Rested and refocused, she rolled to her hands and knees, hissed in a ragged breath when she pressed on the scrapes and cuts on her right knee, and cocked her head to the side to look down at the damage. Something off in the distance caught her eye.
“No way. I was this close and didn’t see it.” The dirt road lay no more than fifty feet ahead of her. Difficult to make out for all the trees and shifting limbs in the wind, but there it was right in front of her.
Back on her feet, she moved slowly on rubbery legs and made it to the deserted road. Still alone. Deep tire tracks rutted the road where David must have taken off in the Jeep, reassuring her he was gone. The coil of rope lay as an ominous reminder of what David had planned for her. She didn’t think he’d really stayed in the woods, but with all the spooky noises at night, she had scared herself good, imagining him out there stalking her.
Chapter Forty-Two
* * *
SAM PULLED INTO the driveway, noting all the men standing around, eating lunch and drinking coffee. He parked behind the classic Mustang and wondered who it belonged to. Nice ride. He got out, grinned, and caught Lily when she launched herself into his arms.
“Uncle Sam! You came.”
“Yes, darlin’. Where’s Mommy and Uncle Jack?”
“They’re in the house. Uncle Jack is very sad. We can’t find Jenna. The bad man with the knife took her.”
“You saw the bad man?” Sam didn’t like the idea of his niece being exposed to this kind of danger.
“Yes. He was big and he took Jenna into the woods. He hurt Sally.” Her little lip quivered.
Sam kissed her sweet cheek and carried Lily up the porch stairs and into the house with him. “Did the bad man say anything to you?”
“No. I watched out the window. Jenna made me go inside. I didn’t think she saw the bad man, but now, maybe she did see him, and that’s why she made me go in.”
“I think you might be right.” Sam and Lily walked into the kitchen. His sister smiled and Jack looked beat.
“How did you get here so fast?” Summer grabbed Lily and gave him a huge hug, holding on to him for a long time.
“Jack called. I came.” Sam put a hand on his sister’s rounded belly and gave her a wink. Happy for her, but his concern for Jack overshadowed everything at the moment. “Any word, brother?”
“No. The teams just came in from searching the woods behind the barn and out along the pastures. We’ll grab something to eat and head out again in an hour. It’s already late afternoon and we haven’t found any clues. Nothing. Not one damn sign of her.”
“Tell me about her, the ex, everything. How did you get involved with her? Another thing, how come I didn’t know you were getting married? I might be busy, but I’m never too busy to answer the phone and talk to my brother about his upcoming wedding.”
“Summer, take Lily outside, or home, something,” Jack pleaded. “She doesn’t need to hear about how we found Jenna and got involved.”
Summer headed out with Lily, kissing Sam’s cheek as she passed.
“Okay. Here it is . . .” Jack told Sam the whole story, everything he knew about Jenna. Sam listened, asking questions only for clarification. When Jack finished, he let out a long sigh and put his forehead down on his crossed arms on the kitchen island.
“This is quite a mess she’s in. You think she’s still alive?” Sam had his doubts at this point. He’d seen too many similar cases that ended in tragedy.
Jack raised his head, meeting Sam’s eyes. “My gut says she’s alive. I feel it. We need to find her, Sam. She’s been out there a long time.”
“We’ll go with your gut. Mine’s usually right, so we’ll trust yours. Who’s running the search, and where do we have left to look before we take this off the property?”
“The sheriff is running things with some direction from me. I sent the guards with pictures of her to check all the bus stations, airports, car rental places, anything and any way he could take her out of here. Nothing.
“We’ve searched the woods behind the house where we found Sally. I don’t think he would have continued back through there, because he’d have come to the family cabins. Too many people back that way. Someone would have seen him. I think if they were on foot, he’d have to cross the valley and go into the woods on the other side, back behind the barn. We’ve searched there, but nothing. Depending on how far he got with her on foot, the next place to look is the hills farther past the fire road. It runs through the forest and back toward the main road and the lake. But, Sam, that’s damn far for him to take her on foot.”
“But possible. We have to assume he wanted to get as far away from the ranch with her as possible. She probably went willingly to get him away from the house and Lily. He probably stashed a car on the dirt road and took her out that way. Let’s check it out.”
What Sam didn’t want to say was that she might not be on the property any longer, and they might never find her. Deep down, Jack already knew, but wasn’t ready to admit it.
AFTERNOON ALREADY, THE sun descended toward the west. Darkness would fall quickly once it passed the hills. Jenna needed to cover as much ground as possible before she lost daylight.
Walking down the road was much easier than trying to dodge branches and see a clear path through the dense forest. Still, it was slow going. Exhausted, she needed food and water. She hoped she’d come to the creek, or some kind of water she could drink. Maybe then she’d feel a little better, and she could make it to the ranch. She needed to make it back to Jack.
She didn’t come to the creek, but managed to walk for several hours, talking to herself in her mind to keep from going crazy.
Just a little farther, take one step at a time. Jack’s waiting for you. You can make it. Keep going. Think of the baby. Don’t let that bastard win. You’ve survived every other time. You’ll make it this time, too. Find Jack.
Thanks to the mostly downhill grade, she managed to cover a good distance before sunset. Worn out, she was determined to make it around the next bend before stopping to rest. She dragged her feet, putting one foot in front of the other. If she lay down again, she might sleep through the night, and she couldn’t afford to spend another night in the cold.
She came around the bend and spotted the edge of the lake past the open meadow. Unable to help herself, she started laughing. With her hoarse voice and mouth so dry, the odd sound came out more like a series of squeaky croaks, but she was elated. Maybe just hysterical.
Water. The lake meant she was close to the main road and only about five miles from the ranch. Not that far. If she could get to the main road, someone would see her.
Excited, her energy surged and she made her way to the lake. Lake water was better than no water. She knelt on the bank and leaned forward to drink. Nothing like tap water, the lake water was gritty from dirt and silt she stirred up, but it would do. Her knees and the bottom half of her legs were soaked through, making her even colder. Violent shivers shook her. Maybe getting wet wasn’t such a good idea. Thirst overrode common sense.
More tired than she’d ever felt, she couldn’t get her legs to lift her and fell back on her heels. She needed to rest. So close, but she just couldn’t go any further. Everything ached, but not as much as her head. She collapsed onto her side, her feet and knees in the water, and passed out curled on the muddy bank.
Chapter Forty-Three
* * *
JACK, CALEB, AND Sam rode through the low area on horseback, past the large pastures to the part of the property where the tree lines on both sides of the valley were closest. None of the men found any sign of Jenna, but they all thought this area the most logical place to search. This part of the valley was a long way from the main house, but the best place to cross from one side to the other without being seen.
They made their way through the forest to the dirt road high in the hills. They’d seen several broken branches and disturbed dirt, but it was difficult to tell if it was manmade or from the animals. T
hey’d make their way back down the road past the lake to the main road, searching for any sign Jenna or a vehicle had come this way.
As they rode on, Jack noticed something up ahead. Deep tire impressions in the dirt and gravel and something else he couldn’t quite make out in the setting sun. They reached the spot and found the rope. “He had her here. These tire tracks are fresh. He must have tied her up at some point.” Jack fisted his hands on the reins, his knuckles going white and his hands aching.
They dismounted and Caleb searched the area. “Where is she now?”
They fanned out, calling out for her, but received no response. Some brush and dirt had been disturbed. Sam searched the road in a zigzag pattern, stopping every couple feet and bending down to take a closer look.
“Check this out,” Sam called. They rushed to his location and stared down at the drops of dried blood.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Jack said, unwilling to believe she could be dead.
“It’s not a lot of blood. Something happened here. Take a step back and look at the disturbed ground. The footprints start here. They’re widely spaced and headed for the trees. She ran.”
“He ran after her,” Caleb said, indicating the larger prints that followed Jenna’s smaller ones.
“Yes. She ran. Despite the blood, the evidence in the disturbed dirt and gravel indicates a scuffle. Hopefully she was able to get away.”
Sam took a closer look around and walked several yards into the trees, following the trail and other bits of evidence. Broken limbs, trampled weeds, disturbed dirt and dried leaves. He came back to the road and walked along the edge further up the road. Spotting something, he bent and pivoted on his toes and looked down the road where he and Caleb waited.
Sam made his way back and spoke first, because Jack couldn’t form a single coherent thought, let alone speak his worst fears.
“All indications show they fought, ran, but . . .”
“But what?” Jack demanded.
“I found her footprints coming back out of the trees about a quarter mile up. Headed this way. Makes sense. This road has a downward grade. If she escaped him, she’d head downhill in hopes of finding the main road or even the ranch. Maybe she’s up ahead.”
Jack held on to Sam’s optimism. He didn’t even want to consider that maybe Merrick had killed her and taken her body somewhere else.
Mounted, about to head out, Jack’s radio squawked to life.
“Jack, this is the sheriff. You read me?”
“Did you find her? Where is she?”
“One of my men reported seeing what looks like a body down by the lake. He’s up on the hill and making his way down to the lake now.”
“We’re on our way. We’re not that far. Call an ambulance, have them meet us there.”
Jack, Caleb, and Sam kicked their horses into motion, racing down the road as fast as the horses could run. They knew it was Jenna. She’d made it all the way down the hills to the lake. Jack prayed she’d be alive when he got to her.
As the three men approached the lake, the sheriff’s man came out of the woods on the run, too. Jenna lay sprawled in the mud, partially in the water.
Jack, Caleb, and Sam jumped off their horses and ran over to her. Covered in dirt and mud, dried leaves and twigs tangled in her hair. Her swollen and bloody hands lay limp in front of her. Several of her nails were broken and torn. Blood covered her neck, hair, and shoulder from a cut on the back of her head. She didn’t move at their approach.
Jack placed a hand on her ribs, barely able to feel the shallow rise and fall as she breathed. Cold to the touch, Jack’s insides froze with fear. He bent his head low to her ear. “Jenna, baby, wake up. Wake up, baby, please.”
Her lips formed Jack’s name, but he couldn’t even hear her voice.
Gently, the men rolled her onto her back, and Jack saw the blood and open wound. “She’s been stabbed.” Covered in blood and mud, the cuts looked bad. “Oh, honey, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
Jenna’s eyes fluttered, but she never got them open. She softly spoke, “Lily?”
“What, honey? What did you say?”
Jenna’s cracked, split lips mouthed, “Lily?”
“Lily’s fine. Everyone else is fine. He didn’t hurt Lily.”
“Water.”
“Yes, honey. We’ll get you some water, and we’ll take you to the hospital.” Jack tore off his jacket and tucked it around her.
Jenna passed out, unable to stay awake any longer. Caleb brushed the hair away from her face and neck and untied the bandana covered in blood from Jenna’s head wound. The men starred at Jenna’s bruised neck.
“He tried to strangle her,” Sam said, shocked. How did she survive in the woods after being strangled and stabbed? “My God, she’s one amazing woman.”
The ambulance finally arrived after what Jack considered an eternity. The sheriff’s men, Caleb, and Sam stood back while the paramedics carefully put Jenna on a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. Jack refused to leave her side for even a second. They’d started an IV for her dehydration, covered her in several blankets to get her warm, and Jack climbed in to ride to the hospital, despite objections from the paramedics.
Sam and Caleb watched as they drove away. “Caleb, let’s take the horses back to the barn and meet Jack at the hospital.”
“Can you believe what that bastard did to her?” Caleb asked.
Furious, Sam saw a lot of horrible things in the FBI, but seeing a woman or child hurt always made him sick. And this was his future sister-in-law. He’d seen the devastated look on Jack’s face, felt his deep pain all the way to his own soul. He hated the bastard who’d done this and made his brother and Jenna hurt.
“You should have seen her the last time,” Caleb said on a weary sigh. “I don’t know how she survives that asshole. He better hope Jack doesn’t find him before the cops do.”
Chapter Forty-Four
* * *
JENNA WOKE IN the emergency room, people all around her. Someone was cutting off her clothes and a man next to her issued orders with machine-gun rapid-fire precision. He said something about an X-ray and she panicked. She grabbed his coat and yanked, despite the pain in her hands. He leaned down and she whispered, “Baby.”
“What did you say? Can you say it again?”
She took a deep breath, and although it hurt her throat and ribs, she said, “Baby.”
The doctor locked eyes with Jenna and she nodded yes.
“No X-ray. Let’s get an ultrasound machine in here,” he ordered a nurse, who rushed to get the machine. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything is fine. I’ll give you something for the pain, but it won’t hurt the baby. Do you know if you have any broken bones?”
Jenna couldn’t even attempt to speak again. She shook her head no and her heavy eyelids drooped. The doctor barked more orders, but she drifted off into blissful numbness.
SAM JOINED CALEB, Summer, Lily, and Jack in the waiting room after he spoke to the sheriff about finding David Merrick.
“What did the doctor say?” Sam whispered to Caleb.
“Jack’s waiting for an update. The emergency room people have been very closed-mouthed so far.”
“The sheriff contacted Merrick’s lawyers,” Sam explained. “They’re already spinning things, saying Merrick is on his honeymoon and Jenna is trying to cause trouble for her ex, jealous of his new wife, shit like that. If David has a solid alibi, it’ll be the same story, her word against his.”
“Lily saw him,” Summer volunteered.
“Who’s going to take the word of a three-year-old?” Jack frowned and shrugged at his little niece. He believed her, but he wouldn’t put her through that kind of scrutiny. Furious, Jack wanted Merrick found, so he could kill him.
“When will they give us word on Jenna?” Summer asked, worried.
Jack wouldn’t be okay until he saw Jenna, and the doctors told him she would make it. “They won’t
say, and they won’t let me see her. Something about a complication they weren’t expecting when she came in. Covered in mud, dirt, and blood, I couldn’t tell how bad she was hurt. God only knows what he did to her out in the woods.”
“They’ll clean and patch her up, and then they’ll let you see her,” Sam assured him. Jack wasn’t so sure he believed Jenna’s wounds wouldn’t be severe, if not life-threatening.
The doctor came into the waiting room a few minutes later. Jack closed the distance in two long strides. He introduced himself, but before he could get any further the doctor spoke to Summer.
“I’m Doctor Weber. I know you’re all anxious to hear what I have to say about Jenna. She’s very upset at the moment, and I need some answers so I can calm her down. Are you Lily?” he asked Summer.
“I’m Lily.”
“Jenna’s asking for you. She’s very concerned. Would you like to go see her? Maybe she’ll respond to treatment better if she sees you.” Addressing the group, he added, “I’ve never seen anyone in Jenna’s condition so determined to find out about another person. She wakes up agitated and demanding answers.”
“I’ll go see her. Is she really sick? Did you give her a pokey shot?” Lily asked with a deep frown.
“I’m afraid I gave her several pokey shots to help make her better.”
“Did you give her a lollipop for the shots?”
“No, but I’ll try to find one for her,” he said, unable to ignore Lily’s earnest question.
“Okay,” Lily said, satisfied.
Doctor Weber bent down in front of Lily and spoke directly to her. “I don’t want you to be scared, but when you see Jenna, she might look different than you remember. She was hurt very badly, and she has some cuts and bruises. Do you understand?”
Saved by the Rancher Page 22