Jessye—”
“You were a scoundrel. That didn’t stop me from loving you.”
“A scoundrel and an outlaw are worlds apart. It must have accidentally fallen out of her pocket,” Harry said.
“Harry, from the moment you gave her that deck of marked cards, she insisted on wearing a dress with a pocket so she could carry it with her. If I bought her a dress without a pocket, she’d sewn one in it. Angela deliberately left this card, hoping someone would find it and know what it meant. I’d bet my life on it.”
“All right, let’s assume for a moment that Angela didn’t lose it, but left it on purpose,” Kit said. “I think we can safely assume she doesn’t love the desperado. So what message was she attempting to convey?”
“It obviously has sentimental meaning to your family. Perhaps she just wanted to reassure you that she was unharmed,” Grayson offered.
“‘Not to worry, I’m simply traipsing across the countryside with a murderer’?” Harry asked sharply.
Kit held up his hands. “All right, we don’t need to be snapping at each other.” He glanced at his son, who was good at deducing. “What do you make of all this?”
“I agree with Gray.”
If Spence had been ten years younger, Kitwould have ruffled his burnished hair for that “ask me why I think as I do” look in his eyes. “Because?”
“Why didn’t he make camp here?” Spence tossed out, before turning to Jessye. “All we’ve discovered falls in line with my theory. They stopped here. Perhaps he intended to camp here, but then someone attacked Angela. So they moved on and made camp elsewhere. She left the card to let you know that she’s okay.”
“Now what do we do?” Jessye asked.
“I propose that we continue on. Raven will be avoiding any populated areas, but that doesn’t mean we have to. One of my men can go to the nearest town and send one telegram to your daughters and one to Ashton to allay their worries a little.” He knew his wife would be anxious to receive news regarding their search.
Jessye wound her arms around him and released a tiny sob. “Oh, Kit, all those years ago, I thought I knew what you and Ashton were going through. I didn’t have a clue.”
He hugged her tightly. “We’ll find her, Jessye. I won’t fail this time.”
She lifted her gaze to him. “You didn’t fail last time.”
He stepped out of her embrace, understanding that an argument was not what she needed at this moment, but reassurances. “Let’s prepare to ride.”
He walked to Harry’s horse and waited for his friend to join him. He knew it grated on his pride that he needed help mounting his horse. Heheard Harry’s halting footsteps, the cane he used beating out an unsteady tattoo. Then silence.
“At least we have hope that Angela is alive, and perhaps he isn’t treating her too shabbily. There’s some comfort in not knowing everything, I suppose.”
Kit turned and faced his friend of many years. “No, Harry. There’s no comfort at all in not knowing. It’s been fifteen years since my firstborn son disappeared, and there isn’t a damn day when I don’t wake up and wonder if what I found was evidence he’d been killed. As painful as the absolute certainty will be, it’s better to know.”
Chapter 9
A ngela ran her swollen tongue over her cracked lips. The unmerciful sun beat down with a vengeance. She was grateful for the shade Lee’s hat provided. They seldom galloped now, but simply plodded along over unforgiving terrain. She had lost count of the number of days and nights they’d been together. She had to focus all her effort on remaining in the saddle when she desperately wanted to lie down on the ground and sleep until she was an old woman.
He shoved the canteen into her hands.
“Drink. Once. Hold the water in your mouth for a while before swallowing,” he ordered in a voice that sounded like sand brushed over rocks.
She welcomed the drops of moisture coating her tongue, knowing she didn’t
“You were a scoundrel. That didn’t stop me from loving you.”
“A scoundrel and an outlaw are worlds apart. It must have accidentally fallen out of her pocket,” Harry said.
“Harry, from the moment you gave her that deck of marked cards, she insisted on wearing a dress with a pocket so she could carry it with her. If I bought her a dress without a pocket, she’d sewn one in it. Angela deliberately left this card, hoping someone would find it and know what it meant. I’d bet my life on it.”
“All right, let’s assume for a moment that Angela didn’t lose it, but left it on purpose,” Kit said. “I think we can safely assume she doesn’t love the desperado. So what message was she attempting to convey?”
“It obviously has sentimental meaning to your family. Perhaps she just wanted to reassure you that she was unharmed,” Grayson offered.
“‘Not to worry, I’m simply traipsing across the countryside with a murderer’?” Harry asked sharply.
Kit held up his hands. “All right, we don’t need to be snapping at each other.” He glanced at his son, who was good at deducing. “What do you make of all this?”
“I agree with Gray.”
If Spence had been ten years younger, Kitwould have ruffled his burnished hair for that “ask me why I think as I do” look in his eyes. “Because?”
“Why didn’t he make camp here?” Spence tossed out, before turning to Jessye. “All we’ve discovered falls in line with my theory. They stopped here. Perhaps he intended to camp here, but then someone attacked Angela. So they moved on and made camp elsewhere. She left the card to let you know that she’s okay.”
“Now what do we do?” Jessye asked.
“I propose that we continue on. Raven will be avoiding any populated areas, but that doesn’t mean we have to. One of my men can go to the nearest town and send one telegram to your daughters and one to Ashton to allay their worries a little.” He knew his wife would be anxious to receive news regarding their search.
Jessye wound her arms around him and released a tiny sob. “Oh, Kit, all those years ago, I thought I knew what you and Ashton were going through. I didn’t have a clue.”
He hugged her tightly. “We’ll find her, Jessye. I won’t fail this time.”
She lifted her gaze to him. “You didn’t fail last time.”
He stepped out of her embrace, understanding that an argument was not what she needed at this moment, but reassurances. “Let’s prepare to ride.”
He walked to Harry’s horse and waited for his friend to join him. He knew it grated on his pride that he needed help mounting his horse. Heheard Harry’s halting footsteps, the cane he used beating out an unsteady tattoo. Then silence.
“At least we have hope that Angela is alive, and perhaps he isn’t treating her too shabbily. There’s some comfort in not knowing everything, I suppose.”
Kit turned and faced his friend of many years. “No, Harry. There’s no comfort at all in not knowing. It’s been fifteen years since my firstborn son disappeared, and there isn’t a damn day when I don’t wake up and wonder if what I found was evidence he’d been killed. As painful as the absolute certainty will be, it’s better to know.”
Chapter 9
A ngela ran her swollen tongue over her cracked lips. The unmerciful sun beat down with a vengeance. She was grateful for the shade Lee’s hat provided. They seldom galloped now, but simply plodded along over unforgiving terrain. She had lost count of the number of days and nights they’d been together. She had to focus all her effort on remaining in the saddle when she desperately wanted to lie down on the ground and sleep until she was an old woman.
He shoved the canteen into her hands.
“Drink. Once. Hold the water in your mouth for a while before swallowing,” he ordered in a voice that sounded like sand brushed over rocks.
She welcomed the drops of moisture coating her tongue, knowing she didn’t
Similar Books
