“Nothing,” he reported right away.
Cyrus didn’t know whether to be relieved or anxious. “No fabric?”
“No. No signs of horses or men having gone through, either. We followed the trail a good few miles.”
Cyrus exhaled against his palm.
“You ever gone on a manhunt like this before?” Domino asked.
Cyrus eyed him, wishing he could better see the man’s face. “Not when there’s a hostage involved.”
“I have.” Domino paused, and Cyrus waited to see if he’d offer more. He didn’t, and that seemed fine. The two of them had been getting along well so far, and likely because neither said more than was necessary. Cyrus had a colorful past, but he imagined Domino’s own was quite blinding.
“All right,” Cyrus quietly said, acknowledging that he should go on.
“Every hour you don’t find the kidnapped person, it becomes less and less likely that you will. It’s been over twenty-four hours. They could be traveling by river still, and they could not be. Especially if they caught onto the girl leaving clues.”
“They could have changed course,” Cyrus filled in, “knowing that someone is behind them.”
“Right.”
Cyrus squinted his eyes against the darkness. On the other side of the rocks, fire popped, and men’s voices wafted up with the smoke.
“How far are you thinking about taking this?” Domino quietly asked.
Cyrus sighed. The question had to come sooner or later. He thought about the youngest Miss Byrum, stuck somewhere in the mountains, afraid for her life. At a certain point, she would be more lucky to be dead than alive.
The other girl entered his thoughts as well—the one sitting just a few yards away. How could he tell Katherine they were giving up? She’d fought tooth and nail to join in the search for her sister. He couldn’t imagine her turning around and just leaving the mountains—not without her only kin by her side.
Cyrus rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable being put on the spot. “I reckon it’s not a matter of how far I’m willing to take it. There are also those men over there. They don’t know this girl, and they’re risking their lives for her.”
Domino sighed long and heavy, and he reached up to touch his face. Had he wiped away a tear? The night made it impossible to know.
“I’m an old man myself,” he rumbled. “And I don’t have much to live for. I’ll put myself on the line for that girl… but there will come a time when I can’t ask others to do the same.”
A lump had formed in Cyrus’ throat. “How much longer?”
“We’ll convene in the morning. See what the men say.”
“And then… we’ll turn back?” Cyrus hated to say the words.
Domino made a pained noise. “If that’s the way it has to be. I don’t see the two of us taking on a dozen plus outlaws.”
Cyrus nodded, his eyes stinging. So this was how his life in Wyoming was to start. He’d hoped for a happy beginning, but maybe he would never have that. Maybe he was a cursed man, and nothing could be done about it.
A shuffling noise sounded to his left, and he quickly looked over to see someone moving through the dark, between them and the river. His reflexes told him to go for his guns, but just in time, he noticed the person wore a skirt.
With a strangled sob, Katherine ran in the direction of the river, crashing through branches with the noise of an elephant.
“I say,” Cyrus muttered, his heart still beating fast. “You think she heard everything we said?”
“Likely. She’s a sneaky one.”
“She always has to make things worse for herself.”
Domino had nothing to say to that.
Grinding his teeth together, Cyrus turned for the camp.
“You aren’t gonna talk to her?”
He stopped at the question. “What can I say?”
“It might be that your presence is enough.”
Cyrus exhaled hot and heavy. “It better be. I’m no good with words.”
Against his better judgment, he turned back around and set a course for the river.
Chapter Nine
9. Kitty
Chapter nine
Kitty’s foot caught on a root, and she stumbled, catching herself just in time. Tears streamed down her face, obscuring her vision. Frantically wiping them away, she surveyed the area she’d ended up in. It was a part of the river that bent a bit, with moonlight sparkling on the water and a fallen tree creating a bridge. She would have thought it beautiful if her life were not crashing down around her.
Glancing behind her, she saw the small glow of the fire. She’d gone far enough. Becoming lost in the woods was not her aim. She only wanted a moment to herself, some space to cry and wallow in despair.
Once she did that, she would rise again.
It did not matter if every other man in the posse turned around. Kitty would search for her sister until she found her, or until she breathed her last breath. What would a life spent not knowing her sibling’s fate be like?
Kitty could not imagine.
No. As long as she had strength in her body, she would push forward.
Carefully, she made her way across the rocks pushed against the bank and settled down on the furthermost one. It was smooth, worn down by years of rushing river water. She ran her fingertips over it, thinking once more about the conversation she’d just heard.
What if Cyrus Ross turned around? Would that be the last time she saw him?
Kitty figured so. She would not return to a man who willingly abandoned someone in need.
“Mind if I join you?”
Kitty gasped at the voice, turning to see a dark figure hovering on the bank. She knew right away who it was—and not just because of the voice or silhouette. Cyrus Ross carried a palpable presence. The kind you could feel on your skin. She hadn’t noticed it at first, but as she’d sat watching him by the fire earlier, something had changed. She’d been drawn to him in a stronger, more mysterious way.
“Well?” he asked. “Can I join you?”
Kitty sniffled, wiping away the last of her tears. “Yes.”
Quiet footsteps accompanied him to her rock, where he took a seat next to her, legs drawn up. Instead of admonishing her for eavesdropping, Cyrus just sat there quietly. Together, they listened to the river talking. Close to the other bank, an owl hooted.
“I don’t have any siblings,” he suddenly said.
Kitty turned to him in surprise. He faced the river, arms hanging over his legs, profile illuminated by the moon.
Cyrus went on, speaking in a monotone voice. “But I’ve often wished I did.”
Kitty licked her lips. Though her cheeks were still wet from tears, her lips had become uncomfortably dry. “You said that your family is all over. Do you mean your parents? Cousins?”
She stared at him hopefully, praying he’d answer. Just for a few minutes, she wanted to forget about the hell surrounding her. She wanted to have a normal conversation with someone.
Cyrus cleared his throat. “They might be all around. Shoot, they could be living right next to these very mountains.”
Kitty frowned. “You lost track of them?”
“Never knew them. They left me at an orphanage in Cincinnati when I was three.” Disdain filled his voice.
Kitty’s heart constricted. “Your… your mother?”
“My mother and my father.”
A throbbing quiet filled the space following the comment.
“All my life,” Cyrus said, “I’ve been wondering why. I’m thirty-two now and not any closer to finding an answer.”
Kitty gulped. “Surely, they only left you because they had no choice. Perhaps they were struggling, and they could not even feed you—”
“I remember a house. Food on the table. I even remember their faces.” Cyrus turned to look at her straight on. “Barely, but they’re there.” He tapped the side of his head.
“Mr. Ross...” Kitty shook her head. “I am
sorry. That sounds awful.”
He shrugged. “I figured you should know if we’re to… marry.”
She could feel a smile dancing across her lips. The way he said that word… ‘marry’… even with his gruff demeanor, it was nice to hear.
“So my life hasn’t been perfect,” Cyrus said. “That’s all.”
“Neither has mine. My mother died when I was fifteen, and my father...” Kitty trailed off, gulping down the words that had almost come out. Not yet. She wasn’t ready just yet.
“Your father what?”
Kitty just swallowed again. Cyrus shifted on the rock, getting a few inches closer to her.
“What did he do?” Cyrus growled, protectiveness in his voice.
Wait. No. Was that concern in his voice? That could not be. Cyrus Ross did not care for her. She was just a woman to keep his house. A girl who got in the way—as he kept reminding her.
“It was a long time ago.”
“I can tell by your voice that it doesn’t feel that way.”
Kitty ducked her face. “He was not very kind. He had a temper.”
Mostly, he’d taken it out on Kitty’s mother. The few times he’d struck Kitty or Helen, Kitty stood up to the man. He never liked that. Her resistance would only make him angrier, threats to take her life sometimes spewing from his lips.
It was probably good she and Helen had left home when they did. Perhaps she owed her life to escaping that day.
“I’m sorry,” Cyrus whispered.
She stared at him, trying to make out his expression in the moonlight. She would never have expected such a gentle tone to come from him.
“How did your mother die?”
“She was sick. It happened rather suddenly.” Kitty twisted her hands in her lap. “Helen and I left not long after. We managed to find jobs as maids in the same house, where we worked for years, up until… I suppose you know the rest of the story.”
“Until you went west looking for your happy ending.”
“Yes,” she croaked.
Cyrus’ sigh was so heavy it made Kitty’s own chest hurt.
“You know what?” he asked after another bout of silence.
“Mm?”
“You’re more capable than I figured.”
“Thank… you. I suppose.”
“I know I’m a...” Cyrus kicked his boot against the side of the rock. “Shucks, I can’t say the word around a woman.”
Someone giggled, and it took Kitty a moment to realize it was her. The last two days had been so horrific she could have believed she’d never laugh again.
“Mr. Ross, I guarantee whatever the word is, I have heard it. The cook in the home where I worked had quite the mouth.”
“Still, I can’t talk that way around my future wife.”
The statement took Kitty by surprise. “You still intend to marry me? After the arguments we have had?”
“From what I’ve heard, it’s not a real marriage unless there’s a spat every once in a while.”
Now he had Kitty smiling again. Within a second, though, her thoughts turned back to Helen, back to the place they were tethered to.
“I came out here for her,” she mournfully whispered. “I did not want her in that city, spending her life breaking her back. I thought perhaps she would have a chance out here. They say that in the west a man can be anything he wants. I was hopeful enough to believe the same is true for a woman.”
“It is,” Cyrus earnestly said.
“But look at what has become of her.”
His tongue clicked. “I don’t have any answers, Katherine. I’m sorry.”
A few tears leaked out of her eyes. Her heart was growing so, so heavy. She wondered how much longer she could carry it for.
“Katherine.”
“Yes?”
“I mean, Miss Byrum, not Katherine.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry about that,” he added.
“Only be sorry because no one calls me Katherine.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Everyone calls me Kitty.”
“Kitty.” He tested it out; it sounded good on his tongue.
“Are you not going to make fun of it?”
“Why would I?”
Kitty shrugged. “Sometimes people do.”
“Naw, I like it. It’s… fitting.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know.” He moved a little closer, and for a brief second Kitty believed he would kiss her. He was only inspecting her, though. “You’re feisty and stubborn, like some feral tom cat. But you’re also, you know, regal. Like those cats who think they’re royalty.”
Kitty laughed again. Gracious, it felt good! “I like the way you explain that. Thank you.”
Cyrus rubbed his shoulder and turned away. “I usually keep my trap shut. Talking can get a person into trouble.”
Kitty looked down at her intertwined fingers. It seemed Cyrus was talking about something she could not understand.
“We should get some sleep.” He made a move to get up.
Kitty’s heart fluttered. She could not go to sleep without some answers.
“Is this the end?” she asked, voice cracking. “Everyone is turning back tomorrow?”
Standing to his full height, Cyrus sighed. “I guess that means you heard our whole conversation.”
“Well?”
Cyrus rubbed his face. “Let’s get back.”
He offered his hand to her, but she ignored it. Standing up, she clambered over the rocks and stomped her way back to the camp.
“We might as well go on for another day,” Mr. King was saying.
“And keeping risking our hides?” another man asked. “The bandits know we’re in these mountains. I can feel it in my gut.”
“We can’t turn back now!” the young blonde protested.
“If we want to live we will, Jim.”
Kitty halted at the edge of the fire’s glow, and six men turned their heads to her. Within an instant, the camp was silent.
Rocks crunched behind Kitty, and Cyrus appeared next to her with a frown. “What’s this about?” he asked.
“We heard what you and Domino were saying,” the man with the Irish accent said. “It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack from this point on, isn’t it?” He gave Kitty an apologetic look. “I’m real sorry, miss.”
Kitty dropped her eyes, her whole body feeling as if it were made of heavy metals. These men—strangers, they were—had already risked so much for Helen. Kitty knew she could not ask them for anything beyond what they’d already given.
“And what if we find them?”
“What’s going on?” It was Nelson Bowles, arriving at camp.
“We might be turning back,” someone offered.
Kitty bit her bottom lip. She would not cry. She would not.
Nelson scrunched his nose. “But why?”
Everyone started talking at once: “Because it’s been too long.”
“They could know we’re here.”
“If they knew, wouldn’t they have killed us already?”
Across the fire, Mr. Guthrie sat quietly, his eyes taking turns studying Kitty and Cyrus.
Kitty felt a hand graze her lower back, the touch so light she wondered if she imagined it. Cyrus stepped ahead of her and held his hands up. It was a silent gesture, but the men noticed. Within a minute, the camp was quiet.
“I’m continuing on,” he announced. “Anyone who wants to join me, your help will be much appreciated.”
Kitty felt her jaw drop. He would continue to look for Helen? Hadn’t she heard him agreeing with Mr. Guthrie about it possibly being too late?
Cyrus continued his announcement. “I can’t promise anything. You all knew what you were getting into when you came out here. I thank you very much for your time, though. I know Miss Byrum appreciates it… Probably more than any of us will never know.”
Cyrus turned to look at her, his brown eyes catching the dancing firelight.
; Kitty swallowed. “Yes… I—I do.” It must have been from knowing that Cyrus was on her side; but from somewhere deep inside of her, Kitty found the strength she’d thought she ran out of. When she spoke again, her voice was louder and clearer. “I cannot thank you all enough for what you have done. I know that you have families of your own, though, and you must return to them. I thank God for all of you, and I will continue to pray for your well-being… no matter what tomorrow brings.”
Her Rocky Trail_Seeing Ranch series Page 7