Chapter Seven
Yuletide Angels
Maddie makes poor decisions, but Loki saves the day again.
“God’s bones, it’s not like she has many choices, Grant. She would take the ravine because ’tis faster,” Logan shouted.
Alex had been arguing with him over which way Mac would have taken Maddie.
“It’s faster, aye, but not nearly as safe. Would Mac have risked it?”
“With Maddie hastening him, I’d say he would have. They would have been here earlier, before this heavy snowfall.”
“The wind is strengthening, and we’ll be in a full storm before long,” Alex said.
Brodie nodded. “We need to cross the ravine before that. We’ll not be able to see where we’re going soon, and it’s a long fall down if we attempt it then.”
Alex nodded, silently cursing his wife’s stubborn nature.
Or was it his own stubborn nature that was at fault this time?
He’d not explained his reasoning well, instead expecting Maddie to do whatever he said without question.
Brenna had warned him once that his ideas were outmoded and daft at times.
His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a horse coming toward them.
He knew Logan saw the same, because he pointed toward it in the distance and said, “Here comes the missing lad. Mayhap he has news for us.”
Loki’s horse galloped straight toward them, the lad’s excitement visible even from a distance.
Brodie yelled out to him, “I’ll chastise you later for going off on your own, but what have you for us? You’ve discovered something, have you not?”
“Aye,” he said, pausing to catch his breath. “They went through the ravine. I checked which way they were going, then came back to tell you. I’ll bet they’re in the cave by now.”
“Aye, if Mac is wise enough not to listen to my stubborn wife, who I’m sure wanted to press on.” Alex cursed under his breath again, then remembered to thank Loki. “I’m pleased you were so resourceful, lad.”
Logan said, “She’ll stop in the cave, Grant. Her goal was to get far enough that you’d have to take her to Ramsay land. And as you said before, she’s not used to traveling for that long. She’ll be freezing.”
“I’m not sure that cave would be considered halfway,” Alex said, his lips pursed tight to keep himself from launching into another tirade.
How the hell could Maddie have done something so foolish?
No matter how he tried, he couldn’t come up with any sound reason for her to act so rashly with their bairns and Alice and Mac.
Being foolish over her own comforts was one thing, but to risk the young and the elderly was beyond something he thought her capable of doing.
Even if he had ordered her around, she knew better.
Logan snorted. “After several hours in this weather with three bairns, she’ll be wishing it’s more than halfway.”
Alex cast a sideways glance at Logan, knowing he was right.
Still, his concern over how they were faring in this storm only grew. He worried especially for Kyla and Alice.
“Let’s move on. Loki, lead the way.”