Chapter 16
Scanning the roadway for any sign, Sara and Logan slowly made their way down the path where the accident occurred.
They were hoping to come upon a narrow area where only one horse could pass at a time.
So far, they’d seen a few areas that fit the description, but there was no sign of a disturbance having happened there.
“I hope we find something soon,” Sara said.
“Dinnae fear, at the very least I can find the place where he fell. Finding the plant may be difficult though.”
“What if we can’t find it?” Sara worried.
“Then Rory will die.”
It was a simple and true statement, but not one Sara wanted to hear. “And you’ll marry Aisla.”
“Aye. I will. I have given my word and I cannae take it back,” he stated, sounding as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
“We’ll find it, I know we will. It should be fairly obvious, wouldn’t you think?” Sara pictured it in her mind and thought if life was anything like the criminal investigation shows she liked to watch, then it would practically jump right out at them.
“Mayhap, but it’s rained since then and evidence of the fall may have been washed away. I wouldnae get me hopes up if I were ye.”
Why was he being such a pessimist. “Grrr … ”
“Did ye just growl at me, lass?” He had a note of amusement in his voice.
“I’m growling at the situation and yes, at you,” she replied.
Logan chuckled, which made Sara want to growl even more.
“You’re impossible,” she said instead. He laughed again.
“How can you think this is funny? This is Rory’s life … our lives we’re talking about.”
“Because if I dinnae laugh about it, I’ll surely cry and I dinnae wish fer ye to see me as anything but the braw man I am.” The twinkle in his eye told her he was teasing.
It was Sara’s turn to laugh. What was the point in fighting it?
Edna was here to help Rory and she simply had to believe that he would live.
Any other thoughts left her feeling hopeless, something she tried to avoid in her life.
She was a determined optimist for the most part.
That’s not to say there weren’t days when she felt completely down and without hope, but she did her best to keep those at a minimum, believing that as far as the universe was concerned, you get what you give.
Logan stopped his horse in front of her as they came to a particularly narrow ledge that, to Sara’s eye, seemed almost impassable, with a nauseatingly long drop off the edge.
“I think this could be the spot,” Logan said as he dismounted.
“How could it be. His horse fell, but not down the ravine. This doesn’t appear wide enough for that.” Sara dismounted and walked to his side.
“Look around the corner there.” Logan pointed to a spot that was wider, but yet still treacherous to someone taking a tumble from a horse. “Leave the horses here. Let’s take a look.”
They crept past the narrowest section. Sara hugged the wall and kept her eyes from looking down.
She was terrified of heights, but she wasn’t about to tell Logan.
He’d probably make her go back to stand with the horses.
She breathed a huge sigh of relief as they rounded the corner and came to a spot where the path widened again.
The ground around them appeared no worse for wear, but gazing down the side, which would have facilitated a rolling fall by Rory, they could see many broken branches and signs of a body sliding downhill.
“Stay here, I’m going down,” Logan said.
“No. I’m going with you,” Sara insisted, fighting back the nausea and dizziness that were overcoming her at the thought of it.
“Sara. Dinnae be so damned stubborn. ’Tis nae safe fer us both to go down there. Ye must stay here.”
She was gritting her teeth and digging her heels in. No way was she staying up here alone.
“If anything happens to me, I’ll need ye to be able to go fer help. Do ye understand?” He had his hands on her shoulders and was gazing into her eyes.
Wow. He really knew how to make her melt. “Okay,” she said.
“Good, lass. I’ll be careful, I promise.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips.
Sara’s impulse control wasn’t very good when it came to Logan. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss. She found herself pinned against the rock wall to her back, as Logan placed a hand on either side of her and leaned his forehead against hers. “Lass … ”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I know, this isn’t the time or the place, but I couldn’t help myself.”
He was still staring at her with those same deep, dark eyes that had undone her a moment before.
“I promise I won’t do it again.” Her fingers were crossed.
“Ye shouldnae make promises ye cannae keep.” His mouth was less than a millimeter away. “And if it werenae so important to gather plants for Edna, I’d put ye to the test.”
Her heart thudded a happily frantic beat in her chest, as her spaghetti-like legs threatened to give way beneath her. “Well, hurry up then,” she managed to squeak out.
“Aye.” He touched a soft finger to her lips and was over the side of the ravine before she knew what happened.
Sara forced herself to look over once again and was surprised to see something other than the sheer drop she was sure was there the first time she looked.
The drop off from the road, while steep, was definitely climbable in most spots.
There were times when Logan sat on his butt and slid, but most of the time he was able to remain on his feet.
He ascertained the path Rory had taken on his fall by the path of broken branches and slide marks and ultimately found the spot where he landed not even halfway to the bottom.
“Do you see anything?” Sara asked.
“I see many things,” Logan teased.
“You know what I mean.”
“Aye. I’m going to gather as many samples of plants as I can. He started hacking away at shrubs, greenery and branches.
Sara was amazed at how many different plants she was seeing.
This wasn’t going to be easy. She watched as Logan hacked away at the plants and shrubs.
Damn he was sexy. Broad shoulders and narrow waist, muscles flexing every which way while he worked.
Heaven help her, but she couldn’t stop herself from admiring him as he worked.
Logan moved past a large flowering bush that caught her attention. “Hey, Logan. See that yellow flowering bush to your left?”
“Aye.” He cautiously made his way over to it.
“I think that’s oleander and if it is, it’s poisonous.”
He hacked off a good-sized piece, flowers and all. “’Tis dripping a milky liquid where I’ve cut it,” Logan observed.
“Don’t get it on yourself.” She wasn’t sure if getting it on your skin could make you sick, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“I willnae.” He placed it in the cloth bag hanging from his shoulder. Edna had given it to them to transport the items they found. He continued gathering plants from the spot where Rory landed and all along the way back up to Sara. “Here,” he said, handing Sara the bag.
She took it and then gave him a hand as he hoisted himself back up onto the roadway.
Taking the bag from Sara, he tied it to his saddle. “That’s it. We’re done. Now to get this back to Edna.”
***
Sara was overwhelmed by the number of plants in the bag.
Even with everything they’d gathered, she was worried that they may not find a solution that would save Rory’s life.
She was overcome with sadness at this thought.
She didn’t have a very good poker face and Logan noticed her change in mood immediately.
“What is wrong, mo chroi?” Logan asked as he rode along beside her.
“What does it mean?” she asked.
“Mo chroi?”
She nodded. “You’ve said it to me before, but I was too pre-occupied to ask.”
“It means my heart … my love.”
“I like that,” Sara said, smiling once again.
“That’s better. Your smile keeps me from despair, gives me hope and is much better than the pouty face ye wore a moment ago.”
“Okay. The first part of that was very sweet, but then you went and ruined it with your pouty comment,” she teased.
“’Twill be dark soon. We should stop for the night.”
“We can’t. We have to get back to Dunaill.”
“There is nae moon tonight and we risk injury to the horses if we continue. We’ll be on our way again at first light.”
He guided his horse to a spot off the road. “This will do.” He dismounted and helped Sara do the same.
Despite the seriousness of their journey, she didn’t want to go back. She wanted to stay here, alone with Logan.
Turning back to her, Logan must have noticed Sara’s hesitation for he was back at her side before she could utter a word. What troubles ye, love?”
“I wish we could stay here forever, just the two of us.” She was tired and it was taking a toll on her mood.
“Sara, love, we must go back. I’d love nothing better than to stay here with ye, but we’ll never be able to be together if we dinnae help Edna save Rory.”
“I know. I just wonder what it would be like if Rory hadn’t been injured and he’d come back for Aisla.”
He took both of her hands in his. “I would be the happiest man in the world. My only care would be for ye and how happy we would be together. I cannae change the way things are or the way they will be. I can only hope that what we’re doing makes a difference and that Aisla will have her man back and I will be free to be with ye. ”
Sara’s heart was overflowing with the love she felt for Logan. She knew he loved her, but she also knew if things didn’t work out, they would have to say good-bye. “You know something, you’re way too noble for your own good and that’s one of the things I love about you.”
Logan kissed her forehead and chuckled. “I’ll get a fire going.”
“I’ll help.” She began to gather dried sticks and twigs for kindling. When she looked up, Logan was watching her. “I’m not helpless, you know.”
“I ken it. I was merely enjoying the view,” Logan chuckled.
She tossed a stick at him and he caught it before it hit him.
“Behave yerself, lass. I’ll nae share me plaid with ye.”
His crooked smile said otherwise and so Sara gave him her sauciest of looks and continued collecting kindling.
It didn’t take long for Logan to get the fire going. He sat with his back against a tree conveniently located near the fire and beckoned her to join him. She sat in between his legs, with her back to his chest and Logan took his plaid and wrapped it around them both.
“Will ye stay here,” Logan asked.
“Here in the woods?” Sara giggled.
“Nae. Ye ken what I mean. If Rory shouldnae make it, will ye stay here.”
“I couldn’t,” she answered. “It would be too hard to see you and not be with you.”
“’Tis as I thought. Ye should go back home.” Sara reached a hand back to touch his face as he continued talking. “I feel the same. If I must marry Aisla, I will be true to her.”
“Damn right you will. That’s the way it’s supposed to be when you’re married to someone.”
“Aye. If ye stayed, ‘twould be impossible.” He nuzzled her hair with his nose as he spoke.
“If I stayed, I’d make sure you stuck to your vows.” Sara tipped her head back to look up at him.
“How could I be so lucky to find ye and so unlucky as to lose ye. Fate is cruel, Sara.”
She didn’t answer him. There was no arguing that point, instead she enjoyed the feel of his arms around her, his head next to hers, his voice in her ear and she’d pray she never had to find out what it would be like to live without Logan.
***
The fireplace in Edna’s room was a good place to communicate with Maggie. She made sure the door was locked and no one was around before she sat in front of it.
“Maggie, can ye hear me?” They’d agreed to a time and day for this exchange. She hoped Maggie was there.
“Aye, I’m here,” Maggie replied.
“I was worried ye’d ferget,” Edna said.
“Ye ken me better than that. I need to ken what’s happening. I’d not miss it.”
“Things are pretty grim, but I believe there’s a slight chance we can save Rory. It all depends on what Sara and Logan find at the accident site.”
“If ye need any help from this end, ye’ll let me know, right?”
“I will. How’s yer Uncle?”
“He misses ye,” Maggie said.
“I miss him as well. Ye’ll tell him fer me?”
“Of course.”
“Tell him all is well here and I should be back soon.”
“So, what do ye think is wrong with Rory?” Maggie asked.
“It may be poisoning, but we’re nae sure how. ’Tis why we’ve sent Logan and Sara off to survey the place of the accident. I hope they’ll recover some plants that may give me an answer.”
“Would anyone have poisoned his food?”
“I dinnae believe so. They’ve been quite careful with him. Only a select few people are taking care of him.”
“Hmmm … Sounds odd.”
“Aye. ’Tis a puzzle. We’ll sort it out though.”
“I hope so. So many people would be affected by his death.”
“Too many.”
“All is well here at the Inn. No need fer ye to worry. Dylan has the kitchen and dining room under control, and I’m handling the front desk and the magic,” she teased.
“That’s my lass,” Edna said. “I know I can count on ye to run the inn like a well-oiled machine in my absence.”
“Do you need anything else from me?” Maggie asked.
“Nae, love. If I do, I’ll be in touch. In the meantime, wish me luck.”
“Good luck, but ye willnae need it. All will be well, I can feel it.”
Edna said goodbye to her niece and felt a sense of relief. If Maggie told her all would be well, then it would be. She had been gifted with the sight, as had Edna, only Edna didn’t always trust hers and Maggie did.