Page 75 of At Love’s Command

Matt’s head jerked up.

“The map.”

No way was he forfeiting this paper until he figured out Josie’s message. “Ten minutes,” he bargained, praying he’d have it figured out by then. If not, he’d just scratch his line of letters into the dirt and keep working. “Water the horses at the creek. I’ll hand the map over when you return.”

Burkett scowled. “Fine. Ten minutes.” He withdrew his hand and took hold of Percival’s bridle. “But I’m taking Percy with me.”

“Good. Wallace can take our other horses.” Matt tipped his head toward Mark, who immediately collected the reins of both his and Jonah’s mounts. “Preach, I’m gonna use your back.”

As Burkett led Percival away, Matt swiveled toward his corporal, who was already bending to offer the use of his broad back as their new work surface.

“I think the first word is desert,” Matt murmured to Jonah, though even as he said it, he realized how little sense it made. There were deserts in Texas, but none nearby. They were all out west. This was hill country. Thick vegetation. Ample water. Wildflowers and trees. This was about as non-desert as Texas got. Matt’s throat rumbled with frustration. Maybe Burkett was right. Maybe he was trying too hard to see clues that simply weren’t there.

“Not desert, Captain,” Jonah said, his finger tracing the next several letters in the list. He paused over an E, then skipped past an L, N, H, and A before tapping a D in the list of possible letters. “Deserted.”

A new surge of excitement pumped through Matt’s veins. A deserted what? House? Town? Cave? He immediately started scanning the next set of letters. F-A-R. Farm. It had to be. He skipped several letters like Jonah had, then jabbed his finger at the M in Mr. Taggart. The title had been left off the first time the outlaw was mentioned in the note, so Josie must have purposely added it here to provide the needed M.

Smart girl.

It took longer to figure out the next part of Josie’s message. The letters didn’t seem to make a real word.

“Speco or maybe Secoc . . .” Matt tried to sound out the nonsense words. The plodding hoofbeats of horses returning from the creek shot a dose of urgency into his blood. “Nothing fits,” he muttered as his eyes traced the same letters over and over.

Preach twisted his neck as if attempting to peer at his own back. “Try skippin’ the middle and jump to the end. Maybe you can work it out backwards.”

Matt glanced at Jonah, who shrugged.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Jonah said as he turned back to study the note. “We know for sure the last letter is K. It’s probably why she took the time to sign her last name.”

“We also know there are two E’s next to each other,” Matt added. “There could also be an L or an R.” Eek. Leek. Reek. He glanced at the letters again and pounced on the C. “Creek! Seco Creek!” He grinned like an idiot and squeezed Jonah’s shoulder, wiggling him back and forth as if he were a flag flying in a windstorm. “We found her! Thank God above. We found her.”

Burkett dropped the reins to his black and charged forward. “You found my Jo?” He looked from one man to the next, but his gaze zeroed in on Matt. “Where is she?”

“At a deserted farm near Seco Creek.”

The fire lighting Burkett’s eyes cooled and hardened into coals. “Seco Creek stretches for miles. She could be anywhere.”

Matt shook his head, the scent of the hunt still fresh in his nostrils. “Not anywhere.” He stepped away from Jonah and clapped a hand on Burkett’s shoulder. “She’s at a deserted farm. A specific place. A place locals will know.”

“Only if you find the right locals.” Burkett circled his arm to dislodge Matt’s hand. “If we had two or three days, you might find her. But we barely have enough time to get to the exchange point. We can’t afford to go on some wild goose chase.”

“Not all of us, no.” Matt gestured to his men. “I’ll take the Horsemen. We’ll cut cross-country and ride to Utopia. The town lies between Seco Creek and Sabinal River. Someone is bound to know of an abandoned farm in the area. It makes sense for Taggart to keep her close to the exchange point.”

“But that will add several miles to your trip,” Burkett warned. “Miles we can’t afford.”

Matt paced a few steps, frustration mounting. He understood Burkett’s reluctance. This was a risky play. But it was the best play they had.

He stopped pacing and faced Burkett head-on. “You said it yourself. If we let Taggart call all the shots, there’s a good chance Josie ends up dead. Charlie too. But if we can find their hideout and attack when they’re not expecting it, we’ll be the ones with the advantage.”

“And my children could still end up dead.” Burkett’s gaze hardened even further. “You go into that camp, guns blazing, and chances are high that my Jo gets caught in the crossfire.”

Matt didn’t blink. “Retrieving your daughter unharmed is the mission, Burkett. I won’t make a move until her position is secure. You have my word.”

Josie’s father held his gaze for a long minute, then finally dipped his chin in a small nod. When his face lifted, his eyes had softened, the crack in his anger letting some of his fear leak through. “What if you don’t find them in time?”

Matt swallowed. It was a possibility. Likely even, as much as he hated to admit it. If they couldn’t find a knowledgeable local, there would be too much ground to cover for them to find the farm on their own.

“I’ll abandon the search in time to reach the exchange point by the assigned time.” He narrowed his gaze. “I’ll need you to hold off your approach until three. Don’t go in early. Even to position your men. Taggart’s bound to have spies watching the place, just as he did here. If they see you coming, they’ll send word to Taggart. He’ll gather Josie and his men and leave the farm before we have a chance to find them.”