by Delta James
FOREVER FINN
By
Delta James
Copyright
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Forever Finn Copyright 2019 Delta James
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
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Chapter 1
Oh, shit! I cannot do this! Finlay Reid stood looking over the rim of the Grand Canyon and then back at the impassive face of the appaloosa mule whose reins she held. Being from the East Coast, she’d seen pictures of the Grand Canyon, but they didn’t do it justice. Not only was it far more beautiful and majestic than any other setting she’d ever witnessed, the distance to the great chasm’s floor was far more imposing than she could ever have imagined.
She’d never been one who suffered from vertigo, but the enormity of what she was about to undertake hit home and made her dizzy. The trail descending the side of the sheer rock cliff left no margin for error. One wrong move, and she would plunge to her death.
Her guide, Billy Crofton, who’d introduced himself simply as Croft, sat atop his mule, waiting for her to mount.
“Ms. Reid,” he said, barely able to hide his impatience and annoyance, “you need to get mounted up. You were late getting here, and I want to be on the floor of the canyon and find a place to set up camp before it gets too dark. The longer it takes us to pick up your brother’s trail, the less likely I’ll be able to track him. If you’ve changed your mind, I can go on without you. One of the other guys can come get you and Jasper.”
“No. He’s my brother, and I need to be there when we find him.”
Finn gathered her courage, resiliency, and pride together with Jasper’s reins, put her foot in the stirrup, and pulled herself into the saddle. It wasn’t the most graceful mount she’d ever done, but normally the horses she rode had English tack with no bedroll and other gear attached to the rear of the saddle. She feared swinging her leg so much higher to clear the equipment might seem almost obscene.
“You ready?” Croft asked, not waiting for the answer.
He turned the large, black mule he was astride toward the trailhead that would lead them down to the floor of the canyon and end close to one of the campsites where her brother had last been reported to have been seen. They had no pack mule. Croft had assured her everything they needed was strapped behind their saddles. Taking a deep breath, she cued Jasper to follow.
When she had originally talked to Willa McDaniel about guiding her into and through the canyon to find her brother, Willa had declined as she was set to leave on her honeymoon. Willa’s new husband had suggested that if any kind of foul play had been involved in her brother’s disappearance, it might be something best handled by his Wild Mustang Security Firm. Regardless, Mac had assured her, they had one of the best trackers in the business who knew the Grand Canyon as well as Willa.
Finn looked straight ahead. The narrow trail seemed suspended between a sheer cliff leading straight up to the top of the canyon and another that descended to the bottom with nothing in between. When she had looked to her left, over the edge, she had almost thrown up. Panic threatened to stop her heart.
“Mr. Croft?”
“It’s just Croft,” he said, not unkindly but not in a way that made her think he wanted to engage with her.
“Croft. I did a bit of research on the Wild Mustang Security Firm. That’s an interesting name.”
Croft chuckled. “The boss is an interesting man. Ex-special forces and now ex-US Marshal. Two years ago, when he and Willa got back together, he decided to leave the US Marshals and start his own security firm. Outside of Mac, Willa’s greatest passion is mustangs. He named the company to honor that. Every man who works in the field for him has special-forces experience. Anybody working in any capacity is a veteran.”
“Then you must be a special-forces veteran.”
“Yes, ma’am. Three tours of duty.”
“What branch?”
“I prefer not to talk about it.”
“How did you meet Mr. McDaniel?”
He shook his head. “You may be the only person within a thousand miles who calls him Mr. McDaniel. Many people still refer to both he and John Hampton as Marshal. Most of us call him Mac. And I met Mac when he needed a tracker. I was cowboying for the cattle ranch that abuts his and Willa’s place.”
“Why would someone with your skills want to be a cowboy?”
“It’s a simple, honorable way to make a living,” he said a bit defensively. “After all I’d seen, I needed simple. As I said, I’d prefer not to talk about it.”
“Why would Mac need a tracker? My research indicated that Willa is …” Finn stopped talking when a small rock became dislodged and fell from the edge of the trail. She couldn’t stop the terrified shriek that escaped her lips.
***
Croft swung around in the saddle and looked at her. How could he have failed to notice the woman was absolutely petrified.
“Are you all right, Ms. Reid?” he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be if she told the truth.
She took several deep breaths. “I don’t think this was a good idea. Is there someplace we can turn around?”
Croft shook his head. “Bottom of the trail on the canyon floor. But, at that point, it’d be twice as bad to come back up. I thought you told Mac you could ride?”
“I can. I ride all the time in Fairfax County—fox hunts, cross country, and I take dressage lessons at least weekly, more often than that if I can.”
“Shit,” he swore under his breath. He’d rather take a rank beginner than someone who had just enough knowledge, in civilized arena riding and on groomed courses, to be dangerous. “Are you afraid of heights?” he asked, noticing her looking down into the vast chasm.
“I didn’t think so. How much longer?”
“We’re probably another three hours to get to the canyon floor and then a couple more to Phantom Ranch. That’s the closest place they can come to airlift you out. Why the hell did you say you were experienced?”
“I am experienced,” Finn argued.
Croft answered with a snort, shook his head, and turned back toward the trail.
“Isn’t there a wide spot I could just get off and walk? I don’t think this mule is paying attention. Every time we go on a switchback, he almost falls off the ledge.”
He kept riding but called over his back. “There is no wide spot, and Jasper is one of our most experienced mules. He’s not going to fall off unless you somehow manage to pull him off his feet and over the edge. If you’re that scared, why don’t you close your eyes, hang onto the s
addle horn, and I’ll take his reins and lead you down.”
“Oh God. I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Don’t puke on yourself or on Jasper. In this heat, it’ll stink to high heaven.”
Croft stopped his mule. Jasper stopped several steps behind him.
“Come on up here, Jasper,” said Croft, turning toward the rock face to their right and extending his hand to the mule.
The sight of her blanched face let him know that the woman was in way over her head. The Grand Canyon had been a place of solace for him. He knew from experience what usually got people hurt or killed was fear. Jasper stepped forward, and Croft stroked his long, Roman-nosed face.
“Ms. Reid, I need you to untie the lead rope that’s tied around the saddle horn and just toss it to me.”
“I know how to ride,” Finn said defensively.
“Not a mule and not on this trail. I’m not asking you for the lead, I’m telling you what to do. Now, toss me the rope.”
“I don’t like not having control.”
“I’ll bet,” he said, trying to keep his tone on an even keel. “I’m not asking. I’m telling. Give me the damn lead. You look like you’re going to be sick and pass out. That isn’t good. There’s a kind of belt behind you with a buckle. You’re going to strap yourself in, and I’m going to get you to the bottom of the trail.”
“I don’t like being told what to do.”
“Do I look like a man who gives a damn? If I have to risk my life to come back there and make you follow my orders, you won’t like what happens when we get down on the floor.”
Finn lifted her chin defiantly. “You don’t scare me.”
“I don’t doubt it. You don’t have enough common sense not to test me, or know that I don’t make idle threats, to be afraid of me. Are you going to do what I tell you or not?”
“You just lead on. I’ll be fine.”
Croft watched her sway as she said the last. He swore under his breath and carefully dismounted stepping off with the cliff wall reaching skyward at his back, inching his way towards her. He reached up to untie the lead; she swatted at his hands.
“Knock it off,” he said, untying the lead then reaching around her for the safety strap.
He reached up to buckle her in, and she again pushed at his strong hands. He felt a loose stone give way and quickly got his feet on more solid ground. She gasped as he quickly finished securing her so that she would be safe. Taking Jasper’s lead, he slid by Sam’s rump and then swung up from the off-side.
“Just hang onto the saddle horn and try to stay in the middle of Jasper’s back. If you’re going to be sick, there’s an airsick bag behind you in the pack. Grab it and keep it with you. We can dispose of it when we get to one of the trash collection areas.”
“I don’t think I can do this,” she said softly.
“You don’t have a choice,” he said gruffly. “I’m going to move out, and Jasper is just going to follow along. Everything will be fine.”
They rode the next couple of hours in silence. The only sounds were the hard hooves of the mules as they walked down the trail, the screeches of the raptors overhead, and his client’s irregular, shallow breathing. Croft was listening intently, and when he heard her breathing become more settled and take on an even rhythm, he glanced over his shoulder. The fool woman had finally closed her eyes.
He shook his head; Mac owed him for this. The only way Mac had gotten Willa to finally agree to go on their honeymoon was by reminding her Croft was almost as good at tracking as she was and arguably knew the Grand Canyon better. He smiled, quite certain that wasn’t the only thing that had persuaded Willa to behave. It didn’t take long for an observant man to figure out that Ethan McDaniel was the dominant partner in that relationship. Not that Willa was submissive … not by a long shot. But, when Mac laid down the law, Willa minded him … very seldom without a fight, but in the end, she yielded.
Croft wondered if he’d ever find a woman like Willa. She was a handful, but she was strong, smart, and filled out a pair of chaps in the way that made most men get hard. He shook his head. Funny thing was, after you got to know her and saw her around Mac, her beauty and charisma no longer affected you that way. Croft now saw her as his friend first, his boss’ wife second, and a woman whose tenacity and business acumen he could admire. Fact was, he felt the same way about Mac.
“How you doing back there, Ms. Reid?”
“Would you please quit calling me Ms. Reid? If we’re going to be traveling together for several days, I think Finlay or Finn is more appropriate.”
“And you Easterners are big on appropriate,” he said scornfully.
Although a cowboy through and through, and far more Western than Eastern, Croft had been born and raised on the East Coast. His family had a long and distinguished history as naval officers. He had been raised to believe he would live and die as a member of the United States Navy. He had dutifully attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland and graduated as an officer. From there he had applied for and been accepted into the vaunted SEAL training program and had spent more than a decade as a member of one of its elite units.
“It has nothing to do with being an Easterner,” she responded disdainfully, “but everything to do with trying to be pleasant.”
Croft’s only response was to snort at her.
Irritated, Finn asked, “Why did you offer to take me along and help me locate my brother?”
This time his answer was a sound that resembled a cross between a bark and a laugh.
“I didn’t offer anything. My boss wanted to take his wife on a long-overdue honeymoon and assigned me the task of trying to find out what happened to your brother and having to drag you along for the ride. I’ve been trying to figure out what I did that got him that pissed off at me.”
“When we get down to the bottom, you can call your company and tell them to send someone else.”
“You don’t understand how this works; you hired our company. Mac assigned you the best man for the job. That means you’re stuck with me.”
Croft was almost glad to hear her getting snarky with him. It meant she was focused on something other than how terrified she was to be up on Jasper going down a very challenging trail. He’d chosen this trail as it was the shortest route down, but one of the tougher ones to ride. Given the information he had been supplied, he’d felt she was up for it.
Talking to her also meant he could focus on something other than how fine her ass had looked when her jeans were stretched tight across it as she mounted Jasper. He’d thought to himself he wouldn’t mind mounting the fair Ms. Reid under a different set of circumstances.
“Then I’ll fire you and your company and go by myself.”
He turned around to look at her. “Let me get this straight, your new plan is to go wandering around the Grand Canyon on foot?”
“I would hope you would allow me to continue to borrow my mount.”
“That hope would be in vain. The animals and I are a package deal. You do know there are all kinds of things that can kill you down there, don’t you? Snakes, mountain lions, bears, dehydration, falls … lots of ways to die.”
“You are insufferable.”
Croft laughed, this time genuinely amused. “Insufferable? I’m a royal pain in the ass. Look, Ms. Reid, why don’t I take you to Phantom Ranch? You can stay there, and we can either send a chopper for you, or you can take a raft down river to one of the exit zones where someone can pick you up in a nice air-conditioned vehicle.”
“Listen, you jerk, I’ve hiked some of the remotest places on Earth. I’m sorry if riding down this suicide trail got to me. I’ve been a bit stressed about my brother. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“And I’m quite sure you won’t. So, either you ride with me, or I ride alone and you go back East to wait for me to send you word about what happened to your brother. Personally, I’d prefer the latter.”
“I’m sure you would,” snarked Finn
. “But your personal preferences are irrelevant.”
All Croft could think was that one trip over his knee for a well-deserved spanking would negate her belief.
Chapter 2
They arrived at the foot of the trail, and Croft brought the mules to a halt. He dismounted, untied Jasper’s lead, and went back to assist his charge. Finn was already unbuckling the safety strap, throwing her leg over her mule’s back, and getting down. She did not see Croft as he came up and almost put the juncture of her legs right in his face. Certainly, he got an up-close-and-private view of her backside as she went to step off. It was every bit as nice inches from his face as it had been from several feet away.
He reached up to help her down, which seemed to put her off-balance and sent her crashing into Croft’s chest and down the front of his torso. The only thing that kept her from ending up on her butt were his strong hands catching her and setting her on her feet.
“Don’t,” she said as she pushed away from him.
“No problem,” he drawled. “Next time, I’ll let you land on your ass.”
“If you hadn’t been standing there, I wouldn’t have lost my stability and would have been fine.”
“And I wouldn’t have had such a lovely view of your backside.”
Croft couldn’t believe he’d said it out loud. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she had a very fetching behind, he just he knew better than to say something like that. At least, he’d caught himself before he told her what he really thought.
Finn ignored his comment saying, “I wanted to just get off for a minute and stretch my legs.”
“And a very nice set of legs they are.”
He shook his head and again commended himself for not saying the rest of what he was thinking, which was how very much he’d like to have them wrapped around his back. He shook his head to clear it. It had been too long since he’d enjoyed that particular form of exercise.
Finlay shrieked in outrage as she stomped off. Her exit would have been more effective if she hadn’t come back to fish a bottle of water out of her saddlebags. Croft enjoyed watching her stride away. She managed to get about fifty yards from him before she plopped down on an overturned log. Apparently, she disturbed the inhabitant, a rattlesnake that had been sunning itself just out of sight on the other side of the log.