Love's Mountain Quest

by Misty M. Beller

  But then the mare regained her footing, taking one more stumbling step forward before finally skidding to a stop. Both of them were breathing hard, and Joanna reached down to pat the horse’s shoulder as she willed her heart to return to normal beating. “Thank you, Lord.” When she pulled her hand from the mare’s neck, the sticky warmth of the horse’s exertions left her palm damp.

  “You all right?” Isaac had reined in his horse farther down the hill, and even over the distance, the worry on his face was hard to miss.

  “I think so.” The pounding in her chest made the words shakier than she would have wanted, but she was still working to bring her breathing back to a normal rhythm.

  Her mare stepped forward, as though the horse was ready to keep moving, but Joanna kept a tight grip on the reins as they maneuvered the rest of the incline. Most of the rocks ranged between the size of Joanna’s fist and that of her head, and she did her best to guide the horse around the worst of them. She was pretty sure the animal hadn’t gone down on a knee, so hopefully there weren’t injuries to tend.

  When they finally reached the bottom, Isaac halted his horses to wait for her to ride alongside. The intensity of his gaze burned almost hotter than the sun. “Are either of you hurt?”

  She pulled her mare to a stop beside him. “I don’t think so. Her legs aren’t scraped, are they?”

  He leaned forward to see beneath the horse. “Doesn’t look like it.” Then he straightened and studied her again with that penetrating gaze that seemed to see everything she tried to hide. “And you? Are you hurt?”

  The intensity of his care, the breadth of it, was almost more than she could take. Over and over, he made her feel as though she didn’t have to carry the weight of their struggles. Like she didn’t have to be the backbone holding everything together.

  As much as she wanted to sink into that feeling, she couldn’t let herself relinquish control. Not when her son’s safety depended on them reaching him soon.

  Still, the least she could do was be grateful for Isaac’s kindness. His care. So she nodded. “I’m fine.”

  The mare blew out a long breath, and they stood still for a minute, letting the animals rest. But she couldn’t waste this chance to ask her question. “Do you think we’re getting any closer to them?”

  He glanced over at her, the relaxed lines on his face tightening. “It’s hard to tell for sure, but it seems like we’re staying even. They’re moving fast, and it’s hard to push the horses much more in this terrain.”

  The knot in her middle pulled tighter, pressing desperation up to her chest. “Then how will we ever catch them?”

  Working his strong, shadowed jaw, he didn’t answer right away but shifted his dark green gaze to the great majestic peaks that rose up to meet the clouds. Then he closed his eyes for a moment. “I think I know where they’re going. We should reach it in about four days if we don’t catch them before that.”

  “Four days?” She couldn’t bite back the words. Her son and her friend were at the mercy of what had to be a despicable group of kidnappers. How could they last another four days without rescue?

  “Isaac, they can’t wait that long. We have to catch them. Now. Today.” She couldn’t keep the desperation from her tone. Not anymore.

  He nodded, still not looking at her, but she couldn’t miss the hard set of his jaw. “Let’s ride, then.”

  He kicked his horses into a canter, and she did the same.

  After only a few strides, her mare’s gait jerked. A knife of frustration stabbed Joanna’s chest, but she pulled up again. “Isaac, wait!”

  He must have heard her, for he slowed his horses and reined them back to her as she dismounted.

  “What is it, girl?” She stroked her mare’s neck. The limp had felt like it was in the front, maybe on the left side, so she ran her hand down that leg, feeling for warmth or swelling.

  The limb was a little warm from the horse’s exertion, but nothing excessive that she could feel. When she picked up the hoof, a few small pebbles fell out with the mud. Not anything that should have caused the extreme limp, though.

  “Feel anything off in that one?” Isaac had moved to the mare’s other front leg and was running his hands down it the way she had.

  “Not that I can tell.” She lowered her hoof to the ground so he could raise his.

  “Ah, here’s the problem.” He held the hoof in his large, work-roughened hand. “She’s thrown a shoe.”

  Her chest tightened as the words sank in.

  Not this, Lord. Not now.

  Her deceased husband had always been able to fix lost shoes easily, but that was back in their barn with all their tools and supplies. “Do you have what you need to repair it?”

  He lowered the hoof and straightened to look at her across the mare’s back. “If we can find the shoe and it has a few nails left in it, I may be able to rig something until we get back. Maybe. But it’ll be tricky to keep moving fast without losing it again.”

  Everything seemed to be working against them. Frustration welled in her chest, pricking hot tears in her eyes.

  “Hopefully, she lost it when she stumbled, not far back.” Isaac started hiking up the mountain they’d just come down. “I’ll go see.”

  Joanna held all three animals while he searched. This was going to delay them further. Her throat tightened, but she whispered a prayer aloud. “Please help, Lord.”

  Moments later, Isaac bent to pick something up from the ground, then straightened with a horseshoe in his hand. “Got it. Looks like there are a couple nails here, too.”

  Thank you.

  He jogged back down the slope, then moved to his packhorse and fished inside the bundles.

  It seemed to take forever as Isaac used a rock to pound the shoe and nails straighter, then raised the mare’s hoof and set to work there. He moved methodically, and his lack of urgency made her skin itch.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked, desperate to rush this process along.

  “Nope.” He lowered the mare’s hoof and moved back to his pack to retrieve something else. “This has to be done right. If not, it’ll make her sore, and we’ll have an even bigger problem on our hands.”

  He turned back to her, a piece of rolled leather in his grip. His gaze found hers, the intensity in his eyes slowing the rapid beat in her chest. “Just keep praying, as I’m sure you’re doing.”

  A check pressed on her spirit. She’d been praying, yes, but had she really been trusting that God would answer her prayers? Or were they merely an outlet for her anxiety?

  Father, guide Isaac as he fastens the shoe back on. Keep the animals safe and healthy. And most of all, Lord, help me reach my boy. Protect him and Laura from those men. She imagined sealing the words in a letter, then the paper soaring up to the heavens where her Father’s hand grasped it.

  She’d shared her concerns. Prayed her desperation. Now she had to trust that God would answer in His time.

  He was—after all—the only one who could control this situation.

  Isaac should have been more prepared. If only he’d known.

  Worry knotted his gut as they set out again, and he slipped a glance over his shoulder to see how the mare was doing with her refastened shoe. He’d switched her with his packhorse, which Joanna was now riding. Hopefully the lesser weight would be easier for the sensitive hoof.

  Of course, Joanna probably didn’t weigh more than a sprite. As hardworking as she was, she looked to be all lean muscle. Yet his body still remembered the softness of her shoulder when he’d touched her two days before. He could only imagine how womanly the rest of her would feel, were he ever to get close enough. He imagined all that pretty long hair draped around her probably felt as soft as a new baby’s.

  But he’d never know for sure. He couldn’t. No matter how much his respect for her grew with every hour. No matter how being around her made his body crave her nearness.

  She didn’t deserve a man like him. Though he’d ch
anged from the Isaac of a decade before, Joanna deserved better. He’d thought he’d buried that past and become someone respectable. But it turned out the past could creep up and catch a man. Make him regret those mistakes a hundred times over.

  The ground they traveled leveled off, and Joanna rode up beside him. He glanced her way for just a second, but it was enough to see the strain on her face. She wanted to move faster. He could feel it in the tension that tightened the air between them.

  He didn’t dare push the mare any harder with the makeshift wrap he’d put on the shoe. As it was, he’d probably have to change the leather a couple times each day.

  Darkness would be on them soon, and he’d have even more reason to slow their progress over this rough terrain. His own spirit chafed at moving so slowly. Images of what might be happening to that innocent little boy kept slipping into his thoughts, kindling the flames of anger. And the woman . . . If he let himself think of it, he’d do something foolish.

  And he didn’t do foolish anymore. Joanna was relying on him. Relying on his wisdom and his tracking skills. And he couldn’t let her down.

  God, help me to not let her down any more than I already have.

  Hunger gnawed at Laura’s insides as their fourth morning in the saddle dragged on.

  “Mr. Bill, I’m hungry.” Samuel’s whine from the horse behind them tightened the tension in her shoulders.

  Would Bill strike him again or simply ignore him? As much as she’d coached the boy to be silent, it simply wasn’t possible for a hungry five-year-old to hold his tongue all day. Especially this particular five-year-old.

  She didn’t dare turn in the saddle to talk to Samuel. The pain in her side wouldn’t allow it, nor the pounding in her head. And Aaron’s bulk sat right behind her. He didn’t seem as ruthless as the other two, but she still didn’t trust him.

  She’d heard the men talking about a fourth member of the group who would be meeting up with them soon—Aaron’s brother, if she understood correctly. But he hadn’t appeared yet. And for that, she should be thankful. Adding another brute would only make it harder for her to escape when she found another opportunity.

  An angry growl emanated from her middle, and she pressed her eyes shut as she willed her body into quiet submission. They’d likely stop for a noon break within the next hour or so. Food seemed to be getting scarce among the group, and she and Samuel were given less than a quarter of the rations the men ate.

  How much farther until they reached their destination? One more day of straddling the saddle horn through every possible hour of daylight might just push her over the edge of insanity. Her raw blisters felt like they were spreading with each jolt and jostle. And the heat of the day didn’t help, making her dress cling to her in a sweaty, foul-smelling mess.

  The thought of what was to come once they reached their final destination loomed over her, and there were moments she almost wished Bill hadn’t been stopped from his merciless blows the night before. Ending her misery now might be—

  A gunshot exploded, splitting the air. Two birds took flight from a scrappy bush beside the trail, and Laura snapped from her self-pity, heart pounding.

  In front of her, Rex kicked his horse forward and grabbed the rifle in Bill’s hand. “What’d you do that for, you half-wit?”

  Bill pulled the gun back, yanking it from the other man. He held Samuel and his reins in one paw, and must have shot with his one free hand. “What’d you expect me to do when we’re starving and a deer waltzes across the trail in front of me?”

  “You’re dumber than you look.” Rex’s voice dropped a notch as his lips formed an ominous sneer. “Don’t you think those two following us heard you? If they had any question about where we are and how close, you answered it with fireworks. Wouldn’t surprise me if we have a gunfight on our hands in the next hour.”

  Two following them? Laura worked not to flinch or turn around to look. Were they men Joanna had sent?

  Bill shrugged, his mouth twisting in a snarl. “Then we’ll get ’em out of our way once and for all. That’s not a worry. Or . . .” One side of his mouth pulled up in a grin that sent a shiver down her spine. “We can put an end to the boy right here an’ now. Give those folks somethin’ to slow ’em down when they find his carcass. We don’t need him anyway.”

  “We’re not killing him yet.” Rex’s tone turned to a growl. “We’ll get back to the cabin first, then figure out a quiet way to dispose of him. And the woman, too, once we’re done with her.”

  Rex spit into the grass. “We wouldn’t be in this place if you and Aaron hadn’t messed up that robbery and put the sheriff on our trail.” The hard expression on Rex’s face as he glared at Aaron almost made her shrink back. He turned back to Bill. “Now bleed that thing, then let’s get moving. There’s not good cover out here.”

  The bigger man dismounted, leaving Samuel alone in the saddle. But he handed his reins to Rex, leaving the boy no way to spur the horse and escape. Samuel looked so young and helpless alone in the saddle.

  Rex parked the horses where he could watch their back trail, then stood sentry while Bill made quick work of the deer he’d brought down.

  Someone is coming for us. Just the thought of it sent Laura’s heart into a gallop, making it easy to distract herself from the gruesome work being done just in front of her.

  If only she could turn and watch for whoever was following them . . . Maybe she’d have a chance to send them a signal. Warn them. But Aaron kept his horse focused forward, and she didn’t dare draw attention to herself by looking back. That never seemed to work in her favor with these men. Nothing did.

  Aaron and Bill exchanged a few testy words as Bill strapped the carcass to his horse. All the men seemed more irritable than they’d been the first days.

  Lord willing, they’d eat fresh food tonight and all would be more genial.

  Bill swung aboard his horse and turned to snarl at Rex. “What are you waiting for? Get a move on.” His gaze slid to Laura and she forced herself not to flinch under the wrath in his glare.

  Who was she kidding? That man would never be genial.

  She had to find a way to communicate with the rescue party. Before it was too late for them all.

  SEVEN

  If their situation weren’t so dire, Joanna would love the mountains they were traveling through. Isaac seemed to know all the shortcuts and hidden passes between the peaks, and twice so far they’d come upon waterfalls that nearly took her breath away. Every rise, every view was so majestic; the land tried its best to pull her mind from the possibilities of what Samuel might be enduring.

  Someday she’d like to bring her boy back to this inspiring country. The two of them didn’t have to stay holed up in town the way they had since arriving in Settler’s Fort. A camping excursion here and there would be a welcome adventure for them both.

  As long as she had her son in her arms.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be the same without Isaac. The journey would certainly be harder without this capable man to help. Without his wisdom. She was coming to appreciate his presence more with each hour.

  But she and Samuel could manage. As long as she had her son, she could overcome anything.

  From ahead, Isaac raised his hand to signal a halt. He focused on the ground, and she nudged her gelding forward to see what had caught his attention.

  The moment her mind registered the crimson stain in the grass, a weight pressed hard on her chest. She slid from her mount and stumbled forward to get a closer look.

  “Joanna.”

  She ignored the warning in Isaac’s voice as she struggled to take in the sight before her. Blood spread through the grass in a wide circle.

  A lot of blood. “Oh, God.” It was the closest she could come to a prayer, her heart nearly rupturing as her mind spun with images of how this could have happened.

  Strong hands closed around her shoulders. “Joanna.”

  She gave in to their tug, turning away from the sight. She pressed
her hands over her mouth, holding in the sobs that churned up in her throat.

  “Shh . . .” Isaac pulled her into his chest, and she let herself hide there, feeling the strength of his arms wrapped around her.

  Yet it was impossible to suppress the pictures sliding through her thoughts. Had there been a knife involved? There must have been for so much blood to be spilled. Did this mean her son had been killed? Or was he brutally injured and suffering in agony somewhere?

  But maybe this wasn’t from Samuel. Had they done those awful things to Laura? Even as her chest squeezed so hard she couldn’t draw breath, she turned back to see if there were any other clues.

  “Joanna, I think this is only from a hunting kill.” Isaac’s words jerked her focus up to his face. He motioned toward the ground. “See all the bits of fur? That must have been the shot we heard a while back. They didn’t want to take the time to fully skin the animal, so they just bled it out here and moved on.”

  He stepped forward for a closer look, and she did the same but kept one hand clinging to his firm arm, the other pressed over her mouth. Her swinging emotions had taken all the strength from her legs. Could Samuel truly be unhurt? She didn’t know that for sure, but if Isaac was right . . .

  He turned back to her, then placed his hand on hers where she clutched his arm. His gaze locked into hers even as his smoky green eyes softened. “It’s just an animal kill. We can still assume they’re not hurt, and hopefully this slowed the men down enough that we can make up for a little lost time.”

  He studied her face as though he was reading her. She was sure he could see every bit of her emotional struggle. Her eyes must be rimmed with red, even though she hadn’t let tears fall. “Are we ready to keep riding?”

  She swallowed, straightening her shoulders. “Yes.” Whether or not her son and Laura were hurt, every minute mattered as she and Isaac tried to catch up with them.

  For a shadow of a moment, a different kind of expression crossed Isaac’s face, and she thought he might step closer.

  But he didn’t. Instead, he turned away with a final pat on her hand. “I’ll just check the mare’s shoe before we mount up.”