Chapter 17

17

Unease ate at Ryder's gut as he approached the ranch. Everything was too quiet for midday. And no one was in sight. Even the sun was hidden behind clouds, and rain had begun to spit for the last mile or so of his journey out of the mountains, so that eventually he'd had to stop and put on his oiled cloak.

He scanned the cabin for some sign of Genevieve and Boone, but the door was closed, the windows were dark, and there was no smoke curling from the chimney.

Where was Ross, Maverick's trusted ranch hand? On the ride in, Ryder hadn't seen him out by the cattle in the far pasture. He wasn't anywhere around the ranch yard. And if he was in the barn, why hadn't he come to the doorway to see who was approaching? Any good rancher knew he had to be alert just in case the visitor was on the wrong side of the law.

Instead of heading toward the barn to take care of his horse, he veered in the direction of the cabin. He didn't know why he was worrying. Genevieve had never given him a reason to think she'd leave him the same way Sadie had. After a month, she hadn't made any mention about being discontent. She'd always seemed determined to make their living arrangement work. Above all, she was honest with him and would surely tell him if she were having second thoughts about staying.

Even with all the reassurances he'd been giving himself since starting the long ride back to the ranch this morning, the pressure had been mounting with each passing mile, so that he'd finally pushed his gelding into a gallop for the last of the distance.

There was even a part of him that wished he hadn't gone off at all, that scolded him for leaving her and giving her the chance to sneak away. But the other part of him—the rational side—reminded him he couldn't cling to her, or he might end up suffocating her and driving her away, the way he'd done with Tanner.

No, he'd been right to take the couple of days to visit his brother. Even if he'd gotten off to a rocky start with their conversation, the rest had been a satisfying time of reconnecting. They'd fished along the lake, cooked their catch over the open fire pit, and then reminisced for a while about their life with the Oakleys. Of course, they'd talked more about Ryder's nightmare and what it all might mean. Tanner had made a list of things to share with his investigator and had ridden part of the way out of the mountains with Ryder before branching off and going to Breckenridge to send a telegram.

Ryder hoped the conflict of recent months was now a thing of the past. But he also knew that in any sibling relationship, there would still be strain at times because no one was perfect.

The rain was falling steadily, pattering now against his Stetson and cloak and dripping to the ground. As he dismounted, he peered again through the windows of the cabin. Then, without a knock of hello, he shoved open the door, not caring when it banged against the wall.

The place was just as deserted as he'd thought. Even so, his gaze jumped directly to the spot underneath the bed, where she'd stowed her empty valise.

It was still there.

Her brush and mirror and soap were still on top of the chest of drawers where she kept them. Her extra pair of shoes sat beside the chest, her nightgown was folded next to her pillow, and one of her hats hung from a peg by the door.

He released a tense breath and leaned against the doorframe, relief weakening his legs.

Would he ever be able to trust again? Or had Sadie ruined him for any other woman?

With a growl of frustration toward Sadie, he pushed himself upright. He'd already given her enough power over his emotions and his life. It was time to let go of his failures and forge a new life with Genevieve—one where he wasn't constantly comparing her to Sadie.

He ducked out of the cabin, then led his horse to the barn. As he stepped inside, he listened for any signs of Genevieve or Ross. Except for the soft patter of rain on the roof and the snort of a horse in a nearby stall, the place was silent.

He swiped off his hat, ran his fingers through his damp hair, then slapped his hat back down. Where was everyone?

He stepped back into the open barn doorway, scanned the landscape through the drizzle, and finally caught sight of a couple of cowboys in the distance, riding up from the south and heading his way. After a moment, he recognized them—one was Maverick, and the other was Ross. And they were riding hard. Too hard.

Anxiety reared inside him again. Why did he always have to think the worst had happened? Why couldn't he be more relaxed? Surely there was a logical explanation for why Maverick and Ross were in a hurry and Genevieve wasn't home. After all, he was back earlier than he'd indicated to her yesterday, since both he and Tanner had been eager to get going at dawn.

He stepped out of the barn so that Maverick and Ross would be able to see him right away. And within a minute, they were reining in beside him, both of them soaked, their faces haggard, and their eyes brimming with remorse beneath the brims of their hats.

Something had happened. And it wasn't good.

"Well?" It was the only word he could get out.

Maverick slumped in his saddle. "It's Genevieve. We can't find her or Boone."

"She went on a hike up the creek yesterday," Ross added in a solemn voice. "And she never came back."

The world was beginning to spin around Ryder. She hadn't left him. He'd already concluded that. Otherwise, why wouldn't she have taken her bag and belongings?

Maverick began to dismount. "We've had a search party out most of the night and all day so far."

"And?" Ryder tried to draw in a breath, but he felt as though he were drowning. Was this really happening to him again? Was he losing someone else he loved?

Maybe he was cursed.

"And we haven't found her." Maverick's feet hit the ground, and he started toward Ryder, his brows furrowed.

Ryder held up a hand to hold Maverick back. He needed a few seconds to compose himself. But even as he tried, his mind spun with all the possibilities of what could have happened to her. Had someone kidnapped her and Boone? Had she gotten lost and fallen into a ravine? What if she'd been attacked by a wild animal? What if she'd taken shelter in an abandoned mine but then got trapped?

Maverick halted a few feet away, rain dribbling down his hat and cloak. "We think this might have something to do with Sadie."

"Sadie?"

"Yep." From atop his horse, Ross shook his head in frustration. "She came out to the ranch yesterday evening with Axe and the lawyer, claiming that she gets to have the baby. Course, everybody from here to Santa Fe knows that woman don't deserve the baby."

"What happened?" Ryder didn't care that his tone was harsh and demanding. All that mattered was finding Genevieve and Boone and making sure they were safe.

The cowhand patted his rifle in his saddle. "Told them they could eat lead before I let them have the baby."

"They left and went back to town," Maverick continued the tale, "but now with word of Boone and Genevieve being gone, people are saying that you hid them away so that Sadie can't get her hands on the baby." Maverick's brow lifted as though he was hoping that maybe there was a sliver of hope the gossip was true.

"No, I don't have them."

Ross nodded. "My only other guess is that she saw Sadie coming out to the ranch and ran off to keep the baby safe."

Ran off. The very words sliced into Ryder's heart. Even if Genevieve had only been trying to protect Boone, she'd run off without a word. She obviously didn't realize how her actions would worry him, didn't know how haunted he still was by all that had happened with Sadie.

Now, most likely she'd gotten herself into some kind of trouble out in the wilderness. If she'd been gone overnight and now half of today, they couldn't waste any more time. They needed to find her before another night set in.

Ryder was already stalking toward his horse, which was standing where he'd left it by the barn. He rapidly mounted, then dug in his heels, sending the horse into action.

Behind him, he could hear Maverick calling out instructions to Ross. A minute later, Maverick's horse easily fell into a gallop beside him. "Do you think you know where she went?"

"No, I don't. But I do know someone who can track her down."

"You heading back up into the mountains to get Tanner?"

Tanner was an expert tracker. Not even rain would be able to deter him from finding clues that would lead him to Genevieve and Boone. As desperate as Ryder was feeling, he would have gone right back up and begged his brother to come down and help him. But hopefully he'd find Tanner in Breckenridge, getting ready to send a telegram in the post office at the back of Worth's General Store.

He explained the situation to Maverick on the ride into town. Although Ryder wasn't normally a man of many words, he did his best to explain the information he'd given to Tanner and how he was attempting to repair their relationship.

Even though Ryder had parted with Tanner on friendly enough terms, they still weren't as close as they used to be. But Genevieve and Boone meant more to him than anything else, and he'd go to any lengths to find them, even if he had to tie Tanner up and drag him out to the ranch.

When they reached Worth's General Store, Tanner's horse was hitched out in front. Hopefully he was almost done composing his telegram, because Ryder needed him right away.

Ryder hopped down from his horse, and his feet barely hit the ground before the door of Wild Whiskey Saloon opened and Sadie stepped into the doorway in one of her fancy gowns. Although she glowered at him, she didn't chase him down, probably because she didn't want to get wet in the rain.

Ryder had never been happier for a rainy day. He didn't need to deal with Sadie now—not when the woman he loved and his baby were out somewhere in the wilderness and he needed to find them.

The woman he loved. The desperation in his chest pulsed even harder. Yes, he loved Genevieve more than he'd loved anyone, and he couldn't imagine his life without her in it.

He tried to ignore Sadie, but the rain didn't stop her from cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting at him. "Mr. Irving says you'll go to jail if you don't hand over the baby."

Of course, every other person on Main Street heard her and stopped to stare. At midday in the rain, there weren't many out. Thankfully.

Even so, Ryder's gut churned with the embarrassment that had been like a dark shadow following him around for the past months. If only he could put the scandal behind him and just go back to the ranch and live with Genevieve and Boone without any more problems.

But it was becoming clear Sadie wasn't about to let her claim on Boone go. He would have to find a lawyer of his own now to battle her for custody of Boone. He didn't intend to hand the boy over to her without a fight. A big fight, if necessary.

"Jail, Ryder!" Sadie shouted again. "You're going to jail if you don't give me my kid."

He stalked to the door of the general store with Maverick on his tail. He jerked the door open and stepped inside, only letting himself breathe again when the door closed and shut out her threats.

Clementine stood behind one of the counters, greeting him and Maverick with brows furrowed over her worried green eyes. "I already told Tanner he had to ride out to your place and help you track Genevieve and Boone. He said he would once he's done."

Ryder gave her a nod of thanks but didn't slow his pace as he stalked through the store, which wasn't all that busy, with only a few customers who had stopped their browsing to watch him. He should be used to all the attention, but he supposed he would never stop longing for the day when he could finally have a normal life.

Had he ever had normal? Maybe for the years he'd lived with the Oakleys. But even then, no matter how much they'd become his family, he'd always known he was different and that a piece of him was missing.

Did Tanner have that missing piece too? Was that why the investigation was so important to him? Maybe it would do them both good to fill in the gaps. Maybe it would bring about the healing they needed so that they could move on with their lives.

As he neared the back counter, Mr. Worth pushed aside the curtain that separated the store from the room with the post office. The usual welcoming smile was absent. Instead, his mouth was set in a grim line. "Was hoping I'd see you soon."

Ryder tapped at the counter. "Can I go on back and talk to Tanner?"

Mr. Worth shook his head. "Wanted to show you something first." He set a newspaper down on the counter.

"Don't have time." Ryder tried to peer through the slit in the curtain.

Mr. Worth slid the newspaper so that it was directly in front of Ryder. "It's about your wife. Genevieve."

Something in Mr. Worth's tone finally drew Ryder's attention. The man's eyes were filled with remorse... and pity?

Why?

Ryder lowered his gaze to the newspaper. The Denver Daily Tribune . The date was from the previous week, and the columns of articles didn't look any different than normal. Except one. The one Mr. Worth was pointing at.

The headline read: Reward for the Return of Missing Millionaire Heiress, Elizabeth Genevieve Hollis.

Ryder shook his head and tried to push the newspaper away. "This isn't my Genevieve."

Mr. Worth placed both hands on the newsprint to keep it flat and directly in front of Ryder. "Read the article."

Maverick was bending over the newspaper and began to read it aloud. "Miss Hollis disappeared from her home in New York City in early August and has been missing ever since. Five foot, three inches, long black hair, light blue eyes, pale skin, pretty features, and a slender build. Her loving family is seeking her return. Any information regarding her whereabouts is eligible for a reward."

With each word, Ryder's stomach began to cinch tighter, so that when Maverick finished, Ryder read the article for himself silently a second time. Then a third.

He finally stood back from the counter. "This can't be her." Genevieve was an orphan who had lived and worked at Open Door Asylum. She wasn't a missing millionaire heiress with a family who loved her and was looking for her.

"I saw a notice a few weeks ago," Mr. Worth said in a low voice, clearly trying to keep their conversation personal.

Too late for that. Everyone in the store had likely heard Maverick read the article.

"I was wondering then about it," Mr. Worth continued. "But then when Genevieve came into the store earlier in the week, I put two and two together, especially when she opened her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from a pretty big wad of cash."

Her purse always had looked full and heavy. But Ryder had respected her privacy and hadn't prodded into the matter.

Maybe he should have.... Even from the start she'd indicated that she'd had no trouble paying for her fare to the West. She'd had more than enough to purchase new clothing. Maybe everything had been new. Her valise certainly was nice. And then, yes, she'd had money to buy him the book and Ryder the toys.

A poor orphanage worker likely wouldn't have had that kind of money—not even if she'd saved for years.

"She's a real lady, that one," Mr. Worth was saying. "Can tell from the way she holds herself that she's no ordinary woman."

Ryder couldn't deny it. Genevieve had always moved and acted with a grace that set her apart. She'd been ignorant of so many tasks that most poor women knew how to do. And her hands had been too soft and unblemished, not those belonging to someone who had labored hard for years.

He'd seen all the signs that pointed to her being a wealthy heiress, but he'd been too enamored of her to question any of it. And he'd been too enamored to question the differences in appearance that hadn't matched up with the description in the letter he'd received from Constance Franklin.

How had Genevieve gotten his letter if she wasn't Constance Franklin? Had she worked with Constance Franklin at the orphanage, perhaps as a volunteer? Or maybe Constance Franklin wasn't even real.

A hard brick seemed to fall into the pit of Ryder's stomach. If Genevieve was the missing woman in the newspaper article, then she'd lied to him about everything. But why? Why had she done it? And what did she want?

The curtain pushed aside behind Mr. Worth, and Tanner slid through. From the seriousness of his expression and the questions in his eyes, it was clear he'd heard enough of the conversation to realize what was going on.

Ryder dropped his head, despair rolling through him. And embarrassment. He'd already had one marriage turn out bad. And now here he was again with another.

"Reckon we need to head on out." Tanner's voice held resignation.

Ryder wanted to yell out no, that Genevieve could stay lost for all he cared. But that wasn't the truth. He did still care. And that was the problem. He'd allowed himself to care too much about her. He hadn't wanted a wife, had wanted to keep the relationship businesslike. So why had he let his feelings grow?

He should have guarded his heart better and should have already learned his lesson about losing those he loved.

Never again.

Loving people led to hurt and heartache. That's all. He'd be better off with just himself and Boone. He didn't need a mother for his child. They'd gotten by already, and they'd get by again.

He straightened his shoulders and swallowed the pain crowding into his throat. Then he hardened his heart. "Let's go. I need to get my son back."