Page 32 of Scent of Evil
“Everything is fine,” Justin was saying to Ginny. “Stone found a boot print, that’s all.”
Ginny looked relieved. “I hope I never have to see Decker again.”
Raine didn’t want to mention the possibility her niece would likely be asked to testify against Decker again once they found him. She decided there was no point in worrying Ginny now.
But silently vowed she would not stop until she had Decker back in custody.
Her thigh muscles screamed in protest when she stepped into Justin’s laced fingers to get back up on Timber. What she wouldn’t have given for a hot bubble bath or an ATV.
Gritting her teeth, she wrapped her arms around Ginny and took over the reins. She waited for Justin, who tossed the stuffed penguin for Stone, watching with a wry grin as his dog ran around with the toy. She had to admit that it was interesting how Stone viewed the whole mission as a game. Something fun to do.
“Hand.” Justin waited for Stone to drop the penguin into his palm. After tucking the toy into the saddle bag, he swung back up onto Blaze. “Ready?”
She managed a smile when Justin glanced back at them. “Yep. We’re good.”
Clucking his tongue, Justin continued along a path that she couldn’t see, but obviously he could. She trusted his judgment and realized she probably needed to do better if she was to continue her search for Decker.
They rode for a good twenty minutes in silence. Ginny seemed lost in her thoughts, and Raine wished she could read her niece’s expression. But as Ginny was riding in front of her, she couldn’t tell if the girl was thinking about Decker or something better, like being reunited with her mother.
Knowing Cami, Raine suspected she’d insisted on coming along with the search party who was hopefully meeting up with them. She didn’t blame her sister for being concerned. This was the second time Decker had gone after Ginny, and that was two times too many.
Just as she was about to ask for a break, Stone leaped forward, dashing through the trees, his tail wagging madly. He didn’t bark, so she knew this wasn’t an alert, but the K9 was clearly excited about something.
“What’s going on?” No sooner had the words left her mouth than she saw another dog running toward them with Stone hot on his heels. It took a moment for her to realize the dog with a reddish coat was also a lab.
And no doubt belonged to one of the Sullivan siblings.
“Trev, is that you?” Justin called.
“Yep.” A moment later, two riders came cantering forward. “Archie scented Stone and took off like a shot. I figured that was a good sign we were close.”
“Ginny!” Cami Clark reined in her horse and slid out of the saddle with an ease Raine envied. She knew her sister and Ginny often rode horses at the Lucky Charm farm. A hobby Raine wished now she’d participated in.
“Mom! You came!” Ginny’s voice choked up.
Justin stopped Blaze and dismounted to head over for Ginny. It only took a moment for him to lift her niece out of the saddle and set her on the ground. The reunion between her sister, Camille, and Ginny made Raine’s eyes fill with tears. She blinked them back and found herself raising her gaze to the sky.
Thank you, Lord Jesus.
“Are you okay? You’re not hurt?” After hugging Ginny tightly, her sister leaned back to rake her gaze over her daughter.
“Just my hand. And I was sick last night.” Ginny clung to her mother. “Aunt Raine, Justin, and Stone saved me.”
“Thanks, both of you.” Cami’s voice was thick with gratitude. “I’ve been crazy with worry.”
“I can imagine.” Justin nodded at Trevor. “You may need to look at Ginny’s hand. I appreciate you heading out to meet us. But I thought you’d be riding Scout and Stella.”
“Glad to inspect Ginny’s wound.” Trevor looked to be a year or two younger than Justin, but he had the same rugged good looks as his older brother. “I brought the trailer with a couple of four-wheelers, rather than adding more horses to the mix. These mounts belong to the Lucky Charm farm.”
Four-wheelers! Raine wanted to kiss Trevor for bringing them but managed to refrain from acting on the impulse. From the way Justin grinned, she understood her relief was plain on her face.
“Thanks for that, although I’m not sure if the four-wheelers are going to be enough.” At Justin’s words, her relief popped like a balloon. “Decker ended up abandoning his, and I am not sure there would have been enough fuel in the tank for him to reach his destination anyway.”
Raine swallowed hard, hating to admit Justin had a point. Horses only needed grass and water, not fuel.
“Griff is waiting back at the house,” Trevor said with a shrug. “Sounds like he has some possible search locations mapped out, and they are reachable via the ATVs. Up to you, though.” Trevor grinned. “I know you prefer horseback riding.”
Of course, he did, Raine thought on a sigh.
