Page 67 of The Sheriff and the Outlaw

Harrison inclined his head forward. “Just up ahead. There was another entrance, too, but this is where it caved in.”

“Can you show me where?” Daxton asked, trying to keep from running.

“Of course. It’s not far.” Harrison hurried ahead with Daxton, Wyatt, and Colton hot on his heels.

“Quiet!” Colton announced, holding his arms out. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Wyatt asked.

“Shh!!” Daxton said. They all froze, listening.

“Da....” It was weak, but it was definitely a voice. “Daxton!” the voice said again, clearer this time.

“It’s Josey! We found her!” He started to rush ahead, but Harrison held his arm out to stop him.

“Be careful. It might not be safe.” Harrison smirked. “All we need now is for you to fall in, too, and then we’d have two of you to rescue.”

Colton frowned. “Or it could be a trap.”

But at that moment, Daxton didn’t care. All he could think about was Josey. “Josey?” He waited for a moment, but there was nothing. Then he turned to Harrison. “How far away is the mine?”

“Just up ahead.” Harrison nodded. “But be careful. If one part of it fell in, more of it may fall in, too. But I don’t think she fell in randomly. I think she fell in where it caved in before… just up ahead.”

Unable to help himself, Daxton started running in the direction that Harrison had indicated. “Josey?”

“Daxton!” Josey called out, louder this time. “Down here!”

Daxton’s heart leaped as he slowed, stepping carefully toward the sound of her voice, growing louder. “Josey?”

“Daxton!” Josey screamed, louder this time.

All of a sudden, the forest opened up to a small clearing. He looked around but saw nothing. Obviously, the vegetation had grown up around it, covering the hole. “Josey?”

“Here! I’m down here!”

“Keep talking until I find you!”

“Daxton, I’m so sorry! I should have told you... I should have—”

“None of that matters now.” Daxton walked carefully toward the sound of her voice, taking one step at a time. “We’ll talk about it when you’re safe.”

“I should have told you—” Her voice was much louder, clearer now. He was getting close.

“We can talk about it later.” Then he looked ahead and there was a hole in the ground, half covered by grass. “Josey?”

Daxton fell to his knees and started pulling the grass away from the hole, making it more visible. He looked inside and Josey was sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall, her face and clothes covered with dirt, but to him, no woman had ever looked more beautiful. She looked up and their eyes met and held. Daxton’s heart pounded, and his eyes filled with tears of joy at having found her.

“Daxton! You found me!” Tears streamed down her dirty face as she looked up at him from below. She lifted her chin and closed her eyes. “Thank you.” Instinctively, he knew it was a prayer.

“Josey, honey, are you hurt?” Daxton was so overjoyed at finding her that he felt that he could have flown down to her. But the last thing he wanted was for the men to have to rescue both of them because he wasn’t careful.

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Just thirsty.”

“Is anything... broken?” He really wanted to ask about the baby, but the least amount of people who knew at the moment, the better.

Josey shook her head. “No, but I’m aching all over.”

His heart fell. He hoped that she hadn’t lost the baby. Even though the father was Logan Slater, she was the mother, and that was enough. But first thing was first.

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