The desperate plea followed him down into the waiting blackness. As much as he wanted to cling to Grace’s voice, he no longer had control.
Of anything.
CHAPTER19
Grace urged the horse onward in the darkness, her arms aching from hours of holding Sampson's limp form upright in the saddle. His head lolled back against her shoulder, his breathing shallow and ragged in the icy mountain air.
Ahead of her Sitting Bear, the man Two Stones had assigned to guide her back to the Coulter ranch, led the way through the darkness. The others had stayed behind to slow the enemy down. Every few minutes the bang of gunfire sounded. Farther back, but not nearly far enough.
The dark silhouettes of pine branches overhead almost concealed the barely lightening sky. Morning. They’d almost made it through the night. Surely, they couldn’t be far from the ranch now.
She tightened her hold around Sampson’s waist and spoke into his ear the same thing she’d said so many times through this interminably long ride. "Stay with me, Sampson. We're almost there. Just hold on a little longer."
His only response was a low moan, the words garbled and dreamlike. "Jed...McPharland...mine..."
Her heart ached at the pain in Sampson's voice, even in his delirium. Her father had done this to him. And now his brothers and good friends were still in danger, risking their lives because of her father. It seemed impossible. Yet was all too true.
God, protect them. The Coulter men, the braves. And Sampson. Don’t let me lose him. Please.
Sometime in the night she’d started praying to the God Sampson said was real. A desperate act, but it felt worth trying. Sending up those words, even in her mind, had seemed to do something. She’d felt…reassured.
Maybe she only imagined the feeling. Her frantic mind grasping for something—anything—to help this man who might be dying in her arms.
She’d kept up the praying. And each urgent request left a tiny bit of relief in her chest.
Sampson still lived. Was that God answering her prayer? She had no idea, but she didn’t intend to stop.
Ahead of her, Sitting Bear reined his horse to an abrupt halt. She did the same.
He pointed up the slope to their left. "Ride to big rock. Find path to Coulter lodge." His voice turned low and urgent. "I go back. Help brothers fight."
Grace squinted through the gray light of dawn, barely making out the boulder he’d pointed to partway up the mountainside. She nodded. "Thank you. For everything."
The brave inclined his head, then turned his horse and pushed the animal into a run past her. Riding toward the fight.
She swallowed the tightness in her throat. So many risking their lives because of her desperate choices. Her arms trembled with fatigue as she shifted Sampson's dead weight, pressing her palm to his chest. His heartbeat thrummed beneath her fingers, rapid but strong.
"We're nearly there." She worked to strengthen her voice. "Stay with me, Sampson."
She nudged her weary mare forward, up the slope Sitting Bear had indicated. When they reached the large rock, a worn trail ran diagonally. She turned right to follow the path upward and the same general direction they’d been riding for hours.
Soon, she should reach the clearing. And the house. And help for Sampson.
Heat too. What she wouldn’t give for a hot fire, something to warm her bones so she could feel her limbs again.
The trail wound higher, the brightening sky revealing more of the rugged terrain with each passing minute. Grace's thighs burned from gripping the horse's sides, her muscles stiff and aching. She focused on the rhythm of the mare's hooves against the rocky ground, anything to keep her mind from the exhaustion weighing her body.
At last, the path crested a rise and the trees thinned. The cabin came into view as her mare entered the clearing. Smoke curled from the stone chimney, a promise of warmth and comfort within. And help. Tears stung her eyes.
The front door banged open, and people spilled out. Jude first, then Miles and Gil and a host of others. The entire family maybe.
She reined in when she reached them, and Jude stepped close to take Sampson. “What happened?”
Without his weight to hold up, her body sagged, nearly as limp as Sampson’s. “He was caught. They had him tied to a tree. I don’t know if they hurt him worse, but he’s been mostly unconscious on the ride.”
Gil held her horse while Eric reached up to help her down. Jude and Miles were already carrying Sampson into the house, Dinah following closely.
“Where are the others?” Eric asked as she accepted his offer and leaned on his shoulder to slide from the saddle.
