He didn’t, so she stood there. Waiting. He must know what she meant.
Still, he eyed her. As though he suspected something more. His frown seemed stronger than he’d show from a lingering headache.
She shot a look at the rest of the group. “They’re going to be ready to ride and looking for me. I need a minute.”
His mouth pressed in a thin line, but he finally turned and nudged his mount back the way he’d come. Without saying a word.
The knot in her middle coiled tighter. But she didn’t have the time to worry about Grant and whether he suspected something amiss. Or whether he was disappointed in her lying to him just now. Even as the thought squeezed in her chest, she pushed it away and moved back behind the tree that hid White Horse.
She scowled at him again. “Why are you here?” She didn’t bother asking how he’d found her. White Horse had ways of knowing things that seemed impossible to know. Which was why it seemed so strange he hadn’t located his mother yet.
That thought she pushed away as well. She could only hope he hadn’t been trailing her all the way since the rendezvous.
A new suspicion slipped in. One she had to know the answer to. She braced her hands on her hips. “Did Rosie send you to follow me when I first left the ranch? Even when I was with Elise and Goes Ahead?”
A tiny grin touched his eyes, but he shook his head. “I trade two spotted horses at rendezvous. See you look like boy warrior. Follow.”
Heat flamed up her neck, though she tried to stop it. To cover, she shook her head. “I’m not going back with you. This group is going to trap in an area that has a whole bunch of waterfalls. I think I’ll find Steps Right there.”
He stared at her. She met his gaze, letting her glare fall away, but also making sure he saw the depth of her determination.
He formed his own scowl. “Your sisters will not wish this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Rosie, you mean. She still thinks I’m with the missionaries. I’ll be back before she has a chance to worry.”
Sadness touched his gaze, and maybe a bit of his own worry. His expressions were hard to read sometimes. “She concerns from her love.”
She couldn’t help a little smile at his wording. “I know. But I think she’s forgotten about another love, that for our father. He pleaded with us to find your mother. To make certain she received the necklace back.” She pressed a fist over her heart. “I have to do this for him. I can’t let it rest the way my sisters have been able to.”
Again, his brow lowered in what looked like a scowl. That stemmed from worry too.
She stepped forward and rested a hand on his arm. “I’llbe safe. Most of the men think I’m a boy. There’s one, Grant, who knows who I am, and he’s helping make sure I stay safe. Tell Rosie I’ll be back around the same time I would have been before.”
He looked down at her hand covering his loose cotton tunic. Then his gaze lifted to her eyes, and his own showed he was on the cusp of a decision. Had already made it but was calculating whether he should still change his mind.
At last he spoke, his gaze still hard on hers. “I go with you. Just we two. Leave these others. I know the water falling you speak of. We go to them, look for my mother. Then go to your sisters.”
She caught her breath. That wasn’t quite what she intended, but ... would it be better? Traveling with White Horse would certainly be safer and more pleasant than being servant to these men. Except for Grant...
She couldn’t let him figure into her decision, though. Maybe they’d meet again later.
Taking in a breath for courage, she nodded. “All right. I’ll go with you.” She hesitated. How would it be best to leave the group? Should she tell them about White Horse? Or just that she was heading out on her own?
“I’ll go too.”
The voice broke through her thoughts, and she spun to find its source.
Grant stood behind her, his expression a determined mask as he stepped forward. His gaze flicked between her and White Horse, and her insides clenched tighter.
She motioned toward her old friend. “This is White Horse, the one I told you about who’s a partner with my sisters and me on the ranch. His mother is the one I’m looking for.”
Grant gave a single nod as his gaze met White Horse’s. “Hello.”
White Horse only made a sound, and she dared a glance his way. He didn’t show much of his thoughts in his expression, but she could make out distrust.
She tried to redirect his attention. “This is Grant Allen. He’s been a good friend, helping me and making sure I’m not in danger.”
White Horse’s mouth only pinched tighter. He would need to see Grant’s kindness before he was convinced. Better to address Grant’s comments now.
