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Chapter 29:
Jamie scrambled to his feet, feeling powerless to help.
Adam tried to get a stable foothold but Issac, who was positioned above him, aimed a kick at the rancher's face. Slipping a few more inches, Adam managed to get a decent grip but each time he hoisted himself further up the cliff face, Issac would deliberately scrape his boot down the rough surface and the debris would rain down on his intended victim. The convict's luck ran out when the rocks he'd been holding onto broke free causing him to slip.
Unfortunately for Adam, Issac's full weight crashed into him and they both fell further down the incline. Adam held back a groan as the sharp rocks cut into the palms of his hands and the sudden impact of Issac slamming into him left him winded. The convict managed to find another crevice to hook his hands into and start climbing back up but it wasn't long before he failed to secure a strong enough foothold to hold him. Out of desperation and malice, he kicked out once again, catching Adam in the shoulder and knocking his arm away. The Cartwright heir gasped as he almost became airborne. Swinging his body back against the cliff face, Adam saw another wild kick headed his way.
Gritting his teeth, he summoned the last of his strength to free one arm. He grabbed Issac's trouser leg and yanked down as hard as he could, pulling the criminal free from where he clung. With a gut wrenching scream, the convict lost his grip and plunged to the gorge below with a sickening thump. Breathing heavily, Adam tore his eyes away from the bloody and twisted body of Issac Warren and concentrated on making the treacherous climb back up the jagged cliff face.
"Adam!" Hoss called, poking his head around the ridge to make sure he had not fallen to his death with Issac. "Grab the rope!" he shouted, throwing down the lifeline over the ridge for his brother to grab onto.
Adam pried his hands, one at a time, from their locked position and hung on to the rope with all his might. Ignoring the jolting pain flaring up in his palms and the ache in his battered body, the oldest Cartwright heir began climbing the ridge to reach his family while Hoss used the rope to help pull him up to safety.
As soon as Issac had fallen to his timely demise, Ben had sprinted over to his youngest son and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "Jamie, are you okay?" he asked after a tender moment. "Did Issac hurt you?"
"I'm fine, Pa, really. How's Griff?" Jamie wheezed painfully.
"Holding his own," Ben answered evasively, still not ready to break physical contact with the teenager. "These bruises on your face look pretty painful."
Jamie swatted his father's hand away as Adam and Hoss approached.
"Lordy, Jamie, you gave us quite a scare!" Hoss marvelled. "It's good to see you, boy!"
"We're glad you're alright," added Adam who leaned against Hoss for support as the rush of adrenaline from the fight left his system.
"I've never been more happy to see you," Jamie sighed in relief as he finally allowed himself relax. "All of you! I'm so sorry for all of this. It was my fault you had to come here. If you hadn't-"
"Jamie," Ben interrupted. "I would've paid a million dollars to get you back. This is not your fault. Besides, you freed Doc Martin so he could help Griff. That might have saved his life."
"After I almost ended it," Jamie mumbled under his breath, but no one was able to hear him.
Adam rubbed at his hands, trying to get the circulation in in his fingers to return. "Speaking of Griff, let's head back. Candy has been running himself into the ground takin' care of the kid."
At that moment, Jamie wanted nothing more than to return home to the Ponderosa with his family. "Buck's over there," he informed. Hoss was quick to retrieve the horse. "And Thunder was…" Jamie whipped his head around. "I… Where'd he go?" Before they could stop him, Jamie ran over to the brush where he could have sworn he saw the black stallion. Spotting the loose dirt and ripped up shrubbery, Jamie concluded angrily, "He's must've twisted himself free. He's gone. Again! I lost Thunder again!" He looked out in the distance but could see no sign of the horse.
At the mention of Griff's missing mount, Ben turned Jamie so they were face to face. "Jamie, are you feeling alright?" he asked, wondering if the boy had a hidden head injury. "Are you sure it was Thunder you saw?"
Jamie mutely nodded, not really knowing what else to say. The toll of the last couple of days started to weigh down on him. He was hungry, thirsty, exhausted and every inch of him was sore but most of all his heart felt heavy with the burden of guilt. All he wanted to do was go home and beg for Griff's forgiveness if he wasn't going to be too late. Hot tears threatened to well up in his eyes and he made every effort to stopper the flow. Swiping at his eyes, Jamie tried to shrug away from his father.
Understanding that the boy needed a moment away from his brothers' scrutiny, Ben looked up over his head and said, "Hoss, check on the horses and bring them over here. Adam, go with Hoss. You best get those wounds on your hands cleaned up. There's a full canteen in my saddle bag."
Adam, who would normally have insisted that he was fine, got the message loud and clear and made no attempts to argue the point as he and Hoss both headed for the horses.
"Jamie, you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened to Griff any more than you can blame yourself for the sand storm that took Thunder away," Ben asserted. "The shooting was an unfortunate accident and no one can assume responsibility for Mother Nature's actions."
"Issac told me why Griff was in prison. Even if he survives, he'll kill me! You don't know what he did. None of you do!" Jamie confessed his fears.
"As a matter of fact, I am very much aware of Griff's past mistakes and what drove him to commit the crime he was punished for. We all know," Ben explained.
"What- you do? Why didn't y'all tell me?" Jamie was unable to hide his shock and disappointment at the revelation that he was left in the dark when it came to Griff King.
"Because we didn't feel it was necessary. It was hard enough for Griff to tell us, we wanted to respect his need for some privacy. The last thing he wanted was for people to judge him based on his past and not for the person he is today," Ben explained.
"He seems pretty tough to me," Jamie mumbled.
"That's what he would like people to believe. No one wants to admit they're scared of being locked up in a dark room all alone."
"But it was his Pa he hit..."
"He was Griff's step-father and he beat on Griff all those years before the boy finally had enough and tried to defend himself the only way he knew how. Issac's version of the truth are garbled with lies and I would pay no heed to them." Seeing the confusion that flashed across Jamie's features, Ben could tell that Issac did more than simply kidnap him for ransom. Once again, the convict managed to weasel his way into the family and plant seeds of doubt and mistrust. Ben hoped that Jamie and Griff would manage to work out whatever differences they previously had, but now, that seemed like a near-impossibility. "Come on now. Let's go home."
"But what about Thunder?" Jamie weakly insisted.
"We'll search for him soon," Adam promised as he brought their horses forward. "But there's nothing we can do now. Griff needs us and you need rest, Jamie."
Resigning to that declaration, Jamie mounted Buck behind his father as the four men delayed the gorge for home. Feeling safer than he had in a long time, Jamie relaxed against his father's chest. Although he would never admit it, it did not take Jamie long to be lulled to sleep by Buck's steady footfalls.
