Page 78 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“All right, you two, break it up. Daylight’s wasting, and we have a bad guy to catch,” John said, grinning from ear to ear.

Willa took the lead on Gator with Mac on her right, riding about midway along her side, John doing the same on her left, and two of Mac’s men forming a close V-formation behind her. It didn’t take long for her to find where Eastwick haddumped the two warmbloods in favor of the more-experienced quarter horses for his trip south. John had informed them, per Gus’ suggestion, one set of baggies full of debris from one of Eastwick’s original mounts had been sent to the lab in Scottsdale. The other set, Gus had with him. Gus pointed out when they took a break, he and Willa could sift through it to see if they could learn anything useful.

“We’re moving kind of fast, aren’t we?” one of Mac’s men asked.

Willa stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

“No. Eastwick is an idiot. One of the horses he took has a very distinctive horseshoe, which leaves an easily tracked impression. Makes it pretty simple to track.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Reynolds. I wasn’t questioning your ability.”

Willa smiled at him. “I didn’t think you were. I figured I’d reassure you why we could move as quickly as we are.”

“Any idea where he’s heading?” Mac asked.

Willa turned Gator toward the trail and picked up to a slow jog trot that would allow them to move slightly faster than a walk and make faster progress but wouldn’t tire the horses or the riders. She was glad they were all riding her stock, having selected each and every horse, one of her criteria a smooth and easy gait.

“Willa?” Mac asked.

“Oh, sorry. My guess is he’s headed to Nogales. It’s the straightest shot from here. There are two good places near there to safely cross the Rio Grande. Eastwick isn’t much of an outdoorsman, so I’m guessing he’ll use one of those. At our current rate of travel, we have about eighteen hours of riding. I suggest we ride until the heat of the day, take a break, then continue on until after dark. Gus, you brought the lanterns, didn’t you?”

Gus laughed. “Yes, ma’am. And provisions for a cold camp, for eating in the middle of the saddle, and some of your good cooking.”

Willa smiled at the look of confusion on the faces of the men.

“Cold camp, we take a break to sleep but no campfire. My good cooking, we have a campfire, and I fix something for us to eat. Middle of the saddle is just that—something we can eat while on the move.”

“A campfire wouldn’t show during daylight, would it?” Mac asked.

“No. I think I know what you’re thinking, and it’s a good idea. There’s a nice shady spot with a good-sized water hole where we can stop for the heat of the day, let the horses rest, and I can fix everyone something to eat. Then we break camp and ride on from there until we catch Eastwick, or we have to stop because of complete darkness. We’ll be roughing it.”

One of the men directly behind Willa laughed. “I’m awfully glad we brought you along. My girlfriend sent for one of your brochures and wants us to take a trip with you.”

“I promise to feed you a damn sight better on a planned trip than on this little foray into the wilderness.”

They rode at a steady pace for the next six hours, and as the sun hit its zenith in heat production, they arrived at the spot Willa intended. The small canyon was a bit off the path they’d been following but provided cover. Once the group entered the area, Gus threw the packhorse’s lead to Mac, dismounted, and strung up a makeshift gate to close in the canyon.

“This way, we can unsaddle everybody and let them relax, graze, drink water, lie in the sunshine, and take a much-needed break,” she said to the unasked questions. Willa stopped and dismounted, and the others did the same.

“No way,” said one of the men, stepping up to take the packhorse from Mac. “I may not know a lot about horses, but I can set up a cookfire. I think Ms. Reynolds?—”

“Please, call me Willa.”

He tipped his hat. “I think Willa should take a break. She’s been leading us all this time and is going to cook.”

“I agree with Baez.” Mac stepped off Roscoe then helped Willa down. “Go sit under the tree. I’ll unsaddle Gator and make him comfortable, and we’ll set up our temporary camp.”

Willa laughed. “You big strong men do know I do this for a living, right?”

They all nodded, smiled, and continued on with what they were doing.

“Mac?”

“Yes?” He swung the saddle off Gator.

“Is it okay if I roll my eyes at others when they’re being as silly as you?”

She watched as Mac’s men hid their smiles and stifled their laughter.

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