Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
B anging on Sam’s door roused him much earlier than he’d expected. Sleeping hadn’t come easy for him since Kelly had blown away all forms of thought with her kiss the night before. He wasn’t usually one to let things go to his head, but he’d forgotten what kissing her was like.
He whipped his tee-shirt over his head and tugged it down his torso as he went for the front door. Connor waited outside, his breath puffing in huge clouds in the overhead lights. “Sam, get dressed. We’ve got some tracking to do.”
Sam scrubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Tracking? What . . . or who?” A dense rock took shape in his stomach. Had Kelly kissed him to distract him? Had she planned all along to go with Nathan, anyway? She’d tried to convince him last night that she wasn’t worth the effort. Hadn’t he gotten through to her?
“Kelly disappeared. Cole went to her cabin about twenty minutes ago to shovel and noticed the lights were still on. He assumed she was awake, so he wanted to warn her that he’d be making noise right outside. When he knocked, there was no answer. He took a chance and used his key to get in, since Zeus was supposed to be with her, and he couldn’t even hear the dog when he knocked.”
How had she gotten past the cameras? “She took Zeus, right?” At least if she’d left, Zeus would protect her as best he could.
“Yes. It appears that she packed a light bag, took the dog, and headed off through the pasture. Without my dad here and after the snow, Dominic set the camera to alert him if there were more than two images taken in the span of five seconds. She was moving fast enough that she didn’t trip any one camera more than once, but we can see exactly where she went.”
He didn’t need the cameras to know. “She went toward the new fence, didn’t she?” Sam wanted to punch the wall, but that wasn’t how he ever dealt with anger. He always kept his feelings completely under control. Losing his temper wouldn’t solve the problem.
“She did. She didn’t even try to hide her tracks.” Connor gestured back inside. “Unless you’re planning to go in that, you’d best get dressed.”
Sam headed back inside and Connor followed, closing the door behind him. “Was Zeus our best tracker?”
Sam flinched inwardly. Honestly, Zeus was the best tracker, but they had other options. Max had been a bomb sniffer, but he could pick up other scents too. Max had tried to follow the scent of the glove Zeus had found the night before and had come up empty. There had been too much snow covering everything. That didn’t stop him from assuming it was Nathen or whoever Nathen had stationed near Wayside to fly those drones.
“Let’s not worry about dogs yet. She left us a trail. If she got into a car with someone, that’ll be the trouble. Where in the world could she go?” He didn’t even want to speak his fears out loud.
Connor saved him the trouble. “Nathan was texting her for days, asking her to go right there. The only way I’ll believe that he has nothing to do with this is if we make it to that fence and there’s only her prints and Zeus’s. Otherwise, I’m going to assume she found some way to contact Nathan. She was convinced that he was going to pay her, according to Brendon. She was convinced that if she finished what she promised, he’d do as he said.”
Sam buttoned a thick flannel shirt over his tee, then shrugged on a wool vest. He had some thick bibs he used for hunting that would keep him dry and warm if they were outside for a while, which was a definite possibility.
“Maybe I was wrong to lighten up on the rules. I should’ve left them in place and kept Edwyn as her wrangler even though she wasn’t happy with him.”
Sam whipped around. “Are you saying this is my fault? I didn’t do anything. I was trying to get through to her just last night to convince her how important she was as a human being. You know, the things we do for all of our clients.”
Though letting a guest kiss him had never happened. None had ever wanted to that he knew about. With the possible exception of Rebecca who’d admitted to him that she’d had a crush on him, but she’d known it wasn’t reciprocated. That was one of the reasons he hadn’t fought when Connor had suggested Junior take over as Rebecca’s wrangler. Helping her without noticing Rebecca’s attraction had become difficult, and he didn’t want to hurt her.
“Sam, I’m just trying to make sense of why she would do this. The rules have always protected our guests. ”
Yet Brendon had always disagreed with them. “I don’t think this has anything to do with the rules, and I’m beginning to agree with Brendon. They’ve become a crutch for you. Or maybe blinders. Even the Ten Commandments don’t mean anything if you haven’t got Jesus. They’re just rules without a true guide if you don’t have the One True God.”
Connor whipped his hat off and swiped his hand through his hair. He looked like he’d aged a few years in the last few months. Taking on all that they had was hard on him. “I don’t know, Sam. We have a history.”
“Just because you’ve done something for a long time doesn’t mean it’s right or that things shouldn’t change. Either way, right now is not the time. How long ago did she leave?”
“The timestamp on the last picture before she left the property said 10:38.”
It had been later in the evening, probably 10 P.M. when he’d sent Zeus to her cabin. “She must have packed the bag while I was still there or while she was waiting for Zeus. She made very good time through the snow. There aren’t many cars on these roads at that time of night.”
Connor nodded but said nothing. Words weren’t needed. Someone wouldn’t usually strike out on foot in the middle of nowhere unless they were fairly sure they had a ride close by. Sam tugged his hat down over his ears and followed Connor outside, locking his door behind him.
Edwyn met them just off Sam’s porch. “Do you want horses?”
“I want to be on the ground where I can see footprints,” Sam said. “If you both want to ride, that’s fine. But stay off the tracks. ”
“We’ll walk,” Connor answered. “Edwyn, stay by your phone and if I call in backup, be ready to respond. Bring Dominic with you. He’s a great tracker.”
Edwyn nodded his agreement and headed back toward the house. Sam fell into step beside Connor as they made their way to the gate leading into the pasture. It was clear Kelly had gone over with Zeus. There was a path through the snow, one weaving dog and one person who didn’t lift their feet high enough and ended up essentially plowing a track.
“That’s unfortunate. If there were footprints, it would be easy to see just who we’re following easily. Like that, it will be harder to tell if one pair of tracks becomes two.”
“The tracks are still there. Let’s check out her shoe pattern and follow it as far as it goes,” Connor said, pulling a long flashlight from a loop near the hip of his jeans. He clicked it twice and a bright light illuminated the path. “Here we go.” He climbed over the fence and waited for Sam to do the same.
If he hadn’t been distracted by her the night before, would she have been able to leave? He should’ve stayed in her room after what she’d been through in the storm. But she was also very private now and he hadn’t wanted to destroy the fragile progress he’d thought he’d made. So much for that.
The path was clear since the snow was fresh, and they trudged all the way to the fence. The area that was new was still very clearly different from the older portion. Her tracks led right to, and over, the fence. There were no other prints around other than Zeus’s.
“She didn’t meet up with anyone,” Connor muttered. “I’m rarely wrong, but I’m glad that was the case this time. ”
Sam was too, in some ways. Though this now produced a bigger problem. If she wasn’t with Nathan, who had her? Where could she have gone? Sam climbed over the fence and continued on the path. The trees grew thicker along that side all the way to the road, but Kelly’s footprints stayed on the right direction, as if she’d known where to go.
He came all the way to the gravel road and stopped. In the mud, frozen in place, were two large dog footprints. “Connor, look.” He pointed at the ground, then crouched to get a better look. Were there any tennis shoe impressions nearby?
“Is that Zeus?” Connor lowered down next to him. “There.” Connor pointed a few feet away. “She must have stepped out into the road, then backed up. Maybe a vehicle drove by her, then came back?”
Sam nodded. “We’d better call Nixon and see if anyone called in a hitchhiker sighting last night. I’m not sure where this leaves us, though. Kelly has no living relatives. She never got along with her grandmother who only lived until she was fifteen. Her parents were in their late fifties when she was born. Her grandmother was in her nineties when she passed. Both of her parents didn’t live long after she passed.”
“Then that isn’t worth tracking down. Did she have any friends other than the one we heard about?” Connor asked.
She’d had tons of acquaintances when they were together, but he doubted she still knew them. “None that she could trust anymore.”
“Well, then we’ve just hit a dead end.”
Three sharp pops exploded from the vehicle behind them. Kelly screamed and leaned forward, clutching Zeus as close as she could. Perspective hit her hard and fast. Sam would be more sad about losing her than the dog. For so long, she’d believed the opposite.
“Sam!”
Zeus whined, pressing his cold nose to her ear. John swerved one way, then back again. “They’re shooting at us!” He glanced down at her for a moment.
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left.” She squeezed her eyes shut. She’d known Nathan was in the area, but how had he known she was there in that truck? Unless . . .
Kelly sat up a few inches and looked at Zeus. Was he the link? Had someone gotten to Zeus when he was out working with the guys and put something on him? She checked his ears which seemed like the only likely place to hide anything, but they were clear. Running her hand around the inside of his collar, she found a small white disc. It had been stuck to the inside of his collar, completely hidden.
“That’s an air tag. I’ve seen people talking about them on social media. Why would someone put that on your dog?” John swerved again. “I’ve got to find a way to lose this guy behind me or we’re both in trouble.”
Kelly rolled down the window an inch and threw the disc out. If they could get away, she wasn’t going to lead them right back to her. John accelerated so fast that Kelly had to grip the door or fall. Leaning in a seat wasn’t an easy way to travel. “Are they still there?”
“Not for long. Hold on. I hope it’s not icy.” With that, he whipped off the highway, their tail end swerving from side to side while he reacted to correct them. “They missed the exit,” he chuckled nervously. “Good thing I had a friend who was training to be a cop while I was going to school to be a vet. I was the only one between the two of us with a truck. In order to practice, we had an agreement that he would teach me their driving techniques. I haven’t done that in twenty years.”
She slowly rose and leaned against the seat. His hands were shaking where he gripped the wheel. “We’d better hide. There’s no one on the highway so if we get back on that way, they’ll find us.”
He pulled over and killed the lights, then grabbed his phone. “I’ll google up an alternate route while you tell me who Sam is, ‘cause I know it’s not the dog’s name and it’s not my name.” He gave her a gentle smile. “Seems to me that people call for those they care about in moments they think all is lost.”
She should’ve called for Jesus. Guilt hit her. Why hadn’t her first thought been Jesus? See. Bad girl. Kelly closed her eyes. “He’s the guy I loved once.”
“Once?” the man asked. “Not still?”
She couldn’t call what she felt love because love was deep and full. What she felt was so unsure. “Once. He loved me, too I didn’t think about it until right now, but I selfishly blamed him for the trouble I was in, even though I never told him about that trouble. I wanted him to be my rescuer, to see what I wasn’t saying, to know that everything had fallen apart.”
“But he didn’t see it?” he asked.
“No. He thought I chose other men over him. And I had myself convinced that I didn’t, that I did what I had to do, but I always would’ve put Sam first. But I didn’t, did I? I was the one in the wrong. I was the one who chose to do what I thought I had to, and I was so ashamed that I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him then. I still can’t.” Because shame was a disease that spread as fast as cancer.
“Would Sam forgive you?”
“I don’t know that he should.” She swiped her nose since she had no tissues. “I don’t deserve it.”
“None of us deserve it. Ever. Asking for it is all that makes us even slightly worthy of it because it means we know we’ve done something wrong. But even that is a stretch. If you do something to hurt another person, even unintentionally, then you don’t ever—technically— deserve forgiveness. But I would say that’s the very thing that makes forgiveness so powerful.”
“You’re about to go all religious on me, aren’t you?” She gripped her hands together and held tight. It wasn’t that she disliked hearing about Jesus; just that she felt stupid for being her age and not knowing anything.
“Not religious. Faithful. Jesus will forgive you for making that decision if you come to him with a heart that’s sorry, which it sounds like you are. Ask Sam if he’ll do the same and let Jesus work on his heart. You’re so young to be dealing with something that has hurt you so deeply.”
He couldn’t possibly understand, but she didn’t want him to know the half of it. “I’ve been through a lot.”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve found a way to Cheyenne by taking backroads,, but you’ll forgive me for saying that I don’t feel safe bringing you with me to my daughter’s house. Can I take you to the police station? They’ll let you call Sam, and he can come get you.”
“You can drop me off there.” As soon as he did, she’d walk to wherever she wanted to go or ask a policeman for a ride. But she wasn’t calling Sam. He’d have even more to forgive now than he did before .
John didn’t know who she was or what she’d done. He wouldn’t think Sam could forgive her if he knew. Not to mention it wasn’t just Sam. She had to forgive herself now that she understood completely what her choice had meant, and she couldn’t. How could she have thought she had no other choices? Even if Nathan had told her that, she should’ve questioned his logic. She should’ve known better. She’d let him manipulate her completely.
John started the engine once again and they rumbled down the road, letting his navigation system plot the way. With every car they saw, both of them would look at the other and wait to see a reaction.
“I didn’t catch what kind of car it was, but it was a sedan. Light colored, but that’s all I could tell you. High speed and bullets are a good way to obliterate my memory, apparently.”
Kelly sighed. “I didn’t even look. I was too busy hiding.”
“At least it won’t take Sam long to get to you.”
Kelly’s neck tensed. “How do you know?” She’d told him she’d hitchhiked. He couldn’t know which Sam she was talking about. If he did, he’d tell Sam where to find her.
John flinched as he looked over at her. “I’ve never been a good liar. I told you I went to vet school. You mentioned Sam and you were right next to Wayside Ranch. That dog, even though you haven’t used his name, is Zeus. I’d know him anywhere. My son, John Jr., is his vet and I’ve helped him with that dog.”
The traitor dog yipped up at the vet and nuzzled his knee.
“I knew it. Good boy.” He reached over and scratched Zeus’s ear .
“You can’t tell him.” Her voice wouldn’t be calm, no matter how hard she tried. “I need to get away.” She reached for the door.
John grabbed her arm gently and Zeus growled.
“You’d best not touch me. He won’t allow it.” Kelly tugged her arm away, though the man didn’t frighten her.
He held up his hand between them and looked at Zeus. “I won’t touch her again.” He glanced back at her. “Give Sam a chance. He doesn’t do things for recognition or for any reason other than that he either enjoys them or he feels they should be done, and they are the right thing to do. If Sam doesn’t feel it’s the right thing to do, you won’t get him to do it. If you were at Wayside and he was trying to help you, then he wants to help you. He’s not doing it because he was told to, but because he believes in what he’s doing.”
She swallowed hard, wanting to believe Sam would accept her. She wanted to believe all those things he’d said the night before. But those words had come before she’d felt comfortable enough to bare her soul for him. And she might never get comfortable enough to do that. Where would that leave them then?
“I’ll think about it.”
He gripped the steering wheel in both hands with a sigh. “That’s all I can ask.”