He didn’t know how far he walked last night. He just knew he had to put some distance between him and the river. He’d finally laid down under a big pine tree and slept until daylight. The soles of his feet were bleeding through his socks.
He’d awakened this morning and realized he could see the highway from where he was on the side of the mountain and the cop cars. All that commotion. They must have found Celeste.
That was when he knew he was in trouble. He had to find Josey before the cops did. But he couldn’t track her down in the shape he was in. He needed shoes, clothes, a vehicle, medicine and some drugs. He’d lost his stash in the car when it went into the water. He felt jittery and irritable. Soon his skin would be crawling as if there were bugs just under the surface.
He knew he couldn’t get a ride. Not as bad as he looked. Not with cops and searchers crawling the area.
That’s when he’d seen what appeared to be a roof in the distance and remembered when he and his father had come to Montana for an elk hunt. There used to be a bar at what was called Mobridge. As he remembered, there was also a house. Was it possible someone still lived there?
JACK LEANED BACK, the rock warm, the view incredible, and studied Josey.
She stood on the edge of the ravine, staring out at the wild terrain.
They hadn’t spoken since the kiss or her tears. He’d held her until she’d quit crying, then she’d stepped out of his arms, seeming embarrassed, and walked to the edge of the ridge.
He’d waited, giving her time and space. He knew better than to try to push her and yet he wanted desperately to know who had done those things to her and what had her running so scared. What the hell kind of trouble had she gotten herself into and how could he make it right?
Jack chuckled to himself, realizing he’d been wanting to make things right since he was a boy and he’d seen the pain his mother had suffered.
With Josey, it was more complicated. She didn’t want to involve him. Didn’t she realize he was already involved? He’d become involved the moment he’d picked her up on the highway. He’d only gotten in deeper by kissing her. He wanted to help her. And if that meant getting this bastard who’d done this to her...
She’d said she’d taken care of it. He didn’t like the sound of that. Had she killed the man? Was that why she was so afraid? Why hadn’t she gone to the police then? Between the rope burn around her neck and the bruises he’d only glimpsed, she would have had a good case for self-defense.
The breeze ruffled her short, dark curls. He watched her raise her hand to push it out of her eyes. She was so beautiful. So strong and yet so fragile.
He knew he shouldn’t have kissed her. But he hadn’t been able to help himself. And he couldn’t even promise that he wouldn’t do it again.
She turned to look back at him. “I’m sorry about that.”
“I’m not. I’m used to women crying after I kiss them.” Just as he’d hoped, she smiled. “I suppose we’d better head back. We have a long ride ahead of us. Can’t have Aunt Virginia passing out from hunger if we’re late for supper. She is such a delicate thing.”
Josey chuckled. “She’s a lot like your grandmother that way.”
“Isn’t she though.” He handed Josey her reins and helped her into her saddle.
“I’m from California, an only child, my father is dead, my mother—” Her voice broke. “She was in a car accident and never fully recovered.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I probably shouldn’t have even told you that,” she said, looking toward the horizon. “The less you know about me, the better off you’ll be once I’m gone.”
WITH JACK AND JOSEY off on a horseback ride and Virginia napping, Pepper Winchester took advantage of being alone with Enid.
She’d managed to keep her housekeeper from drugging her for some time now by getting rid of the food or drink Enid gave her privately, but she had to put a stop to it. Pepper knew her only hesitation was that she didn’t want to have to fire Enid and her husband.
Not because she felt any kind of loyalty to them. She’d been more than generous with the two over the years. They must have a nice little nest egg put away.
No, it was because she didn’t like change. The last thing she wanted was strangers on the ranch. Enid and Alfred had been fixtures on the place since Pepper herself had come to the ranch as a new bride. Was it any wonder they felt they belonged here even more than she did?
But she couldn’t let Enid run roughshod over her anymore. Nor could she trust the woman. Pepper was sure the two wondered what she was up to. They knew her well enough to know that getting her family back to the ranch hadn’t been an act of sentiment.
She found Enid in the kitchen stirring something boiling on the stove. It was impossible to tell what she was cooking. The woman really was a horrible cook. When Call was alive and the kids were all on the ranch, they’d had a real cook and Enid had been the housekeeper.
Once everyone was gone, there had been no reason to keep on anyone else, although Pepper couldn’t remember firing the rest of the staff.
She suspected Enid had done it, since Pepper had been so distraught that her housekeeper and caretaker had taken advantage of it.
“Please turn that off,” she said now to Enid.
Enid turned slowly to stare at her as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Had it been that long since she’d been in this kitchen?
Enid turned
