Page 53 of Falling for the Cowgirl
Hadn’t mattered that they’d shared a kiss. Hadn’t mattered that he’d felt the same thing she had. Hadn’t mattered that Wyatt and Flynn wanted him to marry her. Hadn’t mattered that she’d asked him for an explanation.
Her throat tightened around a lump that wouldn’t go away. This time she intended to put him from her mind and to stay as far from him as she could. She’d decided to skipout on the church service today to avoid him. She didn’t know how she’d be able to sit in that small chapel with him nearby and not think on their kiss.
How was it he could kiss her like that one moment and then push her out of his life the next?
She shook her head, her long braid swishing sharply across her back.
“What is it?” Hance asked from behind her. “Do you see something?”
“Nope. We still got a ways before we’re there.” Half a day’s journey at least, since the rocky terrain near the summit would slow them down.
The two men were like kids at Christmas in their zeal for finding treasure. They’d been consulting their map and checking off the locations they’d already searched. From what she’d been able to tell from the drawings of the Kenosha Range, they hadn’t yet visited the sprawling rock formations that surrounded Windy Peak and several other peaks nearby.
Hance had pulled out a separate map, one drawn by someone else that had more precise markings on it. When he’d caught her staring at it, he’d stuffed it back into his coat pocket. Although he’d been as polite as always, irritation marked his expression.
It had given her a moment’s pause and made her second-guess her decision to tell Wyatt he didn’t have anything to worry about in letting her tag along with Hance and Otis. Maybe she should have taken him up on his suggestion to have Judd or Astrid keep her company.
Ivy hadn’t even wanted to consider inviting Astrid, not after she’d blabbered the identity of Buster Bliss to the rest of the family.
Ivy had confronted Astrid about it that night after riding home from the dance. Of course, Astrid claimed she’d shared Ivy’s secret to prevent any mishaps. But Ivy guessed the real reason was because Astrid was jealous of her getting all the attention from Jericho.
Whatever the case, Ivy reckoned she’d have to patch things up sooner or later. She couldn’t stay mad at Astrid forever. Someone else would’ve figured out her duplicity eventually anyway. Ivy’d just hoped to hide her competing until after she’d saved up enough to beat Jericho in the bid for Steele’s land.
She settled her attention on the granite formations ahead, the light of day bringing them to life. Maybe she needed to pray for a miracle. But she hadn’t been in the business of praying in recent years. If she was honest with herself, she figured praying wouldn’t do much good.
Father Zieber talked about God loving them no matter what they did or where they wandered, like a patient father always loving his children. But the closest thing she’d ever had to a father was Flynn, and she was always disappointing him. She didn’t doubt she’d disappointed God too. He was probably sighing and throwing His arms up at her antics, especially lately.
She had to do better. And she would, once she had a place she could finally call home.
Jericho’s gut tightened as he stood outside the church after the service and searched up and down the street for Ivy, the wind slapping him hard. Through the swirling dust and the tumbling weeds, he didn’t see her anywhere. He hadn’t askedher family where she was for fear of seeming too interested. But it wasn’t like her to miss the Sunday meeting.
The midmorning sun beat down on his black hat and soaked into his church clothes—black trousers, along with a matching suit coat and vest over a white shirt and tie. He’d taken extra time with his grooming, telling himself he wasn’t doing it to impress Ivy. But a part of him couldn’t deny that he had, and he was ashamed of it.
Though he hadn’t wanted to, he’d arrived at the church early and watched for her, his chest thudding with anticipation. Even when she’d been absent, he’d kept on looking and waiting.
Now he was left with the unsettling conclusion that she’d accepted the offer to go treasure hunting with Hance Payne.
She had every right to gallivant around with Hance or any other man. Jericho had no claim to her, not after making the break with her on Independence Day. She’d given him a chance to explain things, but he let her ride out of his life. Because of that, he needed to honor her request not to see her again, needed to walk away and stop thinking of her.
Except, she was out there with Hance. And he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
Was it because he was jealous? Or was it something more than that? Something Hance had said? Something someone else had said about Hance?
Jericho narrowed his gaze upon the barbershop and dentist office. Gordo had claimed Hance appeared familiar, like someone he’d known in Texas. Maybe Hance was lying about having lived in California. Had he sought refuge in Texas after the war before coming up to Colorado? Perhaps with one of the gangs of outlaws Gordo had mingled with?
And why was Hance so determined to hunt for hidden treasure? From what Jericho had gleaned, Otis and Hance searched every weekend and sometimes even closed up shop early during the week to go out. Clearly they took their hobby more seriously than most men. It was almost as if they were certain a treasure existed.
Not only that, but Hance seemed privy to details no one else knew, especially about the Spanish treasure. Most treasure hunters believed the fabled Spanish gold was located by the Purgatoire River east of Las Animas. No one had ever mentioned the Utes finding and moving the treasure. And Jericho had never heard anything about rocks in the figure of a rattlesnake.
The question was, how had Hance gleaned his information and where?
Jericho was half-tempted to break into Hance’s shop and poke around to see what he could find. But the urgency inside prodded him toward the livery and his horse. He didn’t like the idea of Ivy being alone with any men at this point, not until he whittled down his Rodney James suspect list.
Yet, he couldn’t just ride out and drag Ivy home. She’d put up a big fight and refuse to come with him. And he couldn’t offer to tag along with her, not after the way things had ended between them. It wouldn’t be fair to keep pushing himself into her life and giving her hope when there wasn’t any.
His sights shifted to the haze that had settled over the Kenosha Range. Billows of smoke rose into the air. Reports from those coming over Kenosha Pass all said the same thing, that the forest fires were burning in the Mount Evans area, that the flames hadn’t made their way down into the KenoshaRange. Ivy wasn’t in any danger. But the smoke seemed to be drifting farther south.
Maybe he could ride out with the excuse that he was checking on the direction of the fire to bring a report back for any stagecoaches and teamsters considering traveling up the Kenosha Pass. Hopefully Ivy wouldn’t see through his excuse and realize he’d followed her. Even if she did, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. His muscles were tightening with each passing moment with the need to go after her.
