Chapter Ten

Traveling through the lower regions of the Ponderosa was easy for Rachel. Her legs, arms and back were strong after pulling her cart over a thousand miles to find the only white men she thought could help her. But once her path began to rise in elevation, she struggled in the deeper snow. She fell frequently, stepping into holes where the snow had covered bushes or snags of downed tree limbs. Even so, she determinedly continued.

She had already spent one night in the cold. Finding a rock outcropping with an overhang large enough for her and Ezra to sleep, she covered the space with the stitched skins of her pack, leaving an opening on one side and at the top as a draft and chimney for a small fire. With their extra skins and blankets for cover, the fire, and the stitched skins to block the wind, she and Ezra stayed warm. Now, looking to the sky, she knew she would soon have to make another shelter.

She did not know, however, that a man had seen her from a distance, and was making his way to the other side of a highland valley where he had seen her disappear into the mountains.

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Ben sat at his desk, poring over his ledger. Suddenly, he slammed the book closed and leaned back in his chair, thinking he never should have allowed Rachel to leave. He had known she still wanted to go. He should have watched her more closely.

Hearing a horse come into the yard, he stood and walked quickly to the door. When he opened the door, Adam stepped into the house and passed him. After looking outside, Ben turned back. "She's not with you? Why are you back?"

"I lost the trail a couple of miles out. I'm gonna need Joe and Hoss's help to track her. I know she's heading in a general northwest direction, but we'll have to spread out to cover the area."

"She can't have gotten far on foot."

"We need to find her soon. From the looks of the clouds to the west, the storm we had night before last was a little duster compared the one that's coming our way."

Ben stood with his hands on his hips, nodding. "I'll send one of the men out to the herd to bring them back. You best pack some supplies. If that storm arrives before you find her, you'll have to make the best of it."

Adam started toward the kitchen, but turned back at a knock on the door. Ben turned and opened it. "Yes?"

The man was Ben's height and approximate age with wisps of gray at his temples and a graying mustache. "Are you Ben Cartwright?"

Ben's brow furrowed. The man looked familiar, but he couldn't immediately place him. "Yes, I am."

Extending his hand, the man introduced himself. "I'm James McWhorton; Captain James McWhorton, retired."

Adam recognized the man before Ben did. Reaching in front of Ben, Adam shook the man's hand. "I'm Adam. You've been following Rachel."

McWhorton looked Adam up and down. "You and Rachel both grew up, didn't you?" he said, grinning.

A smile took over Ben's face. "Well, I didn't recognize you," he said, taking McWhorton's hand and shaking it warmly. "Please, come in."

"It seems we've both grown older, Mr. Cartwright."

Ben motioned toward the sitting area. McWhorton sat on the settee and Adam on the hearth while Ben stood. "I can only assume you're here because of Rachel."

"It seems that young lady keeps bringing us together. Is she here?"

Taking a deep breath, Ben answered, "No. She was, but she left."

"I'm not surprised. It's been the same since she left Indian Territory. I'm always one step behind her."

Sitting in the leather chair next to the settee, Ben crossed his legs and gave McWhorton a serious look. "Are you who she's running from?"

"No, Mr. Cartwright. It's my son who she's running from. He's the father of her child, and he wants her and the child back. She's afraid he'll take the child away. I'm surprised you haven't seen him. He was ahead of me, and as easy as it was for me to find where she was from your sheriff in Virginia City, I would have thought he'd have come here first."

"Strange that he didn't come here," commented Adam, looking sideways at McWhorton.

"Yes, well, he's anxious to find her."

Adam looked at his father and saw the same suspicious concern there that he was feeling.

"So you have a son. And you're retired," said Ben.

"Yes. I resigned not long after my promotion to captain. I had lost my taste for what I was being asked to do in Indian Territory. I own a good-sized spread in Kansas that borders Cherokee lands in Indian Territory."

"And your son?"

"He helps run the ranch. He wanted to marry Rachel when he found she was carrying a child, but soon after the child was born, she up and left."

"Something must have driven her from her home," said Adam, looking at McWhorton with furrowed brows.

McWhorton shifted uncomfortably. "What are you implying, Adam?"

"Rachel is terrified of something; or rather someone."

"Well, I don't know who that could be. My son loves her. She used to go everywhere with him."

Adam abruptly stood. "If you'll excuse me, I have some…work…to do." Leaving through the front door, he went into the bunkhouse and asked a ranch hand to ride out to the herd and bring Joe and Hoss back. "Tell them to wait for me in the barn."

He went back in through the kitchen and gathered supplies. By the time he entered the barn with everything they'd need for several days, Joe and Hoss were waiting for him. Adam didn't wait for pleasantries. "Rachel's heading northwest, and Ezra's father is already looking for her. We have to get to her before he does."

"That little gal's in trouble, ain't she?" Hoss asked, recognizing the determined look on Adam's face.

"This man's father is in the house thinking his son wants to take her and Ezra back home. But based on how frightened she is, I have a feeling he's not planning to take Rachel back. Just Ezra."

Joe gritted his teeth. "If he tries to take Ezra, she'll fight him."

"That's right, Joe. That's why we have to find her first."