Chapter 12

"When will you admit you love Hazel?" Tanner's question echoed in the quiet kitchen.

In the middle of taking a sip of his coffee, Maverick choked, then spluttered coffee across the table.

Tanner's grin only kicked up, as if he'd gotten the reaction he'd been shooting for.

Maverick ducked his head so that Tanner couldn't read the truth in his expression and eyes. He was thankful Clarabelle was feeding Ma her breakfast and Clementine was out doing laundry.

He was also relieved at times like this that his pa had always provided their ranch hands with separate living quarters and their own cook, so that their family could have privacy and remain close... or at least, they had remained close while Pa was alive.

Just this past Christmas, they'd all been home and had filled the large kitchen table. Even Weston, his oldest brother, and his new wife Serena and their little boy Tate had ridden up from Fairplay to be there. During the celebration, they'd laughed and joked and talked with all the boisterousness and love that had always been present in their family.

That was the last time they'd all been together.

Maverick sighed, feeling the weight of his pa's death all over again. Even his ma's absence in the kitchen was hard to get used to. Although the room was still cheerful with its white furniture, wide window, and colorful curtains and wall hangings, it never felt quite right without Ma there.

"So?" Tanner held his mug to his lips, his eyes filled with knowing.

Maverick set his coffee down with more force than necessary. "My relationship with Hazel is none of your business."

Tanner rolled his eyes as he took a big slurp.

Maverick reached for another sweet roll from the plate Clementine had left at the center of the table. The yeasty aroma of the rolls along with sugar and cinnamon lingered in the morning air with the scent of the coffee.

He wasn't hungry for more, especially after the eggs, sausage, and toast Clementine had already fixed. But he knew his sister was trying to make things seem as normal as possible, especially now with the strained relationship with the Nobles.

He hadn't told anyone about his conversation with Sterling earlier in the week—hadn't wanted to upset his family any more than they already were about everything. A part of him wanted to mention something to Hazel about riding over to talk to Sterling and trying to get permission to pursue her. But he hadn't wanted to put her in a position where she had to choose between him and Sterling. That wouldn't be right either.

Instead, he'd steered clear of her. From what he could tell yesterday when he'd ridden up with Tanner, she was hurt and probably confused by his brusqueness. No doubt she'd wondered what their kiss had meant.

Maverick exhaled heavily.

Now it appeared she was ignoring him in return.

She'd also obviously learned her first flirting lesson well, from the way she'd unleashed her womanly charm on Tanner. The eye contact, the smiles, even taking off her hat and letting her hair down had all been excellent tactics. The whole time, Maverick had stewed inside, hating that she was using her wiles on Tanner and not on him.

She'd been so stunning with all her fair hair cascading over her shoulders in the sunlight that he'd been irrationally jealous yesterday that Tanner had gotten to see her with her hair down like that.

Tanner took a final swig from his coffee, then pushed back from the table and stood. "Guess if you don't love her, then you won't mind if I have a little fun with her."

"Whoa, now." Maverick shot up from his chair. "Don't you dare go near her." That same irrational jealousy came roaring back like a beast let loose from its cage.

Tanner shrugged. "If you're not claiming her, then she's fair game for anyone."

"She's off-limits, especially for you." Maverick fisted his hands, ready to take a swing if necessary to prove his point.

"No. Sorry." Tanner reached for his coonskin cap on the peg near the back door. "You don't have a right to prevent her from finding happiness with someone else."

Maverick's muscles tightened, but he kept his fists at his side. Tanner was right. Except that Maverick didn't want her to find happiness with anyone else besides him.

But with Sterling's ultimatum, what could he do? He had to prove to his friend that he valued their relationship, that he wasn't selfish, that he hadn't meant to interrupt the wedding with his foolishness. If staying away from Hazel would repair his friendship, then he had to do it, didn't he?

Tanner shoved his arms into his coat. "You've had it bad for Hazel for years. Don't know why you can't see it."

"I see it."

Tanner froze and turned to face him, his grin fading.

With the admission hanging in the air between them, Maverick swallowed hard, pushing down a sudden swell of trepidation. There was no more hiding his feelings about Hazel from anyone, least of all himself.

Tanner's lean features were browned and roughened from all his time out in the wilderness. Even so, he had a tenderness that softened the lines from time to time, and now was one of those times. "If you see it, then it's time you do something about it."

"It's complicated."

"How complicated is it to tell a woman you love her?"

"Sterling told me to stay away from her."

Tanner didn't respond for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically solemn, giving him a gentlemanly quality. At such times, Maverick imagined that Tanner's and Ryder's real parents had been fine folks. Course, nobody knew because the two had been abandoned as little boys and raised in an orphanage for many years.

"I know you count Sterling as your closest friend," Tanner said, clearly choosing his words carefully, having heard from Clementine and Clarabelle a repeat of the wedding day during supper last night. "But a real friend wouldn't make you pick between him and the woman you love."

Under other circumstances Maverick would have agreed with Tanner. But after the ruined wedding and his role in it, he couldn't shed the guilt or the feeling that he owed it to Sterling to make up for the heartache he'd caused.

At a sudden loud and frantic banging on the front door, Maverick's long steps took him quickly through the kitchen and into the front room. He made it to the door before Clarabelle could reach it.

Gone was the carefree expression of youth. Now her pretty face was wreathed with worry. With the loss of Pa and now Ma's sickness, his sisters were having to grow up too soon. And all he'd ended up doing was making matters worse.

As he swung open the door, he took a step back at the sight of Hazel standing on the raised front porch in her usual Stetson, coat, and corduroy skirt, her eyes wide and troubled.

His heart began to thud hard. Something had happened to her. "You all right?"

"I'm fine. It's Candy. I can't find her anywhere since I arrived."

Maverick's heart slowed its pace, and relief eased through him. Nothing was wrong with Hazel. And that was really all that mattered.

"She probably got nervous about the foaling." Hazel's forehead was furrowed as she scanned the property to the west.

"Bet she found a hidden nook somewhere around the ranch."

"I searched every place I could think of, and I didn't see her."

Maverick gave Hazel what he hoped was a reassuring nod. "I'll be right out, and we'll find her."

With Tanner's help, they searched each barn and outbuilding. But with no sign of the mare anywhere, they spread out and widened the scope of their hunt. Maverick and Hazel skirted the pines that bordered the house while Tanner headed the opposite direction.

They scoured the woodland but saw no hint of her. As they headed back into the ranch yard, Tanner's whistle and wave from the far end of the west pasture beckoned them. Hazel started jogging toward him, and Maverick followed.

As they reached Tanner, Maverick could see the gap in the barbed wire and guessed Candy had escaped through the opening.

"The barbed wire was cut." Tanner was kneeling just outside the west gate and was brushing aside grass, probably looking for tracks.

Maverick halted beside Hazel and bent to study the opening in the wire. The area was narrow, but it was wide enough for a slender horse to slip through. The slices in the wire were sharp and clean, too, which meant the fencing hadn't broken on accident. Tanner was right—someone had cut it.

Maybe the horse thieves were back.

Maverick straightened, his hand landing on his revolver. He surveyed the cottonwoods that grew alongside the Blue River and then the shrubs and scraggly junipers that dotted the lowest hills. Large clumps of snow remained in the shadowy places, but otherwise the terrain was mostly dry. And no one was in sight.

But that didn't mean the horse thieves weren't there hiding.

The nightmare from January came rushing back, a frigid morning when they'd awoken to find that a dozen of their horses were gone. The barbed wire had been cut then too. Since the ground had been covered in snow, the tracks of the horse thieves had been easy to spot, and it had been clear they'd taken the horses to the north, likely with the intention of getting them to the easier passes that would allow them to drive the horses to the markets in Denver.

Pa hadn't wanted to chase after thieves, had suggested they report the incident to Sheriff Shade in Breckenridge and let him form a posse to go after the stolen livestock.

But Maverick had thought he was invincible, and he'd been filled with too much pride about his own abilities to track and fight. When he'd insisted on going out a short way to at least identify the thieves, Pa had insisted on riding along.

Maverick had reasoned that the thieves wouldn't be able to go fast or far with the terrain covered in snow. He'd been right and had easily tracked them to a gulch near Frisco. Once he and Pa had assessed their opponents, Pa had wanted to head back.

But with the stolen horses in full view and out in the open, Maverick had wanted to wait another hour until darkness fell, hoping to grab several of their best and take them back home. Course, he hadn't thought through the ramifications.

He closed his eyes to block out the memories, but they came anyway. The moment he'd inched out of hiding and made his way toward the horses, the thieves had started shooting at them. Unfortunately, he and Pa had been outnumbered and pinned down with no easy way out of the gulch. As the hours had dragged by and the temperatures began to drop, their situation had grown dire.

Finally, Pa had decided he'd cause a distraction so that Maverick could make it down the ravine and go after help. Maverick hadn't wanted to leave Pa behind, but since he'd been a sharpshooter in the war, Pa would be able to defend himself easily enough.

And maybe Pa would have... if the shower of bullets from the thieves hadn't started an avalanche in the cliffs right above him.

Maverick opened his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts of the image of the sheets of snow and ice tumbling down the hillside directly toward his pa. Even though it had been dark, the moonlight had been bright enough to illuminate the danger. He'd shouted at his pa to run, but Pa'd had only seconds, enough time to glance at the avalanche headed his way, then nod goodbye to Maverick.

He'd been buried under a mountain of snow and ice. Even though Maverick had tried to dig him out, the darkness, the weight of the snow and rocks, and the gunfire from the thieves had made the task nearly impossible. He'd ridden back to the ranch, rounded up as many men as possible, and gone back out to the gulch.

By then, the horse thieves had escaped. But retrieving the stolen horses hadn't mattered anymore. All that'd mattered was uncovering Pa and praying for a miracle that he'd somehow survived.

At dawn, they'd finally found his body, pale and lifeless. From what they could tell, he'd been knocked unconscious—hadn't suffered much, possibly even died instantly.

Everyone else had blamed the horse thieves, but Maverick held himself responsible. If only he hadn't been so proud or impulsive. If only he hadn't insisted on having his way. If only he'd listened to Pa and turned back and waited until they had more help.

But no, he'd pushed forward with what he'd wanted to do. Had been just as selfish then as he'd always been, seeking the thrill and the glory without considering anyone else.

Tanner was examining the ground carefully, already several dozen paces away from the broken fence, with Hazel following close behind. He halted and peered to the foothills to the northwest of the ranch. "From what I can tell from the hoofprints, your mare headed up into Dead Man's Gulch."

With his spine prickling, Maverick again scanned the foothills for signs of any horse thieves lingering about. "How many did the horse thieves get this time?"

Tanner bent and pushed back more of the dead damp grass. "Only one set of prints out here today."

"So Candy is alone?" Hazel asked.

"Looks that way."

Maverick poked at the dangling wire. "Then who cut the fence?"

Tanner shrugged. "Maybe it's been cut for a while, and you just didn't notice it."

"Or maybe the horse thieves are back in the area looking to steal more horses." Course, with everything that had happened, they'd all but given up finding their stolen horses. After the funeral and once Pa had been buried, the sheriff had done the best he could to follow all leads. But the thieves and the horses had never been seen again.

With narrowed eyes, Tanner followed the horse prints for a dozen more paces.

"Any idea what happened?" Hazel anxiously scanned the area ahead for the mare. Boulders and shrubs and clumps of dead grass covered the barren slope.

"The hoofprints belong to a mare carrying the extra weight. I have no doubt she's your mare, and I also have no doubt she was looking for a private place to do her foaling. She's probably not too far up the gulch."

Hazel nodded, then started hiking in the direction of Dead Man's Gulch.

"Whoa, now." Maverick trotted after her, easily catching hold of her arm and bringing her to a halt. "You can't just hike up there."

Hazel's expression was set with the determination he loved. Except that right now, he had no intention of letting her run off into the gulch looking for the mare. Not by herself, horse thieves or not.

Hazel's eyes radiated distress. "Candy might be in trouble."

"And we'll go after her, but first we gotta get our mounts and supplies."

"I'll be going by foot."

"We'll need to ride. Ain't no telling how far up the gulch she went."

Hazel crossed her arms and lifted her chin a notch. "I'm sure she's not far."

"Reckon we can go faster—"

"No, Maverick. I'm not riding."

"You can ride with me."

"No." Her tone held a finality that stopped his next sentence.

He'd known Hazel didn't ride. In all the years they'd been friends, she'd always refused—only ever went places by wagon or foot. Sterling had once told him that Hazel's fear of riding stemmed from the time she'd gotten lost while traveling west across the prairies with her family. Course, Sterling hadn't expounded much. And Maverick hadn't really thought about it much over the years—had accepted that Hazel loved the horses but never rode them.

But today, at this moment, he'd expected her to see the urgency of the situation and make an exception.

Tanner was watching their interaction. "I'd offer to go with you, but I have to head out."

"We'll be fine," Maverick said.

"You'll have no trouble. The mare won't have gone far in her condition."

"See?" Hazel broke away from Maverick's grip. "If we weren't wasting time arguing, we'd probably be halfway there."

Maverick had half a notion to go get his horse and toss Hazel over the saddle whether she wanted to ride or not. But the plain truth was, her comfort and wellbeing were more important than Candy and the foal. If Hazel didn't want to ride, he wouldn't force her.

"Reckon at the very least, I oughta bring my mount along to haul the supplies we need."

Hazel opened her mouth as though to disagree, but then she closed it and nodded. She knew as well as he did that they needed a few basic medicinal supplies and instruments just in case anything went wrong during the foaling.

Course, he was bringing along his rifle and his pa's. He wasn't planning to be caught unaware or get trapped again.

He'd made one too many mistakes already in his life and didn't want to make any more, especially any that might endanger Hazel.