Page 38 of A Rugged Beauty
The other three men had clustered around Hollis and Abigail was content to be half-hidden behind August's horse, blocked from their rapid-fire conversation peppered with words like, “wildfire” and “flooding.”
Now that she and Hollis had been found, she was terribly conscious of how it looked for two unmarried travelers to be alone in the wild together for several days.
Beaumont glanced at her over his shoulder, curiosity evident in his expression.
"...came across a man on horseback, a small camp," Hollis was saying.
August cupped her shoulder momentarily and then edged toward the other men.
"Did you get a look at him?" Owen pressed. “I’ve heard rumor someone might be tracking our company, but neither August or I have seen any sign to indicate he was close.”
She saw the flicker of uncertainty cross Hollis's expression. He must've noticed how the men were looking to him forleadership. "It was dark. I only had a glimpse of his face once, when lightning flashed."
She edged toward August. "August?—"
He glanced at her. "We need to get these two back to camp. I'm sure they're half starved and in want of a real bed.”
Owen nodded decisively. "We can double up. The horses won't be able to travel fast, but the two of you must be worn plumb out after everything you've endured."
Hollis's expression softened. "Sparrow—Abigail kept our spirits up with her singing and humming."
Owen shot a confused glance between the two of them. "You... liked it?"
"Why wouldn't I like my wife's voice?"
The moment the words left Hollis's mouth, Abigail stifled a gasp.
August showed no surprise, but shock was clearly written on Owen's face, along with the other two men.
Hollis had claimed her as his wife. The deductions the two of them had made were the influence of their proximity and those berries. And they’d been wrong. His claim wasn’t true.
What was she supposed to do now?
Eight
Alice hauledanother quilt to the stream. The material was damp and dirty, a casualty of the flooding rains they'd endured in the night.
She'd lost count of how many muddy bedrolls, articles of clothing, and dishes she'd washed this morning. She was tired from a sleepless night, still felt residual echoes from the fear of near tragedy.
She wasn't the only one feeling unsettled. The women and older children from the company marching like a line of ants, to and from the small pool on the edge of the river that held mostly-clear water, wore shadowed faces. The river had almost taken a little boy. Would’ve swept him away if it hadn’t been for Alice’s sister-in-law Rachel and her quick thinking.
She'd overheard her brothers Leo and Owen talking this morning before the sun had come up. If the search parties didn't find Hollis and Abigail today, they had to assume the travelers were dead. That's what Leo had said.
His voice had broken when he'd said it.
Alice’s own heart felt like it was breaking. Abigail was her friend. She'd been missing for four days. Was it possible she was still alive somewhere out in the wild?
If anyone could survive out there, it was Hollis. He'd take care of her.
The pool was quiet, its bank empty of other travelers when Alice arrived, and that was a small mercy. She swiped her forehead with the back of one wrist. A hot wind evaporated what rainwater hadn’t run off. The ground was nearly dry again—little good the storm had done.
Alice swung the blanket out, letting it unfurl before it floated to land on top of the water before it began to sink under the surface. The motion had pulled a small smile from her, but in the very next moment, the blanket snagged on something below. It jerked in Alice's hands and she fought to keep her footing on the grasses at the bank, still damp in this shady spot.
Her eyes slipped closed as she struggled with the blanket, pulling with all her might.
Was this how Rachel had felt last night, fighting against the raging river to save the young boy she'd rescued?
The memory locked in Alice's head, watching in horror as Rachel and the young boy clung to a tree as the waters threatened to sweep them under. Owen had rescued them both from horseback, just in the nick of time.
