Miles settled on one of the log stumps. “You two up for answering a few questions?”
Could she summon the energy? She’d have to.
At least Gil's grip on her hand stayed solid as he spoke. "Sure. Figured you all were curious.”
Miles’s expression took on the hint of a grin. "What happened out there? We got worried when we came back to Canvas Creek to help you look for Sampson and couldn’t find you."
“It's a long story.” Gil shifted to better face his brother. “I was searching farther out from town. One day, I found Jess on the mountain. We started talking, and I realized that her living situation wasn’t safe. She needed help getting away from her father. Simon McPharland. Most people call him Mick.”
Tension seeped into the air, so heavy it could smother. Apparently, his brothers knew that name well.
“Jess is nothing like her father though.” When Gil spoke again, his voice popped the bubble like a pin. “Not a single bit. She’s tried to escape him before, but his men found her and brought her back. One in particular is a lousy son of scum. Jedidiah, McPharland’s second in command.”
He cleared his throat. “We figured the only way to get her free with her father’s approval was to pretend to be married. The ruse worked pretty well for a while. We were nearly set to leave. I even got to talk to Sampson a few times too.”
Jude's head snapped up. "You found him? Where?"
Tension rose once again. "He's working for McPharland. In the mine there in that mountain where you found us."
Jude's brows lowered. "Why? Doesn't he know what kind of man McPharland is?"
"I think he knows." Gil's voice roughened. "He says he's not finished there yet. Wouldn't come back with us."
Miles leaned forward. "Did you tell him we've been looking for him? That we're all worried?"
"Yeah." Gil blew out a breath. "I begged him to leave with us. To come home or go somewhere else. Any place not under McPharland’s thumb. He refused."
The silence stretched, broken only by the crackle of the fire. “So,” Jude finally said, his words slow and deliberate. "What do we do now? Go back for him?"
Gil's fingers tightened around Jess's. "I don't think that's wise. At least not yet. Jess needs to get to safety first. To the ranch."
Jude seemed to be mulling through the situation. "You’re probably right. We might need the others so we can go back with more gunpower."
Gil shifted on the blanket, a wince tightening his features. "There's something else. We found some of the sapphires."
Jude straightened on his log. "You did? Where are they?"
"McPharland had them hidden in one of the storage caves. I think it’s only about half of what was stolen. Jedidiah caught me trying to get away with them. Probably moved them after that."
Miles scowled. "Is that how your face got rearranged?"
Gil gave a soft chuckle that looked more like a grimace. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
Her chest ached with those words. She had no doubt he hurt every bit as much as the bruising and swelling made it seem.
“Anything else?” Jude looked between the two of them.
“That’s about it.” Gil sounded weary.
Jude turned his focus on her, and her chest tightened as she prepared for what he might say. He knew more of her father’s awful deeds now. Would he throw her out? Take her back to face her punishment?
Gil would speak up for her. Wouldn’t he? Anything seemed possible. The very worst seemed possible.
But Jude’s eyes softened. “I’m glad Gil found you. Glad we were able to get you out. You get some rest now.” He glanced over at Two Stones, who still sat by the roasting meat. “What do you think, should we head out about midnight?”
The dark haired man nodded. “Best to ride when we won’t meet others.” Two Stones had been mostly quiet until now, but his voice held a rich tone. His words were clear, almost without accent, though he didn’t use many to make his point.
Jude nodded, then shifted back to her. “We’re near the Mullan Road, and that’s a straight shot back to our ranch. But it gets a fair amount of travel that we’d rather avoid.”
