After the Ashes(93)

Archie kept his face averted. His silence told her more than his words could. He thought Christopher already dead.

But she was in a desperate mood and would hear the worst. “What do you think, Archie? You know Mulcahy?”

He kicked at the dust with his toe. “Your going up there won’t change anything.”

Having a plan calmed her. She wasn’t going back to the ranch without Christopher. No matter what. She gathered up her horse’s reins.

“I still have to try.”

Jay sighed. “Then I guess I’ll have to go with you.”

Archie sighed even louder, as if he exhaled his last breath. “I’ll go. They know me. I’ll see if he’s there, but only if Lorelei stays behind.”

“No, Archie, I’ve got to go.” Lorelei said.

Archie clamped his bloodless lips together. “I can’t protect you. They’ll do things to you we’d best not talk about.”

Jay nudged his horse forward. “He’s right. If Braddock is there, you’ll just be a distraction. Archie can go in without suspicions and help him if he needs it.”

While Jay spoke, he grabbed Lorelei’s horse’s bridle. She couldn’t leave without breaking his grip. Besides, they were right.

“All right,” she finally said. “But we’ll wait here.”

“It’s not safe.” Jay urged his horse backward and hers forward, forcing Lorelei to relinquish the reins to hold her ground.

“Wait at the farm. I’ll find you,” said Archie.

“He might be hurt.”

“He’s not hurt.” Jay picked up her horse’s reins. “We’ll make camp halfway between here and my property line. If Archie and Chris don’t find us by noon tomorrow, we’ll renegotiate.”

She glanced at Archie. He seemed to strengthen in the face of his mission. He had remounted and edged away from them as he closed the space to the canyon. His clear eyes spoke determination even in the fading light.

“Do you think you can help him, Archie?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll try.”

She didn’t like his answer, but she knew he was being honest. She didn’t believe in promises anymore anyway.

“Good luck.”

He nodded, then turned and rode toward the canyon. She watched until horse and rider disappeared, seemingly swallowed by the wall of solid rock.

She took her horse’s reins from Jay and mounted. “Until tomorrow. If Archie doesn’t find Christopher, I’m coming back here and I’m going to ride into the canyon.”

Jay nodded, then turned his horse in the opposite direction without another word.




CHAPTER SEVENTEEN





Braddock stretched his leg and winced. He must be getting old. Every joint ached. He rolled his shoulders and shifted again.

“Would you stop squirming? I’m trying to catch up on some sleep,” complained Corey.

When Braddock finally settled into a more comfortable position, Corey relaxed against him. How could the kid even think about sleeping? Braddock had to keep moving just to assure himself his limbs still worked.

It was pretty damned clever of Langston to shackle them together. Back to back, handcuffs entwined, they were helpless—and if by some miracle they did escape, Braddock doubted his circulation would return in under an hour. Using a gun would be impossible.



By the position of the sun, Braddock gauged that Langston had been gone nearly half the day, though it felt more like a week. He could have easily reached the ranch and returned by now.

Braddock only hoped he didn’t show up with Lorelei in handcuffs. He feared she would dispel his whole concocted story by pulling a rifle on Langston. Again. She was so easy to read.

In light of the situation, all three of them serving jail time seemed only a minor inconvenience. He just hoped she was at the ranch. If she wasn’t… He couldn’t think about that with his hands trussed behind his back.

“Hey, Braddock. What’d you plan to accomplish by having Langston ride out to Jay’s while we sit here like stuffed pigs ready for the spit?”

“Shut up, Corey.”

“Just checking,” the boy said with a grin in his voice.

A metallic jangle followed the soft huff of a horse and alerted Braddock to the approach of a rider. Langston rode up as if in a dream. But it was a dream with sharp edges.

“Well…” He dismounted and put his hands on his hips. “She wasn’t there.”

Corey hissed a curse near Braddock’s ear. Braddock forced the fear and desperation that oozed from his pores back inside. He had to stay focused on Langston. He had to think of something to do.

Langston pushed his hat back. “Nice lady at the ranch. She had a bunch of kids. Said her husband took Lorelei to town to catch the stage home.” He scratched his forehead. “Can’t figure it. So tell me, Braddock, what were you trying to pull over my eyes?”