Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

S moke billowed in thick, black plumes against the gray sky as Jonah sprinted uphill, his heart hammering relentlessly with each gasping breath. The acrid smell of burning timber assaulted his nostrils, growing stronger every second.

That had to be his cabin. How could a fire have started? The cookstove had held no live coals, he'd made sure of it.

His mind raced as his boots pounded the rocky trail. He had been down by the stream, washing his bucket and fetching fresh water, when he spotted the group on horseback, a wagon trailing the strangers as they rode hard away from the mine and the main house.

Instinct had propelled Jonah to follow them, but on foot, he was no match for their speed. That was when he'd seen smoke rising in the distance.

That was when raw panic had seized him.

As he crested the final ridge, he stumbled to a halt, his chest heaving.

The scene before him felt like a nightmare. It couldn't be real .

The cabin was completely engulfed in flames, the wooden beams collapsing in on themselves as they charred and smoldered.

Months of painstaking labor, all reduced to ash and embers. How? How could it have happened? How could he have let it happen?

He clenched his fists, fighting back the hot sting of tears. Everything he had worked for, the home he'd been planning to offer Patsy, had just gone up in flames.

"Jonah!" The shout of his name broke through his haze. He turned to see his brothers running toward him. And Patsy.

Jericho, Miles, and the others crowded around him, tugging and hugging and clamoring with questions.

"What happened?"

"Where were you?"

"You scared the hayseed outta us."

Then Patsy was there, launching into his arms.

He folded her in, confused, still struggling to move past the fire. He stared over the top of her head at the smoldering remains. His cabin. Destroyed.

"Thank God you're all right." She pressed her hands to the side of his face, studying him as if she were trying to memorize the sight of him. "Thank God. Thank God."

He got a look at her then, her red-rimmed eyes, the crimson curls that'd come loose from her bun and fell around her face. Her skin was pale, her cheeks blotchy, and she gazed at him with so much love, it almost brought him to his knees.

What in the world?

Jericho must've seen his confusion. He motioned to the plume of flame and smoke behind him. "We thought you were in there."

Oh. She'd thought…they'd all thought he was gone. Burned. Their expressions matched Patsy's—joy and relief shining past re d-rimmed eyes.

Jonah's throat pulled so tight that he could barely speak. He forced words out. "Went to the creek." He waved down the slope. "I saw someone. Several men riding hard away from the house or…" He nodded to the remains of his cabin. "I started to chase them, but…" His voice broke.

Gil's eyes widened. "You think they did this? Burned your cabin?"

Realization swept in. Had those men escaped from his cabin? After they'd set fire to it? Why in the blue blazes would anyone have done such a thing?

Cold fury churned in his gut.

He would find out.

His brothers exchanged grim looks, then Jericho spoke up. "We'd better check the mine first. Then we can split up and look over the rest of the ranch." He spun to Eric. "Can you take the women back to our cabin? Stay there until we get back."

Eric nodded, his arm lifting to Naomi's back. "I'll protect them with my life."

Jericho, Jude, Miles, and Gil started downhill.

Jonah had to force himself to turn away from the devastation before him—the symbol of his plans and dreams, still smoking in the clearing.

"I'm so sorry, Jonah."

Patsy's words pulled him from his trance, and he squeezed her arm, then stepped away. "I need to go with them. Figure out what happened here." And make whoever did this pay. He followed his brothers.

"Be careful." Her voice sounded so small and worried that he turned back for a quick look.

She stood with her arms at her sides, alone amid the woods at the edge of the clearing. But she wasn't alone. Dinah and Lillian and Angela had all gathered not far behind her. Eric and Naomi were waiting near the trailhead.

"Stay with the family," Jonah said. "I'll be back." He sure didn't want her anywhere close to strangers who would burn down a man's brand-new home.

He didn't wait for Patsy's answer, just turned and pushed into a run to catch up with his brothers. There would be time later to process the loss, to grieve what could have been. Right now, he had to focus on finding the men responsible and ensuring they paid for what they'd done.

As the mine came into view, he'd finally caught up with his brothers. But the sight in front of them made Jonah's stomach knot with fresh dread. The door to the shed where they kept filled crates of sapphires stood wide open, the rocks and branches they used to hide the building pushed aside.

Jude approached the entrance before the rest of them. He was the brother who oversaw the sapphires, though they all worked the mine.

Jonah started after him. If anything was missing, Jude shouldn't have to face the loss alone.

At the open doorway, Jude stopped, and Jonah halted beside him. He could barely see anything in the darkness. But that was the problem. They should have a year's worth of sapphires stored here. The last he'd seen, crates had filled more than half the building. And that had been several months before, meaning it should be even more full.

But all that greeted them was emptiness.

"Is there anything left?" Jericho's voice growled from behind. He was the protector of the family. He probably took this blow as hard as Jude. Maybe harder.

Jude stepped inside, his boots scuffing the ground. "About ten crates." Only a couple rows lined the far end.

"God, why?" Jericho asked the question nearly under his breath, but it was clearly a prayer. Not idle swearing.

Jonah drew in a breath and tried to blow out his anger and despair, but they were hanging on. He'd lost his cabin. And now he'd lost the resources to replace it.

He should be praying. He should be turning to God for strength. For wisdom. But his body craved action. And justice. And maybe…revenge. Help me want to turn to You.

That was all he could manage right now.

Gil, Miles, and Sampson stood behind Jericho, their expressions a mixture of shock and anger. Gil turned to study the ground around them, and Jericho did the same.

Good idea, looking for clues, but Jonah had seen which way the men rode away. It was time to go after them.

He started toward the house. "I'm going for a few mounts."

"Wait." Jericho's sharp command brought him up short.

He turned to see what Jericho had found, but his older brother was studying Sampson.

"What is it? Spit it out." Jericho sounded like he was about to pull fists on their younger brother. Or something worse.

Sampson dropped to his haunches and touched something on the ground. Then he lifted it in a flat hand, rising to his feet. "This belongs to one of the men I met in Missoula Mills. Trying to cut a deal to purchase the sapphires." His voice held a gravity that showed he knew exactly what this meant.

Jericho took the item from his palm. It sparkled in the moonlight and looked to be some kind of metal or jewelry. A pocket watch maybe. "They must have decided to take what they wanted instead of trading for it." His voice ground out with anger Jonah hadn't heard from him in years.

Jericho clamped Sampson on the shoulder, waiting until he met his eyes. "We'll talk more later about why you brought these vultures to our doorstep. For now, we need to focus. How many? Can they shoot? How well are they armed?"

Sampson swallowed, nodding.

Maybe to give him a minute to regroup, Jericho focused on Jonah. "Get the horses, enough for us all. And all the rifles except two for Eric and the women. Jude, Gil, and Miles, go help him. "

Jonah set off at a run, his brothers just behind. They had a long night ahead of them, but they would catch these thieves and scoundrels. Unfortunately, recovering thousands of dollars' worth of gemstones wouldn't make his cabin whole again.

It seemed like every time he was close enough to taste the life he craved, it was jerked out from beneath him.

S moke still stung Patience's eyes as she walked with the others back to the cabin. The entire family had shown up—all five of Jonah's brothers, his sisters-in-law, his niece and nephew, not to mention Naomi and Eric and their daughter, plus Anna, who weren't even blood related, but might as well be.

Jonah's brothers had gone with him to check their mine, and she'd heard Jericho ask Eric to stay with the "others" and make sure they were safe. The women and children, he meant.

It irked her to be tossed into a group that made her sound helpless. She might be a woman, but she could likely draw and shoot faster and more accurately than Eric LaGrange. Of course, she shouldn't assume she knew his abilities, just as she wished Jericho hadn't underestimated her.

She let out a sigh. Maybe it was best she stay here and help protect Anna and the others. She sent a glance toward her niece, who walked beside Naomi. The girl's expression was so somber, her eyes almost hollow.

Naomi held Mary Ellen, who'd been fussing since they arrived at the fire. Perhaps the tot knew something was terribly wrong, or maybe she was simply hungry. Either way, Naomi had her hands full soothing her.

Eric, too, seemed occupied speaking with Dinah and Angela in tense tones. Something about the fire and…a mine?

Whatever it was, it wasn't Patience's business. She moved in close to Anna and rested a hand on her shoulder. " Everything is fine, you know. Jonah and the other men have just gone to check on things. We're all safe."

Anna nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on the dark trees before them.

Her heart ached for the girl. If only she could take away her fear and uncertainty. But how could she reassure Anna when her own thoughts were a tangled mess of worry and frustration? She should be out there, helping Jonah and his brothers, not stuck here feeling useless.

As they reached the cabin, Patience held the door open for the others to file inside. The space felt cramped with so many people, the air heavy with unspoken fears. Naomi settled into a bench seat by the hearth, Mary Ellen on her lap and Anna at her side. She was speaking in quiet murmurs to the girls, and the magic of her voice already had both children smiling a bit more than before. If only Patience could have had that same effect.

Angela, Lillian, and Dinah had moved to the kitchen, and already the scent of warming stew filled the air, a comforting aroma that almost made her forget the smoke that still clung to her dress.

Eric and Sean were traipsing inside and out, hauling firewood and water. The others ate in shifts, each filling a bowl when they were ready for it.

Patience stepped to the window, out of their way, and peered out into the night. The moon had risen fully, casting an eerie glow over the landscape. Shadows seemed to lurk around every corner. She couldn't stomach the thought of food just now. Not with what happened to Jonah's cabin, and now he was out searching for the men who had done such a cruel act.

Minutes crawled by with agonizing slowness. Eric had joined his wife and the girls near the hearth and was now reading to them.

Sean sat nearby, whittling the horse he sometimes worked on in the evenings .

Her nerves wouldn't let her sit, but she did her best to confine herself to watching at the window. Jonah was out there, facing God knew what danger, and here she was, standing uselessly.

She could take it no more. She had to do something, anything, to help Jonah and his brothers. She hurried into her bed chamber and snatched her derringer from her satchel. She'd stopped wearing it in her sleeve, but she needed it now.

After adjusting it so she could flip her wrist and draw, she returned to the main room. Maybe she should tell the others she was headed out, but they would try to stop her. She could fend for herself out there, and if she had to loiter here in the cabin another half hour, she might go mad.

So she strode across the cabin, keeping her steps light. Nobody looked at her, so she slipped out the door and into the smoky night air. In the barn, the familiar scents enveloped her. A horse nickered softly, and she made her way down the aisle until she found the gelding she'd ridden from Missoula Mills. She ran a hand along his neck, feeling the warmth of his coat beneath her palm. "Hey there, old friend. Looks like we've got another adventure ahead of us."

The saddle felt heavy in her hands as she lifted it onto the horse's back, the leather creaking as she tightened the cinch. The last time she'd ridden this horse was when she first came to this ranch. She and Jonah had been strangers, and she'd not been certain at all she could trust him. So much had changed since then. Not only did she trust him, she was ready to risk her life for him.

She swung into the saddle, and the horse took a step forward, as eager to set out as she was. She nudged him with her heels, and the gelding moved into a brisk walk. She aimed him toward a trail she'd noticed before, one that looked heavily traveled and went the direction the brothers had gone. This must lead to the mine she'd heard mentioned.

The path wound through the trees, and in the dark, she had to focus on the packed dirt so she wouldn't lose the route. Branches reached out like gnarled fingers, catching at her hair and clothes. The farther she rode, the more the shadows closed in around her.

She strained for any sounds that would signal the presence of the Coulter brothers—the murmur of voices, footsteps through the dried pine needles. Maybe even a whistle to catch her attention if they spotted her first.

But no sounds came.

Maybe she should turn back.

They'd not had horses, so if they planned to go after the arsonists, they would need to come back to the barn for mounts. She should have thought of that and waited for them instead of setting out alone.

Foolish, overconfident girl.

Just as she was about to rein her horse around, a flicker of light ahead caught her eye. She reined in her horse and peered through the trees at the dying coals of a campfire, the embers still glowing. Someone had been here not long ago.