Indiana Wild (Spirit Pass Book 1) (2 page)

“
Indy, are you sure about this?” Sam Whitewater asked for the third time as he handed her another pack. “Winter is still upon us and it can be brutal out there. What if we get a late winter storm?”

Indy ignored Sam for a moment as she
cinched the ties onto the packs she had loaded on Kahlua. She had enough gear to last her a couple months if she was careful. The air was still frigid from the snow that fell last night. It had been a light dusting though and shouldn’t hold her up. The horses and dogs could easily handle it. Staring out at the mountains to the west she knew her brothers would think she was just being difficult, unreasonable, and immature but she knew differently. When she had read the letter from Hayden last night it had taken everything in her not to call him up just to cuss him out. It wouldn’t make any difference anyway. How did you cuss the devil out? He just enjoyed your pain.

“
Sam, I’ll come by your place sometime in early spring to visit and resupply. I know how to survive in the mountains so don’t worry. I had the best teacher after all,” Indy said with a slight curve to her lips.

“
You’re damn right you did. Now you make me wish I hadn’t taught you so well,” Sam replied sadly. “Your brothers do not understand your heart. Hayden would never have demanded you move to the city if he did.”

Indy had shown Sam and his wife, Claire, the letter she received. Hayden had gone before a judge and had a court order giving him guardianship of Indy until she was twenty-five on the basis she was unable to make clear, rational decisions ensuring her mental and physical health and finances. She had been ordered to live with him at his L.A. home until further notice. A certified copy
, delivered by the local sheriff along with an airline ticket, had been enclosed. In addition, the document stated any livestock or animals were to be placed in the care of the new owners of the Wild Ranch until further notice by her guardian.

Indy stared out at the mountains for another moment before she called out to Chester and Tweed. Pulling her gloves on tighter and securing her hat, she mounted Midnight. She reached down taking the lead rope for
Kahlua that Sam held out.

She looked down at Sam with a sad smile.
“I would rather live in the mountains for the next couple of months to a year before I live in a city. Hayden might cause a fuss but they won’t find me. I’ll be moving around a lot so don’t bother trying to look for me. This way if Hayden asks you don’t know anything,” Indy said quietly looking at the man who understood her better than her own family.

Sam observed the young woman sitting upon the solid black horse with a mixture of sorrow and respect. She had chosen a hard path most men couldn’t survive. He knew she could. She had been raised to be a part of the land and would die anywhere else.

Lifting a beaded necklace from around his neck, he handed it to Indy. “
Okoblaya icimani.
Peaceful journey, little one,” Sam said sadly, gazing up at his slender goddaughter.

Indy grasped the necklace tightly in her fist before sliding it into her pocket.
“
Wowahwa.
Atewaye ki.
Peace, my father,
“
Indy replied with a tight smile.

With a click of her heels, Indy moved off slowly heading for the mountains looming far to the west. She knew she could die but figured she had a choice this way. She could die on the land she loved, doing what she was born to do or let her spirit die a slower, more painful death at the hands of her brother in a city. She had a much better chance of surviving in the mountains.

*.*.*

It had taken her two days to reach the mountains. She had to keep moving
, using as many different methods as possible so she couldn’t be tracked. She had headed out through the lower cattle pastures first making sure her tracks were mixed in with those of the cattle. It hadn’t snowed again so she couldn’t use it to help her. Once she was closer to the mountains, she moved along the river where the ground was harder and didn’t leave as many tracks. She crossed over the river and headed up the mountain following little used trails Sam had taught her about when she was younger. There were a number of caves and shallow rock overhangs she could use for shelter in the higher regions. She would head north now. There was a huge ranch on the other side of the mountain range. Maybe she could hire on as a cowpuncher in the spring. If she kept a low profile she should be alright. By then, Hayden should have given up looking for her.

The snow had gotten deeper as she moved further up and light snow flurries mixed with
the heavy snow that was falling. Tweed and Chester ran ahead bouncing up and down. If it became too difficult for them she would have to make a sled to pull them on. For now though, they acted like the two year old Australian Cattle dogs they were.

Days turned into weeks and before Indy knew it almost a month had passed. It was getting to be late March. She was close to a hundred miles from her grandfather’s ranch from her calculations. She had to stop a few times for several days as late winter storms blew through the upper elevations. Luckily, she had purchased specialized camping gear several years ago made just for the cold Montana winters. The arctic tent and sheet metal stove had kept her, Tweed and Chester nice and warm. She had extra tarps she had strung up to make a portable lean-to for the horses. She had supplemented her food supplies with small animals she had trapped or the dogs had run down. The first two weeks had been the worst. She had heard the sound of planes making a crisscrossing pattern and knew Hayden had discovered her missing. She had to
travel mostly at night during that time until she moved out of their search field. Once, she heard dogs far off in the distance. She had put Tweed and Chester up onto Midnight and Kahlua and used a small stream to help hide their scent. After the third week she figured she was far enough away to be safe and had been able to gain more ground during the daylight hours.

It wasn’t until she reached Spirit Pass that she felt totally safe. Sam had told Indy about it when she was little. He had brought her up here only once and told her of the legend of Spirit Pass. It is said those who travel through the sacred ground would complete a journey that would change their lives. When Indy asked what type of journey
, Sam had told her he once had traveled through the Pass only to find himself in another world. There he had met Claire and fallen in love. The world he found himself in had been a dangerous place, for red man and white man did not like each other. Claire had been traveling with her family when her parents and little brother had taken ill. Her parents had died, leaving Claire and her little brother alone. Sam had come upon them lost and frightened on the other side of the mountains. He helped Claire nurse her brother back to health. During that time, Claire and Sam had fallen in love and Sam had convinced Claire to come back with him over the mountains where he owned the ranch next to her grandfather. Indy had always liked Claire. She had always acted like a second mother to Indy, teaching her stuff like how to cook using ingredients not found in a box. Those lessons had come in very handy over the last couple of weeks.

“
Come on guys. Once we get through the pass we should be safe. We’ll head down to the lower elevations where it shouldn’t be so cold. Maybe we can find work on a ranch,” Indy said, suddenly excited. Tweed and Chester wagged their tails as if to agree and took off ahead of her.

Laughing, Indy nudged Midnight on with
Kahlua following behind. The cut through the pass was long and narrow. Indy looked up as small rocks and bits of snow fell off the sides. She vaguely wondered what world she would end up in. She hoped it was one with wide open spaces, no big cities, and no big brothers. The air around her swirled and a cold shiver ran down her spine as she passed the halfway mark. Turning on Midnight’s back, Indy looked behind her. She was surprised to see a mist of snow so thick she couldn’t see the entrance to the Pass any longer. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back around and focused on the path ahead of her.

Yeah,
she thought to herself,
it would be nice to find a world where I can be who I am and not have to worry about my brothers anymore.

Indy made good time after she made it through the
Pass down to the lower elevation. She stopped on a ridge about half way down to take a break and give the horses and dogs time to rest. She sank down, sitting on the ledge looking out over the valley below. It was beautiful. There were patches of snow dotting the landscape and probably a hundred head or more of cattle grazing.

She would make camp down near the timberline and scope things out before she approached the ranch. She wanted to make sure it was safe. She hoped her brothers hadn’t sent notices out to all the ranches. She decided she would take it slow and see if she could find a cowpuncher or two alone. She would approach them and make polite conversation
, checking to see if they said anything. If they didn’t, she would see if there were any positions open. If they did say something or acted strange she would head back up into the mountains to hide.

Indy set up her tent and just a top covering for the horses’ lean-to. It was warmer down here and she could keep their blankets on them to help keep them warm at night. She spent the next three days enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods. She took the opportunity to wash some of her clothes out in the nearby river and even warmed up enough water to take a nice shower using the portable solar shower she had. It felt good to wash her hair out and feel clean again.

“
Come on boys; let’s go see if we can find us any cowpunchers to talk to,” Indy said as she saddled Midnight. She looped the lead rope over Kahlua’s neck knowing the mare would follow Midnight anywhere.

Riding down to the lower region
, she was almost to the stream crossing over to the cattle when she heard gunfire. Pulling in the reins, she listened carefully as the gunfire continued. Moving across the stream to a low rise on the hill above them, she slipped off Midnight’s back and motioned for the dogs to lie down. Pulling out a pair of binoculars from a saddlebag, she laid down on the cold ground and looked to see what was going on. It was downright stupid to be shooting guns around that many cattle. It wouldn’t take much to start a stampede.

Indy watched as three men on horseback charged at another two who had been sitting around a fire under one of the few trees dotting the landscape. One of the men on horseback fired a
gun hitting the old man in the chest.

Oh shit,
Indy thought stunned as she watched the man fall backwards onto the ground.

The young
man who had been sitting moved to grab the injured man and dragged him behind the tree firing his own gun at the masked man on horseback. Indy turned her binoculars towards the other two men. They were trying to round the cattle up.

Rustlers? In broad daylight? That took some balls
,
she couldn’t help thinking silently to herself.

Swinging her binoculars back to the two men who had been sitting under the tree
, she could tell they were in a world of hurt. The scene playing out below her had to be real, she thought in dismay as she watched bark flying from the tree and the trail of blood on the ground.

Getting up, Indy motioned for the dogs to go after the cattle.
“Round ‘em up, boys,” she said grimly.

Indy swung up onto Midnight’s back and pulled her Ruger semi-automatic rifle from her saddle. Laying it across her lap, she kicked Midnight into a full run knowing
Kahlua would be right behind her. Charging at the masked man shooting at the two men behind the tree, she stood up in the stirrups to get a steadier ride clutching the saddle with her knees to keep her balance. Raising the rifle, she let out a series of shots close enough in front of him to let him know she meant business. The masked man on the horse swung around startled to find someone shooting at him from behind. The young man behind the tree took advantage of the rustler’s sudden distraction. He stepped out from behind the tree and fired a shot, hitting the man in the arm and causing him to drop his gun. The masked gunman yelled out in pain clutching his wounded limb against his chest. Unarmed now, the man pulled back on the reins and headed after the other two men who had tried to take the cattle. He rode through the herd which was heading back towards the camp, the two dogs barking and nipping at their heels.

Indy pulled her jacket up higher around her neck and pulled her hat further down. She needed to check on the two cowpunchers to make sure they were okay but didn’t want to take the chance of them recognizing her. She would play it safe for now by keeping her face covered as much as she could. Hopefully if her brothers put out posters looking for her they didn’t include anything about her traveling companions.

Midnight slowed to a walk with Kahlua right on his hind quarters as Indy approached the tree. The last thing she wanted was to get shot. Stowing her rifle back into the gun harness attached to her saddle, she held up her hands to show she was unarmed.

“
That’s far enough!” A young voice called out from behind the tree.

“
I’m unarmed. I just wanted to make sure you two cowpunchers were okay,” Indy called out trying to deepen her voice. “Looked like one of you might have been hurt.”

A gruff voice murmured something to
the young man. “Get down off your horse and keep your hands up,” the younger man called out.

Indy slowly lowered her hands long enough to get down without falling before raising them again and taking a step
toward the young man.

“
Do you need some help?” Indy asked.

A young boy of about fourteen slowly emerged from behind the tree. He looked scared and the gun in his hands shook as he pointed it towards Indy’s chest. He took a deep breath as he studied Indy for a moment.

“Jake took a bullet to the shoulder. You know anything about bullets?” The boy asked.

Indy tried not to smile
. “I know if you keep pointing that gun at me I might be learning more about them than I want to.”

The boy flushed as he lowered the
gun in his hand. “Sorry about that. Didn’t know if you were with them others or not.”

“
Not, is the correct answer,” Indy said. “Let me take a look at your friend. The boys will bring your cattle back.” Indy walked slowly towards the boy and around the tree where she saw an older man in maybe his early fifties leaning up against the tree. Blood soaked one shoulder and he held a gun in his other hand.

“
Hey, looks like you’ve had a rotten morning,” Indy said huskily. Bending down, she carefully looked at the man’s shoulder.

“
Hell, that’s an understatement if I ever heard one,” Jake replied in a deep, pain-filled voice.

“
Looks like the bullet went all the way through. I’ve got some first aid stuff to patch you up with until we can get you to a doctor,” Indy said rising and moving over to the pack on Midnight.

“
Did you know any of those men who came at you?” Indy asked as she gently unbuttoned Jake’s shirt.

Pushing the shirt down, Indy cleaned the area around the wound carefully before pulling out a bottle of Novocain and a small syringe with a hypodermic needle attached. Filling the needle with a small amount, she gently numbed the area on the front and the back so she could sew up the wound. Taking an extra fine needle
, she wiped it with an alcohol swab before threading it with stitching thread. Sam had taught her how to take care of cuts and other wounds while out on the range. Most of the time if you were going to get hurt there wouldn’t be a doctor around so it was common sense to learn advanced first aid. Indy had taken it a step further and had gone to college for nursing. She had finished her bachelor’s degree in a record two years because she hated being away from home for so long.

She quickly sewed up both wounds and wiped it down with another alcohol swab. Cleaning up the used material she walked over to the fire and dumped everything but the hypodermic needle into it. She would put it in a container to depose of later.

“Shit, I didn’t feel a thing but a few pinches after you stuck me with that needle. What the hell did you do?” Jake asked in astonishment.

Indy laughed.
“I thought you might prefer a less painful way of getting stitched up. I could have opted for the old fashion stick between the teeth and hope you passed out if you would have preferred.”

“
Hell no,” Jake grumbled. “My name’s Jake Turner. The boy here is Calhoun Tanner. We’re much obliged for your help.”

“
No problem. I’m Indy.” Indy looked over to see if there was a flash of recognition on either man’s face. Not seeing anything she turned to look out over the cattle. Tweed and Chester were barking madly, pushing the cattle into a tight circle. She let out a loud whistle causing both dogs to stop and look towards her. With a flick of her hand both dogs trotted away from the cattle and moved towards her.

“
Cal, you did a good job. I owe you my life, pulling me out of the line of fire like that,” Jake growled out.

Cal turned red at the old man’s compliment.
“Thanks, Jake. I hit one of ‘em, the one that shot you. I hit him,” he said excitedly.

“
Know you did, boy. Good shooting. Boss men will be proud of you,” Jake said turning to Indy. “Those are some dogs of yours. You train them?”

“
Yes sir. The one with the black patch around his eye is Tweed. The one with the brown face is called Chester. I’ve had both of them since they were born. They are the best cattle dogs in the country.” Indy knew that for a fact after the last rounding competition she had participated in a year ago when they had still been pups.

“
The boss men are always looking for new hands. You need a job or you just passing through?” Jake asked curiously looking a little closer at the kid in front of him. It was hard to see the kid’s face as he kept it turned slightly away and had his hat pulled down and collar pulled up. He didn’t look much older than Cal did. Still soft in the face like Cal was.

“
Looking for a job. You think your bosses will hire me and the boys on?” Indy asked nodding towards Tweed and Chester.

“
Hell yeah after what you saved them today. Those thieving butchers would have killed the two of us and took damn near a hundred head of cattle if it hadn’t been for you.” Jake spit into the dirt next to the tree.

“
I’ve got to break camp. I can be back before nightfall if you think you can get me a job. This way it will also even out the odds if those men decide to come back,” Indy said rising and moving towards Midnight.

“
You wanted by the law, boy?” Jake asked suddenly watching Indy carefully.

Indy jerked to a stop
, not turning around at first. “Maybe.” Indy turned to look Jake in the eye. She never lied if she could help it and she wasn’t about to start because of her brothers. “I don’t lie, steal, or hurt other people. I just want to be left alone. There are some men looking for me. I would prefer it if they didn’t find me. Why they are looking is between me and them. If you have a problem with that I’ll head out now and keep going.”

Jake studied Indy for a moment seeing the truth and pride in
the kid’s stance. He believed Indy didn’t lie, steal or hurt other people, not after the help he had been to them. He was of the mind if it wasn’t any of his business he stayed out of it. He just didn’t want to make a mistake that would cost his bosses.

“
I don’t have any problems. Go get your stuff,” Jake replied with a nod.

Indy let out the breath she had been holding. She meant what she had said. If Jake had had a problem
with what she had told him, then she would have gotten on Midnight and left, never to return. Now she was riding back to break camp. She knew instinctively she could trust Jake and Cal. They were good men.

It didn’t take Indy long to break camp as she had been doing it so much over the past month or so. In no time at all
, she was heading back down the trail out of the timberline and towards the camp by the tree. It was just getting dark when she rode up. Cal was riding around the herd making sure they were okay. He nodded as Indy rode by followed by her band of misfits. Pulling up near the fire, Indy slid from the saddle. She moved with quick efficient steps pulling her remaining supplies off of Kahlua’s back and removing the lead rope. Next, she pulled her saddle and bridle off of Midnight. Giving them both a hand signal she watched as they moved off to join the cattle and graze.

“
You train them too?” Jake asked as he stirred a thick stew in a pot over the fire with one hand. He had the other in a sling.

“
Yes. I have something that will help you with the pain if you like,” Indy said reaching for her saddlebag. She had noticed the tight lines around Jake’s mouth as he moved. She removed a couple of tablets, holding them out to him. “They won’t make you sleepy or anything, just cut the pain. You’ll feel a difference in about fifteen to thirty minutes,” she explained.

Jake took the two green gel tablets
. He looked at them with a puzzled expression on his face. He didn’t question Indy about them though he looked like he would have liked to. He swallowed both of them down with a swig of water from his canteen.

“
How’d you learn so much about doctoring?” Jake asked.

“
School and a friend,” Indy replied shortly not wanting to say too much. “Tell me about the ranch and who you work for. You said boss men. How many own the ranch?”

Jake swallowed back the grin. He could tell an evasive move when he saw one. The lad didn’t want to talk about his self.
“Twin Rivers is the name of the ranch. It’s owned by twin brothers, Jacob and Jonathon Tucker. They mostly raise horses but keep a nice stock of cattle for their own food supply. They have one of the largest ranches in the area.”

“
How many men do they employ?” Indy asked pouring a cup of coffee. She wrapped her gloved hands around it for warmth. It had cooled off considerably after the sun went down.

“
About fifty at any given time,” Jake responded quietly. “Sometimes more, sometimes less. It’s hard to find good help out here. Most men are either passing through, looking to make a little money, or not cut out for the life,” he added scooping up a bowl of thick stew and handing it to Indy.