Page 40 of Waiting for the Rancher
But of course, she would have to be careful. If he wasn’t fully ready to embrace his love for her, she’d have to control her enthusiasm. She’d been patient for years already, hadn’t she? She could continue to be patient as long as he needed.
She scanned the landscape again and guessed he’d been gone for at least thirty minutes. His gelding was still tied to one of the nearby trees, which meant if he was on foot, he probably hadn’t gone far. If he needed the time to think and process this new direction of their relationship, then she couldn’t be pushy and demand that he stay with her.
But what about the horse thieves? After facing the danger with his pa earlier in the year, no doubt he was concerned thatthe thieves were now back in the area. Since they hadn’t been caught, it was very possible they’d decided to steal from High C Ranch again.
Her pulse slammed to a sudden halt.
What if Maverick had gotten into an altercation with the thieves? He might even be lying somewhere injured. Even though she hadn’t heard any gunshots, there were plenty of other ways they could have harmed him. She only had to think of the tragic avalanche that had taken Mr. Oakley’s life to know the truth of that.
With her heart beating again, but at double the speed, she started around the boulder in the direction Maverick had gone. It led to the river, and as she stepped closer, the rushing grew louder.
Finally she halted several feet from the bank, which was a sharp rocky drop down to the river. She glanced upstream along the ledge, but it was mostly untraversable with prickly sage plants and an uneven rim.
Downstream was a little smoother. What if he’d descended to the river? Maybe there was a trail that led safely down the steep bank, one he’d used in his childhood for fishing with Sterling. It wouldn’t surprise her if the two had long ago made a path.
She inched nearer to the edge but halted at a place where it appeared the earth had given way. Was this the trail?
She knelt and then peered over, scanning the river bottom below for any sign of Maverick. She guessed he’d have a makeshift fishing pole in hand and would be standing on a boulder in the middle of the river, throwing out his line just like he used to do.
But as far as she could scan upstream and down, she didn’t spot his handsome face or broad back and shoulders.
With a sigh, she began to push herself back up, but at the sight of a man lying at an odd angle almost directly below, her heart caught in her throat.
Though she couldn’t view the man’s head, she could see that the clothing and boots and hard muscular body belonged to only one man: Maverick.
How had he gotten there? Had he fallen?
On her knees, she cupped her hands around her mouth. “Maverick?” The shout echoed in the barren river valley enough that anyone nearby would have heard her, including Maverick.
But he didn’t budge.
What if he was dead?
“Dear God, help us.” Her heart began to thud with a terrible rhythm, the sweet melody from moments ago replaced with a clanging death knell.
With trembling fingers she grasped the tall grass behind her. The slight movement sent a cascade of rocks and dust down the slope, and she scrambled back to avoid falling down the embankment herself.
Was that what had happened to Maverick? Had he stepped too close to the edge and slid down? The messy cascade of rocks certainly looked like it had recently been disturbed.
Whatever the case, she had to get to him. If he was still alive, he was likely severely injured with fractured bones, cuts, internal injuries, maybe a concussion.
With growing franticness, she crawled along the embankment, searching for a way to descend—a trail, footholds, even an area that was less steep. But as far as she could tell, there was no easy way—at least, not in the near vicinity.
If she tried climbing down, she’d end up in the same shape or worse. Besides, even if she made it to him, how would she be able to help him? She only had the few supplies she’d packed just in case Candy had ended up in trouble, but none would be of useto him. She’d also never be able to move him by herself. Not back up the steep embankment, not even downriver to a different place to climb out of the river bottoms.
Her heart thudded harder. She didn’t want to leave him here by himself, but the only thing left to do was go back to High C Ranch for help. Actually, she was closer to her own family’s ranch and could probably reach it more quickly. Since the Noble Ranch was a bigger operation with more workers, she’d also have the likelihood of rounding up a larger rescue party.
“Maverick?” she shouted again.
He remained unmoving—didn’t even twitch.
“I’m going for help!” Her voice caught on the edge of a sob. “I’ll be back in no time.” At least, she prayed she would be.
She waited only a second longer, praying he’d sit up or lift a hand or at least shift his leg. But he was as silent as a dead man.
A sob slipped out, echoing in the eerily silent air. She crept backward. When she was safely away from the ledge, she stood and ran back to Candy and the foal. The two were still right where she’d left them and would be fine while she was gone.
And Maverick’s gelding was still tied up and grazing peacefully.
