by Kate Pearce
Rachel considered the softly falling snow, which made the whole landscape an unrelenting and unrecognizable white. “I’d rather stick with you. I can’t even work out which way is home.”
“I’ll keep you safe.” Billy patted her hand. “With two of us we can get it done faster.”
Luckily, Billy knew where he was headed, and all Rachel had to do was hang on to his arm and stick close to his side. The lights of the barn came into view really fast, and she blinked at them through the snow. It was amazing how the snow distorted everything.
“If it gets really bad, we’ll string up some rope guidelines between the house and the barn,” Billy said as he stepped onto the cement floor and shook the snow out of his hat. “It’s real easy to get turned around out there when there’s a storm coming through.”
Rachel was getting that big-time. She followed Billy down the center of the barn as he checked each horse, staying to pat heads and feed treats as she went.
“That’s not right.” Billy halted near the other end of the barn near the tack room.
“What isn’t?” Rachel turned from petting her horse, Petunia.
“There are two horses missing.” He pointed at the empty stalls, his expression grim. “Do you have your cell phone on you?”
“Yes, of course.” Rachel got it out of her pocket. “Who do you want me to call?”
“Let’s start with Roy. If anyone knows where those horses are, it’ll be him.”
* * *
By the time Billy and Rachel got back to the house, Roy had arrived in his truck, and Chase was also in the kitchen. The twins were helping Blue move Jenna into the house. Rachel had called them, and they promised to keep an eye out for the horses and come back to help as soon as they’d finished.
Rachel accepted the cup of hot chocolate Ruth offered her and cradled the mug in her cold hands. Chase was texting on his phone, and Billy was explaining which horses had disappeared to Roy, who was sitting at the table next to Ruth.
“Bonanza and Rawhide?” Roy asked. “Those two yahoos Carlson and Sean were riding them this week.”
Ruth looked up. “And they were both here at the wedding. I didn’t see them leave.” She prodded Chase. “Call Sam. Ask her to check if those boys are all tucked up for the night in their cabin; she’s right next door to them.”
“Will do.” Chase started texting again. “I’ve alerted Nate Turner and asked Jay to keep a lookout in town in case anyone rides in or drives through with our horses.”
“Didn’t Sam go with HW?” Rachel asked.
“No, she was too tired and went to rest up,” Ruth said. “January’s in bed as well. She felt a little queasy after all that rich food.”
“Pregnancy does that to you,” Chase murmured as he focused on his screen. “I advised her not to eat too much, but she told me to shut it.”
“January’s breeding?” Roy slapped his thigh. “Good Lord.”
“Scratch that.” Chase looked up, his expression horrified. “I wasn’t supposed to mention it. She’ll kill me.”
Ruth chuckled. “As if I hadn’t guessed already.”
“Don’t ask her any leading questions, okay?” Chase looked imploringly at his grandmother. “Or she’ll know I blabbed. She wants to tell you herself and didn’t want to upstage BB’s wedding.”
Rachel hid a smile at her oldest brother’s inability to keep a secret. Even in the middle of such drama it was cool to know she was going to be an aunt in the new year.
Chase’s cell buzzed, and he returned his gaze to the screen. “Sam says she had to knock hard enough to raise the dead. Two of them are there, and two of them are missing.”
Billy whistled. “Then I suppose we have to assume that those two idiots are somewhere out there in a snowstorm.”
“With two of our good horses,” Roy added.
“I’m more worried about the liability issues of losing two guests at the moment,” Chase groaned. “We’re going to have to look for them, aren’t we?”
“I darn well wouldn’t,” Roy muttered. “Serves them right.”
“They are still our guests, they’re on our land, and we are unfortunately still responsible for them even if they are complete dickheads.” Chase stood up. “I’ll notify all the local ranches to keep an eye out as well.” He looked over at Roy. “You know this land like the back of your hand. What’s the best place to start searching?”
Roy looked at Billy and Rachel. “I’d start at the silver mine. The two fools were very interested in that.”
“And Cauy and I found that new entrance,” Rachel said. “Maybe they’ve gone up there?”
“Fools if they have.” Ruth shivered. “It’s even colder up there than it is here, and apart from the mine, there are very few landmarks to get your bearings from.”
“And what about that great big sinkhole?” Roy said gloomily. “Let’s just hope they haven’t ended up down there.”
“Rachel, do you want to go with Billy and Roy?” Chase asked her directly. “I’d appreciate your expertise on this matter if they have gotten into the mine itself.”
“Sure,” Rachel said, nodding. “I still have my protective gear. I’ll go find it.”
* * *
By the time she returned, Billy had loaded up Chase’s big truck, and Ruth was handing out coffee to go. Rachel got into the back seat of the truck, and Billy looked over his shoulder.
“I sent a text to Cauy seeing as the guys might be on his land.”
“Okay.” Rachel put on her seat belt. She was currently wishing she hadn’t drunk so much champagne.
“You’re the only one who knows exactly where that second entrance is.” Billy swung the truck around in a circle and set off, the bright headlights illuminating the swirling snow and not much else. “Do you think you’ll be able to find it again in this weather?”
“I’ll do my best.” Rachel grimaced. Her sense of direction had never been great. “It’s relatively close to the fourth GPR unit.”
Billy nodded as the truck began to climb, its engine laboring. “We’ll head up to the main entrance to the mine and take it from there.”
* * *
Cauy sifted aimlessly through the pile of mail he’d picked up from the post office, separated out the junk, and tossed it in the trash. Jackson had gone to bed, leaving him in peace for a while. There was a letter to each of them from their mom and a thick envelope from Kim, Cauy’s lawyer, which probably related to his research on the Morgans.
Cauy propped Jackson’s letter up against the desk light and opened his own. Just seeing his mom’s handwriting made him smile. She wrote about her dogs, her daily life, what Amy was up to, and all the regular mom stuff. Apparently, she was going out with friends for Thanksgiving, which he would’ve known if he’d opened his mail earlier. He’d called to wish her a happy Thanksgiving, but she hadn’t picked up.
“Bad son,” Cauy murmured to himself, and folded up the letter. “I’ll call her again in the morning.”
He opened the envelope from Kim and scanned the cover letter, which didn’t offer many specifics, but contained an estimate of costs that made Cauy wince. He’d learned to be careful with money at a young age, and he’d never really grown out of it. During the legal transition of the ranch into Cauy’s name Kim had dug up some land dispute between the Lymond and the Morgan families in the late nineteenth century, which had never gone to court, and shared it with Cauy.
According to Kim at the time, the Morgan family had pretty much owned the valley, the new township, and the mine, and anyone with sense knew they would not get justice in Morgan Valley if it was against the founding family. Kim argued that Cauy could still put a claim in for the land, even though he might not win, and maybe get an out-of-court financial settlement.
“‘Chase Morgan can afford it!’” Cauy read out loud, noting the exclamation mark his lawyer had added for emphasis. “I’m sure he can, but I’m not sure I want to do that to Rachel’s brother.”
He spre
ad the sheets out and studied the two maps Kim had provided. The oldest map showed the boundary line with the mine completely on Lymond property. Had his ancestors wanted all the profit from the mine to go to them? Of course they had.
Cauy stacked the papers and put them on the side of the desk. He’d look through them again and give Kim a definite no after the long weekend. Even if he hadn’t been involved with Rachel he wouldn’t be pursuing the claim. Living here and accepting the help the Morgans had so willingly offered him had changed his mind and freed him from his father’s brainwashing. Let them keep their land, and he’d tend to his own.
His cell buzzed and lit up with a text from Chase.
FYI 2 horses and 2 guests missing from ranch.
Believe might be at old mine or new entrance on Lymond side of fence.
Cauy stared at the text and then glanced out of the window where the snow was still falling before texting his reply.
I’ll go up there right now. Thanks
He put on his warmest gear, poured hot coffee into his flask, and set off, leaving a note for Jackson on the kitchen table. He hoped his tires would manage on the icy road and the barren fields close to the mine. He drove slowly, worried that the horses might appear at any moment when the visibility was down to almost zero. It was one of those times when he was really glad he’d stopped drinking.
As he drew closer to the mine, the dazzle of another set of stationary headlights hit his windshield, making him blink and slow down even more. He cautiously parked up on the flat expanse in front of the mine and got out of the truck into the howling wind.
Roy lifted his hand and shouted, “Cauy!”—his voice almost snatched away by the gusting breeze. He was sheltering in the overhang of the mine. “Over here!”
Cauy rammed his hat down, lowered his chin, and set off. It was only a few feet, but it felt like miles as if his boots were loaded down with lead.
He recognized Billy by his white beard and then saw Rachel.
“We found the horses!” Roy pointed at the side of the blocked-in entrance. “Tied up all safe and sound.”
“Great. Where are the riders?” Cauy asked.
“We’re not sure.” Roy grimaced. “Can’t see them in the sinkhole, which is one good thing. Rachel thinks they might have gone to the other entrance.”
“That’s possible,” Cauy agreed. “Especially if they set out before it snowed and are now stuck there. How about I go down and check it out, and you guys take the horses back to the ranch?”
Rachel leaned into the conversation against the wind. “That’s what I said. I was just waiting for you to turn up so we could go.”
Cauy frowned at her. “You don’t need to come.”
“I’m the only person here with any experience in structural integrity. If they have gotten into the mine, we’ll need to make sure it’s safe before we go in after them.”
Cauy held Rachel’s gaze and admired the resolve in her eyes. He might not like it, but he sure as hell respected her.
“Okay. Good plan.” He accepted defeat. “How about Billy and Roy take the horses back, and then come and check in on us at the second entrance? They can either pick us up, or help us get the guests home.”
Billy glanced at Rachel, who gave him a quick, reassuring nod. “We’ll do that. I don’t want to risk leaving the horses out here much longer in this wind.”
“I’ll help you tie them to the back of your truck,” Cauy offered.
Ten minutes later he had Rachel in his passenger seat, and she was using the coordinates on her phone to guide them to the fourth GPR unit. Cauy didn’t think his truck would make it down the slope to the actual mine entrance, and Rachel had cautioned him not to get too close anyway. To his relief, the wind had eased a little, as had the snow. He’d heard enough shrieking and moaning to last him a lifetime. He was beginning to understand why the townsfolk had abandoned Morganville, and the mine, and settled farther down the valley.
Rachel shivered. “I can see why my mom hated it in the winter.”
“This isn’t the worst weather I’ve seen out here either,” Cauy commented. “We’ve had blizzards that blow for days and pile the snow up several feet high so you have to dig a path between the house and the barn to get to the animals.”
“So Billy was telling me.” Rachel leaned forward and pointed. “The GPR unit is right here.”
“Got it.” Cauy saw the flicker of orange tape just before he ran it over. “I’ll park up, and we’ll walk down the slope.”
Rachel zipped up what looked like a long puffy ski jacket and drew the hood over her knitted hat.
Cauy frowned. “Are you sure you’ll be warm enough in that?”
“It’s full of down and works really well for skiing, so I think I’ll be okay.” She turned to smile at him. “Are you ready?”
The last thing he wanted to do was get out of his nice warm truck and trek off into the snow, but he really had no choice.
“Sure. I’ll bring my flashlight.” He stuck his coffee flask in his other pocket and tried to pretend it was a normal working day.
“Jeez . . .”
He stepped down and his breath seized in the cold. He hurriedly covered his mouth with his scarf and waited for Rachel to join him. He grabbed her gloved hand in his and set off down the slope, taking his time over the uneven frozen ground, his flashlight illuminating their path.
“Look.” Rachel poked him in the back. “The entrance is open.”
Cauy walked slowly up to the gaping hole, his heart hammering, and peered inside. The air smelled old and metallic. Nothing about it made him want to go in there. At least the overhanging ridge provided some shelter from the wind.
“Let me look.” Rachel came alongside him, and he held the flashlight high for her. “I can see a tunnel, and there’s a light. It must be them.”
She turned to Cauy. “Let me go first, okay? And follow my exact footsteps. This place is not stable.”
“Got it.” For once he had no intention of arguing with her.
She knelt, took off her backpack, and opened it to reveal a hard hat with a light, an orange safety jacket, and some kind of tool belt.
“Very professional looking,” Cauy quipped to disguise his gathering unease. “I’ve just got my coffee.”
She put on the backpack. “Let’s take this really slowly, okay?”
He eased to the side and gripped the door frame as she took her first step inside, the lamp on her helmet a softer glow than the white beam of his flashlight. He forced himself to move over the threshold and immediately froze. Along with the fetid air came the smell of beer, and ancient history. Something about the structure of the passages made the wind whistle and creak like a living thing.
Rachel took another two steps, her head moving as she scanned the narrow passageway and the wooden supports. Even as she paused a trickle of dirt dropped from the ceiling followed by a groaning sound. She moved on and then turned to look back at Cauy.
“Are you coming?”
He tried to move forward, but he couldn’t. The idea of going deeper into that hellishly small space was doing his head in.
“Cauy, are you okay?” Rachel asked.
He managed to shake his head.
“Okay, how about you stay right by the door and watch out for Billy while I go and get these two idiots?”
He backed up as fast as if he’d seen a rattlesnake and leaned against the solid rock of the opening, his gloved fingers hanging on like a baby bird to the side of a nest. He turned his face toward the outside positively enjoying the freezing snow melting on his face and the slap of the wind. Rachel would think he was a coward, but there was nothing he could do about that. The mere thought of being trapped was more terrifying than anything else in his current existence.
* * *
After one last concerned glance back at Cauy, Rachel went forward. Part of her was thrilled with actually being inside the old structure, while her professional side was busy assessing the risks. T
he mine timbers were aged pine and looked remarkably strong, but the packed soil between them had shifted, changing the ratio of the weight and undermining the overall balance. Someone had chalked an arrow on one of the walls along with a series of numbers that meant nothing to Rachel.
As she eased along the passage the distinctive smell of weed curled around her, and she wanted to roll her eyes. Instead, she turned on Cauy’s big flashlight and took a left at the tunnel junction, ending up in a small hollowed-out turnout.
“Don’t shoot!” One of the guys cackled and giggled as her flashlight swept over him. “Ouch! You’re hurting my eyes.”
Rachel lowered the light. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
Idiot Number One held up his hands. “Having some fun. Do you wanna join us, sweetness? My name’s Carlson, and this is Sean.”
“I know who you are—you’re the idiots who left two horses out to die in a snowstorm and broke into a dangerous mine.”
“What snowstorm?” Carlson asked, grinning at her. “It was fine when we left.”
“The whole county is out looking for you including the sheriff’s department, so maybe you could get off your asses and come on out?” Rachel said.
Sean pouted. “I love my horse, Bonanza. He’s a badass.”
“And you left him outside in a snowstorm,” Rachel snapped. “If we hadn’t found him he would probably have frozen to death.”
Sean staggered to his feet and weaved unsteadily toward Rachel. “He’s okay, right?”
“I don’t know. He’s currently on his way back to the ranch to be inspected and treated.”
“Then how am I supposed to get back?” Sean demanded like it was her fault.
Having dealt with her fair share of stoners at college, Rachel knew she wouldn’t get much sense out of them.
“We have a truck.” She glanced over at Carlson, who was finishing up his joint. “Are you done?”
He flicked the ash on the floor. “No need to get all riled up, babycakes. We’re coming.”