with cold meat and call it a night.”
“We don’t need a tent.” Rosemary sounded as tired as his old friend. Maybe Riley really had pushed them too hard. “We can lay our blankets on the ground and sleep under the stars as well as you can.”
That notion felt wrong, letting ladies sleep without cover. But he was learning not to argue when Rosemary Collins made a proclamation.
He would just have to work with her decision and find ways to protect them anyway. Not that he expected much harm would come from not pitching a tent over the Collins sisters’ bedding, other than a little dew on their blankets and faces maybe. At least he could bring in some pine boughs to make their sleep more comfortable.
Once they’d settled the horses and he’d handed over enough bunches of evergreen needles for the four ladies to spread their blankets on, he accepted a handful of cold smoked meat and settled down onto his bedding. The six of them ate in silence as the night sounds filled the air around them. The fare tasted like the bull elk he’d brought down and smoked in the spring—gamy and tough. The animal must’ve been ten years old at least.
But the food filled his belly, and he should be content.Juniper’s warm, savory meals simply made it harder to appreciate this cold fare that he used to think perfectly adequate.
Faith’s voice broke the quiet. “This reminds me of that night before we went to that smaller Peigan camp, the ones who were hiding something about Steps Right.”
Juniper’s voice held a smile. “It does. We didn’t want to build a fire that night either. I wonder where that group is now?” She turned to him, though the moon’s shadows didn’t let him see her expression. “Do you think we’ve missed them completely? Are we going the right direction now, or will we need to backtrack after we find Mr. Dragoon and Bessie?”
If only there was an easy answer to those questions. He glanced at Ol’ Henry to see if he had any wisdom to impart. His expression was hard to read in the dark too, but he nodded for Riley to answer.
