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Gunther was running, Cole was bobbing and Truman, jogging behind them, was shouting.
“I’d never put Maddie in harm. Never. They were just asking about jobs. They knew Trig was your uncle.”
Cole attempted to lift the gun still clutched in his fingers, but his body wouldn’t respond to his command.
They arrived at the river and Gunther set him down inside the rowboat about as gently as he’d hoisted him up. Abe climbed in next, picking up the oars, but Gunther, already in the boat, grabbed them. “Gunther row.”
“Here,” Truman said, handing another set of oars to Abe. “Sylvester and I will follow in my boat.”
Both Abe and Gunther had arms the size of logs. Every rotation of the oars sent the boat flying over the water and Cole’s stomach rolling. He took a moment to breathe and squeeze at his temples, where the pounding was excruciating.
“How long was I out?” he asked Abe.
“Hours,” the man said. “The doctor gave you something for the pain, said you’d sleep until morning.”
“No wonder my head feels as if it weighs a hundred pounds.” Cole took a deep breath, which didn’t help much. The sky overhead was black, but clear. It wasn’t raining, either, which meant Ridge wouldn’t have had anything to stand in his way of making good time to the camp.
Gunther stopped rowing long enough to grab the bucket from the bow of the boat. “Drink,” he said.
“Drink what?” Cole asked.
“River water,” Abe said. “Enough until you throw up. It’ll empty your stomach.”
Knowing he needed all his senses, Cole took the bucket and dipped it in the water. Even with both Abe and Gunther rowing, they wouldn’t be at the camp until midmorning at the earliest.
The water trick worked. Once he cleared out his stomach, the haze left his mind, which also brought Maddie in crystal clear. Albert and Tim were there, as well as Jack, and every other man at the camp would watch out for her, too, but if she even went as far as the outhouse by herself, Ridge would find her.
* * *
More than nightmares had kept Maddie from sleeping. The fact Lucky hadn’t returned yesterday was a real and current concern, not some conjured-up dream of her past. Her eyes stung as if coated with sand, and her heart might as well be a rock for as hard and heavy as it sat in her hollow chest.
Being a woman, one fraught with emotions that had her wanting to cry one minute and scream the next, was more than frustrating. Life hadn’t taught her how to care about people, and now that she did—care, that was—she wasn’t overly glad it had happened.
She’d promised Lucky she’d go south with him, and she would. Go as far as Seattle to meet up with Trig, but then she’d have to leave. Perhaps return to Alaska. It wouldn’t be the same without Lucky, but nowhere would.
With both dresses needing to be laundered, she put on the yellow one. The softness of the material and the daintiness of the lace and ruffles made her feel like an impostor. Trying to be some fancy person she wasn’t, but she wasn’t going to mine gold today. She was going to town.
Upon hearing Tim’s loud voice, knowing he and Albert were awake, she ventured outside. The men were busy preparing the morning meal, and knowing Tim wouldn’t allow her to go anywhere on her own—Lucky had instructed him not to—she waited until breakfast was over before telling Tim she was walking down to Jack’s place.
Tim insisted upon going with her, just as she suspected, and Maddie withheld the rest of her plan, figuring he’d start protesting before she even asked Jack if they could borrow his boat to go to Bittersweet. She couldn’t ask Jack to accompany her. The last time he’d gone with Lucky, Jack had complained for three days how all the paddling had flared up his rheumatism, but his was the only available boat. The brothers used their boat daily and Lucky had taken the one he’d purchased.
She made sure her gun was still in her pocket before she and Tim took off walking along the gravel-lined shore. She’d spent plenty of time with Tim and liked the fact conversation wasn’t expected. It gave her time to contemplate how she’d apologize to Lucky. Tell him she still wanted to go south with him. She’d figure out the rest later—how to make sure Mad Dog didn’t pick up her trail again.
A shout interrupted her thoughts. They’d rounded the first bend in the river a short distance ago, so it couldn’t be from the mine. The sound came again, and she turned to the hillside. Elwood Reins stood atop the hill near the timberline. She tapped Tim on the shoulder, and they both stopped, waiting for the man to join them. Elwood didn’t move, just shouted again and pointed to the ground beside him.
