by Anna Zogg
They headed out of the yard, men opening the gates for them so they could pass into the fields. Every time they came across the ranch hands, the men would stop their work to gawk. In a scarlet gown, Ellie felt like a cardinal among ravens. Finally she and her uncle reached a vast open range. Following his lead, she pushed her mount into a canter. They paused atop a rise.
The view took her breath away. Waves of grass blew gently in the morning breeze while in the distance, towering mountains appeared hazy gray next to the brilliant blue of the sky. The vast openness of the landscape squeezed down on her, making her feel extremely small. And yet, she felt she could really breathe for the first time ever.
Did you make all this, God? For mankind to enjoy? Including me?
The questions that rose unbidden made her feel as though her soul somehow expanded. This land was so vast and beautiful. Perhaps Rhett was right about God. Did He care for her too?
“I see it affects you like me.” Her uncle’s quiet voice punctuated the hushed quiet.
“I—I’m...” She couldn’t find the words. Her doubts about relocating to the West vanished. This was where she belonged. This was where new life awaited, far from the filth, noise and crowds of a big city. After many minutes, she said, “I understand now why you settled here.”
“Yep.” His soft smile tugged at her heart.
She stared again at the open range. “Only a crazy person would miss its beauty.”
“Ellie,” he said after a few moments, “I’m happy you joined me. I wanted so long...” He stopped as though unable to verbalize his thought. “I’m glad you’re here.”
He looked at her with such tenderness that her eyes stung. A thought struck her—she’d never seen that expression on her own father’s face. As a matter of fact, for as long as she could remember, he had never really looked at her like she was a person. Even when she cared for him during his drunken stupors. Always derision or—at best—tolerance met her attentions. No matter what she did, she could never win his love.
Something must have changed on her face because her uncle reached across the gap between their horses to touch her arm. “What is it, Sunshine?”
She swallowed the bitter memories and managed to smile. “I’m glad you invited me.” She turned her face away to press one gloved fingertip to the corner of her eye.
Uncle Will said nothing in response.
Tightening her grip on the reins, she nodded. “I’m ready to go on if you are.”
“Then follow me.”
They rode for what felt like hours, but Ellie had already determined she would never tire of the scenery. Every time they crested another hill, the panorama would again render her speechless. She stared in wonder at a herd of deer bounding across the fields as well as the numerous birds they flushed in their passage, squawking in protest. Once they happened upon a bear and her cub to which they gave a wide berth.
“If you ever come riding alone,” her uncle cautioned, “make certain you carry a rifle. A knife would be a good idea too.”
Though she agreed, she didn’t have the heart to tell him she knew far less about weaponry than horses. Perhaps he would consent to teach her?
Finally they came across a vast number of cattle. In the distance, a few men were moving through the herd.
Uncle Will reined in his horse and squinted below. “I wonder why they’re out here. I thought they were working the west range today.” He leaned one elbow on the saddle horn as they watched. “Looks like Guy and a couple of men...but what are they doing?”
Though Ellie peered below, she knew nothing about cattle operations. From the direction of the ranch, a rider came into view, heading toward Guy. When he reached the foreman, Ellie could see the men stare in their direction after the man pointed at them.
She tightened the tie on her bonnet. “Looks like we’ve been spotted.” Small wonder considering her red garments.
A few minutes later, the rider headed back toward the ranch, but Guy apparently decided to meet them on the hill. While they waited, their horses grazed under the shade of a tree.
When he reached them, Guy squeezed the brim of his hat. “Howdy.”
Uncle Will nodded. “What’re you doing out here?”
“Checking for unbranded cattle.” The foreman shifted in his saddle. “But the reason I rode up here was to tell you that Sugar’s not acting right.”
“What’s wrong?” Her uncle’s voice grew tight.
“Not sure. Heard Mack was looking for you. I sent a rider just now to tell him I’d pass on the message.”
Uncle Will turned to her. “I’m sorry, Ellie. I need to head back. Guy, could you see her safely to the ranch?”
“Sure thing.” One corner of the foreman’s mouth twitched.
Without another word, her uncle kicked his horse into a trot, then gallop. Within minutes, his form melded into the landscape.
Ellie stared after him, then fixed her gaze on Guy. “What was that all about?”
“Sugar’s his favorite horse. ’Bout due to foal.” He thumbed back the brim of his hat.
“Something wrong with her?”
He sat back in his saddle. “Oh, I wouldn’t fret.”
If the news worried her uncle, then Guy was taking it a little too nonchalantly. “I’d better get back too.” She reined her horse to follow her uncle.
Nudging his mount, Guy blocked her. “What’s the rush? Ain’t it a beautiful day?”
“It is, but I’d like to go with my uncle.”
“Why hurry? The ranch ain’t going nowhere.” His smirk grated on her. “You don’t have to either.”
She glared at him. “Let me by.” Again, she pressed her heels into the horse’s side, but Guy blocked her again.
“C’mon, Ellie. You can get off your high horse, so to speak. We’re alone. No need for them fancy airs.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Like that.” He grinned. “Showin’ off with them snazzy words. Cain’t say I don’t like ’em. But they do give a feller ideas.”
She spoke through gritted teeth. “Whatever ideas you may have, Mr. Bartow, are the result of your imagination. Nothing more.” Wheeling her horse, she pushed by him before he could block her way again.
Guy yelled, but she kicked her horse into a gallop, heading the direction her uncle had gone. Without checking, she knew the foreman followed. Hunkering down, she pushed her mount harder. On she rode, ignoring his calls.
After a half hour, she slowed and dared to peer over her shoulder. Guy was nowhere in sight.
However, she wasn’t certain she was still going in the correct direction. Since the gelding was sweat-soaked, she reined him to a trot, then a walk.
Attempting to cheer herself, she spoke aloud. “I hope I’m not halfway to Cheyenne.”
She continued moving ahead, but the ride grew more rough. Grassy plains became rolling hills, which grew rockier. As she paused at the top of a small rugged crest, she untied her bonnet to swipe perspiration from her brow. A gust of wind snatched it from her hand. Yelping, she watched her bonnet roll down a hill and bound away.
“It was worthless anyway,” she muttered, justifying her disinclination not to chase after it. Besides, she felt safer atop her horse. A chill—which had nothing to do with the weather—gripped her all of a sudden. The land, which appeared so beautiful while she rode with her uncle, had taken on an ominous air.
Back east, she knew Chicago backward and forward. Wherever she went, buildings and signs could inform her of her location. But out here, only grassy hills and distant mountains met her gaze. She saw no landmarks, nothing familiar.
On she rode, then changed directions when she thought she recognized the landscape. Again Ellie stopped. This couldn’t be the right way. Heart hammering, she drew the unmistakable and frightening conclusion.
She was lo
st.
* * *
Rhett straightened to swipe his forehead with his arm. Truth be told, he needed a break from the hard labor of placing posts for the new fencing. As he tamped down dirt, he thanked the Lord that this was the last one. All that remained of this job was to put away tools. For today, anyway.
A commotion in the yard drew his attention. Will Marshall rode in at high speed, then reined sharply. One of the ranch hands came running.
“Take care of my horse.” Marshall leaped off, then yelped as he grabbed his leg.
The one he had hurt several days ago.
No doubt, the jump from his horse had not been a good idea. The boss paused to mutter under his breath before limping toward the pasture, the one where the pregnant mare was kept.
Rhett carried the tools back to the shed. Though the afternoon was still young, he was glad he’d finished this task. Shovel there. Pickaxe there. With care, he laid down a pair of worn gloves that had mysteriously appeared in the shed only that morning. Who was his secretive benefactor? Thinking it might be Ellie, he smiled.
He was still inside the shed when raised voices from outside reached him.
“Where’s Mack?” Marshall’s tone rippled with annoyance.
A low voice replied, words unintelligible.
“Who told him Sugar was about ready to foal?”
Again an indiscernible answer.
Sugar? So that was the name of the beautiful buckskin Rhett had visited several times. Only last night, she had allowed him to approach her and even touch her. With care, he had run his hands across her back and down her legs while she quivered with nervousness. The mare was as high-strung as they came. Because of mishandling? He had no doubt she had learned to mistrust humans.
From the shed’s open door, Rhett saw the boss limp into the yard. “I want to know who’s been messing with my mare.”
Rhett’s ears pricked up. Earlier, he had seen some idiot on a horse chase Sugar around the pasture. Rhett did not understand why the man drove her, but it wasn’t his place to ask questions. Besides, after a few minutes, the ranch hand left, riding hard to the southeast.
Remaining inside the shed, Rhett continued to listen.
“She’s all lathered up.” In the yard, Marshall’s voice echoed with irritation. “But it’s not because she’s about to foal.”
“Dunno, boss,” a ranch hand answered before calling to another man. “Whitey, you seen anyone mess with the mare?”
“Just the new hand.” Whitey turned and pointed at the shed. “An’ he’s in there.”
Three pairs of eyes turned in his direction. No use laying low. Rhett walked into the yard, gaze fixed on Will Marshall.
“This true?” His boss scowled at him.
Rhett hesitated to answer, uncertain what part of true he wanted to know about.
“You been messing with my mare?”
He took care to frame his answer. “I attempted to gentle her.” When that response didn’t seem sufficient, he added, “Since this is her first foal, it will be easier if—”
“Who gave you permission to even get near her?” The ranch owner took a step in his direction. “I oughta clean your plow.”
Rhett drew himself up. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“That’s my call, not yours.”
As his boss drew closer, Rhett maintained eye contact.
“That’s it. Pack your gear and...” Marshall’s words died at the sound of thundering hooves. They all watched as Bartow rode hard in their direction.
Rhett noted the man’s pale face and his lathered horse. As Bartow drew closer, Rhett realized that Ellie was missing. Hadn’t she ridden out earlier with her uncle? If so, where was she now?
The foreman reined in.
“What’s up, Guy?”
Bartow’s face appeared pinched with worry. “Did your niece make it back?”
“No.” Marshall’s brows clashed above his nose. “Why? Where is she?”
“I—I don’t know. We was riding, then she took off. I thought maybe she returned here ahead of me.”
Marshall’s face turned white. “You left her out there?”
“No, boss. I...” Bartow shook his head. “We were out by the herd. Kinda south. She wanted to race. And I let her get a head start. But I lost sight of her. I thought she’d be here by now.”
For several seconds, the boss remained silent. “Get a few men and head east. I’ll ride southeast with a couple more. If you find her, fire off a couple rounds and send a man back here to report in. Every hour.”
“Yes, boss.”
Rhett had heard enough. From the position of the sun, he determined it was midafternoon, hours since Ellie and her uncle had ridden out. Likely she was tired and hungry. But more important, she had no means to protect herself. Time was of the essence.
As Marshall and his men scattered in different directions, he hastened to saddle Wash. He slipped out of the yard mere minutes after Bartow. No one seemed to notice.
* * *
For what felt like the hundredth time, Ellie rode to the top of another small knoll and peered around. The same unhelpful scene met her gaze—endless grass, rocks and jagged mountains in the distance. Where was a town? Or any homes? She had heard about “soddies,” but had seen nothing that indicated ownership beyond roaming cattle and some sheep that looked like tiny white dots. She had steered clear of a herd of bison, their hulking forms filling her with fear as she imagined them stampeding. Back east, she had heard of their unpredictability.
She swallowed the dustbowl in her throat as tears stung her eyes. “God? Do you see what’s happening? Do You care?”
The desperate prayer—if it could be called that—escaped her lips. She unbuttoned her constricting collar. Perspiration trickled down her spine. As she paused to consider which direction to go, her horse chuffed and chomped at the bit. She pushed on, longing to rest. Again, she stopped when she second-guessed herself.
The sun, once so high in the sky, now blazed in her eyes. What would happen when it slid below the horizon? The thought of spending a night alone in the wilds of Wyoming Territory terrified her. All too well she recalled the sounds of snarling beasts as they tore the flesh of the dead horse the night of the stagecoach accident. Panic threatened as she imagined them hunting her.
A tear splashed down her cheek.
She curled over the pommel of the saddle. “Please help. Please.”
For many minutes, she waited in silence for an answer. Any answer. But no rainbow appeared in the sky, pointing the way to Uncle Will’s ranch. She stifled a sob when her horse lowered his head and began grazing.
Rhett was wrong. God didn’t love her or care what happened to her. It was just as she’d always believed—He was too busy running the universe to bother with her insignificant request.
Gathering the reins, she searched the horizon, then chose a direction. With more bravery than she felt, she announced, “We’ll go that way.”
On she rode, aiming for a large rock. If nothing else, she would rest in the shade. A headache began to pound. She could think of nothing but water as her throat grew more parched. With stiff joints, she dismounted, taking care to keep a tight hold on the reins as her horse grazed on nearby grass.
Ellie didn’t know how much time passed as she dozed before her gelding jerked on the reins. Head high, ears pricked forward, he seemed to be aware of something unusual.
Muscles protesting, she scrambled to her feet.
In the distance, a horse and rider appeared.
“I’m found,” she whispered, yet at the same time fretted about the man being an outlaw. She remained hidden behind the rock as she watched. Several times, the rider stopped to study the ground. Looking for something?
With bated breath, she watched the rider draw closer. After another few minutes, she recognized
the spots of an appaloosa. “Rhett!”
He must have heard her because he reined in and looked around. At the same time, her horse whinnied a long welcome.
As Rhett kicked his horse to meet her, Ellie moved from the shadow of the rock.
Sobs of relief kept her from calling to him again as he rode hard to meet her. But as he drew closer, she forgot her fears at the sight of his horse. Something out-of-place perched on his gelding’s head. A hat?
Hysteria gripped her when she realized Rhett’s horse wore her lost bonnet.
When he drew closer, she tried to stifle her laughter. But she could not control the dueling emotions of relief and astonishment. Tears again choked her. She leaned an arm against her horse’s saddle and pressed her face against it.
God heard my prayer. The truth overwhelmed her.
After several minutes, Ellie gained control of herself. She felt wrung out, yet filled with an amazement that she could not even begin to understand. Later, when she was alone in her room, she would examine this foreign, yet astounding awareness of God.
All the while, Rhett said nothing as he remained seated on his mount.
Ellie pressed her gloved fingers over her lips, again fighting the urge to cry. “You—you found me,” she finally managed to say. Tears continued to slip down her cheeks.
“Are you all right?” Rhett’s soft voice pierced through her embarrassment and relief.
She managed a nod.
“Thirsty?”
Again, she could only dip her head. He dismounted before untying her bonnet from his horse’s bridle. After dropping his reins, he brought it to her.
She quickly secured her bonnet on her head.
“I know of a stream, not far from here.” His gaze never left her. “When you’re ready.”
“I—I am.” But when she tried to mount, she was too stiff to get her foot into the stirrup. The muscles of her back and legs screamed in protest.
“Allow me.” Rhett knelt with cupped hands.
After she stepped on them, he lifted her with ease.