10. Chapter 10 - Cade
As she moves away, all the strength leaves me and I slump onto the thick roots of the pine.
It was almost like seeing a ghost, a shell of the woman I used to know.
But Rosalyn has a different vein of frailty than Ava ever had.
Ava fought to get away.
Rosalyn has a set to her shoulders that says she’s given up.
What the hell happened to her since Ava died? And why did she come into the woods almost like she was looking for me?
Shaking my head, I trudge through the snow to where I have Bessy hidden and climb up.
Is this a fool’s errand trying to see if I can learn more? Maybe next time I see Rosalyn, I’ll reveal who I am.
Then I’ll know for sure what kind of stories have been told about me.
Reaching the spot where her trail veers off, I pause, watching Bessy’s hot exhales billow around her nose.
Should I follow? The fact that Rosalyn came out here alone tells me that she didn’t tell her brothers where she was going.
I have no doubts they would have accompanied her if they knew.
Directing Bessy to a patch of exposed grass under a few wide boughs, I let her snack while I give Rosalyn a head start.
As tempting as it is to find her and ask more questions, I need to get some better surveillance first.
After enough time passes that it feels safe, I slowly work my way closer to the main portion of the ranch.
“You stay here and out of trouble.” I tug the knot on her reins around a branch and make the rest of the trip on foot.
This way I can stick to the hard, icy snow and the thicker areas of cover where my footsteps won’t show.
I don’t know how observant the Baileys are, but I don’t want to get caught by an amateur mistake like leaving an obvious trail.
Finding a low hanging evergreen, I nestle into the bed of needles under it and pull out my binoculars just in time to see a truck hauling a livestock trailer come down the driveway.
At a glance I know it’s one of the brothers, I’m just not sure which.
He parks in front of the house and slams his door with a grin before going inside. In only a few seconds, he reappears with Rosalyn on his heels.
“After you get him taken care of, make sure you clean out the trailer. He shit everywhere.” His voice carries through the cold dusk.
Eli. I should have recognized him by the arrogant way he sticks out his shoulders.
Even when I knew him years ago, he acted like he had something to prove. I remember the stories that Ava would tell me about how he’d basically terrorize her and Rosalyn since they were younger than him.
By the tone of his words, nothing’s changed. He’s still snotty as shit to his sister.
A morsel of anger on her behalf settles into my gut.
“I didn’t want him, remember?” Her chin juts.
But when I bump up the magnitude and zoom in, I can see the tremble as she swallows hard behind him.
Poor girl.
“Well that nag you have is useless now, isn’t she?
I might load her up next month and take her to the sale barn.
We don’t need any hay burners around here.
” His hand waves through the air, then he drops the big swinging door.
“Hell, I can use another excuse to head up through Campton. I stopped and saw Val. Got a date with her in a couple of days.”“You talked to her?” Rosalyn’s cheeks pale.
Val? Owner of the bar?
Well, she did marry Chris. Eli would probably be her type if she still likes douchebags.
It’d give me a public place to catch a glimpse at him. Maybe even a conversation in a neutral place?
“Yea. She’s even hotter than I remember.” Eli’s white teeth flash in the dim light. “She has tattoos and owns the bar.” Then his jaw clenches as he steps back. “She’s at least doing something with herself. You should try it instead of making us do all your bullshit errands.”
“I didn’t want this fucking horse, Eli. I also tried to leave for college, John said no because of Ava.
I tried to move out, sell my portion of the ranch.
You both said no. Don’t give me your crap, Eli.
” She stomps into the recesses of the trailer as I watch her brother shake his head and walk away.
Jesus. Is she trapped here?
Why doesn’t she just leave?
I met Ava on campus, is that why Rosalyn can’t go?
That’s so fucked.
When I see Rosalyn slowly backing out of the trailer, she’s leading a high-headed solid black gelding.
“Come on, Zeus. Time to see your new prison,” she grumbles.
He throws up his nose, jerking her arm holding the rope.
“Easy, boy.” Her stance widens as she waits for him to settle down. “It’s not really a jail, I promise. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. It’s not your fault you’re here.” Her soothing words sound like she’s almost saying them to herself instead of the horse she’s crooning softly to.
Another few steps and he balks again, this time backing away from the dark cavernous entrance to the barn.
“I know it’s scary. Let me just turn on the light.” She slips her grasp to the very end of the tether to reach inside the door.
But when the area is flooded with illumination, it’s too much for him.
Rearing, he yanks her down, dragging her through the slushy mud.
“Shit. It’s okay.” She tries to call out as she clings to the line. “Easy!”
She’s going to get stomped on.
Damn it.
Surging to my feet, I sprint across the yard to grab the rope just above her hands, forcing the beast’s head down.
“What the—” she gasps. But to her credit, she holds on.
After another buck or two, the horse finally stops with his sides heaving.
“Cade?” she exhales, her blue eyes wide beneath me.
I don’t have my scarf up. Fucking hell. “Go open his stall,” I grit without looking at her.
“But you’re—”
“Go,” I cut her off. I don’t have time to argue with her. Eli could be back out here at any moment.
Wordlessly, she opens and closes her mouth one more time, then scrambles to her feet.
Mud cakes her side as she hustles into the barn and pulls open the first pen.
With a firm tug, I get the gelding inside, then hand her the end of the lead as she shuts the gate.
“He was gonna keep running,” I grunt. “Don’t do that shit again. He can tell when you’re mad.”
“Wait.” Her fingers cling to the sleeve of my coat, but I pull away. “Why are you here?”
That makes me pause and turn back. “Apparently to save your ass.” I glower at her, then stride away.
Now I really do need to get the heck out of here. Slinking along the shadows of the barn, I cut through a dark clump of trees until I find my hidden path that leads back to my own horse.
I really messed up. Having a witness to my trespassing that can identify me is going to make things much more complicated.