Page 54 of Due North
He turned and took off for the barn, but I was close on his heels, yelling for him to talk to me. We dashed into the barn, and he stopped short when Sundance wasn’t in his stall.
“Dammit! Who took my horse?” he spun around and threw his arms up.
“Probably one of the hands. They know you can’t ride right now.”
“I need a horse. I need a horse.”
“Caleb, you aren’t supposed to ride right now.”
“I don’t care!” he exploded, running to the tack area, and grabbing the modified saddle before running to Dolly’s stall. “I’m not going to lose another baby I love! I will die before I let that happen, Cece!”
He threw the saddle over Dolly’s back, tightened the billet straps, and followed it with a bridle.
“Caleb, it’s not safe to ride Dolly. At least take the UTV,” I begged as he led her from the stall.
He mounted Dolly and pointed at me. “Dolly will do what she was born to do. I want you to meet me at the bottom of the ridge. I’m bringing your baby back to you.”
With those words, he was gone.
Seventeen
I dug my heels into the horse’s ribs and headed back toward the house and along the ridge from the side. It was asinine to think she had gone up the ridge, but my gut was telling me to go. I had to follow it. I had to because five precious souls perished the last time I didn’t. I wouldn’t let that happen again.
“Let’s go, Doll,” I said, pushing her up the ridge. The horses had already beaten a path through the few inches of snow we had on the ground. We had to track these fence lines twice a day to ensure there were no holes in the fence, so it didn’t take long to make paths to follow.
I’d ridden this fence line so many times over the last seven years that I had it memorized, but tonight, I had to ride it like it was my first time. I had to notice everything or miss the most important thing.
Poppy Rose.
Why that sixth sensekept telling me she was up here, I didn’t know, but I had to listen. I tried to look for footprints, but the wind was too strong on the ridge. It would wipe out the footprints of a thirty-five-pound child in a matter of a few minutes. That also meant Poppy was out here in a low windchill with no boots on.
God, please let me find her! Don’t do this to me again!
I pushed the horse higher up the ridge, the whole time wondering if Poppy could even climb this far without getting too tired. What would possess her to walk up here anyway? It would make more sense that she would try to get to my cabin if she was upset about not getting to see me last night.
I pulled Dolly up short. I wasted precious time if I went any further and she wasn’t there. I thought back to all the time she spent staring out the window in my kitchen, watching the giant sienna animals swaying like dancers in the fields. She would point and say, ‘ga, ga’ as though I was supposed to know what she meant. I didn’t, but now, I wish I did.
“Poppy Rose,” I said softly, hating that she couldn’t hear anyone calling for her if she was scared. She didn’t know everyone was out looking for her. She would have to notice the lights of the ranch and find her way back down if she were up here. “This is a wild goose chase. She can’t be up here!”
Dolly swung her long mane and whinnied. Her patience was waning, so I patted her neck calmly, forcing the swirling blue behind my eyes down the ridge so that I could focus on the yellows and reds.
“Where is she, Dolly?” I asked, and the horse moved, her hooves balanced and sure on the rocky terrain. She was doing what she was born to do, so I’d better let her do it.
Dolly moved at a slow trot, and as we approached the fence, I took out the high-beam flashlight I’d grabbed from the barn, swinging it along and through the pastures, looking for anything out of place. There was no way she could have gotten into a pasture. The tiny holes in the wire fencing weren’t big enough for a squirrel, much less for a child the size of Poppy. Unless there was a hole somewhere. The horrible thought went through my mind, and I grabbed the walkie, radioing Tobi on the other ridge.
“Have you found her?” I asked, my face freezing from the cold wind.
“Not yet. Sheriff Nash just arrived along with the ambulance. They’re getting the infrared drone ready to launch.”
“I’m on the back ridge. Keep me posted.”
I hooked the walkie on the saddle and held up on Dolly’s reins as I pictured my cabin and what pasture I looked out over as I sat at the kitchen table. It took me less than a second to know it was Callie’s pasture, and my hand went to my heart. It always did when I let myself remember that fact. It wasn’t a reaction I could control, so I pushed Dolly forward while keeping my eyes peeled for any movement.
Blaze’s first wife, Callie, died in that pasture, and five years later, a white bison was born in the same place. There was a holiness to the ground, and I never wanted to disturb the white light that emanated from the pasture. It didn’t matter if it was pouring down rain or the sun was shining. That white light was brighter than all of it. I was probably the only one who saw it, but I still didn’t like to disturb it.
Tonight, I didn’t have a choice.
I swung my flashlight through the pasture as Dolly trotted along for all she was worth. She was in her element, and I was glad I never doubted her ability to do the job when the time came.
