by Forsaken
He waited for the baby to move, needing that reassurance especially now. Bethany had her misgivings about the men he was taking back into the wilderness. She wasn’t the only one.
But they were offering him too much money not to take them up on their offer. He didn’t want his son to do without anything. Or Bethany to have to make the kid’s clothes.
He felt his son move inside her and smiled again, then leaning down, he gently kissed his wife’s forehead. “I know I’m crap at showing it, but I love you more than life,” he whispered.
Bethany sighed in her sleep. He quickly removed his hand and slipped out of bed. He didn’t want to wake her. She’d been having enough trouble sleeping these days so close to delivering their baby.
In the other room, he pulled on his boots. He’d loaded everything he needed last night. But this morning there was one more item he wanted to take. He hadn’t gotten it out last night because he hadn’t wanted Bethany to see him take it. He hadn’t wanted to worry her any more than he had.
From the gun cabinet, he pulled out his pistol and a box of ammo. He never knew what they might run into back in the mountains. And while he would never have admitted this to his wife, he didn’t trust the men he was traveling with into the Beartooths.
* * *
JUST BEFORE DAYLIGHT, Maddie came riding up the mountain to where Jamison was watching her sheep. He’d never dreamed he’d ever end up on the side of the mountain protecting a couple thousand sheep. The dog had stayed at his side the rest of the night, watching both him and the sheep, leaving only long enough to get a drink from the nearby creek and go get something to eat when Maddie had called him just after daybreak. No doubt Lucy had felt the weight of the responsibility Maddie had given them—just as he had.
Maddie had been right. The grizzly had come back. Jamison hadn’t had to fire a shot, though, one he knew would awaken Maddie. Instead he’d shone the light on the bruin, and that had been enough to send it back over the mountain.
Maddie rode up looking more energetic than he felt, that was for sure. She’d apparently washed up in the creek, because he noticed that her hair was wet around her face and she’d recently replaited it.
“I made breakfast,” she announced, motioning toward the tent. “I thought we should have something to eat before we light out looking for Branch.”
“Good idea,” he said as he followed her down to the camp. As he walked into the tent, he saw the indentation she’d made in the cot. It still held her shape, surprising him how small it looked.
Maddie, while only about five-six, seemed bigger than life in her strength and abilities—not to mention her determination. It amazed him to realize what a slight-framed woman she was under her oversize, bulky ranch clothing.
The tent smelled of bacon. He saw that she’d made them eggs and toast, as well. He was glad she hadn’t eaten, but had waited for him.
He watched her walk to the far cot and pick up a faded flannel shirt that had been lying at the foot.
“I assume that’s Branch’s?” he asked.
She nodded and laid it back on the cot. “He taught me how to ride a horse, you know. My father was too busy with running the ranch and my mother didn’t ride, but Branch said a Montana girl needed to know three things—how to ride a horse, how to swim and how to hold her liquor.” She smiled as she looked over at him. “Branch taught me all three.”
Jamison laughed as he offered her one of the plates of food.
She took it and said, “I see most of the camp supplies are gone.”
He realized she planned to eat standing up and did the same. The tent, although roomy, felt cramped with the two of them in it. “Shouldn’t there be more food only four days in?”
She glanced toward the cabinet and nodded. “Even if Dewey ate like he had a hollow leg, I can’t imagine them going through that many supplies so quickly.”
“What would Branch have done if they were running out?”
“Killed a lamb and made bread. A sheepherder can survive if he has what he needs to make bread. I see there is plenty of flour left. But he would have sent Dewey down for whatever else they needed.”
She took a bite of her breakfast, her gaze taking in the contents of the tent as she chewed. She seemed to be seeing it for the first time. He figured she hadn’t bothered to look around last night. She’d probably dropped down on the cot and gone right to sleep as exhausted as he knew she had to be.
“I think someone might have helped themselves to the supplies,” he said as he scooped up another bite of the eggs. “I found an extra set of tracks outside the tent.”
Maddie looked up in surprise. “You think someone took their food?”
“I think it’s possible.” He didn’t mention what else he thought might be possible.
She seemed to give that thought. “I would be surprised if it was a hiker. There isn’t a trail close to here, and it’s pretty early in the season. Could be another rancher stopped up.” She sounded doubtful.
“Other than food, I noticed something else that appears to be missing,” he said. “You probably saw the split firewood outside the tent? I can’t find the ax that was used to split it.”
She met his gaze, hers narrowing, but she said nothing.
“Is there anything that seems out of place?” he asked.
She started to shake her head when her gaze landed on the two-way radio receiver he’d bagged. “You didn’t tell me you’d found that,” she said, putting down her plate to reach for it. “Did you try to raise Branch on it?”
“I’m afraid it’s now evidence,” he said as he took the bagged receiver from her.
“But Branch might have the other one,” she argued. “If he’s in trouble—”
“He couldn’t have called on this one. Someone took out the batteries.”
“There must be an extra set of batteries up here,” she said, digging in her heels.
“I’ve already looked,” he said. “Whoever took the batteries didn’t want anyone communicating with the outside world.”
She let out an irritated sigh. “So we’re back to that. Why would Dewey—”
“I didn’t say Dewey did it. But whoever took them out quite possibly had something to hide. Until we find Branch—”
“This other person you said was here. He could have taken the food and the batteries.”
He didn’t want to argue with her, although he couldn’t imagine why whoever had been here would take the batteries for the two-way radio. If the man were in trouble, wouldn’t he want to call for help? Especially since he’d been limping.
“We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Jamison said. “The man who visited the camp was wearing new hiking boots and was limping.”
“You could tell all of that from a few tracks in the dirt?”
“I could from the tracks, yes.”
She shook her head. “If someone had come around, Dewey would have mentioned—”
“I doubt Dewey saw anyone. That doesn’t mean whoever was up here didn’t purposely scare him away. Remember what he said about the ‘crying’ sounds he said they’d heard?”
“Of course I remember. I’m sure, if that’s what they heard, then there is a logical explanation. Why would anyone try to scare them away?”
“Could it be another sheep rancher who wants to graze his sheep here?”
She shook her head. “We have a lease for this area. This isn’t the old Wild West.”
“Then maybe whoever it is has another reason to want to get rid of both Branch and Dewey.”
Maddie shook her head. “So they could steal a little food? Take their ax? Rustle a lamb?”
He knew it sounded unbelievable especially to Maddie. She’d been born and raised around here and felt safe. Branch had probably felt safe, too.
She shook her head angrily. “You’re convinced that a crime has been committed.... This isn’t New York City.”
“You might be right. We won’t know what happened up here un
til we find Branch.”
She sighed, picked up her plate and finished her breakfast. “We’d better find him, then,” she said as she tossed her plate and fork into the pot of hot water she had on the stove. “I’ll leave Lucy here with the sheep.”
* * *
CLETE THOUGHT HE would have to wait, but as he came around the corner of the narrow dirt road up the Boulder, he saw Alex’s big, black SUV sitting at the trailhead.
He’d never known any of the three to be early risers. If he had to guess, he’d bet they’d probably stayed up all night. The thought of them being half-drunk did nothing for his mood.
This morning he hadn’t wanted to leave Bethany. Even as he was driving away he had a foreboding feeling he couldn’t shake that he should call Alex, cancel and go back in and climb into bed with his wife. Common sense had forced him to keep going, though. They needed the money. As long as Bethany didn’t have the baby while he was gone...or worse, have any trouble... She wasn’t due for another two weeks, and first babies didn’t come early, right?
He shoved those thoughts away as he pulled in next to Alex’s SUV. To his surprise the three men didn’t look drunk or even hungover as they climbed out of the rig. All three were blond, blue-eyed and good-looking, attributes that they had used to their advantage and he was sure still did.
Alex was the smallest of the trio. He’d played quarterback on the team in college. Tony and Geoff had both been linemen.
It surprised him that Alex still looked in pretty good shape, but then, he had always been wiry and strong for his size. Tony, who Alex said now worked for his father in some investment firm, had gone to seed. Geoff, though, looked the most fit of the bunch since apparently he’d bought a fitness franchise in California.
But as the three men walked over to him, Clete noticed that Geoff was limping. “Did you hurt yourself?” he asked him, suddenly worried that the man couldn’t make the trip.
“Old football injury. It’s just been bothering me,” Geoff said. “Not a problem.” He shot a look at Alex as if they’d already had this conversation.
“That was something we wanted to talk to you about,” Alex said as he laid a hand on Clete’s shoulder. “Geoff’s okay, but we discussed it, and we think it would be better if we went by horseback. Your uncle has some horses up this way, right?”
Clete was taken aback for a moment at this change of plans. Also, he couldn’t remember ever telling Alex about his uncle Max or his horses.
“We thought we’d ride. Just like in the Wild West,” Tony said almost too cheerfully.
“Horses?” Clete had the feeling that this had been the plan all along.
“It’s not too late to regroup and take horses, is it?” Alex asked, giving Clete’s shoulder a friendly squeeze.
This was a difficult trip, especially this time of year. There would be snowfields to cross, and the grizzlies would be coming out of hibernation. Anything could happen. And starting off with Geoff already limping?
Clete looked toward the mountains, concerned.
“We’re happy to pay whatever extra it would cost.” So like Alex to up the ante.
“Why not?” he said, hating that it had been the extra money that had swayed him.
“Great. Your uncle’s place is just up the road, right?”
Right.
“This way we can take more supplies,” Tony said and patted his stomach. “If you can’t tell, I like to eat.” The three laughed, but it had an odd unauthentic ring to it.
Clete hesitated again then sighed, wondering what other surprises the three would spring on him before this was over.
“Why don’t you follow me to my uncle’s.” It still bothered him that Alex not only knew about his uncle but also where he lived. Clete couldn’t remember ever telling any of them about Max. But Alex wasn’t the kind of guy who gave a thought to anyone else. Maybe Clete had mentioned his uncle. It would be just like Alex to remember Uncle Max when he wanted to borrow his horses.
“We can leave the vehicles there.”
“Good idea,” Alex said, slapping him on the back. “This is going to work out great.”
But Clete noticed the last part was directed more toward his friends. Tony looked worried. Geoff said something under his breath as he limped back toward Alex’s SUV. Both men acted as if going back into the mountains was the last thing they wanted to do.
* * *
WHEN THE SUN crested the mountains it did so with splendor. Jamison was again stunned by the beauty of these mountains. The golden light washed over the rocky peaks, making them sparkle as if filled with diamonds instead of mica and quartz.
The morning was so bright and clear it was blinding. The grass was a brilliant spring-green, the snowcapped peaks a dazzling white. Fog wreathed the very top of the mountain closest to them. Wisps of it blew past as they rode up to the ridge.
As the fog cleared, the visibility on the ridge overlooking the wide meadow was breathtaking. So was the wind that had come up with the rising sun. Reining in, Jamison surveyed the mountains beyond.
“This is amazing up here,” he said, sounding as in awe as he felt.
Beside him, Maddie smiled. “An old sheepherder joke is that his home is a big room—two hundred miles wide.”
“I can see why a person might want to spend three months of the year up here.” He felt her gaze shift to him.
“You don’t think you would get lonely?”
“Maybe.”
“Some sheepherders can’t take it. They get what they call ‘sagebrushed’ or ‘sheeped.’ They go mad.”
“Could that have happened to Branch?” he had to ask.
She shook her head. “If he was going to do that, he would have when his wife died. No, Branch is the strongest man I’ve ever known and the most capable.”
Maybe Maddie was right and Branch hadn’t gotten “sagebrushed” from living in such isolation and eating lamb and bread as his main staples three months of the year. But something had happened to him since he was nowhere to be found.
There was the chance that he’d met with an accident. However, based on what Jamison had seen so far, he still feared the old sheepherder had met with a violent end.
As if her thoughts had taken that same trail, Maddie said, “Branch is the best shot I’ve ever seen with a rifle or a pistol, and he carried both. He can skin a dead baby lamb in a matter of minutes with a sharp knife.” She explained how the old sheepherder would put the fleece on a lamb that had lost its mother so the mother of the dead lamb would feed it as her own.
Jamison didn’t doubt Branch’s capabilities or his dedication to the sheep. But it didn’t change the fact that the old sheepherder and his horse were missing.
Every ravine they rode along, every high ridge and open meadow, Jamison expected to see either Branch or his horse or both.
The sun moved across the sky, marking the passing of the hours as they made a wide circle around the camp, until he finally reined in.
They’d covered a large area, followed tracks that petered out and checked gullies and thick stands of pines. There was no sign of Branch Murdock.
“He wouldn’t have gone this far from camp,” Maddie said, reining in next to him.
“Is there somewhere else you would suggest looking for him?”
She glared out at the beautiful landscape, looking almost angry. “I need to get back and finish gathering the rest of the sheep before moving them to fresh grass.” He could tell she was as disappointed as he was that they hadn’t found anything.
If Branch had met with an accident and was still alive, then they needed to find him soon. The fact that they’d covered so much ground and hadn’t found a trace of him made the chance of finding him alive all that much more of a long shot.
“I’ll keep looking,” he said as she reined her horse around. “Unless you need my help—”
“No, Lucy and I can finish rounding up the sheep. I think we’ll leave camp where it is for now. I’ll just move the she
ep to the meadow beyond camp.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to ride back with you?”
She gave him an impatient look. “I know the way. How about you?”
“We learned tracking and navigation by the sun and stars at summer camp.”
She smiled at that as she rode off.
He watched her, the woman so sure in the saddle, so convinced that they would find her sheepherder alive. He wished he shared her conviction, but all his instincts told him he was now looking for a corpse.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CLETE SADDLED FOUR HORSES, all the time watching as Alex, Tony and Geoff stood in the distance talking among themselves. Arguing was more like it, he thought.
He wondered if this whole thing hadn’t been one of Alex’s crazy ideas, hatched when he was half-drunk. Geoff and Tony had always been like sheep, following Alex blindly. Is that what had happened and now they were going to have to put up or shut up?
As he finished, he called them over and told them to put what they absolutely had to have in their saddlebags. He watched for a moment, biting his tongue when he saw what they thought were absolute essentials for the horseback trip through the wilderness. They were bringing enough booze for a week instead of a few days.
Clete mentally kicked himself for agreeing to this as he turned away. He should have known their idea of a backcountry hike would involve horses and partying. He loaded his own saddlebags then tied sleeping bags and slickers behind each saddle, reminding himself it was only for a few days. He could bear with these yahoos that long.
“Are you sure you’re bringing enough food,” Tony complained as Clete loaded what he’d brought.
“I’m more worried about enough booze,” Alex said and laughed.
“We have four days’ food,” Clete told them. “Of course, we can’t eat it all the first night or we’ll all go hungry.”