A Woman Called Sage by DiAnn Mills

asters and light blue columbines scattered like jewels along the rocky path. After a time, she ceased admiring the wildflowers and concentrated on reaching the next small plateau, where she would be able to look out to the valley below. When she reached it, Hawk stirred and lifted his wings to soar into the treetops.
    Are we close? she said, as though he understood. Perhaps he did.
    She climbed higher until they reached a lake covered in lily pads. Brown and rainbow trout darted through the water whiletall pine reflected in the shimmering pool. Tall Elk had instilled in her a reverence for the quiet beauty of nature, something shed taken for granted in the past. Marrying him wouldnt have been an unhappy lifejust empty. Even here in all of natures beauty, her soul longed to be filled. The love of a good man or the laughter of a child might erase the tears and heartache, but she was afraid to give her heart away. That made fear number two.
    Parker feared lightning. Sage feared the years ahead would be scarred with loneliness. Fear number three. Guess she had more concerns than she thought.
    A half mile higher, she came upon a deep green lake, larger than the previous and bordered by rocks and boulders as though carved from a giant rock bowl. She dismounted and tethered her pony to an aspen beside a patch of pink wildflowers. The rest of the way would be on foot.
    Hawk flapped his massive wings and soared to a tall tree limb. Sages instincts and Hawks actions led her to believe she was heading in the right direction. Taking a long drink of water, she swung the canteen over her shoulder and grabbed her rifle. Shed reached the fork where Parker indicated they should meet. So where was he? He knew the area better than she did. Impatient, she chose to continue upward to where she could get a better view of the mountains.
    Another half mile up, she came to a glistening emerald lake with a sparse growth of trees against a cloudless sky. In the distance, blue-gray cliffs saluted the heavens, stealing away her breath. A sense of awe for the untamed and wild filled her. Hawk circled above her, hopefully guiding her to where shed find Leahs sons.
    Sage scrambled up a rock and peered over the top. Directly below, a waterfall cascaded into a chasm, its air-filled water churning white and crashing against the rocks. She pulled binoculars from inside her jacket and scanned the area.
    Searching the surrounding mountains height and depth, shepeered into trees and brush for signs of the boys or the McCaws. Hawk had helped her locate humans before, and he could again. A breath caught in her throat. On a rock platform above a stream northwest of where she lay sat Aiden McCaw and his men. She focused on each man, and the images from the past took form. Her stomach tightened.
    As vividly as if it were yesterday, she recalled the day strangers rode up to the house and demanded Charles give them their money. There were four of them then, and those four were in her sights now. One man stood out from the othersthe one with dark curly hair and wide-set dark eyes who had killed Charles and shot her, sending her into early labor that killed their baby. Her search was ended, the object of her vengeance found. Shed sworn to kill them, but shed do her best to bring Aiden and his brothers in alive.
    Sage tore her attention from the nightmarish faces and searched for Leahs sons. She let out a sigh. There they arealive. The older boy was tied with his hands behind his back, and the younger one sat at his feet. Closer scrutiny showed Daviss hands were tied too. She scanned the area for a way to rescue them. The McCaws had chosen a fortress-like position. Clever. The wind would be cold at night, but the strategic location made rescue look impossible. A narrow path led straight up to their campsite, easy for them to guard. The only other way was to scale a cliff.
    She peered through the binoculars to find Parker. Glancing around the surrounding area, she noticed