Page 26 of Falling for the Cowgirl
Jericho shifted around in his saddle, intending to bargain with his brother again. But Nash was too busy reining the mare and trying to keep her from rearing up. “Whoa, now! Calm down!”
The mare shied near the edge of the trail, sending a cascade of rocks rolling down the steep side of the mountain.
Jericho’s muscles tensed and he halted. What was Nash doing? Why wasn’t he controlling his horse better? Jericho’s mount snorted, clearly sensing the growing turmoil.
As he bent in to rub and reassure his horse, Nash’s mare tossed her head. In the next instant, the creature lost her footing, slipped over the trail, and started sliding down the mountain.
Jericho could only watch in horror as the momentum sentthe horse toppling end over end until she became airborne. Nash yelled, tried to grab on to shrubs, but he was flying too fast.
When they landed at the bottom of the steep gorge, Jericho had been sick to his stomach, emptying everything inside.
Even now, Jericho swallowed the bile that rose into his throat every time he thought about all that had happened. How he’d had to backtrack carefully down the mountain, how it had taken what seemed like hours to he reach Nash, how he’d found his brother with a broken neck, lifeless.
For a long while after that day, he’d attributed Nash’s death to the wild horses that roamed South Park, mainly Hades, and he’d done his best to rid the area of the creatures. In fact, he’d quit working for Flynn at Healing Springs Ranch and had taken the position as foreman of Elkhorn Ranch because the owner there hated the mustangs and wanted to eliminate them too.
In hindsight, Jericho knew he hadn’t blamed the wild horses as much as he blamed himself. But at the time he needed to avenge Nash’s death, and killing mustangs had been the only way he’d known how.
Jericho breathed in deeply of the night air, catching the hint of smoke and ash from the wildfires to the north. He still held himself responsible for the loss. If only he hadn’t pushed on, had turned back sooner, had paid better attention to the treacherous conditions.
“I’m sorry, Nash,” he whispered harshly to the star-studded sky. “I was a selfish fool. I realize that now, and I’m trying to be a better man the way you wanted me to be.”
Although Nash had never spoken ill of their dad, he’d made it clear Jericho was to leave alcohol well enough alone.After watching the way it had destroyed their dad’s life, Jericho hadn’t argued with his brother. He’d resisted the urge to drown his problems in a bottle, knowing the drowning out of one problem only created a dozen more. He’d seen that truth play out in Dylan’s life as well. And Jericho would much rather do the rescuing than struggle with having to be rescued.
As he rode up to Flynn’s white-painted two-story farmhouse set amidst a sprawling yard with a large barn and other outbuildings, he shook off the angst of the past and forced himself to think on Ivy. Her well-being was the most important thing right now. All he had to know was that she was safe, and he’d ride away satisfied.
He hopped down and didn’t bother looping his horse to the hitching post before bounding up the steps and pounding his fist against the door.
Flynn answered, his limp hurried, his green-blue eyes rounded with worry. He was still attired in his dusty work clothes—dark wool trousers and a loose cotton shirt under his vest. His hat ring was visible in his brown hair, which was a shade lighter than Ivy’s. “What’s wrong?”
“Is Ivy here?” Jericho peered past Flynn into the hallway and front parlor. Linnea and five-year-old Flora with their curly red hair were close on Flynn’s heels, clearly sensing from his urgent knock that something wasn’t right.
“Haven’t seen her all week,” Flynn replied. “Think she’s in trouble?”
“Is she with Savannah and Brody?” Jericho had passed another house on his way in and guessed it was Brody’s place. Even if he and Brody had clashed over the wild horses last time Jericho was in the high country, he still respectedBrody and was relieved the fellow had found a way to help control the mustang population so they weren’t competing with the cattle for grassland.
“Savannah and Brody are still down on the Front Range.”
Jericho glanced around the quiet ranch yard. “Then she’s not here?”
“Nope.” Flynn followed his gaze, the furrows in his forehead deepening. “I take it she’s not at Wyatt’s either?”
Jericho shook his head. “No one’s seen her since early afternoon.”
“Maybe she went to town.”
“Don’t know why she would.”
“Don’t know why that girl does half the stuff she does.” Flynn’s tone was loaded part with affection and part with exasperation.
Jericho’s pulse hammered harder with a worry that had been growing with each passing hour of her absence.
Ivy was in trouble. And he needed to find her.
Chapter
9
Nothing and no one. Jericho held his lantern high and scanned the rangeland that lay before him.
