Page 81 of The Promise
Patrick looked from one to the other and then out the window, his eyes narrowed. "All right. I'll do it, but not until it gets dark. It'll be safer then."
Loralee blew out a breath and raised the damp cloth again, successfully wiping the old man's brow. "You get some sleep now. You'll need your strength later."
Pete looked across the room at Patrick. "More likely we'll need a miracle."
22
Michael scanned the scene below him, searching for signs of life. The ranch yard was peaceful, almost serene, but in his estimation it was too quiet. There was nothing to indicate any activity at all. No horses in the corral, no smoke from the chimney, no gear lying about. Nothing.
The place looked deserted, the skeleton of the new barn casting long shadows across the house and stable, giving them an almost sinister look. He shook his head, clearing his vision. Maybe it was just his mood.
"Can you tell anything?" Cara lay next to him, her voice lowered to a whisper.
The ridge was sparsely dotted with trees, but the little clump of aspen provided cover. Tucked in among the tall meadow grass, there was no way they could be seen. And from this vantage point, they could see the entire ranch. "No, but it just doesn't feel right."
"Well, it looks calm enough."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"True." She narrowed her eyes, studying the scene below. "So what is it that seems off?"
Michael focused on the ranch, trying to identify what was bothering him. The late afternoon sun shone on the front of the cabin, its rays sparkling off the windows. He blinked slowly, and refocused on the house. Nothing changed.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to find the inconsistency. He knew it was there. He just had to find it. It was amazing really how the light reflected off the windows. They looked like rainbow-hued jewels, colors winking in the sun. He sucked in a breath, his mind finally identifying the anomaly. The window to the left of the door wasn't twinkling. Granted the porch provided some protection, but the glass ought to be reflecting at least a little of the sunlight.
It wasn't.
"There." He poked Cara and pointed toward the house. "The window glass is gone."
She frowned and squinted at the cabin. "How can you tell from this far away?"
He moved his head so that his mouth was just above her ear. "Look at the other ones."
She studied them, and he watched as understanding washed across her face. "Okay, so what do you think it means?"
"I don't know for sure, but I'd say someone either shot it or knocked the glass out." He clenched a fist, his gut churning at the thought of what might lie inside the house.
"So you think we're too late?" Her whispered words held a trace of fear.
"No point jumping to conclusions. There might not even be anyone in there. All the missing glass proves is that something is definitely wrong. That window didn't break itself."
Cara nodded, her eyes still turned toward the ranch. Suddenly her hand closed around his wrist, her other arm extended, pointing at something. "Michael?"
He jerked his head around, his eyes locked on the area she pointed to. The grass in the yard between the cabin and the corral rippled in the slight breeze. "What? I don't see anything."
"Over there, by the big rock." She gestured, her chin and hand both jerking upward in an almost synchronized movement. "That spot of white. I think it's a?—"
"Body." He finished her thought, a band of steel tightening around his chest. White and blue shown through the waving grass.
Cara's hand tightened on his arm. "Can you make out who it is?"
Michael stared at the inert form lying in the yard, but the distance was too great. "No." He pulled out of her grasp, sliding back from the edge, his brain racing. It couldn't be Patrick. His mind simply wouldn't accept the possibility. "I've got to get down there. Now." He scrambled to his feet.
He turned to go, halting only when he felt Cara's touch on his shoulder. "Michael, you can't just go running down there. You don't have any idea what you're going to find. Whoever did that," she gestured toward the ranch and the body, "might still be there. You could be walking into a trap."
She was right. This wasn't the time for rash decisions. "All right."
She sighed and dropped her hand. "So what do you want to do?"
