Bitter Wild

by Jennie Leigh

  Jack scanned the area but didn’t see either the sheriff or Casey Nolan. He hefted his coat and the small bag that held the few toiletries and miscellaneous other necessities Bob had allowed them to bring along, then strode toward the deputy.

  “Where are the sheriff and Ms. Nolan?”

  The deputy nodded toward the house. “Inside.”

  Jack frowned. “He took her into the house? Why?”

  “They wanted to get a firm list of the equipment the fugitive has with him. The sheriff figured Casey would catch anything that might have been missed earlier.”

  Jack felt an odd sense of forewarning. “Why would Ms. Nolan know what was or wasn’t taken?”

  The deputy shot him a look that said he thought Jack must be an idiot. “Because Millie was her aunt.”

  Jack blinked, then swung his gaze around to focus on Skip. His partner was clearly as surprised by the revelation as he was. Jack nodded to the deputy, then headed up the drive toward the house. He stopped when he caught sight of Casey’s dog. It was sitting in the yard in front of the house. Its focus was locked on the front door and it sat so still that it might have been a statue instead of a living animal. Then the front door opened and Jack watched as Casey came out. There were tears on her face as she strode to the dog and dropped to her knees in front of it. The animal nuzzled her as she put her arms around it, seeming to understand how upset she was. The sheriff followed her out of the house, pausing beside her to offer a hand up. She took his hand as she stood and Jack could clearly see him saying he was sorry. Casey shook her head and wiped at the moisture on her face. A moment later she turned and saw Jack. Their gazes met and locked. A horn honked somewhere behind them and the moment was broken. Jack turned around to see a truck pulling into the field hauling another horse trailer. Casey’s boyfriend got out and waved to her. Jack watched as she all but ran to him. He folded her into his embrace and held her for a long moment. Jack turned away then.

  The sheriff came to a halt at Jack’s side. “You boys at least look like you’re ready for this thing, now.”

  Jack turned to meet the older man’s gaze. “Why didn’t you tell us that Millie Pratt was Casey Nolan’s aunt?”

  The sheriff shrugged. “I didn’t really see where it was anything to tell.”

  Jack tightened his jaw as he mentally reviewed the scene inside the house. None of the murders Jester had committed had been pretty, but then he wasn’t looking at them through the eyes of someone with a personal connection to any of the victims. He could only imagine how tough it had been for Casey to see the evidence of her aunt’s violent death first hand. Jack glared at the sheriff. “And you thought it was necessary for Casey to see how and where her aunt died?”

  The sheriff met his gaze steadily. “She felt it was necessary to know exactly what the fugitive had taken with him. The only way to know that for certain was to go through the house with someone who would know exactly what was missing.”

  Jack finally dropped his gaze. The sheriff was right. They needed to know what they were up against. He focused on Casey once more. She was still talking to John, though they were no longer embracing. She looked fragile, Jack realized. Too delicate to shoulder the burden they were asking her to take on. Were they asking too much from her? She was personally connected to one of the victims. Could she put her personal feelings aside? Jack turned to his partner and they exchanged a look. Skip must be asking himself the same questions.

  Jack turned to look at her again, but realized she was gone. He scanned the area and finally spotted her talking with another woman. The woman was clearly upset. As Jack watched, an older man came along and put his arm around the woman’s shoulder. He said something to her and she fell silent. Finally, she nodded. Casey leaned forward and gave the woman a hug, then nodded when the woman said something to her. The man patted Casey on the shoulder, then led the woman away. Casey watched them go, then turned around and again found Jack. She held his gaze for a moment, then began heading in his direction. When she reached them, she gave both him and Skip a once over.

  “You look ready to go. How do you feel?”

  Jack shrugged. “Like I’ve been poured into my clothes.”

  She smiled. “You’ll get used to it.” She turned around as a horse let out a loud whinny. They all watched as her boyfriend led a magnificent buckskin toward the paddock. The animal was giving him a hard time and everyone gave the horse a wide birth. He finally got the horse tied up to the fence, then he turned and sought out Casey. He nodded to her and she cleared her throat. Jack focused on her once more.

  “It’s just about time to go. I’ve got to get changed. There’s just one thing I need to know. I should have asked earlier, but it just slipped my mind. Have either of you ever been on a horse before?”

  Jack nodded. “I did some riding when I was a kid.”

  She turned to Skip and he nodded as well. “I’ve done a bit of riding, too.”

  Her expression suggested that she wasn’t sure she quite believed them, but she didn’t argue. She just nodded toward her boyfriend. “John will get you acquainted with your mounts and run you through a quick lesson on how to take care of the animal and its tack. Pay attention to him. It’s important.”

  She turned and walked away then, heading for the truck her boyfriend had arrived in. She pulled out a bag, then headed for the trailer behind the truck. She was going to change in the horse trailer? Before he had time to work that out in his head, her boyfriend was calling them over. The man didn’t appear to be all that thrilled about doing the job Casey had given him. He brought two horses out of the paddock and tied them up, then instructed Jack and Skip about the correct way to handle the bridle and saddle. He explained why it was important to make sure the cinch was tight and demonstrated how to be certain that the horse wasn’t holding its breath while the saddle was being cinched up. It was all familiar to Jack, though he’d forgotten that he knew these particular skills. He said a small prayer of thanks for his mother’s insistence that her son know a little refinement. She’d made him take riding lessons when he was a kid. At least he wasn’t going into this thing completely blind. John watched them both as they took all the tack off their respective horses and then put it back on again. If he was impressed by their skill, he didn’t show it. If anything, his scowl was getting darker. He finally nodded and told them they were on their own from that point forward. Jack took the time to transfer the few things he was taking along with him to the saddlebag that hung over his horse’s rump, then watched as John piled miscellaneous gear on the back of a packhorse. Once he finished with that, he headed for his truck.

  Jack turned around, then froze when he caught sight of Casey. The dress was gone, replaced by clothes that were very similar to those he and Skip wore. Hers weren’t brand new, though. They’d clearly seen some wear. The jeans were faded and the flannel shirt looked as soft as down. She wore a thermal shirt underneath that he could just see peeking through the top of the flannel shirt. She hadn’t done all the buttons up. Both shirts were tucked into her pants and despite the layers it revealed just how small her waist was. He followed her long legs down to the boots she wore, then brought his gaze back up to her face.

  The heavy mane of hair that had been flowing around her shoulders was now pulled back into a braid. As Jack watched, she leaned into the truck and pulled out a hat, which she laid on the hood of the truck. Then she retrieved a jacket that was similar to the one he’d thrown across his saddle. She laid it beside the hat, then turned back to the cab. Her boyfriend reached her and leaned against the open door as she pulled something else out of the truck. Jack could see them talking and could see that Casey was doing something, but his view was obstructed so that he was completely caught off guard when she stepped around her boyfriend. Jack stared at the gun she wore in a holster on her hip. The first thing that popped into his head was the countless westerns he’d watched as a kid. She also carried what he assumed was a rifle, since he couldn’t see through it
s sheath. She settled the hat on her head, then slung the coat and her own saddlebag over one arm and carried the rifle in the other as she strode toward them. She went straight to the buckskin her boyfriend had already saddled for her. She fixed the rifle and saddlebag to the saddle, then threw her coat across it. Finally she moved away from the horse and approached Jack and Skip. Jack was still focusing on the gun at her hip. The hat and boots might scream “cowboy,” but that gun was no six-shooter. It was an automatic. A big one. She stopped in front of him and Jack met her gaze.

  “I thought we made it clear that apprehending the fugitive was our job, not yours.”

  She glanced down at the gun she wore, then returned her gaze to his. “We did. That hasn’t changed. This gun doesn’t have anything to do with the man we’re chasing. It’s just here in case something gets past the rifle.” She nodded toward their horses. “You ready?”

  Jack still didn’t like the fact that she was wearing a gun. The rifle he could understand. The handgun seemed a bit much. He didn’t want to waste time arguing with her about it, though, so he nodded. “When you are.”

  “Then mount up.”

  She turned around and strode over to her horse. Her boyfriend was holding it for her. Jack could see the worry on his face. The other man didn’t make any effort to keep his voice down as he spoke.

  “I still say you ought to let me come along. These two are going to be helpless if anything goes wrong.”

  Casey shook her head. “I can handle them. And I want you here just in case things do turn bad. I want you in charge because I know I can trust you to deal with any problems.”

  Jack could see that the man wanted to argue, but he kept quiet. He nodded, then pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It wasn’t a passionate embrace and the kiss lasted little more than an instant. Jack turned away as unwelcome thoughts flooded his mind. If she was his woman and he was about to send her off on something like this he’d make sure they parted with a kiss that she wouldn’t soon forget. He’d brand her as his so that no one would get any ideas about making any moves on her. But she wasn’t his woman and he had no business thinking about how he’d kiss her. He caught the mane of his horse and pulled himself up into the saddle. The horse side-stepped a bit, but Jack managed to settle into the saddle without much trouble. He slipped his feet into the stirrups and said another prayer of thanks that he hadn’t fallen on his rear. He’d made enough of a fool of himself in front of Casey Nolan without adding more fuel to the fire. He gathered his horse’s reins in his hand, then turned around in time to see Casey swing gracefully onto her horse. She made it look effortless. The horse pranced and sidestepped a bit, but she quickly brought him under control. It was obvious that she’d spent years, all her life probably, around horses.

  Her boyfriend stepped to her side and laid his hand on her thigh. “You watch your back out there.”

  She nodded. “I will.”

  They exchanged a long look, then she lifted her gaze and focused on Jack and Skip, who’d also managed to get onto his horse without falling. “Daylight’s wasting, gentlemen. It’s time to get this show on the road.” Her boyfriend led the packhorse over to her and she wrapped its lead around her saddle horn. Then she swung her horse’s head around and clicked her tongue. The horse almost leapt forward. Jack took a deep breath and hoped he remembered how to drive a horse. He touched the horse’s neck with the rein and it turned obediently. Then he gave it a kick with his heels and it lunged forward with enough gusto that Jack almost went right off the back of the animal. He managed to keep his seat despite the jarring ride and tried to remember everything he’d ever been taught about a horse. He didn’t dare turn around to see if Skip was behind him. He was afraid he’d fall off if he tried anything so daring. So he held on and searched his memory for the descriptions of the different gaits horses used. He finally classified the pace they were moving at as a trot. Not the smoothest of rhythms. Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember how to change the horse’s gait, other than kicking it again and he felt sure that would only make it go faster. No doubt that would land him on his butt. He finally just gritted his teeth and tried to settle into some kind of rhythm with the animal before his brain got scrambled inside his skull.

  Casey felt the fear clogging her throat. Bullet, her horse, felt it as well. He tossed his head and pulled at his bit in response. She reached out and laid a hand against his neck, taking several deep breaths in an effort to slow the wild beating of her heart. She was going to be just fine. Her fear couldn’t hurt her any more than the memories that sparked it could. The past was dead and gone. It was past time for her to face her future. She tightened her grip on the reins and settled back on her heels. The horse began to calm down as he felt her anxiety ease up. She glanced down at Chance as he trotted alongside Bullet. He had an eager expression on his face and Casey knew that he was happy to be going back into the woods. They’d stayed away too long. She lifted her gaze to the tree line ahead and allowed herself to feel a brief moment of shared joy with the dog. Finally, she was going back to the place that had always been a part of her soul.

  By the time they reached the trees Jack had remembered enough of his riding lessons to make the jerky motion of his horse relatively tolerable. He breathed a long sigh of relief, though, when Casey slowed her horse to a walk and his mount followed suit all by itself. He finally turned to look over his shoulder to make sure Skip was still with them. Jack sincerely hoped he didn’t look as uncomfortable as Skip did. His partner looked as though he was ready to pack it in already. Jack turned around when Casey spoke up. She had turned in her saddle and was looking at Skip. She had a frown on her face, but she didn’t comment on his obvious discomfort. Instead, she focused on Jack. “We’re going into the trees now. Keep me in sight at all times. If something happens and you lose sight of me, stop and stay right where you are. Don’t look for me, don’t call out, just stop and wait. I’ll find you.”

  “Is it that easy to get lost?”

  She nodded. “For someone who’s unfamiliar with the surroundings, yes. It’s disorienting. All the trees look the same. The rocks start looking identical. If you don’t know any markers you can wander around in circles for hours before you even realize what you’re doing. Just remember what I said. I’m not going to move very fast because I’m looking for your fugitive’s trail. But it only takes a few careless seconds to get lost.”

  She turned around once more and guided her horse toward what looked like a solid wall of trees. There didn’t appear to be any sort of trail. Jack couldn’t even see evidence of anyone having passed through this way at all. Never-the-less Casey sent her horse right into the thick vegetation. Jack followed her through and was surprised to discover that the mass of greenery at the edge of the woods all but disappeared once they were under the canopy of the trees.

  After less than half an hour, Jack realized just how sincere her warnings about the woods had been. He had no idea where he was. He was anything but certain that he could find his way back out of the trees if his life depended on it. Up ahead, Casey was steadily plodding along. Every once in a while she’d stop and stare at the ground for a moment. She had yet to get off her horse, though, which left Jack wondering how in the world she thought she was going to find anything. All he saw when he looked at the ground was rotting leaves and dirt. As far as he could tell, they were the only people who’d ever traveled over this ground.

  By the time they’d been traveling for two hours Jack was finally willing to accept that he was way out of his league. He was hurting in places that he didn’t even want to think about and he was almost positive that it would hurt even worse when he got off the horse. One look at Skip said he was as miserable as Jack. Casey looked as fresh as a daisy, though. Her back was still ramrod straight and she moved as if she and the horse were one instead of two. She had probably been born on the back of a horse. He was glaring at her back when her horse suddenly reared up. She brought it under control almost immediately. As Ja
ck pulled his horse to a stop behind the packhorse he saw the dog flatten its ears back against its head. It didn’t growl or make any sound at all. That made the animal’s behavior even more alarming. Casey swung down off her horse and knelt by the dog’s side. She rested her hand on its shoulder and the dog turned to look up at her. Then she stood up and strode toward Jack.

  “Get off your horse.” She glanced at Skip. “You, too.”

  Jack complied and nearly fell as his legs tried to refuse to hold his weight. He heard Skip groan, but kept his gaze on Casey.

  “What is it?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know, yet.” She moved to her horse and tied it securely to a nearby tree. Then she pulled the rifle out of its sheath. She checked to make sure it was loaded, then glanced over her shoulder at Jack.

  “You two stay here and for heaven’s sake, hold tight to those horses.”

  Jack frowned. “Wait, where are you going?”

  “To see what’s got Chance and Bullet so spooked.”

  She turned and walked away in spite of Jack’s demand that she wait. He led his horse to the nearest tree and tied it up, then started to follow her. Only she was nowhere in sight. Just like that, she’d vanished into thin air. Jack stared at the trees, then turned to look at Skip.

  “Where did she go?”

  Skip shook his head. “I have no idea. She was there one minute and then gone.”

  “Damn!”

  He turned back to look at the last spot he’d seen her, expecting her to suddenly come back into view. He glanced at his horse as it flicked its ears back and forth nervously. Something was out there spooking the horses and she’d marched right off in search of it. He turned to Skip. “Stay with the horses.”