twenty-six
Why hadn’t she gone to the fort?
Lorelei stared out into the darkness between the slats of their cabin wall, straining for any sign of movement. Any sign that Tanner had come.
Juniper had grown so much better this afternoon, even rising from bed and going out for a stroll with Riley. Lorelei had almost saddled her mare and headed over to the trading post then and there. But by the time she’d determined it was safe to leave Juniper, dusk had settled. She expected Tanner any minute.
But he hadn’t come.
Why didn’t he come? Maybe something had happened with Curly. Or perhaps customers stayed late and he decided to wait till morning.
Her heart knew neither of those was the reason. It had been too soon to tell him her feelings. She’d thought so, but in that moment, she’d felt so strongly the Lord’s pressing in her spirit, she’d said the words.
But maybe it hadn’t been God’s leading. Perhaps only an effect of moonlight and emotion.
Now she’d scared him away.
She would go to the fort first thing in the morning. At daylight, so she could catch him before the trade room grew busy.
But that meant she’d have to endure a sleepless night of this panic welling in her chest. And Tanner would have more time to think without her correcting her error. Had she ruined things between them?
She couldn’t let this linger. She had to fix it now.
She spun to face the others, and three pairs of eyes lifted to her. Juniper had already fallen asleep, her face peaceful, with a bit of color returned to it.
Lorelei focused on Rosie. “I need to go to the trading post tonight. Tanner hasn’t come here, which means something is wrong. I have to go help. One of the animals might need me.”
Rosie released a long sigh and looked down at the buckskin strips she’d been braiding into a rope. With another sound that came out like a harrumph, she pushed the leather out of her lap and stood in a smooth motion. “I guess I’ll go with you.”
No surprise she’d be coming along.
Rosemary brushed the tiny pieces from her hands as she looked from Riley to Faith. “Hopefully we’ll be back in an hour or two.”
Faith jumped to her feet. “I want to go too. I’m tired of being left behind.”
Lorelei scanned the interior of the cabin while Rosie argued with Faith. She’d take her rifle of course. They never left without a gun. Anything else? Nothing that she could think of. She simply needed to see Tanner and talk with him.
Faith was still pleading to accompany them as Lorelei slipped outside. Hopefully Rosie would be right behind her.
They traveled quickly through the mountain passes with Rosie in the lead. She and her horse had maneuvered this ground so many times, nighttime probably mattered little to them.
When they finally reached the open ground where the trading post stood like a silent shadow in the darkness, she scanned each of the buildings for light from a cookfire or lantern.
The entire place was dark.
A frisson of worry snaked through her. Could something else be wrong? Maybe her words weren’t the only thing that had kept Tanner from coming tonight.
She nudged her mare into a trot to cover the last of the distance to the fort. As she reined in, she called out into the smothering silence. “Tanner? White Horse?”
No one answered as she dismounted, and the worry twisted into something more. “Curly? Frisco?”
Not a single sound drifted from the place.
Then the low sad moo of the milk cow rose from behind the fort. She eased out a breath. Elsa was here. But where were the others?
“Something’s not right.” Rosie’s voice hummed low with tension as she dismounted. “Let me go in first.”
The knot in her chest tightened as she slipped from her own horse.Lord, where did they go?Maybe Tanner had left a note.
