Before she could react, Tommy pulled her out of harm’s way and reached out to grasp the horse’s reins. Onyx lowered himself to all-fours again, but he continued to snort and toss his head, staring back at them with wide eyes.
Rebecca had never seen the stallion in such a state. And she’d never once known Alec to fall from his horse.
“Easy,” Tommy said, giving Onyx a reassuring pat on the neck.
At last the stallion seemed to settle, releasing a long sigh as he lowered his head. “Do you know where he was headed today?” Tommy added.
“I know where he’s been training him. But it’s a couple hours’ ride from here.”
Already Tommy was leading Onyx to his stall. “Not in the truck, it’s not.”
Rebecca’s hands trembled as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and dialed Alec’s number. She nearly jumped when she heard it ringing; then she realized that it was inside the saddlebag on Onyx’s back. She replaced her phone and tried to suck in a breath, but her throat was too tight.
Something was wrong. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach.
Moments later she and Tommy were sprinting for his truck. “Is there more than one way to get there?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said as she climbed into the passenger’s seat. “I was only there once. I’ll take you the way we went.”
The truck bumped along over the uneven terrain as they circled the perimeter of the pine grove and tore through the back pastures. When they reached the gate that marked the boundary of their property, Tommy leapt from his seat to push it open. The passage was barely wide enough for his truck to fit through–the bed scraped against one of the tilted fence posts–but it didn’t slow them down.
“Where to now?” he asked.
Rebecca stared helplessly at the wide-open grassland. She hadn’t paid any attention to where they were going that day; she was too busy studying Alec’s mannerisms.
“I don’t know exactly where it is,” she admitted. “It’s out here somewhere.”
She slid from her seat and climbed into the bed of the truck, standing with her hands on the roof to steady herself. They circled the plains for what felt like hours, shouting Alec’s name until their throats were hoarse. Rebecca looked for something–anything–that seemed familiar, but every inch of the area looked the same.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, realization struck her.
“Tommy!” she shouted, banging her hand on the roof.
Immediately he stopped the truck. “What is it?”
She leapt to the ground and approached his window. “He didn’t make it out this far.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Onyx was still saddled. He untacks him once they reach the round pen, so if something had happened out here, Onyx wouldn’t have even had a bridle on when he got back to the ranch.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m positive.”
She could see the white in Tommy’s knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel and turned his gaze to the horizon. “So where the hell is he?”
*
Alec’s journey back to consciousness was a slow one. The first time he came to, the only thing that registered was the sound of rushing water.
The next time, he managed to squint an eye open, only to find himself lying face-down in the sand. He tried with all his might to move something–an arm, a leg, even a fingertip–but his body failed to respond. Instead he closed his eyes and once again allowed the darkness to envelop him.
The third time, though, he forced himself to connect to reality. Mustering every ounce of strength he possessed, he lifted his head from the sand and studied his surroundings. The sun was low in the sky, but it was no longer morning; the purple alpenglow on the hillside signaled that it was early evening. Above his head, he could see the rocky outcropping that descended from the flatland and jutted into the water, just before the river made its sweeping horseshoe bend.
He’d seen the bear only a split second before Onyx did. They’d just emerged from the river onto the beach when Alec noticed a large brown shape on the opposite shore. Onyx stopped dead in his tracks when the grizzly caught their scent and lifted his head in their direction. Alec didn’t even get a full glimpse at the bear before his horse spun on his haunches and bolted back the way they’d come. He tried to hook in and assure Onyx that there was nothing to fear, but the horse was frightened out of his wits. Alec pulled on the reins in a futile attempt to guide him, but he was no match for the stallion’s strength.
Onyx galloped full-throttle straight towards the rocks, and Alec expected him to turn left into the water. He was caught completely unaware, then, when the horse spun to the right instead. The world seemed to move in slow motion as Alec slid from the saddle and went hurtling through the air. The last thing he was aware of was the sickening crunch of his body slamming into the earth before everything went black.
That was this morning, and now it was approaching dusk. Alec dropped his head onto the sand again and sucked in a ragged breath, trying to summon the energy he needed to roll onto his back. He pushed himself to his elbows and started to make the turn, gradually rolling onto his side.
He went to move his leg next and instead let out a shriek when a searing hot stab of pain pierced through his left foot and rippled up his shin. His vision went black again as he rolled onto his back, but he forced himself to remain conscious. The pain was unlike anything he’d ever felt before–even when he was shot. His stomach constricted, and he barely had time to turn his head before he began to vomit onto the sand.
When he was finished, he collapsed on the ground again and stared up at the darkening sky. Automatically he reached for his holster, knowing he needed to keep his gun handy in case the bear made another appearance. He cursed under his breath when his hand found only his jeans and his belt. He never left the ranch without his revolver, but this morning it had been the farthest thing from his mind.
Alec dropped his hand to the ground in defeat, knowing he was in serious trouble. He was injured, he was unarmed, and there was a grizzly lurking nearby. Worst of all, there was only one person on the ranch who would know where to find him.
And at the moment, she’d probably just as soon leave him there.
*
For the rest of the afternoon, Rebecca and Tommy circled every inch of the Flying W’s property that his truck could reach. To Rebecca’s dismay, there was no sign of Alec anywhere. By the time they pulled up to the barns again, her eyes were burning with tears.
“Alright,” Tommy said as he shifted into park. “Let’s get everyone down here.”
Within minutes, Jake, Holly, Ben, and Shania were in the barn, listening to Tommy explain the situation and the areas they still needed to search. Rebecca’s gaze drifted over to Shania, and she couldn’t help but notice the trepidation in her dark eyes.
“Let’s get some horses tacked and get out there,” Tommy was saying. “We still need to comb through the aspens and the pine grove. Make sure you’re armed and you have your cell phones. And give yourself plenty of time to get back here before dark.”
Rebecca tacked Star with trembling hands. The mare seemed to sense her anxiety and gave her an affectionate butt on the shoulder. On any other day, Rebecca would have smiled at her horse’s antics. Nothing could make her smile right now, though.
Her husband had been missing for more than half the day, and the only logical explanation was that he was hurt…or worse.
Tommy approached her with Alec’s rifle and expertly secured the scabbard to Star’s saddle. “You know how to use this, right?”
Rebecca nodded, but she knew that her fear was written all over her face. Tommy winced when he saw her expression and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Bec. We’ll find him.”
They led their horses out of the barn, only to be greeted by a distant roll of thunder. Rebecca glanced up at the darkening sky and felt her stomach s
ink even lower when she saw the storm clouds drifting in over the mountains.
“Why don’t you two head for the pine grove?” Tommy said to Jake and Shania. “Ben and Holly, start through the aspens–”
“No,” Rebecca broke in. “We’ll cover a lot more ground if we all split up.”
Tommy shook his head. “Alec doesn’t want any of you girls out there alone.”
“I don’t care what Alec wants. We have ten square miles to comb through and we’ll cover it twice as fast if we split up.” She ignored Tommy’s look of disapproval as she spun Star around to face their staff. “Just pick a direction and go.”
Chapter 37
Alec was still drifting in and out of consciousness when he felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder. He recognized the touch instantly, which told him that he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming, because there was no possible way that she would be here. After all, she was furious with him right now.
“Alec.”
The sound of her voice pulled him back to reality. Sure enough, when he opened his eyes, he was staring up at Shania’s face.
“You’re here,” he managed to say.
She gave a slow nod. “Are you alright?”
He shook his head, which only made it throb. “Are you alone?”
“Yes. We all split up to try to find you–”
“Tell me you have a gun.”
“It’s on my saddle. Why?”
“I saw the grizzly.”
Her eyes widened. “You did?”
“We came up on him when he was in the river.”
Being the wildlife expert that she was, Shania remained calm. She glanced briefly across the riverbank before she pulled in a deep breath and looked down at him again. “Where are you hurt?”
“My foot,” he replied, wincing as he pushed himself to his elbows. “Maybe my ankle. I’m not sure.”
“Which one?”
“Left.”
Shania stood and stepped around to his other side, wordlessly kneeling at his feet. She rolled up the leg of his jeans and frowned when she placed her hands on his ankle. “You’ve got a lot of heat down here. I can feel it through your boot.”
“My whole leg feels like it’s on fire.”
She met his gaze. “Do you think you can stand?”
Just the thought of it made him nauseous, but he knew he needed to try. It would be dark soon, and they were miles from the ranch. “I’m going to need your help.”
“I figured you would,” she replied, securing his arm around her shoulders. “Just take it slow.”
Alec grimaced as he sat upright and drew his right knee up, placing his uninjured foot on the ground. “Okay,” he said, bracing himself for the pain that was sure to follow.
Shania started to stand, pulling him up with her. He wobbled on his right foot for a moment before he made the mistake of setting his left foot down to steady himself. The pain was so intense that he nearly blacked out again. Shania gave a little gasp and tried to stabilize him, but gravity took over and pulled him right back to the earth. He hit the sand with a heavy thud, at the same time wrenching his ankle sideways, and it was all he could do not to scream.
“I can’t,” he wheezed, squeezing his eyes shut as the searing sensation shot up his leg.
“Alright. Just stay still, then.” Her eyes darted to her horse. “Let me get my phone so you can call Rebecca and Tommy–”
“Don’t bother,” Alec replied, dropping his head onto the sand. “There’s no service anywhere in this valley. You’ll have to wait until you’re back on the flatland.”
He didn’t feel cold, but his muscles began to quake. Seconds later his teeth started to chatter behind his lips, and Shania frowned at him in concern.
“Is the pain getting worse?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re going into shock.”
Alec managed to nod, which brought on a fresh wave of tremors. He turned his head and saw Pumpkin standing quietly nearby, her reins secured to a low-hanging tree limb.
“You’re going to have to ride back and get help. There’s no way I can stand right now, let alone get on a horse.”
“I know. And I will. I just want to make sure you’re okay first.”
He frowned in confusion when she reached into her pocket and unfolded a hunting knife. “What are you doing?”
“Getting your boot off.”
His eyes widened. “You’re going to cut my boot off?”
She shot him a pointed look. “I can do it here or they can do it at the hospital when your leg is even more swollen. If we can get it off and get your foot in the river, it’ll at least help with the pain.”
Alec dropped his gaze to the blade in her hand. “I hope you have steady hands.”
Shania gave a mirthless laugh. “I’ve done a lot of dissections, Alec. I think I can handle a boot.”
He laid his head back on the sand and held his breath when he felt the cold tip of the blade against his skin. It probably only took a couple of minutes, but to Alec it felt like an eternity. He’d warn her whenever he felt another set of tremors coming on, and she’d immediately withdraw her knife so she didn’t cut him. Soon, though, she’d sliced through the back of his boot all the way to his heel.
“I’m going to pull it off,” she warned. “I’ll try to be gentle.”
Alec gritted his teeth, but for once the pain wasn’t as bad as he expected. He pushed himself upright again and stared in horror at his lower leg, which was swollen nearly twice its normal size.
“Do you think it’s broken?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. But either way, let’s get it in the water.”
He was only about ten feet from the shore, but it seemed to take a lifetime for him to half-limp, half-drag himself to the water’s edge. He leaned on Shania for support as she settled him onto a rock and positioned his foot in the water. It felt like ice against his hot, tender flesh, which only made him shiver more.
“How’s that?” she asked.
Alec nodded. “It’s already helping.”
A cold breeze whistled through the valley just then, followed closely by a long roll of thunder. Shania lifted her head to study the sky before she turned back to Alec.
“I’m going to get you a fire going, alright? Then I’ll head back to the ranch and try to get down here again before dark.”
Between the chill of the water and the cool gusts of wind, it wasn’t long before Alec was completely numb. He watched Shania journey into the trees to gather wood for a fire, but when he glanced up at the storm clouds, he wondered how much good it would do. Another boom of thunder echoed around them, this one much closer than the last.
Alec’s stomach lurched when Pumpkin snorted and began dancing nervously in place. “Shania?” he called.
“Yeah?”
“You’d better make sure that Pumpkin’s–”
His words were lost when a bolt of lightning sliced through the sky and struck the hillside behind them. The clap of thunder was nearly simultaneous, shaking the ground with terrifying force. Pumpkin let out a loud squeal and jerked her head, straining against the reins until she broke free from the branch.
Shania dropped the wood she was carrying and scrambled after the horse, but Pumpkin was too fast. Alec stood and made a valiant attempt to grab the reins when she bolted past him, but she easily sidestepped him as he toppled back onto the rock. Shania came to a stop beside him, panting from her exertion, and they watched helplessly as their only source of escape galloped away.
“I’m going after her,” she said, already wading into the river.
Alec grabbed her hand. “You’ll never catch her.”
“I have to try! Everything is in that saddlebag, Alec. My gun, my cell phone–”
“She’s gone, Shania. She’ll be out of this valley before you even make it around these rocks.”
For the first time, Shania looked frightened. She glanced from him to the river to the sky overhead, which was filli
ng with heavy gray clouds. “I have to get you some help. If I leave now, I can probably make it back to the ranch before dark.”
“It’ll take you half the night to get back there on foot.”
“If it does, it does,” she snapped. “I’m not afraid of the dark.”
He gave her a hard stare. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re unarmed and there’s a grizzly nearby. You don’t need to get yourself killed to prove your point.”
Unlike the previous night, this time he watched the fight drain right out of her. She dropped her gaze to his hand, which was still enclosed around her wrist. Immediately he let her go, and she gave a long sigh as she folded her arms across her chest.
“Let’s get a fire going, alright?” he said, his tone softer now. “As soon as it’s light out, you can hike back to the ranch.”
Shania gave a reluctant nod and turned for the trees again. Alec watched her go, suddenly realizing that this was going to be the longest night of his life.
Chapter 38
It was dusk by the time Rebecca turned Star back towards the ranch. She’d searched through every possible place she could think of, doubling back through the aspens and the pine grove over and over again. Her throat was raw from shouting Alec’s name, and it was all to no avail.
He was nowhere to be found.
The first drops of rain began to fall as she approached the staff barn. Already she could see Tommy, Ben, and Holly standing beside the hitching post, glancing worriedly in her direction.
“Anything?” she called.
“Nothing,” Tommy replied. “I’m hoping Jake or Shania has found him by now.”
From the opposite side of the barn, Rebecca heard an approaching set of hoof beats. Everyone turned their heads in unison to see Jake trotting up on Rush. “I headed through the front paddocks and searched the field across the street,” he said as he swung to the ground. “No sign of him.”
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