Chapter 13

She was a silly ninny. That's what.

Hazel followed after Maverick and his gelding, letting him lead the way deeper into Dead Man's Gulch as he followed hoofprints, droppings, and other signs of Candy's trail.

But after traveling for a good hour by foot and still not finding the mare, the anxiety inside Hazel was pulsing with greater intensity. And she'd started berating herself for not being willing to ride a horse so that they could travel faster and cover more ground.

But just the thought of sitting atop the horse stirred bile inside her and sent a bitter taste to the back of her throat. Even with Maverick near, she couldn't imagine herself riding.

The truth was, she'd made peace long ago with the fact that she would never mount a horse again. And most of the time, she didn't think about the disadvantages of not riding.

But today... at this moment, she was afraid her reticence would hurt Candy.

She could only hope the mare hadn't foaled yet and had simply gone off to prepare for the birth. After all, yesterday during the examinations, Candy hadn't been completely ready. Yet, if the mare had already foaled and had faced any sort of trouble, Hazel didn't want to be too late to help.

"How much longer do you think we have?" Hazel couldn't stop the inquiry. No doubt Maverick was annoyed not only by her resistance to riding but also by such a stupid question.

Instead of scoffing at her question, Maverick paused and peered around. "My guess is that she took shelter in the thicket ahead."

Dead Man's Gulch had been a playground during their growing-up years, and Maverick was familiar with each twist and turn. Even though it was in the foothills to the west of the High C Ranch, it veered north and followed along the Blue River leading to the Noble Ranch. If they went much farther, they might even end up on Noble land.

The rocky terrain was covered in moss, and a few spruce and fir trees had pushed through the granite and grew in clusters. They'd already passed a group of mountain sheep—bighorns—climbing nimbly among the higher rocks. Several rams had the heavy horns that curled around their faces, but most were ewes with their young lambs.

Maverick's hand had hardly let go of his revolver during the entire hike. His back had remained rigid, and he'd been preoccupied with scanning the landscape.

She guessed he was nervous about venturing off the ranch after all that had transpired with the horse thieves and his pa's death, but he wasn't letting his anxiety stop him. If he was able to face his fear with such bravery, wasn't it time for her to do the same?

"I'm sorry for refusing to ride." She offered the apology softly, wishing even now that she could make herself climb astride his mount but not knowing if she really could.

"I understand." He replied just as quietly, still scanning the area.

"I'm not proud that I'm so scared to get on a horse."

He shot her a quick look over his shoulders, his eyes warm with compassion. "Reckon we all got our issues."

She didn't need to have him spell out his. She could see them well enough every day. The guilt he felt over his pa's death, the guilt he carried for his ma's deterioration, and even the guilt for the trouble with his siblings. She'd wanted to soothe away the lines in his forehead more times than she could count and tell him he wasn't to blame for anything that had happened, but she suspected he'd only toss aside her platitudes.

No, the best way to help him was simply by walking by his side and helping bear his burden as best she could.

She was relieved that so far during their hike, everything between them had seemed normal again, as if nothing had happened—no kiss, no attraction, and no hurt feelings.

If only they could go back to simple friendship.

"Sterling once told me you got lost during the journey here to Colorado." Maverick's voice held an invitation to talk about the incident.

She didn't like to dredge up the memories. She'd had nightmares for years and had found that it was easier to leave the past behind her. Yet if Maverick wanted to hear about the story from her, shouldn't she be willing to share at least a little? If the roles had been reversed, she would have wanted the same openness.

"You don't have to say anything." He tossed the comment over his shoulder, clearly sensing her hesitation.

"It was a long time ago." She tried to laugh at herself for her silly fears, but the fears hadn't diminished with age, and her laugh came out sounding forced.

"Reckon the stuff from long ago ends up haunting a person the most."

Her thoughts traveled back to that fateful day when she'd been riding one of the mares alongside their wagon train.

"It had been a particularly exhausting day of walking, so Father had let me and Scarlet take turns riding our one mare."

At her words, Maverick halted and turned so that he was giving her his full attention.

At nine, Hazel had already been a talented rider, and no one had thought anything of her wandering away for a short while to explore or to chase after a wild animal. She never went far or stayed away long.

"That evening as we started preparing to make camp, I spotted what I'd hoped was a buffalo on a nearby ridge. By the time I reached the area and realized it was just a boulder, I turned around and the wagon train wasn't in sight."

"You couldn't find your way back?"

"I probably could have, but the mare got spooked by a rattlesnake and took off so fast that it was all I could do to hang on."

Maverick's features were rugged and handsome, and the blue of his eyes was bright with an intensity that told her he was upset for her.

"By the time I got control of the mare, I was hopelessly lost. I rode for hours, well into the night, searching for everyone and calling out for them. But I didn't see a single person."

"You must have been terrified."

The horror of that night made her shiver. "I've never felt more alone or afraid than during those hours. I thought for sure I'd be lost forever and end up dying in the plains."

"Valid concern. It was a mighty dangerous time to be traveling west."

She'd heard the tales of vigilantes wandering the West—mainly war criminals who preyed upon unsuspecting travelers. There had still been ongoing wars and hostilities with the Natives. And the wild creatures of the plains were a constant threat too.

"By dawn, I knew I had to keep going, even though I was hungry and thirsty and miserable from so many hours in the saddle. I could thankfully tell directions, and so I turned my horse toward the west and figured I'd keep riding until I reached Colorado or died, whichever came first."

Maverick muttered angry words under his breath.

"I only rode for a short while before I saw a fellow from our wagon train out riding. He was part of a large group that had set out at dawn to look for me."

"So how far away was the wagon train?"

"Not all that far, actually. Maybe half a mile or so to the southeast."

"With them being so close, they should've found you sooner."

"In all the busyness of setting up camp, they didn't realize I was missing until well after dark. By then, the leader of our group made the decision that the search party would have to wait until morning to head out."

"And leave a little girl to fend for herself all night?"

"I understand the reasoning. He didn't want one loss to turn into more, which could have easily happened in the dark."

"Don't matter none. I would've gone after you." Maverick's tone was defiant.

She smiled. "Apparently Sterling tried to go, but my father tied him up to keep him from being reckless."

"Reckon that's my downfall. I act first, think later."

"That's because you have such a big, caring heart."

"Or I'm an idiot, like Sterling said at the wedding."

"No, Maverick." She had an intense longing to reach for him and draw him into an embrace. But after the strain of the past week, she had to be careful. "He was just angry, didn't understand anything that was really going on. I was angry too, until I had more time to think about it and talk with you."

Maverick shifted and peered around again, his body tense. They'd stayed near the river, but with the banks gradually having grown steeper, Maverick had led them a dozen or more paces away—close enough to hear the rustling water, but far enough that they wouldn't chance slipping off the edge.

"You want to do what's right," she continued, "but it doesn't always work out. A few failures along the way don't mean you should stop being you."

"Those failures are mighty big ones."

"Think about all the times when your decisions have turned into something great. Like the new Oakley breed. We wouldn't have that if not for your urging and planning."

Before Maverick could answer, a frightened whinny from nearby made them both swivel and start forward.

"It's her." Hazel scanned the brush, her pulse racing forward.

As Maverick had predicted, they only had to go around a slight bend before finding the mare grazing in a secluded and shaded area beneath several fir trees at the base of a rocky slope rising gradually to the mountains beyond.

From the tautness of the mare's abdomen, Hazel guessed she was well into her travail.

As they approached, the mare nickered and tossed her head, as if warning them to stay away. But Hazel crooned gentle words of affirmation, trying to silently communicate that she didn't intend to leave, that she was a friend, and that she'd be with her for every step of the birthing.

Maverick held back, aware that the mare was unstable and needed to be handled carefully so that she didn't bolt again, this time harming herself and the unborn foal. He waited patiently to the side until at last Candy lay down.

As soon as she did, the water broke and one of the foal's front feet made an appearance.

Relief pulsed through Hazel. "That's my girl."

She smiled at Maverick over her shoulder. "It'll all work out, Maverick. Just wait and see."

He smiled in return, giving her a brief glimpse into his eyes and revealing something there that was so sweet and tender that her breath snagged.

She couldn't be sure what it was, couldn't take the time to analyze it. All she could do was pray that everything really would work out, especially between her and Maverick.