Along Came a Cowboy, page 12
She’d been too worried about the moose to complain much about her throbbing shoulder. But in the light of day, it was obvious that one side hung lower. Her fingers tingled and she’d needed help just to climb to the ground. According to Janet, her shoulder was dislocated, something the woman promised she could fix.
Allie wasn’t as convinced. She winced at Janet’s slow pull, accepting it was probably time to use the radio and arrange for a pick-up. Clearly she couldn’t continue the race. She could be in the hot tub by noon.
Janet braced her foot against Allie’s ribs, still playing with her arm.
Allie tilted her head, looking up at her. “Maybe I should call—”
A painful jab was accompanied by a clunking noise that left her screeching.
“There. It’s back in place.” Janet gave a triumphant thumbs-up. “I’ve done that lots of times. Besides, your shoulder wasn’t even that bad. It’ll be sore but it shouldn’t slow you down. Not much anyway.”
“I don’t know,” Allie said. Janet was correct about it being sore. But the pain wasn’t nearly as intense; now it was more like a dull throb. And the numbness and tingling were mostly gone. She moved her arm a couple inches, gingerly at first then repeated the movement with growing confidence. It wasn’t really that bad, as long as she didn’t raise her arm too high.
She was a little peeved that Janet had tricked her. But it would have been impossible not to tense up, and Janet had known that. “It is much better,” Allie admitted. “Thank you.”
Janet jabbed at the branch above them. “Well, you did save me last night. I imagine that moose and her baby are long gone. But let’s get out of here. We can eat a breakfast bar when we reach the river.”
She surprised Allie by picking up the pack and helping adjust it over Allie’s shoulders. It appeared the moose encounter had helped instill a sense of teamwork and Janet realized that they needed each other. The thought was comforting. Allie preferred getting along with people rather than fanning hostilities. A therapist once said her conciliatory nature was natural, considering she’d been forced to hone it since she was young. Certainly this race would be more enjoyable without constant sniping.
They set off along the trail, walking with a new spirit of cooperation. After they collected the tent and second pack, they sped up, keen to move away from the spot where the protective moose had burst from the trees. Allie hadn’t noticed the smell the previous night but the air was heavier here, almost rotten. It wasn’t offensive, just different. The ground was soft too, squelching beneath her feet then sucking at her boots when she lifted her legs, as if loath to let go.
The trail curved around some scrub then joined a wider road that led to a startling huge wetland crisscrossed with water channels. The road skirted the boggy expanse but the ground was mucky, making it impossible to hide their tracks.
Allie stared at the soft ground, her heart kicking in alarm when she spotted hoof prints. “Carter and Monty have been here,” she said. “That cleft print is a moose but look at the ones on the side.”
She and Janet clustered around the tracks. The moose tracks were wide and deep, longer than the horses and almost covering them in some spots. But beneath them lay shod hoof prints.
“Wait,” Allie said. “These horses have bigger feet.” She dropped to one knee, measuring the tracks with her hand. The prints were definitely different from the ones they’d seen yesterday morning. Almost half a palm bigger. “I don’t think it’s Carter and Monty after all. I remember Hawk’s tracks. And these horses are much larger.”
“That’s lucky,” Janet said. “Because it would be hard to hide our footprints. And this soft ground will make it hard to hear if the men are approaching. They could corner us against the bog.”
Allie studied both sides of the road. She always liked to have a hiding option. But the trees on their right were stunted and widely spaced. If Carter and Monty rode up now, the left side would be their only choice; horses couldn’t follow them into the bog. But then the men could just sit in their saddles and wait them out. The race would be over while she and Janet stood knee-deep in the brackish water.
“We better get out of here,” Janet said, her voice urgent. “This isn’t a good place. Once we reach the river, we might be able to avoid the horses. I heard parts of the bank are steep, not good for horses but easy climbing for athletic girls like us...” Her voice trailed off, her gaze locked on Allie’s shoulder.
“I’m fine,” Allie said brightly.
“Can you raise your arm?” Janet asked.
“Of course. Watch.” Allie lifted her arm, steeling herself against the pain. She thought she did a good job of hiding the discomfort but Janet’s eyes narrowed.
“You know,” Janet said, “Rebecca and I planned to separate at the river. And I think it’s still a good idea. It’s the perfect spot to lay a decoy trail and help me win.”
Allie no longer felt the pain in her shoulder, only an overriding panic. To be alone in this wilderness was her worst nightmare. And she was just starting to enjoy Janet’s company. “I wouldn’t like that,” she said quickly. “I really don’t like to be alone. And I can keep up with you. In fact, let’s jog again. All the way to the river.”
Janet stared at her for another taut moment, then shrugged and broke into a ground-covering jog. Before the race, Allie would have termed it a sprint. But she was accustomed to Janet’s speed now and motivated to stick close, despite her throbbing shoulder. One more day, she promised herself, trying to block the pain that radiated down her side every time her foot hit the ground.
At least this new injury let her forget about her blistered feet. Yesterday they had been her main concern. Today they seemed trivial. Besides, once they reached the river, she and Janet could take a break. One of her thoughtful co-workers had left some energy bars outside her door, and she intended to eat two of them. They were the perfect trail bar, with oatmeal, fruit and nuts, and they were the only ones that hadn’t melted in her pack. Even Janet had eyed them longingly. She’d share them with Janet, and they’d still have four left for lunch.
She kept her mind occupied by imagining the taste of those bars and how refreshing the river water would feel on her hot skin. And even though Janet set a demanding pace, Allie kept her in sight, never letting her pull more than ten feet ahead. In fact, Allie was running so mechanically, so focused on keeping her legs moving that she almost bumped into Janet’s back.
She didn’t have to ask about the sudden halt. Campfire smoke tainted the trail. Pungent, thick and menacing.
They froze, too frightened to move. Janet’s pupils were as wide as saucers and her dread made Allie’s heart pump even faster. They were so close to the Mustang River they could feel the moisture in the air, hear the rushing water, smell Carter and Monty’s coffee.
Janet pointed to the trees and they gathered their wits and crept off the path, trying to leave as little trace as possible.
“Did you see them?” Allie whispered, checking the leaves for wind direction.
“No, they must be above us.”
“At least the wind is in our favor. Their horses aren’t likely to smell us from up there.”
“Yes, but the men are obviously watching the river. They can probably see the entire shoreline.” Janet groaned in frustration. “That means we’re stuck here.”
Allie scanned the ground for a mossy place to sit. Now that they were out of immediate danger, she was happy to grab a break. She was still amped up but her heart rate felt almost normal. “On the positive side,” she said, “it’s a chance for us to finally eat. It’ll be nice to take a breather.”
Janet wheeled, her eyes flashing. “Don’t you understand! We can’t go any further. But that doesn’t matter to you, does it? This race is just a lark, a way to get a few days off work. But this is my livelihood. I have to win.”
Allie sighed. Saving Janet’s life didn’t go very far; the woman’s gratitude had already fizzled. Allie didn’t want to get caught either but for reasons Janet would never understand. She barely understood them herself. She only knew she didn’t want to be captured, not on the first day and now not on the second.
Earlier she’d thought it would be enough of a triumph to make it through the first morning. Prove to Carter—and everyone else—that she was tough enough to rise to a challenge. But now she wanted more. Not for her boss or the ranch or for him. She wanted it for herself.
“I want to win too.” She kept her voice low so Janet would remember to whisper, and she used her encouraging tone that always worked on reluctant dance students. “But we shouldn’t panic. We need to act, not react. We should power up and make a plan, a smart plan, not one driven by panic.”
Janet gave a grudging grunt but didn’t interrupt. She was even paying attention so Allie continued.
“We can’t get by Carter and Monty,” Allie said. “And we can’t let them corner us here. Our best option is to stash our packs and retrace our steps to the bog. We’ll go in the water. Hide where their horses can’t go. They’ll have to ride down that long road to see if we come out on the other side. And that bog looks huge.” Allie gave another nod as she visualized the plan. It seemed like a good one.
“Once they’re gone,” she went on, “we’ll race back and grab our packs. Then we’ll be able to get to the river ahead of them.”
“And once we’re there,” Janet said, nodding her head, “it’ll be harder for them to see our tracks on the rocky shoreline.” She turned and unzipped the food pack. “But our break can’t be very long. Those men won’t linger over their breakfast.” She pulled out a protein bar and tossed it to Allie. “Eat fast.”
Allie snagged the bar midair, checked the label and tossed it back. “That’s not the kind I want,” she said. “I want my good trail bars. We can share them. But I want two right now.”
“We got along better when you listened to me,” Janet muttered, but she was almost smiling as she rummaged in the food pack. She withdrew four of the special oatmeal bars and this time politely passed them over. “I just don’t want you to eat too much and upset your stomach,” she said. “You’re not used to this extreme activity.”
“It’s not like I’ve been a couch potato,” Allie said, tearing open the wrapper. “Swimming and dancing keep me fit.”
“You do surprise me,” Janet said. “And you sure know a lot about the back country.”
Once again she didn’t sound the least bit sarcastic. It was surprising how much of Kate’s advice had sunk in, Allie thought, as she bit into the delicious bar. Lasting out here for more than twenty-four hours was a significant achievement, something many of the professional athletes hadn’t been able to accomplish.
But the thought kept whispering in the back of her head—it would be even better to make it to the finish line. All she had to do was keep Janet pointed in the right direction and keep from being caught. And despite a collection of aches and pains, as well as a dull headache brought on by caffeine withdrawal, she felt surprisingly strong, resilient and infused with the will to win.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Monty’s horse abruptly floundered, sinking to his knees in the soft ground. Mud squelched and saddle bags slapped against Banjo’s side, smacking the air.
“Sonofabitch,” Monty said, guiding Banjo back to solid footing and glaring across the bog. “I can’t believe the girls went into that.”
Carter tightened his reins, keeping Hawk back from the treacherous bog. He stared down at the familiar boot prints, then over the treacherous green of the bog, trying to spot human heads. No average hiker would attempt to cross this wetland, riddled with mossy hummocks and murky waterways. But Janet Bailey wasn’t the average hiker. And it seemed neither was Allie.
The morning had started out optimistically, with freshly brewed coffee, back bacon and grain for the horses. It had turned even brighter when they backtracked and spotted Allie’s and Janet’s tracks only a quarter mile down the trail. They’d successfully cut the women off from the Mustang River—obviously the race ended somewhere upstream—but it appeared their quarry had once again given them the slip.
“How far is the road around this bog?” Carter asked, wondering if the women would come out the other side or just hide for a while.
“About three miles,” Monty said. “I assumed the finish line was some point on the river where there’s road access. But if they come out on the other side, they could catch the old logging road that runs east. That means the end of the race could be where they used to harvest the peat moss.”
Carter shifted uneasily. He and Monty had no idea where the finish line was. They had no map, only their ability to follow a trail. But picking up the women’s tracks didn’t help if their horses couldn’t follow. They’d have to ride around the bog and see if prints came out on the other side. It would be tortuous progress for Allie and Janet though, with brackish water to their waists and their feet sinking in muck every step of the way.
“Have to admire their race tactics,” he said, hoping Allie would have the presence of mind to tuck her pants into her socks. He shook his head, trying to clear the images of snakes and eels and leeches. The thought of bloodsuckers latching onto her tender skin wasn’t pleasant.
But he shouldn’t be worrying about Allie; it wasn’t his job to protect her. He tugged his hat lower, relieved Monty couldn’t read his thoughts.
“They’re too green to realize what they walked into,” Monty said. “Both of them.”
“Want me to get off and wade in a bit?” Carter offered. “See if I can flush them out?” And maybe help Allie escape from that mess.
“God, no. I’d never ask you to walk in there.” Monty gave a knowing chuckle. “They’re just being foolish. Trying to postpone being captured. Any minute now we’ll hear them screaming for help.”
Carter was too concerned to respond. Allie was used to a sparkling blue pool. No doubt, she’d never seen a leech and would have no idea what she faced. This was obviously Janet’s idea, forcing her into following.
“Why doesn’t she just give up?” Carter said, asking the question more of himself than Monty.
“They’ll survive.” Monty folded his hands, complacently resting them over his saddle horn. “But if they don’t have extra footwear they won’t be able to walk far without blistering. And they’ll be exhausted by the time they finish slogging to the other side. I reckon we can ride around and meet them at the far end. Bet they’ll be glad to see us.”
“What if they double back?”
“I doubt they’re thinking that far ahead,” Monty said. “Janet’s game is pure speed but now she’s running out of time and making panicky decisions. I expected Allie would slow her down more.” He shook his head in grudging respect. “But that girl is surprising me.”
Carter nodded and this time made no effort to keep the concern, and admiration, from his voice. “She’s surprising me too,” he said.
*
Allie raised a finger to her lips, warning Janet to stay quiet behind the reeds. She could hear Carter and Monty talking by the edge of the bog. But their words were muffled, drowned out by the buzz of insects and the gusting wind. She wanted to hear their game plan. If the men hid their horses and waited them out, she and Janet would be stuck, and the race would effectively be over. But if they rode around to the far side of the bog, there’d be plenty of time to make a dash for the river.
She pointed at her chest, then toward the voices. It had taken considerable time to penetrate fifty feet into the wetland, scrambling from hummock to hummock trying to avoid the deeper water and stay relatively dry. But they’d spot her if she retraced that route. She’d have to lower herself into the water and one person would create less ripples than two. At least now she knew the deeper channels where she could stay low and remain hidden.
Turning away from Janet, she slipped back into the water and eased toward the men’s voices. Wildlife, probably moose, had trampled through the bog leaving convenient waterways and in some spots the brackish water rose to her chest. She moved cautiously, trying not to disturb the water. The mushy ground was icky but at least there was lots of open space so any animals had room to get away. She didn’t even know what lived in a bog: mallards, muskrats, beaver? They wouldn’t hurt her.
Still, when something brushed against her leg it was hard not to squeal, even harder not to scramble out of the water and take refuge on a mossy hummock.
However, determination drove her forward. Mosquitoes whined, noisy over the still water, but Carter’s voice was becoming clearer. Occasionally a word drifted on the breeze. One of the horses stomped and jingled his bit.
She paused, remembering Kate’s caution that the animals would sense her presence long before the men. On the other hand, she doubted she smelled human.
Her entire body was immersed now, everything but her head covered with a greenish-brown slime. And she was still twenty feet away, well out of sight behind a sheltering hummock.
Monty was talking now, saying something about the bog, but his words were distorted. Clearly, they had no idea she was hiding beneath their noses, and she felt a wave of triumph. For the first time in the race she felt safe and in control.
Even if the men saw her, they wouldn’t be able to follow. The mischievous part of her wanted to rise and grunt like a swamp creature, scare the two hunters for a change. But that might spook the horses, and she would never risk hurting an animal. Besides, it was more important to hear their plans.
A fly buzzed around her head then landed on her cheek. She ignored it, reluctant to raise her arm and disturb the water. But the fly was tickling her skin, searching for a place to bite. She slowly raised a hand and brushed it away. Dark twigs stuck to her forearm, visible beneath the coat of algae, but she lowered her arm back into the water and continued inching forward.
Carter was talking now and just hearing his deep voice gave her a little thrill. He didn’t sound as irritated as Monty and there was something else in his tone. Worry maybe? Of course, he needed a successful capture in order to prove he was a worthy employee. Would he be motivated enough to dismount and enter the bog on foot? The possibility made her heart kick, and suddenly she didn’t feel quite so secure. She’d witnessed his expertise with a rope, and fifteen feet was much too close.
