Out of Control

by Mary Connealy

  “It’s a caldera.”

  The strange word gained Rafe’s attention. “A caldron?”

  “Caldera. This mountain was a volcano. When all the lava spits out, sometimes the top of the mountain sinks and forms a bowl like this.”

  They were standing about halfway up the side of that bowl. “And the tunnel we just passed through was a . . . did you call it a vent?”

  “Yes, I’m sure that’s what formed it. The lava flow goes out the top of a volcano, but sometimes the pressure explodes a hole, or maybe many holes, in the sides of the mountain, to let lava escape. When the volcano is spent, everything cools.”

  “Where did you learn all this stuff?”

  “I told you I study geology.”

  She had said that. He needed to start listening to her better.

  “I study land and plants and animals. I subscribe to scientific journals when it’s possible to get mail. I particularly like the Proceedings. It’s a quarterly journal from the American Philosophical Society.”

  He’d start listening later. Right now she was really boring.

  “Ben Franklin founded it. One of them contained information about dead volcanoes. Christian Leopold Von Buch, a paleontologist, wrote that—”

  “Okay, okay, we’ll talk about Ben Franklin and Leopold later. For now we need to remember that someone else is in this caldron.”

  “Caldera.”

  “Whatever. Keep your eyes open for trouble.” Could someone live here? Was he so intent on believing the footprint belonged to the man who’d abandoned Julia to her fate in that cavern that he’d ignored the simple possibility that someone lived in this bowl? He could surely understand if someone found it, they’d like to stay. He’d like to stay. The Kincaid spread was covered with trees with occasional open meadows. But this was a beautiful expanse of lush grazing.

  “I’m going to step out slowly,” Rafe whispered. “There are places a man could lie in wait.”

  She leaned forward so she was pressed against his back, and whispered in his ear, “Be careful.”

  Rafe was momentarily distracted from life and death by the feel of Julia and the tingle in his ear. Very distracted. He shook his head. “Give me the horse. I’ll use him as a shield.”

  He patted his stallion on the shoulder in apology. He liked this horse better than most people he knew and hoped very sincerely he didn’t need the old boy as a shield.

  Rafe stepped out.

  There was no gunfire. He looked around and saw no one lying in wait.

  An eagle screamed overhead, and though it distracted from his normal caution, he couldn’t stop himself from looking up. The eagle soared down into the bowl of this canyon and skimmed the gushing stream at the far end, rising up with a fish in its talons. “Fish in that water. Where did they come from up here?”

  “It’s possible that after the volcano cooled—”

  “Shh.” Why wasn’t he surprised that she had something to say about everything?

  A sudden movement brought his gun around, and a doe and two spring fawns darted out of a copse of trees on the far side of the caldron. The threesome ran across a stretch of the belly-high grass. A soft summer wind made the grass nod and dance and ripple like waves on an ocean of green water. It rustled through the trees as if God himself was running a loving hand over this hidden mountain meadow. It was possibly the most beautiful place Rafe had ever seen.

  And that’s when he realized that, without hardly being aware of it, he’d been forming a new vision for his life from the moment he stepped out of the cave. He thought of Ethan and his resentment. How Ethan didn’t feel like the Kincaid Ranch belonged even in part to him.

  This valley could solve that problem. As that vision came into focus, it warmed him, a warmth that seemed to have its source in the way Julia had pressed against him when she’d told him to be careful.

  He didn’t want to be warm inside. He didn’t want to thaw. It frightened him to remember the terror, the helplessness, the lack of control he’d felt when Seth had been hurt. He never wanted to feel that way again.

  Rafe decided right then he’d marry Julia. It was a commonsense thing to do.

  He could marry her, care for and protect her. Staring at this valley changed his vision of the future. Then that hand God ran across the grass seemed to brush across him, too. It eased his fears, gave him courage to face his weaknesses without the ice in his veins. He breathed deeply of the cool, thin air, and his lungs felt stronger, his thoughts clearer, his faith purer.

  Ethan could have the Kincaid Ranch. Rafe would stake a claim to this mountain. They’d find Seth and get him back home, and he could buy up the land in between the two places and the Kincaids would control a vast stretch of this rugged, mountainous land.

  But first he had to find the man who had endangered Julia in that cavern.

  “Do you see anyone?” Julia came up behind him and whispered again. He really liked it when she whispered.

  Turning to her, Rafe smiled. “You were supposed to wait inside the cave.”

  He had a feeling she’d never mind him worth a lick.

  Well, he had a whole herd of longhorns that acted just like that, and he’d learned to handle them, hadn’t he? Life wouldn’t be boring.

  “I waited quite a while. You’re just standing out here looking around.” Then another eagle dipped down to the rushing stream and she gasped. “It’s beautiful. The grass goes on forever.”

  Rafe pointed at a spot beside a nice stand of trees far enough to the center of the bowl edge to give a house a full day of sunlight, despite the edges of the caldron. “I think I’ll build a house right there.” He shifted restlessly as he thought of Julia in that house, with a baby or two or three gathered around her knees. He thought about holding her and being warm in her arms and he wanted it all to be true right now.

  “Don’t you already have a house?”

  Rafe slipped one arm around her waist, and after one last careful check for danger, he lowered his head and kissed her.

  “Rafe.” She pressed the flat of her hand against his chest. “What are you doing?” She turned her head aside.

  “You’re right. Now’s a bad time.” He caught the back of her head in one hand, turned her back and kissed her again, longer. Then he eased back on his own, without her mentioning he should.

  “Behave yourself while I take a look around.” He found he liked scolding her. Even more, he liked kissing her to quiet her yapping mouth. If she was obedient, he’d never have a chance to do that, now, would he?

  He noticed she wasn’t looking at anything but his lips, and when she looked up finally, she seemed a bit dazed.

  To get her head to working again, he said, “Someone came in. But no tracks go back out. Which means he could be here. Of course there could be other vents. Let’s see if we can pick up his trail. Stay between the horses, Jules. Be careful.”

  She blinked at him and shook her head as if to clear it. “Stop calling me Jules.” She glared at him, then wrecked the sternness by glancing at his lips.

  “You make me think of jewels. Ruby red hair, shining emerald eyes, pearl white skin. Everything about you is colorful and pretty in a rare way. Just like jewels.”

  His gaze locked with hers and he couldn’t look away. Finally a gust of wind snapped him out of the daze, and he looked down. Footprints.

  “Let’s go.” How could he lower his guard for even a minute? He looked down the slope and saw a single trail heading into the valley.

  A chill tingled up Rafe’s arms and shoulders as he mentally chided himself for allowing the beauty of this place, and his interest in Julia, to distract him. He welcomed the cold because he could think better.

  “Pay attention. And stay between the horses.” He didn’t look back, because that’s what had gotten him in trouble before. The descent into the meadow was easy. It went down about fifty feet before grass began to grow and the ground leveled.

  Rafe kept the horse between him and any area
that provided cover. A clump of aspens was the only place within firing range. They were walking in waist-high grass, and Rafe knew well that anyone could be ducked down just waiting. He’d played this game with his brothers enough times.

  He paid close attention to the grass, those aspens, and his horse. His horse would warn him before Rafe noticed anything.

  He forgot everything but caution, watchfulness, and ice-cold control.

  CHAPTER

  11

  Julia watched him walk away. The big dumb ox had already forgotten all about kissing her.

  So she would return the favor and forget about everything but that fossil.

  She peeked over her shoulder. Imagine. She’d thought the cavern she got stuck in would take her a lifetime to research and write about. Now she found something else. It was a wonderful land.

  She tried to quiet the pulse of pride that getting published would give her. No Julia-pig-osauria, but maybe the Gilliland Cavern.

  She only followed Rafe because the horse sort of dragged her downhill.

  Her whole attention was back on that fish fossil. She didn’t fully realize that until she walked into Rafe’s back.

  “Hey, be careful.” He gave her a disgruntled look, and she noticed he had his gun drawn.

  “What’s the matter? Did you see someone?” Julia gave herself a mental shake. She really should be looking around for slinking, rope-moving, tree-climbing lunatics, even if she would rather be riding for home to fetch her chisel.

  “Stay between the horses.”

  Looking to her right, she saw nothing but the steeply sloped side to this bowl. That was when she realized there could be other vents, other fossils. Suddenly she was very alert looking for cave entrances on the slope. More places to explore! If that helped her spot a lunatic, all the better.

  As they reached the first clump of aspens, Rafe moved into them and looked around in all directions. “There’s a trail here that leads straight to the water. I can see where this grass has been bent.”

  Julia looked at the grass. It just looked like grass to her. No bending except that it swayed in the wind.

  She turned to study the trail they’d just come down and spotted a darkened area behind her, mostly concealed by aspens, below and off to the south of the cave they’d just come through.

  “Rafe, look, behind the trees. Another cave.” Julia pointed to the barely visible opening. “We need to go look.”

  “We need to check it out.”

  Julia turned to look at Rafe to see him turning to her. He said, “We agree on something.”

  “That’s a first. So let’s go. There could be more fossils.”

  “He could be in there.” Rafe spoke at the same moment. He visibly relaxed and smiled.

  “Why would you smile when we disagree?”

  “I was just worried is all. Afraid you might be rubbing off on me. But now I see we still think different. It’s a relief.”

  “I want to see if there are more fossils in that cave. We could find—”

  “Julia, will you pay attention.” Rafe lowered his dark brows until they formed one straight line.

  “To what?”

  His broad shoulders seemed to slump as if he were bearing too much weight. “We aren’t going in there to check for fossils. A man who could have killed you might be in that cave. He could have a gun trained on us right now. Can you please pay attention to what’s important for just a few minutes?”

  “Fossils are important.” Why couldn’t the man understand that?

  He growled—clearly not understanding.

  “Fine. I’ll be very alert and mindful of danger while I stay with you ahead of me and the horses on both sides. But what if danger comes from behind?” she asked with all the sarcasm she could muster.

  “Overhead, too. Danger could come from overhead.” Rafe didn’t seem to get that he was being mocked.

  Julia clamped her mouth shut and tagged along as he led his horse to the trees sheltering the cave opening. She glanced behind her and above her compulsively now, though there was nothing to see.

  Once they gained the shelter of the trees, she sensed Rafe relax a bit. He positioned himself behind the most stout of the aspens and studied the cave.

  Because he was right in front of her, blocking her view of the cave, Julia looked across the saddle of his horse into the valley.

  “Oh, Rafe, look.” She rested a hand on his back.

  Turning, he saw another opening. Much larger. Halfway up the south side of the caldera. Sunlight poured through it and the sky shone blue. A jumble of rocks and a heavy stand of trees had shielded it from their sight until now. There was a solid arch of stone over it, but it was a clear trail out.

  “I wonder why no one has settled in here. I was already worried about driving my cattle through that narrow cave. Figured I could do it somehow, but it wouldn’t be easy. Instead we can go through that opening.”

  “Maybe there isn’t a good way down.”

  “Or maybe the trees are thick on the other side, too, and it’s hard to spot.” Turning to her, Rafe smiled. “We’ll check. We’ll explore this whole valley before we’re done.”

  Since she agreed completely, all she did was smile back, though she did wonder, Before we’re done with what?

  “Let’s see if this is a vent going all the way through or just a cave. This direction should lead back toward your place. I hope there’s one on the west side. That would cut a lot of time off the trip to Rawhide. Going around this mountain to town must have been a slow trip for your pa. Going straight through it, if there’s a passage, I’ll bet you’re mighty close. There’s a circuit rider who comes through. I wonder when he’ll be in Rawhide next?”

  Rafe hadn’t talked much about going to church. She was glad to know he was a believer. “I’d love to hear some preaching. But we can’t go into town. Father said Rawhide is dangerous. Or no, wait, he just said that to excuse leaving us out here alone.” Shaking her head, one of her ridiculous red ringlets escaped from her braid and slapped her in the face. “I can’t keep track of all of Father’s lies.” She reached up to shove the coil away from her eyes, but Rafe beat her to it.

  Their hands touched as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’re a beautiful woman. You know that, Julia?”

  She didn’t know that. “I seem to remember you worrying that I might be sixty years old when you first found me and went to kissing me.”

  “I got over that real quick, if you’ll remember.” He cupped her chin and took a kiss now, as if she’d asked for one.

  “I do remember.” Julia really had to insist he stop kissing her. She’d never been kissed before Rafe, had never felt much interest in the activity. Had never expended a bit of effort avoiding men, since there were never any around. And now, the man was just taking a kiss any old time he wanted. She’d insist he stop it very, very soon. Not right now, but soon.

  A snap drew her attention to the cave ahead of them. Julia looked past Rafe’s shoulder and saw a heavily bearded man poke his head out and spot them. She gasped.

  “What is it?” Rafe turned around. The man vanished back into the cave.

  “A man! Didn’t you see him?” Julia was talking to Rafe’s back.

  “I saw him all right.” Rafe raced for the entrance.

  Julia quickly lashed the horses to the aspen tree. They went to munching on the leaves and grass and she hurried after Rafe.

  The cave swallowed Rafe. By the time Julia got to the dark entrance, he was gone. She took two steps inside and heard footsteps running away. A few more steps and she came to the first split in the tunnel. One seemed to go down at a steep slope. The noise came from that direction. Straight forward, in a nicely arched passageway about two feet over her head, was the best chance of passing through to the outside of the caldera. She might follow it and wind into the mountain and end up going down or up or sideways or nowhere in the pitch-darkness. And if the tunnel split off again, she might become hopelessly lost.
She knew enough about exploring caverns to be very careful to mark her path and always have a lantern on hand. But she had none of the necessary equipment today.

  Which way had Rafe gone? Which way had that bearded man gone? Now that the footsteps had faded, she wasn’t positive she’d heard them from the downslope tunnel.

  Was that the man who had left her in Seth’s Cavern? Swallowing nervously, Julia prayed for guidance and wisdom, and absolutely no assurance came to her about which way she should go. That might well be a sign she should go nowhere.

  Rafe would be upset if she followed. She would be very upset if something happened to him and she’d stayed behind. Staying would be the cautious thing to do, and Rafe seemed to be very much in favor of her being cautious. He had a gun. She was unarmed.

  That wasn’t true. She was not unarmed. She had a small knife best suited to chiseling stone.

  She looked back at the entrance to the caldera and that was when she saw it.

  Another fossil.

  This one of some strange creature she’d never quite imagined before. It looked like a bear maybe. A very large bear. Or a wolf. Or maybe a big cat.

  Would God send a fossil to keep her from following Rafe into the bowels of the earth?

  God might well do such a thing. She got her knife out of her boot and took a closer look at the strange beast. With a prayer for Rafe’s safety, and an afterthought of prayer for her own, she leaned closer to the fossil to try and decide where to start. Raising her knife, she felt her spirits lift to the sky.

  She was so in love with this place, she felt like bursting into psalms of praise.

  “I hate this place.”

  Ethan chopped wood and muttered. He hunted and brought down a mule deer and muttered. He skinned the doe and started smoking the meat and muttered. He hauled water and muttered. All the muttering was about tending to a weeping woman, great with child, her overly friendly baby, and the fiery, bossy stepdaughter who went along with the package.

  And doing it all right next door to that stupid, ugly, dangerous cavern.

  He should have stayed in California.