“My horse.” Robert had told Jamie about raising Bronco from a colt while they’d worked together on the fence. “I’m a hard-core Denver fan,” he added with a chuckle, though even he’d be forced to admit his comment lost any trace of humor ending in that wheezy grunt. Damn, but his chest hurt.
“I’ve no idea about this ‘hard-core,’ but yer hard to understand, I’ll say that for you,” she muttered in return. “Now why do you suppose they’d have left yer animal all alone, way out here?”
Before he could even consider her question, Jamie returned, leading Robbie’s horse along behind him.
It took a few extra moments, and an argument with Isa about her walking while he rode, but soon enough both he and Jamie sat on Bronco’s back, with Isa leading them through a deserted side gate.
With a little more of this kind of luck, they might even have a chance.
Chapter 27
At this rate, they didn’t stand a chance.
Isa winced as she stepped into yet another hole on the rutted road, twisting her foot once more. It had happened so many times as they made their way through the night, she’d given up counting. She was certainly no stranger to putting in a hard day’s work, but the distance they’d traveled so far had taken its toll. Her shins ached and the muscles in the backs of her legs felt as if they’d knotted themselves into hard little lumps of pain.
She’d been so grateful to see the sun rise this morning, lighting her way at last, she’d come close to forgetting how tired she felt.
Glancing back at the horse she led, she almost wished it were still dark. Jamie’s cheeks were stained a feverish pink, his small head bobbing with each step the animal took. Without a doubt, the child was asleep sitting up.
And Robbie! She couldn’t begin to imagine what kept him upright in the saddle.
An involuntary shudder ran through her body. She’d promised herself that as soon as the sun came up she was stopping to have a look at the place he clutched on his chest, but from the circles under his tightly closed eyes and the sweat on his brow, she feared she’d not be able to get him back up on the horse if he once climbed down.
Again she stumbled, her legs numb with fatigue, the pain of her hours on her feet creeping up into her lower back.
“You need to rest, Isa.” Robbie must have caught her looking back at him. “And I need off this animal before I fall off. There’s tree cover over there.”
She thought to protest, but he was already swinging his long leg over the back of his mount. He hit the ground with a grunt, doubling over.
Dropping the lead she held, she ran to his side and slid under his arm on his good side. Together they managed to get him to a grassy area and she helped him to sit up against a large tree.
Jamie slid off the great horse right into her arms when she tugged on his leg, and she wondered if he even woke up. When she laid him on the ground next to Robbie, he curled onto his side, all without ever opening his eyes.
She led the horse over to where they sat and looped his lead around a bush before dropping to her knees by Robbie.
“Move yer hand. I want to see what those bastards did to you.”
He shook his head to deny her but didn’t resist when she pushed his hand away and tugged his shirt up.
“Holy Mother,” she whispered before she thought, glancing to his face guiltily when she realized she’d spoken aloud.
“That bad, huh?” His eyes were closed so she had no means of guessing what he was thinking.
Bad? It was the worst thing she’d ever seen. Like a wound freshly closed, the skin was swollen and bruised, with what looked like a newly formed scab covering a jagged cut between his ribs. Heat from the wound assaulted her fingers, hovering over the site.
When she looked up again, he was watching her intently, his expression telling her more than she wanted to know. If she could only fill the silence with her talk, she wouldn’t have to hear the words she could see in his eyes. If she didn’t allow him to say it, it still wouldn’t be real.
“We’ve come such a long way this night. We passed the crossroads hours ago, so we’re doing just fine. After we rest for bit, we’ll start out again. I’m sure we’ll find water soon, and we can wash that wound properly.” She would have continued, but he covered her hand with his palm and the mark on her skin came alive, stealing whatever thoughts she might have expressed.
“It’s time to face the facts of our situation. The wound is growing worse. We need to go over what yer to do if I should lose consciousness, aye? No matter what happens, you must give me yer promise that you and Jamie will get to MacQuarrie Keep. ”
“Of course we’ll get there. Together. All three of us.” They had to. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything else. “With you to lead us.”
“As far as we have yet to travel, there could very well come a time when I willna be able to lead. With one of us walking, our progress is slow and Bronco canna carry all three.”
Desperation clouded her thoughts but fueled her tongue. There must be a way. “In that case, you go on ahead with Jamie. I’ll wait here. You can come back for me.”
He made a clucking noise with his tongue that reminded her of her chickens at their feed.
