Vanished in the Mountains

by Tanya Stowe

  He nudged his chin ahead. “Look up there, where that rocky hill crosses the tracks.”

  The tracks ran right through the middle of an outcropping with large boulders piled high on each side. “Just beyond that, a bridge crosses the Animas River. From there we’re safely on the other side of the river away from the road.”

  She glanced back. Austin still gripped the bar, his features set as he ducked his head away from the flurry of icy snow striking his face. “Can’t you go any faster? He’s freezing.”

  “This is as fast as this little engine can take us. Austin’s strong. He can hang on a little longer.”

  Yes, but could she? She relied on Austin. Counted on him. Needed him to lift her spirits, to give her courage and hope. She even had thoughts of staying in his house and filling the walls with beautiful treasures. She’d dared to dream of making it a home.

  She loved Austin. Not just counted on him. Loved him. She had feelings for him from the moment she’d met him. For the first time in her life, she’d eased back on the throttle of energy and devotion that drove her to protect, to keep everyone and everything within her reach safe. She thought of the future, of what life could be like without the constant threat of loss or danger and she wanted it. Riding in the speeder with death so close behind them, Austin needed her help, and once again, she could do nothing.

  The gun felt heavy in her hands. Abey would have known how to use it, wouldn’t have hesitated to step forward to protect Austin. But it sat cold, heavy and deadly in Dulcie’s hands.

  She shook her head in frustration and looked ahead. The outcropping of rocks was only a few feet ahead. Butch said once they were past it, they would be free.

  Please, Lord. Push us beyond those rocks.

  They entered the narrow gap between the rocky boulders and were almost through it when a dark figure leaped from the side of the outcropping and lunged across the space. The women screamed but Dulcie lost her breath. The familiar paralysis of fear crept over her. She stood transfixed as the figure missed his footing on the speeder but latched on to Austin. The two of them struggled for a few moments. Austin punched and pushed to free himself, but the man hung on. Finally, unable to sustain his grip with the man dragging him down, Austin lost his hold and they both tumbled away, rolling through the snow.

  The man was the first to gain his footing and marched toward Austin’s prone figure. Dulcie recognized the determined features of Walter Benally. He grasped Austin by the coat, jerked him up and swung. His meaty fist connected with Austin’s jaw. His head spun. Even in the dark, Dulcie saw blood spatter across the pristine snow.

  Benally had the advantage of surprise and weight against Austin. Benally punched him again. Austin appeared almost senseless from the blows. Now he hung like a dead weight from Benally’s grip on his coat. Austin needed help. But Dulcie stood in helpless, frozen fear, the gun in her hand.

  The gun. She had the means to help Austin...if only she could move.

  Benally struck another blow. Dulcie whimpered with pain. Austin needed her. She had to move...had to do something.

  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.

  Dulcie wanted the riches promised to her. She wanted the chance of a future with Austin. She wanted to claim the Lord’s promise. A tingling started in her fingertips. Warmth built until a heated wave swept through her. Frozen lips parted and she screamed, “Stop!”

  Her cry pierced the speeder. Butch jumped and turned to her.

  “Stop and let me off.”

  He pulled the brake and the little speeder slammed to a halt. Dulcie pushed the sliding door open, hopped out into the knee-deep snow. “Get these women to safety!”

  She slammed the door shut with a strength she didn’t know she had. Slogging through the snow, she headed back to where Austin and Benally struggled.

  Austin seemed to have regained his senses. Benally straddled over him but Austin swung his leg out with enough force to send Benally sprawling. Austin lay there for one long moment before climbing to his feet and striding toward Benally’s prone figure. The older man fought his way out of a deep drift. Austin reached him and landed a punch to the man’s exposed jaw. Benally fell facedown but lunged out of the drift and tackled Austin. Both men rolled across the tracks. Benally cried out as his shoulder caught one iron bar. But they continued to roll through the snow, close to the edge of the tracks and the narrow path they created along the mountain wall. For the first time, Dulcie heard the roar of rushing water and realized the icy Animas River was below the edge of the outcropping...the edge Austin and Benally were still rolling toward.

  Austin finally broke free. Stumbling forward, he reached for Benally. The man, unsteady on his feet, took a wide swing. Austin blocked it with his arm and punched with his right hand. Benally stumbled backward toward the edge.

  His arms swung wide as his foot hit empty air. Austin jumped and lunged, reaching, trying to capture Benally’s arm. But he missed. Benally fell with a cry that echoed over the stormy wind.

  Dulcie caught her breath and stopped. She stood on the tracks, stunned, still far away from Austin as he leaned precariously over the edge.

  A shot rang out, piercing the snow in a puffy flurry not five feet away from Austin. Dulcie looked up. A man with a long dress coat flapping around his legs stood above on the rocky outcropping of the highway. From her angle, Dulcie could see the black SUV, parked close to the edge. Smoke billowed out behind it. The engine was still running but the lights were off. They had raced along the road with no headlights so they could reach the outcropping undetected. That’s how they’d beaten them to this point and how Benally had climbed down and lain in wait for Austin.

  The man standing above them had to be Pierce. Even now he looked like the consummate businessman, not an assailant, taking aim again.

  Austin was close to the edge of the cliff. Too close...and defenseless. She held his gun in her hand.

  Austin ran for the protection of the boulders but he would never make it across the open space. Pierce fired another shot. This one hit the snow a few feet in front of Austin. The next shot would be closer.

  Dulcie lifted the gun. Austin’s words rang in her head. Flip this open. It’s the safety. Then point and pull the trigger. You probably won’t hit anything, but you’ll scare them.

  She braced her wrist, pointed and pulled. The shot echoed above the whine of the wind. The bullet went wide and hit the rocks below Pierce. The man jerked in surprise. Apparently, he had not seen Dulcie until that moment. She aimed and fired once more. The bullet pinged against the rocks. She fired again. Another ringing ricochet echoed over the icy wind. She fired one more time.

  How many bullets did this gun hold? If she kept firing, would Austin make it to the safety of the rocks? What if she ran out of bullets and Pierce turned his aim on her? She stood out in the open with no protection.

  It didn’t matter if she was shot. Austin would be safe.

  She pulled the trigger again and again. This time sparks flashed as the bullets hit the rocks closer and closer to Pierce, so close, the man dropped his gun, spun and ran for the car.

  Now that Dulcie was firing, she couldn’t stop. She pulled the trigger one more time. The bullet pinged on the rocks. The lights on the SUV switched on. Dulcie pulled the trigger and the gun clicked...out of bullets. The engine of the SUV revved and Pierce screeched away from the outcropping.

  The man who had harmed and destroyed so many women couldn’t face his own risks.

  Dulcie continued to pull the trigger even though the gun was out of bullets, and the SUV’s headlights flashed along the rocky cliff headed back to town.

  At long last, her gut reaction to fight back eased. She took a deep breath, dropped the gun to the rocky dirt beside the tracks and wiped her hands on her pants.

  Austin ma
rched toward her, purpose and intent in every step. As he drew closer, she saw his chin and cheek were bright red, scraped and bleeding.

  “Are you all...”

  He grasped her head, wound his fingers through her hair and pulled her toward him. His cold lips covered hers. They were firm, demanding, needy. They took everything from her...even her breath. She felt lightheaded, weak. When she thought she couldn’t give anymore, he broke the kiss.

  Dulcie gasped for air and inhaled his soap-and-leather scent, the familiar scent that always sparked thoughts of warmth and comfort. She’d barely caught her breath when he tilted her head the other way and kissed her again. This time, his lips were soft, gentle, full of wonder as they shaped to hers, feeling their contours and depth. It was a loving kiss, one full of beauty and possession...a kiss of love.

  When he finally released her, she stared into a gaze so full of tenderness, it took her breath away again.

  Could it be? Was that love she saw in his eyes? Was it possible?

  He gave a small shake of his head and his voice was low. “I promised myself if we lived through this, that would be the first thing I did.”

  She stared at him, his words barely penetrating the surprise filtering through her. “You...you wanted to kiss me like that?”

  He nodded. “From the first minute you walked into your front room with your hair down.”

  “But you never...”

  “I know. I fought every thought, every one of my natural needs. I even fought when the Lord told me to move forward. I was an idiot.”

  He lifted her head with a finger. “Almost as foolish as you, standing out here in the wide open, taking potshots at Pierce. Don’t you know he could have killed you?”

  She shook her head. “It didn’t matter. You needed help.”

  He stopped the shake of her head with a firm but tender grasp. “And that, my foolish, brave girl, is why I love you. That’s the most courageous thing I’ve ever seen.”

  His words jumbled in her head. Foolish. Brave. Courageous. Only one word clicked and had true meaning.

  “You...you love me?”

  “With all my heart, Dulcie Parker. Can you forgive me for being so blind, for not listening, for being prideful and angry and determined not to see and hear the signs the Lord sent to me?”

  Once again, his words jumbled in her mind. “Signs? What signs?”

  “You and your fierce, stubborn protection of the defenseless. Your determination to fight all your fears. You’re a warrior woman in your own way.”

  “No...no, don’t call me that. I’m nothing like Abey. Nothing. She was amazing.”

  He smoothed a hand over her wild, snow-dampened curls and shook his head. “Even in that you are wonderful. All the things I shared about Abey, all the ways I made her a star in my own mind...any other woman would have been jealous.”

  “I was.” She ducked her head. “I am.”

  Tucking his thumbs beneath her chin, he lifted till her gaze met his once more. “Even in this you are incredible. You fight those feelings of envy with admiration. You could be angry or resentful but instead, you praise her and care about her memory. You value her strengths without ever recognizing that you have them too. You need to admire those traits in yourself, my lovely warrior.”

  She shivered as the truth of his words swept through her. This time she grasped his face and pulled his lips down to hers. This kiss was tentative, explorative...as if she didn’t have the right to do it. But she grew bolder and kissed him as if he was hers. At last they broke off again.

  Dulcie leaned her forehead against his. “Truth be told, I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first moment I saw that dimple in your chin. That’s the only truth I know and I’m so glad you awakened those feelings in me.”

  Her words ended in a cold shiver.

  “Trust me—I can’t wait to explore those feelings. But first, we have to survive. We’re three miles from town in the middle of a raging storm without transportation.”

  Dulcie shivered again and looked around at the empty path of the tracks that disappeared around a bend.

  “What about Benally’s body?”

  “He won’t bother us anymore. Come on. Let’s go find our friends.”

  ELEVEN

  Dulcie huddled close to Austin. They leaned into the wind and walked down the tracks in the direction the speeder had gone. Now that the danger was over, Dulcie felt the cold more than ever. They reached the outcropping and looked ahead. A narrow bridge crossed the river. On the other side sat the bright yellow speeder. Dulcie had never been happier to see anything... Well, maybe only a living Austin as he stood in the cabin door when she believed he was dead.

  Grasping her hand, Austin tugged her forward and they ran across the bridge.

  Butch threw the sliding door open. “I knew she’d save you.”

  As Austin helped Dulcie inside, the look he gave her warmed her body all the way through. “She saved me all right...in more ways than one.”

  As soon as Austin slid the door shut, Butch gunned the speeder and the pointed metal front plowed through the snow-covered tracks. They traveled more miles before a large brick building appeared in the distance. Butch pointed to it. “They built the Tacoma power plant in 1905. I go there pretty regularly. I’m in charge of their speeder so I have my own keys to the facility. The main room hasn’t many amenities but there’s a control room that’s nice and warm and I know for a fact, it has a microwave.” Butch winked and the women laughed. Dulcie didn’t know him very well but she was already beginning to love Austin’s uncle Butch. She was certain they would be good friends.

  He drove the speeder into a covered garage-type shed and they trudged through the knee-deep snow to the main building. Butch unlocked the doors and led the way upstairs to a narrow control room with complicated dials and monitors along one wall. On the opposite wall was a long desk below windows that looked across the river for a good view of the empty road.

  They found the microwave and heated cups of soup for the women. Then they all settled on the floor next to each other and appreciated the warm room.

  Austin ran a check of the building one more time before easing down to the ground next to Dulcie and leaning his back against the wall.

  “I thought you’d be asleep by the time I got back.”

  She smiled at him and dropped her head on his shoulder. “I can’t. My mind is spinning.”

  “What are you thinking about? I’m sure we’re safe for now. Pierce and whoever is left in his gang are probably scrambling to find a way out of Silverton.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about them. I was thinking...well...where do we go from here? What’s next?”

  He linked his fingers through hers and studied their clasped hands. “There’ll be a trial. Your agency will lose your leader.”

  She smiled. “I know all that. I’m not worried about the shelter or my work.”

  He leaned out slightly and gave her a look. “What’s this? You’re not worrying about someone else for a change?”

  She squeezed his fingers. “No, I’m not. My work will not change, but I will. I don’t want my life to go back to the way it was.”

  Lifting their clinched hands, he kissed the back of hers. “I think we both feel the same way.”

  She nodded. “I hoped so, but how do we change, Austin? Where do we begin?”

  He let his head fall back against the wall and heaved a sigh. “I have no idea.”

  “Well, I know exactly what I want. I’m going back to visit Bea Yazzie at her hogan. I want to learn all about Navajo weavers.”

  She could feel his gaze on her but he didn’t speak and she didn’t dare meet his gaze. Would he agree or turn away from the path she could see so clearly ahead of her? Would their relationship be over before it even began?

  At last she gained the courage to face hi
m. “Will you go with me to visit her, Austin?”

  A slow, sweet smile eased over his lips. “I would be honored.” He kissed their clasped hands again.

  She took a gradual, deep breath. “Would you do one more thing for me?”

  A frown creased his brow. “If I can.”

  “Would you dig out the Navajo rug Abey’s grandmother made and hang it on the wall below your front room windows?”

  His smile faded. He was silent for a long, heart-stopping moment. Finally, he dipped his head. When he spoke, his voice was low. “It’s time. I’ll do it. But only if you’ll help me. I’m not very good at hanging things.”

  Joy filled Dulcie’s heart. She leaned in, kissed him again, then nestled her head in the crook of his neck. Safe in the shelter of his arms, she fell asleep.

  When she woke, bright sunlight was flowing through the control-room windows. The storm had passed and the women were stirring. Butch was already up and had warmed soup in the microwave and passed out packages of fruit-and-nut bars.

  Suddenly, Katharine rose to her feet and pointed across the river. “Look!”

  A caravan of county patrol cars, blue lights flashing, followed a snowplow down the road to Silverton. All the women except Susan stood and cheered. Within minutes they were packed and loaded back into the speeder. It took time for the speeder’s engine to heat up, but soon they were on the tracks headed to the engine roundhouse. When they were on the outskirts of town, cell phone reception returned to Austin’s phone and he dialed McGuire.

  “Am I glad to hear your voice.” His supervisor’s gruff tone echoed over the phone and throughout the speeder. “Where are you?”

  Austin explained their situation and Pierce’s involvement.

  “Don’t worry about him. I’ll send men to his place and will keep the roadblocks in place. We’ll get him. You just get yourself safely to the roundhouse.”

  Dulcie looked around at the women. Relief filled their features and brought tears to their eyes.