On a whim, she set her handful of flowers down and went about looking for rocks of her own. She’d do as he’d done. Leave a marker. A sign that she’d been here for all to see.
Being careful not to wet her hem, she went to the shore and peered through the rushing water to the pebble-strewn bed below. She reached into the freezing water and tried to remember what Rhett had told her about size and shape. She fingered a few different rocks, but tossed them back, their irregular shape much too difficult for her. She fished out three more.
Placing the first took one second, but it took a good four minutes to balance the next. The third was an utter failure, and they all tumbled down, almost upsetting Rhett’s creation. She tried again. Finally, her small formation stood close to his, less than half the height, but still, pride filled her heart. He was right. There was something satisfying about the challenge. She appreciated his efforts all the more now that she’d tried her hand. She marveled again at his larger, pointier, gravity-defying formation. That took talent.
Suddenly, a small gust of wind swept through the tops of the tall trees and ruffled her dress. Her yellow hat tumbled off, and she ran to retrieve it. The coolness of the air under the trees made her shiver.
The area was so quiet. The peacefulness she’d felt before dissipated, giving way to a niggle of uneasiness. What was wrong? Was that a warning? She held her breath, listening.
The sound of voices carried her way.
Rhett? On his way back? Proof that he’d come this way was right before her eyes. But she was pretty certain he’d come by himself. And she’d seen him working today. She again heard voices. Several. Rhett’s warning about the campfire sprang into her mind.
Suddenly, Lavinia wished she hadn’t come so far into the woods by herself. Glancing around, she darted for the trees. She’d hide until whoever it was emerged. And once they’d gone, she’d make her way home. Could she find a hiding place before they arrived? If she was correct, they were coming up the trail the way she’d come herself, so perhaps they’d pass her by without even noticing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Crouching behind several large pine trees that completely hid her person but weren’t that far from the stream, Lavinia watched the trail, her breaths coming fast. She reached out with a shaking hand to balance herself against a chunk of granite that protruded up between the trees. Seeing the shadowy trail from her vantage was difficult.
Four riders rounded the corner and made their way toward the stream. A pack mule, laden with what looked like surveyor’s equipment, brought up the rear. She recognized them as men she’d seen around town—mostly around the saloon—starting from the day of the wedding. A few of them had dined in her café the first time Rhett had come in. They’d introduced themselves as brothers looking to settle a section of farmland, but that had always felt like a lie to her. The oldest, a seemingly decent fellow, had done the talking for the group. A younger one with a large beard and shifty eyes made her wary. When their gazes connected, she’d always look away, but not before she saw something ugly behind his thoughts.
They weren’t the sorts she’d want to find herself alone in a forest with, and yet she’d done exactly that. Huddling closer to the rock, she held her breath. As long as she remained quiet, she was sure they’d pass by in seconds, and then she could make her way back to Eden.
Unfortunately, they pulled up at the stream to water their horses.
“No one suspects anything,” one said, splashing water from his canteen on his face and then drying it with a handkerchief. “Boss will be pleased.”
He glanced around and then laughed, bringing a chill up Lavinia’s spine. She didn’t know what they were plotting, but by his tone alone, she knew it couldn’t be good.
“Be quiet,” the leader snapped, and tilted his head.
Lavinia followed his line of sight to the rock sculptures and the handful of flowers she’d forgotten on the granite slab. There was no doubt they knew someone had been there recently, for the petals weren’t yet wilted.
“Should we take a look around?” the bearded fella asked. “We don’t want anyone squealing to the sheriff before it’s too late for him to do anything.”
“Naw. Doesn’t matter anyway. By the time they find our camp, there won’t be anything they can do. The road will be cleared and we’ll be embedded. Let’s go.”
Although their words confused her, Lavinia felt a rush of relief. She waited for them to clear out and then came out of hiding, her crouched muscles screaming for release. She didn’t have time to lose. She should get back to town right away, but the leader’s words rang in her head. If someone didn’t discover them, something would be too late. There was only one thing to do, and that was to follow them without being seen. And if she didn’t hurry, she’d lose their trail.
Lavinia rushed out, picked up her flowers, and hurried onward. Anxiety grew with each step she took. The forest loomed darker. She had to hurry not to lose the riders, who moved much more easily. Each time she came to a fork in the path, she left a sprig of alyssum to mark her way, so she could find the trail back. A half hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally Lavinia came to a crest. The men, without so much as a backward glance, went over the top and disappeared out of sight. She waited for a few minutes, and then edged forward. Below was an encampment of men, wagons, and large workhorses contained in a rope corral. Beyond that, the rushing Dolores River. She hadn’t seen the tributary before, but she knew it wasn’t supposed to be jammed with logs, all floating south.
She was no expert, but appearances seemed they were cutting in a road from the river toward Eden. Only a large lumber operation would do that. Something much more substantial than Katie’s small mill that supplied the ranchers around Eden, as well as silver and gold mines and the town.
Were they logging illegally on federal land? Would they cut down all the trees without a thought for the residents who lived in Eden? Anger and protection rose up inside. The views in Eden were one of the things that made the place so special. She needed to get word back just as soon as she could.
With a start, she realized just how low the sun had dipped in the sky. She had no lantern, and the woods would be much murkier than this open mountainside. And what if she got lost in the darkness? Her sisters, out at the ranch, would believe she’d stayed in town at the hotel. No one would send out a search party tonight.
A half hour later she stopped to catch her breath. The trees opened for a spell, and she glanced up at the moon. She was cold. Many nights since arriving in Eden, she’d heard the howl of wolves. She felt small, and alone. She prayed she’d be able to see the alyssum markers she’d left. Sometimes the trail narrowed perilously, and there were steep cliffs on either side. If she missed her step in the dark and fell, she wouldn’t see the light of another morning.
Why had she been so foolish and impulsive as to set off like this alone? Dear Lord, guide me, she thought as she pushed on.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Cupping his mouth, Rhett called out into the near darkness. “Lavinia! Lavinia, are you here?” Almost to the stream, he surged forward. Dallas ran ahead, nose down on the trail. It wouldn’t be long before what little light there was vanished, making his search that much more difficult. He should have brought a lantern, or come sooner, before she’d had a chance to get herself lost.
“Darn foolish girl!” he said aloud, irritation heating his blood. From the trading post telegram office, he’d seen her leave the hotel and make her way to the trail they both shared when going to the upper meadow. He’d given her plenty of time to collect the flowers she was so fond of, and then more time to think over the situation she and her sisters were confronting because of the articles he’d brought to town. It was easy to imagine why she’d like to get away and think. All the personal family business that had been exposed couldn’t be easy to ignore.
Even when he’d gotten impatient for her return, he’d given her another span of time for any
other reason a female might want to be alone. But now, she’d had more than enough time to think over anything and everything. He was alarmed. And when he’d reached the plateau in the waning light to find the area empty, he’d panicked.
She’d get more than the stern talking-to she deserved, he thought, his worry fueling his anger. She’d get a tongue-lashing. Probably the first of her life. Living in Eden wasn’t living in Philadelphia. Dangers were about.
“Lavinia!” he shouted again, one hundred depraved situations popping into his head. “Lavinia, answer me!”
Was she hidden away with a lover? A secret rendezvous? It was possible. Look at her younger sister, Katie. Maybe Lavinia had an admirer no one, including him, knew about.
That was an asinine thought. Couldn’t be true. He didn’t like to think of the other, more plausible, possibility. Like the men he’d warned her about.
Hearing the sound of the water, he stopped and glanced around. Had she come this way, gone this far?
In the last vestiges of light, he spotted the rock sculpture he’d completed yesterday still standing, and another much smaller alongside.
She’s been here!
His mind surged at the same time a smile tried to peek out. She’d taken to heart what she’d seen him do. Affection stirred inside.
Dallas stood in the stream, his mouth dripping from the drink he’d just taken.
Rhett glanced around. She’d been here, but he hadn’t met her on her way back. That meant she must have continued on. Surely she wouldn’t leave the path. She’d gone farther over the mountain. Was she aware of the bears and cougars?
Night would be here in a matter of minutes.
He crossed the stream in three bounding steps and hurried forward. Urgency pushed him onward. She’d been here but was now gone. What did that mean? Had she been taken against her will?
He slowed his steps with the fading light. No mountain trail was without danger. He had to stay alert.
A fork in the path brought indecision. Which way had she gone? Frustration sizzled inside. Tracking her at this late hour, with the tiny bit of light filtering through the trees, would be chancy. His anger grew with his concern.
Then he saw a few sprigs of the alyssum she liked so much placed purposefully on the right side of the fork. She’d left a trail! He glanced down. Another at his feet.
“Lavinia!” he shouted again between cupped palms, hope warring with his distress. “Lavinia!” When had she become so important to him? When had the memory of her eyes gazing into his own gained the power to create such emotion? “Call out if you can.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Lavinia snapped up straight and turned her head, listening intently. Earlier, in the waning light, she’d slipped on the bank of another small brook and fallen. Her dress was wet past her knees, and she’d cut the fleshy part of her left palm, her warm blood flowing freely. Her hand ached as she held it tightly with the folds of her skirt. Her head hurt, and fear swirled in her mind. She hadn’t known how strong the mountains were. Or how dangerous they could be.
Was someone out there? Calling her name?
She desperately wanted to believe that was the case. She wanted to get warm and be safe. She’d also like to eat a large bowl of hot stew.
“Hello?” she called back softly, her arms and lips shaking from the cold. Since the temperature dropped considerably, gooseflesh had risen on her arms and legs. What if more men from the lumber camp were approaching? Should she call out and bring them to her as easy as pie?
But it might also be Clint. Or Blake or Henry. Maybe they’d come looking for her when she wasn’t in her hotel room.
She didn’t want to pass the night alone in the forest. Had the sound been her imagination playing her for a fool?
“Lavinia!”
Closer now and laced with anger.
Rhett!
A rush of happiness and relief made her light-headed. Or was that just the cold and her empty stomach? The darkness kept her rooted to the spot as hope blossomed. She hadn’t thought of him as her rescuer, but suddenly, filled with excitement, she knew he was the only one she wanted to find her. She willed herself to stand, pushing away from the group of trees where she huddled.
“Rhett? I’m here! I’m here!” If it wasn’t Rhett, she was in bigger trouble than she’d ever thought.
And then he was there. Without permission, he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her tight against his chest.
Dallas bounded around them, sniffing and whining.
Rhett was large and warm. His heartbeat pounded against her ear, and his strong arms created a new light-headedness that she fully enjoyed. She inhaled his familiar scent and pulled him closer. “You found me,” she said against his chest. “You found me, Rhett. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was frightened. This forest is much darker than out at the ranch, where the land is open, the horizon easy to—”
“You hurt?” he asked against her hair, cutting her off. A layer of gruffness to his voice spurred a wave of emotion.
In no hurry to leave his warm embrace, she shook her head. “No, no. Just so relieved you showed up. I’m amazed. Twice now, you’ve come to my rescue. I wonder what that means?” His hands on her back produced a flurry of tingles.
“What happened? I saw you leave town and climb the path to the meadow. When you didn’t return, I got worried.”
“Thank God you saw me. And thank God you followed. I’ve been preparing myself for the thought of spending the night out here alone.” She drew in a deep, calming breath. “I heard coyotes that sounded very near.”
“There’s a lot more than coyotes out here. There’re wolves, bears, and cougars—to name only a few of the dangers. You were foolish to run off like that. Why did you leave the meadow?”
Unwilling to let his warm body pull even an inch away, she kept her arms clasped tightly around his waist and drew him even closer, if that were possible. “Please don’t scold me right now. I’m cold and I’ve cut my hand. I still fear you might be a fantasy. A dream I’m having while lying alone on the forest floor.” She shivered. “You are real, aren’t you?” She thought she heard a quiet chuckle but wasn’t sure over the sound of Dallas crashing around in the woods.
He pulled back as if to try to see into her face. “Yes, I’m real.”
The hardness of his chest muscles under her uninjured hand made her mouth go dry.
“I thought you said you weren’t hurt. Let me see your hand.”
“It’s too dark.”
At that moment, a silvery beam of moonlight shimmered through the pines, illuminating his eyes, his concerned gaze wrapping around her heart like magic. He lifted her palm and softly felt around.
“Ouch.” She whimpered and tried to pull away. “There’s nothing to be done until we get back to town.”
He was doing something, fumbling around in his pocket. “Here.”
Carefully, he wound what felt like his handkerchief around her palm. His fingers, warm to her chilled skin, sent tingles firing up her wrist. She sucked in a shaky breath, unnerved and on tilting ground in the darkness. Rhett’s large form felt enormous before her in the blackness, so solid. She’d never been so aware of a man before, and the feeling almost swept her off her feet. She knew since he’d arrived she had nothing to fear.
“At least my bandanna can keep the injury from any more damage. How does that feel?”
His breath touched her face, making her shiver. “Better. Thank you.”
He placed his warm palm over her ice-cold hands. “You’re chilled to the bone.” He removed his light coat and laid the garment over her shoulders. “It’ll have to do until we get you back to town.”
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms.
“That feels wonderful.”
“Good.”
He stilled, and she slipped back into his warm embrace. “Rhett, I have something important to tell you.” I may as well do it while I’m warm in your arms. “I was at t
he stream and I heard some horses coming up the trail. I hid behind the trees, but they saw some flowers I had left on the rocks, so they knew someone was about. They had surveying equipment and have been in the café several times. They talked about something they were doing that sounded bad for Eden. That by the time anyone discovered them, it would be too late to stop them. When they started away, I followed.”
He made a sound in his throat. “Of course you did.”
She wouldn’t scold him for the reproachful tone. He’d searched her out when he didn’t have to. Out of concern for her safety. That meant so much.
He took a deep breath, and she felt his chest rise and fall.
“Loggers?” he asked. “I overheard a conversation outside the saloon last night that made me suspicious. They’re probably planning to strip these mountains. The silver and gold mines around need lumber for their tunnels, and New Mexico is growing and has little timber of its own. The demand for lumber down South is pretty great.”
“Yes! And they’re using the Dolores River to float the logs downstream. They must have a mill somewhere. As we speak, they’re working on a road to bring them closer to Eden. And you should see the tree stumps along the river they’ve already cut. It looks like something out of a nightmare.”
He bit out a curse.
“Can they do that, Rhett? Use government land on a whim? Or maybe they have a permit.” Several moments passed without a reply. “Rhett?”
“They’d need a permit to do what you suggested. But sometimes dishonest businessmen use any land they want. Just like you heard, by the time an alarm is sounded, and if the town is able to get rid of them, they’ve already made a fistful of money. If the operation is large enough, they function by paying fines.”
“That’s horrible! You sound like you know a lot about the lumber business.”
True Heart's Desire Page 18