Rocky Mountain Dreams & Family on the Range by Danica Favorite (list of ebook readers .txt) 📗

special assignment. Possibly never to return. The thought of that foreign, exotic land of spice and music usually excited him, but at the moment, in the darkening night, searching for a lost little girl, he could only imagine a life without Mary to return to.

Her presence was ingrained in this place.

He slid off the saddle and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Josie!”

Insects and a stiff breeze answered. The unyielding line of mountains fuzzed on the horizon, shimmering with the setting sun.

“Josie,” he yelled again.

If she had been kidnapped, his yell might rustle up the kidnappers into making a mistake, maybe some noise. Though, if they were on horses, which was likely, then they were probably long gone. His gut clenched at the thought.

Had someone actually followed Mary? She wasn’t one to imagine things like that. Neither hysterical nor prone to fits. Jaw tightening, he strained to see the shrubs around him, looking for odd shapes or movement. His horse jingled beside him.

“Josie, answer if you can hear me.” Feeling grim, he trudged ahead. His shoulders bent against the chilly breeze. Now that the sun was down, temperatures dropped quickly in the desert. Josie might be shivering somewhere, alone.

Memories rushed in on him and he bent over, gasping for breath. He wouldn’t think of it, not now. Not when he had a different little girl to try to save. Straightening, he gulped deep breaths until he could breathe easier.

Then he continued walking, calling, searching the moonlit horizon. A few times the scurry of a small animal startled him into thinking he’d found the girl, only to watch the form materialize into something not human.

No giving up, he told himself. Hadn’t he survived a war and deaths? Perilous conditions that took the best of men? Ears pricked, he stopped and listened for any unnatural sounds.

The slightest wisp of something carried on the wind. Holding his breath, he smoothed his horse’s neck as he listened.

There it was again. To the left. Leading the stallion around, Lou went in that direction and continued to call the girl. As he neared, the sound sharpened into staccato sniffles. A relief so profound it nearly buckled his knees rushed through him. Gripping the reins, he hurried to a shrub that looked irregular beneath the moon’s iridescent glow.

“Josie.” His feet swished through the grasses until he reached the child, who sat hunched over, head buried in her drawn-up knees.

The overwhelming urge to scoop her up and hold her near his heart almost did him in, but he refrained, choosing instead to kneel in front of her.

“We’ve been looking for you.”

She didn’t look up. In the silvery light from the moon, he could see her hair matted in places. Her cries cut into the night, unnatural and heartbreaking.

Clearing his throat, Lou tried again. “Josie, honey, it’s time to go back. Miss Mary is real worried. She, Rose and Mr. James have been looking all over for you.”

The girl mumbled something, then started sobbing as if her best friend had died. Should he just reach out and grab her? Pick her up and carry her?

Throat constricting, he put out a hand to pat her head. She scooted back, out of his reach, faster than he could blink.

Frustration welled up. Frowning, he sat back on his haunches. “Listen. You either come with me now or I’m going to leave you out here. It’s getting cold. I bet you’re hungry. Is that what you want? To be stuck out in the desert all night long...?”

He cringed as his words trailed off, hollow echoes broken by Josie’s quieting cries. He could almost see Mary’s disapproving look at his tactics.

He gentled his voice. “Come home, honey. We’ve got cookies and—”

“You’re just trying to get rid of me.” The pouty words made his lips twitch. Better than her sobs.

“So you ran away, huh?”

The look she gave him was far too old for a five-year-old, and angry, angrier than he’d anticipated.

“I’m not going back. Ever.” She promptly stuck her forehead against her knees again.

Sighing, Lou moved closer. This time when he put his hand on her head, she didn’t try to escape. “Your mama misses you. We went over this before.”

“Why can’t you bring her here, where we’ll be safe?” An earnest expression crossed Josie’s face.

“Safe from what?” Lou peered at her, instinct rearing. He was missing something. Something important.

Her voice dropped. “You know.”

“Josie, you’ve gotta answer me on this.” He turned her shoulders to face him, marveling at how small she was, how tiny. How much would he have given to see his Abby grow up. She’d be thirteen now. His breathing snagged. Almost a woman.

“What, Mister Lou?”

He focused on Josie’s eyes, that rare purple the color of a mountain violet. “Who dropped you in the desert? Who left you there?”

Her face scrunched, dirt tear trails zigzagging down her cheeks. “I don’t know. Mommy gave me tea and a kiss. Then I woke up all by myself....” She looked away. “I was all alone, and I was so thirsty. I was cold.” Her face wrinkled up even more and hurriedly Lou rubbed the top of her head.

“Okay, sweetheart, okay.” Someone wanted her dead. But who? Why? He’d get to the bottom of it somehow. “Let’s go home.”

He got to his feet, then bent and picked her up. She was light and didn’t resist as he feared she would. Instead, he felt her cheek against his shoulder, her arms around his neck.

“I’m hungry, Mister Lou.”

“That’s what happens when you run away.” But he patted her back to soften the words.

He walked carefully toward the stallion, who stood patiently for him. Holding her close, he took the reins and started in the direction of the ranch. They’d ride in a bit. The girl was tired, her body boneless in his arms.

“I talked to God,” she said suddenly, her voice a mere whisper.

“You did?” His own voice cracked a bit.

“I asked Him to send someone and He did.”

“Oh...well, that’s good.” Nice to know God answered some prayers.

“Do