Loving Lauren (27 page)

Just then they heard a noise and turned to watch Tanner gallop into the barn. Chase reached out and gathered the horse’s reins.

“Where's Lauren?” Alex didn't mean for it to come out as a squeal, but fear shot through her so quickly.

“I don't know.” Chase reached up and touched a dark spot on the horse’s mane. His hand came away covered in blood.

“Is that his blood or Lauren’s?” Alex grabbed Tanner's reins, trying to get a better look.

“His, it looks like.” He turned and started saddling Buster faster.

“Hang on. Don't leave just yet.” She walked Tanner to his stall, then rushed into the house. Quickly gathering what he would need, she ran back with her arms full. “Here.” She handed him the small box.

“What is it?” He looked down at the box.

“They're night-vision goggles.” She smiled a little. “Haley got them one year. She had the strangest idea to...Well, never mind. They might come in handy. This too.” She handed him a gun.

“I grabbed the shot gun from the case.” He nodded towards the locked case that housed two more shotguns. He'd broken the door to get a gun and a box full of shells. “Sorry.”

“This is a flare gun.” She opened it and showed him the larger cartridge. “Just point and shoot. You know, in case you get into trouble and you don't have service. I'll be sitting on the porch, waiting.”

“Thanks.” He leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her check. “She'll be fine. Maybe she just got tossed off Tanner.” Then he jumped onto Buster's back and was gone.

She watched him ride off into the dark and then the worry started taking over. Running to the house, she yelled for Haley. When her sister walked out to the porch, she filled her in on what was happening. They decided a call to the sheriff’s office wouldn't hurt, and half an hour later had to explain everything again to the sheriff and two of his deputies.

Since there were no roads up to the cabin, all they could promise was to send someone tomorrow during daylight on a horse or dirt bike. That was if they had proof of a crime.

Alex and Haley watched Sheriff Stephen Miller and his deputies leave and felt disgusted at their lack of effort. If it had been Travis, the mayor’s son up there, they would have no doubt called the cavalry to ensure his safety.

Well, Lauren was more important to Alex then Travis was. She stood there looking into the darkness and praying that she wasn't too late in telling her sister how she felt.

Chase knew he was pushing Buster too hard. The horse wasn't that old, but any horse would have a hard time at full speed through the hills.

It had taken them three hours at a walk to get to the spot where they’d had lunch and another four to get to the cabin. He was determined to make it in under half that time.

He reached the clearing by the stream in just under an hour and a half. He stopped quickly and noticed Lauren's thermal lunch bag. Dismounting, he rushed over and grabbed it up, then scanned the darkness. Damn, it was too dark. Grabbing the box, he opened it and put on the night-vision goggles and looked around for a clue.

It was on his second scan that he noticed the large chunk ripped out of the tree just above his head. He looked at the ground, but couldn't see if there was any blood. Kneeling, he checked the ground, but his hand came away dry. Then he spotted something glistening off a rock a few feet away. Walking over, he touched the wetness and checked. His hand came back with red streaks.

Standing up, he screamed her name over and over. It looked more and more like she'd been thrown from Tanner and bumped her head on the rock. Where would she be? Where would she go if she was disoriented? The cabin. Could she have walked that far this quickly?” He jumped up on Buster's back and speed dialed Alex as he rode, catching her up on what he'd found.

About an hour and a half later, he smelled the fire. He knew Buster was at his limit, but he pushed the horse a little harder and made it the rest of the way in under ten minutes.

When he pulled up to the cabin, the entire place was engulfed in flames. He knew, somehow, that Lauren was inside.

Chapter Sixteen

Lauren struggled to open her eyes. She heard familiar voices and couldn't place why it was important for her to wake up. Her stomach was refusing to settle down and she knew that if the motion didn't stop she was going to be sick. When the horse came to a stop with a jerk, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. It was dark and she didn't know why that seemed wrong.

She couldn’t remember where she was or what was going on. She tried desperately to remember what she'd been doing. Finally, it came back to her in a flash. She'd been shot at by the poachers. Looking up and around, she saw that she was on the back of a dark brown horse. She didn't think that it was one of hers, but she couldn’t be sure. The man who sat in front of her was wearing a dark jacket and hat, covering him almost completely from her view.

She could hear two other men talking in front of them, but couldn't look around and see who or where they were.

“You can't just leave her here,” someone said.

“Why not? She'll think the horse got spooked and ran off.”

“It's just ain’t right.” She couldn't place who was speaking, but knew the voices sounded familiar.

“Shut up, both of you,” the rider in front of her said. “Help me get her down. I've got a better plan.”

She had an easier time placing this voice. “Larry?” She looked up to the man who had worked for her and her father for years as he twisted around and stared at her.

“Damn it. It would have been better had you stayed under.” He leaned over and used his fist against her face, spiraling her into the darkness again.

When she woke next, she coughed and choked on smoke. Her hands were tied and when she tried to kick her feet, she found that they were tied as well. It was too dark to see where she was. Smoke filled the place, but so far she couldn't see any flames.

She twisted her wrists around, ripping the skin as she tried to break free. When she couldn't budge the rope, she tried to get her feet loose. The ropes didn't budge.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to think. An image of Chase popped into her head. She was going to die and she would never get to tell him how she felt. She'd never have the opportunity to apologize to her sisters about deceiving them for so long. Tears ran down her face as she started hyperventilating.

By the time the flames lit the room, she was on the verge of passing out from the smoke. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was in her father's cabin. The whole place was burning and there was nothing she could do about it. She was going to die here, alone.

“Get up!” she told herself.

She blinked a few times, trying to steady her head.

“Lauren, get up!” It was her father's voice. The memory of the first time she'd fallen off her pony when she was seven flashed  vividly in her mind.

“If you don't get up and dust yourself off, the horse wins. And you're a lot stronger and smarter than that dumb old horse, aren't you?” Her father stood over her, his hand reaching out towards hers.

She nodded and let the tears stream down her face. Her little hand reached out towards his bigger, stronger one.

“That's my girl. Now, go right over to him and tell him how you feel. Then get right back on him and ride him.”

“But...”

“No, buts. You're a rancher. A dying breed. You're made of strong stuff, stronger then you will ever know. You have the power to do whatever you want in life. Don't ever let anyone tell you different. Now, walk right over, look that horse in the eyes, and tell him what you want.” Her father smiled down at her, the sun streaming through his dark hair so that his face was in shadows.

Lauren sat up in the cabin. Wiggling her feet, she looked down and realized that her boots could easily be removed if she had something to help. Seeing the bunk next to her, she scooted over until it was pulling on her boot, then she pulled her legs back, dislodging it. Doing the same for the next one, she freed her legs from the ropes.

Crawling on her elbows and knees, she made her way to the front door. When she got there, she noticed the door was locked from the outside. Looking around, she knew she had to get out fast.

Picking up the small stool, she crawled towards the front window and tossed it towards the glass. It missed. She picked it up and tried again. This time it hit, shattering glass all over her head and around her. When she crawled to the opening, glass shards embedded into her hands and arms, but she couldn't feel the pain.

All that ran through her mind was staying alive so she could tell her family how she felt. Using her tied wrists, she pulled herself up to the window and looked out, gulping in a large breath of the fresh air that streamed in. The smoke swirled around her and she felt the heat from the flames at the back of the cabin.

Just then, two large hands reached in and grabbed her under her arms, hoisting her over the windowsill. The smoke had caused her eyes to water so much that she couldn't make out who was attacking her. She kicked out blindly, hoping to escape the strong arms.

“Easy, Lauren. It's me.” Hearing Chase's voice, she threw her arms around his neck and helped pull her legs out of the window.

He lifted her and carried her a few yards away, where Buster stood tied to a low branch.

“Are you okay?” He ran his hands over her, checking every inch of her.

“I think so.” Her eyes were fixed on the cabin. Just then half the roof caved in. Chase jumped a little then looked down at her.

“My god. I thought I'd lost you.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

She couldn't stop shaking. Even though the night air was warm and the heat from the fire had caused her skin to blister, her hands shook and her teeth chattered.

She pulled back and looked up at him. “It was Larry and Hewitt. I don't know who the third man was, but they shot at me.” She frowned and reached for her head. “Why were they shooting at me?”