Now and Forever (2 page)

T
ucker wrapped both arms around Shannon’s head and pulled her face into the crook of his neck until she thought she might smother. They fell for a long time. She felt him take the brunt of the collision in the too-shallow water.

When they surfaced, his arms fell away and floated out flat at his sides. She was stretched out on top of him, but they were off-balance and rolled. His head submerged. Shannon caught his chin and lifted his nose and mouth as she gasped for air.

They rushed along. It was a straight stretch, so she had a moment to gather her wits. She adjusted her grip on Tucker’s head, and blood flowed over her hand from the back of his skull.

Her cry of fear barely sounded against the crashing waterfall behind them and the vastness of the wilderness all around the deep canyon river.

She flipped on her back and rested his face on her shoul
der, doing her best to kick along with the current. His bleeding head flowed fast until it soaked the front of her white broadcloth shirt. She fumbled with the back of his collarless buckskin shirt to use it as best she could to put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding.

There was nothing to do but ride the river until the canyon walls dropped. She felt him breathe and prayed as they raced along. On her back as she was, she looked up and felt the enormity of the disaster. How long might this last? Until they were too exhausted to stay afloat? She wasn’t far from that already. Were there more falls, more rocks, more battering rapids? Miles and miles he’d said. Tucker had laughed when she’d thought the worst was over. Then they’d gone over another waterfall. So was
that
the worst? No doubt he’d laugh again if she asked.

But he wasn’t awake to question, and she felt the weight of his head and the weight of her responsibility. She’d taken this path. She’d done the leaping.

No other choice had presented itself, but a woman made her decisions and then she lived with them. And now Tucker had saved her at a terrible cost to himself.

The current picked up speed, and she heard roaring ahead. No, the worst wasn’t over. Holding on tight, wrapping her arms protectively around his head, she was determined that this time she’d take the brunt. She’d gotten them into this mess, so it was only fair.

As they soared over the falls, she was glad they were lashed together and glad Tucker wasn’t awake to hear her scream.

She’d taken a beating Shannon likened to surviving a Civil War battle, something she could honestly say she knew about.

She heard a roar ahead. By now she recognized the sound. Another falls. She wasn’t sure she’d survive another one. Then she saw a break in the rocks. She was so addled from exhaustion, she almost missed it. A black gash in the sheer rock rising out of the river that she only noticed because a log was hung up in it. Most of the log was just below the water, but a few branches stuck up in the air. Striking out for it, she knew she’d never make it on her own. She had no strength left for herself, let alone to drag Tucker.

He was still tied tight to her. Dead weight. He hadn’t moved since he’d struck his head. The river ride had been an endless blur of falls and jagged rocks and sinking and fighting back to the surface. With the high canyon walls, she had no idea where the sun was in the sky. It had been morning when they’d gone in the river, but she had no idea how much time had passed.

Bailey would know she was missing by now. She’d be searching. Sunrise was the best tracker Shannon had ever seen, and she’d help too, though Shannon had no idea if they’d realize Tucker was involved.

They’d probably track Shannon to the cliff and figure she’d gone over, but how in the world would they track her from there? Bailey and Kylie would be sick with worry. Shannon regretted putting them through that.

They wouldn’t give up hunting, which gave Shannon hope. If she managed to stay alive, her sisters would find her.

Only a merciful God had seen her through, because her chance to die had come again and again. It wasn’t her day to die—there could be no other reason that she hadn’t.

Her exhaustion made swimming impossible, but the current swept them right up against the log and they snagged.

God again, knowing she couldn’t hang on anymore.

The tree was mossy, the limbs in the right places to slide herself along until finally she gained entrance to that black hole, where she lay sprawled, flat on her back, feet still dangling in the water, with poor, unconscious Tucker on top of her.

His chest rose and fell. With only shreds of meager strength, she fumbled for the whip and untied them. She pushed Tucker to lie beside her, looked overhead at a small cave, dark gray walls streaked with black, with no idea where it went or if it went anywhere.

She needed to see to Tucker’s head wound. Bandage it, or at least make sure the bleeding had stopped. He might need stitches. She should search for wood, start a fire, bathe the cut to keep it from getting infected. Tucker still somehow had his haversack. She should go through it to see if she could find food or any other supplies.

She needed to scout around and try to get them out of here. The crack in the wall had to lead somewhere. She had to get to her sisters or maybe to Sunrise, the Shoshone woman who considered Tucker her son, who’d take care of everything.

Shannon forced herself to sit up. Scooting a bit, she got completely out of the water, and with an effort that was only possible because the rocks were slick, she dragged Tucker completely into the cave.

With him all the way in the cave, she found her head spinning and her stomach threatening to empty. It might have if breakfast hadn’t been so long ago.

Hoping to steady her head and belly, she collapsed flat beside Tucker to think about what to do next.

And then even thinking proved to be too much work. Sleep claimed her.

“Shannon’s missing.” Bailey Wilde slammed into her sister Kylie’s house, rifle in hand.

Aaron Masterson, Kylie’s new husband, shot out of his chair where he’d just finished his evening meal, charging for his rifle. Kylie gave Bailey one worried look, then quit washing dishes and started loading a pack. Sunrise looked Bailey in the eye and, without saying a word aloud, asked for every detail.

“She hasn’t tended her sheep all day.”

Kylie gasped and moved faster.

“I trailed her north of the house. She likes hiking, but she’s long overdue.”

“Tucker headed north yesterday morning.” Sunrise exchanged a hard look with Bailey.

Bailey felt the most hope since she’d seen those neglected sheep. Shannon never quit babying them. If her sheep were hungry, something was terribly wrong. But if somehow she’d found Tucker, she was in good hands.

“Nev, saddle the horses.” Aaron started giving orders as he was prone to do. “Kylie, pack enough food for overnight on the trail.”

“I will bring Tucker’s grulla.” Sunrise headed for the door.

“His what?” Bailey asked, narrowing her eyes. “His grew-ya?”

“He calls her Grew sometimes. Grulla is the color.” Sunrise shook her head impatiently. “That’s his horse. You’ve seen the gray mustang mare he rides, with the black mane and tail. It’s an unusually wise animal and a better tracker than many a man. Tucker left her with me when he went off for his walk. No one can handle her but Tucker and me.” Sunrise left the cabin.

Neville Bassett headed after Sunrise, but the old friend of Aaron Masterson, who’d come west to kill him and when that madness passed stayed to heal, moved too slow to suit Bailey.

She raced to the barn and had two horses saddled before he had one ready. Bailey was doing her best to trust the man, yet she caught herself watching his every move anytime she was near him.

Sunrise came with her own pack and was working with them by the time Aaron and Kylie got there. They were on the trail ten minutes after Bailey had arrived. It had almost killed her, once she realized Shannon was in trouble, to quit trailing her and ride back for help, but she needed to. She needed Sunrise and her tracking skills. Bailey was mighty good. But she needed the best.

As they strung out at a gallop on the trail to Shannon’s, Bailey looked at the crowd. What a houseful of people Kylie’d gotten saddled with. Bailey didn’t know how her baby sister stood it. A husband would be more than Bailey could bear, but Kylie had fallen in love, the idiot.

And Sunrise, well, Bailey could see having Sunrise around. But to add Nev, Aaron’s loco friend, still ailing and half mad from all he’d suffered in the war. Nev had attacked Kylie, intending to kill her to punish Aaron for imagined wrongs to Nev’s family during the war. Nev had been stopped and convinced to set aside his hate.

And then he’d moved in. Kylie was as good as running a hotel these days.

Bailey leaned low over her mustang’s neck, not sure why Nev couldn’t toughen up and handle the horrors of war like she had. One thing’s for sure, if Nev had tried to move in with her, she’d’ve run him off with a shotgun and sent Aaron along with him. But Nev was Aaron’s childhood friend, and Kylie loved Aaron, so they were nursing the lunatic back to sanity, and it was a trying chore if ever there was one.

Now they all joined in on the hunt, slowing Bailey and Sunrise down while they raced to save Shannon. Bailey had never been this scared in her life.

Well, she had, but the war didn’t count. And anyway, that wasn’t something she thought about. It was all over, and Bailey had plenty to do to keep her busy. Nev oughta try getting a job. It’d give him less time to be furiously mad.

Setting a blistering pace back to Shannon’s house, Bailey, with Sunrise right on her heels, charged for the trail Shannon had gone up.

“She was on foot. She likes walking in the mountains.” Bailey had trouble keeping the scorn out of her voice. Shannon had too much spare time to enjoy the beauty of nature. She’d have gotten in less trouble if she’d had more
chores. Work was the solution to everything, and Bailey could have kept her busy.

“We walk now.” Sunrise swung down from the gray mare that wore no saddle and was guided by a bridle without a bit. The horse’s black mane flowed like living water, as wild and untamed as the critter itself.

“Bailey.” Aaron’s voice snapped with command, and Bailey obeyed. It made her want to growl, but she’d been a private in the Union Army for too long. That reaction was deep-rooted.

Once she was done turning, standing at attention, she relaxed. But her blasted brother-in-law and his officer voice always got that obedience out of her . . . at least for a second.

“What?” Bailey asked.

“Let Nev up there with Sunrise. He’s better on a trail than you.”

Bailey really needed to punch someone, and it was a shame that the only one here she thought she could take was her baby sister. Even crazy Nev Bassett was a little too tall and wiry.

Kylie really didn’t have it coming, poor kid. She looked ready to cry. Punching her wouldn’t help.

Bailey narrowed her eyes at Nev. She didn’t like admitting it, but she trusted Aaron. “Go.”

Nev looked at Bailey nervously and then sidled past her on the trail. The man was wise to fear her.

Sunrise took one look at Nev, snapped, “Stay behind.” Then she moved on while leading Tucker’s mare. Nev followed. Crouching occasionally. Bailey could tell by the
way he studied the ground that the man really did know tracking.

“She moves steady. Come.” Sunrise strode forward. They all hurried after her. The ground wound upward and became more rugged. The aspen gave way to pine. The stony ground was impossible to pass if not for a narrow game trail. Bailey walked along it, leading the mustang, sure that Shannon came this way often. They walked for maybe an hour when the grulla stopped so suddenly Nev almost walked into it.

Sunrise said a single word. “Tucker.”

Bailey couldn’t stop herself. “Tucker is walking with her?”

Scowling over her shoulder, Sunrise didn’t answer but instead moved on.

Nev shoved his horse’s reins into Bailey’s hands and took off at an angle. A look at the trail told Bailey that Tucker had walked along here for a time. Bailey had seen him only twice. He wore moccasins that laced up to his knees, not boots like most men. And these tracks were his.