For a moment, something flared in his eyes. He was going to kiss her, and Deb wasn’t sure if she wanted that or not. But then he let go of one of her hands and turned her so they were walking back toward the cabin.
“Anytime you want to go out and have a private talk with me, just know that I will for sure say yes.”
“I enjoyed our walk, Trace. I would like to take another one sometime.”
“That would be my pleasure.” Trace smiled so wide his teeth gleamed in the dark.
She liked the warmth and strength of his hand. As they walked, the only noise that broke the silence was the whack of a hammer near the bunkhouse. It was full dark, but the moon and stars above the scudding clouds lit the yard up almost as bright as day.
More building. More planning. Deb knew now that some of this planning had to do with her. She tightened her grip on his hand.
Wolf growled low in his throat. He whirled to face the woods and raced away.
Trace took two running steps, then turned back to Deb. “We’ve come too far from the house. I can’t leave you alone here and I left my gun behind.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s get you back and I’ll alert my men.”
“What is it, Trace?”
“I have a notion, including why Wolf broke off the chase last time—when we were walking home. Let’s hurry.”
They ran toward the ranch yard. As they came close enough, Trace yelled, “Someone come and get Deb! Wolf smelled trouble.”
The hammering stopped. Boiling motion in the night made Deb feel safer, even safer than she’d felt with Trace.
Adam appeared out of the dark. Armed. “Which way?”
Trace pointed and said a few quick, harsh words.
Adam vanished in the direction Wolf had run. Trace kept her moving. Utah was a few paces behind. He’d probably been on the roof.
Trace shouted, “Take her and guard the women.”
Deb saw Trace run off toward the old cabin where he’d been staying since the new cabin was done. Utah hustled her toward the new one. An instant later, Trace was outside, gun in hand, sprinting after Wolf, hard on Adam’s heels.
Utah escorted her inside. He must have thought of the sleeping children in the back room because he didn’t speak, and he shut the door quietly and threw a heavy beam across it to bar the entrance.
Gwen shot up from her rocking chair. She looked from Deb to Utah and whispered urgently, “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Utah spoke quietly, but he managed to scare Deb to the bone. “The boss said I’m to guard you.”
“Wolf growled and ran into the woods,” Deb said. “Just like what happened on the trail home. Trace and Adam went after him.”
CHAPTER
17
Trace caught up with Adam and rushed on past. He recognized the trail Wolf was on and knew where he was going so he could run flat-out.
This time he’d keep going. He thought he knew who was out there and why Wolf had broken off the chase before. And Trace hadn’t been able to keep up the pursuit before with the women and children left defenseless behind him.
The growling ended, and Wolf was back, wagging his tail. Trace ran on. “Dumb dog.”
Yet if Trace was right about things, the dog was smart to end the chase.
It was almost pure dark in the woods, and Trace knew he couldn’t follow his prey if they got off the trail. But it was such a narrow trail. The woods on both sides were near to impenetrable. He also thought the one he pursued had probably calmed Wolf down to make him turn back. Suddenly he ran head on into a man, and the two of them went flying to the ground.
Trace recognized him the minute he quit tumbling and his head cleared. “Tavibo?”
“Yes, Guardian, it is me,” said Tavibo, a Paiute Indian who had befriended Trace shortly after Adam had come.
“Don’t call me that. My name’s Trace and you know it. Why are you upsetting Wolf? Why didn’t you just come to the door?” Trace heard someone coming. “That’s Adam. No need to worry. He’s a good man.”
Tavibo caught Trace’s arm and dragged him off the trail.
Trace could have called out, but he wanted to hear what Tavibo had to say and he wasn’t a man to stick around when he didn’t want to. So he let Tavibo lead him about twenty paces off the trail before they stopped. He heard Adam run past, and Tavibo stood in utter silence until they were out of earshot.
“I tossed your fearsome wolf a hunk of venison, patted him on the head, and sent him back to you.”
“He is fearsome when he needs to be. When he came back so calm, both times, I decided whoever was out there wasn’t too dangerous.”
“Not to him, I’m not. Not to you. But trust me, Guardian, I can be dangerous.”
“Don’t call me—”
“I have great worry about that wagon train that burned,” Tavibo said, cutting him off.
“You worry that the Paiutes will be blamed?” A cold wind wasn’t enough to explain the chill of dread that raced up Trace’s spine.
“Yes. My people are peaceful and have done nothing to deserve soldiers.”
The trees swayed so thick, even with their leaves shed, Trace couldn’t see a single star.
“I’m working on finding the men who attacked the wagon train,” Trace said. “I’ve been to a few settlements on the west side of Tahoe, but I haven’t spoken of the attack. I’d know the stolen horses and cattle if I saw them. But I don’t want to warn the outlaws so I’m not just yelling questions at everyone I see. They left their slaughter behind not knowing they left witnesses. I saw what they did. They used arrows similar to what the Paiute use. They left behind a hatchet carved with Paiute symbols. I know they are hoping someone will blame you and not search for the
