clean town and how folks respect you. But right now you arent physically able to free those boys. She stepped closer. Killing yourself doesnt help them either. Leah would end up losing all of you. And we already know what Aiden is capable of doing. I can make the climb.
What would you have me do while you risk your neck? Nothing?
You can watch the ledge and cover me when John needs to climb down to safety.
Only one thing was worse than a man being wrong, and that was when a woman was right. Sage, Im a man. You doing all the work isnt right. I cant let you scale those rocks.
Yes, you can. And I will. Ive got a stake in this too.
Why did this woman talk in riddles? How do you figure?
I recognized Aidens brothers as the men who killed Charles. I saw the man who pulled the trigger. Sage took a breath and gripped her rifle. Leahs youngest son is a reminder of my own son who lost his life that day. Pain crested in her eyes. The men who killed Charles and shot me didnt care I was with child. We were nothing to them. I need to make sure John and Davis are safely returned to Leah. Then I will deal with the McCaw gang.
The stories behind her giving bounty to widows and orphans made more sense. Anger again rose for what the McCaws had donewould continue to do if someone didnt stop them. The murdering brutes. Im real sorry. The McCaws have ravaged this part of the country for too many years and must be stopped. Parker understood the torment searing her face. Hed seen agony beyond human comprehension during the war. Tragedies shaped the strongest of men, and Sage had not been spared. She wasright. Hed be useless in an attempt to reach those boys when it took all of his strength to move and breathe. He had no choice but to swallow his prideone more time.
Parker trusted a God who would scale the rocks before Sage lifted a foot onto the first foothold.
T HIRTEEN
S age spent most of the late afternoon studying the sunbleached rock that led up the steep incline to the McCaws campsite. She memorized every crack and fissure for a possible foothold, calculating her steps and trying not to think about snakes. Two thirds of the way up, she noted a sharp ledge that looked large enough for her to stand on. That could offer a brief reprieve for herself, but shed need to lower the boys all the way down to Parker. Peering through her binoculars to the top of the cliff, she found a projection of rock directly above the ledge, to which she could tie the rope and lower the boys.
From a distance, the ascent looked nearly impossible, but standing on the ground and planning each step eased her mind. Tall Elk had taught her how to scale rock, and she could make it to the top. The problem was in getting those boys back down. Davis was young. Would he understand that he couldnt cry out? Falling rock could wake the McCaws, and theyd open fire. Unlike Parker, she didnt want any bright stars, and the moon would be a slice of unwanted light.
Parker stood wide-legged with his arms crossed and his hat slanted over his eyes. He was a good man; shed decided that when he took the beating and refused to stay behind. They worked well together, and to her surprise, she actually liked him. Sincerity and warmth brimmed in his eyes, blue as a robins egg, and she saw a strong desire in him to help others. He was pleasing to look at, too, with light brown hair and a handlebar mustache, and thelines across his brow gave him the distinction of a man who had experienced hardships. Colorado needed men like Parker Timmons to govern and form policies for the betterment of many and not just a few. She hoped he did well.
Theyd stayed concealed in the shadows all afternoon and talked little while making preparations for later on in the night. Once the boys were safe, they would ride Sages pony down a different trail than she and Parker planned to take in case the McCaws discovered they were missing before morning. Sage and Parker planned to take an easier trail on his horse,
What would you have me do while you risk your neck? Nothing?
You can watch the ledge and cover me when John needs to climb down to safety.
Only one thing was worse than a man being wrong, and that was when a woman was right. Sage, Im a man. You doing all the work isnt right. I cant let you scale those rocks.
Yes, you can. And I will. Ive got a stake in this too.
Why did this woman talk in riddles? How do you figure?
I recognized Aidens brothers as the men who killed Charles. I saw the man who pulled the trigger. Sage took a breath and gripped her rifle. Leahs youngest son is a reminder of my own son who lost his life that day. Pain crested in her eyes. The men who killed Charles and shot me didnt care I was with child. We were nothing to them. I need to make sure John and Davis are safely returned to Leah. Then I will deal with the McCaw gang.
The stories behind her giving bounty to widows and orphans made more sense. Anger again rose for what the McCaws had donewould continue to do if someone didnt stop them. The murdering brutes. Im real sorry. The McCaws have ravaged this part of the country for too many years and must be stopped. Parker understood the torment searing her face. Hed seen agony beyond human comprehension during the war. Tragedies shaped the strongest of men, and Sage had not been spared. She wasright. Hed be useless in an attempt to reach those boys when it took all of his strength to move and breathe. He had no choice but to swallow his prideone more time.
Parker trusted a God who would scale the rocks before Sage lifted a foot onto the first foothold.
T HIRTEEN
S age spent most of the late afternoon studying the sunbleached rock that led up the steep incline to the McCaws campsite. She memorized every crack and fissure for a possible foothold, calculating her steps and trying not to think about snakes. Two thirds of the way up, she noted a sharp ledge that looked large enough for her to stand on. That could offer a brief reprieve for herself, but shed need to lower the boys all the way down to Parker. Peering through her binoculars to the top of the cliff, she found a projection of rock directly above the ledge, to which she could tie the rope and lower the boys.
From a distance, the ascent looked nearly impossible, but standing on the ground and planning each step eased her mind. Tall Elk had taught her how to scale rock, and she could make it to the top. The problem was in getting those boys back down. Davis was young. Would he understand that he couldnt cry out? Falling rock could wake the McCaws, and theyd open fire. Unlike Parker, she didnt want any bright stars, and the moon would be a slice of unwanted light.
Parker stood wide-legged with his arms crossed and his hat slanted over his eyes. He was a good man; shed decided that when he took the beating and refused to stay behind. They worked well together, and to her surprise, she actually liked him. Sincerity and warmth brimmed in his eyes, blue as a robins egg, and she saw a strong desire in him to help others. He was pleasing to look at, too, with light brown hair and a handlebar mustache, and thelines across his brow gave him the distinction of a man who had experienced hardships. Colorado needed men like Parker Timmons to govern and form policies for the betterment of many and not just a few. She hoped he did well.
Theyd stayed concealed in the shadows all afternoon and talked little while making preparations for later on in the night. Once the boys were safe, they would ride Sages pony down a different trail than she and Parker planned to take in case the McCaws discovered they were missing before morning. Sage and Parker planned to take an easier trail on his horse,
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