Quinn sat in the dirt next to Misty; she needed a moment to deal with the pain in her side before she tried to stand. Quinn hadn't been able to stop the sound that escaped her lips when Andrew Booth dragged her off Misty's back. After cutting her hands free from the saddle, he grabbed her arm and jerked her off the horse. It happened so quickly that she didn't have time to brace herself for the impact with the ground. Quinn had fallen from horses before and had ended up with cuts and bruises; this time, she felt sure she had broken a rib.
Andrew stalked toward the cabin they had stopped at, leaving Newton standing saddled, with no water, no care. Quinn stood and, taking Misty's lead in her tied hands, approached Newton, wanting to offer comfort, even if that's all she could do.
Andrew Booth spun on his heel, "get inside," he ordered her.
"I am not leaving these horses like this; they need water and food; they should be unsaddled and brushed out." Quinn exclaimed, "You will regret it if you leave them like this. You need them well-rested, fed and watered if you have to make a quick getaway," she said scornfully. Quinn realised being rational wasn't the way to get through to Andrew; challenging him, suggesting he wasn't being smart worked, though. "I will do it for you if you untie me."
"Hah, you get inside out of sight. I won't have you out here trying to attract attention to yourself or trying to get away." Booth said. "Get inside now," he ordered through gritted teeth when she didn't move.
Quinn hurried inside, not wanting to enrage him further, he could overpower her easily if he wanted to, besides she wanted a chance to look around inside the cabin. Quinn hoped to find something to protect herself or something she could use to free herself. Quinn held her hands to her right side, feeling her ribs as she walked; they were painful when she moved. She needed to stay calm; she steadied her breathing, trying to limit her movement. Quinn also knew Booth hadn't noticed her injury yet, and she didn't want him to know she had even the slightest weakness or vulnerability he could exploit.
As Quinn stepped into the cabin, waiting while her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she felt nervous. Quinn didn't want to be in this cabin with Andrew Booth; he frightened her, he wasn't in control of himself, he was close to breaking point, and she wasn't sure when that had happened, what had changed, but she didn't like it. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Quinn looked hurriedly around the room, unsure how long she had before he joined her.
Booth stood watching Quinn go inside the cabin; he would take care of the horses, not because he cared about them, but because the woman was right, he might need them again. He didn't need her giving him grief; he wanted her to do what she was told when he told her. If she didn't...well, he couldn't be responsible for what happened to her. Andrew was sick and tired of women lying to him, treating him like he didn't matter.
Quinn stopped her search of the room, standing still as she heard footsteps approaching the cabin, waiting for him to enter. She felt his eyes on her, and her skin crawled under his gaze. His breath was hot on her neck as he stood close behind her. He raised his hand and captured a curl that had come loose, running it through his fingers.
"Do you know who I am?" Andrew asked Quinn., his voice close to her ear. "Do you know my story?"
"I know nothing about you except your name is Andrew Booth and that you bear a remarkable likeness to someone I used to know," Quinn replied flatly, trying not to cringe away from his touch.
"Two people," he barked. "Mary Fielding and her precious Joshua, he and I look just like our dear mother. Go and sit down," he said indicating the table in the middle of the room.
Quinn tried to hide her flinch of pain as he pushed her toward the table, jostling her ribs; maybe sitting down would help her hide her injury from him. Quinn folded her hands on the dirty table and waited patiently, her eyes looking at Andrew Booth and assessing him passively. "I still don't know how you think I can help you, why you have taken me, why didn't you just ask me to help you?" Quinn questioned him
"You might have told your Mountie boyfriend, and I don't want your help; you're just the bait to lure Fielding to me; it's him I want," Booth told her, sitting back in his chair, appearing relaxed and quite proud of his plan.
Quinn dropped her head, "I don't know what you are talking about; surely you know the Fielding's accused me of killing my father. I haven't spoken to any of them since," she said. Quinn was frustrated, "he won't come for me. I want to know what happened to my father, and then I want you to let me go."
Booth scoffed at her request before explaining, "Joshua may have agreed with his mother once and sided with her against you, but not now, not after seeing me and realising what she had done." Grinning at her nastily, he laughed, "I know he cares for you; I saw the way he looked at you in the Courtroom, and when he finds out I have you, he'll come running. He will want to play the hero." Shifting around in his seat, he said, "and once he does, once I get him here, I will make him give me everything he has; I will have what was rightfully mine."
Quinn shook her head; she had known that Joshua was in the courtroom every day of the trial; she could feel him watching her and knew he wanted her attention which Quinn refused to give him. "When did Joshua find out about you?" she asked Booth, "how did he find out about you?"
"He came home unexpectedly from a business trip, and he found me with his mother. That's when our mother told him about me and what had happened to your father. Joshua knew that you had been telling the truth about hearing another horse that day. You heard Mary and me riding away," he explained with no emotion.
"What happened to my father? What did you do?" Quinn asked quietly; her emotions were overwhelming her, she felt her lips trembling as the tears welled in her eyes, and Booth confirmed her father had been betrayed by someone he cared about.
"I begged my mother to meet me, and she finally agreed. We decided to meet early one morning away from any houses and town; unfortunately, your father was on his morning ride." He looked at Quinn and said, "your father took one look at my face, and he knew I had to be related to Mary Fielding, that she had been keeping a secret from his best friend; he demanded an explanation."
Booth leaned into her, his voice dropping to a whisper, "Instead of explaining, she charged at his horse, startling it; the horse reared, and your father fell. Hitting his head on the rock killed him, but she caused him to fall." His upper lip curled up in disgust, "she didn't even check to see if she could help, just urged me to run."
"Why should I believe you?" Quinn demanded, her eyes flashing with the anger that had built as she listened to how callously her father had been treated, that there was no reason for him to die.
"You don't have to," Booth said, shrugging, "you can ask Joshua when he arrives; he will confirm my story; she told him everything," Booth sneered, "I don't care what you believe anyway; this is about getting Joshua here to me." He stared at her as he pulled a bottle of whiskey from his pocket and took a large swallow.
"What will you do if he doesn't come and doesn't do what you want?" Quinn challenged.
"He will; I can be very persuasive. I hope they enjoyed reading the letter I sent, telling them what I will do to you if he doesn't come," Booth leered at her, making his foul intentions very clear.
Quinn looked into his eyes and realised time was running out.
Nathan rode briskly back into town, fighting the urge to rush, knowing he had to pace himself, and he couldn't push Sergeant any harder than he had; he needed him to be fit so they could continue looking for Quinn. Nathan looked around for Lucas, hoping he had information. As Lucas hurried up to him and started speaking, Nathan was disappointed to hear he had found nothing, no signs of Quinn and nobody had seen them leave town. Lucas relayed his conversation with Bill and explained that Bill was heading back to Hope Valley as quickly as he could, Sam Madison had been in Oakville, and they were travelling back together.
As Nathan talked to Lucas, he rested Sergeant; without saying anything, Elizabeth appeared with water for them both, which Nathan appreciated the time it saved him. Florence ran to Nathan with a message from Gabe, explaining that he had already left Brookfield for Hope Valley to help with the search, and Joshua Fielding was with him. Nathan wondered why Gabe would bring him to Hope Valley; he must have something they needed to help find Quinn.
As Nathan waited for Sergeant to rest, he took the time to review a map of the roads, trails, and paths on the Eastern Road out of Hope Valley. Nathan knew there were hunting cabins on the road, but they didn't get used much, and the lack of use meant the trails leading to them would be harder to find.
Booth had taken Quinn several hours ago, and they could be anywhere, but if Booth had them holed up in a cabin, Nathan would find them sooner rather than later. Nathan was still confused about why Booth had taken Quinn and what he stood to gain from having her as his hostage. Maybe Quinn was mistaken about Joshua's feelings for her, and Booth wanted Joshua and was using her to get him. Booth wouldn't have taken Quinn if she was nothing to Joshua Fielding.
Gathering up the maps, Nathan knew he had to do one more thing before leaving town; he needed to see Allie and explain what was happening. He couldn't leave town without letting her know what was going on with Quinn. As he prepared to go and find her, she found him, calling his name; she came running toward him and threw herself into his arms. Allie cried as she peppered him with questions asking, "where is she, Dad? Why haven't you found her? Why did someone take her?"
Nathan held her tight, letting her cry and exhaust her questions. He had no answers for her, so he reassured her instead, "It will be okay; I will find her, Allie, and bring her home to us." Nathan knew he was reassuring himself at the same time as his daughter. After calming Allie and promising her we would find her when he returned, Nathan prepared to head back out. The light was fading, and he needed to get on the road. Nathan didn't want to face the choice of turning back without finding her.
Riding out of Hope Valley, Nathan spoke to Sergeant, telling him about the next part of their mission. "I love her, Sergeant, and I need to find her; she is everything to Allie and me; she is our future, and I need you to help me bring her home." Sergeant acknowledged his words with a snort and shake of his head; Nathan smiled for the first time that day, patting his companion's mane and nudging him into a trot.
While the Eastern road was less inhabited, it was still well travelled, so there were many hoof and tyre tracks to decipher. As Nathan dismounted and crouched to study the trail, he noticed something that made his heart race. A hoof print showed a damaged horseshoe. The damage was minimal, not requiring the horse to be reshod straight away, but noticeable. It was Newton's print. Nathan had already talked to the Farrier about replacing it the next time he was in town, but right now, he was very pleased he hadn't had the chance, and Booth had taken Newton with him.
Nathan knew he was on the right track; this was the way Booth had taken Quinn; knowing he was heading the right way energised Nathan, giving him hope. Nathan glanced around but couldn't see anything resembling a trail off the path, so he continued, following Newton's prints.
For a moment, Nathan was discouraged that there were no clues from Quinn, wondering what that meant. Was it because she was hurt and unable to, he thought? He admitted that he wanted to see something, anything, from her to know she was alright.
Nathan kept riding slowly, scrutinising his surroundings as he went; he was confident they were still on the trail; abruptly, he saw an odd patch of dirt in front of him, different to the other markings on the track. Newton's footsteps halted but were still clear and defined; the other patch appeared to be the prints of a horse who shuffled around, forward, back sideways. Misty, he realised, Quinn wanted him to notice this area in particular; why?
Looking around, Nathan noticed the trees; there was a slight disturbance in the branches of one of the bushes about the height of Misty's rump. Nathan inspected more closely and saw the branches were compressed as though a horse had backed into them; there were broken branches and twisted leaves, clear signs of interference. He might have missed the overgrown brush hiding the track leading away from the main trail without these signs.
Nathan closed his eyes; thankful he had found a sign; what he had to do now was to find the cabin. As Nathan cleared the brush away from the entrance to the trail, he made sure anyone following him would know which way he went. Nathan walked to Sergeant, checking over his saddle, bridle, and other gear; he needed to be sure they could approach in silence, not give themselves away because of any rattling buckles.
A car approaching caught his attention, the engine breaking the silence. Nathan looked up to see Lucas approaching, with Gabe and another man in the car. Looking at the third man, Nathan recognised Joshua Fielding; it had to be him; the resemblance to Andrew Booth was uncanny.
Nathan walked over to the car, "Gabe, good to see you. Lucas, what are you doing here?" Nathan let his eyes drift to the third passenger, making eye contact but deciding not to acknowledge him.
Gabe explained he and Joshua had ridden as hard as they could and arrived in Hope Valley not long after Nathan had left to travel the Eastern Road. They wanted to catch him as soon as possible but needed to rest their horses. Lucas had offered to drive them in his vehicle.
Joshua explained he thought he was the only child of his parents, James, and Mary Fielding. Booth was the offspring of his mother's affair before meeting and marrying his father. When her family found out she was pregnant, she was sent away to Europe to live with distant relatives, returning after giving birth. Relatives of Mary raised the child, but she had nothing to do with him after abandoning him immediately after his birth.
Andrew's adoptive mother told him the truth of his birth as she lay dying, and after she passed, he decided to track down Mary Fielding. Mary Fielding rejected him, unwilling to acknowledge him as her son, knowing her husband and society wouldn't understand what she had done. Andrew had attempted to blackmail his mother instead, wanting money from her to buy his silence. Mary Fielding couldn't give him any money; her husband owned all her assets, and she held nothing of value in her own right. Joshua had hoped that Andrew would go away once the trial was over.
Andrew Booth didn't go away; he continued to harass Mary Fielding until she collapsed and was in poor health, refusing to see anybody. Once Andrew could no longer access his mother, he left town but not before sending a letter to them, advising he intended to seek other avenues to get money from them, detailing what he would do to Quinn if they didn't comply. Someone recently started asking around town about Quinn; Joshua assumed it was Booth, and he had found out where she was living.
While he listened, Nathan looked over Joshua Fielding, sizing up the man. Nathan didn't like the look in Joshua's eyes when he mentioned Quinn, his feeling for her were evident to anyone looking at him. Nathan recognised it because it was the same as his look when thinking of Quinn; Joshua was in love with Quinn, and Nathan didn't like it one bit. His anger at Booth and the Fieldings increased the longer he listened. He couldn't understand how they could have been so heartless, Mary abandoning her son, and then the family leaving Quinn to take the blame for something she hadn't done, sacrificing her reputation and freedom to save themselves.
Nathan stared at Joshua, "I appreciate you letting Gabe know about Booth, but now I need you to leave with Lucas. Neither of you is trained and shouldn't be here for what is happening next." If he was honest, Nathan wanted Joshua nowhere near Quinn. Nathan looked to Gabe, "we are getting her back from Booth now," he declared, his eyes flashing with determination.
Lucas and Joshua immediately objected; Lucas said, "No, Nathan, I need to stay here in case,...in case something goes wrong, and we need to get someone back to town in a hurry."
Joshua demanded to stay, "I might be able to get through to Booth when you can't; it's me he wants. I can bargain with him."
Nathan saw the logic in both their suggestions; sharing a glance with Gabe; he saw him nod, so he said, "Lucas, you cannot drive the car close to the cabin; you will give our presence away, you stay here with Joshua until Gabe, and I confirm what is happening. Booth is dangerous, and I won't risk you getting hurt or placing Quinn in more jeopardy."
Leaving Lucas and Joshua, Nathan and Gabe stepped away to discuss a plan for approaching the cabin. Nathan's gut was churning; they were so close, but he still didn't know if Quinn was okay, and he needed to know.
"Are you holding up okay, Nathan?" Gabe asked quietly, having waited to get Nathan alone before asking him. "Do you think you should be the one to proceed? Why don't you let me scope out the cabin and report back to you?"
"Not going to happen, Gabe; either we both go, or you stay here," Nathan stated, that was not an option he would consider.
"It was worth a try," he said, smiling, glad to see his friend return a quick smile, and he knew Nathan was okay; he was in control and wasn't going to do anything foolish. "Okay, let's work out how we get Quinn back."