With the long line of men in front of her, she should have nothing to worry about. No trouble from snipers hiding in the trees. Someone else would take the bullet first, though that thought didn’t exactly relieve her.
“Halt!” The call came from Parson, then echoed down the line as men repeated it.
She fought the urge to wipe the sweat from her brow with her sleeve. It would only smear the mud she’d spread on that morning. Parson must think the horses needed a break from the heat. Maybe a small stream trickled down the mountainside. Some of these peaks still held pockets of packed snow, even now that August had nearly reached them, and the melt ran down in a steady rivulet.
The line shuffled forward slowly as the men and their animals spread down the slope to drink. They had, indeed, found a trickle of water to satisfy the thirsty horses and mules.
Behind her, Skeet split off into the trees down the slope at an angle. “This’ll take forever if we stand here and wait.”
His grumbling was right. Grant glanced at the man, then at her. He shrugged and turned his horse to follow Skeet’s.
She nudged Two Bit after them. She didn’t want to be the one at the tail end, holding the entire group up.
In the shade of the pines, the heat wasn’t so fierce, though she had to brace against the lower limbs that slapped at her. One particular tree had several scraggly branches draping across her route. She ducked under it as Skeet and Grant had done.
A hand closed around her mouth, and another around her waist, pulling her sideways off her horse.
ELEVEN
She tried to scream, but the hand sealed away any chance for sound to escape. She fought to free herself, trying to move her lips enough to bite down on the flesh covering her face. She had to alert—
“Do not fight, little sister.”
The voice almost didn’t register in her panic. Its tone and cadence were too familiar. Rote, like something she heard every day.
“Faith.”
He spoke her name just as her mind was beginning to comprehend, her racing heart slowing enough to realize. But she couldn’t piece together exactly what... She eased her fighting and craned to see the face of the one who held her.
White Horse?
She couldn’t say his name with that foul-tasting paw over her mouth, but she could see just enough of his profile to know for certain.
The man she and all her sisters considered like a brother ... was attacking her? Surely not.
He eased around in front of her, loosening his hold around her body. He didn’t remove his hand from her mouth right away, but as soon as she could jerk her head back, she did so.
Then she scowled at him.
He motioned for her to be quiet.
She kept her voice to a whisper, but she didn’t try to hide her ire. “What are you doing?” A new thought struck. Had Rosemary come too? She wouldn’t have sent White Horse by himself to find Faith; she would have wanted to be part of the search.
Faith glanced around for her eldest sister. No sign of her, but Grant and Skeet had spotted Two Bit running free. They were already starting to call for her.
She spun back to White Horse. “Why are you here? You don’t need to hide. I’ll tell them you’re my friend.”
He shook his head. “Another looks to hurt them. They will not believe. I need talk to you. Tell them you need tree alone.”
She shot him a look. “I’m not going back to the ranch, if that’s what you’ve come to talk about. I’m looking for your mother.” That should turn his thinking.
Grant had spotted her and was riding her way. She had to distract them. Or maybe she really should introduce White Horse as her friend. Would they believe he wasn’t the one who’d been following them? The person who attacked Grant last night?
She spun and strode toward Grant. No reason to chance such a debacle. The last thing she wanted was to put White Horse in danger. Besides, he might not be willing to keep up her disguise as a man. She certainly didn’t need that to ruin her search. She’d not had a chance to tell him about the ruse anyway.
She summoned a smile for Grant. “I didn’t mean to worry you. I needed a moment to myself and tied Two Bit to a tree, but I guess he pulled loose.” She glanced to the narrow stream where Skeet sat on his horse, holding her gelding’s reins as both animals drank. “I’m glad you caught him.”
She moved her focus back to Grant. “I’ll just be another minute, then I’ll be ready to keep riding.” She waited for him to turn his horse and ride back to the others.
