would make an excellent earl to Ravenleigh, the family estate in England. Four of his men were fanning out on foot, rummaging for evidence. He’d sent two other Rangers, Sean Cartwright and Adam Smith, on horse to search the surrounding area.
“I brought my best men, Harry.”
Jessye met his gaze, her eyes limpid pools of green. “What do you think happened here?”
God help him, he should have known she wouldn’t be content until she knew all. Kit combed his fingers through his hair. He was in dire need of a haircut, but ever since he’d received word of Angela’s abduction, he’d thought of nothing except finding her. “In all honesty, I don’t know what to make of this situation, but I don’t think Raven has hurt Angela.”
“Why?” Jessye asked, the relief in her voice like a sharp knife to Kit’s heart as her fingers tightened around the scrap of cloth. He hated dealing out false optimism, yet he wanted to lessen theirworry. He could only pray that it wasn’t for naught.
“If his intent was to attack Angela, why wait almost a week? It makes no sense.”
“Does taking our daughter make sense?” Harry asked.
Kit shook his head. “No, no, it doesn’t. Especially since he hasn’t asked for a ransom.”
“Perhaps because he hasn’t had time,” Gray suggested. “After all, we’ve determined there’s a group of bounty hunters between him and us.”
“Which makes it even less likely he attacked her, not when the men following were at their closest.”
Jessye tightened her fingers around the green cloth until her knuckles turned white. “Why did he rip off a portion of her bodice?”
“I don’t think he did,” Spence said.
Jessye looked at him as she did her own children, with affection. “Two buttonholes, Spence, tell me that this piece came from the bodice of her favorite dress. She’d never tear it off.”
“I’m not suggesting that she did. I’m only saying that Raven didn’t.” He shifted his body and pointed to the ground. “I believe these grooves were made by spurs when someone rolled a few times.”
Kit, Harry, and Gray exchanged furtive glances.
“Spence, I don’t think we want to travel this line of analysis,” Kit said quietly. He had no desire for Jessye to hear any speculative details regarding her daughter’s attack.
Spence met his gaze with eyes the same shade of light blue as his own. “I know where you think I’m headed with this, but when a man leaves a woman he’s bedded, he doesn’t usually roll several times. I think she and Raven stopped here. Perhaps he went in search of food; I’m not sure. But I think she was alone. Another man attacked her. Raven then attacked him, shoved him off her, and the man rolled, repeatedly, his rowels scoring the earth.”
“Possibly,” Kit acknowledged. “We’ll ask him when we find them. And we will find them.”
A movement caught his attention, and he watched Cartwright and Adams ride into the clearing and dismount. “What did you discover?”
Cartwright approached him. “We located the fire that we spotted two nights ago. Our guess is that it was Raven. We found this.”
Kit took the dirt-covered card he extended.
“Good Lord,” Harry said, as he limped across the clearing, leaning heavily on his cane. He snatched the card from Kit’s fingers and skimmed his thumb across it. “It’s Angela’s.” He looked at Cartwright. “Did you find the others?”
“No, sir. We almost missed this one. Dried leaves were covering most of it,” Cartwright said.
A contemplative expression on her face, Jessye took the card from Harry. “The two of hearts,” she murmured.
“Does that mean something?” Kit asked.
“I won Jessye’s love with that card.”
“You already had my love, Harry, you just earned the right to make me your wife.” She metHarry’s gaze with her troubled one. “You don’t reckon she was trying to tell us that she loves this man.”
“Good God, no! He’s an outlaw,
“I brought my best men, Harry.”
Jessye met his gaze, her eyes limpid pools of green. “What do you think happened here?”
God help him, he should have known she wouldn’t be content until she knew all. Kit combed his fingers through his hair. He was in dire need of a haircut, but ever since he’d received word of Angela’s abduction, he’d thought of nothing except finding her. “In all honesty, I don’t know what to make of this situation, but I don’t think Raven has hurt Angela.”
“Why?” Jessye asked, the relief in her voice like a sharp knife to Kit’s heart as her fingers tightened around the scrap of cloth. He hated dealing out false optimism, yet he wanted to lessen theirworry. He could only pray that it wasn’t for naught.
“If his intent was to attack Angela, why wait almost a week? It makes no sense.”
“Does taking our daughter make sense?” Harry asked.
Kit shook his head. “No, no, it doesn’t. Especially since he hasn’t asked for a ransom.”
“Perhaps because he hasn’t had time,” Gray suggested. “After all, we’ve determined there’s a group of bounty hunters between him and us.”
“Which makes it even less likely he attacked her, not when the men following were at their closest.”
Jessye tightened her fingers around the green cloth until her knuckles turned white. “Why did he rip off a portion of her bodice?”
“I don’t think he did,” Spence said.
Jessye looked at him as she did her own children, with affection. “Two buttonholes, Spence, tell me that this piece came from the bodice of her favorite dress. She’d never tear it off.”
“I’m not suggesting that she did. I’m only saying that Raven didn’t.” He shifted his body and pointed to the ground. “I believe these grooves were made by spurs when someone rolled a few times.”
Kit, Harry, and Gray exchanged furtive glances.
“Spence, I don’t think we want to travel this line of analysis,” Kit said quietly. He had no desire for Jessye to hear any speculative details regarding her daughter’s attack.
Spence met his gaze with eyes the same shade of light blue as his own. “I know where you think I’m headed with this, but when a man leaves a woman he’s bedded, he doesn’t usually roll several times. I think she and Raven stopped here. Perhaps he went in search of food; I’m not sure. But I think she was alone. Another man attacked her. Raven then attacked him, shoved him off her, and the man rolled, repeatedly, his rowels scoring the earth.”
“Possibly,” Kit acknowledged. “We’ll ask him when we find them. And we will find them.”
A movement caught his attention, and he watched Cartwright and Adams ride into the clearing and dismount. “What did you discover?”
Cartwright approached him. “We located the fire that we spotted two nights ago. Our guess is that it was Raven. We found this.”
Kit took the dirt-covered card he extended.
“Good Lord,” Harry said, as he limped across the clearing, leaning heavily on his cane. He snatched the card from Kit’s fingers and skimmed his thumb across it. “It’s Angela’s.” He looked at Cartwright. “Did you find the others?”
“No, sir. We almost missed this one. Dried leaves were covering most of it,” Cartwright said.
A contemplative expression on her face, Jessye took the card from Harry. “The two of hearts,” she murmured.
“Does that mean something?” Kit asked.
“I won Jessye’s love with that card.”
“You already had my love, Harry, you just earned the right to make me your wife.” She metHarry’s gaze with her troubled one. “You don’t reckon she was trying to tell us that she loves this man.”
“Good God, no! He’s an outlaw,
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