by Diana Palmer
His choke of appreciative laughter made her smile as she followed him down the ladder.
When they reached the door of the guest welcome center, HW drew to a stop and faced Sam. It was a cold night, but it wasn’t snowing or too windy, so she didn’t feel the need to run inside.
HW cleared his throat. “Seeing as this is probably the last moment we’ll have alone together in the next twenty-four hours, I want to say something.”
Sam nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead.”
He poked her gently in the chest with his index finger. “Turn up. Or else.”
“Wow, that wasn’t very romantic,” Sam complained.
His golden eyes glinted. “I love you. If you don’t turn up, you’ll break my heart.”
“Got it.” Sam held his gaze. “And right back at you.”
“Then we’re good.” HW stepped back. “Now let’s go in and find out what’s going on with Yvonne? Rio will kill me if something’s happened to his fiancée.”
* * *
Cam walked up the path ahead of Sam and unlocked the door to their cabin. Sam’s parents had already been installed next door, and her grandparents were on the other side. It was kind of nice having them all at the ranch she had started to call home. She’d had a lovely evening introducing her family to HW’s and seeing how well they’d all gotten along. It had definitely reinforced her sense that she was doing the right thing.
All the lights in the other cabins were out and it was almost midnight. Sam had stayed behind to go over some last-minute catering issues with Avery, and to take a quick look at the seating plan for the wedding luncheon. Sometimes, she still couldn’t quite believe that tomorrow she would be the one getting married. It had all happened so fast.
“January says she’ll come down and knock on the door around eight.” Cam took off her boots and left them by the front door. “I’ll set my alarm as well just so we’re covered.”
“Cool.” Sam removed her fleece and sat on the couch. “Not that I’m going to sleep at all tonight anyway.”
“You really should try.” Cam joined her on the couch.
Sam checked her messages and frowned. “My brother just texted me.”
“Which one?”
“Carter, the only one who still talks to me? He’s supposed to be out on an oil rig somewhere, and now he wants directions to the wedding.” Sam exhaled. “Talk about short notice. I didn’t even bother to send him an invite because I knew he wasn’t due back for months. Avery isn’t going to be very happy if he turns up and ruins her seating chart.”
“It’s great that he wants to come, isn’t it?” Cam asked. “Why don’t you give him the information, and if he arrives at some point it’ll be a lovely surprise for your parents, and a bonus for you.”
“As I said, maybe not so much for Avery,” Sam commented. “But I’m fairly sure she’ll just smile, wave her wand, and somehow make everything right again.”
Cam nodded. “She is amazingly good at organizing stuff.”
Sam found a copy of the invite and pasted it into her message along with driving directions, and received a thumbs-up in reply. She waited another minute, but that was all she got.
“Typical.” Sam set the alarm on her phone. “Now I have no idea whether he’s going to make it or not.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” Cam yawned. “Did anyone get hold of Yvonne?”
“Lizzie said the last time she saw Yvonne, she was on the phone with Rio, and dashing off to her apartment. She’s not there anymore, but no one knows exactly where she’s gone. She left a note for Lizzie that said not to worry anyone, and she’d definitely be back in time for the wedding.”
“Maybe something happened to Rio?” Cam said. “He is a bull rider, and they do get injured a lot.”
“That’s possible.” Sam got off the couch. “I can’t deal with anything else tonight. Let’s go to bed and hope it all resolves itself by morning.”
* * *
Sam opened her eyes into complete darkness as her cell phone buzzed right in her ear. She checked the time, which was almost six in the morning, and read the series of texts from her younger brother, Carter.
Sam muttered, “How did he end up near Morgansville with a flat tire? How did he even get onto the ranch?”
Knowing her brother was a laid-back version of herself, she wasn’t surprised he’d ended up in the wrong place. Squinting at the screen, she replied.
Stay put and I’ll come to you ×.
She received another thumbs-up in reply.
Sam got dressed in the clothes she’d worn the night before and tiptoed out into the silent kitchen. Should she leave a note for Cam? Hopefully, she’d be back in an hour.
Deciding not to alarm her friend, Sam put on her boots and went out, shutting the door against the cold. The faintest hint of the approaching dawn showed up above the Sierras, illuminating the blackened snowcapped tops. Sam paused to appreciate the amazing sight, then made her way up the slope to the barn.
The route to Morgansville from the ranch was much quicker on horseback than by truck. She knew Carter could ride, because they’d learned together as kids. She decided to take one of the older horses, Sugar, with her and Dollar just to make it as easy as possible for him. The last thing she wanted was a brother with a concussion on her wedding day.
She saddled both horses and led them outside, tying Sugar’s reins to the back of Dollar’s saddle. One of her favorite things about riding a horse when it was cold was the warmth they generated. It was like having heated seats in your truck. She glanced back at the ranch house as she mounted up, but the whole place was in darkness. She pictured HW sleeping in his bed and couldn’t believe that she’d be right there with him later that night.
Smiling to herself, she clicked to Dollar, and they moved out. Luckily, she had a good sense of direction. She only had to follow the old mule road up to the ghost town. The terrain wasn’t that difficult after you crossed Morgan Creek, which wasn’t running very high at this time of year.
As Dollar splashed through the uneven rocky bottom of the creek, Sam hung on for dear life, allowing her body to move with the horse, yet avoid sliding off. As soon as they reached the other side, she took out her cell, and sent a text to Carter.
On my way. See you in 20. x
She followed the road upward and took the right-hand fork, which would take her to the highest point of the ranch where the original silver mine and the town of Morgansville had stood. After cutting down all the trees and destroying the topsoil, both the silver haul and the creek had dried up, leaving the stamping mill with not enough work or waterpower. At some point, the entire population had voted to move down the valley to the site of the current town and had never looked back.
Sam settled down in the saddle and focused on the narrowing path, and the eerie silence that pervaded the barren landscape. After her experiences in the military, she never felt comfortable in enclosed spaces, where she still feared an ambush. She concentrated on the mission at hand—finding her brother—and on how thrilled her parents would be to see their elusive youngest son.
Eventually, the ground leveled out, and Sam rode alongside what used to be the iron rail tracks that had taken the silver ore from the mine to the stamping mill to be pulverized into a thousand pieces. At one end of the ghost town there was a parking lot created by the historical society so that visitors could get out and walk along what had once been Main Street. Sam could already see a rental car sitting in the otherwise vacant lot, which she assumed belonged to her brother.
She set Dollar off down the slope and leaned back in the saddle as a figure emerged from the vehicle. Carter had black wavy hair just like hers, but his eyes were more hazel than green.
“Hey, Sis. What’s up?”
Carter sounded like he’d just popped out for a quick coffee rather than disappearing on her for three years.
“Hey yourself.” Sam grinned down at him. The last time she’d seen him, she’d just gotten
out of the hospital and hadn’t been a pretty sight. “I’ll just tie up the horses.”
She dismounted and made sure the horses were secured before turning back to her much taller brother. He wore a thick ski jacket, jeans, and decent boots, so he wasn’t too underdressed for the cold.
He drew her into a hug and gave her a noogie, which was just like him.
“Long time no see, shrimp.” He drew back and looked down at her. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“I have!” Sam protested. “I have a whole new foot and everything.”
“Yeah?” He studied her boots. “I can’t tell which one it is.”
“Which is the whole point.” She pointed at the car. “How on earth did you get stuck up here?”
He shrugged. “I drove all night, got tired, and just kept following the damn navigation. I went through some wire, damaged the front of the car, and just kept bouncing along until the tire exploded under me.”
Sam took a walk around the car, wincing at its banged-up appearance, and stopped to view the shredded back left tire.
“Wow, you really did a number on this. Next time you want to go off-roading, try a horse.”
“Can you help me change the tire?” Carter asked. He’d never been the most mechanically minded member of the family. “I’m so tired after trying to sleep in that tiny space that I can’t get my fingers to work properly. If we can get the car moving, I’ll follow you down to the ranch.”
“Seeing as I came on a horse it’s not quite that straightforward, but I can certainly show you the most suitable route for a vehicle. It will take you quite a while,” Sam said. “The easiest thing would be to come back to the ranch with me on horseback, and we’ll send someone up later to pick up your car.”
She reached into her pocket for her cell phone to see what the time was and ended up searching through all her pockets.
“Oh crap.” Sam breathed slowly through her nose to set off her rising panic. “I’ve lost my phone.”
“Dude.” Carter raised a laconic eyebrow. “That’s not good.”
“I took it out to text you after I crossed the creek. Maybe I didn’t put it back in my pocket securely enough.” Sam groaned and smacked herself in the head. “I’m such an idiot.” She held out her hand. “Can I borrow your phone?”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Sis, but mine ran out of juice just before you got here,” Carter said. “I brought the wrong adapter with me, and it won’t charge.”
Sam stared at her brother, who didn’t seem to appreciate just how badly her wedding day was going so far.
“I’ve got to get back to the ranch, Carter.”
“I get that.” He nodded. “You could just leave me here, ride back, and get help.”
“Everyone is busy preparing for the wedding. No one has time to come and get you.”
“I could start walking and meet them halfway,” Carter suggested.
Sam just stared at him until the impulse to scream died away, and she straightened her shoulders.
“No, we’re going to work this out. Together.”
Chapter Five
“HW?”
HW turned around and found Cam hovering anxiously at the entrance to the barn.
“Hey, what’s up?” HW mentally counted heads as he doled out the daily vitamins, noting Dollar wasn’t in his usual place by the open door.
“It’s Sam.” Cam advanced into the barn after him.
HW put down the bottle. “What about her?”
“She’s . . . gone.”
Even though it felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of him, HW desperately tried to stay calm.
“Come again?”
“I set my alarm for seven thirty, got up and showered, and then knocked on Sam’s door to make sure she was up,” Cam said. “When she didn’t respond, I went in, and found the bed was empty.”
“Okay.” HW nodded as if she was making sense. “Did she leave you a note?”
“No.” Cam’s hands twisted together as she faced him. “Nothing, but her clothes and boots were missing.”
“So she obviously got up and went somewhere.” HW turned back toward the stalls. “Hold on a minute.”
He walked over to Dollar’s stall and looked inside. “Her horse has gone.”
Cam joined him, her expression hopeful. “Maybe she couldn’t sleep, and just went out for a ride?”
“It’s possible,” HW agreed even though every instinct was telling him no. He checked the time. “Maybe she’ll be back soon then.”
Cam touched his arm. “She was fine when she went to bed last night, no worries about the wedding, or anything.”
“Good to know.” HW couldn’t stop mouthing stupid platitudes while his mind was racing in panicked circles. “I’ve got chores to do in the barn. I’ll let you know when she comes back, okay?”
Cam still hesitated, her expression uncertain, and HW summoned a smile.
“Why don’t you go and have some breakfast, and tell January what’s going on?”
“I’ll do that.” Cam finally nodded as if pleased to have something concrete to wrestle with. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good.” He watched her walk up to the house, and then picked up the plastic container filled with vitamins, gazing unseeingly at the contents.
“Hey, Bro.”
He turned to find his twin brother behind him. He wasn’t surprised. He and Ry had an uncanny ability to know when the other was hurting.
“Sam’s disappeared.”
Ry blinked once, and then nodded. “Okay. Did you two have a fight or something?”
“No.” HW took a quick breath. “I have no idea what the hell is going on.”
“I’m sure there’s a good explanation, HW. Just stay calm, and—”
“What if she doesn’t come back?” HW interrupted his twin. “What if she never comes back? It’s not as if that hadn’t happened to us before, has it, Ry? Our own damned mother walked out on us never to return when we were five.”
“HW . . . snap out of it.” Ry grabbed HW’s shoulder and slowly shook him back and forth. “Sam loves you, and she’s not the kind of person who would disappear without a word. If she had a problem, you’d hear about it. She’s probably just gone out for a ride and will be back soon. Have you tried texting her?”
“Not yet,” HW said.
“Then do it right now.” At this point, Ry’s calm voice was the only thing stopping HW from outright panicking.
HW found his phone and forced his shaking thumbs to text Sam. She didn’t immediately reply, which didn’t make him feel any better.
“What did she say?” Ry asked.
“Nothing. She’s not responding.” HW stared intently at the screen, willing her to reply even if it was just to tell him off for bothering her. “If she was going for a ride, why didn’t she tell someone?”
“Maybe it was a last-minute thing.” Ry shrugged. “Look, we’ve still got hours before the official wedding, so don’t get too worked up. Yvonne isn’t back from wherever she went to yet either.”
“I’m not marrying Yvonne,” HW objected. “Rio wouldn’t like it.”
“True, but Sam will be back. I’d bet the ranch on it.” Ry smiled encouragingly at his twin.
“I’ve got chores to do,” HW said numbly.
“Great idea.” Ry clapped him on the back. “Keep busy, and I bet she’ll be back in no time.”
* * *
“I still think we should change the tire,” Carter said stubbornly.
“Why?” Sam faced him down. “It really would be much quicker to ride.” The loss of her phone wasn’t helping her deal patiently with her laid-back brother. “You do realize I’m getting married today, right?”
“Today?” Carter blinked at her. “Is it Sunday already?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “And in a few hours I am supposed to be walking down the aisle and marrying HW Morgan.”
“What time is it?” Carter got into the car and turned
on the ignition. “It’s almost eight. When’s the wedding?”
“Midday.” Sam had a hollow feeling in her gut. It had taken her way longer than she had anticipated saddling the horses and then riding up to Morgansville. By that reckoning, it would take at least an hour to get back down. “We really should get going.”
“So let’s change the tire.”
Sam pointed at the gas indicator. “Carter, you’re almost out of fuel. Even if we fix the tire you won’t get far. What’s going on?”
He sighed and got out of the driver’s seat, shoving a hand through his long hair. “I’m scared of horses.”
“What?” Sam stared at him. “Since when?”
He shrugged. “Since I fell off, broke my arm, and got knocked out when the thing kicked out at me.”
“When was that exactly?” Sam demanded.
“About five years ago.”
“Then it’s about time you got over it.” Sam pointed back toward Dollar and Sugar. “Just get on the damned horse, Bro, please.” She widened her eyes at him. “I really don’t want to miss my own wedding.”
“What about my bags?” Carter asked. He sounded resigned to his fate, and Sam secretly cheered.
“We can tie them on.” Sam hustled around to the trunk and opened it. “You don’t have much, thank goodness.” She grabbed one of the bags and walked it over to the horses. “See?” She set it behind Sugar’s saddle and tied it on. “Where’s the other one?”
Carter put the larger bag on Dollar and secured it with the leather ties Sam gave him before dubiously eyeing the two horses. “Which one do you want me to ride?”
Sam patted Sugar’s neck. “This one. She’s an old lady, and she never goes above a trot even when she sees her favorite food. All you have to do is sit on her back, hold the reins, and let her find her own way back to her stall at the ranch.”
Carter still looked worried, but stepped up into the stirrup, and onto the horse’s back. Sugar didn’t even flick her tail and stood solid as a rock.
“Do you remember how to hold the reins?” Sam asked.