Page 46 of Cowboy Jeopardy

“I’ll be fine.”

“No talking,” Langello called out.

“How much farther?” She asked.

“We’ll get there when we get there.”

Something rustled in the brush, sending her heart into her throat, then a hint of hope arose. A wild animal might frighten Langello into firing his gun and giving away their position. She peered through the shadows, hoping for something small. Did bears wander at night? Mountain lions did, right? She shook her head to shake away the thoughts. No sense in frightening herself more than she already was.

Monster. She spotted the dog under the bush and motioned for him to stay. The sweet thing had most likely been following them the whole time. Did he know a command to attack? No, that might get him shot. How could she distract Langello long enough to send the boys away?

A deep growling came from behind Monster. Dark eyes glittered. The other two guard dogs had come to the rescue.

She gripped the boys’ hands. Then, she started screaming for help.

Heidi and Sadie barked and leaped from the bushes.

Langello yelped.

“Run.” Dani took off at a run, dragging the boys with her. Soon, she let go of their hands. They kept up with her, Monster right alongside them.

Langello cursed and fired his gun.

She prayed he wouldn’t hit one of the dogs and kept running. “Which way, boys?”

“I don’t know this area,” Eric said. “Monster, home.”

The dog leaped in front of them.

Soon, Dani’s breath came in gasps. Her thighs muscles screamed. Still, she forced herself to keep going, urging the boys on until she could no longer hear signs of Langello. Even then, she didn’t fool herself into believing he wouldn’t follow.

“Stop.” She leaned against a tree to catch her breath and relieve the ache in her side. “Just for a minute.”

The boys stared in the direction they’d come, their chests heaving. Just then, the clouds overhead released a flood with a vengeance. Soon, all four of them were dripping. It would make it harder for Langello to follow them, but also for Dylan. Through the sound of raindrops hitting the ground came the sound of far-off barking, then a yelp.

Tears sprang to her eyes. Langello had fatally harmed one or both of them.

She pushed away from the tree. “Let’s go.” She no longer had it in her for a dead run and set off at a fast walk, ducking branches and weaving around bushes as the forest thickened.

Her feet slogged through the mud, her hair obscuring her vision. She swiped away the wet strands and kept going, glancing back to make sure the boys were still with her. They’d ridden the horses all day. Would they reach the ranch by daylight? The ranch hands would save them. She sure couldn’t, having left her gun in her backpack at camp. Dani had been so worried about grabbing the duffel bag and getting away from camp before Langello shot someone, she hadn’t grabbed it. She sighed and pushed on. “Recognize anything?”

“Not yet,” Derrick said. “Don’t worry. Monster knows the way.”

She was counting on it.

The more the mud caked on her shoes, the heavier her legs got, and the harder it was to keep going. When Monster glanced back and growled, she increased her pace. Langello couldn’t be gaining on them, could he?

Fear threatened to choke her until they crossed a creek after what felt like hours of running. She knew this place. “Boys, is this the creek that leads to the waterfall?”

“I think so.” Derrick grinned through the downpour. “We can hide there.”

“That’s my thought.” Dani stepped into the creek, surprised at how hard it flowed. “Be careful. It’s running fast.” She kept up a fast pace, holding on to low-hanging branches as much as possible in order not to be swept away.

At one point, she moved back, letting the boys move ahead of her. If they slipped, she hoped to be able to grab them before they were swept away.

Soon, the roar of the waterfall rose over the sound of the rain. When it came into sight, Dani led the boys from the creek and stared upward. Climbing would be perilous with the weather, but it was the best chance they had of getting away from Langello until daylight. By then, Dylan would have found them.

“Go slow and careful. It’s going to be slippery. I’ll be right behind you.”

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